by Carl Weber
“Good.” I leaned in close, lowering my voice. “I just hope you remember my family when you get it.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I’m thinking about naming my next child after you, considering you’re the one who just paid for his college education.” We all laughed as I turned my attention to Wilson.
“Did you find my nephew?”
Wilson shook his head. “No, we didn’t find him or his mother. We did find a nursery in the main house, but no baby. It looks like they cleared out of here quite a while ago. Sorry.”
“It’s all right. Any sign of Vinnie Dash?”
“Nope. No white guys at all.”
I nodded in response. The way this bust went down, I had no doubt they would have found him had he been there. I hadn’t necessarily expected Vinnie to be there in the first place. This was all just to send a message, Duncan style.
“What about the brother?” I asked.
“We haven’t had a chance to identify all the dead yet. They put them in body bags pretty quick, but I’ll let you know before the day’s out,” Stevens replied.
Again, I nodded. Even without Vinnie or Randy, the mission had still been a success. Stevens thought so too.
“I don’t know if this was your intent,” he said, “but with this raid and the other two places we hit simultaneously on the south side, I think we can honestly say that the Jamaicans are finished in Philly. Most of them are dead, going to jail, or going to be deported.”
“That makes me feel much better,” I said. “But remember, Jamaica’s a big country and they have quite a lot of people to recruit from. We may need your services in the future, gentlemen. If so, I’ll be in touch.”
They nodded and shared a glance with slight smiles on their faces, no doubt looking forward to another big payday in the future.
“Just let us know. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with you,” Stevens said. They rose, we shook hands, and they exited the coffee house.
Relief swept over me as I picked up my phone. We hadn’t accomplished everything we set out to, but we did achieve our main objective. We’d weakened the Jamaicans to the point that they were no longer an imminent threat to our family or our operation.
“How’d it go?” my father asked over the phone.
“Everything went according to plan. None of the big chiefs were there, as we expected, but their operation is crippled, and they no longer have money coming in. This should put Vinnie and Randy on the run. The next step is finding Ruby and Orlando’s son.”
“Good. I’ll see you home for dinner.”
“Probably not, Pop. I’m hoping to have plans for dinner.”
“Well, okay. I’ll tell your mother. Good work, Junior.”
“Thanks.” I hung up the phone and put down a hundred-dollar tip as I thought about paying a visit to Sonya Brown.
Ruby
15
I turned on the baby monitor, closed the door, and headed back into the front room, where everybody was sitting around looking depressed. We were all on edge, wondering where we went from here now that the houses in Philly had been busted by the feds. Even worse, we hadn’t heard from Randy since he called to say he had spotted Junior Duncan. That could only mean he was in jail or dead, and I didn’t even want to think about the latter.
All of the other men were silently watching Vinnie work the phone as if their lives depended on it. Even that slut Natasha, who liked to swing her ass all over the place, was sitting there all quiet like she really gave a fuck what happened to my brother.
I crossed the room and moved near Vinnie, shooting dirty looks at the guys. I had way more to lose than anyone else in this room.
“Uh-huh, yeah. Uh-huh,” Vinnie said to whoever he was talking to. I parked myself so close to him that I could almost hear both sides of the conversation.
“Yep, keep me informed.” Vinnie hung up the phone and sighed, massaging his temples with his right hand. He had barely gotten any sleep last night, and the exhaustion was written all over his face. Too bad I didn’t really care right now.
“What’d they say?” I asked frantically. “Did you find him? Is Randy alive?”
Vinnie’s shoulders dropped as he slumped into a chair. “Almost everybody in Philly has been arrested or killed. Some will do time here, and some will be deported back to prisons in Jamaica. Twenty-eight dead in total.”
I raced to his side and asked the only question that really mattered to me. “What about Randy?”
Vinnie rubbed my back sympathetically. “I’m sorry, but he’s not in any of the jails, and he hasn’t contacted us, Ruby. I can only assume he’s dead. You know your brother. He wouldn’t let the cops take him alive.”
“No.” I shook my head, unable to accept what he was saying. If my brother was dead, I’d know it. I would have felt it. Until I saw his body, I was not going to accept his loss.
“What do we do now, Vinnie?” one of the men asked.
“We lay low and rebuild,” Vinnie said confidently.
I whirled around and shouted at him, “Seventy percent of our people are busted or dead. Did you forget that? What part of ‘it’s over’ don’t you understand?”
While I felt ready to collapse, Mr. Big Shot didn’t look worried in the least. If anything, he actually looked inspired as he turned to the men. “I’ve got access to Randy’s accounts, so we’ve got enough money stashed away to set up shop in another city, maybe Pittsburgh or Cleveland. I know you all have family back home that want to come to America and get rich, don’t you?”
There was a collective, “Yes,” from the men.
“Well, I’m here to offer you and them that opportunity. If we combine your family members with the people we have left and the Jamaicans already in a city like Cleveland, we could have an army six months from now. We’ll all be rich.”
I could see the excitement in their eyes. You couldn’t have paid me to believe my brother’s men would follow a white man, but they seemed to be hanging on Vinnie’s every word. It made me sick to my stomach. My brother had been missing for less than twenty-four hours and his men were already looking ready to pledge their loyalty to the next man. Fiancé or not, Vinnie was out of line, even if I was the only one in the room who seemed to realize that.
“So we’ll get set up in another city,” he plotted, “and then we’ll set our sights on the Duncans and getting revenge for Randy.”
“I want revenge too, but we got to get the hell out of here. Go back to Jamaica or something. The U.S. isn’t safe for us. With their money and political connections the Duncans are not the ones to mess with. After what happened today that should be clear to all of you,” I protested.
Vinnie spoke up before I could talk sense into any of the others. “As your brother would say, sweetheart, neither are we. Now, are you guys with me?” He beat his chest like he was the man.
“Hell yeah, mon!” was the response he got.
Vinnie stood up, fired up now. “That’s right! Fuck the Duncans, fuck the feds. This is a new era, and I’m gonna make you all rich!” he shouted as they cheered him on. He stood there beaming, like this was a goddamn coronation and he’d just been crowned king of the Jamaicans.
“Vinnie, you’re gonna get these men killed!” I screamed at him then stormed out of the house. If they wanted to die, let them die. All I cared about was finding my brother.
Outside in the yard, I took out my phone and dialed the one person who could put an end to this and help me find my brother.
Junior
16
“Hey! Hey! I know you ain’t sitting on my car,” Sonya barked as she walked out of the employee exit at Long Island Jewish Hospital. That woman was even finer than I remembered. Even the pink hospital scrubs she wore couldn’t conceal the fact that she had a banging body. Her face was beautiful too. She had smooth skin the color of chocolate, brown hair cut in a cute short style, and brown eyes, but it was her full lips, even formed into a frown at that moment, that I
wanted to taste.
I raised my hands defensively. “Look, I’m sorry. I needed to make sure I didn’t miss you.”
She stopped abruptly, staring at me. “Do I know you?”
Her attitude made me smile. There was nothing like a confident big girl. “Sorta. We met last week.” I put my hand out, but she didn’t take it. “I’m Junior Duncan,” I continued. “You gave my sister London your number. You were her nurse. Her and my younger sister Paris.”
She frowned, her face registering the memory of Paris, I’m sure. Then she burst out laughing. “Now that one was a pain in the ass. I wanted to hurt that girl. She’s got some mouth on her.”
“Yeah, that’s Paris.” I laughed along with her. “I hope you won’t hold it against me. Maybe I can take you out to dinner to make up for it.”
“I’m not gonna lie, you are kinda cute, and I did give your sister my number.” She put a hand on her hip and gave me the once-over. “But how do you know I don’t have a husband to get home to?”
“You do have a husband. But I’m not worried about him, because he ain’t gonna be home anytime soon.”
“Oh yeah? Why is that?”
“Because he’s in his third year of a five to fifteen year bid upstate. He got busted for an armed robbery.” I didn’t take my eyes off of her as I spoke. I kind of enjoyed the way her eyebrows rose up, even though she was trying not to react as I rattled off the private details of her husband’s conviction. “He just got denied parole and won’t see the board again for two years. So he’s busy.”
She opened her mouth like she was about to say something, but then clamped it shut again, her eyes wide as she studied my face. To me that was a good sign. As long as she hadn’t told me to go to hell yet, I still had a chance.
“Now, where would you like to go?” I asked.
“How do you know I don’t have plans?” was her reply, and I could have sworn there was a hint of flirting in her voice.
“You don’t have plans,” I told her, “because if you did you wouldn’t have bought twenty-five Lean Cuisine dinners yesterday.”
“How the hell do you know that?”
“Anybody that knows their way around a computer can access the Pathmark value card you use for discounts at the register and access all your information.”
She took a step backward. “What are you, a cop or something? I don’t mess with cops,” she said.
“Neither do I. I work in private security.”
“And you’ve been checking up on me?”
Damn, now I was worried that I’d gone too far, scared her off. What the hell was wrong with me? I was not usually this awkward around women.
“No,” I said. “Well, not exactly. It’s just that, well, a beautiful girl like you . . . I mean, I saw how hard you worked here at the hospital, and I just figured . . . I wanted to know everything about you.” I didn’t know if my words had come out right, but I sure hoped they did, because it was probably my last shot at getting Sonya to go out with me.
“Look, why don’t you forget those diet dinners and let me take you somewhere and feed you right?” I said, regaining some of my swagger. “Big man like me don’t want nothing to do with no stick figure. I like you just the way you are.”
She tilted her head, crossed her arms, and said, “Let’s say I’m considering it. Where would you take me? Pathmark?”
Her little joke broke the tension. I felt like taking her in my arms right then and there.
A few hours later, our bellies were full from too much steak, fries, and chocolate cake as we arrived at Sonya’s door. As she riffled through her purse for her keys, I leaned close and brushed my lips against her cheek. I could feel a charge shoot through her body. Damn, this woman was having a strong effect on me.
“You gonna invite me inside?” I stayed in her personal space, since this thing between us was getting real personal. It had taken everything in me to concentrate on the food on my plate during our meal, especially since she’d changed into a body-hugging mahogany dress with spaghetti straps before I took her out. That dress only pointed out the obvious bonuses of her having more to work with. For a big girl, she kept herself in shape. It said a lot to me when a woman took care of herself. It meant that if I got lucky, she’d extend that same care to me.
“No, I’m not inviting you in,” she said, finally lifting her keys out of her purse.
“But you want to.” While I wasn’t a chemist like Orlando, the chemistry flowing between us was almost visible. I placed my hands on her waist, turning her toward me. I needed to be able to see into her eyes when she spoke to me.
“Yes, I want to.” She stared up at me, her eyes revealing her vulnerability.
I lowered my head into her neck, inhaling the scent of her perfume. She shuddered, her body hypersensitive to my touch.
“Then let me in.” My mouth moved to her ear.
She stumbled backward, but I caught her before she tipped over, and held her even closer.
“Too much wine?” I wondered if she was feeling the effects of the bottle I’d ordered at the restaurant.
When she responded, her voice took on a huskier tenor than before. “No, it’s not that.”
“Then what?”
“If I let you in we’re gonna have sex, and it’s been way too long.” She held a hand to my chest as she spoke, as if putting up a boundary she wasn’t willing to cross.
“Sounds good to me.” I lifted her hand from my chest and proceeded to kiss the palm, working my way to the tips of her fingers, sucking on them one at a time. She shook her hand out of my grasp, her body quivering.
“If I have sex, I’m going to get attached,” she warned.
“Do I look like I got a problem with that? I’m the one that wanted to see you so bad that I risked you telling me to go to hell,” I reminded her.
Women always think we’re the ones with the power, but once a guy decides he likes you, the balance of power shifts in favor of the woman. In this case, Sonya had so much power over me she should be the fucking head of a country. I wanted her. I wanted her bad.
“I don’t want to be that woman you sleep with on the first night. It’s been so long since I’ve had sex that I’m not going to be able to control myself.” She said it with this sweet, half-embarrassed little smile. As badly as I wanted to get her alone on the other side of that door, I was willing to wait until she was ready.
I put a little space between us—just enough so she could sense that I wasn’t trying to pressure her, but not so much that she thought I was mad. “My brother’s opening a new club in the city called The Firehouse. Grand opening is Friday. I’d love to take you dancing there if you’d like.”
Her face lit up. “Really?”
“Yes, really. Now, you better get on inside before I lose my ability to act like a gentleman.” I leaned down to kiss her good night, and she threw her arms around me in a tight hug.
I watched as she unlocked the door and hurried inside, blowing me a kiss before she shut the door. For the first time in a long time, work and family weren’t the only things on my mind.
Orlando
17
Our car pulled up outside of Alejandro’s Calabasas compound, and my driver gave my name to the attendant. A few seconds later the gate swung open. Although we were only twenty miles outside of Los Angeles, this seemed rural. There wasn’t a tall building or a sign of public transportation anywhere.
We maneuvered up the massive, tree-lined driveway, past various buildings, tennis courts, and stables. In the distant field we noticed cows and horse grazing.
Trent was bouncing off the walls as he checked out the property. “Holy shit, you see those Arabian stallions?” He pointed to a cluster of white horses. “What the hell is it about these Latin dudes and animals?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m more concerned about the small army of men he’s got guarding this place. So far I’ve counted about fifty men armed to the teeth.”
“Seventy-t
wo if you count the snipers on the roofs,” Trent said nonchalantly. “But they’re not here for us. You can tell by their body language that this is their everyday gig. Whoever this Alejandro guy is, he’s pretty paranoid about security. Nobody’s taking him out in this place.”
I glanced over at my cousin and smiled, impressed.
“What?” He smiled back at me. “You didn’t think I was paying attention to those boys down in Georgia, did you? Your pops paid them a hundred grand to train me. I wasn’t down there for my health, you know.”
“I can see.”
He looked out the window at the scenery again then turned back to me, asking, “You think maybe Alejandro’s going to hook us up with some complimentary pussy like Rodriguez did in P.R.?”
“I don’t know, Trent, probably. It’s pretty customary to party at the expense of the host after a successful meeting. Right now I’m concerned about this meeting going well. Both sides have so much riding on this.”
“I know, O, but those twins, man, I can’t lie. Shit! I can’t stop thinking about them. That much ass times two. They were a double dose of nasty, and you actually had them both. You are the man.” He extended his fist, and I tapped my knuckles against his.
“I can’t wait for this meeting to be over,” he said. Talk about a one-track mind. Despite the fact that he’d just impressed the hell outta me with his military observation skills, Trent still acted like a little kid in a candy store when the subject of women came up. Boy did his work, but it always had to be followed with play, and that meant one thing and one thing only: pussy. Recently all he could talk about was what a good time he had in P.R. and how much he wished he was me after seeing the twins the Rodriguezes had set me up with.
I reminded him of our mission. “Let’s just stay focused and make shit happen; then we can worry about the reward.”
“I am focused. Focused on getting this meeting over with so we can get some of that Mexican pussy he’s probably got stashed away somewhere on the compound.”
I shot him a look as we pulled in front of the main house, and he straightened up.