2006, Miami City
A group of young men were chilling on the street corner, smoking weed and drinking beer. The crew was mixed - one white boy, two Black guys, and one Latino.But the tallest one among them stood out the most: a white guy with hints of Latin blood running through his veins.
The mixed-race dude was clearly the leader of the pack. You could tell from his aura alone - that fierce temperament that made other cats step back and listen up.
Ray, one of the Black guys, took a long drag from his blunt before speaking up. "So homie, we really done with slinging dope, huh? I mean, we were doing good out there. Had the whole hood on lock, the neighborhood was ours. Money was flowing like water. No major beef with other crews, everybody respected our turf. Even the local gangs were nodding their heads, paying their cuts."
Blaze - real name Ryan, the white boy - shook his head. "But for how long, Ray? This shit ain't exactly a career move, you feel me? We needed that exit strategy. DEA's been coming down hard lately. We would've gotten busted eventually. Better to be hustling free than rich and locked up."
Miguel, the Latino, nodded slowly. "Sí, but with Link's system, we were moving product clean and safe. The cops weren't even sweating us, and we were raking in that dinero."
Lil Ace, the other Black guy, stepped forward. "Look, it's Link's call, and the man's never steered us wrong. He's smarter than all of us combined. If he says quitting is the move, then that's what it is. What happened to loyalty, homies? Wasn't he the one who fed us when we were hungry, put money in our pockets, gave us respect? Saved our asses more times than I can count. Tell me straight up - if it wasn't for Link, would any of us have made it out of Overtown alive?"
Ray threw his hands up defensively. "Ay yo, I'm just saying, homie. We were running shit in the hood. Can we survive out here in the real world? Don't get it twisted - I trust Link with my life. I'd die for that nigga. I'm just keeping it real."
"Ace is right," Blaze said, crushing his beer can. "We gotta trust Link."
Miguel nodded. "But what we gonna do now, hermano? All we know is slinging. I trust Link with everything - he's my brother. But we need something, 'cause money runs out fast on the streets."
Link, who'd been silent the whole time, finally spoke up. His voice was calm, measured. "Boys, I appreciate that trust, and y'all are right - we need a plan. Thing is, I already got one. I've secured all our futures. I pulled in every favor, called up every connection I had. All the cases are settled - dropped some serious cash to make that happen. We're clean as a whistle now. No police records, no cases, no beef with rival crews. We're living the clean life now."
He paused, looking each of them in the eye. "I got my hands on three bars and clubs. In two of them, we got 20 percent each. Y'all can split that 10 percent each. The third spot? That's 40 percent mine. Hope y'all don't got a problem with that."
Ray grinned. "Shit, that sounds good to me, homie. And the shares? Man, whatever you say goes."
"I trust you, brother," Blaze said without hesitation .
Miguel's eyes lit up. "I can smell that money already, hermano."
Lil Ace nodded approvingly. "You the one pulling strings and investing the cash. We got no problems. We know about loyalty, nigga. You're taking what you earned."
They were all in agreement.Lil Ace leaned back against the wall. "But what's the real plan though? This might cover our expenses, but I know you ain't stopping there. Your ambition is legendary in these streets, man. "
They all smiled at that. Everyone knew Link was smart, relentless, and would chase money like his life depended on it.Link's expression grew serious. "We're from the streets. All we've ever known is fighting and slinging. We dropped the slinging part, but fighting? That's something I can't drop. And I'm damn good at it. I'm gonna do boxing."
The crew looked a little surprised, but it made sense. Everyone in Overtown - hell, even boys from other neighborhoods - knew about Hunter and his fights. Dude had been throwing hands since he was 10. Nobody could handle him one-on-one. His punches carried serious weight, he was fast as lightning, and could dodge anything you threw at him. The man was a born fighter.
Link, known on the streets as Hunter, was the type of fighter you definitely didn't want to test.
They all have together since childhood, formed the gang under Link who is the youngest among them but also the Smartest and fiercest.
They were living the streets dream in Overtown but now they are in city and making clean money.