The Love and Loyalty of a Dope Boy

By Shaytrece

Young Danielle ‘Dani’ Mason grew up in a family of five, which consisted of her mother, father, and two brothers. Her parents had been married straight out of high school before Danielle and her brothers were born. Things were great in the Mason home until a black cloud began to loom over them and tragedy knocked at their door.

The day her older brother, Daniel, and close friend, Leonardo, graduated high school, Danielle received a call about her father that changed her family forever. As they bonded together to move forward in life, Danielle’s family took another tragic hit on her graduation night, which destroyed the hearts of Daniele and her younger brother, Danyea.

But, through the help of Danielle’s best-friend, Rabbit, and Danyea’s group of loyal friends, they avenge the damage caused to the Mason family, which affected those closest to them as well. After facing death, threats, and several abusive situations, can Danielle and her family find a way to get through it all? Or will it be too late to save their loved ones from facing the tragic events that continued to rip through their family?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Leo Sullivan Presents
• Release date: Mar 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9781648540233

Book preview

Dani

Three Years Prior

Danielle woke up early, looking forward to her big brother, Daniel’s graduation, as well as her summer vacation. While she looked through her closet for the perfect outfit to wear—since she wanted to look her best—Danielle thought about her big brother from another Mother, Leonardo or Loco, as everyone called him.

Loco was her brother Daniel’s best friend since they were kids, but Danielle had a secret crush on Loco from the first time she saw him. With him being her brother’s best friend, Danielle had to crush on Loco from afar while acting as if she viewed him as her brother. Everyone around town knew her family and viewed Loco as a part of it. Therefore, she learned quickly to suppress her feelings.

Just as Danielle decided on an outfit, she heard the house phone ring. Knowing everyone was still sleeping, Danielle quickly answered the phone.

Hello.

I told you I would get his ass. You thought I would just walk away?

When Danielle heard her father’s voice in the background calling out to her mother, she realized that the man her father called Mono thought she was her mother. She didn’t correct him nor her father. The man’s voice alone had Danielle frozen in place, so all she could do was listen to his threats against her father’s life.

It didn’t have to be this way. You should have made a better decision.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Danielle wasn’t sure how many more shots were fired, but there were enough to make her drop the phone to the floor before she went down with it and her world faded to black.

Three Years Later…

Danielle woke up in a sweat and tried to push the thoughts of her father out her head. When she looked around her room, and her eyes landed on her own cap and gown, Danielle’s mind flooded back into the present. It was the third anniversary of her father’s death, so Danielle assumed that’s why she was having nightmares of the robbery that led to his murder.

As she got out of bed to start her day, Danielle’s mind continued to think about her daddy. His death had caused so much damage that her mother had lost her mind and had a nervous breakdown. Danielle’s fall caused her to suffered from minor memory loss, so it wasn’t until she had regained consciousness in the hospital that Danielle learned of her father’s fate.

Not wanting to allow bad memories of her past to continue hurting her and ruining her day, Danielle tried to be thankful for the times she had with her father and the life she was able to still live. She had her big brother by her side as well as her younger brother, Danyea. But, Danielle was extremely grateful for the true friendship she had with her best friend, Rabbit.

Like Loco was toward her brothers, Rabbit and Danielle had each other’s backs. Rabbit had survived a rough childhood like Loco’s, but that didn’t stop the love Danielle had for her. It only brought them closer since they often found themselves in each other’s corner. Rabbit was by Danielle’s side through her father’s death and the downfall of her mother’s mind. That defined what type of loyalty they had between them.

Although Danielle, Rabbit, and even Danyea’s smart, pretty boy ass were finally done with high school, they still had a week before graduation. Danielle and Rabbit were spending their day being pampered, followed by some shopping so they would be prepared for their big day.

After getting herself together, Danielle called up Rabbit.

Hello.

Hey, Rabbit, are you almost ready?

Yeah, hurry up and come get me. I’m not trying to be stuck in the house with the boys.

Danielle laughed to herself because she knew Rabbit’s little brothers got on her nerves.

A’ight, I’m on my way over.

Danielle, along with her whole family felt sorry for the way Rabbit’s mother showed no interest in changing her ways. Rabbit was already a year behind, and if it hadn’t been for Danielle realizing how Rabbit’s grades had begun to decline, more than likely, she would have continued to fail. From that day forward, the two became inseparable, and as Rabbit spent more time with Danielle and her family, she began to think seriously about her own future.

Before leaving out, Danielle did her normal routine of stopping and checking on her mother. None of them were sure when she was going to come around, but leaving her in that mental hospital wasn’t something any of them wanted.

Hey, Mama, I’m going to the mall with Rabbit. I love you. Danielle kissed her forehead then asked Kelsey if everything was going well with her.

Kelsey was a chick who worked at the doctor’s office where Danielle and Rabbit had worked for the past six months as receptionists. Although they only answered phones and filed paperwork, they quickly learned that Kelsey was a registered nurse who knew her shit.

She’s getting there, Dani. I really believe the medicines are working. Maybe I’ll check into some speech therapy. It would help her form those words again.

After hearing the good news about her mother, Danielle asked how Kelsey was doing with her pregnancy. She hated that Kelsey fell so hard for Daniel and thought that all his days were meant to be spent with her now that she was carrying his baby. Danielle and Rabbit both felt responsible since they were the ones who recommend her to become their mother’s caregiver.

It’s going fine. I’m glad someone’s concerned.

Danielle rolled her eyes. One thing about her, she hated for chicks to get in their feelings and come for her brothers. The protection agreement they shared in their family didn’t stop with her brothers looking out for her. Nah, Danielle was the one who would hold down her brothers against any female looking to cause them trouble.

Danielle liked Kelsey, but she loved her brother. So, there were only so many remarks or jabs Danielle was going to allow Kelsey to throw toward Daniel before she let her have it. Danielle didn’t have time to sit around listening to Kelsey’s desperate attempt to get some attention from her brother when she could be chilling with her bestie.

Well, things will get better once the baby’s here. But, you have to give DJ some space. He’s a busy man, and you can’t say he’s missed an appointment since finding out, Kelsey.

What Danielle said was true. Therefore, Kelsey had no comeback so, Danielle saw herself out the door.

She hopped in her truck and headed around the block to Rabbit’s house, hoping her day would get better. Waking up and thinking about her father’s death from three years ago, and now listening to her brother being bashed for not sitting up under his baby’s mama wasn’t the way Danielle cared for her day to start off. But, she knew the moment Rabbit got in her truck, shit would change.

Daniel

It had been three years since Daniel had walked across the stage, received his diploma from high school, and got a degree in his father’s business. He knew the day his father was killed that he would have to step into his shoes. Daniel just wasn’t ready for all the drama that tagged along with the position.

Although he and his boys were handling his father’s distribution operation rather well, Daniel’s current issue besides the hoes staking claim was getting his siblings graduated. Things were definitely an uphill battle for Daniel, but he had his boy, Loco, and their boys who were twin brothers, Jamie and Jamerson, by his side. Together, they took over his father’s business.

Daniel’s mother nor siblings knew what their father did for a living other than driving trucks and making deliveries. It wasn’t until Daniel turned thirteen and his father was in such a hurry to get on the road that he left his phone in the process. Although he had two work phones, the one left behind looked just like Daniel’s. And, that was the reason he had checked the phone when the text message from his father’s buyer came through.

With Daniel having several friends who either had parents, fathers, uncles or brothers in the dope game, he knew what everything within the message meant. Not wanting his mother to see the message, Daniel kept the phone for his father since he knew he would come looking for it. That was the day his father began to groom him right up under his mother’s nose.

Daniel was never allowed to get his hands dirty, though. Nah, his father had groomed him to be in the very position that he was in. Which was being the supplier of several people in Ohio, where they were from, and many other states surrounding theirs.

You a’ight over there, DJ?

Daniel looked over at Loco and nodded his head. Yeah, thinking about those two at the crib finally graduating had me thinking about my parents. My Pops missed out and my ma— was all Loco allowed Daniel to get out his mouth as they climbed out the truck.

Loco had been around long enough to know how Daniel, Danielle, and Danyea felt. They had been friends since the fourth grade, and since they managed to always be in the same class, eventually, Daniel and Loco built a tight bond. But, finding out Loco’s true background was another lesson Daniel learned throughout their friendship.

Man, Ma gon’ be a’ight as well as Yea and Dani. Ma was always a strong woman, and she’s going to bounce back. Unlike some women.

Daniel knew Loco was throwing shots at his own mother. Therefore, he wasn’t too quick to respond. His father knew Loco’s mother very well since she was one of his fiends when he was a street runner. But, after finding out that Daniel and Loco were friends, and Ms. Leona was Loco’s mother, Daniel’s father put a stop to her days of being out in the streets looking for dope and began personally bringing it to her.

Most people thought Daniel’s father was wrong for continuing to feed his best friend’s mother dope, but he agreed with his father because Ms. Leona was too far gone for her to quit without drama. However, after his father sat down with her, she had made several drastic changes in her life. Only thing about Leona’s changes, they were a bit too late to change what had occurred at their home the night Loco earned his nickname.

Daniel shook off those thoughts since he didn’t view his friend as crazy. Loco had a lot of sense and connections, just like the one he was using at the moment. He had a chick who owned a building and was willing to rent it out to them for Danyea and Danielle’s graduation party, which Daniel tried to focus his mind back on.

So, what you letting it go for?

Daniel noticed that Loco refused to give the chick eye contact, which could only mean that he wasn’t really into her.

I told you I just want an invite and a date. Now, what you can do is find me someone who’s looking to buy it off me.

Daniel kept the thought of buying the building to himself for the time being. Trying to keep their true identities concealed was becoming difficult, and they were beginning to deal with hating ass niggas coming for them, which was something else that bothered Daniel. He and Loco both were laid-back men, even their homeboy, Jamie, was too for the most part. Now, his twin, Jamerson, was always the hotheaded showboat in their crew.

When Daniel’s mind began to fill with thoughts about everything he had on his plate. He again asked the chick her price for renting out the building since he wasn’t going to sell his boy short. Daniel appreciated Loco’s hookup, but having his boy out there fucking a chick who seemed to disgust him wasn’t the deal.

Give me four-hundred, and it’s all yours. Oh, if y’all do know someone who wants the building, I’ll let it go for fifteen-thousand.

After paying the chick to rent the building for Danyea and Danielle’s party, Daniel and Loco headed out.

One more week, then Danielle’s out of here, huh?

Daniel thought about Loco’s question. Danielle was going off to college at the University of Michigan to study nursing shortly after graduation.

Yep, then I’ll have time to focus on this rat we got lurking through the family.

Loco suddenly became a bit quiet. Daniel knew it meant that he too was thinking about who was putting their business out there. Neither Daniel nor Loco had purposely isolated themselves from the rest of their friends, it was just their nature when shit like the situation they were currently facing occurred. Although Jamie and Jamerson rounded off their top men, they did have a few workers and several soldiers throughout Columbus.

As much as I would like to ignore the facts, it’s hard to do that shit. Especially, knowing it’s someone in our circle. With the info that has gotten out, it could only be an inside job. We’ll get to the bottom of this, though.

Daniel pulled up to his house, and he and Loco walked inside. They hadn’t been in the house more than ten seconds before Daniel’s phone went off. He knew it was his neighbor, so he ignored her call and focused on his next mission.

Dani, you still going shopping?

"Yeah, but I’m taking Rabbit with me. You almost missed me. I was on my way to pick her up, but I had to turn around because I forgot to grab my flip-flops. So, I just about to leave back out.

Just make sure it’s Rabbit and not anyone else. Where’s Yea?

Boy, whatever. Anyway, Yea probably gone with some chick, I’m sure.

What’s up, Dani? Loco said as he entered Danielle’s room.

Daniel couldn’t ignore the sudden change in his sister, which caused him to look over at Loco, but he was too deep in a text message to even look up at Daniel or Danielle.

Just to get the thoughts out his head, Daniel asked Danielle about the dude he knew she called herself talking to.

Why are you asking about Aden when you know you don’t like him? Danielle laughed then got up from her bed and headed out her room.

Be careful out there, Dani. Hit me up if you need me, Daniel said, giving Danielle his normal speech before she walked out the house and into the world.

If anyone would ask his sister who was the worse in being overprotective between him and his father, Danielle would definitely say that he was, but Daniel wouldn’t give a damn. Long as Danielle and any man who stepped to her knew he didn’t play about his sister, he was good.

After seeing Danielle off, Daniel texted Danyea to make sure he was good. Then he was off to his next task, which was to check in on his mother. She hadn’t recovered, but Daniel was done seeing her rotting away in the nursing home.

When he made it to his mother’s door, he and Loco took a moment before entering. It was no longer about his mother’s condition since Daniel had accepted her for who she had become. Nah, it was all about his so-called baby’s mama, Kelsey. She was the hired nurse for his mother, but she eventually began to pick up extra shifts, which led to Daniel banging her.

As he and Loco both exhaled, Daniel opened the door and walked inside. Kelsey was just helping his mother get back in bed and settled. He could tell she had just bathed her since he could smell his mother’s favorite body wash lingering in the air.

Hey, Loco.

Daniel knew it was a jab for Kelsey to speak to Loco before him. She was still in her feelings because she claimed that Daniel didn’t seem as if he wanted to be involved in the pregnancy. However, he knew differently, and Kelsey’s attitude was all about him not making things official between them. It wasn’t that Daniel didn’t want to be there; he just had things going on that he needed to get a handle on, which had him off his square on other situations.

What’s up to you too, Kelsey. How’s Ma doing?

As usual.

Daniel knew what she meant, but he could see that for himself. Even though it wasn’t to his standards, his mother had gotten a little better. It was as if she needed that one moment to snap her back to herself. But, as long as she planned to stick around, Daniel was going to care for his mother just as his father had done.

This was normally the time when Kelsey would leave to handle her own business since it was time for Daniel and Loco to bother his mother. Throughout their friendship, she would often fuss at them. So, even Loco stuck around, hoping that some of her mind would come floating back.

While Daniel and Loco stuck to their routine and held conversations about their childhood with his mother, it took all of thirty minutes for Kelsey to figure out that Daniel wasn’t going to give in to her games.

Daniel couldn’t act like Kelsey didn’t have it going on because nothing about her said she was a bum. But, she was surely a brat, and it showed. Daniel had one brat in his life with whom he had his hands in creating, and that was Danielle. So, catering to a chick wasn’t something Daniel had the time for. Maybe once Danielle was out the house and off to school, then he could bring in a chick or two in order to test the waters.

For now, it was his siblings, his mother, and his operation that Daniel had to focus on. As far as Kelsey and whom he now knew as his baby boy coming, Daniel was going to do his part. But, he was straight on Kelsey and her attitude.

Loco

Graduation Night…

While the family geared up to welcome Danyea and Danielle into adulthood, Loco was hit with some information that didn’t sit well with him and was even hard to believe. He had continued his research for the leak in their operation and was possibly led to the rat. What the majority of their crew didn’t know was that Loco was not only Daniel’s right hand, he was also his silent partner. Therefore, someone coming for Daniel meant they were coming for him as well.

Seeing Daniel in his moment as he bragged about how Danielle and Danyea were going to make him proud, Loco didn’t want to bother Daniel with the information. But, he knew that wasn’t possible. He had everything set up for him, Daniel, Danyea, Danielle and even Rabbit to get away for a while. Loco could sense some moves were going to be made sooner than they were prepared for.

While Daniel listened to Kelsey fuss about having to take an emergency flight out to her hometown in Philly to check on her mother and begging Daniel to go with her, Loco excused himself from the two and headed out front for a smoke. His mind was starting to go there, and handling things on his own was Loco’s thought. He knew Daniel’s mind was just as heavy, but, by the end of the night, Loco was going to inform his boy on what he was able to find out.

Just as Loco lit his blunt, a car pulled up. From where he stood off to the side, he couldn’t be seen, but he surely saw Danielle hop out her dude’s car with a major attitude. She didn’t have time