Smoke and Mirrors (DE)

15. Sold soul

" He was smoking in the cabin of the truck and security flagged the truck for the smell, made him pull over for inspection and they seized the truck and our load," Joseph said as he sat across from Rico explaining to him why they were short on supply this week. Though Joseph and Rico communicate by phone everyday, this was the first time they'd seen each other since Joseph's release two months ago. Normally Joseph wouldn't even be allowed to step foot back in the jail to visit another inmate due to him being a felon himself but they were able to pull some strings for this visitation. " I bailed him out last night," Joseph continued.

" He's a liability," Rico said, folding his large hands on the cool metal table.

" I already got on his ass for it. He's a solid kid, he just big headed,"

Rico shook his head. " We don't have room for big headed niggas because you know what niggas with big heads do? They fuck up. And do you know what happens when muthafuckas constantly fuckin up? They fuck up our business or get someone hemmed up,"

"Lil niggas like him think shit sweet cause they got a big homie like you and they know you gone handle whatever mess they make and that's not how we gettin down. If he can't take his job serious you need to put his ass back on the block," Rico said sternly.

Normally Joseph wouldn't take advice from anybody and would check anyone that called themselves trying to tell him what to do but he respected Rico. Working so closely together, they'd developed a father-son like bond. Rico was a mentor for Joseph and Joseph looked up to him for how wise and knowledgeable he was when it came to the streets. Rico was a real OG, a real original gangster— a pioneer to this street shit. He was one of the founders of the G-code, he'd helped to write the rules to the code of the streets. If Joseph were going to listen to and heed advice from anybody, it would be Rico because Joseph knew Rico knew what he was talking about.

Rico was the type of man that could walk in any room and everyone would sit up straight off the strength of the weight his name held. Joseph had seen it with his own eyes. Rico showed Joseph that there was more to this street shit than just money and power— to be respected held more weight than anything like gold.

Rico was in his real late fourties to early fifties with hazel green eyes and fair complected skin as he hadn't been in the sun for longer than an hour each day for the past twenty-seven years. Being a maximum security inmate, he only got to go outside for an hour a day, the rest of the twenty-three hours he spent locked inside. He stood at about six feet tall with a stocky build. Besides reading, working out was his favorite past time. He's the one that got Joseph back into working out and taught him how to make due of what they have creating weights out of plastic bags full of water and bed sheets.

Despite being locked away for as long as he has, Rico always kept up with his appearance making sure he was always presentable— his hair lined up and his facial hair trimmed and neatly groomed whenever the CO's would allow the inmates barbershop which consisted of one inmate that had experience with the clippers cutting and lining up all the other inmates on their deck. Rico was the epitome of look the part, be the part. You can't be a boss walking around looking like a worker.

" I hear you," Joseph agreed.

" I think it's time we start figuring out new ways to transport our product too. Security is becoming way too advanced at these customs checkpoints for the shit we tryna pull, especially with having dummies behind the wheel like him," Rico scoffed making Joseph chuckle.

" What you thinkin we do? We been running the same routes with my trucks for years," Joseph asked.

" That's why you always have a plan B for when plan A stop working. We can keep bringing the loads in with the trucks, you just need to be careful about who running the shipments. I'mma make a few calls to some old friends in the mean time, I think it may be time to start transporting in the sky,"