Chapter One

2011

Present night

Buzzzzz!

The huge metal door of the federal prison facility rolled back. As soon as there was enough room for a body to walk through the opening, thirty-six year old Davino strolled out wearing the exact same clothing he did when he'd went inside. An L.A fitted cap and a black Dickie suit. As he strode towards a big body Escalade truck, he couldn't help taking in the full scope of the huge vehicle. It was triple black with twenty-eight inch chrome rims which gleamed. He could tell the SUV had a rather large sound system because the loud music coming from it caused it to pulsate. Acknowledging this, Davino smiled broadly, thinking of how his homeboy, Buck, loved everything big from his cars to his women.

Davino walked upon the front passenger door of the Cadillac truck and opened it. As soon as he did he was smacked in the face by the sound MMG's Self Made album. Sliding into the seat, he slammed the door shut behind him and dapped up his man, Buck. Buck was a dark-skinned brotha that wore his hair in a short afro. He had a medium build and hands that were scarred from years of brawling in the streets. The man was a warrior, some may even say a gladiator, but all would agree he was a coldblooded killa. When Davino was out on the streets and running the show, Buck was his enforcer. All he had to do was point his finger and the nigga that had violated would be left bleeding where ever the fuck he was standing. It was safe to say that Buck was about his murder game.

"Welcome home, baby!" Buck greeted Davino with a big smile, dapping him up. A blunt was pinched between his fingers and the smoke from it was wafting around him. He was in a brown long sleeve T-shirt which you could see the outlining of his wife beater under and blue jeans.

"Thanks, bruh. I thought I'd never be so happy to see yo' ugly ass face again." Davino cracked a smile.

"Fuck you, man." He grinned and pulled off, trying to pass the blunt to Davino.

"I'm good."

"You good? Nigga, yo' ass could smoke Snoop Dogg under the table before you went in, now you don't chief?" he asked, indulging in the blunt again as he steered the SUV.

"Yeah, man, shit's changed since I been away. I don't drink or smoke no mo'." Davino confessed. "If I'm gonna be the head of my own empire again, then I'ma do it with a clean and sober mind, you feel me?"

"Most def'. That's grown man shit." He busted a right at the corner.

At that moment, Buck's cellular rang and he switched hands with the blunt. Blowing smoke out of his mouth, he pulled out his cell phone and looked at the screen to see who was calling him. Seeing that the number was familiar, he answered the call and pressed the device to his ear.

"'Sup wit it?" Buck spoke into the cell phone. "I'm on my way now with 'em. Yep, we'll be there in a hot one. Peace." He disconnected the call.

"Who was that?" Davino inquired.

"The young homie, you know 'em.Reckless. Said he has you a welcome home gift and shit."

"Is that right?"

"Yep."

"If it's not pussy or food then it can wait, you already know what kinda time I'm on." Davino rubbed his stomach and grinned. He'd been thinking about all of the shit he was gone eat his last three months locked up. In fact, he'd been fasting for the past two days just so he could pig out on some shit. He couldn't make up his mind on what he wanted to eat so he said fuck it, and decided to get everything he could think of.

Buck's face turned serious, and he said, "Trust me, Davino, you wouldn't want this to wait. As a matter of fact, it's something you been wanting to do since you were incarcerated."

Davino looked to Buck and Buck nodded. They'd just communicated to one another what they had in mind.

"Since it's that, food and pussy gone have to take a backseat." Davino's eyebrows slanted and his nose wrinkled up. He tightened his jaws and a vein twitched at his temple thinking about the punk-ass mothafucka directly responsible for putting him on lock for the past ten years.

"So, you want me to take you where he's at?" Buck looked back and forth between the windshield and his boss.

"Please, do." He clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles bulged. He busied himself by staring out through the window at the city streets.

***

Buck led Davino down into the basement of a crack house. Coming down the staircase, he could see the light shining in the darkness from the center of the room. He also heard the growling of a dog as it was mauling someone. The person that was being attacked tried his damndest to scream, but whatever was inside of his mouth was prohibiting it. Once Davino and Buck reached the landing of the basement they found a young man by the name of, Reckless. He was a rather short dude with a muscular body and short dreadlocks. His dark caramel skin displayed the tattoos that covered him from his neck down to his sleeves. He had thick eyebrows, a big pickle nose and big pink lips. There was also a gap between his two front teeth, and one was longer than the other. He'd probably rank number three in the world's ugliest dudes, but his reputation as a killa was fearsome.

"That's right, get his bitch-ass, boy, get 'em!" Reckless egged his pit pull on as he held firm to the chain he had him on. He was wearing a black bandana around his neck, a gray hoodie and red Dickies.

Reckless watched as his pit bull, who had its jaws locked on Lil' J's leg, shook its enormous head from side to side. The wild beast shaking its head caused Lil' J's naked body to fall down in the chair he was duct taped to. Lil' J's eyes were wide and full of fear. He looked down at the animal, hollering over and over again. The veins in his temples and neck bulged as he screamed in terror, trying to kick the dog from off his mangled leg.

"Grrrrrrrr!" the pit bull shook its head violently, causing Lil' J to slide back and forth on the floor. The animal's mouth was covered in blood and blood was also dripping on the ground.

Buck and Davino stood by watching the pit bull maul Lil' J for a minute. Once Davino got tired of watching the show, he called for Reckless to stop. Seeing that his big homie was finally home caused Reckless to smile. He tugged on his pit bull's chain and commanded it to stop. The beast obliged him and returned to his side, sitting down. The dog looked around panting with blood dripping from its mouth.

Reckless took the time to chain his pit bull up to a radiator at the far corner of the basement. He then stepped to Davino and gave him a gangsta hug, patting him on his back. When they broke their embrace, Davino held him at arm's length and looked him over. It had been ten long years since he'd seen him. The young gangsta was twelve-years-old then, but now he was twenty-two with strong street ties and credentials.

"From a pup to a hound, huh?" Davino smiled further.

"That's right a big dog. And I got Buck to thank for showin' me the ropes." Reckless admitted. "Real shit, the homie groomed me to be the G I am today."

"Yeah, I heard how my young homie been out here ripping and tearing shit up. I thought you'd probably got too big for yo' Dickies and would wanna have to run the outfit yo' self. Thought I was gone have to come down here and get in yo' ass." Davino stood back and threw playful punches at the young wig splitta. Reckless bobbed, weaved and threw a couple back at him. They then hugged again.

"Welcome home, big homie!"

"It feels good to be back, fam." Davino patted him on his shoulder. He looked over to Lil'J and his face balled up with anger and his jaws squared. The vein at his temple bulged with hostility. "Excuse me," he told Reckless and stepped over to Lil' J, looking down at him. He didn't say anything for a minute as he looked at him, taking stock of his wounds. Reckless's pit bull had chewed on his face as well as the rest of his body. The poor bastard had bite marks covering him from head to toe. His normally tapered curly hair was wet with his own blood and sweat. He was shaking uncontrollably, and at that moment he had just pissed on himself. "Y'all sit this piece of shit up, man."

With their boss having given the order, Buck and Reckless sat Lil' J up in the chair. He sat there with his head bowed and shaking continuously. They then stepped back and allowed Davino to approach him. The first them he did was press his sneaker against Lil' J's testicles and mash down on them. Instantly, his head shot up and he hollered out in excruciation, but the gag in his mouth halted any sound from escaping. Once Davino lifted his sneaker from off his nuts, Lil' J was left looking him in his eyes. Tears welled up in his eyes and went sliding down his cheeks.

"You got the nerve to cry, you slimy mothafucka? You wasn't crying when you planted that bird in my truck and called them crackas on me! Yo' ho-ass wasn't crying then, now was ya?" Davino smacked him viciously, back and forth across his face. Sweat and blood flew from off his face and splashed on the floor.

Lil' J was Davino were brothas. Lil' J acted as his second in command, but he had bigger aspirations. Fuck being an underboss, he wanted to be the head nigga in charge, and the only way he could do that was with his brotha out of the way. Realizing this, Lil' J snuck the car keys off Davino one night when he'd gotten high and drunk at a bachelor party for one of their homeboys. He stashed a kilo of cocaine under the...