War 2 All Hell Breaks Loose Read online

  It was Masculine.

  The confident way he sat in his chair.

  Masculine.

  At the end of the day she saw nothing that would cause her to fathom him being a FEMALE.

  “So if you get locked up you going to a women’s prison?” Minnie asked.

  Irritated, Bet said, “Why is that your question?”

  Minnie opened and closed her mouth. “But…I—"

  “How is that possible?” Joey asked cutting her off.

  Banks took a deep breath. Having gone through this with Spacey he had a little experience. “You understand what I’m saying, son. I know you do. You’re smart enough to get it.”

  Minnie trembled as tears began to crawl down her face. She hadn’t been hearing things. Banks was a woman. One moment she was spoiled rotten and on the way to in and everything she desired and the next she had her boyfriend ripped away and her father changed into a female.

  “So you trans?” Harris asked.

  Banks moved uneasily. He didn’t subscribe to any box but if he had to pick a category that would be the closest. “Yes…I…I guess that’s what I’m saying.”

  Minnie leaped up and moved for the exit.

  “Minnie!” Bet yelled.

  She stopped, turned around and faced her mother.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Away! I hate everybody! I hate you too and your stupid face!”

  “One day you gonna find yourself in a situation where you need your family. I just hope for your sake you survive.”

  Minnie rolled her eyes and stormed out of the dining room. This time no one bothered to follow, except the soldier on her detail.

  Still stunned, Joey sat back and looked down into his lap.

  Harris took a deep breath and shrugged. “I ‘on’t even give a fuck for real, for real.” He paused. “You still Pops to me.”

  Hearing his words took one of the many bricks lying on Banks’ head away. But looking at Joey he waited for the pain he knew he was about to throw at him. In his mind, God wouldn’t give him two blessings in a row.

  “So…this mean you not gonna be our dad no more?” Joey asked forcing back tears.

  Banks stood up and rushed over to him, sitting between both young men. “Of course I am,” he said with his whole heart. “If anything it means I’ll be there even more.”

  “Why you say that?” Joey asked, still very confused.

  “Because I prayed for you,” Banks said placing a hand over his chest. “Hard. And your mother and Stretch were in a position to make it possible.”

  Hearing Stretch’s name placed the final piece into the puzzle they wanted solved. If both of his parents were female, who helped bring them into existence? Now they had their answer…Stretch was their biological flesh and blood.

  “So Stretch our dad?” Joey asked.

  “No!” Banks yelled. “I am!”

  Bet looked at Banks and then their children. “Stretch just…” she cleared her throat. “Helped.”

  “What about Minnie?” Joey asked. “Did Stretch help Minnie be born too?”

  There were so many questions and Banks moved uneasily in his seat. “She is biologically mine. Your mother carried…she…I mean…yes he helped with her too but, I used my egg. And we used his…his…sperm.” Banks felt like a fraud trying to explain how he was both able bodied and rich enough to participate in Minnie’s birth.

  Making a decision to go male was something that was in his heart. And yet unlike men, he could do what men couldn’t. Remove one of his eggs to see that his flesh was made real. Now he wished he hadn’t. Because if all of his kids were born the same, via Stretch and Bet, they would all feel equal.

  “I get it, dad,” Joey said although his heart ached. “And like Harris said, I don’t care.”

  Banks looked into his eyes and pulled him into a masculine hug. When he released him, he did it all over with Harris.

  In the end, when they separated, they accepted their father for the man who raised them and not the struggles he faced as a little girl.

  But that didn’t mean Banks’ problems were over.

  In fact, they had yet to begin.

  ****

  The night’s cool air whirled inside the opened terrace as Minnie lie face down in her bed crying uncontrollably. Snot soaked the pillow underneath her nose, making the case slick. And whenever she tried to rise, the room felt like it was spinning as she attempted to wrap her mind around what was going on in her life.

  She needed an escape.

  After not being able to calm herself down, due to learning that her father was her mother, she stood up slowly. Feeling off balance, it had become obvious right away that something was wrong.

  Breathing felt impacted as she attempted to grasp air.

  Her chest grew heavier and she was certain she was about to die.

  “Help,” she said in a low voice.

  Banging on her bedroom door once, it flew open and Stretch entered hurriedly with two men just as she fell. Seeing her lying on the floor he knelt down. “Minnie, are you okay?”

  Her chest rose and fell heavily making it more difficult to gain oxygen.

  Stretch turned and looked at one of the men. “Go get, Banks,” he told Xavier.

  “Bet and Banks went to run errands, remember?”

  Stretch hadn’t. “This time of night?”

  “What we gonna do?” Xavier continued.

  “Let’s take her to the hospital.” Stretch snaked his hands under her body and scooped her out the door.

  “But we not supposed to take her out the house.”

  “Would you rather she die?”

  ****

  Fifteen minutes later, Xavier steered the car.

  Stretch in the passenger’s position.

  Minnie was in the backseat of a Mercedes van breathing rapidly, except this time she was faking. If she were honest, she would’ve said she was better minutes ago. Just being away from the Wales property helped but she wasn’t about to let Stretch know. She even grabbed her purse, which included her phone, cash and credit cards.

  As Minnie looked at Stretch, she couldn’t get over how much he looked like her father, down to the light skin and short cropped curly hair. The two men even had smooth beards on their faces.

  Wanting to keep the lie alive, she moaned a little. “I don’t feel good.”

  With tensions high, Stretch who was in the passenger seat, reached back to gently touch her leg, begging with his eyes to calm down. Losing the boss’s daughter to death wasn’t an option, especially after he dropped the ball on being the father of his kids.

  If only they knew that she was executing a great deceit, they would have taken her back immediately.

  But it was too late.

  The moment the light turned red, Minnie raised her head and sat up. She wanted to see where she was.

  Praying she was better, Stretch looked back at her with hopeful eyes. “Are you okay?”

  She smiled. “Not…not really. Chest still feels heavy.” She placed her hand over her heart for effect; except it was on the wrong side.

  “We’re almost there.” He said calmly. “Just breathe slowly.”

  She smiled and thought about what Banks said about being a woman. If Banks wasn’t her father, maybe Stretch was. Had she stayed in the dining room she would’ve learned the complete truth. But once again, her spoiled behavior kept her out of the loop. “Are you…my…” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Are you…are…” The words felt trapped.

  “What is it, Minnie?” Stretch asked.

  She felt bad for him and wiped a tear away. “Nothing. And Stretch, I’m sorry about this.”

  With that she bolted out the door and into the night.

  CHAPTER TWO

  In his Trap House, Mason stood next to the door of the bedroom where his son Derrick was receiving a blood transfusion from Howard, his other son who was sitting at his side. Looking down at the custom-made gold and diamond Rolex wat
ch that Banks bought him as a birthday present, he checked the time.

  It seemed like forever and still his son had not opened his eyes. It didn’t matter that it had only been days.

  He wanted results now.

  Taking a deep breath, he focused back on Derrick and was hopeful he would survive after the bullet to the groin, courtesy of the shootout at the Wales Mansion. But how could he be sure?

  After the doctor ensured the needles were positioned correctly into the young men’s arms he walked over to Mason. Taking a deep breath he said, “I normally do this at a hospital.” He was irritated that his gambling habit forced him into a lifelong relationship with a drug dealer because his finances were trash.

  “And?” Mason said.

  “If this goes wrong—”

  “You die.” Mason said seriously. “If this goes wrong you die.”

  The doctor had prepared to go in on Mason after receiving a call in the middle of the night. But remembering he was talking to a powerful dangerous man, he swallowed a healthy dose of humility instead.

  “I’m afraid it won’t work.”

  “Then you better do what’s white,” Mason said.

  “Do you mean right?”

  Mason glared.

  With his white skin a deeper shade of red he said, “I didn’t mean to be disrespectful.” He looked back at Howard and Derrick and then Mason. “He should be fine. At least the bullet went in and out. It’s just that—”

  “No hospital,” Mason said. “Not right now.”

  “Why?”

  “You really wanna know that? The more information you have the more likely you are to be killed.”

  The doctor wiped his hand down his face. “Well if he wakes, he needs to stay in bed. The least movement he makes the better.” He paused. “I’ll be outside.”

  The moment the door opened and the doc stepped out, Jersey walked inside, along with her sons, eighteen-year-old Patterson and sixteen-year-old Arlyndo.

  They bopped over to their brother’s bed while Jersey approached Mason. “How is he?”

  “He’s alive.” For a moment Mason’s mind went back to the other day, when he was at Banks’ on the patio, smoking weed. He had told him that he loved the drug game more than his family. But after being forced with the possibility of losing his son, suddenly he changed his mind.

  “When we gonna take him to a hospital? Laying in a trap house is not the best.”

  He frowned. Unlike her, there was no place in the world he felt more comfortable than the trap. Within its molded walls he could think straight. “Didn’t you see what happened? Weren’t you there? We at war.” He paused. “You want him to go to a hospital and get killed?”

  “Banks wouldn’t hurt Derrick.” She paused. “Unless you attack first. All he wants is to leave, Mason. Let him go.”

  “Banks already hurt Derrick,” he responded. “Remember?”

  She looked over at the bed at Derrick who was still asleep, and at Howard and Arlyndo who were listening attentively at them. “Can I talk to you?” She whispered. “In private?”

  Reluctantly, Mason walked out and past the many soldiers who were in the living room and into another room off to the right. Closing the door he flopped on a twin bed he slept in from time to time and looked up at her. Hands dragged down his face in frustration.

  “Don’t rearrange my nerves, Jersey.” He sighed. “Won’t be good.”

  She sat next to him. “I don’t wanna annoy you, Mason. And I know I usually take your lead but, there’s something I wanna talk to you about.”

  Silence.

  “I don’t think it was Banks who shot at you,” she continued.

  He glared. “What you talking ‘bout?”

  “The night everything kicked off.” She said breathing heavily. “The direction the first bullet came in was off.” She ran her hand down her face. “And I been playing this in my mind over and over but—”

  “First you wondered if I wanted to still fuck the nigga Banks and now you thinking all this shit a game?”

  “Mason, did you see the look in Banks’ eyes when that bullet came inside that window?” She paused. “Well I did. It was like time froze and he was shocked. And it been sitting on my heart.”

  Mason jumped up. “You naive.” He pointed a long finger in her face. “Always been. Even with our son in the next room fighting for his life you still can’t see straight.”

  She glared. “I’m not naive, Mason,” she said in a low voice. “I play submissive in the bedroom because it’s what we agreed on. But I’m far from dumb. Now my sons involved and I’m afraid.” She touched his hand. “And if you would just give me a chance, just hear me out, I think I can stop us from experiencing more pain. I—”

  “There ain’t nothing else to talk about!” He yelled pushing her hand away. “And all I know about Banks is this…I’m not letting him get on that plane unless he in a pine box.”

  “Why though?”

  Silence.

  “And you wonder why I think you never got over him.” She looked down. “Even though it’s obvious he a man, you still see him as a girl. Don’t you?”

  “You tripping.”

  “You know what, do as you please.”

  “Always.”

  She shook her head. There was no use in talking to him. It was about her kids anyway. “We need to at least get Derrick home. Where it’s cleaner and safer.”

  He nodded. “I’m working on that now.”

  When his phone rang he removed it from his pocket and answered. “I’m busy.”

  “So I got a call earlier,” Linden said on the other end.

  “About what?”

  “They on the move,” he paused. “And the princess is free.”

  Mason’s eyes widened. “Minnie?”

  “Yep. I think she trying to get at nephew.” Linden laughed. “We were sitting up the block from the house by this mailbox, ‘cause they got the property surrounded, and one of the men saw her bolt from a truck. He hits me and luckily I’m able to trail her from a far.”

  “Whatever you do, get her!” Mason yelled. “And when you do, bring her to me.”

  ****

  MOMENTS LATER

  After losing so much blood over the last couple of days, Derrick opened his eyes, only to be surrounded by his siblings.

  He smiled at them, happy to be alive. “Fuck ya’ll niggas looking at?” The pain ripped through his wound but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle.

  Everyone laughed, relieved that he was talking shit and beyond all breathing.

  “You should be nice to me,” Howard said raising his arm, which was connected to a needle that pumped his blood into his brother’s veins. “I’m saving your life.”

  Derrick chuckled again and then moaned when he felt the pain. “Don’t make me laugh…this shit hurts.”

  The room grew silent.

  “I’m sorry, bruh,” Arlyndo said, guilt weighing as heavy as a bag of fake tits.

  But, he had reason to apologize. After learning that his girlfriend Minnie would be moving to Wales Island with her family, leaving him alone, he orchestrated a plan to put Banks on blast at a Wales and Lou dinner. Knowing full well that his father would never allow Banks to leave, since they made a lot of money together. The way his young mind saw it, at the very least, they would fight and Banks and his family would be forced to stay.

  Surely when the smoke cleared, they would put the past behind them and he and Minnie could stay together. But there were no awards being given for Arlyndo’s smarts, and as a result he greatly underestimated the bad blood between the two pedigrees. Because after he and his girl spoke on what should not have been told, all hell broke loose at the Wales estate. And in the end he was further apart from his girl and his brother took a slug to the groin.

  “Don’t apologize,” Derrick said. “What’s done is done.”

  The brothers all nodded although they were still mad at Arlyndo.

  “But look, let me
rap to Howard alone.” Derrick said.

  Arlyndo and Patterson walked out.

  When the door was closed Derrick looked over at Howard. “How bad are things?”

  “The worst,” Howard said, trying not to shed a tear. He loved the Wales so his feelings were jacked. “They beefing hard, bruh. Niggas in the living room loading up. I’m talking so many bullet boxes in the trash they filled up six hefty bags.” He scratched his nose. “But I don’t think it’s gonna matter. They can’t think of his weak spot.”

  Derrick nodded. “I need you to do something.”

  “More than giving you blood?”

  Silence.

  “I see you still don’t got no sense of humor,” Howard continued.

  “THIS AIN’T FUNNY, NIGGA!” Derrick said through clenched teeth. “We gotta do something before shit gets worse!”

  He crossed is arms over his chest. “Like what?”

  “I want you to get a hold of Unc.” He said, referring to Banks.

  “You mean auntie?”

  Derrick frowned. “Fuck you talking about?”

  It was at that time he realized that when Derrick got hit, he was out and wasn’t privy to the story rolling around Baltimore at the moment. Naturally he felt it his place to tell him every detail, leaving no item out.

  When he was done the doctor had re-entered and removed the needles from both their arms. And still, upon hearing the news about Banks being a woman, Derrick felt sure he would almost die again.

  “You gotta be fucking with me.” Derrick said.

  Howard grinned. “Nah…I’m dead ass.”

  Derrick sighed and then shrugged. He thought about how good Banks had been to him, and all the long talks they shared. Banks being a woman was something he couldn’t conceive but he didn’t care.

  Besides, Banks took an interest in all Mason’s sons and always told them to stack their paper for a rainy day. He also was there for huge life changes. Him being female in Derrick’s mind didn’t make him less powerful. The fact that he got away with it for so long made him more dangerous.

  “I don’t know what he is to tell you the truth, and for real I don’t care.”

  “It don’t bother you that he faking like a man?”