Free Flippin' the Hustle by Trae Macklin

$50,000. He flopped down on the bed and laid back in deep thought. He was considering what it meant to steal from the DEA. What it meant to take blood money from a crook. There was an avalanche of guilt weighing on Derrick’s mind, but the more he thought of his mother, the more the guilt resolved.

Chapter Eight

    Derrick pulled the newly acquired convertible Jaguar from his garage. Once the sun beamed down, he pushed the Jag to maximum speeds, enjoying the bright spring weather. The fact that he was currently on his way to a cookout that RJ was having in the park may have attributed to his festive mood.
    RJ had invited everyone, ensuring that it would be a gala event.
    Derrick chose to attend the event alone, partly because he and Asia had pleasantly parted ways. After giving Asia some drawn out story of how he had problems with committing, she agreed to give him some time. Nonetheless, the sex that Derrick had been putting down left Asia like an addict going cold turkey with withdrawal symptoms.
    Derrick pulled up beside RJ’s Mercedes Coupe and hopped out. He stepped from between the two luxurious convertibles, noticing that he had already accumulated a small fan base. Standing off to the side, a group of thirsty females eyed him. Unsure of whether they were included in RJ’s gathering or not, Derrick accepted their prolonged stares with a smile and continued on his way. He slid the Fendi shades over his eyes and made his way through the masses of people, until he noticed RJ, Lil’ Roy, and a few other familiar faces in the crowd.
    â€œWhat up?” RJ asked as Derrick walked over and gave him some dap.
    â€œAin’t nothing,” Derrick responded, before showing some love to Lil Roy and the rest of the crew. Derrick looked around the large table filled with all types of condiments, nearly losing his breath at the familiar face that stared back. He tried to remain calm as the exotic specimen casually made her way around the table to where he stood.
    She extended her hand. “Hi, I remember you. Your name is . . .” She paused and placed her hand on her hip. “Um . . . Tree. Right?”
    â€œYeah . . . yeah, I’m . . . um, Tree,” Derrick replied nervously, eyeing the beautiful woman through his tinted frames. “And you’re . . .”
    â€œNaria! My baby sister!” RJ’s voice boomed over her shoulder.
    Naria slapped at RJ playfully, and retorted, “Yeah, yeah, little sister, whatever! Remember, you’re only ten months, nine days, and I forgot the hours older.”
    Derrick eyed the interaction between the two, recognizing they had a solid bond.
    â€œWell, let me leave you two alone,” RJ said and then walked off.
    The pair stood staring at one another in silence until Naria asked, “So where’s Asia?”
    Derrick smiled bashfully, and then ran his hand over his baldhead.
    â€œCome on, it couldn’t have been that bad,” Naria said with a giggle.
    â€œWorse!”
    After only a short time, he and Naria were carrying on as if they’d known one another for years. Oblivious to anyone else present, their conversation persisted.
    The more Naria talked, the more Derrick realized that her intelligence matched her beauty perfectly. They exchanged experiences of attending HBCU’s. While Derrick had attended John C. Smith University, Naria had graduated from Morgan State. She was now the marketing manager for a local computer programming firm.
    He was so engrossed in his conversation with Naria that he nearly forgot his mission. The beautiful woman that he was so taken aback by was the sister of a notorious drug kingpin, and quite possibly, she could be one of his conspirators.
    Derrick sat at the picnic table enthralled with Naria’s Caribbean Ocean-colored eyes, her soft honey brown complexion, and her naturally S-curve shaped body.
    â€œWould you like to take a walk, Tree?” Naria asked, snapping him out of his