A Flirt with Death

By Ray Henry

In a gang members world there are two types of people; The gang leaders, and the gang followers.
In a flirt with death, friends who were close as brothers, become enemies once secrets are exposed to law enforcement agencies.
The matter of trust comes to play once jail, or death become the consequences for gang members actions.
In the ruthless, remorseless, gruesome, terrifying, horrible, brutal, violent world of gangs, even the police are caught in the web of warfare.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781479792030

Ray Henry

Ray Henry was inspired to write young adult fiction while in San Quentin State Prison the year, 1990. He specifically wrote for troubled teens in hope that he might scare them straight before they go down the road that leads to prison or the graveyard. Throughout the book Henry gives readers a look at the violent world of the Crips and Bloods, and at their interaction with the police and court appointed attorneys. A Flirt With Death could be seen as just another hoodlum book that glorifies the life styles of gang members, yet Henry had managed to cast his characters in the spot light of unexpected consequences in the after math of murder. A distinction between friends and foe comes into play once law enforcement comes on the scene to investigate into the criminal activities that even they participate in. Ray Henry is also the author of another young adult book titled The Best of Enemies. He featured realistic characters in both books so that readers could see the confines set by gang members. Written for adults too. Come down the road of hard knocks but read the writings in this book before you turn down the wrong street.

Book preview

Part One

Chapter One

On the East Side of Los Angles a dead body was on the cement ground. A bullet to the head had been the cause of death.

Six Los Angles County Deputy Sheriffs were studying the victim body on the cement ground when another Deputy Sheriff had walked up to where the body lay.

Deputy Mike Chase a rookie cop couldn’t vacate the thought of people who he seen killed on the streets of Los Angeles.

Especially the victims who lost their lives for no apparent reason.

His eyes welled with tears the first time he seen a young girl who had been mistakenly shot to death by a gang member.

He and Sgt Charles Mackey had been driving in an unmarked police car when they were dispatched to a drive by shooting call on the 900 block on Central Avenue.

They had arrived on the scene to see a group of people surrounded by the young girl who was covered in blood and not breathing in the yard of a gated fence home. Young Tamika Jones had been in the front yard playing hide and seek with two other kids before someone drove by and shot up the house a teary mother said to deputies.

It was normal for police officers to come on crime scenes to see gang members shot or killed. But seeing innocent kids shot and killed ate away at some police officers.

The ability to get over the lost of life police had to have, just like paramedics and firemen. It was required by those who were on duty as Civil Servants for the people in Los Angeles California.

Seeing kids shot and killed had Deputy Mike Chase convinced that being a cop was not a good sight to see.

He had joined the Los Angeles Sheriff Department after four years in College. His father had been a Los Angeles County Sheriff Lieutenant for Thirty Three Years before he retired almost two years ago.

His Mother had worked as a 911 dispatcher for the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department before she changed job careers because of stress from being a 911 dispatcher.

His two uncles Mark and Bryant were high ranking members in the Sheriffs Department, and a cousin Mark JR was also a Deputy Sheriff.

Deputy Mike Chase was use to the standard cop talk in his parent’s home and his other family members had been excited about him becoming a cop too.

Rookie cop Deputy Mike Chase thought he would do well as a police officer and had passed the Los Angles Sheriff Department Academy at the top of his class.

Sgt. Charles Mackey who was 52 years old was his field training officer partner. He had been a Deputy Sheriff for 27 years and had worked every detail from desk duty to swat team leader. Now he was a working in the Gang Unit Department.

Sgt Charles Mackey didn’t like gang members and he would let them know it when he came in contact with them.

The first time he came in contact with the victim dead, Lil Demon he had been hanging out in front of an apartment building with another gang member by the name of Lil Devil.

Lil Demon was dressed in a pair of blue kaki pants, blue sweatshirt and a pair of Blue tennis shoes with the blue shoe-strings in them. And Lil Devil was dressed exactly the same.

Sgt Charles Mackey had been riding along on patrol with Deputy Mike Chase before he spotted Lil Demon standing by the apartment building with a beer bottle in one hand.

He had informed the police dispatcher that he and his partner would be out the car detaining a couple of gang members.

The unmarked police car was familiar to the two who were drinking a 40 ounce beer and talking amongst themselves before the cop car rolled up on them.

In front of the apartment building was a gated fence. Lil Demon and Lil Devil were ordered to put their hands to the gated fence once the two cops were out of the cop car.

Deputy Mike Chase told Lil Demon to pour the beer out and then put his hands on the gated fence.

Sgt Charles Mackey who had Lil Devil detained stood in back of him. The back of Lil Devil neck prickled when Sgt Charles Mackey spoke in his left ear.

The last time I seen you Lil Devil you were on your way to Juvenile Hall What you do escape man. Sgt Charles Mackey asked him. Naw man they released me a couple of days ago" Lil Devil said to Sgt Charles Mackey.

I know you on probation man, you trying to go back or what? Sgt. Charles Mackey asked Lil Devil".

Man we ain’t doing nothing but hanging out. Lil Devil said to Sgt Charles Mackey.

Lil Devil who birth name was Keith Jones had been arrested by gang unit a couple times when he was a minor wasn’t a minor anymore.

Sgt. Charles Mackey told Lil Devil that his next steps would be in LA Men’s County Jail if he was busted again after he checked his status that was on his Juvenile ID Card.

Lil Devil, Lil Demon, Sgt Charles Mackey and Deputy Mike Chase eyes had all met. Then Lil Devil laughed and told Sgt Charles Mackey and the others that at least he could hangout pass curfew.

Deputy Mike Chase who had Lil Demon detained was searching his pants pockets for drugs and weapons and then he asked Lil Demon did he have any identification on him.

Lil Demon who was fifteen years old shook his head and said that he didn’t have any identification on him.

Deputy Mike Chase had then told Lil Demon that he needed to get him some ID. Sgt Charles Mackey looked at Lil Demon and said that Lil Demon don’t need ID because he already dead.

Lil Demon couldn’t stand Sgt. Charles Mackey after the first time they were acquainted.

He had been hanging out in front of the same apartment building they were at when Lil Demon spotted a police car coming down the street.

Lil Demon who was hanging in front of the blue and grey apartment building selling crack cocaine had throw the crack cocaine and ran up some stairs and down the hallway to the apartment building laundry room and hid.

He was in the laundry room with the door closed for about a minute, when a knock at the door let him know he was busted.

Sgt Charles Mackey who was at the apartment building door had ordered for the door to open. When Lil Demon opened up the door he got slapped around and detained by Sgt. Charles Mackey.

Chapter 2

Dominique Williams also known as Lil Demon was 15 years old. He lived in a two-bedroom apartment building with his grandmother Ruthie who had raised him since he was an infant baby after it was discovered that the drug crack cocaine was in his system.

He was the son of Karen Smith and Bobby Williams who were both drug addicts going their separate ways.

Karen’s mother Ruthie was raising her Grandson as best she could by herself. Most days she went to work at 4; o clock am to 12 pm. By then Dominique was suppose to be in school and home after school let out.

Some days Dominique didn’t come home from school. Today instead of him coming straight home after school let out. He went and shot to death a gang member who was standing at a bus stop.

Lil Demon got out of a car and walked up on the gang member who was walking down the street and shot him in broad-day light. It had been his first time he had killed someone and he was sure that he could do it again.

His Grandmother Ruthie hadn’t even known that he was a gang member. He was great in hiding his affairs from her.

It had been only a matter of time before she found out about his secretive life style. It was when she had to go pick him up from the police station for being out pass juvenile curfew.

It took a moment for the words to register in Ruthie head that Dominique was a gang member and when it did she didn’t believe it was true.

The news that he was a gang member came from Sgt. Charles Mackey. He said that Dominique was a Monster crip member going by the gang name Lil Demon.

Thanks to Sgt Charles Mackey Ruthie knew more about Dominique then he wanted her to know. When the two of them came home from the police station he made his way to his bed room.

He sat on his bed in his bedroom listening to his Grand mother Ruthie crying. He felt bad knowing that he was the reason for her tears. She would be even more upset if she had known that he had killed someone. He thought.

Gang members write gang graffiti on walls and cross out other gang members gang graffiti to disrespect them.

An act of disrespect was noticed on a wall at the