Concrete Jungle

The story begins with a fight between two young men over drug money―Deon’s brother Hassan had buried 500K in his grandmother’s house before he was murdered six months prior, and Jahlil was pressing Deon to tell him exactly where the money was stashed. Deon’s constant resistance had ultimately sent Jahlil over the edge, and Jahlil proceeded to knock Deon out with a right cross. Jahlil then told his cohort Stacy that he remembered Hassan telling him the money was buried in his bedroom floor, so they went upstairs to find it. Deon slowly regained consciousness and slipped out the front door before Jahlil and Stacy came back downstairs.

The next scene introduces the star of the show, Franco, who was the owner of four businesses in the south suburbs of Chicago. He had just wrapped up his workday and was on his way to pick up his girlfriend, Gina, for dinner in his limo and to pop the question. He greeted her with a hug and a kiss, and then they went off to the restaurant that he co-owned with his cousin for dinner. Once they were settled in at the restaurant, Franco began the speech that he’d rehearsed, and before he could retrieve the engagement ring from his pocket, a couple led by the hostess had walked by their table to be seated. It turned out that Gina recognized the guy but tried to conceal it, and when Franco asked if she knew him, she lied and said no. Franco knew in his gut that she wasn’t telling the truth and left her sitting at the table moments later. Franco subsequently instructed his limo driver to take her home, and he took an Uber to his friend Dre’s party in the Gold Coast neighborhood north of the Chicago Loop. Concrete Jungle is an urban fiction crime drama filled with action and suspense, but it’s also an inspirational story that shows a young man can still turn his life around even if he’s been to prison.