EMPIRE:
Four prospects
Written by: Cody Branham
In a an area of New York called the Bronx, gangsters, drug dealers, hustlers, and thugs rule joint everyday as has been through the early days. Two young gangsters by the names of Pocco and Cici ruled their own prospects in town. Pocco was a drug dealer/gangster, doin' what ever he could to get the paper, weather that meant having to run on into someone else's territory and takin' all they got, or just simply putting a gun to someone's head. What ever Pocco wanted, he got….just as simple as that, regardless of the cops or not. Cici was a thug/gangster tryin' to go legit with his life and how he earned the cash, he tried to keep a positive on life but there are a few things keeping him from doing that. His territory began to cross over into Pocco's territory so when that happens, Pocco is ready to go to war with Cici before he moves in any more. This taking over all affects the paper Pocco would be getting' with the tipsy he was sellin' because Cici didn't want anything given to any areas of his prospect by Pocco. Pocco had his own brand called "Stars" so far out of all the drug dealers in the Bronx, Pocco's was the most successful in getting around the territories. In the meantime, Cici has joined forces with Joe Cartagena, a heavy weight Latin American who was a thug/gangster/drug dealer. Joe's brand was called "Severe" he was the second best dealer in the Bronx but him and Pocco clashed forces with eachother so the beef is boiling up between the two. Pocco joins forces with Loco Voto, a nickname given to him from his peeps, he was all the same as Pocco but had a little more power than him and Joe had with the dope they were sellin in the streets.
"Yes, the days of the south Bronx keeps getting' a little better everyday….My name is Pocco, I'm young Latin and good-lookin', I'm the biggest dealer in New York and some people are too stupid to realize that….See, I'm from the south Bronx, I have my own prospect in town but I can't be makin' the paper I need if someone crosses over into mine…I own the biggest prospect in the Bronx but a dumb ass whiteboy by the name of Cici is crossin' his shit over into my territory, I don't know if you haven't realized it but in the Bronx, if someone takes your place, you gotta fight em' out. So, me and my boys are gonna eliminate his white as out of my territory! There's my boy Tech, eversince we were little me and him been keepin' the streets on lock, he's the blackest mutha fucka I know, there's my nigga Clique, one of my best boys, always knows how to get the job done, he don't let no crazy mutha fuckas into the territory, so that's why I got him as my best boy in the gang,unfortunately that nigga Cici gots a little move into my area but that shit ain't goa be happenin', and there's my boy Rene, he's a brotha of one of my past friends who get shot about a year ago passin' the dough. This is my family and we ain't about to let no bastards pass through us like nothin', we goin to war!!!"
Joe the heavy weighted latin american sat at a large chair flippin' through his money on a counter as Cici, went to grab his cell phone to call his girl, Marisa, a beautiful caucasin women who loved her man very much, she always encourages Cici to quit what he does, but nevertheless loves him a lot. Joe pulled his hat up, exposing some of his shiny bald head underneath, his eyes looked tired as the slanted as if he was Asian, and he licked his lips which were surrounded by a light thin gote. "Com'on man, look at this shit, Ci! Business is gettin' better!" Joe said as he started to lay out all the money onto the table in groups of 100s and 50s. "Look man, that's great but we don't know when Pocco could hit us back, I mean we gettin' money but that bitch knows where we hide at!" Cici, a white, worn down looking hood gangster replied, he had a half hidden face by the dark blue hoody he he wore that had the words "Joker Aztec" written on it. From a distance, all that could be seen of Cici's face at this point, was a large nose, lips and a wide jaw that was lined with a gote sort of cut that went from one side to the other and a thin line over his lip. Around Ci's neck was a large platinum cross that hung low pass his chest. "Look man, you need to lighten up a little bit, I didn't join forces with you so we could become a couple of pussy ass gangs to damn scared to show what we about!" Joe said as he stared in grief at Cody whom was waiting for the line to pick up on his phone. Cici just gave an odd glance at Joe before the line suddenly picked up. "Hello?" A voice asked over the line, Joe just got up and left to the kitchen for a drink. "Hey baby!!!" Ci said in relief as he heard Marisa's voice over the phone. "Hey babyboy! Where in the hell have you been? I've been worried about you!!!!" Marisa replied. "I'm fine baby, I just needed to finish a little buisness that's all." Ci replied. "When are you gonna stop with that stuff, Cici? I keep telling you to stop or you're gonna get yourself shot one of these days!" Marisa advised. "I'll be fine baby!Besides Joe's here with me right now, I'll talk to you in the morning okay babygirl?" Cici said as he smiled. "Okay babyboy!" Marisa's voice replied in relief. The Ci told her he loved her as she did the same and the two hung up. "So, you and Marisa still together?" Joe said as his heavy footsteps sounded from the kitchen. "Yeah, she's my baby! You know Joe, have you ever gotten married to anyone yet?" Cici asked in curiosity. Joe looked up at him with a smile, "Yeah, matter of fact, my baby ma and I haven't seen eachother since I've been in the buisness but we ain't divorced, we just don't see eachother." Joe replied. "Oh, I see. I'm gonna ask Marisa to marry me soon!" Cici said as he glared into a dark widow sill beside him. "No, man! You don't wanna do dat! You're in this buisness, you'll be makin' a mistake if you do! Besides you'll never see her…." Joe was interrupted by Cici's voice saying, I'll quit this stuff, I'll go ligit like I've been planning to do!" "And what? Leave me here to deal with this shit by my myself? Hell no! You and I have been in the same prospect fo' a month already, you ain't leavin' out on me now!" Joe replied. "But she's all I got and she means more to me than any amount of money in this world! I love her and she's the women I want to be with for the rest of my life!" Ci said in sarrowing way. "Look man, if you leave me alone to deal with Pocco and Voto, they got a chance to beat me to a pulp and besides my crew is already shot down, I got only one good friend I can rely on and that's you Ci! So just to let you know, to hell if I'm gonna let them mutha fuckas run up in my space and blow my brains out!!!" Joe said sincerely. "Aight Joe, look! If I do this, we can both get out of this messed up shit for good if you follow me out, you follow?" Cici replied as he sat in the chair across Joe and the table infront of him. "Deal?" Ci said as he reached his hand out waitn' for an agreement. "Deal!" Joe said as he shook Ci's hand on it. In a sudden moment, a sound clashed into the front door of their hideout. "Did you hear that?" Joe asked Ci as everything got quiet. "Yeah, what is that?" Ci said as he slowly moved from his seat to the door. Joe stared in suspican. "On the count of three, I'm gonna open this door, aight?" Ci said as he began to count down. Joe shook his head slightly. "Three!" Cici shouted as he opened the door with a sudden pull and outside was one of Pocco's boys trying to listen in one their conversation. "What the fuck?" Cici said as he reached out for Jose, one of the messengers for Pocco. Just before Jose could run, Ci pulled him into the hideout room. "What the hell are you doin' here Jose?" Ci said as he slammed Jose up against the wall beside the door, holding him up by his collar. "Look man, I was sent here, not my prob!" Jose said shakily. "What the fuck? Jose?" Joe said as he jumped up from his seat and went over to the angered Ci and his victim. "What'd you think you were doin' bargin' in on our conversation, you bitch!" Ci asked as he gritted his teeth together. "Look man I didn't hear shit, I swear!" Jose said over and over again. Joe was standing right there infront of the two with his knuckles on his hips. "Ci, let go of the nigga!" Joe shouted as the tension between him and Jose got louder. Cody looked over at Joe and slowly let Jose down. Ci backed up and Jose straightened out his long brown tee. Joe suddenly reached for Jose's shirt collar and threw him across the room over a dining table. "Ahh!!! What the hell man!!!!" Jose said in a scardish way as Joe slammed him on top of the table in a forceful way. Ci was surprised. "Shut the fuck up, man!" Joe said as he grabbed for Jose's neck to force him to the table. "You betta fuckin' lead Pocco off our path if you wanna make it outta here alive, you got it? If you tell him where we are at, I swear I'll fuckin' hunt you down like a dog and kill you, you mutha fucka! You hear me?!" Joe shouted I anger. "Yes!" Jose choked out in terror. "Now, Ci and I are gonna let you bounce outta here for now but I swear if you tell anyone anything, We'll hunt your ass down and and have you sleepin' with the fishes, you listenin? Now, if anyone asks, you didn't find us, got it?" Joe warned. "Yes!! I got it!" Jose choked out once more as Joe suddenly let go of his neck. "Now get the fuck outta here!!!" Joe said as he shoved Jose into the front door. Ci just stood back and stared the whole time. Jose went running down the street stumbling over his steps on the way. "Hey, amn you had that punk scared!" Ci laughed out as he bonded with Joe by homey-shakin' his hand. "Well, can't say you didn't niether, you had the nigga chickened out too!" Joe laughed. "How do we know if Jose'll stay loyal to his word?" Ci asked. "Just watch homey, if he wants to go on with his life, he'll keep his mouth shut!" Joe lectured. "Look man, I'm glad you planned to roll out with me, you know what I'm sayin? I respect ya man." Ci said. "Thanks man." Joe replied. "So Joe, what is really is your dream to be?" Ci asked as he caught Joe's attention. "Oh, well, I wanted to be a rap artist, you know, it's really legit.I was hoping to become a famous rap artist, raise a family with my wife, and not to mention I already made a name for myself: Fat Joe!" Joe said as he smiled at the thought. "You know, we get out of this, I'll be behind ya all the way…but we'll need to go to church when we can so if we raise families, we have children growing up in a positive environment." Ci said. "Yeah, I agree but we still stuck in this buisness and the only way to get out of it is to finish what we started." Joe replied. "Yeah and you gonna a have to stop sellin' this "Severe" shit!" Ci said as he looked over at a huge box of coac in the corner. "Look man, I agree and all but until we go legit, I have to sell this shit weather I want too or not, or else I'm broke!" Joe replied. "Yeah, but think about those small kids getting' a hold of this stuff, man!" Ci said as he pointed to the box. "I never thought about that, I supose your right, now I know why you never started sellin'!" Joe said as he looked at the box as well. "Yeah, I may hustle for money but I mean at least that ain't gonna kill any kids!" Ci said. "Yeah…but lets face it, we both do things bad to the community, we terrorize it, It's like we should have the title of Terror Squad or somethin'!" Joe informed. "Exactly why we are gonna have to stop it…I have a babygirl to get home too and love for and I can't be doing this if I want to do that!" Joe shook his head in agreement. "Look man, we should watch eachother's backs through this alright, Fat Joe?" Ci said. "Joe looked up as he stopped messing around with the money on the table. "What did you just call me?" Joe asked. "Fat Joe, that's what you want your title name to be don't you?" Cici replied. "Yeah!" Joe rplied. "Then Fat Joe it is!" Ci laughed out as he shook Joe's hand.
The next morning Ci woke up leanin' back on a chair while Joe across from him was layin' on the big couch snorin' away. "Joe!" Cody said in a loud voice. Joe quickly jumped upwards on the couch, his hat tilted to the left side of his head. "Yo, man, what?" Joe said as he tilted his hat right side up. "Get up man, we got a long day!" Ci replied. "I'm up man, no hurry!! Chill dude!" Joe replied as he pushed the table topped with money away from the couch. Suddenly Cici's eye caught Fat Joe pulling out a 9MM from under a couch cushin. "Whoa!!!! What the fuck Joe!!!" Ci said in a worried voice. "What, man?" Fat Joe replied as he popped in a full clip into the mm. "We haven't agreed using guns man!" Ci warned as he held hs hand infront of him with an advised look on his face. "Look Ci, you gotta be prepared to go to war in these streets when you gotz beef with someone like Pocco….anything can happen!" Joe informed Ci as he shoved the gun into his pants. "How do you expect to get around with that thing and not get noticed with it?" Ci asked as he pointed to the place where Joe hid the gun. "Easy as hell for me to do that…I just need protection…never know when some nigga may run up on ya and pull out a gat to blow your back away…you always gotta be prepared man!" Joe added as he grabbed a few hundreds from the table covered in cash. "I gotta call my girl!" Ci said as if a sudden quick reminder popped into his head. Joe chuckled a little with a smirk on his face and it began to fade as he looked out the window behind Cici. Ci took out his cell, punched in the numbers and waited for an answer. "Hello?" Marisa's sweet voice sounded over the phone. "Hey baby!!! How are you doin'? Did you sleep well?" Ci said automatically. "I slept fine but it wasn't as enjoyable as it would have been if you were here!" Marisa informed Ci. "I know baby, I wish I could have been in that warm bed with you last night, too!" Cici added. Marisa let out a small and sweet laugh on the phone as she said "I love you babyboy!!" Cici's lips moved in opposite directions towrds both sides of his face into the shape of a smile. "I love you, baby girl!!" Cody finished off just before he got off the phone with her. "So, where we goin' today, man?" Fat Joe asked as he walked towards the front door about to walk out as he waved his hand at Ci telling him to come along. "Hey, where's the money at?" Cici asked in worry. "Don't worry about the money..I hide it!" Fat Joe smiled as he shut the door behind them. "I gotta head off to see my baby!" Cici said in a smile. "I support you dog…you have a really sweet girl! Betta take care of her and hold on to her because you ain't gonna find another like her!" Fat Joe enlightened. "Yeah, I know that for s fsct…I love my baby too death!!" Cici said as he and Joe headed down town on the sidewalk they walked every morning. "You know, man, this hood is beginning to piss me off! I can't walk down here a day without seein' Pocco's fuckin' name splattered all over them mutha fuckin' walls!" Fat Joe snuffled in anger. "Don't worry Fat Joe, that won't be up there for long!" Ci comforted. "Man, I'm beginning to really like that name!" Joe laughed out as he stared at a wall across the street of them that said "Pocco fo' Sho!" on it. "What, Pocco?" Ci asked. "No nigga!! Fat Joe!" Joe replied. "Oh!" Ci laughed out. "You know…if one of Pocco's boys pass us today…we'll be in some deep shit, right?" Fat Joe questioned. "Yo, you got a 9mm, you can put a cap in all their asses!!" Ci tried to comfort. "Yeah, but sometimes a 9mm ain't gonna do much for you, son!" Joe informed. "We're Latinos and we are killas when it comes down to this shit! No matter who the bastard is, he'll get a cap to his ass, it's how it's always been!" he added. "Then you should know how to take em' Joe!" Ci also informed. The two kept walking and soon stopped, Joe saw that Jose was watching from behind a dumpster across the street. "Jose!" Joe said in anger as he pulled Ci by the shirt and began to run for Jose whom immediately began runnin' for his dear life and he knew that this was it. "I told em'! I told that lil' bitch ass mutha fucka he was gonna get it if we caught him again!" Joe said out of breath as the two kept up on Jose's trail. "So we gonna kill em' now?" Ci asked as he lacked the view to see Joe's face as they ran. "Naw, we'll beat the shit out of him though!!! That kid's gonna get fucked up big time….he'll be lucky if I don't put a hole in his ass!!!!!" Joe said in tense anger. Jose came to a stop being baricaded by one of the walls he and his boys decorated with graffiti complimenting his leader Pocco and his second one, Voto. "Oh no!" Jose said as he came to a stop and then suddenly turned around to see that Fat Joe and Ci were a few yards back, "Oh shit!!!" Jose shouted as he noticed them. Suddenly Joe and Ci got to him, Joe shoved him up against the decorated wall and grabbed him by his collar like the night before. "Okay, Jose! Might I ask what your ass was doin' a few minutes ago?" Joe said through his teeth in anger. "Im so sorry man!! I'm sorry!!" Jose cried out. "Sorry? Not as sorry as your bitch ass is gonna be, you mutha fucka!" Joe replied. "So, you wanna tell us something, Jose?" Ci said with a sly smile on his face. "Yeah, um…..Pocco's got your girl!" Jose said as he licked the blood from a nosebleed from his lip. "What!" Ci shouted as he grabbed Jose from Joe. "I'm sorry man! I had no part in it!" Jose cried. "You wanna live for the rest of the time you got left you better fuckin' tell me where the fuck my girl's at!!!!!!" Ci said in anger now as Joe stpped back to let him deal with Jose. "I can't I made a promise to Pocco, If I tell, he'll kill me!" HJose cried a little more. "I'm gonna fuckin' kill you if you don't tell me now! Now tell me where my girl is at!!!" Cici demanded. Jose stared in agony as if now he was to have no destiny. "Okay, she's being held at the old factory near the river….she's going to be burned!!!" Jose announced. "What!!!!!!!!!" Ci said in disbelief by what he was hearing. "I'm sorry man!" Jose replied. All Ci could do out of his anger is throw Jose to the ground and walk off just before doing a slide kick into the side of his face, making Jose spit out and choke on some blood. Joe watched Ci running off in the distance as he heard Jose clutching his face and choking his blood. Fat Joe suddenly reached down and pulled Jose up by his collar. "Okay, Listen, Jose….if anything happens to my boy's girl….your ass is grass!...you listenin'?" Joe said in steam. Jose could just shake his bloodied up face in a k.o.ed manner. Joe then punch Jose in the gut as hard as he could and threw him head first into the graffitied wall as a blood spot could be seen just after Jose fell to the ground. "Hey Ci, wait up!!" Joe shouted as he went and chased after Ci whom was heading for the old factory Jose told him about. When Joe caught up to him he began to talk to him about the situation. "Look Ci, I got your back man, I won't let you go off on your own to fight Pocco, I'll help you get your girl back…besides I'd expect the same from my best friend if the same happened to me." Joe comforted. "Thanks Joe, I appreciate it…I swear to the good lord that if anything happens to her…I will never forgive myself for it!" Ci said as if he were crying about it. "Look man, Pocco ain't gonna do anything to her without you knowin' about it…it's his trap…she's bait for you right now!" Joe said. "Well, I don't give a fuck about what he thinks he's gonna do! I want my baby back!!!!" Ci said in anger. "Well, I can't run any longer, lets take the sub!" Joe ecouraged, so they did.
Soon after about 30 min. the two made it to the old broken down factory where Marisa was suposed to be held at. "My baby's in there!" Ci said as he began runnin towards the entrance of the factory. "No more runnin' please, man! I'm already tired out enough as it is!" Joe said in a jokingly manner. Once Ci and Joe got inside, Ci saw Marisa as if she stuck out like a sore thumb, she was tied to a chair with a line of duck tape over her mouth. "Oh my God! Baby!" Ci said as he ran for her. Marisa, his baby girl was trying to murmer out something from beneath the tape as her attention increased on something behind Cici. "What baby?" Ci said as he went to free his girlfriend from her bounds. "Ci!" a voice said from behind, Cici turned around to see Cruz, one of Voto's boys behind him with a AK pointed to him. Suddenly without action to Ci, he was ashot in the shoulder by a closerange from the distraction that Fat Joe had thrown a rock at the back of Cruz's head. Cruz was built latin and he had a grey beanie that cover his head, he a had a thick essay's gote on his face. "You mutha fucka! You fuck around with my boy, you fuck around with me!" Fat Joe shouted as he taunted the wounded assassin, getting up slowly. Suddenly, Cruz caught off a punch at Joe's face, knocking Joe to the ground. Ci got up, as he heard the crying of Marisa from under the tape over her mouth. "It's okay baby, I'm okay!" Ci said as he removed his hand from his shoulder, and pulled out a pocket knife to cut the ropes binding Marisa to the chair. Joe whom reached for his face, got kneed to the head by Cruz with a forceful blow. It knocked Fat Joe to the ground onto his back. Suddenly Marisa was loose and loose and she hugged her man as tight as she could for the few seconds she had before Ci had to take up the fight with Cruz to save his friend. "Okay bitch!" Ci said as he reached for the chair that Marisa was once on and slammed it over Cruz's head like it was nothing. Marisa backed away so she wouldn't get hurt in the fight. Cruz was stunned but recovered quite fast, suddenly he tried to take out a power punch to Ci face and just before he could, Cici grabbed him by the arm and snapped it over his knee in a fast motion. Cruz, fell to the ground. Joe recovered with just a bloody nose and that was about it. Ci thought it was over until Cruz suddenly grabbed for Ci's girlfriend with his other arm and tripped her to the floor. "Marisa!" Ci shouted as she fell to the ground. With Cruz's other weak and nearly broken arm, he reached for the AK behind him and aimed it at Ci's girl. "Uh, uh, uh!!" Cruz said wirth a devilish smile on his face. "You really wouldn't want to kill this beautiful piece of art would you?" Cruz asked. The closer Ci moved the harder Cruz would pree the gun to her face. Marisa was crying. Suddenly, Cruz felt a hard pain in his back. Fat Joe had just kicked him very hard with a sweeping kick. "You know…" Fat Joe said as he sniffled suddenly followed by wiping the blood from under his nose, "You should learn not….to…fuck with the wrong nigga!!" Fat Joe said as he kicked Cruz again, making the hopeless person let go of Marisa to grab for his back. Marisa was free and she jumped up to hug Ci as tight as she could as if to never let go. "I love you baby, I will never leave you!" Ci said as he hugged her tight as well. "I was so afraid that you would never know, Pocco really plans to kill you!" she cried. Ci just held her tight and close to him. "Thank you, Joe!" Ci said as he hugged his girl tight, kissed her on the head over and over and rubbed her back. "No don't thank me, besides…." Joe finished as he pulled out his 9mm, POWWWWW! It trigered off. Fat Joe shot Cruz dead! All Ci and Marisa could do is stare blankly at Joe whom suddenly tucked the gun away. "Hey, he killed off a couple of my boys, I think that that was just…besides Pocco wants to have us killed anyways right? We can't be having his ass runnin' to Pocco tellin' em' about us, right?" Joe said as if to cover himself innocent. Ci just shook his head understandingly. "Let's go, baby, I can't deal with this shit anymore, let's go home! Joe, you can stay in our house tonight, there'll be a roo for you, aight?" Ci said to Joe whom smiled. "Aight, way to say heads up!" Fat Joe laughed out. Without caring about Cruz's body, they left to their crib.
That night, Fat Joe, Cici, and his girl Marisa were sitting around a table in the living room eating a pizza and playing cards. "You know, I really think you two should quit this stuff, this is why people want you dead!" Marisa lectured to Joe and Ci. "Baby, we know that but Joe and I can't stop until we are done with what we started." Joe shook his head in agreement as he looked at his cards. "I seriously don't want anything to happen to my baby boy and his best friend!" Marisa replied. "I know you don't baby, I'll be fine, besides I'm more worried about you than myself at this point." Ci said in a romantic way as he gave her a small warming kiss on the cheek and smiled at her. "Well, I'm done playing!" Joe said as he threw his cards down on the table, "I'm off to the hay…I'll see you in the morning, guys." Joe yuaned as he left off to a room in the far, far back of the house. Ci looked at Marisa and smiled as she did the same back. "Come here…" Ci said as he waved a finger at her. Without questioning Marisa, moved over to her man as she went in to kiss him, he could feel her soft glossy lips press up against his until he moved his toungue into her mouth where her teeth baracaded his path until they opened like a gate. More or less, now Ci was frenching Marisa. "Hey, ba…." Marisa stopped him from finishing as she held her index finger to his lips. "Shhhhh" she whispered through her teeth as she slowly removed her shirt. Ci followed her actions and pulled his off as well, all that could be seen of Marisa from the waist up was her bra and her tanned torso. Ci knew she was beautiful and this would be his first time with her. Cici, moved his hands gentely down her back towards the bra strap and undid it.
To be continued…..