Hey I had to change the name of Dani's dad because the name he had most of the story was actually a name for another character in one of my books. So now his name is changed to London. I will be going back to edit and fix the sentences that has the other name.
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It was a Saturday night. Khalil had just returned to town and Marvin Chase was feeling pretty intimidated having heard about Kades reputation when it comes to the streets. His nerves on edge and everybody including his sons could see it.
Khalil on the other hand was happy to be back and get his mind off of things back home. The number one thing on his mind being his son. Kades looked at this whole working with Marvin thing as something Marvin needs not him. Khalil has more than enough money and so many connections. It can't hurt to add one to the list so that's why he's here.
"So how you liking my city?" Marvin asks making to put emphasis on my.
Khalil leans back looking around. "I like my city just fine." He repeats right back to him making sure to put the same emphasis on my. His eyes land on what he's guessing to be Marvin's three sons. One of them watches intently even though he's not completely in the conversation, the other one with the dreads is so focused on rubbing on who Kades guesses to be his girlfriend he's not focused on this at all, and the other one looks as if he wants to be here but it doesn't really matter to him.
Marvin narrows his eyes but decides to change the subject. "I hear you got a son." He brings up Cash.
Khalil nods. "Yeah I do." His eyes meet Cas's and he frowns slightly irritated already have heard a lot about the Chase's before he even came here.
"Well this," Marvin leans over placing his arm protectively around his son neck. "This right here is my oldest. He gone take over one day."
Kades nods his head. "Is that right?" Khalil can't lie a jealousy set in seeing Marvin & his son interact like that. Kades son Cash was a good young man but Kades often felt he was too good. Good hearts and smiles can't save you in these streets. And Cash never took to the streets. A street relationship or understanding is something Kades and Cash lacked. A lot.
"Yeah that's right." Cas speaks up for himself boldly. Khalil looks the little nigga over wondering what about him could be so gutter that he ends up running this city.
The sound of knocking on the club doors gets everybody's attention. Khalil turns in the VIP seat wondering who could be at the door at this time. As far as he knew this was a business meeting. Anything else would be a surprise to him and he doesn't like surprises.
Marvin looks just as confused but motions for his crew member to open the door. A few moments later in walks in a tall slim dark skinned man. Kades knew this man. They'd met once or twice since his son Damari is a friend of Cash's. But standing here right now he looks like a completely different man. London's arms are so slim, bags under his eyes, clothes dirty and falling off of him, white powder on his nose. From the looks of things he looked feined out. Scratching and clawing at his arms as if somethings there that's not. And he has this whole twitch to him. Kades seen enough drug attacks in his life to know that London's must be recently taken to drug use.
Cas, Tez'on, Vanni and Penny all look up. Penny recognizes him as Mari and Dani's dad. As do the rest of the guys. All of their mouths drop not even knowing that the man was using drugs till this moment.
"Aye man we in a meeting right now. You should go." Vanni advices already feeling the energy shift.
London scratches at his arms as he looks at Marvin. "Marv man I know I owed you ya money today but I couldn't get it all together. I promise you I gotchu next week though."
"Look bro like my brother said right now we inna meeting. You should head out." Tez repeats. Everybody's quiet and looking to Marvin for an answer.
Marvin looks over at Khalil then back at Tony. "You picked the wrong day to show up over here." His voice is cruel and cold. "Show em what we do when we don't get our money on time." Marvin smacks his son against the chest getting his attention.
Cas scrunches his face up. "You serious? Pops we in a meeting we can handle it some other time." The boy says making his dad mug him and eyes turn angry.
"What did I say Casmarian?" Marvin asks his son in a stern tone. He feels as though his son is embarrassing him and questioning his authority in front of a dangerous man.
Khalil speaks up. "It's fine. Ya know how youngins be. Not many lil niggas can handle they business like we do back in NYC." Kades boasts instigating the situation.
"Maybe I should go..." Tony trails.
"Nah it's too late for that," Marvin shakes his head. "Cas handle that shit. You gone let this man sit here and call you a lil nigga? Is that what the fuck you is? If so then maybe I should handle it. You really testing my patience right now. Dont embarrass me." He mumbles the last part to him.
Cas looks over at his brothers but like always everything is placed on his shoulders. "You know I'm not no lil nigga." He says lowly.
"Nah we don't know shit. Prove you ain't." Marvin eggs his own son on. Snapping his finger one of his workers comes over handing him a knife. Marvin passes it to Cas.
"I uh..." Cas cuts himself off looking around the room. He didn't want to kill London but he knew how this would end. With either himself getting hurt or London. And his doesn't really know if putting himself through more shit with his dad is worth one drug addicts life.
"I should go." Penny tries to stand up.
"You ain't going no where," Marvin snaps. "You wanna fuck my son and be his girl right? Well seeing shit like this is what comes with being his girl."
Penny sits down. Growing afraid she stares at the man knowing that today might be the first time she sees a man die. As much as she hates and despises Danielle she doesn't know if the teenager really deserves the kind of pain his death will bring. But she also knows there's not much she can do to stop it from happening. Not nothing she can do at all for real.
Marvin moves in towards his son gripping his head roughly he whispers into his ear. "You kill his ass or I promise you tonight won't end good for you."
"Marv what are you doing here? Wasting my time?" Khalil asks with a smirk. Trying his hardest to get under Marvin's skin.
London backs up eyeing the knife that's now in Cas's hands. He raises his hands up in defense. "Man please I said I would get you your money." He pleads.
"Go hold him down." Marvin orders Tez and Vanni completely ignoring Tony's begging.
Tez and Vanni rush towards Tony and though the fear is evident in him he puts up as much of a fight as he can. Managing to sucker punch Tez across the face, give Vanni blows to the stomach. It gets so bad escalating to the point where Marvin in yelling at his sons. "Beat his ass! Beat his ass! Do it!"
London has Tez on the ground choking him out. Vanni tries his hardest to pull him off but he won't budge. He has no choice but to fight dirty and dig his fingers in the mans eye sockets. Meanwhile Cas is standing their holding the knife not knowing what to do. Marvin is yelling and cursing, Khalil watches not knowing how to feel and Penny's damn near on the verge of tears. London let's out cry as his eyes bleed and Tez and Vanni use that as the opportunity to hold him back by his arms.
"Stab his ass! You see what he did to your brothers! Stab him! Don't be a pussy! Stab him! You think your mother would be proud to know I raised a little bitch! Kill his ass! Do it-" Cas cuts his father off not being able to hear the constant teasing he rushes towards London shoving the knife into his stomach slicing it down the middle.
"Please please." London cries out falling to the ground holding his stomach. Blood leaking out of it at a fast pace.
"Back in my day we used to slit niggas throats when they don't give us our money." Khalil taunts.
Marvin looks over at the man feeling a need to prove himself. "Give it to your brother." Marvin motions to Tez.
"W-what?" Tez stutters out. He felt bad enough watching as his older brother stabbed an innocent man. And seeing his girlfriend sitting there in full blown tears he didn't want her to view him as that kind of guy. But looking in his fathers eyes he knew he didn't have a choice.
"Take that knife and slice his throat." Marvin clarifies himself.
Tez takes the knife from Cas. He can see the tears in his brothers eyes. All Cas has ever wanted is to run things someday. Their all teenagers fighting for their fathers fucked up and sick manipulative love. To replace the love they yearned from a mother that's not there. As much as all of them hated to admit it if it takes killing one man to get closer to the love and approval they want from their father they'll do it.
"God please." If London's eyes weren't bleeding everybody would've sworn those were tears. Lifting his head up to the sky holding onto his stomach as if he's awaiting his moments to leave his Earth and meeting the man upstairs he allows his head to be yanked back by Tez.
Tez closes his eyes and momentarily prays for God to forgive him. His father has made him kill drug dealers, murders, cold blooded killers who would've got him first. But never an innocent man. And that blood on his hands is enough to make him cry. He grips the blade slicing a perfect cut across the middle aged mans neck.
London falls forward gripping his throat he lets out alot of gargled words. Blood squirting from his neck and spewing from his lips. Blood flying on each of the boys clothes.
It's in this moment that Khalil is snapped back to reality. Seeing that man die in front of him all he could see was London's little girls face. Reality that she'd just now lost her father.
Marvin's not done yet. He takes the gun from his waist showing it into Cas's chest. "Finish him."
"Dad he's going to die look at him." Cas motions to London who's blood is leaving out of his body more and more slowly. His body becoming less and less movable.
"Don't give me another reason to view you as a disappointment Casmarian." Marvin says.
The words hitting Cas right in the chest he looks over at his brothers. Angry and hurt that Marvin is placing all of this on him. While he allowed Vanni to just sit there he forces Tez and him to do what so called needed to be done.
"I got it." Cas says with base in his voice he lifts his gun shooting London in the temple.His body lays there like a log no longer moving at all. Blood covering the club floors.
As Khalil watches this he blames himself. Knowing that none of this would've played out if he didn't egg things on. And watching Marvin treat his own sons like this, disrespect them, force them to kill an innocent man. It makes him feel sick. Maybe it makes him feel sick knowing that that's Damari's father. And a man like Marv is someone Kades would never want to work with. Marvin didn't know it yet but Kades would later get into an altercation with him telling him that they'll never work together in this business, and a fight for the streets would be started.
Marvin smirks proudly. "See it wasn't that hard." He laughs looking over at Penny who's shaking. Her eyes streaked with tears and smeared mascara. "You two help your big brother carry his ass to the car. After that you got it from there all by yourself Cas,"
"Now you'll see what it's like to be at the top."
DANIELLE
Dani
I open up the car door falling out of it I hit the ground. I can hear him calling my name but everything zoned out. I climb to my feet rushing over towards the grass I throw up every single thing that's inside of my stomach. This is the sickest I've ever felt in my life. Just knowing that I allowed myself to be around the murders of my father.
I mean it was all games imagining myself pretending to be their friend. Planning all this shit out. Like I knew eventually I would find out the truth and there was a chance that any of them could've killed him. But the fact that they all knew. They all watched, some of them even helped. And then they really sat in my face and pretending to understand me. Pretending to be my friend, pretending to be sorry about what happened to them. When they know that they did it. And now everything makes sense now. Why Kades disliked the Chase's and wouldn't be around them. I'm guessing after that night and seeing what they did and then finding out that was my dad he no longer wanted to do business with them.
What kills me is I seen it coming. Like I could literally feel in the pit of my stomach that everybody knew. Literally EVERYBODY knew. But Kades? I expected some sort of explanation. At least he could've told me. And Tez pretending to be my friend whole time he was apart of it all too. Their exactly what everybody say they are. Their thugs who will smile in your face like they didn't kill your family months ago. Tell you sorry for your loss like their not the reason for it. And Penny was there too and this whole time she pretended to be my friend. And what hurts the most is though I was pretending like the rest of them. Even though I knew that eventually I'd see the truth and they might of done it it still hurts. It hurts like I never seen it coming.
"Baby." Cash tries to reach for me and I yank away struggling to stand to my feet.
"You knew. You knew this whole fuckin' time." I whisper. "How could you do me like that? Is that why you made Kades be around me?" Everything was starting to add up and I always felt like him making Kades drive me to school and look after me was deeper than he was saying it was.
Cash looks away nodding his head in guilt. "After what happened to your dad I didn't want them coming after you are hurtin you-" I smacked him across the face. My hand leaving a red imprint there. He looks back at me holding his cheek and I can tell he's somewhat hurt.
"That was my dad who was there and saw that D. I couldn't just tell you what he saw. I knew you was gone wanna go after them. And him." He tries to explain.
I try my hardest not to smack him again. "You so full of shit Cash. I mean really? What you telling me this now for huh? Cause you feel bad for me? Cause you wanted to make sure I wouldn't be cool with Kades no more?"
Cash scrunches his face up in confusion. "This shit ain't about him. I told you because I want a future with you and wanna love you the way you deserve. And I can't do that with there being secrets kept."
"See!" I yell. "Exactly what I'm talking about you should wanna tell me because you care about me! You so called love me and shit yet you watching me chill with motherfuckas and be around your dad knowing what they did."
He tries to take my hand in his and I shove him away by the chest. "You knew too. Alright? Mari told me you was going after them. They not as stupid as you think they is. Kades was looking out for you."
"Kades was playing me!" I want so badly to tell him me and Kades connection. The gift Kades gave me, the way he looked at me and talked to me. I wanted to let him know his dad wasn't as innocent as he thought he was. That not only was Kades playing me but he was playing his own son. But just like Cash said.
That's not my secret to tell.
Or maybe truth is part of me doesn't want to lose the only person who was honest to me. Maybe he waited for the longest and hurt me in the process but he was the only one that told me.
"I swear to God I'm going to kill him." I make a move to charge him and go around him. He steps in my way searching my eyes.
"You...you like him don't you?" I can hear this unfamiliar tone in his voice.
"What? That has nothing to do what anything." I snap.
He laughs turning around he punches his car door denting it slightly. "It means everything!" Cash yells catching me off guard.
"It won't change anything. It won't change that he lied to me, you lied to me. It won't change shit so why does it matter?"
He runs a hand down his face. "I'm so tired of this," he lets out a huff of air distress in his voice. "I've wanted you for the longest. I done had love for you," he motions to me. "As long as I can remember. I WAS THE ONE. I was the one who was looking out for you by telling Kades to protect you. And what do I get in return? You fall for that nigga." He scrunches his face up. "You fell for my dad."
It's crazy how the way he explains it can make it sound so bad. I never expected things to happen this way. Sometimes you get so caught up in pretending to be someone your not that you become them. I'm pretty sure I'm not even the Dani he remembers.
"You are a good guy Cash but-"
"But you want a hood nigga, a shooter, a thug. You want a nigga who in these streets. Oh wait! I know what is is you want," Cash says sarcastically. "You wanted the truth right? Except you don't want it to come from me. Nah you would rather hear that shit coming from Kades."
I frown biting down on my lip I clench my jaw looking away. "You don't know anything about anything." I mumble.
"Fuck that," he snaps. "Because don't none of these motherfuckas. Not ya mom, ya brother, ya so called friends. Not even Kades love yo ass more than me! None of them know you and have waited for you to want them like I have!"
"Right-" I was cut off staring as a car pulled up full speed which I recognized to be Kades car.
He doesn't hesitate climbing out. I watch as a cruel mug settles on Cash's face. "What are you doing here?" I can hear the anger in Cash's voice.
"I heard about what happened last night motherfuckas was talkin. Ya mom said you moving in with her?" Kades ask. I mentally face palm myself I can feel in my stomach that something is about to happen.
"And?" Cash asks sounding a little standoffish. I watch Kades eyes go to me then flick back to his son sizing him up.
"And you ain't have to do that. You know I could've handled it. I got the money." He doesn't try to but I can hear in his voice he's cocky about it.
"Money? Fuck she need yo money for? She don't need shit from you when she got me." Cash raises his voice stepping into his face.
"Take that damn bass outta yo tone when you talking to me!" Kades rages shoving his son by the chest. Cash stumbles back a little bit but stays on his feet. I watch as he prepares to shove Khalil back so I step in between the two of them just to feel a push to my arm.
I fall onto the ground staring up at Kades who's surprised. "Shit I'm sorr-" before he can get it out Cash is punching him straight across the face.
I jump to my feet moving Cash aside gripping his face. "Let me the fuck go!" He yells but I hold his face forcing him to look at me. His eyes soften.
"Calm. Down." I say each word slowly turning around I watch as Kades spits onto the ground some blood holding his lip.
"You better be lucky. This time I'm gone let that shit slide." I can see on his face that though he says those words he's tempted to make a move.
"Just go." I mug him. I wanted so badly to scream, punch him, kill him. But I refrained from doing so because right now didn't seem like the right time. And I could see the hurt and anger in both their eyes that their now turns against eachother.
After a moment Kades walked away giving me one last look making me feel sick to my stomach he climbs inside of his car. I quickly turn around lifting Cash's face up. "You good?" I ask searching his face. His next words shocked me.
"You want me to prove I love you? I'll kill him and everybody who ever hurt you."