by Roy Glenn
He nodded his head slowly.
“I can respect that.”
And I could. I could see the position that it would put him in. If he killed me, he could go to Stark, who’d been hiding from me, in a position of power.
“Too bad you missed and you gotta die for it,” Bobby added and continued his work.
“I’m gonna kill you quick; break your neck. But not before you watch me kill your boys.”
For the next hour or so, me and Bobby took turns beating our would-be executioner while his partner looked on. Every so often, I went into the bathroom to check on the bleeder. I came out and grabbed their leader.
“Come on. I wanna show you something,” I said and pushed him in the bathroom. He flinched and tried to look away, but I grabbed his face and made him look. “Look at him!”
By this time the bleeder was covered in blood and shaking. The leader had sat there calmly and watched his boy take a beating, and didn’t flinch or close his eyes not once, but this scared him.
“He’s shaking because he’s going into shock; he’s starting to get cold and he’ll start losing color because he’s dying … slowly.”
I pushed him out of the bathroom, and he stumbled to the floor.
“Get up,” I said and pulled him up and back into his chair so he could watch Bobby work. I watched Bobby and thought about us two old guys doing shit we ain’t done in years. It felt great. Then Bobby went old-school style on him.
Back in the day, Bobby's idea of torture was while he slapped the guy around, he’d tell jokes. Some of them were funny, but most of them weren’t. If you laugh, you get slapped. If you don't, you get hit—hard. Only this guy got duct tape covering his mouth so he couldn’t laugh. So Bobby was just whaling away, telling your-mother jokes, and swinging.
“Your mother is so ugly that they had to hang a pork chop around her neck so the dog would play with her.”
About two hours into it, Bobby got a call from Nick. “Bobby. Is Black with you?”
“He’s right here. It’s Nick,” Bobby said and handed me the phone.
“What’s up, Nick?”
“I just got a call from Monika. She wouldn’t say what it was about, but she said Jackie needs to talk to you.”
“And she didn’t say what, huh?” I asked, wondering what Jackie could possibly want.
“Nope, but Monika wouldn’t call if it wasn’t important.”
“Okay, call her back and tell them to meet me at Cynt's,” I said and pressed end.
When I handed Bobby back his phone, he was laughing. I didn’t tell him that I made Mystique stop working there, and I didn’t feel like going into it.
“Let’s wrap this up,” I said and went in the bathroom and shot the bleeder twice in the head. When I came out, Bobby was doing the same to the other.
I walked up behind the leader. I promised to break his neck. I picked up the sawed-off shot gun by the butt, and I swung it as hard as I could to the back of his neck. I don’t know if it actually broke his neck and I really doubt that it did, but his neck and head did jerk forward. I walked around in front of him, shot him twice in the head, and followed Bobby out the door.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Jackie and Monika sat at Cynt's and waited patiently for Black to get there, or at least Monika did. Jackie was nervous and couldn’t sit still for very long. She’d be all right for a while, but then she’d bounce up and walk around, just in case he was there, and she just couldn’t see him while she was sitting down.
“I wish you’d stop doing that,” Monika said when Jackie came back and sat down. To her, waiting to report was nothing new and she seemed content sipping her drink and people watching.
“I can’t help it,” Jackie said and picked up her watered down drink.
“I understand; but finish your drink and relax. He’ll get here when he gets here. You like pussy, don’t you?” Monika asked. “Well there’s plenty in here to look at.”
“I noticed you getting your eyes full, Ms. I’m-strictly-dickly,” Jackie came back.
“How could you not? It’s very compelling to watch. The atmosphere, the energy of the dancers, the raw sexuality of it all, you know what I’m saying? I mean, just the look on some of these guys’ faces is priceless.”
“I know. It’s like they’ve never seen a naked woman before. I never have understood that one,” Jackie said as she stood up again and noticed that Black and Bobby had come in.
Since Mylo had mentioned Cynt’s so prominently in his conversation with the man he’d met earlier in the evening, Jackie was apprehensive about them meeting Black there. She wanted to tell Monika to call Nick back and insist that they should meet somewhere else, but she didn’t want to seem like she was overreacting.
As soon as he saw her, Black made eye contact with Jackie. He was on his way to her when Cynt cut him off.
As soon as Black saw Cynt storming toward him, he knew what she wanted. He had meant to talk to her about telling Mystique that he didn’t want her dancing there, but he just hadn’t gotten around to it. “We need to talk, Mr. Black.”
“Yes we do, Cynt,” Black said. “How’s business tonight?”
“Good night,” Cynt replied. “Good night. But it would be better if Mystique hadn’t quit on me. And when I asked her why, she says I should ask you.”
By this time, Bobby was beside himself with laughter. “Mystique quit? What you know about that?”
Black ran his hand over his face. “I told her she didn’t work here anymore.”
“Oh,” was the only answer Cynt could manage.
“I was gonna talk to you about it, but I been busy.”
“If there was some problem with her, I’m sure we can work it out,” Cynt said, believing that he had fired her. “Mystique is one of my best earners, Black, so—”
“Cynt, there’s no problem. I just don’t want her working here,” Black tried to explain without having to go into any detail.
“He’s claiming her, Cynt,” Bobby said.
“Oh, that’s different. Now it’s business,” was her comment.
“I know, Cynt. I’ll compensate you for the loss of income. Think of a price, just don’t get ridiculous,” Black said as the room exploded in applause.
Frank Sparrow, the middleweight champion of the world, had just come in Cynt’s and was immediately mobbed by both dancers and fight fans.
“I guess we’ll talk about this later, Black. Let me go make the champ spend some money.”
“Oh hell no, Cynt,” Bobby said and grabbed Cynt by her arm. “Don’t do that. The fight is tomorrow night, so he don’t need to be playing poker all night or leave here with two or three ho’s. I got money riding on him.”
“Okay,” Cynt said and snatched her arm back. “And don’t be grabbing me. I ain’t one of these young girls you be all over in here.”
“Don’t hate, Cynt, you can get some too,” Bobby said.
“Whatever, Bobby,” Cynt said and walked away.
Bobby turned to Black. “Why didn’t you tell me you were claiming amazon Shy?”
“Because I didn’t want to hear your mouth.”
“You did right. If you gonna keep fuckin’ her.”
“And I am.”
“It didn’t look right to have what everyone considers your woman shaking her ass for every nigga that rolls through.”
“I’m glad you approve,” Black said, and Jackie caught his eye once again. “Come on. Let’s go see what Jackie's talking about.”
Jackie stood up when she saw Black coming, until she heard, “Black! Yo Black!” Frank Sparrow yelled as he and his entourage made their way toward Black. He smiled at Jackie and she sat down again to wait her turn.
“What’s up, champ?” Bobby said.
“Mr. Ray, Mr. Black,” Sparrow said, showing respect.
“You got it, champ,” Black said.
“Ready for tomorrow?” Bobby asked.
Sparrow raised his right fist. “He ain’t ready for this. I got to
o much speed and too much power for him. He’s going down,” he said and fainted his right to Bobby’s jaw.
“Watch out now. Niggas have died for less shit than that,” Bobby laughed and motioned for his gun.
While Bobby talked shit with Sparrow’s entourage, the champ looked at Black. “What's the matter, Frank?” Black asked.
“I’m cool, Black. It’s all good,” he said and quickly leaned toward Black. “Everything’s set for tomorrow.”
“What?”
“It’s all set.”
“What are you talking about?”
Sparrow took a step closer and whispered in Black’s ear, “Everything is set for me to go down.”
Black leaned back with his eyes opened wide in shock at what the champ had just told him. Black grabbed Sparrow by the arm.
“We need to talk,” Black said and turned to Sparrows handlers. “I need to talk to the champ for a second.”
“No problem, Black,” one handler said.
“Bobby, you're with me,” Black said and led Sparrow up the stairs to Cynt’s office. Once they were behind closed doors, “What the fuck are you talking about?” Black asked.
“Everything is all set for me to do that for you.”
“Do what for me?”
“You know, take a dive in the first.”
“What the fuck is you talking about, Frank?” Bobby asked.
“You need to tell me everything, Frank,” Black said.
“You don’t know nothing about this?” Frank was puzzled.
“I don’t know anything about you taking no dive.”
“I knew I shouldn’t trust that mutha fucka; that’s why I made sure I came by here. You know, to make sure that’s what you still wanted.”
“What mutha fucka?” Black demanded to know.
“Mylo.”
“Mylo? Who the fuck is Mylo?” Bobby asked.
“Y’all don’t even know this nigga?” Sparrow questioned.
“I know him,” Black said and looked at Bobby. “He runs the game for us.”
“Our game?” Bobby asked.
“Our game,” Black said definitely. “So what did he say I wanted you to do?”
“Since betting been real strong and a lot of action on what round, he said since everybody knows I’m a slow starter that no one will think twice about me getting caught with a clean shot early.”
“You good with that?” Black asked.
“He said you was counting on me. Mylo said that since they insisted on a rematch clause in the contract, that I’d get the rematch and I’d just kick his ass in the second fight.
“Why didn’t we think of that?” Bobby asked.
“Because it ain’t right, that’s why. You're the middleweight champion of the world, the undefeated champ at that. This is your legacy, Frank. You have a chance to be great. I’m talking Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Carlos Monzón, Bernard Hopkins kind of great.”
“Sugar Ray Robinson?”
“Let’s not get carried away,” Black said, and Bobby nodded in agreement.
“They don’t make fighters like that no more,” Bobby said.
“Even that’s possible, Frank. But I don’t think you gonna hang around long enough to win one hundred and seventy-five fights,” Black said and put his arm around the champ. “All I’m saying is that I would never ask you to do no shit like that. Not for money.”
“Yeah,” Bobby said. “You unify them belts, defend your title twenty-one times, and retire undefeated as champion.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Sparrow nodded his head.
“One more thing,” Black said. “When I want you to do some shit like that, and that day may never come, you’ll hear it from me. And Frank, try warming up before the fight. No weaknesses.”
“Got ya,” Sparrow said and started for the door.
“Hey, Frank,” Bobby called to him before he left the office. “He goes down in the first.”
“Bet on it,” Sparrow said.
“I did,” Bobby said as Sparrow raised a fist and closed the door behind him.
“Let’s see what Jackie wants,” Black said when Sparrow left the room. Bobby opened the door and Black followed him out.
When Black and Bobby got with Jackie, she insisted that they had to talk in private. “I need for you to listen to something,” Jackie said and pointed at the laptop that Monika was carrying.
“What's it about?” Black asked.
“Mylo.” Jackie answered.
“Mylo? Why don’t I know this nigga?” Bobby said.
“What about Mylo?” Black questioned.
“You remember you told me to watch Mylo because you didn’t trust him? Well you were right not to trust him. This nigga is grimy for real.”
It wasn’t long before the four were in Cynt's office. Monika set up the laptop and played back the conversation that she and Jackie recorded earlier in the evening. The recording was a little staticky, and there was a lot of background noises, but they were able to hear what they needed to hear.
You hear anything from Stark or that other clown yet?
BB’s in the wind, but he’ll turn up. I just left Stark at the Shrine Bar.
“Who’s that he’s talking to?” Black asked.
“This is him,” Monika replied and showed Black a picture of agent Masters and the car he drove up in.
“. . .We’re moving up the timetable.”
“Why?”
“You ask too many questions, Mylo. What is going to happen now is that you are going to get Mike Black in place.”
“Like I told you, he don’t come into the city much and when he does, he goes to Cynt’s, picks up that same ho and breaks to that hotel.”
“He set up the hit at the hotel,” Bobby said.
“Seems that way,” Black agreed.
“Shhh. This part is important,” Jackie said and both Black and Bobby looked at her. The four of them sat and listened to the rest of the conversation. Once the recording was finished, Black sat quietly and looked at the rest of the images that Monika had snapped. Black looked at Jackie. “I’m impressed,” he said.
Jackie smiled. “Are you really?”
“Really. You did good.”
“Well, Monika did all the hard work,” Jackie said modestly.
“That’s not true, Black. I just helped her out,” Monika corrected. “It was Jackie’s plan. She planted all of the devices.
“Don’t matter who gets the credit,” Bobby finally said. “This answers a lot of questions. It’s been these two assholes pulling the strings. Had all of us dancing to their beat. We need to find out who this other guy is.”
“Question is, what timetable are they moving up?”
“Killing you.”
‘Since they’re onto this place, it’s a good bet that they know you’re here,” Monika said.
“That means they’ll be coming.” Jackie finally said what she had been feeling all along. She checked her gun and so did Monika.
“Let ’em come,” Bobby said and started walking toward the safe in the office. Cynt kept a small arsenal in that safe, as well as two other places in the club.
“Slow down, everybody,” Black said with his hands in the air. “If they know about this place, then they gotta know this ain’t the place to come at us.”
Bobby started laughing a little. “You're right. We could fight a small Army off with the shit we got here.”
“Black’s right,” Monika said. “They wouldn’t try it here. Semi-public place; too many variables they couldn’t control, too much could go wrong,” she added.
“That’s right,” Black said and stood in front of Monika. “This is your type of shit. How would they do it?”
“Shit, there are hundreds of ways they could come at you. But I can tell you this, they already know how, and they know where they're gonna come at you. They are either gonna lead you there, or just wait for you to show up.”
Chapter Twenty-eight
Afte
r Black and Bobby left Cynt's, they went straight to Bobby’s house and had a few of their men meet them there. Bobby quickly got his family out of bed and ready to leave the house. He didn’t believe that they were in any real danger, but Bobby felt safer with them out of the house. Once he was satisfied that his family was safe at a hotel with men to watch over them, Bobby drove back to the city with Black.
“Where you wanna go now?” Bobby asked as they drove across the Tappan Zee Bridge.
“Take me by Maria’s apartment,” Black answered, referring to Mystique by her government name for the first time.
“Who?”
Black looked at Bobby. “Amazon Shy.”
“I’ma stop calling her that. Now that you claiming her and shit.”
“Call her whatever you want, just take me by there. Since they know about her too, I want to make sure she’s safe.”
“I’ll put a couple of our people on her,” Bobby said.
“No,” Black said definitely. “She’ll be all right with me.”
“I’m sure she will, but I’m still gonna put somebody on her and you too.”
“No.”
“Look Mike, I don’t give a fuck what you say, you gonna have somebody on you.”
“I got you.”
“Yeah, but I’m gonna go to sleep sometime. Somebody’s gotta be watching our back. And besides, you ain’t planning on taking her to Carolina with us, are you?”
“Hell no.”
“Then she needs somebody on her until you get back,” Bobby said as he drove.
“I guess you're right,” Black admitted reluctantly.
“Of course I am. Ain’t no harm in having a few bodies around until this blows over, right?”
But Black didn’t answer him. He stared out the window and thought about Mylo. They had a traitor in their house, somebody that Freeze brought to him. Could Freeze have misjudged Mylo, or was he involved? There was no way he could be sure, but he knew he’d find out.
It had been a long time since somebody had betrayed him. His name was Gary Banks, he used to run one of their gambling houses until he got caught selling drugs. Back then, everybody that worked for Black had made a pledge not to sell drugs.
After what he considered a fair trial in front of his peers, Black tortured and then executed Banks that night while everyone in the room looked on. Some people started to leave, but Black stopped them. He wanted to be sure that everyone there saw what was happening. Banks was gonna die that night and Black wanted to be sure all of them knew why. Black wondered would he give Mylo a chance to defend himself or would he just kill him.