by K'wan
“Agreed.” Angelo nodded. “So, what’s new, Tech?”
Tech shrugged. “Same shit, different toilet. I can’t call it. I was hoping that you guys could tell me what all this was about?”
“That’s bullshit and you fucking know it. We’re here about all the fucking heat you’re brining down with these little bastards you got killing recklessly in the streets!” Rico exploded.
“Rico, calm down,” Shai said in a low tone. He didn’t have to raise his voice for Rico to know he was being given an order, and it showed on his face. “Tech, what Rico says is accurate. I’ve been getting a lot of calls about how you’re conducting yourselves in the streets. You know that we of the Commission have established a certain code of conduct that binds us and our soldiers.”
“Yeah, I know the rules, but the last time I checked, I wasn’t a member of the Commission, and I damn sure ain’t anybody’s soldier,” Tech corrected him.
“You ain’t a part of the Commission because you got a problem with following rules,” Bear spoke up. “We made you an associate as a reward for your services in the streets and to allow you to eat from this table.”
“A table that you keep spilling shit on,” Rico added.
Tech looked at Bear and Rico quizzically, then turned his cold eyes to Shai. “With all do respect, gentlemen, y’all didn’t make me an associate as a reward for shit I’ve done for you or anybody else in this room. You put me down with the team so that I’d stop robbing and killing the niggaz you got working the streets. If we’re gonna have real talk, then let’s keep it real.”
This got a muffled chuckle from Swann. Shai gave him a look, and he regained his composure.
“True indeed,” Shai agreed. You were becoming quite the headache on the streets, which caused some of my associates to call for your execution, but Swann spoke up on your behalf, so you were given a pass.” Swann had known Tech since he was a little kid trying to sneak into bars and had always dug his ambition. Tech was wild as hell, but for the most part he played by the rules of the street, if not of the Commission.
“And I’m thankful for that,” Tech nodded at Swann, “but just because y’all threw me a bone don’t make me your dog. Shai, I ain’t trying to ruffle nobody’s feathers, but I’m out here getting it like I live. When the dogs are hungry, I gotta feed them.”
“So you feed them blood—the blood of men who line our pockets?” Rico pressed him.
“Rico, miss me with that bullshit. Y’all asked me to lay off of y’all people and so I have. Everything else is up for grabs—at least that was my understanding of the arrangement.”
“You’re a fucking liar and a piece of shit.” Rico shot to his feet. “You say that you’re lying off our people, but I got the word before I left to come out here that your so-called dogs murdered one of my business associates a few hours ago. Bobo spent a lot of money with me.”
Tech’s face twisted into a mask of hate. “Is that what this is about? Bobo? Let me tell you something . . . as a matter of fact, let me tell you all something.” He made eye contact with everyone in the room. “Bobo was a lying, snitching, piece of shit that sent a lot of good niggaz to prison. There was a bounty on his head and I cashed in on it, but to be honest with you, I’d have killed him for free if I ever got a mind to. Him and every muthafucka who thinks like him needs to be lined up in front of the Apollo Theater and shot.” He looked directly at Rico when he said this.
“You reacted off a rumor that was never proven,” Rico tried to defend Bobo. Tech just looked at him and shook his head.
“Rico, you ain’t lying to nobody but yourself and you know it. You make your rounds through the New York State prison system and speak to some of them niggaz that’s looking at the long walk because of him, and then come back and let’s revisit this argument. Furthermore, I’m getting just a little tired of you coming at me like you’re some kinda boss nigga. Might I remind you all that it was Darius Santana who opened the streets up by whacking the old bosses and Poppa Clark who opened the money line back up in Harlem. Other than Shai and his peoples, ain’t nobody in here sat with no real made niggaz. So, if you wanna keep popping that shit, you’re welcomed to do so, but ya bitch ass ain’t gonna talk it to me.”
“Nigga, what . . .” Rico moved toward Tech, but Silk was already on her feet and standing between them. He tried to give her an intimidating stare, but she was unfazed. “Now, this is funny.” Rico smiled. “You’re supposed to be this bad-ass killer, but you’re hiding behind your bitch.” He was speaking to Tech but staring at Silk. There was a hard edge to her eyes that made him cautious.
“Why does it seem like I keep running into that word today.” Silk flexed her fist, anticipating a battle.
“Everybody calm down.” Angelo was standing now. “You two shit birds can blast at each other once we get straight. For right now, shut the fuck up and let Shai speak.” Angelo wasn’t the most imposing figure physically, but he was a cold-blooded killer.
Shai placed a calming hand on Angelo’s arm. “Good looking, my nigga. I got it from here.” Angelo continued standing until everyone was reseated. He gave both Tech and Rico warning looks before returning to his seat next to Shai. “Listen, I didn’t call any of you here to air old grievances; I asked you here to address the complaints I’ve been receiving. Tech,” he looked at the youngster, “I like you and I think you’re a stand-up kid, but you need to cool the fuck out. If it was up to me, I wouldn’t give a fuck who you jacked as long as they weren’t a part of my family, but I have to put the concerns of this Commission before my personal feelings. You gotta slow down, my nigga.”
“So you trying to tell me that I can’t eat?” Tech asked. He was getting heated, but had the good sense to keep his poker face on.
Shai laughed because he saw right through the mask. “Tech, if I ran around telling niggaz that they couldn’t eat, I’d be dead instead of the boss of this city. Nah, little brother, I ain’t telling you that you can’t eat; I just want you to play it a little closer to the rules. I could care less about the low-level cats you bring it to, but before you tackle the big fish, clear it to make sure you’re not stepping on anybody’s toes.”
“Fair enough, Shai,” Tech agreed. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the young gunslinger agreed with Shai. Most of them expected and wanted him to show his ass so they could finally have him killed, but he didn’t walk into the setup, which upset some of them, but Rico was animate about it.
“You hear this . . . this bullshit. Fair enough, Shai, give me a fucking break.”
“Be easy, Rico,” Danny Boy said, trying to calm him, but Rico was livid.
“I can’t believe y’all are going for this shit,” Rico continued. “He’s gonna shuck and grin like it’s all good while sitting in front of you, Shai, but as soon as he hits the streets he’s gonna be back at it. I demand that we come to a more long-term resolution to this common problem.”
“Rico, you don’t demand shit for as long as Shai is at the head of this table,” Angelo reminded him.
“Shai ain’t gonna be the boss forever,” Rico shot back.
“He will be for as long as I’m holding this here.” Swann laid his .45 on the table. “If anybody cares to challenge what I said, I ain’t got nothing to do for the rest of the night.” Swann’s eyes went around the room. Everyone in the hood knew that it was almost unheard of for Swann to draw his weapon unless he planned on laying something down. The situation was getting very ugly very quickly.
Rico wisely backed down. “Shai, I mean no disrespect, but please understand my position. I get money uptown, which is where Tech is causing the most grief. He’s cramping my style.”
“Tech raises just as much hell in Brooklyn as he does uptown and it ain’t stopped my show one bit. As a matter of fact, he was actually a big help with the crab infestation I was having. We’re itch-free now,” Apple said sarcastically, cutting his eyes at Danny Boy.
“Don’t play cute with me, cuz. You know I
do all my talking with iron,” Danny Boy shot back.
“And I don’t talk at all, I just react,” Shai warned them both. “Frankly, all of this bullshit is giving me a headache. The bottom line is, both of you muthafuckas heard what I said.” He looked at Tech and then at Rico. “If there’s gonna be any more unsanctioned hits, then I’ll be the one sending the shooters, and unlike some of these loudmouthed niggaz, you’ll never hear my people coming.” Shai rose. “I’m getting the fuck outta here. Either y’all can play the game correctly or you won’t play at all.” Shai moved for the door, followed by Angelo and Swann.
“I can’t believe this shit. We gotta sit idle while this monkey and his bitches run through the streets like rabid dogs,” Rico muttered.
“What’d you just say?” Silk sat up.
“I ain’t repeating myself, shorty.”
“Nah, because if I didn’t know better, I’d think you just called me and my girl bitches?”
“If it walks like a duck and quacks—” Rico’s words were cut off when Silk grabbed his hand and drove her salad fork through it, pinning Rico’s hand to the table. He was in so much pain that he couldn’t even find his voice to scream. Everyone watched in horror as Rico’s blood sprayed all over the white tablecloth. The bodyguard who had been with Rico grabbed a fist full of Silk’s hair, but he froze in place when China placed her gun to the back of his head.
“If you’re wondering if I’ll really shoot you, you just keep holding on to her hair,” China breathed in his ear.
“Y’all must’ve lost ya fucking minds in here.” Shai stormed over to them. Angelo tried to stop him, but Shai shrugged him off. “Shorty, put that fucking gun down,” he barked at China. China looked at Tech, who was still sitting there watching it all. “What the fuck are you looking at him for when I’m the one talking to you?”
“Tech?” China called nervously, wondering what she should do.
Tech looked up at Swann, who had his gun dangling from his hand. “Baby brother, you’re about to ask a question you already know the answer to. You’re my kin, but this is my brother,” Swann said seriously.
“It’s cool, baby,” Tech said, as if he were the coolest cat in the world.
China lowered the gun and backed away from the bodyguard. She could see the murder in his eyes, just beneath the embarrassment, but he would save his vengeance for another day. Once China had reholstered her gun, Shai surprised everyone by swinging Tech’s chair around so that he was facing him.
“You smug little muthafucka, I should let Rico’s boys kill your whole fucking family for the bullshit you and these crazy-ass broads just pulled,” Shai snarled. He looked like he was ready to explode, but Tech remained calm. “I don’t know if it’s because y’all are in the same gang, or because he thinks there’s hope for your stupid ass, but it’s because of Swann that I still let you breathe my air, kid. My patience only stretches so far and you’ve already overextended yourself. You don’t get any more passes, you understand me?”
Tech hesitated for a moment before answering, “Yeah, man, I hear you.”
“Now get the fuck outta here before I forget how much love I got for Swann and blast your ass myself,” Shai spat.
Tech stood up and regarded Shai for a moment. For a minute it looked like he was going to make a move, but he didn’t. “Let’s go, y’all.” He motioned for China and Silk to follow him to the door. They did, but they never turned their backs on the Commission.
“This ain’t over,” Rico threatened, once he was able to free his hand from the table. “You’re gonna answer for this shit, Tech.”
Tech stopped in his tracks and turned around. “Anytime you’re ready, you know where to find me.” With that they left the restaurant.
“What the fuck was that shit about, Tech?” China started right in as soon as they were back inside the whip. Her hands were trembling so bad that she couldn’t even light her cigarette. Silk, who was a bit calmer, did the honors for her.
“Just some old niggaz hating,” Tech said, as if it were nothing.
“My G, you just went in there and pissed off Shai Clark. He’s made bigger niggaz than us disappear,” Silk said. She remembered how, when she was a little girl, her mother and the rest of the fiends had spoken about the Clarks as if they were the black Gambino family.
“I had the situation under control the whole time,” he told them.
“Muthafucka, are you high? They could’ve killed us in there for that shit you and this crazy-ass heifer just pulled!”
“I said I had it under control,” Tech snapped and turned to stare out the window. He watched patiently as the bosses and their entourages pilled into their respective vehicles and headed back toward the turnpike. Not long after they had gone, the waiter who had filled their water glasses came out, followed by the host, who was carrying a bottle. He rolled down the window and beamed at them.
“Everything cool?” the waiter asked, giving Tech dap. He had replaced his nervous guise with a street swagger.
“Right as rain, my man. Good looking out on that, Tino.”
“Man, you know we got back to grade school, dawg. If anything, I owe you for as many ass whippings as you saved me from.”
“You know family looks out for family, blood. It’s like I told you the day the big homeys put you down,” Tech recalled. Tino’s family had been the only Salvadorians on the block back in the days. The Puerto Ricans didn’t want him and the blacks abused him, but it all changed when Tech had gotten him quoted. From day one to present day, Tino had been willing to go above and beyond for his set.
“Please, I get paid now?” the host asked in a shaky voice.
“Cool out, unc,” Tino told his nervous uncle. His uncle had good reason to be nervous, because not only was he putting his job in jeopardy by helping his nephew’s friends, but he ran the risk of being an accessory to whatever would’ve gone down inside the restaurant.
“Nah,” he’s earned it.” Tech handed them two thick envelopes. The uncle took an envelope and stuffed it inside his jacket pocket before handing Tech the bottle. “Yo, I’m about to get outta here, T.” Tech shook his hand again. “Yo, if you ever find yourself getting back in the game, we could use an extra man.”
“Nah, man, I kinda like being a busboy; it’s safer and I ain’t gonna get locked up for it. See you later, my man.” Tino saluted Tech and walked back to the restaurant with his uncle in tow.
“What the hell was that shit about?” Silk asked, clearly dumbfounded by the whole exchange.
“It’s like I said—Tino and me go way back, so I called him to help me out on this.” Tech hoisted the bottle of Rémy XO. Silk snatched the bottle and started fumbling with the seal.
“And what were you gonna do with that, club them to death?” China asked sarcastically.
“Actually I was gonna poison them,” Tech said, freezing Silk just as she’d gotten the bottle open. “I laced that muthafucka and had Tino slip it into the restaurant in case things got funny. I knew we couldn’t win in a shoot-out without taking a loss or two,” he looked at the ladies respectively, “so I was gonna down all of them with one shot, literally. That’s why I didn’t want y’all drinking tonight.”
“Man, and I almost downed this muthafucka.” Silk tossed the bottle out the window, shattering it in the parking lot. The attendant looked their way but declined to come over and complain.
“How did you know they would drink it?” China wanted to know.
Tech gave her a blank stare. “With the exception of Shai, all of them old heads is closet drunks, and the more expensive the liquor, the greedier they are for it. If things had started to go to the left, I was gonna curl my tail between my legs and offered to buy a round of drinks as a show of my willingness to be accepted.”
“That would’ve been a goodbye toast for their asses,” Silk joked.
“Now you get me.” He winked at her.
China sucked her teeth because she still didn’t find the situation as fu
nny as her partners did. “So now what?”
“What you mean? We get back to business,” Tech told her, as if it should’ve been obvious. “Harlem is a little hot right now so we might wanna look into getting at them folks in the Amsterdam projects.”
“Don’t you gotta clear it with ol’ boy and them? For the kinda weight we’re about to move on, dude might be connected to somebody.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Tech said.
“T, I’m about my paper and all that, but don’t you think we’re asking for trouble by doing exactly what Shai told us not to?” China was forever the cautious one.
“Fuck all that shit, China; I ain’t trying to run a credit check on every nigga I plan to take off. Besides, I don’t know this nigga from a can of paint, so the chances are he ain’t connected directly to none of them. We might slap him around a little bit, but we ain’t gonna kill him, but I’m taking that nigga’s shit. Don’t flake on me now, C, we done pulled a million licks; this shit will be just another day at the office. It’ll be smooth, baby.”
“Don’t trip, ma, we got it faded,” Silk added.
China would’ve liked to be as confident as her crime partners, but something in the pit of her gut didn’t feel right. She thought about pressing her argument to try to get him to see logic, but she didn’t. Tech took care of all of them at one point or another, so if he was in, then so was she. The in part was easy, but she hoped that she would be able to make it out just as smooth.
CHAPTER 13
A chubby bouncer was arguing with one the boys Tracy had been sizing up. He was a hair over five feet, with a boxed-shaped head, but from the way he kept puffing his chest out, you’d have thought he was seven feet tall.