"Popular Thug"

Chapter 5

--(Six Days later)

        Brittney sat on the bench waiting for Dr. Alderson to be done with her other session. She had been in deep thought ever since her father told her that the evidence he and his officers found could lead to more arrests in the Debo Watkins case and he had also linked that to several other cases. She had been racking her brain left to right everyday trying to figure out should she mention it to Druex or just keep her mouth shut. But the icing on the cake had to be earlier that morning when her father called her from work...

       "Anderson residence?" Brittney said answering the phone, almost completely out of breath, from running halfway across the house to answer it.
       "Baby girl." She heard her father say, sounding out of breath himself, like there was something wonderful to celebrate.
       "Yea daddy?" Brittney replied looking out the window for any sign of the mailman, she had be out the house by 9:30 and she wanted to take the mail with her.
       "Oh baby girl! You wouldn't believe what just happened! Officer Jatee just brought in one of Cornell's old friends. I don't think he's a main 'Popular Thug' but he is closely related to them! Hell, he could even be part of the group! Damn! I don't know, all I know is that he is the interrogation room and will be charged with murder one for the death of the Watkins boy." Joe rambled on quickly, with every moment sounding more and more excited, it had been a long time since she had heard him this excited.
       "Murder one? Daddy do you know for a fact that he did it? Or is all circumstantial, you said it yourself it was too perfect." Brittney questioned trying to keep the fear out of her voice, she had just spoken to Druex last night and they had been seening each other a lot lately. She was beginning to think everything was going to work out...now everything seemed so unclear.
       "I know, I know but it all looks so clear from here baby girl. I can see him going down for this, for the death of an innocent life, taking him from the wholesome life he was supposed to live." Joe replied, the excitement slowly slipping from his voice.
      She sighed, she had heard that too many times, he wasn't referring to the Watkins case at all, "Daddy, Debo Watkins is NOTHING like Cornell, don't forget that Debo Watkins was never innocent. They said he was a dealer all his life, remember he started young, like 9 or 10, that's definitely not Cornell. And 'maybe' the guy did kill Debo Watkins, it doesn't mean that he killed Cornell."
       "I know, I've been trying to keep that in mind, but every time I think about that boy in there who may have the answers to why my boy did what he did...I just lose all rationality." Joe replied with a heavy sigh, all the excitement that was in his voice was now gone.
        "Well, then maybe you ought to leave this case to someone who isn't biased, daddy." Brittney answered trying not to sound mean but something was rising in her throat and she couldn't tell if it was bile or anger.
       "NO. That I can't do, I've been trying to grab these damn so-called 'Popular Thugs' half my damn career. And I'll be damned if anyone, and I mean anyone, takes the glory out of bringing them all down." Joe whispered strongly, she could hear his temper rising, and if she knew her father, he was getting himself all worked up.
       But she also knew some of that anger was toward her, she had always leaned toward Cornell even when he started dealing, she had been in love Antoneo for the longest, and it had hurt him to no end that his baby girl would do that to him. "So you mean you had no regrets about your colleagues hitting Antoneo that day? Even though he wasn't doing a damn thing! Are you saying that you would kill your OWN son just to feel the glory of taking the 'bad guys' off the street? I can't believe you."
       That was all she said and she hung up the phone, he tried to call back several times but she didn't answer. She just got dressed, went and got her mail, all the while making up her mind to call Druex after her session with Dr. Alderson.

       She had just calmed down when she arrived and that took a lot of quiet time. She just couldn't understand why he would be heartless but she finally understood what Druex had meant when they first ran into each other a couple of months ago.

       "You know, I noticed something about you years ago, your loyalty, and that's somethin I admire. I would love to get to know you, gain your loyalty, and maybe your friendship."

       She was, in fact, fiercely loyal to any and all she was close to and loved. There was never a time when she betrayed anyone's trust, sure she let some people down in her life, but never ever betrayed anyone. She always made the decision she thought was best, and stuck by it, even if she made it in the heat of the moment like she had done her decision to tell Druex about her father's findings.

       Her cell rang while she was waiting, "Hello."

       "Brittney." She heard Druex's tired voice come over the line.

       "Druex, sweetie what's wrong?" She asked feeling like she had to baby him.

       "My boy got locked up..for murder." Druex replied sounding like he wanted to cry, she could tell that his boys where his family, they had been each other's best friend their whole lives.

       "Where are you?" Brittney asked looking at her watch, thinking on the next step she should take.

       "At my place." He replied squeezing his eyes shut, if his boy went down for it he knew his boy was going to die and he couldn't bear the thought of that.

       Brittney had been to his place once and had memorized the apartment in her mind, "OK, I'll be over there in 20 minutes."

       "No," Druex replied worriedly, "don't rush over here and ruin your day for me. I just needed to hear your voice."

       "Boy shut up, you could never ruin my day. I'll be over there in 20, aiight." She replied quickly hanging up her phone, then making her way over to Gladyis.

       "Can I help you hun?" Gladyis asked smiling at Brittney, her southern accent dripping off her tongue like honey.

       "Yea," Brittney answered quickly trying to get out of there so she could hail a cab, "could you reschedule me? I have something that has to be taken care of. Now."

       "Of course," Gladyis replied looking back her computer but changed and said instead, "how 'bout I just call you with the date and time. OK? Since this is urgent."

       Brittney ran toward the door grabbing her purse and zipping up her coat, "Thanks Gladyis."



       Brittney practically ran up the steps of the building that Druex lived in, in fact she didn't care that she was on the boarder of the North side and the East side of town, one of the more dangerous parts of town, she just worried about Druex. She knew how it was to lose family and she knew his boys had been his family since he was a little kid.

       She knocked on the door, hearing the slight movement of Druex's feet on the floor. When he opened the door she had to hold in her gasp, his face was red, along with his eyes, he reminded her of the night she lost Cornell. So she did the only thing she could, she took him in her arms, even though she was shorter than him he held on to her with all he had.

       When he finally let go she closed the door and walked into the apartment sitting her purse and coat on the chair by the door. She could see he was wiping his eyes, she walked up behind him and laid her hand on his back, "I'm so sorry Druex."

       "I can't take any more of this shit," He whispered hoarsely still looking out the window at the view of the northern part of the city that his window provided him, "my boy is about to die, my brother, damn."

       "You don't know that for sure Druex." She whispered still trying to get him to look at her, she knew this was going to hurt him for a long, long time, she had no doubt about that.

       Druex finally turned around and faced her with all his anger and grief, "Yes...I...do. First degree murder, the ONLY piece of evidence they found is connected to him, the ONLY piece of solid evidence, if -- when they convict him it's gonna be over. He did it alone, we all knew it, hell we just didn't think --"

       Brittney closed her eyes trying to keep the tears from welling up in her eyes, she had never hurt for anybody like she was hurting for Druex, "Druex don't do this to yourself, please."

       He looked at her with a question in his eyes, she read it immediately and looked away from his red, puffy, troubling eyes, "When did you find out?"

       "This morning," She replied looking back at him wanting to cry herself, "my dad and I had a little argument about it, he's is ecstatic on taking one of you down and is hoping --"

       "OK, OK, OK, I don't want to hear the rest of that right now." Druex replied looking away from her, he didn't know what to do, she was loyal to him, even now, even with her family. He just didn't know whether to be pissed at her or just try to understand he was reminding her of an old situation.

       Brittney could feel the tension rise and she closed her eyes reminding herself not to get too deep, "Druex, please don't pull away now, not now, please."

       He turned to her looking into her eyes for a moment before he grabbed her, holding on to her tightly. She closed her eyes again and just held him, wishing she could take away the pain. She felt the tears on her face and held onto him even tighter, she never thought she could feel this way since Antoneo died, but something was happening.

       "Shh, it's gonna be all right baby." Brittney whispered as she sat on the couch wiping his tears quietly.

       "That's my brother Brittney, I can't let him go down like this, but -- what can I do?" He replied putting his head in his hands, he hadn't felt sadness like this in a long time.

       "I don't know, Druex. I don't know." She replied laying her head on his shoulder, still rubbing his back softly.

       "I haven't cried since...Cornell." Druex whispered looking over at her, his eyes sending messages that seemed to warm Brittney's heart.

       Brittney tried to hide her surprise, she didn't know he had cried that night, so instead of saying anything she just kept trying to comfort him, "Shh, I know, I know, I'm right here, and I'm not goin anywhere baby."

       He laid his head in her lap and looked across the room, silent and solemn, he stayed that way for a long time. And Brittney just caressed him like it was instinct, she put her fingers through his hair, wiped the stray tears, and whispered 'it's ok' every time she could feel the pain well up in his body.

       After a while he looked up, his head still in her lap, "You know, I'm glad you did come over."

       "I wouldn't have left you alone, not now." She replied looking down at him adoringly, she felt something that she had thought was gone. She felt the urge to let herself go, to just stay that way with him...forever.

       Druex sat up quickly, turning toward her staring at her with all kinds of emotions in his eyes, "You know, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

       Brittney smiled a little wanting to say everything her heart threw at her all at one time, "Druex that can't be true."

       "You don't think so?" He whispered looking at with those eyes, he waited a moment and then he pulled her to him. Kissing her with all the passion he could muster, his lips seemed to heat up the moment they connected. She caressed his bottom lip with her tongue making him part his lips slightly, he cupped her face as he tried to hold on to her very being. He was falling in love and there was nothing that could stop him.

       She reluctantly pulled away, her heart was pounding in her ears, and breathing rigid, "Oh."

       "You understand what I'm sayin now?" Druex whispered running his finger over her cheek slowly and sensually, sending chills up her spine, all he wanted was to be close to her.

       That had been the first real kiss that they had shared, at first they had only little small pecks but that was the real thing for the very first time. "I think so."

       "Stay with me tonight." He said simply, holding her hand, he knew the only way he'd sleep through the night was if she was there.

       Brittney looked at him a minute before answering, she gave him a small smile and whispered, "OK."
....
I take ya like a slap in the face every time the base is mentioned like I had bad intentions, listen I thought love was given