Hood Still Don't Love You (HDLY#2)

Chapter eight

Tamel took a bite out of his cheeseburger as Blitz came back to the table from using the bathroom.

"Had fun draining the weasel?" Tamel joked.

"Yeah, I think I caused a tsunami in there because I waited so long," Blitz responded sitting down.

Tamel nodded and reached for the ketchup bottle that was on the table. He poured some ketchup on the side of his plate and dipped a french fry in the small red batch he made.

"What else is going on the streets?" Tamel asked.

Tamel usually had his eyes and ears in everything when it came to the block and his businesses. But he had to admit, the whole ordeal with Charmaine, the club, his crew's disloyalty, his main handler now sending him on a mission like a damn errand boy, he lost sight of what he really was. Tamel Richards was a hustler and a hustler knew what was going around him no matter what so he could make his next play.

That's what Tamel had lost sight of. His true hustler nature wasn't intact like it used to be and he got caught slipping a numerous amount of times on the base of it. Case in point a gun was just held to his head only a few minutes ago.

Tamel needed to start getting his mind right. It was just hard to concentrate now that he couldn't find his peoples. Train, even though he was the most sarcastic and arrogant motherfucker Tamel ever knew, always had a way for Tamel to see a bigger picture and look at things from a different angle. Train was the one that made Tamel step his game up and become the man he was. And while Train never would admit it, Train was really a smart individual.

Train didn't have any degrees from any university or college, but he graduated from the School of Hard Knocks with top honors. Train was the one that got Tamel his Master's degree in the street game and Tamel knew he owed Train more than he would ever take.

Now that he couldn't get a hold of his best friend and confidant, Tamel felt at a loss. He was trying to pick Blitz's brain but Blitz was a college kid that took a bad turn and turned to the streets.  Blitz wasn't born from this life. Blitz just happened to be a good student and picked up on it fast.

"Why was you at Murda's house in the first place?" Blitz asked after answering Tamel's previous question with a bunch of stuff Tamel already knew already.

"Had to check up on something," Tamel answered. "You never seen that joker before at the apartment? I mean that nigga was comfortable waiting in that spot like it was partially his. I know Murda got around but the way this nigga talked, acted, like he knew the bitch personally."

"Can't say I have," Blitz replied. "But you know Pootie would know. He knows everyone in those projects."

"I know," Tamel said then paused to take a bite of his sandwich. "I may need you to reach out a line to him and tell him I need to speak to him."

Blitz nodded and poured some more syrup on his pancakes.

Train looked at Blitz, his last link to his old life. Blitz was probably the last person he could trust and right now he needed someone on his side looking out for him. Tamel was going to be making a lot of moves, he need someone still loyal to him. He had read Rock all wrong but greed will do that people so he might have understood their reasoning. Bull's betrayal was the hardest to swallow because he was the closest. But Tamel had to accept that Bull saw an opportunity and made a move. Tamel might have done the same in his situation.

Tamel really didn't know who else to turn to. Now with Train pulling a disappearing act too, he was grasping at straws. The whole ordeal with Charmaine still had him in an uproar too. She was really starting to grow on him even though she probably hated his guts. She really believed that he would burn down her father's store. If only she knew the truth, she would see that was the farthest thing from his mind but it was too late for all that. Charmaine was gone, his plan, better yet, Lady Gayle's plan, failed and now he was lowered to an errand boy.