by K'wan
“Vita, be mindful when you go down there. That fool-ass Buda is drunk and on one,” Sweets warned.
Vita shook her head sadly. “When the hell is he not?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
“So, how y’all know Sweets?” Domo asked Vita as they descended the stairs to the basement.
“She’s Teisha’s aunt. She and I got close, because when we first arrived in New York, the boys were always running to Jersey to party with her girls, and I always ended up sitting out front with Sweets until they were done being nasty. The stories that old broad can tell.” Vita chuckled.
“You ain’t got to tell Domo, since he’s lived through half of them,” Raheem joked, drawing a dirty look from Domo.
Domo’s mother was a good woman, but she hadn’t always been. In Domo’s younger days, she was kind of on the wild side and spent a lot of time in the streets. He never asked his mother about her life prior to slowing down to raise him, but he had heard the rumors. Still, he liked to keep his family business close to his chest. Raheem was out of line, and the only reason Domo didn’t check him was because they were in front of Vita.
As soon as Vita opened the second door at the foot of the stairs, they were nearly overcome by a thick cloud of smoke. From somewhere in the basement he could hear raised voices. Domo wasn’t sure why, but his heart suddenly started thudding in his chest. When they rounded the corner that lead into the main area of the basement, there was a group of men huddled around a pool table, engaged in a dice game. LA was one of them. He had a fistful of cash in one hand and was shaking the dice in the other. Also present were Goldie and a brutishly built cat who they had yet to be introduced to. From the sour expression on his face, Domo reasoned it must’ve been his money clutched in LA’s mitt.
“There’re my niggas!” LA shouted when he spotted Domo and Raheem. He raised a cash-stuffed hand and waved them over. “Glad you’re here. I was starting to think you were gonna miss this little event.” He embraced Domo.
Domo ignored the pungent stench of alcohol, and something that wasn’t weed, coming off LA. “If you were that concerned, how come you didn’t wait for us since we were all coming to the same place anyway?”
“Aw, man. I had some shit I needed to do in New York, so I came over a little early,” LA said, downplaying it. “But fuck it—we’re all here now, and that’s what’s important. Welcome to the big-time, baby!”
“Jersey nigga, you gonna shoot the dice or keep making goo-goo eyes with your girlfriend?” the brute with the beard asked sarcastically. His face reflected that of a man who had already lost a few dollars to LA, and the half-empty whiskey bottle in his hand said he was just tipsy enough to make a big deal of it. That had to be the Buda who Sweets was speaking of.
“Slow your roll, Buda. I can take your money with or without the disrespect.” LA tossed the dice. “Up, bitches!” He snapped his fingers. They danced across the pool table, and four was his point.
“All that just to throw a weak-ass four.” Buda snatched the dice. “I’m sending this nigga home in his socks tonight,” he boasted, and tossed the dice. All the bravado left him when he rolled a three and lost again. “Damn it!” He slammed one of his fists on the edge of the pool table, cracking the wood.
“Damn, Buda. Why you gotta be on some gorilla shit? You know TJ is gonna be pissed about you messing up his pool table,” Goldie said.
“Fuck TJ, and fuck this table!” Buda spat. “I blame these bad luck–ass niggas for this. I was about to come back up before they rolled in here. Who the fuck are y’all anyway?” He looked Domo and Raheem up and down.
Domo looked into Buda’s glassy eyes and could tell the liquor had him spoiling for a fight. Vita slipped closer to Domo, as if anticipating something about to go down. Whether it was for his or Buda’s benefit, he wasn’t sure.
“Ah, these must be more of Vita’s new little friends,” a voice called from somewhere behind Domo. Domo spun and found himself staring into a pair of inky-black eyes partially obscured by the long locks that hung down over his face. He seemed to have appeared as if by magic, because Domo certainly hadn’t seen him in the basement when they’d first come down. He didn’t need an introduction. The air of menace coming off him could only be produced by a man fit to command such a dangerous crew. It had to be Diamonds.
“This is the young boy I was telling you about,” Vita told him, shoving Domo forward.
Standing there under Diamonds’s inquisitive gaze made Domo uncomfortable. He tried to keep his poker face, but he had a feeling the taller man saw right through it. “Domo.” He extended his hand. It hung in the air for what felt like an eternity before Diamonds finally shook it.
“Diamonds,” he said. “I hear y’all ran into some trouble yesterday and you handled yours like a G.”
“I wasn’t trying to be a hero. It was more moving on instincts than anything,” Domo admitted.
“Then you’ve got good instincts, especially when them instincts allowed my lil gangsta bitch to be returned to me in one piece.” Diamonds pulled Vita to him and cupped her ass. A look of embarrassment crossed her face, but she didn’t pull away. Diamonds was making a point, and Domo got it. “I trust y’all been having a good time at my cousin’s baby shower?”
“Yeah, ya peeps been showing mad love,” Raheem spoke up.
“That’s Vita for you—a regular welcome wagon.” Diamonds gave Vita a hard squeeze before releasing her. “I hate to talk business at a party, but I need to bend your ear right quick. Got another piece of business for you if you’re interested?”
“Yeah, we down for whatever,” Raheem said eagerly.
Diamonds looked at him. “No disrespect to you, lil homie, but I don’t know you from a can of paint. Why don’t you hang back with the rest of the fellas while we talk shop?”
Raheem looked at Domo.
“It’s cool. I’ll get back with you in a second.” Domo let him know he was good.
“A’ight, I’m about to go over here and see if I can get some of this money.” Raheem excused himself and joined the dice game.
“That your man?” Diamonds asked Domo, watching Raheem amble over to the pool table to join the game. He wasn’t sure if he liked him, and made no attempt to hide it.
“Nah, that’s my brother,” Domo replied, letting Diamonds know they were more than just friends.
“Right, my brother’s keeper, huh?” Diamonds eyed Domo. “Judas was his brother’s keeper too, but I don’t recall him helping Jesus drag that cross through the streets. Still, I can respect a loyal man, even if those loyalties may be misplaced. But enough about relationships; let’s talk business. I know Vita broke bread with you from that thing last night, so how does it feel having some of them holes in your pocket filled?”
“It was a decent lick,” Domo said coolly.
“Decent?” Diamonds cocked his head. “Soft words for a young man on hard times.”
“So now you got X-ray vision into my pockets?” Domo asked sharply. He hadn’t meant to give an attitude, but he felt slighted by Diamonds’s assumption.
“I meant no disrespect,” Diamonds clarified. “It’s just that you wore a hoodie to an invitation-only event and you took public transportation here from Newark.”
Domo flashed a glare at Vita, assuming she had been pillow talking his business to Diamonds.
“I spotted you walking down the block when there’s plenty of parking out front. That’s how I knew you didn’t drive—or get a ride,” Diamonds explained. “No need to be cross with Vita; she didn’t spill whatever secrets y’all got between you … at least not yet. But let me not stray from the point I was attempting to make. I like the way you handled yourself last night. Not just because you saved Vita’s ass, but because you showed you can think on your feet. Being a quick thinker is an excellent trait when you’re involved in a lifestyle that moves at a million miles per minute and never slows down. Some people have a problem keeping up when they’re forced to move at a pace they
ain’t used to. Are you one of those people?”
Domo laughed. “Man, if the bread is right, I’ll be Carl Lewis.”
Diamonds patted Domo on the shoulder reassuringly and smiled. “Spoken like a man who only sees one side of the coin. Let me paint a naked picture for you, so there’s no mistake about where I’m at with it and what comes with being part of this crew. It’d be an insult to your intelligence for me to feed you some bullshit movie script about: I’m going to take care of you because a boss takes care of his family. Fuck that—I ain’t running no soup kitchen. With us, you’ll have to sweat, and sometimes even bleed, for every dollar you touch. There are only three possible outcomes of this game we’ve decided to play: prison, death, or becoming so rich that the first two are worth the risks. That being said, you need to ask yourself how much paradise on earth is worth to you, because you’ll be held accountable for that decision.”
Just then three more people lumbered down into the basement. One was an older gentleman with a hard face. Diamonds was the leader of the crew, but from the way all eyes turned to the old-timer when he entered the room, Domo knew he was also a man whose words carried weight in the crew. Behind the man were Born and the Big Stone look-alike.
“Damn, Diamonds. That was a long-ass five minutes. I thought you were coming right back?” Born asked, clearly not feeling being left waiting.
“My fault, Born. I was just down here having a little chat with one of my boys,” Diamonds said.
“You recruiting them kinda young, ain’t you?” Born gave Domo an unimpressed look.
“Don’t let the baby face fool you. Anybody fucking with my team is more than qualified to do whatever needs to be done,” Diamonds said confidently.
Born studied Domo’s face. “Shorty, don’t I know you from somewhere?”
“Nah, man,” Domo lied.
“You sure? You look familiar as hell,” Born insisted. “Where you from?”
“Who’s your friend? I don’t think we’ve met yet.” Vita took the attention off Domo. Her eyes were fixed on the Big Stone look-alike.
“Oh, this is my boy Rolling,” Born said. “He’s the main reason we were able to broker this little situation; they’re his people.”
“Yeah, V. Rolling is the man with the golden ticket,” Diamonds said sarcastically.
Rolling smiled sheepishly. “I don’t know if I’d call it all that. Sometimes it’s just good to know people.”
“And is everything all set with your people?” Diamonds asked.
“Oh yeah, I spoke to my man before we came here. They should be by in a little while,” Rolling assured him.
“Good, because I hate mixing business with family. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can get back to my family and finish celebrating this blessing,” Diamonds said.
“I was hoping we could get a word in before they got here. Maybe in private.” Rolling glanced at Domo.
“I’ll go watch the dice game,” Domo said, knowing how to take a hint.
* * *
“So, what’s on your mind?” Diamonds asked after Domo was out of earshot.
“First,” Rolling said, “let me start by saying I appreciate y’all for everything you’ve done. I—”
Diamonds cut him off. “A man who begins a statement with a compliment usually ends it with an insult, This is our first time meeting, so you may be unfamiliar, but I’m sure Born can tell you that when speaking to me, you should choose your words very wisely.”
Rolling looked over at Born, who wore a worried expression on his face. He swallowed hard before continuing. “Look, I don’t mean any disrespect. I’m just trying to make sure we all understand what’s at stake here. We’re sticking our necks out just by making the introduction.”
“And you’re being well compensated for your roles in this, or have you forgotten our agreement? You guys are plugging us with your Haitian friends, and in return I’m going to make you lord over all you survey, by giving you domain in my new kingdom. I think that’s a sweet-ass deal, unless you boys are content to be workers and have no desire to stand as bosses.”
“No, it’s nothing like that, man. We just wanna make sure you guys are prepared to handle what could potentially be behind this,” Born explained.
“I think we’ve proven that we can be quite resourceful when we get a mind to be. Or ain’t you been reading the papers the last few days?” Diamonds boasted. “Why don’t you boys cut the shit and tell me what’s really got you all rattled?”
“My brother,” Rolling finally admitted. “Him and those other greedy fucks who call themselves kings of the city don’t want nobody else to be able to get a crumb out here, unless it comes off their cookies. Shit, I’m his blood, and he ran me out of New York like I was some kinda stray dog. It’s bad enough that this little venture may encroach on his territory, but the fact that me and Born are going behind his back could get us both killed.”
“Then why even bother trying to branch out in the first place?” Diamonds asked.
Born and Rolling exchanged nervous glances, neither really sure how to answer, but it was Born who spoke up. “To be honest with you, because I’m tired of eating shit and being asked to like it. Real talk, I’ve given up years out of my life in the penitentiary and spilled blood in the streets … and I’m rewarded for it by watching niggas who ain’t got half my stripes get bumped up the ladder, while I’m still moving crack in the projects. I didn’t sign up to be no yes-man.”
“And, you?” Diamonds turned to Rolling. “What would make a man stick a knife in the back of his own brother?”
“Because it’s the only play he left me,” Rolling said honestly.
Diamonds didn’t miss the edge of hurt in Rolling’s voice. Whatever his reasons for crossing his brother, they were personal and had nothing to do with money or status. “Listen, boys, I can assure you that you have nothing to fear. If this deal goes through as promised, you will both be under the protection of this crew and no one will be able to touch you.”
Rolling looked around the room at the hard faces assembled in the garage. “No disrespect, but you’re talking like a nigga who’s got an army, and all I see is a handful of people here with you.”
“It doesn’t always take an army. Sometimes all you need are a few dedicated souls who are willing to go further than their opponents in order to win. You boys worry about making sure your people come through with the heroin, and I’ll worry about any fallout that may come of it. When the time is right, I’m going to approach all these so-called kings and make my position clear. The wise ones who understand the need for change will stand behind the alpha and join the pack.” He pounded his chest. “The foolish will feed us through the long winter to come.”
Diamonds was about to continue his speech when a disturbance broke out by the pool table.
“C’mon, Buda. Don’t start this shit.” Goldie sighed.
“Nah, fuck that. This lil nigga been bumping his gums since he got here,” Buda snarled while staring daggers at Raheem.
“Fuck is going on here?” Diamonds walked up.
“What’s going on is these young pussies need to learn to respect their elders. Lil nigga fixed his mouth to call me a cheat,” Buda spat.
“I didn’t call you no cheat; I just said your roll wasn’t no good because all three dice didn’t hit the bumper,” Raheem tried to explain, as he had several times prior, but Buda wasn’t trying to hear him.
“Buda, let that shit go and just roll the dice again,” Goldie urged him, trying to defuse the situation.
“I ain’t rolling shit again. Lil nigga lost—simple as that.” Buda snatched the money off the pool table and started tauntingly counting it in Raheem’s face. “Yeah, I’m gonna get good and fucked up tonight on you, fat boy.”
“I ain’t letting you take my money.” Raheem puffed up, much to everyone’s surprise. He was only trying to stand up for himself and not look like a punk in front of the others, but Buda took it as an invita
tion to do battle.
“Oh, you trying to play tough now, lil nigga?” A sinister smile crossed Buda’s big lips. Everyone knew what would come next. “What you gonna do if I don’t kick it back? You got some frog in you, then jump, pussy.”
LA took a step, but Hank cocking a gun behind him gave him pause. “I kinda like you, youngster, but I like TJ more, and I’d hate to blow your brains all over his basement floor when he just got the carpet laid.”
“So this is how y’all do? Invite niggas to break bread then pull pistols on them?” LA fumed.
“He’s got a point,” Diamonds finally interjected. “We invited these young men here on good faith, and I’d be an ungracious host if I let you plug him, Hank.” He gave him a look and Hank lowered the gun. “Still, this does leave us with a bit of a dilemma.” He approached Raheem. “Let a man take from you once, and he’ll never stop taking from you. In this crew, there are no weak links. So my question to you is: What do you intend to do about it? Fade or flight?”
Domo, along with everyone else, watched Raheem to see how he would respond. Buda stood a few feet away, cracking his knuckles in preparation of testing the younger man’s chin. Raheem was by no means a coward, but Domo knew he wasn’t a fighter, either. He didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell against Buda, but if he backed down, it would make all of them look bad. Before Domo could stop himself, he opened his mouth and said something that took the attention off Raheem and turned it to him. “I’ll take his fade.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
“Diamonds, are you seriously going to let this go down?” Vita asked as they all marched out into the front yard.
“It ain’t about what I’m letting go down; it’s about what needs to happen. You know the rules better than anybody: if you can’t settle with words, you settle it in combat. I didn’t see you pleading Goldie’s case last summer in Miami when him and Hank squared off over that misunderstanding they had,” Diamonds reminded her.