by K'wan
“Say word somebody capped Petey?” Omega asked in fake shock. “Damn, and that was a cool-ass little dude. Why did he get clipped?”
“It’s hard to say at this point. Petey had a hot temper and was always into some shit so it could’ve come from anywhere. I know he had been having some troubles with the Jamaicans and the Dominicans recently, but I can’t say for sure where the hit came from. Before it’s all said and done I’ll find out though. Petey came from a very well-respected family and his uncle Poppito is was not happy to hear about his death,” Ramses said.
“Why does that name sound so familiar?” Li’l Monk thought out loud.
“Probably because it’s always in the news. Poppito is the head of a powerful cartel based out of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Until recently our relationship has always been good with his cartel, but that all changed when his nephew died on my watch. When Petey’s father died, I promised his uncle Poppito that I would do what I could to keep him out of harm’s way, though with Petey that proved easier said than done. Every time I turned around Petey was into some shit and obviously his chickens finally came home to roost. Honestly, I’m surprised that it took this long for somebody to split Petey’s wig. It’s been a long time coming, but it doesn’t change the fact that it happened right in our back yard and his uncle is demanding answers.”
“How can we help?” Omega asked.
“I need you to go to the Bronx and assist Poppito’s people who are looking into the murder. Petey’s whole crew was killed with him, but apparently there was a witness to the crime.”
“A witness?” Omega asked, not able to hide his surprise or discomfort.
“Yeah, the owner of the restaurant. Whoever killed Petey locked all the restaurant employees inside and set the whole place on fire in an attempt to cover their tracks, but two people survived. One of the waitresses and the restaurant owner. There’s no sign of the waitress, but the owner is in the hospital. She was burned so bad that the doctors say it’s a miracle that she survived.”
“A miracle indeed,” Omega said, looking at Tut. “So you want me and Li’l Monk to take care of it?”
“No, I got something else I need Li’l Monk to handle for me, so I’m sending you and Tut,” Ramses told him.
“Me?” Tut asked in surprise.
“Yes, you. The Bronx is your area so I figured you could be helpful in the investigation. Why, do you have a problem with what I’m asking you to do?”
“Not at all,” Tut said, trying to hide his nervousness.
“Good, I need y’all to get on that as soon as possible,” Ramses said.
“A’ight, we on it,” Omega assured him, standing to leave.
“Omega, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that this has to be handled with kid gloves, right? Poppito is livid about what happened to his nephew and as looking at everybody as a suspect, including us. With all the other shit we got going on, the last thing we need is to make an enemy of Poppito’s cartel. Do what you can to put this shit to bed as quickly and as cleanly as possible.”
“I got you, Ramses. Let’s make moves, Tut.” Omega started for the door. Tut slid out of the booth and fell in step behind him.
Ramses waited until they were gone to address Li’l Monk. “What I need you to do is a bit less complicated, but equally important.”
“Run it down to me.” Li’l Monk gave Ramses his undivided attention.
“As you’ve probably already figured out, we’re working on improving our foreign relations with our spaghetti-eating friends from downtown,” Ramses said, speaking of the Italians.
“I wanted to ask you about that, but I didn’t want to overstep my boundaries. I was always under the impression that you hated white folks.”
Ramses laughed. “Hate is a strong word. Let’s just say I’m no fan of the so-called master race. Still, during these trying times we’ll take our allies where we can get them, which is what has us crawling into bed with the Italians.”
“Ramses, what’s going on? Are we about to go to war?” Li’l Monk asked.
“Son, we’ve been at war for years, but not in the traditional sense. It’s like this, whenever you’re in a position of power they’ll always be people who want to remove you from that position. Me and Pharaoh been at this a long time, and we’ve fought hard to maintain our position as kings of the hill, but times are changing. This is no longer a game of gentleman, but a game of savages and snakes. Between this new breed of youngsters, who don’t respect human life, and these spineless cowards that have made snitching an acceptable course of action, I fear we are approaching the end of an era.”
The tone of Ramses’s voice disturbed Li’l Monk. He was used to Ramses being quick-witted and confident, but he sounded tired. “What does that mean for us?” he asked, but wasn’t sure if he was ready for the answer.
“It means we tighten up ranks and do what we gotta do to keep what’s ours until somebody gets balls or guns big enough to take it from us!” Ramses said confidently. There was the fire Li’l Monk was used to. “Right now it ain’t quite serious enough to go to the mattresses, but we’re covering our asses just in case it does get there. This is why our partnership with the Italians is so important and the point of me picking you for this little task. I trust you to handle it accordingly.”
Hearing that Ramses had such confidence in him made Li’l Monk’s heart swell with pride. “I’m up for it. What’s good?”
“I need you to go downtown to see a friend of ours. He’s going to give you something which you are to bring directly to me and nobody else.”
A look of disappointment crossed Li’l Monk’s face. “Ramses, I’m a soldier, my place is on the battlefield, busting my gun. I know you’re salty at me for beating Tut’s boy up, but this is a fucked-up punishment. I’m not a delivery boy.”
“You’re whatever the hell I say you are for as long as you’re on my payroll,” Ramses shot back. “Listen, Li’l Monk, this ain’t got nothing to do with you laying hands on Chief. I know if he pushed you that far, he had it coming. This isn’t about punishment, it’s about being able to handle whatever tasks you’re called on to undertake. I need to know that I can depend on you. Can I depend on you?”
“Of course you can, Ramses. You know that,” Li’l Monk assured him.
“Then show me, and handle this business.”
“Okay, Ramses,” Li’l Monk reluctantly agreed. “Can I go now?”
“Yeah, you can go,” Ramses dismissed him. Li’l Monk rose to leave, but Ramses had some parting words for him. “Li’l Monk, it’s important that this stays between you and me. Go by yourself and don’t tell anyone, not even Omega. I need you to handle this on your own, do you understand?”
“You got it, Ramses,” Li’l Monk said and left.
“I send you to handle a simple task and you managed to fuck it up. This is all bad,” Omega was telling Tut once they were away from the restaurant.
“My nigga, are you really gonna stand here and act like this was all my fault?” Tut asked. “You’re the one who said it would be an easy job and there would be no repercussions.”
“And it would’ve gone exactly how I said it would’ve, had you not decided to play David Koresh and burn everybody up, instead of just putting a bullet behind their ears and being done with it. Now we’ve gotta worry about the one person who might be able to finger you as the killer.”
“Ramses said there were two survivors,” Tut corrected him.
“There were, until a few hours ago. The other one won’t be snitching on anyone, at least not in this lifetime.” Omega went on to tell Tut about the shootout with the Spanish chicks and the girl he’d recognized.
“You think Li’l Monk is wise to what’s going on?” Tut asked.
“Nah, he’s suspicious but he doesn’t know enough to put all the pieces together,” Omega told him.
“Well, you better keep it that way. If your pet dog starts snooping around too much, I might have to put him to sleep along
with the last witness,” Tut said seriously.
Omega grabbed Tut by the shirt and pressed him against the store front they were standing next to. “Let’s get something clear, I don’t give a fuck what’s going on between you and Li’l Monk and how you feel about him, that’s my friend. If I even think you got ill intentions for him, I won’t hesitate to bust your muthafucking brain.”
Tut laughed. “First of all”—he slapped Omega’s hands away—“keep your fucking paws off me, nigga. I’m getting a little tired of you throwing your weight around like I’m one of your workers, Omega. Ramses gave me rank, same as you. Second of all, this is your fucking mess. You sent me into a situation without all the facts. Had I known this kid was related to some heavy hitters, I’d have told you to go fuck yourself and find somebody else to get involved. You might as well get your head wrapped around the fact that we’re married to this thing, for better or worse. If I burn, you burn too and don’t forget it. But let’s deal with the bigger problem we have here. Ramses ordered both of us to go and see Poppito’s people to talk to the survivor, but I don’t know how comfortable I am with that. All it will take is that broad recognizing me and pointing the finger and I’m a dead man. Hell you’ll probably be too, since we’re both a part of the same crew.”
“Yeah, this is gonna be tricky to pull off, but I think I know a way we can get everybody to play nice,” Omega said, running through a series of scenarios in his head. He was a man who liked to be prepared for all eventualities so as soon as Ramses told him what was going on, he started scheming.
“I sure hope so, Omega, because this shit looks like it can only get messier. Either way this plays out our destinies are connected to the outcome of this. I’m ready to die about mine, but I don’t think you can say the same,” Tut capped.
Omega hated to admit it, but Tut was right. In him bringing Tut in on his scheme he had created a monster and a huge problem. Tut was like a captive animal who had tasted blood for the first time and now anything short of live prey wouldn’t do to feed his hunger. He had known about Petey’s connection with Poppito, which was one of the reasons that he went to Tut instead of picking someone from his inner circle. He thought he was being cleaver by using Tut to solve his problems, but what he succeeded in doing was giving Tut a way to hurt him. For as long as he had the dirty deed to hang over Omega, he was stuck.
CHAPTER 19
Li’l Monk was in a rank mood when he got back to the hood. He had been tested, shot at, and demoted all in under twenty-four hours. Most of the things that had occurred were chalked up to another day at the office, but Ramses sending him to make a delivery stung. No matter how Ramses dressed it up, Li’l Monk still felt like it was grunt work and he had put in too much work to still have to prove himself. Times like those he thought about his father’s warning about the men he pledged his allegiance to and wondered if there had been some validity to it. Still, Ramses had given him and order and like it or not he would carry it out.
Before he handled the task Ramses assigned him he wanted to go back by his house and grab some extra clips for his gun. Simple delivery or not, with the way things had been going for Li’l Monk he reasoned it was better to be safe than sorry. As he approached his building he noticed someone standing outside, huddled in the shadows of the doorway. Erring on the side of caution, Li’l Monk pulled his gun and took measured steps. When he neared the building he realized that it was only Charlie.
“Fuck you doing out here creeping around like a crackhead?” Li’l Monk asked Charlie.
“Not too much, man. I’m just out here,” Charlie said, sounding stressed out.
“Everything okay?” Li’l Monk asked him. For all Charlie’s faults, Li’l Monk still had a soft spot for his old friend and it bothered him when he wasn’t in good spirits.
Charlie shrugged. “It’s a small thing to a giant man. I’ll be cool.” He sounded uncertain. “Yo, did you hear about the shootout earlier?”
“Nah,” Li’l Monk lied. “What happened?” He listened to Charlie give him the rundown about what the streets were saying as if he were truly clueless. From what Li’l Monk gathered, nobody had fingered him and Omega as the shooters, which was a good thing.
“While I got your attention, I wanted to tell you my bad about earlier. I didn’t mean to be talking business in front of Droopy like that,” Charlie said sincerely.
“Don’t sweat it. Droopy is a good soldier, but I just like to keep my business out of the streets,” Li’l Monk told him.
“Nah, I completely feel what you’re saying. I don’t know what I was thinking about throwing it out there like that, but a nigga is getting a little desperate. Shit is getting tight for me.”
“You need a few dollars?” Li’l Monk asked Charlie, ready to dip into his stash.
“I ain’t on it like that, Li’l Monk. For as bad as I can use a few dollars, you know I’d rather work for mine then have anybody give me anything. That’s why I was asking you about putting me on the money.”
“Honestly, Charlie, with the way things are going out here lately, I don’t know if that’s the best idea, at least, not for right now,” Li’l Monk said. Charlie nodded his head as if he understood, but Li’l Monk could see disappointment on his face. It made Li’l Monk feel bad that he couldn’t help his friend at the moment, but he knew Ramses was tightening ranks and bringing someone new in would’ve been out of the question. Still, he didn’t want to see Charlie in the streets going without. There had to be something he could to help his friend. That’s when it hit him.
“Dig, Charlie,” Li’l Monk continued. “I might not be able to put you on the money right now, but I got something you can get down with and I’ll put a few dollars in your pocket for it. You feel like taking a ride?”
It didn’t take Li’l Monk and Charlie long to get downtown in the taxi. They had the driver let them off on Centre Street and walked the rest of the way to the apartment building on Mulberry Street. It was an older building with no elevator, so they had to hike the three flights of stairs to their desired floor. Li’l Monk tapped on the apartment door Ramses had sent him to and gave Charlie some last-minute instructions while he waited for someone to answer.
“Now remember, Charlie, you ain’t even supposed to be here with me so don’t go shooting your fucking mouth off about it, or you could get us both fucked up,” Li’l Monk warned.
“I ain’t gonna say anything, Li’l Monk. I’m just thankful you’re looking out for me,” Charlie said. “So what are we picking up again?”
“Ain’t none of your business what we’re picking up. Your job is to keep me company and I’m going to make sure you get paid for it,” Li’l Monk said sharply. Charlie didn’t particularly care for how Li’l Monk was speaking to him, so he kept his response to himself.
After few seconds, Li’l Monk heard somebody move the peephole, trying to get a good look at who was in the hallway. Li’l Monk stepped into the light so that whoever was behind the door could clearly see his face. One by one the locks came free and the door opened. Standing on the other side was the man Ramses had sent Li’l Monk to see, Mr. D.
Mr. D was an older Italian man with silver hair that had started thinning in the front. He adjusted the glasses sitting on the end of his nose and examined Li’l Monk and Charlie as if he was trying to gauge what they were about. “Can I help you?”
“I’m Li’l Monk,” he introduced himself to Mr. D.
At the mention of the name a light of recognition went off in Mr. D’s head. “Right, you’re Ramses’s boy. Come on in.” He opened the door wider so that Li’l Monk and Charlie could enter. Mr. D led them down a long hallway and into a cluttered living room. “You boys can have a seat. I’ll only be a second.” He headed toward the bedroom. Mr. D pushed the door closed behind him, but didn’t put enough behind the push, so it was left partially ajar.
Charlie pretended he was looking around the apartment curiously, but he was really peeking inside the bedroom where Mr. D had g
one. Through the crack in the door Charlie could see a large safe sitting in the corner. Mr. D only had the safe open for a few seconds, but it was long enough for Charlie to see it was fat with cash. When Mr. D came back out, Charlie busied himself looking over the different trophies on the bookshelf, pretending that he hadn’t been watching.
Mr. D walked over to Li’l Monk and handed him a thick envelope. “Give this to Ramses with my thanks.”
“Will do.” Li’l Monk stuffed the envelope into his pants for safekeeping. “Nice meeting you, Mr. D.” He shook the old man’s hand.
“You also, Li’l Monk. Hope to see more of you,” Mr. D told him.
“Let’s boogie,” Li’l Monk told Charlie before heading for the door.
Charlie shook Mr. D’s hand also, before following Li’l Monk. As he exited the apartment, he gave one last look over his shoulder at the bedroom with the safe in it.
It was late when Li’l Monk got back to the hood. He was tired and still needed to go check Sophie. He started to hold on to the envelope of cash until the following day before dropping it off to Ramses, but thought better of it. He had already gone against what Ramses told him by taking Charlie with him to Mr. D’s, when Ramses specifically told him to go alone. It was best that he dropped it off to Ramses that night to get it out of the way.
“Thanks for taking that ride with me, Charlie.” Li’l Monk handed him some folded bills.
Charlie took a minute to count through the bills before happily stuffing them in his pocket. “No problem. That was the easiest money I’ve ever made. This shit felt like old times, me and you out here getting this money.”
“There’s way more where that came from if you play your cards right, Charlie. Just give things a few days to die down over here and I’ll talk to Ramses about putting you in position.”
Charlie smiled. “That’s why you’ll always be my man fifty grand. You stay looking out for your people.”