by Kiki Swinson
“That was an interesting conversation, huh?” he started off.
I didn’t know if I should say yeah, or no. This felt like a trick question. “That depends on what you call interesting,” I finally said.
“Let’s just say, things could’ve gone wrong if I hadn’t contained myself.”
“I’m glad you did,” I replied, and then I turned the direction of the conversation. “So, what brings you here today? Amir isn’t coming in.”
“I came to see you.”
“For what?” I asked him. He was creeping me out with his words. More fear and anxiety started brewing in the pit of my stomach.
“So I could ask you out.”
“What do you mean by that?” I wanted to know. Here I was wearing a fucking wire and a broach for a camera so that I could get information for the DEA, and he wanted to take me out. He wanted to be in my company? Not only that, I knew that he was a killer. Well, if he hadn’t killed anyone, then I knew that he was capable of doing it. At least, that’s what the DEA assumed because of Sanjay’s disappearance.
“I want to take you to dinner.”
“No. You don’t wanna do that,” I informed him. I mean, was this guy really serious? Take me out to dinner? Was he playing some type of game with me?
“Why not? You’re a beautiful woman and I want to get to know you,” he explained.
Taken aback by his offer, I caught a lump in my throat. My mind started turning in all kinds of directions and I couldn’t put complete thoughts together. I’m sure I looked shell-shocked. “Listen, Ahmad, I appreciate you asking me out, but I’m not your type. And besides, aren’t you married?” I said with hopes of turning this thing around toward him.
“No, I am not married.”
“Well, men like you don’t date American women.”
He cracked another smile. “What do you mean, men like me?”
“I’m talking about your culture. You engage with women from your own country because you guys share the same beliefs. I mean, don’t you guys marry women that are submissive? Because I am not submissive.”
He smiled again. “You’re so cute.”
“No, I’m not cute. I’m average. And I’m not fun to be around too,” I told him. I was trying to say anything that would turn him off. I couldn’t be in this guy’s presence for a long period of time and especially in an intimate setting like a restaurant.
He chuckled, this time showing all of his teeth. And I have to admit that this guy was so fucking handsome. It was like I didn’t see the killer or mafia type. I saw this handsome man with power and money. Power and money could make a bum look like 50 Cent. But of course, this didn’t mean that I gave him a pass. I needed to stay focused on the task at hand so I could walk away from this thing alive, and go on my merry way.
“I won’t accept no for an answer. Now, give me your phone number and I will call you later,” he demanded.
“Look, Ahmad, please listen to me when I tell you that I am not fun to be around. Plus, I take care of my grandmother when I’m not at work. She has a nurse taking care of her while I’m at work, and then I go to her house right after I leave here,” I lied. I needed a concrete explanation, and telling him that I take care of my elderly grandmother should do the trick.
“Okay, why don’t I pick up dinner and bring it to your grandmother’s house? We can all eat together,” he insisted. This guy wasn’t giving up.
“Ahmad, everything that you’re saying is flattering. But I can’t allow you to do it. My grandmother is very sickly. And we have to have her in a closed environment so she won’t contract any outside diseases.”
“Why do I take it that you’re giving me a lot of excuses?”
I paused before I answered him because I really didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t tell him the truth, so what could I tell him that would make sense? I needed something that was plausible. “Can I ask you a question?” I said, finding a way to take me out of the hot seat.
“Sure,” he replied.
“Where are you from?”
“India,” he said quickly.
“How long have you been in America?”
“About ten years.”
“How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“I’m thirty-one years old.”
“Do you have any children?”
“No, I don’t. But one day I’m sure I will.”
“Is Sanjay ever coming back to work?” I asked him. And I swear, I had no knowledge that I would form my lips to ask that question. I don’t know where it came from. And after I realized that I said it, Ahmad’s facial expression changed. He looked at me suspiciously.
“Why did you ask me that?”
Once again, a mountain of fear fell down upon me and I couldn’t think of anything to say. My mind went completely blank.
“Did Amir tell you anything?” Ahmad said.
“No, he didn’t,” I finally was able to say as the heat in my body started consuming me.
“He had to have said something to you for you to ask me that question. Now, tell me what he told you.” Ahmad pressed the issue.
I stood there quietly and looked away from Ahmad. I looked toward the front door and tried calculating how long it would take me to make a run for it. But then when I really thought about making that escape, what was going to happen to my jacket, handbag, and my car keys? I wasn’t going to be able to get away without them. So, I reassessed my position.
“Misty, I don’t have all day. Tell me what Amir told you.” Ahmad wouldn’t let up.
“Okay, he said that Sanjay wasn’t ever coming back here to work.”
“Is that it?”
“Kind of, sort of.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You see how nasty he is to me. He acted as if it’s you and that other guy’s fault that Sanjay isn’t coming back to work,” I said, trying to pull my lie together. I figured that if I blamed this whole thing on Amir, I could get information for the DEA and I could also pull Amir into the hot seat too. I mean, it’s not like he doesn’t deserve it. He’s an evil-ass dude. He’s rude to me for no reason, so why not start some drama for him?
“Did he say anything else to you about Sanjay?” Ahmad pressed me.
“No, not that I can remember.”
“Well, I’ll tell you what, the next time he says something to you about anything dealing with Sanjay or this pharmacy, you let me know.”
“I will,” I assured him.
He changed the subject. “So, let’s talk about this dinner date again.”
“I’ll tell you what, if you give me a couple of days, I’ll let you know when and where I would like to go,” I said. I figured by then the DEA would have all of their asses arrested and I wouldn’t have to really go on this date.
Ahmad continued talking to me until an elderly customer came walking through the front door. “I see you gotta get to work,” he said.
“Yes, I do.”
“Well, give me your number and I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Giving him my number wasn’t how I wanted this conversation to end, so I told him to give me his. Thankfully, he didn’t give me any problems and called the numbers out to me. After I wrote it down with the paper and pen I had on the counter, he smiled and told me to have a nice day.
Seeing him walk out that front door was liberating. I mean, there was no other way to describe it. That guy was a fucking drug-dealing killer. Now why would I want to be in his company? And if he knew what was going on behind the scenes, I’m sure he would kill me on the spot. This guy literally walked around with a fucking pistol in the waist of his pants. And the fact that he showed Terrell that he’d use it on him, was even more scary. Ahmad was nothing to play with. I just hoped that this investigation ended quickly before anyone else got hurt. Or even worse, got killed.
26
SO MELODRAMATIC
Only two customers walked into the pharmacy after Ahmad left. This gave me some time
to make two necessary phone calls. The first call I made was to Agent Sims, who was probably still out looking for Sanjay instead of monitoring my wire from the van. Didn’t want any of the cameras inside the store to document my conversation, so I went outside in front of the pharmacy. “Agent Sims, Ahmad just left the pharmacy.”
“Wait, when did he come there?”
“About forty-five minutes ago. He came here and started flirting with me. Telling me that he wants to take me out on a date.”
“Wait . . . he did what?” Agent Sims said as if he was trying to wrap his head around what I just said.
“He came here over an hour ago and asked me if he could take me to dinner,” I repeated.
“And you have this on tape?”
“Of course, I do. I’m wearing it, aren’t I?”
“So, what did you say?”
“I told him that it wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Did he ask you why?”
“Yes, and I told him that I wasn’t his type, and that I have to take care of my grandmother when I leave work every day.”
“And what did he say?”
“He wasn’t hearing anything I told him.”
“And when, again, did this happen?”
“Over an hour ago.”
“Listen, I’ll tell you what, I’m gonna send Gail by there to get the wire and broach from you so we can go over the footage.”
“When will you do that?”
“Within the hour. You’re gonna be required to meet her outside the store.”
“I already know that. I’m standing outside now, talking to you on the phone.”
“Good girl,” he commented. Before we disconnected our call he said, “Keep your head up. This footage may be your ticket out of this mess.”
“Yeah, you say that now, and tomorrow it will be something else.”
* * *
After Gail and Agent Sims showed up to grab the camera and the wire device, everything in the pharmacy returned to normal. The rest of the day at the pharmacy went by kind of quickly. Before I locked up the place, I took inventory in the supply closet and there was not a narcotic in sight. Ahmad and his partner had cleaned the place out. Now I couldn’t say how much Sanjay and Amir owed them, but it had to be in the millions.
27
NAILING DOWN THE PLAN
Jillian and that guy Tedo were sitting in his car outside of our grandmother’s house when I pulled up curbside. I told her that I didn’t want to deal with this dude face-to-face and didn’t want him to know my name, but it seemed like everything I said to her went in one ear and out the other.
She motioned for me to get in his car with them, so I did. Jillian opened the floor and started the dialogue. “Misty, Tedo got his homeboy Rick to help him get the shipment once it comes in.”
“How are y’all gonna get it from the two guys that are coming there to get it themselves?” I wondered aloud. I wanted to hear details.
“Jillian told me about the situation of your boss owing them Arab dudes all that dough and that’s why they’re taking the prescription drugs in place of it, so I was thinking that we could wait for them to come out the back door and stick them up there before they can get it in their car.”
“There’s a camera in the back of the store so you’re gonna have to be careful. I would hate for them to see you. The plan would go up in smoke.”
“Tell me how you think we should do it,” Tedo wanted to know.
“I was thinking that one of y’all could come through the front door and the other two wait for the shipment to arrive at the back door.”
“What time?”
“Well, the shipment comes in the morning. So, Amir and his people got it set up to where they show up either while I’m at lunch or later in the evening. So I’ll tell you what, when the shipment comes in, I’ll call Jillian so she can give y’all the cue.”
“What kind of burners do those dudes carry?” Tedo asked me.
“I think it’s a nine-millimeter Glock.”
His questions continued. “Are they big guys or what?”
“Nope. They’re your average size guys. So they don’t mind pulling out their weaponry,” I warned him.
“Do they carry any money on them? I mean, cause if we got some money too, this would be a sweet heist.” He grinned like he was devising a master plan.
“Look, I can’t answer all of that. Just do like I said. Send one guy through the front and have the other two waiting in the back.”
“A’ight. Will do. But let me ask you,” he said and then he fell silent.
“What?”
“How big is the area behind the store? Will this car fit back there?”
“Yes, it will. But I don’t think you should park back there. What you should do is have the two guys in back waiting, like I said before, and when the guys come out the back door, you take the drugs and take off with their car. It can’t get no simpler than that,” I replied sarcastically because this nigga was getting on my freaking nerves. Just sit back and listen sometimes and then maybe you’ll learn something.
“Two days from now, right?” He needed reassurance.
“Yes, two days from now. Not tomorrow, but the day after that.”
“Sounds like a plan,” he commented.
I let out a long sigh. “I gotta get out of here,” I said aloud, and then I exited Tedo’s car.
“Wait, you’re getting ready to leave?” Jillian asked me.
“Yeah, I need to get home. I’m tired,” I told her and closed the back door.
“I’m coming, so wait,” she said. She told Tedo she’d call him later and crawled out of his car. We stood there on the lawn in front of our grandmother’s house. “We’re gonna have to figure out a way to get that shipment without the DEA seeing us.”
“So now you’re finally worried about the DEA. I told you, this whole situation is tricky. I can’t do anything about where they’ll be, but I can make sure they don’t hear us by taking off the wire when Tedo and his boys get there.”
“What’s up with Terrell? And what made him come up to your job today? Is he off his fucking rocker?”
“I don’t know what the fuck is going on with him. First, he starts stalking me since I told him that our relationship was finally over. Then he burst into my crib asking me if someone is hiding in one of the rooms in my apartment, and then he comes up to my job like he’s the man and he runs shit. Do you know that he almost slipped up and told that guy Ahmad that the feds are watching him?”
“No way!” Jillian said, her eyes growing.
“Yes way,” I started off. “I swear, I thought Ahmad was going to shoot us both in the head. Thank God, I came up with a plausible rebuttal.”
“How did you get Terrell to leave?”
“I don’t remember. All I know is that immediately after he left, Ahmad gave me the side eye like I was holding back information. I don’t know how I was able to walk out of that place alive today.”
“So, he really wants to take you out to dinner?”
“I don’t know if it’s a fucking setup or what.”
“So, what do you think it is?” Jillian wanted to know.
“I don’t know. Because if he wanted to get me alone and kill me, then he could’ve done that in the pharmacy or followed me to my apartment and did it there.”
“I think he wants to fuck you. I mean, look at you. You’re pretty, you got a fat ass, and you smell good.”
“Oh, shut up, Jillian!” I said, cracking a smile.
“It’s true,” she continued.
“Well, I—” I began to say, but then my cell phone started ringing. I pulled it from my handbag and looked directly at the caller ID.
“I betcha it’s Terrell.” Jillian guessed.
“No, it’s the fucking DEA agent.” I pressed the Answer button. “Hello,” I continued.
“Misty, we need to see you,” Agent Sims said.
“When?”
“Now. Where are you
?”
“I’m at my grandmother’s house.”
“How long will it take to get to your apartment?”
“Fifteen minutes.”
“Well, I will see you then,” he said, and then my cell phone went radio silent.
“I gotta go,” I told Jillian and turned around toward my car.
“What do they want now?”
“I don’t know.”
“So you’re gonna leave without seeing Nana?”
“Don’t tell her I was here.”
“But I already told her that you were coming.”
“Well, tell her that something came up.”
“You always make shit difficult.”
“No, you do. So, I’ll call you later,” I assured her and then I got into my car and left.
* * *
When I arrived at my apartment I noticed that the black van that the agents travel around in was parked at the far side of the lot. Once they saw me parking my car, they got out of the van and walked toward my apartment building. I didn’t wait for them to catch up with me because they knew where I lived and I didn’t want any of my neighbors seeing me with them. The neighbors that live within a few yards from me, I didn’t care about. But the rest of my neighbors were off-limits.
“We’ve got a lot to talk about,” Agent Sims said as soon as he and Agent Montclair entered my apartment and closed the door.
“I’m sure we do,” I responded sarcastically, because I knew these guys were getting ready to start talking out of their asses.
After they took seats on my couch, Agent Sims started off by saying, “We’re gonna need you to take him up on the date offer.”
“Are you fucking crazy? I’m not going out with that lunatic. Did you see how he pulled up and showed his gun to Terrell? Terrell would’ve gotten his head blown off if I hadn’t defused that situation,” I roared while I stood up in the middle of my living room.
“Well, if you wanna know my opinion, I think he should’ve gotten his head blown off. He walks around with his head held high like he’s the king. He talks to people like he doesn’t have any respect for them, so I say let the chips fall where they may,” Agent Sims replied.