“Just let me explain and if you don’t like or trust my proposition I’m about to lay on you, you do what you got to do. Just hear me out first.”
Rain and Dayvid searched the man’s eyes looking for even a smidgen of trickery. Dayvid, still holding his weapon steady on him, looked towards his sister for an answer. She nodded and Dayvid lowered his gun to his side, but still highly vigilant and ready for anything.
“Okay, mister. On the strength of my aunt, we gonna give you this one time pass. But you better have a damn good reason for stepping to us like that in our home and around my family.”
Smitty closed his eyes, as if to thank God, and agreed with rapid nods. Eyes open, he removed his hat, revealing a matted baby fro.
“May I sit?” he asked respectfully.
Rain shrugged, caring none if he stood or sat. “Just keep your hands on your lap so we can see them.”
Dangling along the edge of the couch, he left nothing to chance. Following her instructions, he parked his hands on his thigh.
“Let me just say, that I mean no disrespect. I underestimated you because of your age and should have come better than I did and it will never happen again if we do business together, I promise you.”
Rain and Dayvid respected that, but still remained silent and allowed him to continue and took a seat on the couch, sitting directly in front of him.
“Like I said from the start, I know about the heist. I was outside when all the shit went down. I heard the first shot. The Vietnam in me dropped to the ground and took cover behind a parked car. That’s when I saw two figures dressed in all black run out of this very building and into ole New York boy Brooklyn’s stash spot directly across the street.”
Smitty smiled as his words lingered.
“Then not even two minutes later, those same two figures came out of the spot carrying in my estimate, four duffle bags. This time, I watched them move real quick and smooth, in the got damn gun fire. The shit was something out of a Western. But the gunfire,” he stalled again as he searched the apartment. “Came from that same window.”
Rain frowned. “So, you up here trying to get a piece of the action?”
Smitty, a bit more relaxed, chuckled under his breath as he shook his head.
“No, far from that. I’m here to give you a piece of the action.”
Rain and Dayvid both looked at each other perplexed as Smitty continued.
“If I know Brooklyn right, the dumb son of a bitch broke the drug dealer’s code to never shit where you eat. In other words, never keep your drugs and money together in the same place. This leads me to why I’m here in the first place.” Smitty allowed them time to let his words sink in. “If my guess was right, y’all came out with both a gang of loot and an ample amount of grade A heroin.” Again, he allowed his words to linger. “Now, I don’t doubt smart and talented young people like you don’t know what to do with the cash, that’s none of my concern, but the drugs however can get a bit complicated. It’s a dirty game, I don’t deal in it myself, however I am connected enough to know how to make a huge profit off of it by selling it in bulk, in one shot. And that…..” He smiled, and flashed a hint of gold. “Depending on the amount of bricks you got, will make the cash you came off with look like chump change.”
“So, you expect us to just trust you and give you our stash and wait for you to come back and pay us our money?” Rain asked.
“Hell, no.” Smitty gasped. “Never trust nobody, unless they family who is willing to give up their life for you as easily as they would do the same for you.”
A bit more at eased by his presence; he spoke language they both could understand.
“You don’t know me from a hole in the wall, and I fully expect you not to trust me. Anybody I do business with is just that…. Business! And I only do square business which is why I’m still around today. I’ve done business with the worst of the worst killers, hustlers and straight up thieves. You got to know how to move around in a room full of snakes and wolves.”
Dayvid nodded, but asked. “All that sounds good but you didn’t answer our question. Why should we trust you?”
Smitty got down to business again. “Like I said, I don’t expect you to trust me and to show you how I play…..” He suddenly tossed both hands in the air and asked. “You mind if I reach inside my jacket pocket?”
“Just do it slow partner.” said Dayvid.
Smitty slowly reached inside his blazer and pulled out what looked like an overstuffed, long yellow folded envelope and tossed it on the coffee table that stood between them. Smitty smiled while crossing his legs, adjusted himself comfortably back on the sofa.
“Go ahead, open it.” he urged.
Rain picked up the envelope, ripped it open and looked inside. She then opened wide enough for her brother to see. In a smug, cool kind of way, he reiterated. “That’s twenty thousand dollars. All in hundred dollar bills and it’s more where that comes from if that’s not enough to show good faith.”
As if they could read each other’s minds, Rain looked at Dayvid for his reaction, then asked calm and deliberate.
“What are the terms ‘if’ we decided to fuck with you?” It was no denying Smitty really respected their temperament for them to be so young. He realized at that moment, he was not dealing with the typical teenagers. They had two brains and four eyes, which made them a deadly combination.
“We go fifty/fifty straight down the middle on everything. Right down to the last dollar.” He negotiated.
As expected, Rain and Dayvid both showed no reaction and stared silently in his eyes until Rain countered.
“Seventy-five, twenty-five.”
Smitty repositioned himself in his seat and shook his head in displeasure. “No way, I’m the one taking all the risks here. We can go sixty-forty, but that’s the lowest I’ll go.”
Dayvid and Rain looked at each other. They developed a skill long ago to read each other and stood to their feet in unison, as Rain extended out her arm to hand him his money back. Smitty looked at them as if they were aliens. Smitty was well skilled in the art of the street game and hustle. He took pride in being able to read a person and seek out their weaknesses; that’s how he kept his advantage and his reputation. But never in his life had he met a person so unreadable and as young as the two that stood before him. Smitty’s impulse and slighted pride told him to walk away to see if they would fold under pressure, but the deal was still a sweet one and could only gain, so he hesitated and swallowed his ego. Rain and Dayvid watched the older player’s shoulders collapse, and knew they had him. He raised his hands in surrender and relented, “Okay, you got it. I’ll take the twenty-five.”
* * *
Rain and Dayvid knew better to establish the upper position and to stand their ground in any negotiation, especially the very first dealings with an outsider. The very moment the man named Smitty told them that what they had stashed in the closet was heroin, he became worthless to them because they didn’t know what they had in the first place, cocaine or heroin. Knowing that, they had no problem holding on to it as long as needed because they would’ve eventually found a connection or a buyer, and would’ve just waited it out. They weren’t desperate or pressed for money. But since the offer presented itself, it was just icing on the cake.
But, in spite of it all, the way it came to fruition left a bad taste in both their mouths. Their Aunt Nanny left them vulnerable and jeopardized the safety of their entire family by allowing a man they did not know into their home without letting them know first. They would have to check their aunt on it.
CHAPTER 8
SMITTY DELIVERED and came through as promised three days after Rain and Dayvid handed him the four kilos of heroin. He explained to them that he was going out of town to Delaware to sell them to a connect all in one shot.
“Never sell your stolen product in the same town or city you copped it from. The world is smaller than one thinks,” he schooled.
He was square with them
and let them know beforehand that a kilo of heroin could go for as much as $100,000 – 125,000 a key, but it would take time to find the right buyer— one he trusted enough to keep their mouth shut. So instead, he suggested lowering the price for a quick sale: $75,000 a key. No questions asked, Rain and Dayvid agreed. Two hundred and twenty five thousand to the Porters; seventy-five grand to Smitty. That one profitable deal proved to be the start of bigger and better things for both parties future to come.
After all business was done and over with, everyone was happy and satisfied when he dropped off their share.
“Take a portion of that money and buy a house far away from here. West Baltimore is the devil’s playground, and if any of these animals get a whiff of opportunity that you got something, they gonna come after it with their fangs out.” he said seriously. “Stay close to the ghetto, but never make your home in the ghetto. Never shit where you eat.”
They all agreed that he was right and nodded. Just as they said their last goodbyes Smitty stopped short and said with a sly, cunning grin across his face. “I like both y’all styles. You’re smart and very sharp and got good natural instincts.”
Smitty stressed with sincere and genuine enthusiasm. “It may come a day I can show you what I really do for a living and it will make that money you got in that bag look like chump change.”
They both smiled because that seemed to be his tag line.
“I just need y’all to grow a few more inches.” He winked at them and exited the apartment.
CHAPTER 9
RAIN AWAKENED FROM HER SLEEP in a cold sweat. Fingers wrapped around her gun, she batted her eyes, blinking rapidly, clueless to the foreign dark setting. Finally, after a few moments, she remembered. Sweat wiped from her brow, she dropped the pistol on the other side of the bed. She searched around for her cell phone and looked at the time realizing that she had only slept for two hours.
It was five thirty six in the morning and still too early to make moves. She sat with indifference, mind still in a whirl about the arrest of her brother and sisters, and the death of her beloved lover Laura. It was all too much to deal with at one time, so she got up and walked over to her dresser and opened the top drawer. She reached in and pulled out an old cigar box and lifted it open. She was relieved to see she still had a stash left to mellow her out. She picked it up and untied the plastic bag and took a quick whiff. It still reeked potent. Picking up one of the cigars, she was not as fortunate because it was way past its freshness date and turned stale. Luckily for her, she also had a weed pipe and took the entire pile over to her bed, clearing away all the guns and money she had scattered about and settled in to smoke. The sensation of the thick cloud of cannabis she inhaled worked instantly. It was just what she needed to clear her head and plot her next moves.
Content and far more relaxed, she looked over at her old book shelf, got up and began searching through them until she found the two books she was looking for and walked back to her bed and sat down. In the past, when she needed inspiration, she went to the two books that she could always rely on: The Art of War by Sun Tzu and The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. She started with The Art of War first and opened it and read the title of chapter 1: LAYING PLANS.
CHAPTER 10
As Rain was gearing up to leave the apartment, Miss Jackie sat at the kitchen table, smoking a cigarette, while watching the morning news. In a voice calm and steady, she said without as much as a glance in Rain’s direction, “you know them people looking for you— you and your sisters and brother. Y’all all over the news.”
“Yeah, I’m on it.” Rain said with her head down.
She watched Miss Jackie take a pull from her cigarette and a sip of coffee nonchalantly, as if she had no worries in the world. Miss Jackie aging badly, Rain thought, but because of years of drug abuse, was still sharp as a tack, and still hipped to the streets reminded her.
“You know it’s just a matter of time before they come up in here looking for you. A lot of rats from Baltimore on the feds payroll.”
Well aware of the rampant snitching on the streets, Rain knew from the experience of the downfall of many of Baltimore’s street legends, no matter how powerful or dangerous they were, history proved that they weren’t above getting snitched on.
“Anything in the back you want me to get rid of? Just in case you can’t make it back in time, so they can’t use it against you.”
Rain knew that Miss Jackie was aware of all her booby traps, cash, and guns she had stashed in the room and simply answered, “It’s all good now; I’m taking everything with me.”
Miss Jackie simply mumbled. “Um, hum.”
Rain looked at her watch, it was almost seven. “Oh, I left about fifty in a brown bag on top of my bed. It’s for whatever.”
Rain stared at the old woman with envy. She had to respect her because after all these years she remained loyal and honest, even unmoved by the fact that she left her $50,000 tax free dollars to do with as she pleased. Not a further word was exchanged as Rain headed for the door.
“You still go to that spot during the week, just in case I need to get at you?” Rain asked.
“Monday, Wednesday, and Friday’s at seven.”
Rain nodded and walked out the door.
* * *
Since Rain’s lawyer’s office was located in McLean, Virginia— about an hour’s drive away from Baltimore, she needed to hide her identity and do a complete major makeover. She needed to look like a woman, instead of the stud she was and stopped off at Tyson Galleria Mall. She had her selection of choice clothing from stores such as Macy’s, Saks Fifth Ave or Niemen Marcus. She also made a mental note to make her last stop at MAC to get a concealer to hide her dead giveaway tattoos under her eye and on her neck.
Rain exited the mall three hours later, looking and feeling like a totally different person and she felt entirely and highly uncomfortable and hated the feeling. She purchased a weeks’ worth of clothing, shoes, and accessories. It took her longer than expected because she had to have braids that she wore forever taken out at the hair salon—washed, set and styled. To the average person’s eye they’d have to take a second look because Rain had always been a dead ringer for singer Alicia Keys, but with her sudden glam-over, it was even more prevalent. She was naturally gorgeous.
* * *
Rain had called ahead to let her lawyer, Mr. Morganstein, know she would be meeting with him that day. This would be only her second time in three years meeting him face to face. She had him on retainer ever since. She had given him information to check out about the status of Dayvid, Fallon and Autumn. When she arrived at his office, he welcomed her in immediately.
“Miss Porter. Glad to see you again.” Wearing dark Chanel shades, Rain took his hand into hers and shook it. “Come right into my office.”
Dressed in a blue pinstripe Armani suit, he smelled like success and money to Rain, not to mention being an expert at the federal criminal code. Money spent well, she thought. He showed Rain a seat and got straight down to business. Mr. Morganstein made room on his large desk for all the Porter folders and documents. Then he read aloud with a clear and dramatic voice.
“The court document shows that your brother and sisters: Dayvid Porter, Autumn Porter and Fallon Porter, have all been charged in federal district court all on a 54 count violation title18 of U.S. Code § 2113 conspiring to commit federal bank robbery—very serious charges.” he added.
Rain let out a terrible gasp while clutching her mouth with her hand. He tossed the paperwork down on his desk and told her the rest.
“Miss Porter, your name is included in the indictment as a co-conspirator also and you are now a fugitive and just put on America’s Most Wanted List.”
They spoke for nearly another thirty minutes of nothing but bad news. The entire situation was grim. Mr. Morganstein cleared his throat and said.
“Miss Porter, I also did the investigation you asked about on the death of….” He adjusted his eyes on the not
epad he had in front of him and continued “…. A Laura Alverez… It appears that she was murdered. Not much information found, but according to police records, you are their prime suspect. I’m sorry.”
Rain turned her attention towards him, as a lump grew in her throat. She closed her eyes and asked in an almost illegible whisper. “How was she killed?”
Mr. Morganstein rubbed is eyes and took a deep breath. “According to the coroner’s report, she died from deep knife incision wounds from her vagina, torso, and abdomen and up to the lung cavity.”
Rain sat paralyzed as Mr. Morganstein sadly continued. “They found some minor evidence, but not sure if it has anything to do with the crime scene.” Rain bowed her head and tears spilled out of her eyes, dropping to the table. Morganstein passed her the box of tissues, as he looked upon her with compassion and waited her out.
After several minutes of absolute silence, Mr. Morganstein softly asked, “Could I get you something to drink Miss Porter? Perhaps some water?”
Her mind was scrambled. Who? Who would do this to her? She thought long and hard. Rain inhaled deeply to try to shake it off then shook her head. She lifted her new bag off the floor, unzipped and removed a thick wad of money, handing him ten thousand dollars. She wiped the dribble of tears that already fell from her eyes. She exhaled, stood up and thanked him for his time. He handed her the court docket for each sibling date and time to appear at their first court appearance and location.
Just as she was about to leave, he assured. “Oh, Ms. Porter.”
Rain turned to face him, glared at him through eyes tainted pink with tears.
“You are my client, and under the law we have a client, attorney privilege. What was discussed will never leave here. I am here for you for whatever you need and if I hear anything, I’ll have my secretary contact you, I have your number.”
The Circle: Rain's Story Page 5