Prince of the City Read Online Free Page A

Brutus’s hold became until finally he let go.
    When Michael noticed Brutus weakening, he pulled the long blade out, held it up like a sword, and chopped the right side of Brutus’ neck, cutting deep into his jugular vein. Blood gushed out of his neck like a waterfall, while at the same time his intestines fell out of his stomach. Brutus fell to the floor, dying instantly.
    Michael stood over Brutus’s body much like a lion after killing its prey. Although his victim was dead, Michael wanted to send a message to the rest of the convicts at Lorton. He wanted to make it fully known that he, Michael Antonio Perry, was not to be fucked with, and whoever violated him in any way would be treated the same. So he reached down, grabbed Brutus by the head, and began chopping at his neck. As he looked down at the body lying in a pool of blood, and now disconnected from the head, Michael mumbled, “Nigga, the only manhood you took today was your very own.” Then he spat on Brutus.
    At that very moment, Slim James burst into the bathroom. Instantly, Michael became alarmed. Still clutching his blade, he turned to look Slim in the eyes and noticed Slim wasn’t strapped. Instead, he held a fresh prison uniform in his hand.
    â€œLook, nigga, I ain’t come in here to do you any harm. I came to save your life,” Slim said, standing face-to-face with the young but fearless warrior. “Now wipe that blade with this towel and put on these clothes. Leave the blade and throw the clothes in the toilet,” Slim James instructed. “Hurry up before the CO comes to make his rounds.”
    As Slim looked over at Brutus and noticed his headless body, he said, “You know you sending a vicious message, right?”
    Michael never answered.
    In the following weeks, Slim James and Michael became close friends. They ate, worked out, and played ball together. They walked the yard while learning more about each other. Michael thanked Slim for saving his life. Right after the incident, the CO came around to make his rounds and found Brutus decapitated. If Slim had never walked in, Michael would be doing a life sentence behind the walls of Lorton. Michael would never forget what Slim James did, and for that, Slim James had his respect.
    Michael and Slim became cellmates for the remainder of Michael’s sentence. They shared their dreams of becoming young millionaires. Also, they had talks of getting out of the game and going legit. They talked about women, but most of all, they talked about a plan to get on top and remain on top. None of these plans would ever work for Slim though. They were more of a fantasy for him since he was serving thirty-five years to life for two murders. As for Michael, it was just a matter of time. So instead, Slim’s plan was to stay close to Michael until his release, and then take over the throne and run the prison compound.
    After Brutus’s murder, Michael became the most talked about convict in the compound. Niggas respected and feared Michael. He held his position with style. During the last two years of his sentence, he put together a most vicious team that would rule Lorton Prison until the walls fell down. His right-hand man was Slim James, and his advisor was his brother-in-law, Jason. Also, he had two vicious youngins around, Gerald and Carlos, both hailing from a crime-ridden neighborhood in Southeast that obviously lived up to its name. They began moving all the drugs once he took over Donnie G’s business. Michael always knew Donnie G was a cruddy nigga. Donnie had known that the items Brutus gave him belonged to Michael. He was the only person in the jail with those Nikes, and weeks before the incident, Donnie had asked Michael about the sneaks. It was Donnie who’d sent Brutus on that mission. Donnie tried to kill two birds with one stone—get the shoes and give up Brutus. That way, he didn’t have to worry about Brutus extorting him anymore.
    Once