Supreme Clientele

by Ashley Antoinette Snell

  “Miss, I already told you,” the cop said in irritation.

  Zya opened the duffle bag and began to place thousand-dollar stacks on the counter top. “I heard what the fuck you said. Now hear what I’m saying. I need to get Torey Smith out of here now!” she yelled, causing a scene.

  The white woman standing next to her stepped to the side and said, “Go ahead, help her. I can wait.”

  The officer looked at Zya in amazement as she continued to place money in front of him. “What did you say his name was?”

  “Torey Smith,” she said as she stood before him with a worried expression on her face. The officer typed the name into the computer and waited as the system searched the database. He frowned at Zya and shook his head.

  “Looks like you came down here for nothing, princess.” He picked up a stack of money and tossed it back to her. “He was just arrested tonight. This money is no good until the judge sets a bail.”

  “What?” Zya asked. “I just set five hundred thousand dollars in cash down in front of your face. Ain’t no bail in the world gon’ be that high!” she yelled at him.

  “Be that as it may, your little boyfriend is gonna have to sit his drug-dealing ass in jail until he can see a judge,” the officer stated smugly as he chuckled and turned the computer screen toward Zya, so she could see he wasn’t lying.

  Zya was enraged. She knocked the computer screen right off the tall counter, and it shattered when it hit the floor. “I want to see Snow!” she yelled as the cop’s face turned crimson red from his anger. She was causing a scene, and other police officers had come out to the lobby to see what was going on. “Where is he?” she yelled as the cop subdued her, preparing to place her in handcuffs.

  Lonnie Wade walked into the room to see what the commotion was, and ran over to stop the scene when he saw who it was. He couldn’t believe that she had walked right into his precinct. He smiled because he realized that he could put his plan into motion sooner than he had expected.

  “Shepard, I’ll handle this,” he said as he unlocked the cuffs and patted the ruffled officer on the back.

  Zya looked up at Wade and rolled her eyes. “You fucking pig,” she stated as she spit directly in Shepard’s face. He lunged for her, but Wade stopped him before he could reach her.

  Wade grabbed a stack of money off the counter and threw it at the officer Zya had confronted. “Here’s a little something for you. Put the rest of it up, and have it waiting for her when she leaves.” The officer thumbed through the money, and a smile spread across his face when he saw that it was all hundred-dollar bills.

  “It looks like our meeting just got bumped up,” Wade whispered in her ear as he led her into his office and closed the door behind him. “Sit down,” he instructed as he placed her forcefully in a seat.

  Zya’s eyes followed Wade as he walked around and took a seat at his desk. He looked different from the last time she had seen him. He actually looked like a cop. “Nice look,” she commented in a joking manner as she turned her nose up in disgust.

  “I thought it was time for a change,” Wade said arrogantly as he stared at her.

  “Now everybody can see that you’re not one of us. You’re a fucking cop,” Zya spat out.

  “One of us?” Wade asked, questioning Zya’s last statement.

  “Cut the bullshit, detective. Where’s Snow?” Zya asked.

  “He is sitting in a bull pen, waiting to be charged with first degree murder and possession with the intent to distribute. He won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.”

  “What will it take to get him out of here?” she asked.

  “Your full cooperation,” Lonnie replied as he sat back and put his hands behind his head.

  Zya shook her head and stood up as she paced Lonnie Wade’s office. Her mind was in a frenzy. Snow had just been caught with two bricks and the gun he shot Black Ty with. She knew things weren’t looking good for him.

  She knew what she had to do to get him out, but she didn’t know if she would be able to go through with it. She didn’t even know if the deal with Lonnie was legit. He could just use me to get Anari and then still charge me and Snow, Zya thought.

  She replayed the night’s events over and over in her mind, wishing that she could have changed the outcome. I should have known something wasn’t right. Black Ty never copped more than once a month. He helped Jules set me up, she thought as she walked the same back-and-forth pattern.

  Wade watched her and knew that she was weighing her options in her head. He knew that he had her trapped, so she would have to cooperate. If not, he planned on putting the bracelets on her wrists before she even got out of the station.

  Jules is dead, that’s my word. How the fuck is he gon’ try to get me killed? What he mad for? He’s the one who fucked things up for himself. What did he expect for me to do, stay with him after he played me? Now he got Snow sitting up in this fucking jail over some jealous bullshit. What am I supposed to do without him? Snow is my other half. I can’t choose Anari over him. I have to be loyal to him.

  “There is no other way out,” Lonnie Wade stated. “You have to choose. Are you going to save yourself or are you going to save Anari?” he asked as he placed a set of pictures in front of Zya.

  Zya stared down at pictures of dead bodies that she didn’t recognize. “What the fuck are you showing me these for? I didn’t have shit to do with these murders. You can’t pin these on me. I don’t even know these people,” she stated as she slid the pictures back across the desk.

  “Calm your ass down. I know you are not involved in these murders. I just thought you should see what type of person Anari Simpson really is. You think she is your friend, but Anari has no friends. You are willing to risk your own freedom for a woman who would not do the same for you,” he said as he spread the photos in front of Zya.

  “This is what happens to all of Anari’s friends. They end up six feet under ground while she remains on top.”

  He pointed to the first photo of a girl. “This is La’Tanya Morton, Anari’s best friend and ex-partner. She is the person who helped Anari build her empire. If it wasn’t for the work that this woman put in, Anari would not be where she is today. When she was arrested for her involvement in Anari’s operation, Anari left her in prison to rot. This is how she ended up,” Wade stated. Zya looked down at the picture of the girl who was lying in a puddle of blood. “Anari did not even show up at her trial.”

  Zya turned her head as she sat in the chair with her arms crossed, and Lonnie pulled out the next picture. “This is Deandre Biggs aka Biggs. He was a member of Anari’s entourage. After he was loyal to her for years, she shot and killed him.” Wade continued to show her photos of people that Anari had supposedly double-crossed, and Zya listened in disbelief as she saw photo after photo of murders that Anari had committed.

  “If she did this to some of her closest friends, what makes you think she will hesitate to do it to you?” he asked her, playing the role of the sincere cop. He didn’t care about Zya. He just wanted to use her to get the information he needed. Zya was nothing more than a pawn in Wade’s game.

  “Anari is only out for herself. She has no loyalty to anyone, and if I gave her the same choice that I am giving you, she would not think twice about giving you up and saving herself. So, let’s talk options.” He reached underneath his desk and pulled out Snow’s gun and the two bricks Snow had been delivering to Ty.

  “See, since I am the arresting officer in Snow’s case, I can make this evidence disappear. On one hand, you can get rid of the photos that incriminate you in King’s murder, and you can get Snow’s charges reduced. You can make all of these things go away if you help me get Anari.

  “On the other hand, if you choose not to cooperate, you will go to jail for the rest of your life, and I will put the gun and the drugs that I pulled off of Snow into evidence. With this much evidence, you and Snow will go to jail for the rest of your lives.

  “The ball is in your court. Just thin
k about it . . . no pressure,” Wade said as he raised his hands in the air.

  Zya dropped her head in defeat. She knew that she really didn’t have a choice. She had to go along with Lonnie Wade. She didn’t want to, but she had to in order to save herself, and more importantly, to get Snow off. She had to choose between giving up Anari and giving up the man she loved, plus her own freedom. She knew what she had to do.

  “I’ll do it, but I want to see Snow first,” she whispered as she wiped a tear from her cheek. She knew that now that she had agreed, she would have to go all the way. She was playing a dangerous game, and if she was discovered, Supreme Clientele would kill her.

  Her response was music to Wade’s ears, and he stood with a smile that spoke a thousand words. Zya is in. Now all I have to do is wait for her to bring me back some information that I can use to lock Anari up for life, he thought as he motioned for her to follow him. Zya stood up and walked solemnly through the station toward the bull pen that contained Torey Snow.

  Wade stopped and looked into the tiny room where Snow was being held and then said, “I’ll be right out here. Take your time.” He opened the door and Zya walked in.

  Snow was sitting back with the handcuffs still on and his legs spread apart. He had a pained expression on his face, and Zya knew that the cops hadn’t taken him to the hospital yet. He was still bleeding, and her heart broke as she looked at him.

  “Snow,” she whispered as she ran over to him. He looked up in surprise and tried to stand. “No, sit down, baby. I’m here for you,” she said as she knelt down in front of him and put her hands on his face.

  “Are you okay?” he asked her. She nodded her head and replied, “Yeah, I’m okay.”

  “Listen to me, Zya. You’ve got to be careful. Jules is out, and he thought you would be the one coming to the drop-off.”

  “I know, I know. I’m so sorry, Snow. I shouldn’t have sent you.”

  “Yes, you should have, because you would be dead right now if it had been you. That nigga is out for blood, Zya. You have to watch your back from here on out. You hear me?” Snow asked.

  “Yes, I hear you. I’m gon’ get you out of here. I promise. Just give me a minute. I have a plan. I promise I won’t leave you in here,” Zya said. She kissed him softly, and Snow lifted his cuffed hands to wipe the tears off of Zya’s face.

  “I love you, Snow,” she said.

  “I love you too,” he replied.

  Zya didn’t want to leave his side, but she knew that she had to go. “I’m gonna get you out. I swear on my life.”

  He kissed her forehead before she stood up and left the room.

  “When is the next meeting?” Lonnie asked her when she stepped into the hall.

  “Saturday,” she replied with reluctance.

  “Then Saturday it is.”

  Zya sat in the tinted van, wearing only a bra as Federal Agent Bryson Matthews aka Buggy strapped a wire to her chest. Zya looked at him in disgust and shook her head as he continued to hook up the device.

  “Hey, Buggy, it’s been a while,” Zya stated sarcastically as she mean-mugged him.

  He looked at Zya and replied, “Look, I’m only doing my job. These people put poison into our communities. I only do what I think is right.”

  “Yeah, but you still a fucking snake,” Zya responded as she folded her arms across her chest, trying to conceal herself. Buggy shook his head from side to side as he finished programming her wire.

  I can’t believe I’m about to do this. If they find out I’m wired, it’s over. I would rather be sitting in a jail cell than at the bottom of the Hudson, Zya thought as she realized what the consequence of her actions would be if it was discovered that she was working for the police. Supreme Clientele didn’t play when it came to snitches, and she knew that Anari would personally take care of her if her secret was ever revealed. She was gambling with her own life by helping Wade, and she hoped that she had made the right decision.

  Her thoughts switched to Snow, and she instantly got back on track. I have to do this for him. I can pull this off, she thought as she saw Wade approach the van.

  Wade hopped in the van and looked at Zya. “You ready?” he asked. She nodded her head nervously and could feel herself panicking. She breathed deeply and exhaled loudly to try and shake the anxious feeling that had invaded her body.

  “You can do this. All you have to do is sit in the meetings and act normal,” Wade instructed. “What time did you say the meeting starts?”

  “Two A.M.,” Zya replied.

  Wade felt a sense of urgency as he waited for the restaurant to close. Here he was, sitting outside of the place where his cousin’s killer did business. He was more than ready to arrest Anari, and he couldn’t wait until the day he heard a judge sentence her to prison for the rest of her life. He was so close to taking Anari down that he could taste her conviction.

  He turned his attention toward Zya as he watched her button the top of her dress. His eyes lingered on her breasts, and she quickly buttoned up her clothes. They all watched the front of the restaurant, waiting for the lighted OPEN sign to turn off. The cops waited eagerly, but Zya dreaded what she was about to do.

  “Its show time,” Buggy said as the sign turned off. Zya took a deep breath and listened as Wade began to give instructions.

  “Okay, all you have to do is get her to say something about the murders. If you can’t do that, then get her to discuss a big drug transaction. Let her lead the conversation, and when you address her, call her by her name. Make sure that you speak clearly, so that the bug will pick up the entire conversation.”

  Zya nodded her head. “Can you tell that I’m wearing a bug? It feels like you can tell. It’s uncomfortable,” she said.

  Wade looked at her in annoyance and replied, “You’re fine. Just get in there and do what you have to do to save your ass. Remember, if you don’t cooperate fully, the deal is off.”

  “I know what I got to do. Fuck you, Wade!” Zya said as she hopped out of the van.

  Before she closed the door, Wade replied, “Yeah, I know you wish you could. But we have business to take care of.” The two other cops in the van laughed at Wade’s witty remark. Zya slammed the van door, and as she walked toward the restaurant, guilt began to eat at her conscience.

  How could I do this? Anari has shown me nothing but love and loyalty. Now look at me. I’m wired like a fucking rat, trying to put her in jail for the rest of her life. If Snow wasn’t depending on me, I wouldn’t do this, but my freedom is not the only thing at stake here. I have to come through for him. I’m the reason why Snow is locked up. I sent him to meet Black Ty. I have to ride for him. He is more important than Anari.

  She turned around and watched the van ride away and park on the next block. Zya had so many emotions going through her body. She felt guilt and nervousness in her every step, but most of all, she was scared.

  Zya walked to the back door of the restaurant and fidgeted with the wire, hoping that it wasn’t noticeable. Be cool, she told herself as Meechi opened the door for her. She made her way down to the meeting room. Knots formed in her stomach as she walked down the long, narrow hallway that led to the room.

  When she entered, she saw Khadafi standing at a graphing chart that displayed the rising economy rates of various countries overseas. The roundtable was contemplating expansion into the global market. When she walked in, it seemed like all eyes were on her.

  “Nice for you to join us,” Anari said playfully as Zya took a seat next to her. Zya sat down, and the meeting continued as she tried to act as normal as possible.

  Don’t think about it, just do it, she thought to herself as she sat next to some of the most powerful people in the country. Her mind was in a daze, and she sat perfectly still as she pretended to listen to Khadafi explain why he thought it was important for them to expand.

  “Zya, do you think that you would be able to control the distribution in the Caribbean, since you already have connections in Cuba?” Kh
adafi asked her.

  Zya stared blankly at the graph, her mind a million miles away. She hadn’t even heard his question. Please don’t let them find out. I have to do this for Snow.

  The other members at the roundtable stared at Zya as they waited patiently for her to respond. Anari frowned and tapped Zya lightly. “Zya!”

  She jumped from Anari’s touch and looked around the table. “Yes?” she said as she snapped out of her daze.

  “Long night?” Emilio asked with laughter in his voice.

  Zya blushed but didn’t respond. She looked at Khadafi and replied, “I’m sorry, Khadafi. What were you saying?”

  He asked her the question again, and she answered with the knowledge of a seasoned vet, but her voice was a little shaky.

  “Are you okay?” Anari whispered.

  Zya nodded her head and tried to refocus her attention on the chart. She wanted to avoid eye contact with Anari because she was afraid that she would see right through her. Zya kept bouncing her foot against the ground and tapping her pen on the table. Her heart was pounding, and the room felt like it was one hundred degrees.

  Anari could see that Zya was uncomfortable, and she leaned over and whispered, “Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

  Zya gave her a half-smile and nodded her head. “I’m fine,” she assured. “I’m good.” At that moment, a waitress Zya had never seen before walked into the room to take their orders.

  “What would you like?” the girl asked Zya.

  “Cristal,” Zya said.

  The girl left the room, and Zya could feel Anari staring at her out of the corner of her eye. She knows, Zya thought as she fidgeted in her seat.

  Anari burned a hole through Zya as she continued to stare her down. Anari could feel that something wasn’t right with her friend. She’s too nervous. I’ve never seen her like this. She can’t even keep her feet still, Anari thought as she observed Zya’s body language.

  She knows. Damn, I have to get rid of this wire, Zya thought. She wanted to get up and walk out of the room, but she knew that it would make her look suspicious. Nobody ever left the meeting room until the meeting was adjourned, unless there was an emergency.