LOVE & LOYALTY

"Say, Ant, man, this fool just tried to rob me . He had his boy with him, I popped one......but the other one, Alyse know who Im talking about, I couldn't get him.....he say he not leaving without her! I'll be at the Red Roof Inn.....room 112!" Anthony was stuck as Alyse was running out! He couldn't believe what he was hearing! What was Carmello talking about? Why would anyone wanna rob him, he's just a car salesman? When he said "pop one" did he mean kill one? He had to go check on his brother. He ran out to his Rolls Royce to speed off to the Red Roof Inn.

Anthony pulled into the Red Roof Inn with an adrenaline rush and parked next to a truck that looked like Marcos's landscaping truck. As he walked up to the room, he saw Alyse knocking on the door to Room 112 with a worried look on her face, confirming that he was not dreaming about the phone call he received from Carmello. He yelled out for her to hold the door. He didn't think she was paying attention so he ran to catch up. Carmello swung the door open and waved for both to hurry and come in.

"Girl, did you see Marcos's truck parked out there? I wonder which one of his tramps he trying to screw." "Londynn, that ain't got shit to do with why we here!" Carmello had a look of authority on his face as he muzzled Londynn. He did not have time to hear about Marcos and who he was with!

"Aye Ant, man, you won't believe this bullshit!" Carmello had such a look of bewilderment as he rushed to sit down. "I intended to take Londynn home and introduce her to my "lil friend" but when we pulled up to her house and started walking to the door, two guys came up asking Londynn all these questions about where Alyse was. I picked up from the conversation that one is her ex boyfriend that used to beat on her and that Alyse was hiding out from him. The whole time, he kept looking at me with that look in his eye and right in the middle of them going back and forth, he pulled out a gun and start telling me he wanted everything I got! I saw his homeboy reach for his gun, so I punched the hell out of the first one as I reach for my gun and shot his friend twice. While he was trying to shake off my punch, I grabbed Londynn hand and took off running."

Anthony fell on the bed and put his head in his hands. "This is too much! So you telling me that you killed someone?? Why didn't you just give him what you had?" "Because, Ant, what I had was more important than anything in this world, respect! If I gave him what I had and let this fool slide, other people will think they can ice skate and then I will be a target! Listen, Ant, you need to know that I am not just some average Joe out on these streets, I'm the General around here!" Carmello pulled one big bag of heroin out of one pocket and a big bag of cocaine out of the other. "I'm selling more than just cars. Peyton and I had a nice operation going on before he got locked up. Had he listened to me and not went and met them new cats, we would still be running things together. Its money out here, Ant."

Anthony looked at Carmello with total disbelief. He remembered when Peyton had been arrested for manufacturing and delivering cocaine and sentenced to 20 years! Peyton, Carmello's older brother, had been dealing drugs since they were teenagers. He seemed more addicted than the people he served. He had been taught the ropes by their mom's brother, a known hustler turned addict, and the streets. It seemed that their uncle had been breeding him since the adolescent years, teaching him how to cook crack, bag the heroin and coke, and weigh everything to perfection. He knew all the tricks that the addicts would try to play to get a free fix, how the streets were separating different dealer turfs, and all the ins and outs of the police. Peyton knew how to manage his money. With their parents being gone, Peyton felt that he didn't have the luxury of having parents to fall back on so he made sure he always had enough money to take care of his housing expenses. He had always been protective of both Carmello and Anthony, they were both his little brothers. They were taken in by the best family he could think of. Anthony's mom showed no difference amongst the three boys, you could never tell who was her biological son. She would shop for them all the same, if she bought it for one, she bought it for all three of them and she would scold them all the same if need be. Anthony's mom and dad taught the boys general principles of life and survival skills. Most importantly, Rodney and Sheila showed the boys the meaning of family and unconditional love. Peyton even knew how to do some baking and he would often past time with Sheila baking new recipes that they thought were interesting. It gave them both bonding time and a feeling of rest and relaxation when they would get in that kitchen and bake and taste all their magnificent desserts.

Peyton had one girlfriend that he had been head over heels in love with since they were 15, Caitlyn. She was just as rough around the edges as he was. She had the prettiest green eyes, light yellow skin, and thick, shoulder length hair that she kept very curly with the assistance of mousse. She was very reserved due to past sexual abuse that her older cousin had administered while her mother housed him in their family home. He would come into her bedroom every night and violate her in every way for two months straight when she was only 6 years old. Caitlyn rarely spoke but when she did, it was in a tone that was not too alarming but her words were mostly always intellectual.

"Caitlyn has been trying to fill in and help out as much as she can, but with the baby almost here, I am really gonna have to sit her down ASAP!" Carmello started looking at Anthony with the eyes of a car salesman, as if he were about to hit him with the best sales pitch ever.

--Um, excuse me guys, so are we gonna stay cramped up in this little room all month? Terrence is running out there loose without his homeboy. We don't know what he knows and how far that psycho will go!" Alyse's eyes were bucking out of her head. Everyone in the room could tell that she was terrified but they could not see what she knew about Terrence. He had put a different type of fear in Alyse! He had broken her nose and the two vertebral ribs on each side on different occasions because he seemed to have a problem with Alyse's smart mouth. Its not that Alyse was intentionally disrespectful, she would just say snappy but powerful things when Terrence's disrespect would go too far. Alyse had always been outspoken; she felt that respecting her as you would yourself was the most important thing to her. If Terrence would say belittling things or display acts that made Alyse feel some type of way, she always had a rebuttal that cut him very low. With Terrence being a bully and not a man of many words, he would always react in a physical manner, only to hush Alyse before she totally shattered his ego. But with her years of experience with him, she knew how far his violent acts could and would go and she thought she had left all that behind.

"Why would you say all month? Hell naw!!! Now, first, do you have anything to say to him? If you do, you need to get that out the way right now!" Carmello had made up in his mind as he ran away from Terrence that this was the last time he would run away. The next time they saw each other, he was gonna have to kill him on sight! He just needed to see where her head was since she had been laid up with him for the past five years. He began to lay out the plan for everyone. When Carmello finished with his instructions, he looked around the room, and everyone was damn near huddled around him like a quarterback calling the most important play. It registered then that he had a circle of rookies but he prayed that their need of clearance of this situation would help them remain loyal. He just needed them to follow the plan and keep their mouth closed. He could handle all the important parts.

"I never thought I would ever be at this point.....never thought I would ever have to do this, but for this reason and for you guys, I have no problem being your wing man. Alyse you deserve to be treated like royalty and I am not just saying that because of your beauty. You carry your self--" Anthony is cut off by Carmello.

"Hey Ant, save all that extra mushy stuff for her, when you two are alone." Carmello chuckles but is very entertained by the amount of concernment that his friend is showing Alyse. "I'm about to go put this plan in action."

Carmello leaves out the room and heads towards his car. As he is approaching his car, he hears loud yelling, "Marcos, open this damn door and let me go ahead and put something on her ass! I been wanting to do something to this little tramp and you mean to tell me YOU sleeping with her after all the things we have discussed and you know what she has been putting me through!" Carmello looks right into the face of Ebony beating on the room door right in front of where his car was parked. "Carmello?? Ummm.....what--" Just as she starts, the room door is snatched open and Marcos and Monae are on the other side of the door! Carmello stands there with his eyes locked on the situation, trying to figure which participant deserved the award for most disloyal character to Anthony. The fact that the women were fighting over MARCOS was enough to send him livid!!! He glares at Marcos and puts his finger in the middle of his forehead. "You already know you gone have to deal with me later, but for now, you need to move this shit around because Londynn is down there and you know she gone pop off!" Marcos's face dropped to a confrontational but astonished look. He could not believe that he heard Carmello correctly, was he trying to tell him that Londynn was at the Red Roof Inn and if so, with who? Carmello turned to the women and told them, you both better hurry up and get out of here, I got Anthony up here helping me with something, and you two better be glad that I really need his help or I would go get him right now! All 3 of y'all got some nerve, my brother has been nothing but good to all of you and you mean to tell me that you two trashy ass females are up here fighting over this bum ass nigga. Ebony, you ain't shit! Your sour ass womb can't even produce a kid for the man and you act like you God's gift. And Monae, that's all your young, dumb ass is good for! You can't even get the man to come back for seconds and you already getting passed around? Don't worry, when all this bullshit is said and done, my brother is gonna be the one to walk away comfortable, happy and free, from all this energy that drains him, negative, narcissistic, and nasty. Now everyone better be gone when I get back or I won't give you sorry bastards the chance to break my brother's heart, or play with Londynn's emotions any longer." He flashed his gun at them and continued on to his car.

Carmello was infuriated as he pulled back into the parking lot of The Red Roof Inn. He had succeeded in finding the fiend but he just couldn't comprehend how Marcos, Ebony and Monae could be so heartless to a person that was so important in all of their financial success, but forget that, how could they be so cruel to his brother?? He got the new room key from the fiend and payed him. He wanted to get that totally taken care of before returning. The less people that knew they were all together, the less people will ever figure they did anything to Terrence. He goes back to room 112. Everyone was still there with nervous looks in their eyes. He gave Alyse the room key and number and she made the call. As they waited in the new room, Carmello sat quietly. He knew one thing, he was not gonna let Anthony continue to look stupid! He had been so good to all 3, Marcos, Ebony, and that young heffer, Monae. He gave Marcos, basically a whole business to run, so he would not have the hassle of dealing with employers and their background checks. Anthony knew he had daughters and didn't want him out here struggling to take care of his family. Ebony had never had to work a day in her life and now, Anthony has her living one of the most lavish lifestyles she could ask for. She's never given him a child and now she can't even respect him. Monae, that young tramp, has been reaping some nice benefits herself. Mostly since the baby has been here; she receives child support but she always tends to need Anthony to physically buy everything she desires their baby to have. Anthony, who loves his daughter and wants her to be taken care of without any confrontation, gives Monae whatever she asks for. Since every other person in Anthony's life were displaying such recreant behaviors, he couldn't keep their secret from him any longer.

Alyse's phone rings and it's Terrence letting her know he's outside. Everyone falls in position and once Terrence is in the room, Alyse tells him that she is not coming back with him. After minutes of haggling, Terrence grows embittered and punched Alyse. He told her that she will be coming back with him and he'll fix her attitude. Anthony and Carmello came busting out of the bathroom. Carmello knew that Anthony had never killed anyone before and didn't want his brother to have tonight on his conscious, so he shot Terrence three times as quickly as possible. His gun had a silencer on it so the shots whispered without causing much commotion. The ladies never had a chance to make it out of the room. All four just stood there waiting to see what's next. Carmello checked Terrence and sure enough, his pulse was gone! He looked outside and no one seemed to hear a thing, so he waved for the others to follow him back to room 112.