Origins- the Road to Power

by Ricky Black

  ‘Okay, I promise,’ Lamont said. They looked at each other for another long moment before he changed the subject.

  ‘What part of the book are you up to?’

  Rochelle smiled then and began describing to Lamont exactly what Scout Finch was doing. They both began discussing the merits of the book. The conversation was fast-paced and passionate. By the time Mia and Marcus drunkenly lurched downstairs, Lamont and Rochelle were like old friends.

  ‘Aww, this is what I like to see. Don’t they look sweet, babe?’ said Marcus.

  ‘Yeah, look at them giggling like some school kids,’ Mia teased.

  ‘Leave it alone, Mia,’ Rochelle’s voice changed. She had grown cold and distant again. Lamont internally sighed, knowing that the night was over.

  ‘Okay, okay, just saying, Shelle.’

  ‘Yo, L, we need to jet. Ladies, it’s been fun.’ Marcus kissed Mia and waved at Rochelle. They were nearly at the door when Rochelle spoke.

  ‘Lamont?’

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘You can call me Shelly if you like,’ Rochelle said quietly. Then she picked her book back up as if nothing had happened.

  ‘You can call me Shelly . . .’

  Lamont rubbed his eyes. Ever since they had left Mia’s place, Marcus hadn’t shut up.

  ‘What was that about? While I was grinding, what were you two yapping about?’

  ‘We weren’t talking about anything in particular. We were just talking,’ Lamont tried downplaying it.

  ‘Whatever. I’ve never seen Rochelle smile like that before. I know when a man is talking smooth. You were running some serious game on her.’

  ‘Just leave it.’

  ‘Yo, I’m proud of you, man. That’s a good place to start. Tell you what, if she’s anything like her sis, then the grind will be amazing!’ Marcus exclaimed. ‘We need to go there again tomorrow, then you can vibe her and see what happens.’

  ‘She’s just a friend.’

  ‘Don’t gimme that nonsense, L. I know more about this stuff than you do. Rochelle is feeling you. You need to handle that.’

  ‘Whatever you say.’

  Marcus was laughing now. Loudly. A front door opened as they walked past, and a man glared out at them. Marcus glared back, and the man hurriedly closed the door.

  ‘This is a new start for you. Your balls are dropping. You punched up one kid at school, you’re going on moves with me and making money! All you need now is to shag Shelly, and you’re straight.’

  ‘Focus on shagging Mia right and leave me to my business,’ Lamont said jokingly.

  ‘Oh, I see what this is . . . you get a pair of Nikes, and suddenly you’re Superman? Let me see how quick you can run in them!’ Marcus lunged at Lamont, who dodged him and scarpered up the road. Marcus followed, the pair of them laughing.

  The next day, Lamont was at Levi’s. His Nana was at some function, so they were at the kitchen table, studying a Morrison’s carrier bag filled with weed.

  ‘It stinks,’ Lamont remarked, making a face and peering into the bag.

  ‘That’s good. Means it’ll sell quicker.’

  ‘What do we need to start then?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Levi scratched his head.

  ‘Didn’t Craig tell you?’

  ‘Nah,’ Levi laughed, rubbing the back of his neck, ‘I made out like you knew what you were doing.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because. He’s my brother, man. You know how much shit he gives me. I wanted to show him I could be an asset.’

  ‘We need to find someone who knows what they’re doing with this.’ Lamont motioned to the bag.

  ‘I know a couple’ dudes, but they’re like Craig’s age. They’ll never entertain us.’

  Lamont racked his brains, trying to think of someone they could go to. He thought of Marcus, but that was a last resort. Just then, he thought of the right person.

  ‘I know who we can go to.’

  ‘L, what’s cracking?’ Shorty said, slapping hands with him and Levi.

  ‘You busy? Kinda need to talk to you.’

  ‘Nah, y’all come in. Kick those shoes off though. The carpet’s new.’

  Shorty’s place was laced. It was a small flat on Harehills Avenue that appeared unkempt on the outside. Lamont didn’t know who Shorty made decorate, but they knew their colours. It had all the latest entertainment devices, similar to Marcus’s and Levi’s rooms.

  Shorty directed the pair to sit on the leather sofa. Reaching onto the coffee table, he picked up his spliff from the ashtray and lit it. Taking two burns, he offered it to Lamont, who declined. Levi eagerly took it, coughing loudly as the weed hit his lungs.

  ‘Don’t hit it so hard. Take time,’ said Shorty, laughing. ‘What’s up, anyway?’

  Lamont glanced at Levi for a second.

  ‘We’ve got some weed. We want your help to sell it.’

  Shorty’s reaction was immediate. He doubled over laughing, almost burning himself with the joint. Levi and Lamont watched as Shorty’s laughter grew louder and more animated. After several minutes, he calmed down.

  ‘Seriously. What’s up?’ he repeated.

  ‘We’ve got an ounce of weed, but we don’t really know where to start with it. We hoped you could give us some pointers.’

  Shorty wiped his eyes, ‘L . . . you know what I do, don’t you?’

  Lamont did. Shorty had been selling weed for a few years. He and K-Bar had started off small, but were growing in reputation.

  ‘Yeah. You can help us.’

  ‘L, y’all are competition. That’s gonna mess with my money. What if you pinch my customers? I can’t allow that.’

  ‘I feel what you’re saying,’ Lamont started. ‘We’re boys though. I’m just asking for some help.’

  ‘This is business. I can’t fuck with you,’ Shorty said firmly.

  ‘Are you serious?’ Levi’s tone was hostile. ‘We’re supposed to be boys. Why are you going on dodgy?’

  Shorty’s expression hardened. ‘Going on dodgy? You lot turn up on my doorstep like the Chuckle Brothers, talking about you’ve got weed to sell, but you don’t know what to do with it? This is my life. I’m on this shit, twenty-four-seven, get me? I’m not fucking about going to school like you lot. Your brother hustles. Dig up and go talk to him.’

  ‘Shorty,’ Lamont interjected before Levi could open his mouth again. ‘We can all help each other here. You know my situation, and you know what I’m like. How desperate must I be to turn up here, talking to you like this?’

  ‘That’s true,’ Shorty admitted.

  ‘Nothing goes on for free. You said yourself, Craig’s doing big things. Come on board with us. Help us get started, and Craig will give us a better price. That means more money for you.’

  ‘What?’ Levi spluttered. Lamont impaled him with a look. Shorty leant forward, looking more interested now.

  ‘You sure you can speak for Craig?’

  ‘Course. Work with us and you’ll make more money,’ said Lamont. Shorty thought it over.

  ‘Deal.’

  ‘Lamont, what are you playing at?’

  They were headed back to Levi’s. He had kept quiet while Lamont and Shorty were talking, but now he was furious.

  ‘We needed Shorty’s help,’ Lamont said.

  ‘What about that crap about a better price?’

  ‘You need to talk to your brother. Make him see sense.’

  ‘Are you serious? Craig will kill me.’ Levi’s eyes widened.

  ‘No, he won’t. This is about money. Tell him you’ve found someone with a solid client base, meaning he gets a better return. He’ll be happy with the extra business,’ Lamont assured him. Levi took a deep breath and nodded.

  ‘I hope you’re right, bro. I’m gonna get the weed bags and the scales. I’ll get back at you when I’ve spoken to Craig again.’

  The next few days passed without incident. Levi bought the equipment. He spoke to his brother who agreed to Lamont’s pro
posal, just as Lamont suspected he would. Craig wanted to speak to them directly though, summoning them to meet him.

  Craig Parker could usually be found on Chapeltown Road, around Landport Street. He was surrounded by an entourage which comprised two large goons, and a smattering of female admirers. Craig had the dark good looks Levi was getting. He dressed the part, usually sporting fresh designer clothes that no one else on the street had. He burned a hole through Lamont as they approached. Lamont met Craig’s gaze, knowing instinctively that movements were critical at this point.

  ‘So, you’re slanging now?’

  It seemed an innocent question, but Lamont sensed Craig wanted more. The street life was cold. Everyone suspected the others’ motives. Craig was wilful, always willing to get what he wanted rather than sitting around. He was the Ghetto Prince at the moment, gaining momentum as he surged through the drugs game. He was doing well for himself. Better than most people expected.

  ‘Yeah,’ Lamont kept his response simple, wanting to lure Craig in. It worked.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I’m broke.’

  ‘So? Get a paper round.’

  Craig’s entourage burst into peals of laughter as if he had said the funniest thing in the world.

  ‘Like you did?’

  Lamont’s comeback silenced everyone in the vicinity. Even Levi gaped, wondering how he had the gall to make such a fresh remark.

  Craig surveyed Lamont, trying to compare the hustler confidently staring him down, to the scared kid his little brother used to bring to their house. Lamont seemed prepared, and another bonus for Craig was that he was working with Levi. Craig didn’t have the patience to teach his little brother about the hustle. If they flopped, it wouldn’t backfire on him.

  ‘I went out and got it. That’s the difference. You kids want it all handed to you nowadays.’

  ‘I’m ready to work for mine. We all are.’

  ‘And you’re speaking for Shorty?’

  Lamont nodded.

  ‘He’s a little maniac. Can you control him?’

  ‘It’s not about control. It’s about working with him. Shorty’s my friend.’

  ‘And Marcus? Is he your friend too?’

  ‘Marcus is my brother,’ Lamont corrected.

  Craig nodded slowly, sharing a look with one of his guys, a large black boy in a Reebok hooded top. Whatever passed between them, Lamont didn’t understand.

  ‘Your brother robbed some of my people, did you know that?’ Craig sounded pleasant enough, but Lamont sensed the viper within. He needed to be careful. Craig might have been referring to the robbery Lamont had taken part in. Playing dumb was his best defence.

  ‘No, I didn’t.’

  ‘What if I told you that to work for me, you had to give up your brother? Would you do it?’

  Lamont’s reply was immediate.

  ‘No, I wouldn’t.’

  Craig smiled.

  ‘As long as you keep them away from my people, I will give you a shot.’

  Lamont smiled. ‘You won’t regret this.’

  The smile slipped from Craig’s face. ‘If I regret it, you and your whole team will too. Understand?’

  ‘I understand, Craig.’

  ‘I’m gonna hook you up on trust. I want my money every Friday. I don’t care if you sell out or not. Understand?’

  Lamont nodded.

  ‘The money goes through Levi. If you run out, let him know and he’ll let me know. Don’t send any of your other people to meet me. Understand?’

  Lamont nodded again.

  ‘If you get into a beef, handle it. If it gets out of hand, I’ll step in, but don’t be ringing me because a sale slapped you and stole your draws. Understand?’

  ‘Yes, Craig. I understand.’

  ‘Good. Now, get out of here.’

  Chapter Six

  Wednesday 26 March 1997

  ‘L, man? Where did that come from?’ Levi exclaimed when they were halfway down Chapeltown road. He’d expected Craig to bully Lamont and make him look stupid, but Lamont dominated him. Levi wondered what Lamont was truly capable of. He seemed so harmless most of the time, but then sometimes . . .

  ‘I had to show him it was beneficial to work together. Can you speak to him about supply? We need to know the weed will be available when we need it.’

  Levi scratched his head. ‘I’ll speak to him later. He’ll diss me in front of his boys if I press him now.’

  ‘He seemed very interested in Shorty and Marcus,’ mused Lamont.

  ‘They’re crazy. People know you roll with them. Marcus, man . . . he’s dark. He scares the crap out of me. Dunno how you can just chat to him normally. When I speak to him, I feel like I need my guard up.’

  ‘They’re family. With family, sometimes you only see the good parts,’ Lamont replied. He quickened his pace, forcing Levi to hurry to keep up.

  With their supply secure, Lamont and Levi arranged a meeting at Levi’s place. They camped in the kitchen around a chipped wooden table while his Nana watched her programmes in the living room, the TV volume at a deafening level.

  Levi closed the door and faced the gang. Lamont was at the far side, with K-Bar and Shorty at either end.

  ‘It’s all sorted, Shorty. We spoke to my bro. He’ll hook us up with a cheaper rate,’ said Levi

  Shorty grinned. ‘Deal’s a deal then. Let’s talk business.’

  The crew ironed out the details, deciding they would start from tomorrow, with the work being kept at Shorty’s. He and K-Bar had their own spot so no-one would find out what they were doing. As they spoke, Lamont felt Levi giving him funny looks. He waited until the others left before speaking to him about it.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  Levi shrugged, scraping his index finger along the table, ‘I’m not sure I like how this is going.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  Levi stewed a moment.

  ‘I brought you in, and now it just feels like you’re taking over. You’re talking with Craig even though he’s my brother. You brought your own people into the plan without even speaking to me about it. Seems you’re trying to push me out.’

  Lamont saw the anger on his friend’s face. He needed to handle this. Lamont was committed now, and he would do what he needed to make money. If that meant making Levi happy, he’d do it.

  ‘This is on you, Levi. It’s your thing. If you think I’m making too many decisions, just tell me to step off. I wanted to bring Shorty and K-Bar in because they have the links to sell quick, and people won’t trouble them. If you wanna do something different though, tell me. Craig’s your brother. This whole thing falls apart without you.’

  Lamont sounded sincere, but it was necessary. Levi and Shorty had a thing about respect. If Lamont placated them both, the operation would run smoothly.

  Levi tried hiding his delight at Lamont’s words.

  ‘Okay. You’re right. We’ll get started tomorrow like we agreed. Meet me at Shorty’s. We’ll bag up the drugs there, and sort out who deals where.’

  Lamont nodded.

  ‘Sounds good, Levi. Great plan, bro.’

  Things quickly escalated. The crew bagged the weed and using Shorty’s network of buyers, sold out in no time. After repeating this a few times, Craig began to take them seriously. He gave them two kilos of weed on credit to see if the crew could handle it. They could.

  Word of their good product was landing in the right ears. The school crowd was a goldmine too. Lamont often found himself besieged by classmates wanting to buy, but only dealt with them off the school grounds.

  In no time, they had the chain of command down to a T. Levi was in charge of making sure Craig received his return, and would pick up the drugs and drop them on Shorty. Shorty and K-Bar would weigh and bag all the weed, then they would all slang it.

  Being the strongest with numbers, Lamont oversaw the money side, making sure everyone was paid equally and promptly. Everything ran like clockwork, and that was down to L
amont. He tailored the strategy he used with Levi and was using it on Shorty too. He allowed both to think they were dictating things and because of that, there was no strife in the ranks.

  Lamont strolled down Chapeltown Road with Levi one night. They had just gone to meet some clients near Reginald Terrace, and Lamont wanted to see if anyone was at the park to play football. They were almost there when a car pulled up alongside them.

  ‘Lamont, can I have a word?’ Nigel Worthington rolled the window down. Lamont sighed. He had avoided Nigel since the man’s admission about wanting to become his agent. The last thing he needed was another adult trying to manipulate him.

  ‘Yeah. What’s up?’

  Nigel cut his eyes to Levi, ‘I’d prefer to talk alone.’

  ‘I’ll be at the park, L.’ Levi glanced at Nigel and strolled away.

  ‘Are you getting in?’ Nigel asked. Lamont hesitated. Not wanting to press it, Nigel parked and climbed out. He wore the navy tracksuit and worn Reebok trainers he normally wore for coaching, giving Lamont a once-over.

  ‘New clothes?’

  Lamont shrugged.

  ‘Did your Auntie give you some money?’

  Lamont just stared. Nigel knew where the money had come from.

  ‘Is this what you want to do, Lamont? I’m giving you an opportunity to be a superstar. I have people in place and you can ascend. I can help you. Why would you throw it all away?’

  ‘That’s your thing. Not mine,’ Lamont finally spoke.

  ‘And this is your thing, is it? You want to hustle, like all the other idiots on the street? You wanna go prison? Do you want to die?’

  ‘I’m tired of the way I’m living. I wouldn’t expect you to understand,’ Lamont snapped, forgetting he was talking to a grown man.

  ‘Do you really think you’re the only person who has had it hard? There are many people out there who have struggled! I know you’ve been through a lot of crap with your Auntie. I sympathise, but you have a chip on your shoulder. Is this what your parents would have wanted?’