Authors: Treasure Hernandez
Back in the Hood (5 page)
As the cold, icy layer melted away from Halleigh's heart, it seemed to be doing the same for Malek. Perhaps things could go back to the way they were after all . . . just not so easily.
Chapter Five
A
fter spending three weeks in the hospital, Halleigh emerged from the elevator in a wheelchair, which Malek was pushing. He leaned over to kiss her cheek.
fter spending three weeks in the hospital, Halleigh emerged from the elevator in a wheelchair, which Malek was pushing. He leaned over to kiss her cheek.
“I love you, Halleigh,” he said, finally glad that his woman was coming home where she belonged.
“I love you forever, Malek,” she responded as he wheeled her through the sliding glass doors to where his car was waiting.
Halleigh grimaced at the pain that shot through her whenever she moved. The doctors had been giving her pain medication throughout her hospital stay, but because she was pregnant, they couldn't give her anything too strong. She had lost a lot of blood when she was shot, and she had dropped a lot of weight, so her doctors were giving her high doses of vitamins to get her energy back to where it should be.
“I'm going to drop you off at home and then go fill your prescriptions,” Malek told her as he climbed into the driver's seat and pulled off. “I have to swing by and pick something up from Mitch, too, so I may be gone for a couple hours.”
Halleigh looked at Malek through disappointed eyes. In her heart she felt like he would never give up the streets. For the past three weeks, he had been making lifetime promises, assuring her that he was getting out of the game, but something was telling her that he couldn't give it all up, that the hold of the streets was far too strong on him.
She didn't feel sure about how important she was to him, and she needed, more than anything, for him to know she was willing to commit to being a permanent fixture in his life. The game was temporary.
Noticing the look in Halleigh's eyes, Malek told her, “Don't look like that, Hal. I told you I'm through with the streets, and I meant it. All I'm going to do today is pick up my money that I got out there, and then I'm out for good.”
Once in front of their spot, he opened his car door and helped Halleigh inside. She was so grateful to walk into her own home after her extended stay in the hospital. She couldn't wait to take a bath, get some real food, and then pass out in her own therapeutic Sleep Number bed. Malek suggested she lay down and get some rest first. He promised that he would help her with a bath once he got back, but she wanted to get cleaned up to lay in her nice, clean, freshly made bed.
After getting out of the bath and slipping into some comfy pajamas, Halleigh made her way down to the kitchen, where Malek was fixing her something to eat before he headed out. Halleigh noticed a small box tied with a bright red ribbon on the countertop.
“Is that for me?” she asked Malek.
Malek didn't respond as he poured some canned soup into a bowl, but his smile was enough for Halleigh to get excited. She knew it was jewelry because of how small the box was. She walked over to it and shook it playfully before untying the ribbon and opening the box. Inside was a Mercedes key surrounded by red tissue paper.
“I upgraded you, ma. You and my shorty got to ride in the best,” Malek said with a wink. He walked over to Halleigh and rubbed her belly.
“Where is it?” she asked excitedly, jumping up and down in spite of her pain.
Malek motioned his head toward the garage, and Halleigh sprinted through the door. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the custom, powder-pink 6 Series. It was just like Malek's, except it was super-feminine. “Oh my God! Malek, I love it, boy!” she screamed in delight as she rushed to admire the white leather interior.
“I thought you might.” Malek checked the time on his phone. “Hal, I've got to spin the block for a minute. I'll be back before it gets too late, a'ight.”
“Yeah, yeah, okay,” she said distractedly as she messed with the gadgets on the inside.
Malek laughed. “Your soup is inside on the counter. Don't let it get cold.”
Still, Halleigh paid him little attention.
“Call me if you need me,” he said as he headed off to take care of his final business transactions on the streets.
When Mitch received the call from Malek asking him to meet up, he knew it was time. He'd been watching his calendar and counting down to the day when the streets would be his. He had easily blown through the weight Malek hit him with, partly because he had supplied Sweets with a “butter” price. Malek didn't know his dope was going to his adversary, but after today, it wouldn't matter anyway. He would be a distant memory.
Mitch grabbed the two duffel bags full of money and the twin pistols for security. The bags were filled to capacity with all street cash, the bills dirty and crinkled. Dirty money. He laughed at how paid he actually was. It felt good to have so much money. He was on cloud nine, and on his way to get rid of the only person who could possibly bring him down from his high.
He made sure both of his chrome 9 “milli's” were off safety then stuffed them into his shoulder holsters, one tucked safely between each arm. He put on his black leather Pelle coat, which concealed the holster, and then went to meet Malek.
Malek had been waiting at his spare apartment for Mitch to arrive. He'd rented the apartment just to have an extra place to rest his head, but since he and Halleigh had started a life together, he rarely used it. It was convenient for the purpose he was using it for tonight.
When Malek called, Mitch had assured him that all of the coke was gone and they were sitting on a gold mine. One million dollars was a lot of moneyâmore money than a lot of people saw in their entire lives. Malek had always been smart, and watching Jamaica Joe as he reigned supreme only helped him to perfect his own hustle. He had a nice chunk of change saved up already, and with the money Mitch was about to deliver, it would be more than enough for him and Halleigh to relocate and start fresh.
He wasn't no dummy, though. He knew he couldn't just let that money sit idle when it could be making him more. The only difference was it would be legal this time. He really wanted to link up with a financial advisor because he wanted to make some arrangements for Halleigh and his baby. Just in case anything ever happened to him, he wanted them to be set for life.
When Malek heard the knock at the door, he knew it was Mitch. He was the only other person who knew about the apartment. Malek didn't bother to check the peephole. He opened the door to find Mitch standing at his doorway.
“What's good, bro?” Malek asked. “Come on in.” He stepped aside for Mitch to enter.
Mitch came in and looked around. Malek didn't notice the paranoia in his eyes because he was too busy thinking about getting paid.
“You got the bread, fam?” Malek asked, rubbing his hands together.
Mitch lifted the duffel bag.
“Nigga, what's good? You all silent and shit,” Malek commented as he motioned toward his sectional sofa. “Have a seat. There's something important I need to holla at you about.”
Mitch made sure he kept the duffel bag near his feet and then took a seat on the couch. He could hear his heart beating rapidly in his ear as Malek walked over to the bar. Mitch knew this was his chance to do what he'd really come to do. Malek's back was toward him, so he could easily shoot him from behind and dip without looking back.
Mitch reached inside his jacket to retrieve one of his guns, but halted when Malek said, “I'm getting out the game, Mitch.”
Mitch released the grip on his steel. “What you mean, out the game?”
Malek finally turned to stare Mitch in the eyes as he spoke. “I mean I'm through. Halleigh is pregnant with my baby, and I'm trying to be around to raise him and see him grow. I don't want to make my wife bury me the way Joe did with Kim. That's why I needed that weight moved so quickly. The day Hal walked out of the hospital, I promised her I would walk away from the streets.”
“And that day is today?” Mitch questioned. He had to see what Malek intended for him, because if he thought he was taking all the money and leaving Mitch with nothing, then Mitch still planned on putting two in Malek and taking the cash to build an empire of his own. But before he moved forward with his plan, he decided to give Malek the benefit of the doubt and hear him out.
“That's right. I appreciate you, fam. You've been loyal since we decided to do this together, and now I've got to hand it all down to you, bro. The money you made off of them bricks, two-fifty of it is yours, man, to cop your own weight and do your own thing. I'll even plug you in with my connect. I got the connect from Joe.
“It's all love, baby, but I've got to get out while I still have air in my lungs.”
Mitch smiled deviously and replied, “No doubt, baby. You definitely got an angel watching over you, fam. You've dodged a lot of bullets. You're a smart man.” He couldn't help but chuckle inside at his personal joke. Malek had dodged bullets all right. Unknowingly, he'd just dodged two.
Mitch was satisfied with Malek's severance pay, and decided to kill his plan instead of his boy. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars was enough cake to get up and running and stash some for a rainy day. If Malek was getting out of the game anyway, then he wouldn't be a problem to Sweets or anyone else, so the situation was fitting for everyone. How Mitch saw it, it was a win-win situation for every player.
“So I take it you good with that, fam?” Malek walked over to Mitch with two shots of liquor in hand and extended one to him.
A smile crossed Mitch's lips as he accepted the shot. “It's all good.”
“It's been a short run, but a good run,” Malek said as he held out his glass.
Mitch did the same and they clinked their classes together and then downed the liquor in one swallow.
“Now, let's count this money so I can get back to wifey.” Malek headed back to the kitchen, nodding for Mitch to follow. Mitch grabbed the bags and did just that.
Malek went to his refrigerator and grabbed two Coronas out and tossed one to Mitch, who then poured all of the money onto the table. They sat down and went to work counting and dividing the money.
“Congrats on your family, man,” Mitch stated, like he had never had larcenous thoughts on his mind.
“Thanks, my nigga. I'm about to take this money and take care of her, bro. She deserves it.”
“That she does,” Mitch replied. “That she does.”
Chapter Six
A
fter counting out all of the money and breaking Mitch off with a hefty percentage, Malek had $750,000 in the trunk of his car. He was overjoyed at the fact that he could now live comfortably with his lady for years to come. He still had $500,000 saved up from the money Jamaica Joe had left him, so he was indeed a millionaire, with a little bit of change to spare.
fter counting out all of the money and breaking Mitch off with a hefty percentage, Malek had $750,000 in the trunk of his car. He was overjoyed at the fact that he could now live comfortably with his lady for years to come. He still had $500,000 saved up from the money Jamaica Joe had left him, so he was indeed a millionaire, with a little bit of change to spare.
He'd lost track of time, sharing last drinks and thoughts with Mitch. He punched eighty on the speedometer, until finally he was sitting in the driveway at his home. He jumped out of the car in excitement, grabbed the duffel bags out of the trunk, and hauled them into the house.
“Halleigh!” he yelled as soon as he entered. He didn't care that it was three o'clock in the morning. He couldn't contain his excitement and wanted to share his departure from the game with her. He couldn't wait to let her know it was real, that he was truly a man of his word.
“Hal!”
“Malek, what's wrong?” she asked sleepily as she came out of the bedroom. “Why are you yelling?”
“This is why, Hal”âHe emptied the contents of one of the duffel bags all over the floor.
Halleigh wasn't the least bit excited, and once again, a look of disappointment showed on her face. “I've seen your re-up money before, Malek.” She shook her head and then flailed her arms in defeat. “I thought we had an agreement that you were out of the game?” Hal asked, not out of anger but confusion. She really didn't want to see Malek get hurt or lose his life the way so many hustlers before him had done.
“This ain't re-up paper, baby girl. It's ours. All of this money belongs to us, and I'm going to spoil you and my seed for the rest of my life.” Malek rushed toward the love of his life and scooped her in his arms.
Consumed with so much happiness, Halleigh didn't even flinch at the pain she was in as she wrapped her legs around Malek's waist and he held her securely under her bottom. He spun her around and kissed her passionately.
“I need a vacation,” Malek said, imitating the popular rap song by Young Jeezy.
Halleigh laughed as Malek laid her down gently on the money-littered floor.
“We can go wherever you like, Halleigh. Just pick a place and we're out.”
“I really just want to get out of Flint. That's all I've ever wanted from day one,” Halleigh confessed. “Our history here ain't all that great. I just want to go somewhere and start over. Maybe even go back to school or something. I don't really even have to be far from here. Let's go to Detroit or Saginaw, just anywhere but here.”
Saginaw and Detroit were just as ruthless and hood as Flint, but the way Halleigh spoke of them, one would have thought she was talking about going to Paris.
“I don't know, Hal. That's just a different hood, same shit. I wanna take you to the Bahamas or something, so we can live like rich niggas do.”
Halleigh laughed at Malek's crass outlook on the world. “I don't care about being in the hood, Malek. I just don't want to be in Flint. At least in Saginaw no one will know us. We'll be regular just like everybody else. And since you wanna see how rich niggas live, you can take me on a vacation. We'll go to an island in the Caribbean.”
Malek kissed Halleigh gently and replied, “Okay, ma, whatever you want. You handle the passports and everything. The money will be in the safe. You know the combination. My money is your money. Take care of everything and make arrangements for us to leave Flint when we get back from our vacation. Deal?”
Halleigh smiled. “Deal.” She couldn't believe it was happening, that she was finally getting out of Flint once and for all. And, God willing, she was never coming back.
Halleigh handled all of the details regarding their trip and their permanent relocation after their return. She had decided that they would move to Saginaw, a small city about a half-hour north of Flint. She decided against Detroit because, in her days as a Manolo Mami, many of her clients had been ballers from the D, and she didn't want to run into anyone who might remember her from her former occupation. She was trying to let her past go and focus on the present, and at the rate she had been turning tricks for Manolo, she knew if she and Malek moved to Detroit, she would inevitably run into someone she used to do business with.
She was also excited about her pregnancy. She was healing well from her gunshot wound. Fortunately for her, it was only a flesh wound, and although the bullet had been the greatest pain she ever felt, it hadn't hit any major arteries or organs. The doctors told her that ordinarily she wouldn't have been in the hospital for more than a week, but with her pregnancy and all, they didn't want to take any chances. She was very grateful to be alive, and she thanked God for the safety of her baby as well.
She booked an all-inclusive trip to the Turks and Caicos Islands and filled out expedited paperwork for passports for herself and Malek. They were scheduled to leave in two weeks, which gave her more than enough time to secure a place to live in Saginaw and move most of their things from their home in Flint. She didn't want to rush into purchasing another home, so she decided to lease a condominium and wait for their home in Flint to be sold first.
She didn't see Malek much in the two weeks prior to their trip, since she was always on the go, taking care of their trip, and he was always asleep, catching up on years of missed sleep from hustling. She didn't mind him taking time to rest. She figured his mind and body needed it after the non-stop hustle he'd been on ever since blowing his NBA shot. Malek had chosen a hard path all because of his love for her, and she appreciated him for it.
A part of her felt guilty because she knew, had it not been for her, Malek would never have committed that robbery. He'd be living out his dreams in the NBA. For that sacrifice, she promised herself that she would always make him happy. That was one of the reasons why she had decided to forgive him. That, and the fact that he was her soul mate and had proven himself time and time again to her. She didn't care how corny it sounded. The child in her stomach linked them together for a lifetime. She was beginning to realize that their relationship was bigger than the two of them. They were now a family.
Halleigh made it her personal mission in life to be there for Malek the way he'd always been there for her. As she thought about how much she loved him, she began to grow more and more excited about their vacation to the Turks and Caicos. She had been fantasizing about going to the burgeoning tourist location ever since she'd learned of LisaRaye marrying the island's premier. Fuck the Bahamas. If a black person owned the island, that's where she wanted to be.
Malek was all she needed, and just the fact that they would be off in some exotic place, secluded from everything else in the world, made her smile. She couldn't wait to have her man all to herself.
A sexy smile graced her lips as she hit a U-turn in the middle of the street.
I've got to hit up Vickie's Secret because on this trip, I'm going to show Malek exactly how much I love himâall day and all night.
I've got to hit up Vickie's Secret because on this trip, I'm going to show Malek exactly how much I love himâall day and all night.
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