by Roy Glenn
Felicia put her drink down and then she put her arms around my neck and kissed me. There was real passion in her kiss. More passion than I’d felt coming from any woman I’d kissed in a long time.
“I will tell you everything you want to know,” Felicia said and then kissed me again. “In the morning.”
She kissed my lips and then down to my neck. I unzipped her dress and allowed it to fall to the floor. I paused to admire her body. Felicia was beautiful. I ran my tongue along the edge of her bra, while reaching behind her back and unhooking her bra at the same time. Her breasts were firm, and her nipples grew harder when I ran my tongue across them. Felicia moaned quietly, wiggling her way out of her panties.
We kissed our way into the bedroom, and we fell on the bed. I kissed her calves. The closer I got; the more Felicia squirmed. I started working my way up to her thighs. I slid my tongue around the edges of her pubic hair, and then spread her lips. Her back arched as I stuck my tongue inside of her. Her stomach muscles tightened, her thighs pressed together as her back arched, and she screamed in ecstasy.
I stood up, took off my pants, and laid down next to her on the bed. I rolled on top of her and put the weight of my body on my arms. I entered her slowly. She arched her back slightly and began to rotate her hips. We began to move slowly, then faster and then slow again. Her body began to quiver again. I placed my hands gently on her face and kissed her. We continued to make love until we both passed out.
Chapter Sixteen
Sunday July 19: 5:27 PM
I was tired when I got off the plane. I was up all night with Felicia and I got up early again in the morning. But it was worth it. In more ways than just the obvious. I wanted to go home and get some rest, but I went to the stakeout house first.
Things were quiet when I arrived at the house. Monika was sitting in front of the console, but not really looking. Jett was sitting on the floor, going through the paper. It didn’t matter where in the world we were, or what language it was in, Jett always went through the paper, page by page. “You never know what’s going on unless you read the paper,” he’d always say.
“Evening, people.” I said and made myself comfortable.
“Where you been?” Monika asked excitedly.
“California.”
“California?”
“Yeah. Jett didn’t tell you?”
“Oops,” Jett said, and buried his head back in the Times.
“What were you doing in Cali?”
“I went to follow up on a lead I got on Pamela Hendricks. Why? Did something happen?” My first thought was for Mrs. Childers safety. “Is Mrs. Childers all right?”
“Nick, take your head out that woman’s ass for a minute and take a look at this,” Monika said, and handed me a piece of paper.
I looked at it and shrugged my shoulders. “Is this supposed to mean something to me?”
“I’ll say,” Jett said. “That paper is the missing link. It puts it all together. It’s the answer we’ve been looking for.”
“Are you gonna let me in on it or do I have to guess?”
Felicia was true to her word. She told me everything she knew once she got me up this morning. But they seemed so excited, why blow it for them.
Monika smiled. “That is the formula for what appears to be some type of synthetic cocaine.”
“Synthetic crack to be exact,” I said. “Jake developed it for Chilly.”
“How did you know?” Monika asked.
“That’s what I was doing in California. Chilly got the formula from a chemist named Rodriguez who used to work for the Peruvians.”
“Used to? I didn’t know that was possible.”
“He was on the run. There was a bounty out for him. He had started a new life, quiet, and low profile. But Chilly spots him at some mall upstate. Rodriguez gave Chilly the formula so he wouldn’t give him up. But it didn’t work.”
“Damn right, it didn’t work,” Jett said. “It was killing people, and dead customers are bad for business.”
“After the first five died from smoking it, Chilly gives him up to the Peruvians. That’s what Diego Estabon was talking about when he said, ‘I took care of mine’. Apparently, they agreed that everyone involved had to die.”
“So what do we do now?” Jett asked.
I looked at Jett and Monika. Jett dropped his head.
Monika shook hers in semi disgust. “I told you that this wasn’t something we needed to be fuckin’ around in. I say we back all the way up off this. Shut all this down and go back to doing what we do. Jett hacks our way in, you kill them, and I blow it up so there’s no trace.”
“Jett?”
“I think she’s right, Nick. The shit didn’t work, so if Jake ain’t dead, he’s gonna be.”
“How ‘bout it, Nick?” Monika asked.
I didn’t want to admit it, but they were right. If Jake was still alive and he had any sense, he’d be so far away that Chilly would never find him and neither would we. “I’ll call Mrs. Childers and give her back her money.”
“Why?” Monika asked.
“We earned our money,” Jett said. “Her brother took off before her husband could kill him. Case closed.”
“You’re right, Jett, all of this set up does cost money.”
“And our time.” Monika added and she started helping Jett pack it up.
“All right, case closed,” I said and got up and started to help.
“No, no, Nick, you just go on and tell Mrs. Childers whatever you need to tell her. We’ll take care of this. You give me a call when Felix has something for us.”
“So, like, what are you saying? I can’t call you until then?”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” Monika said, shaking her hands. Monika walked over and put her arm around me. “Don’t stand there looking like we’re running out on you, ’cause we’re not. You can call me anytime, Boo. But this private eye stuff, ain’t for me.”
“She’s right, Nick. This is too much like work,” Jett said. “But if you’re diggin’ it, hey, that’s cool too.”
“Okay. I’ll get with y’all later.”
What else could I do? I was diggin’ this. But I had to keep my prospective clearly in focus. Jake was gone, long gone. And if he had any sense, he would stay that way. The only thing left to do was to break it down for Mrs. Childers and move on. But there were still some things about all this that I couldn’t shake. Something about Pamela Hendricks, or maybe it was just the personal feelings I had developed for Felicia Hardy that was clouding my judgment. Either way, I knew it wasn’t over; at least not for me.
So I drove to Rocky’s hang out. I wasn’t exactly sure why I was going there, much less what I would say when I got there. I walked in and got the same reception as the last time, it seemed like every eye in the house was on me. That’s when I saw him, Chilly, the man himself.
He was standing at the bar enjoying the company of two very attractive young ladies. Rocky was seated in the back at what I assumed was his regular spot. As soon as he was alerted to my presence, he made a B-line straight to Chilly.
I went and sat down at a table as far away from them as I could and still keep them in sight. A waitress came to take my order.
“Johnnie Walker Black, straight up.”
I started to ask her if she would tell Rocky that I wanted to see him, but I kinda figured that he’d get around to it sooner or later. Chilly looked over his shoulder, as Rocky pointed me out to him. I didn’t think he’d do that; but fuck it. It was time I got this over with. Chilly dismissed Rocky with one hand and patted one of the ladies he was with on the ass, and then started for me.
“Mind if I sit down?” Chilly asked.
“Be my guest,” I replied, as the waitress returned with my drink.
“No check for this table. His money’s no good here.” Chilly said, as he took a seat. “Nick Simmons. I haven’t seen you since the old days. I thought Bobby killed you and that army shit was just a cover.”
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“No, Chilly, I’m still alive.”
“Rocky’s snitchin’ ass told me you’re a private investigator now. That’s a long way from where you came from. What’s the matter, Freeze and them ain’t got no spot for you, or is Bobby still trying to kill you?” Chilly laughed. “Let me quit fuckin’ with you. Shit, if Bobby really wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”
“Good point.”
“So what brings you here?”
“Stopped in to have a drink.” I raised my glass and downed it. Chilly smiled and motioned for the waitress.
“Ain’t too many of us old heads left in this game. Mutha fucka’s now ain’t got no honor. No respect for the game. Niggas like you and me got to keep it real, you know what I’m saying?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s up with you? Like you mad at me about something. That shit between me and Black is over with. I got nothing but respect for him,” Chilly said as the waitress arrived. “What you drinking, Nick?”
“Johnnie Black, straight.”
“Johnnie Black, straight up and bring me a Crown on the rocks. You know I was the one who made peace with Black?”
“So I heard; why don’t you tell me about it.”
Chilly looked at me for a while. “That’s right, you were gone when all that went down, so I guess you don’t know. After Black killed Jimmy Knowles and Charlie Rock, Vincent Martin kept it going for a long time. I kept telling Vince dumb ass that all that war shit was bad for business, but he wasn’t hearing me. Him and Charlie was like brothers, so Vince was taking the shit way too personal.”
“So you gave him up to Black?” I said coldly.
“Shit no! I ain’t that type of mutha fucka. But after a while, it didn’t matter anyway. One night, Black caught Vince and his whole set laid back. They was all at Vince’s house chillin’, Black busted up in there and killed them all.”
The waitress returned with our drinks, served them, and departed quickly. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at me. I winked in response.
“Black, Bobby and Freeze walked in blastin’. Like they was playing a video game and shit.” Chilly began making shooting motions with his hands. “Boom, boom, boom. I hear nobody even got off a shot. Must have been eight, ten mutha fucka’s in there. They killed everybody quick, except one guy. He said he was lying on the floor shaking with his gun in his hand. Said Black walked up to him and sat on the floor next to him.”
Bet you wanna know why you’re still alive.
“That’s what Black says to him. But the boy is so petrified that he can’t even talk; he just shakes his head. He said all Black said was, tell Chilly to come see me.” Chilly motioned for the waitress. He finished his drink. “Bring us another round,” he told her and handed her a twenty-dollar bill. “That’s for you, baby.” We both watched her as she walked away. “I might just have to fuck her tonight. Anyway, me and Black always been cool. We wasn’t never close like y’all or nothing like that. But Black gave me my respect. And you know how he carried his. I ain’t ashamed to say that the only reason I ain’t dead is because Mike Black didn’t want to kill me. He did right by me.”
Damn right, Black let you live to make all that money.
“There ain’t too many like Black.”
“That’s what I’m saying. These young bucks like that bitch made nigga there.” He pointed at Rocky. “Ain’t loyal to shit but money.”
“It’s a new day. With new players.”
The waitress served us another round of drinks. Chilly raised his glass. “To the old days.”
“I’ll drink to that.” All that talk about honor and loyalty was starting to wear on me for personal reasons.
“Let’s cut the bullshit. I know why you’re here. Same reason I’m here. Jake. I know Gee hired you to find him.”
“Rocky tell you that?”
“Naw. But that’s exactly what I’m saying. He got no idea who you are or where you come from. That bitch ain’t have no business telling me that you was a private eye. Him and Gee go back some years. He should be loyal to her over me. But as soon as you came through the door, he comes running to me like a little bitch and told me everything. But you see, Nick, I already knew all about that.”
“Did you?”
“Shit yeah! What, you think I just let Gee run wild, doing whatever she wants? Hell no! I keeps her on a long chain. I knew she wrote you a check for ten thousand dollars. So I did some checking, that’s when I found out you was a private investigator. I figured she hired you to look for Jake. I got me a little honey at the bank. She keeps tabs on Gee’s account for me. Gee will fuck up some money if you let her. But that’s my fault. She was a young girl when I met her. She didn’t know shit. I should have taught her the value of money, instead of just throwing it at her. But that’s my problem.”
“It’s probably too late now.”
“You got that right. You have any luck finding Jake?”
“Not a clue,” I lied. I started to lay it all out for him. Cut the bullshit. But I thought better of it. “I figure he’s some place hiding out, what I don’t know, is why? What was he into, Chilly? Was he doing something for you? The way I get it, you were the last person to see him before he dropped out of sight.” I was pushing my luck and I knew it. But I had that I don’t give a fuck attitude in full effect.
“You take chances, Nick. But I know what kind of nigga you are, so fuck it. I respect a mutha fucka that gets right to it.”
“I’m glad to hear that. So what was he doing for you?”
Chilly laughed. “He wasn’t doing nothing for me. I just wanted to talk to him about some shit I been hearing, that’s all. I want you to find Jake. And I want you to let Gee know where he is. After you tell Gee, then I want you to tell me.”
“Why, so you can kill him.” It was a statement, not a question.
“No, I’m not going to kill him. You have my word on that. I just want to talk to him. He was into something; I just want to know what.”
He reached in his pocket.
I put my hand on my gun.
He dropped a stack of money on the table in front of me.
“That’s five thousand dollars there. Take it.”
I complied.
“I’ll give you five more when you tell me where he is. And there’s something else I want you to do for me.”
“What’s that?”
“In the last three weeks, Gee’s been taking a lotta money out her account. Cash money, twenty thousand dollars. You tell me where that money went, and that twenty is yours.”
I thought about making a quick twenty grand right there and tell him about how Ben Josephs was blackmailing his wife. But what honor I had left, and my loyalty to his wife, stopped me. “I’ll look into it.”
“You know me, Nick. I’m a man of my word and I pay.”
“Thanks for the drinks.” I got up and walked out, with the five grand in my pocket. I got in my car thinking how things had just taken a weird turn. At this point, I was sure that Jake had just taken off. So I drove by Cuisine to see if maybe Freeze had anything for me.
Cuisine was crowded and I couldn’t find a place to park. So I drove around finally finding a spot about two blocks away. I had walked about a half a block when I heard somebody say, “Got a light, man?”
I turned around and was met immediately by a fist in my face. There were three of them, one grabbed me from behind and held me while the other two hit me repeatedly. I recognized one of them from Rocky’s joint. I fell to the ground and they started kicking me.
Once that was over he said, “Chilly sends his regards.”
They left me lying there and walked away laughing. I struggled to my feet and breathed deeply. I would have to repay their kindness. I started walking the rest of the way to Cuisine. I made it as far as the lobby before I passed out.
When I came to, I was lying on a couch, a woman was tending to my wounds, and Freeze was standing over me.
“What happened to you?”
“Some of Rocky’s boys tried to warn me off and blamed it on Chilly,” I said, and stood up slowly.
“How you know it wasn’t Chilly?”
“’Cause Chilly just—,” I got up and reached in my pocket. I still had the money. “Chilly gave me five thousand dollars to find Jake.”
“I thought you was working for Gee?”
“I am. He still wants me to tell her where he is, as long as I tell him too.” My head was still spinning, so I sat back down.
“I told you not to fuck with this, now look at you.” Freeze laughed. He walked over to the desk, put the phone on speaker and dialed a number. “Fucked around and got your ass kicked.”
“I think my ass was the only thing they didn’t kick.”
Freeze just shook his head. “This is Freeze, let me speak to Rock.”
“This Rock. What’s up, Freeze? I ain’t—”
“Shut the fuck up nigga and understand what I’m telling you. You sent your boys after Nick Simmons tonight.”
“I didn’t have nothing to do with that, Freeze. I—”
“Shut the fuck up, bitch! Nick Simmons is family to me. You feel me, Rock? So I’m telling you now, if that shit happens again, fuck peace. I’ll kill you and your whole set. Got that!” Freeze hung up the phone and started laughing. I laughed too, but it hurt.
Freeze took me out to Perry’s house so he could check me out and give me something for the pain. It was damn good seeing Perry again after all these years. Like everybody else, Perry treated me as if I never missed a day.
“I brought somebody by to see you, Perry.” Freeze said.
“Yeah, who’s that?” Freeze stepped aside. “Nick! Damn it’s good to see you. Y’all come on in. Hold up, neither one of y’all shot or bleeding?”
“No, man. We just came to visit.” Freeze said as we went inside Perry’s house.
“Okay, ’cause I still remember the last time you two came to my house this late.”
“So do I. How could I forget?” I asked to Perry. I looked at the smile on Freeze’s face and I could tell he hadn’t forgotten either.
“Couldn’t forget what, Nick?” Wanda asked. “Y’all were just full of stuff I didn’t know about. I’m starting to feel like an outsider.”