Back to the Streets by Treasure Hernandez Read Free Book Online Page B

and his uneasiness was evident.
    Joe didn’t want Tariq to sense that they knew something was going on, so he said, “Yo, fam, you sure this nigga is a hundred percent?”
    â€œI’m sure. He is getting money out in the D . My uncle used to run with him back in the day. The nigga is one hundred percent, for sure. Square business!”
    â€œIf shit don’t go down as expected, I’m holding you personally responsible, you feel me?” Joe told Tariq.
    Tariq glared at Joe through the rearview mirror before saying, “Don’t worry, boss. I promise that if things don’t go as you expect them to, I’ll be glad to take full responsibility.” Tariq then turned his attention back to driving.
    For the next thirty minutes, the three of them rode on I-75 without sound, everyone attending to their own thoughts. Poppa lay slumped in the back, trying to remain as quiet as possible. His heart raced a hundred miles per minute as he gripped his .45 automatic pistol. He was ready to go through with the plan. All he had to do was just wait for Tariq to pull over at the rest area so that he could earn his stripes.
    Ever since he was twelve, when he did his first hit, Poppa felt like he always had something to prove in the streets. He was tired of people taking him for some okey-doke Negro. Although his history had just been poppin’ off niggas for pay, which was how he came about the moniker Poppa , this wasn’t no ordinary work for hire. He was caught up in a situation with the king of the North, which would earn him more street credit than he had ever imagined. Ready to make a real name for himself in the streets and shut niggas up from ever doubting his skills again, Poppa sat back and waited for his cue, which didn’t take long to come.
    â€œYo, I got to piss like a mu’fucka.” Tariq squirmed in his seat. “Here’s a rest area coming up,” he said as they passed the sign. “I’m-a pull over real quick.”
    â€œYo, you can’t wait until we handle this business, fam?” Joe asked, hoping that Tariq would change his mind and not go through with it. “I said I didn’t want to make no stops riding dirty. Fuck, we could have taken my car if we was gon’ be stopping any damn way.”
    â€œI got to go now,” Tariq said nonchalantly as he frantically kept checking the rearview mirror.
    Once they came upon the ramp and Tariq exited the highway, the tension in the truck grew, as everyone knew something was about to go down.
    Tariq pulled into the rest area and threw the car in park. He looked around and saw that no other cars were at the rest stop, and he knew this shit was destined to go down. Luck was on his side. Now he didn’t have to worry about someone hearing the gunshots, or having to take out any extra heads. Hopefully Poppa would be quick about his business before any other cars pulled up.
    â€œI’ll be right back.” Tariq turned up the music and yelled, “Y’all can just chill and listen to this new Scarface CD.”
    As Tariq got out of the car, Malek slowly slid his hand to his waist and waited for shit to pop off. He kept his eyes burned to Tariq’s back. If his eyes could shoot bullets, Tariq would be full of holes the way Malek was glaring him down.
    Tariq walked toward the men’s restroom with a quick pace. He could hear his heart beating as he braced himself for the gunfire that he anticipated. He thought back to the time when he and Joe were as tight as blood brothers. He would have killed for Joe. As a matter of fact, he had killed for Joe on several occasions. Now the game had changed—well, at least the players were about to change anyhow. And Tariq knew that there was no turning back now. He could only stand in wait to hear the gunshot blast come from the car, so that he could get it over with.
    Tariq might have talked a good game, and as big as his talk was, one might’ve