by Roy Glenn
Wanda rolled her eyes at me. “I mean, I can see where this is goin’.”
“Where do you see it goin’?”
“He’s got you taking money to that family, something Freeze used to do. You’re going to start making the rounds every night, something Freeze used to do. Black wants you to take over.”
“That’s exactly what he wants. But you have a problem with it?”
“Frankly: yes. Yes, I do. You know that I think that we need to be moving away from all that, not have you move into Freeze’s spot. But I guess Black has other ideas about what we should be doing.” She folded her arms across her chest.
Wanda is so fuckin’ sexy when she pouts.
“Black understands that we need to be moving in that direction; and he said that he is taking more of an interest in our legit business.”
“Did he say that, or are you just guessing?”
“That’s what he said, especially since we’re making more money on that side. But he understands that right now, we are still in the business and somebody needs to stay on top of that.”
“I agree.”
“I’m glad you do,”
“Why you? Why can’t him or Bobby do it?”
“Because you got him busy gettin’-up on the legitimate business, and Bobby, I guess you need to ask him about that.”
“I will. But why you?”
“Why not me? Don’t you think I can handle it?”
“That’s not it and you know it.”
“Then what?”
“I don’t want to lose you, Nick. Don’t you understand that?”
“Of course I understand that.”
“But that is not gonna stop you from doing it, is it?”
“No, it’s not. If that’s what Black wants me to do, then that’s what I’m gonna do.”
“I knew he was just playing me off with all that shit about how we gonna get out and makeup that income.”
“I don’t think so.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because I think he wants to get out. He’s lost a wife; I know he doesn’t want this to touch Michelle.”
“I should have been prepared for him; anticipated him asking that. Next time I’ll be ready.”
“If you were paying attention, he gave you the answer to both questions.”
“What do you mean?”
“You have everybody buy us out and then you take that money and flip it. Invest it in shit that will makeup the income. But I guess you weren’t paying attention.”
“I guess I wasn’t.”
“Too busy pouting.”
“You love these pouty lips,” Wanda said and pushed them out.
“Yeah, I do, so I tell you what I’m gonna do.”
“What’s that?”
“While I’m making the rounds, I’ll feel everyone out on it. When we think the time’s right, I’ll bring you around with me and you can run it by them, establish a price and then we’ll go to Black together.”
Chapter 14
Jasper Robinson.
I knew JR from the old days, but I hadn’t seen him in years. Him and Andre were friends, used to run together. He owns a nightclub called JR’s and he ran a poker game, scraps, the usual stuff, in the basement at night. I would roll by there later tonight.
After I checked on a few of our stops, I stopped by JR’s. It was still early when I got there, a few people; probably regulars seated at the bar. I took a seat and signaled for the bartender.
“What can I get you?”
“Johnnie Black on the rocks.”
When the bartender came back with my drink I hit him with my question. “Is JR here?”
“Who?”
“JR, the guy who owns this place, is he here?”
“You a cop?”
“Nope. Old friend.”
“Wait here,” the bartender said and came out from behind the bar. He took another look at me before he went in the back. It wasn’t too long after that when I was approached by two big muthafuckas.
One tapped me on the shoulder. “Who you here to see?”
I turned around on my barstool. “Jasper Robinson. Calls himself JR, owns this place.”
The other man looked at me. “I know you, don’t I?”
“I don’t know. Do you?”
“Yeah, you’re Nick Simmons, you work for Mike Black.”
“That’s right.”
“I’m Jeff Ritchie,” he said like I should know the name. He looked disappointed when I said, “I don’t know you, I just want to talk to JR, is he here?”
“Yeah, he’s here. Follow me.”
Jeff Ritchie led me in the back to the office and he knocked on the door. When JR answered, Jeff Ritchie stuck his head in. “Somebody to see you, JR.”
“Who?” JR asked and I walked in. “Nick, Nick Simmons.”
“What’s up, JR? How’s it goin’?”
“Not bad for an old man. What about you? I heard that you were back in town. I haven’t seen you in what-fifteen years?”
“’Bout that.”
“Come on in, have a seat. Can I get you a drink?”
“Johnnie Black on the rocks.”
For the next hour, JR and I sat in his office and talked about the good old day and I drank his liquor.
“Young bucks these days don’t respect nothing. No respect for the game, no respect for each other,” JR said.
“Tell me about it.”
“You know what the problem is, Nick?”
“I know you’re about to tell me.”
“There was a time when you had to be brought into the game. You know, the way Andre brought Black in, and then he reached out to you and brought you along. You learned the game that way; learned that there were things that you just didn’t do. Men had respect for one another. Now, shit, any dumb nigga with a couple of dollars he can rub together can get him a package and bam, there he is. Dumber than a muthafucka; not knowing shit, but how to pull his gun and shot over stupid shit.”
“Times change, JR After awhile there won’t be a place in the game for things like honor and respect,” I said and thought that this would be a good time to talk about what I came here for. “While we’re on the subject, JR, there is something I need to talk to you ’bout.”
“You know, Nick, I been in this game a long time, which means I know enough to know that you ain’t come here just to drink my liquor and talk ’bout the old days.”
“I meant no disrespect.”
“What’s on your mind, Nick?”
“Last week there was a robbery at one of Black’s businesses. Place called Paradise Fish and Chicken. Two people were killed.”
“I hadn’t heard anything about that. Now I’m wondering why you wanna talk to me about this?”
“My sources tell me that the bandits were connected to you.”
“I see. How much money was taken?”
“About two hundred dollars.”
JR laughed. “Nick,” he said and tried to stop himself from laughing. “You have to excuse me for laughin’. I didn’t mean you any disrespect. I know this is a serious matter, or you wouldn’t be sittin’ here. But I can assure you that I had nothing to do with it. I ain’t about to fuck with Black over chump change.”
“And believe me; it’s not about the money. Two people were killed, civilians, just standing in line waiting for their food. That type of thing is bad for business.”
“I understand.”
“To be honest with you, JR, I don’t believe you knew anything about it, ’cause if you did, the people involved would be dead for bringing that kind of weight on you for that little bit of money. But the word is out there that it was your people. All I’m asking is that you ask some questions.”
“You have my word on that, Nick. If I find that it’s true, I’ll call you before I put a bullet in the back of their heads,” JR promised and I took him at his word.
Chapter 15
Just then, there was a light knock at the door, and
it opened slowly. A young woman walked in. She was attractive, if not pretty, but she had a body that screamed LOOK AT ME!
JR sprung to his feet, so I stood up too. Besides, I had said what I came here to say and I was ready to go.
“Sorry, Daddy,” the woman said. “I didn’t know you were busy. I’ll come back later.”
“No, no. It’s all right, Lorraine. Come in. I want you to meet somebody.”
She went and stood next to her father and I could see the resemblance.
“Nick, this is my daughter Lorraine. Lorraine, this is Nick Simmons, he’s an associate of Mike Black.”
Lorraine smiled like somebody told her that she had just hit the number. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Simmons. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“It’s Nick, and it’s good to meet you too, Lorraine.”
“Call me Rain,” she said and went to the bar to fix herself a drink. “I’m just gonna get a drink and then I’ll be out of your way. We can talk later, Daddy.”
“It’s good that you’re here, Lorraine. Nick was just tellin’ me that one of his places was robbed, and the word is that we had something to do with it. You hear anything about that?”
“Nope,” Rain said quickly, “how much money we talkin’ ’bout here?”
“About two hundred dollars.”
Rain laughed just like her father did. “I can tell you right now that we wouldn’t be involved in no small-change robbery like that.”
“All the same, Lorraine, I want you to talk to Jeff Ritchie about it and ask around. Two people were killed: Innocent people, just waitin’ to get their food.” JR turned to me. “See Nick, this is exactly what we was just talkin’ ’bout. There was a time when something like this would never happen. Killin’ civilians over some chump change, shit, every player in town would be all over this, tryin’ to make it right ’cause it makes all of us look bad,” JR said angrily.
“I knew you would understand, JR I’ve taken up enough of your time. If you hear anything let me know,” I said and started moving toward the door.
“I’ll do that, Nick. You have my word on it.” JR turned to Rain. “See Mr. Simmons out, would you, baby, and tell Jeff Ritchie that I need to see him.”
Rain kissed her father on the cheek. “I’ll see you later, Daddy.”
Rain looped her arm in mine and walked with me out of her father’s office. As we passed the bar Rain turned to me. “You in a hurry, Nick?”
“Not especially.”
“Good. Then you have time to have a drink with me.”
“Sure,” I said and Rain led me to a table near the back of the club and signaled for a waitress.
I had Johnnie Black of course, she had straight tequila. After we ordered, Rain took a deep breath. “I wasn’t exactly honest with you back there in the office.”
“Honest about what?”
“The robbery.”
“What about the robbery?”
“I heard the same thing. That it was some of our people that did it.”
“Why didn’t you say that then, and the better question is why are you tellin’ me now?”
“You probably couldn’t tell it to look at him, but my father ain’t in the best of heath. He’s been sick a lot lately.”
“I couldn’t tell. What’s wrong with him?”
“Doctors don’t know. Bunch of fuckin’ quacks. All that fuckin’ money we give them and other than him havin’ high-blood pressure, they can’t tell us shit.”
Rain stopped talkin’ when the waitress returned with our drinks. Once the waitress left, Rain shot her tequila. Not wantin’ to be punked by this young girl, I shot mine.
“I don’t like to bother Pops with shit like that. I ain’t tryin’ to make his pressure go up. You see how upset he was gettin’.”
“I can understand that. But my question is what you gonna do about it?”
“I can take you to the place where they hangout.”
“I don’t need you to take me anywhere. You just need to tell me who they are and where to find them.”
“No deal.”
No deal?
Has this little girl lost her fuckin’ mind?
“What you mean no deal? This ain’t no fuckin’ negotiation. You’re gonna tell me what I need to know and I’ll take care of it.”
“Good luck findin’ them without me then.”
I had to admit, the little girl had heart, I just wasn’t gonna admit it to her.
“Look, Nick, if these are my people. I’m the one who needs to make this right. Not you, me. So here’s how it’s gonna go. Me and you gonna roll by they spot, and I’m gonna handle my family’s business. And I’ma tell you why. See, I ain’t no stranger to you and how you handle your business.”
“Really?”
“Really. Niggas is still talkin’ ’bout some of the shit you and that nigga Freeze used to do: Burnin’ bitch-niggas with acid and shit; throwin’ muthafuckas off rooftops and shit. Y’all was the type a niggas that would shoot first and never get to the ask questions part. See, if you do that, all it’s gonna do is make muthafuckas wanna bust back for they homies. Then y’all gonna come at us and that ain’t how this shit need to go. Am I right?”
I didn’t answer her ’cause she was right. The way I was feelin’, I wouldn’t be askin’ how and why. I might just walk up on whoever it was and put a bullet in their brain and we’d be at war over some bullshit when Black, not to mention Wanda, are making plans to move us away from all this.
“Okay.” I stood up. “We’ll do it your way.”
“I knew you’d see the logic in my point,” Rain said and started for the door.
We got in my car, she told me where to go and I headed in that direction. I started to call some people to handle this shit for me, you know, since I was boss now. But I wanted to do this myself. I needed to let out some of this rage I was feelin’ over Freeze being dead and it being my fault. And besides, I was the one who promised Mrs. Phillips that I would see that whoever killed Zakiya would get what’s coming to them.
On the way, Rain told me about the stories she had heard about me and I told her which ones were true. “I gotta admit that I always wanted to meet you. I met Freeze a couple of times. That was one scary nigga, may he rest in peace; and relentless. Once he was on to something you might as well lay down ’cause you was good as dead.”
The more she talked about me and Freeze and the way we used to roll, the madder I got. I tried to calm myself down by changing the subject. “So with JR being sick, and you keepin’ shit from him, who runs things? Jeff Ritchie?”
“No. Jeff Ritchie is a bullet. You load him in a gun and pull the trigger. Jeff Ritchie ain’t got the mind for shit like that.”
“The question still stands.”
“I run shit.”
“You?”
“Yeah, me. Somethin’ wrong with that?”
“How old are you?”
“I’m twenty-two. And in case you didn’t hear me the first time, I’ll ask you again: Is somethin’ wrong with that?”
“No. Ain’t nothing wrong with that, as long as you can handle it.”
“And you don’t think I do?”
“I don’t know you. And even if I did, I still wouldn’t give a fuck. How y’all run your business don’t matter to me.”
“Okay, Nick. Chill out. I wasn’t tryin’ to make you mad or nothing. I got mad respect for you. And if what I hear in the wind is true-then you ain’t the one to be fuckin’ wit’,” Rain said.
I took a breath. “So, why don’t you tell me how you run your thing?”
“Well, Pops still pretty much runs the gambling and shit. And I run everything else.”
“What is everything else?”
“Little of this, little of that. I usually got something goin’. Sell a little dope, you know.”
“I thought JR wasn’t involved in the dope game?”
“He ain’t, and he don’t know that I am. And I hope that you ain’t
plannin’ on tellin’ him. Like I said, shit like that will just send his blood pressure through the roof, and I ain’t havin’ that.”
“You don’t have worry about me bein’ a snitch. But I seem to remember JR havin’ a son. What’s up with him?”
“My brother Miles. He’s playin’ the family man role. You know, he married, a got a couple of kids. He runs the club and keeps the books. He ain’t got no heart for this other shit.”
“Okay, Rain, why don’t you tell me who we’re goin’ to see?”
“His name is Rodney Baker, but they call him Shake.”
“You know why he robbed our joint or why he killed those people?”
“I ain’t heard nothin’ ’bout that. I just heard it was him and his crew. I was gonna see ’bout it, but me and Shake don’t usually see eye-to-eye on shit. That’s what I was gonna talk to Pop about. Get some advice on how to settle our beef.”
“I thought you didn’t wanna bother him with shit like that?”
“I don’t. But that nigga is all out of control.”
Chapter 16
We pulled up in front of the place and went inside. It was a neighborhood joint, long bar and a few tables. Loud rap music pumped from two huge speakers at the back of the room. “You see them?” I asked and Rain took a quick look around.
“No.”
I looked the place over for other exits. Always a good idea to know how we were gonna get out in case shit gets wild. “You know if that door leads to the street?”
“I think it goes to the back door that leads to the alley. But I ain’t sure.”
“Why don’t you get us a table by that door? I’m goin’ to get us a drink.”
I went to the bar and ordered while Rain went to find us a table. The bartender had just put our drinks on the bar when three men came through the front door. I looked over at Rain. She nodded her head and started moving through the crowd to get to them.
“That’s fifteen,” the bartender said.
I peeled off a twenty. “Keep the change.” I shot my drink and started for them. As I made my way, I saw Rain get up in the face of a big Jabba the Hut lookin’ muthafucka. I assumed that he was Shake by the size of his belly. By the time I got to them I heard Shake say, “You beat me outta ten grand, bitch!”