Black Karma

by Thatcher Robinson

  “Don’t be thanking me yet. There’s a good chance Hector and his boys will laugh in your face. Or worse, they won’t think you’re funny at all.”

  “Leave it to me. I’m good at motivating people to do the right thing.”

  Shaking his head, he was clearly unconvinced by her optimism. He stood. “I’ll go with you to meet him. If things get ugly, let me handle it. Don’t get in his face. These boys don’t like sassy women.”

  Standing to face him, she replied with a smile, “I’ll try to stifle my natural tendencies.”

  He seemed to look inward. “I’ll never forget that woman down in Texas. Lord, but she was a handful of trouble.” He smiled and shook his head. “I guess I’m just a sucker for sassy women.”

  An hour later, they sat in a booth at a diner that looked like a throwback to an earlier era. Chipped tabletops of red Formica and seats upholstered in black tuck-and-roll Naugahyde made up the decor. The smell of cumin and fried pork infused the warm air, while conversations ricocheted in rapid-fire Spanish.

  Boobs ordered a Tecate con limo. Bai ordered the same and sipped the brew while they waited. They’d almost finished their cervezas when four large Latino males strolled into the café. Three of them took stools at the counter up front where they could watch the door. The fourth man sauntered back to stand next to their booth. He wore a red and white 49ers jersey with “14” displayed front and back. The tails of his shirt hung over black jeans cuffed over black work boots. Black-rimmed, dark shades covered his eyes. He wore his long black hair slicked back.

  “Ese! You lookin’ good, Boobs,” the big man said as he stood in the aisle with his legs splayed and his thumbs hooked in the front pockets of his jeans.

  Skittish, the patrons of the café slipped one by one out the door. Bai watched them go with interest. Not one of them made eye contact. They kept their heads down like racing turtles.

  “Have a seat, Hector,” Boobs said, gesturing at the empty bench across from them. “We have some business to discuss.”

  The man smiled but didn’t sit. He gestured at Bai. “Who’s your camarada?”

  “My name’s Bai Jiang,” she said. “Please, have a seat.”

  Dropping the smile, he hesitated before sliding into the booth. Bai looked around for the waitress, but she’d disappeared. She suspected the woman wouldn’t reappear until their conversation ended and Hector departed.

  She smiled at Hector. “You don’t seem to be very popular.”

  “Life at the top is lonely, China.”

  “Those of us on the bottom can only imagine.”

  He ignored the comment and looked at Boobs. “What’s this all about?”

  Boobs tipped his head at Bai. “This is her rodeo.”

  She tilted her head in acknowledgment. “I wanted to know why the Norteños are interested in Inspector Kelly of the SFPD and why they’re having him followed.”

  The man stared at her behind his dark shades. “Don’t know what you’re talkin’ bout, China.”

  “Rafe is having a young woman—a girl, really—follow him. I know because I’ve had Kelly under surveillance. He’s been investigating the SOMA shootout from earlier this week where two of your soldiers were killed.”

  Mention of the drug exchange managed to get Hector’s attention. He leaned over the table and removed his sunglasses, his brown eyes bright with interest. “You speakin’ true, China?”

  “I have no reason to lie.”

  He looked aside at one of the men sitting at the counter. “Call Rafe and tell him to bring his little ruka over here. I wanna talk to them.”

  The underling made a call. Hector got up from the booth to walk behind the counter and find a cold beer. He rejoined them in the booth, where they sat and drank.

  “You know anything else?” he asked while they waited for Rafe’s arrival.

  “I know a lot of things,” she replied. “You help me, and I’ll help you.”

  He didn’t look convinced that helping her was a good idea and frowned at her proposal. Rafe walked through the front door with the girl trailing him like a whipped puppy. They walked over to stand next to the booth.

  Hector looked up at him. “This mujer,” he nodded at Bai, addressing her with more respect, “says you’re havin’ your ruka follow a cop. Why?”

  Rafe seemed taken off guard. His face looked as if he were suddenly constipated. After a long silence, he replied, “Bitch be lyin’.”

  Hector looked up at him and laughed. “Vato loco! It took you that long to come up with ‘she’s lyin’?” He shook his head. “You gotta learn to lie better, bro. That was terrible, man. You feel me?”

  The men at the bar smiled. The girl kept her head down. Bai worked hard at keeping a straight face while Rafe stared at her with unconcealed hatred.

  The smile disappeared from Hector’s face. “Jet home, Rafe. I’ll be by in a few. We’ll talk.”

  Rafe looked around for some means of refusing the order but couldn’t find anyone to back him up. Obviously angered, he grabbed the girl by the arm and turned to leave.

  “Chica stays,” Hector ordered.

  Rafe turned. “She’s mine.”

  “La ruka Norteños,” Hector said tersely. “She stays.”

  Rafe stared at Hector defiantly before turning to storm out of the café. When he’d left, Hector addressed the girl. “Tell me everything you know about this cop and why you’re watching him.”

  “Rafe didn’t say why. He just said to follow the fat popo to see where he goes. He said to see if he met anybody.”

  “Did he?” Hector asked.

  “Her,” the girl said, pointing at Bai.

  Hector turned to Bai with a look of interest. “What’s this cop want from you?”

  “What will you give me if I tell you?”

  He didn’t look pleased with her answer. “Maybe I’ll let you walk out of here. Yo controzzo con sotoas.”

  His claim of owning the neighborhood didn’t faze her. “You couldn’t stop me if I wanted to leave.”

  Her hand flicked, and her knife embedded itself in the upholstered bench a fraction of an inch from his ear. He ducked, after the fact, while his boys started to rise from their stools. When he looked aside at the knife and realized what had happened, he put up a hand to forestall his men.

  “It’s all right.” He straightened upright to fix Bai with a scowl. “China was just making a point.” He nodded solemnly. “I probably should have asked first, but who are you, China?”

  “My grandfather was Shan Chu of Sun Yee On triad, the head of the dragon. I’m what the FBI refers to as a ‘criminal affiliate.’ I’ve always thought the label was a little harsh.”

  He sat back into the cushions of the booth to study her. He seemed conflicted. “You disappoint me, China. I thought we were going to click up.”

  “We can still be friends, Hector. I think you’ll find I can be a very good friend. I’ll give you what you want if you give me the girl.”

  “Why do you want the chica?”

  “I collect strays.”

  He smiled and pondered her proposal. “Don’t we all?” he finally said. “The problem I got with givin’ you the chica is it will look like I sold one of my own people.”

  “You’re selling a girl, Hector. This is just business.”

  He thought some more as he rubbed his chin with his hand. Finally, he nodded slowly; the deal was struck.

  Chapter 17

  Hector listened carefully as Bai outlined the events leading up to their meeting. He appeared especially interested when she told him about Daniel Chen.

  “Do you know Daniel Chen?” she asked.

  Hector shook his head. “No. I don’t know anything about any Chino stealing our feria and chiva.”

  “Did you know two of your men were found dead in Daniel Chen’s office?”

  “I know two of my boys got wasted in Berkeley. You think this Chen guy did ’em?”

  “I’m not sure. If you don’t know
Daniel Chen, what were your men doing in Berkeley?”

  Hector rubbed his chin and looked at the three men sitting up front at the counter. His eyes narrowed as he answered. “I don’t know, China.”

  His expression suggested he was troubled by how little he knew. Boobs watched and listened attentively but didn’t join in their conversation.

  “So, you talked to this Chen.” Hector said. “What did he say?”

  “According to Chen, he had nothing to do with the rip-off.”

  “You believe him?

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure who or what to believe.”

  Hector seemed to consider her answer. “Then why are the cops looking for him?”

  “I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to find out.”

  Hector turned aside to the girl, who remained standing next to the table. She seemed to be doing everything in her power to make herself invisible. “You know anything, chica?”

  Refusing to make eye contact, the girl kept her gaze directed at the floor as she responded with a quick negative flick of her head.

  Hector turned to stare at Bai and asked pointedly about his money and heroin, “Since we’re vatos now, you gonna let me know you find my feria or my chiva, right?”

  “What are vatos for?” she replied with a smile.

  Scowling, he looked over at his boys and nodded. They stood as he extricated himself from the booth. As he walked past the girl, she tried to follow him. He turned on her. “Quedar!”

  She shook her head. He raised a hand as if to strike her, silencing her argument as she ducked away. With a sour look of exasperation, he dropped his hand slowly before turning to walk out of the café.

  The girl stared after him as the door closed, then turned to Bai. “What have you done?”

  Bai ignored her outburst. “What’s your name?”

  The girl appeared momentarily at a loss. When she answered, she sounded defeated. “Alicia Lopez.” She gave her name the Spanish pronunciation, “Aleeceea.”

  Bai found the sound graceful and pleasing to the ear. “Do you have any family, Alicia?”

  “Not anymore. They were my family.”

  “The Norteños were never your family. They just showed you they don’t give a shit about you. I do give a shit about you,” Bai assured her.

  “Why? What do you want?”

  “I’m not sure myself,” she confessed. “For now, I want to go home. Would you like to go with me?”

  “Chingate!” the girl said vehemently.

  While Bai contemplated an appropriate response to being told to fuck off, Boobs stood. “It would probably be better to have this discussion elsewhere.”

  Nodding in agreement and getting out of the booth, Bai stopped to retrieve her knife and lay a hundred-dollar bill on the counter to cover the Naugahyde repair. As they stepped out the door, Bai noticed Rafe standing across the street staring at them. He pantomimed holding a gun, his index finger pointing at Bai. He dropped his thumb before turning to walk around the corner.

  “What’s that all about?” Boobs asked.

  “Rafe likes to shoot me with his finger,” Bai explained. “It seems to be the only weapon in his arsenal. His dick and his brain are too small to be dangerous.”

  Alicia laughed, a sign Bai viewed as promising. Laughter was better than cursing or tears. Before she could comment on the observation, her phone rang.

  Elizabeth spoke excitedly. “Lee’s been shot! He’s been taken to San Francisco General.”

  Bai’s heart plummeted. “How did it happen?”

  “I don’t know,” Elizabeth said. “The hospital found our contact information in his wallet and called to say he was being taken into surgery. I can’t leave. The girls aren’t back from school yet. Go to him, Bai.”

  “I’m on my way.” She turned to Boobs. “I have to leave. Lee’s been shot. Alicia, you’re with me,” she commanded. “Stay close.”

  “Is he all right?” Boobs asked.

  “I’ll let you know when I know,” she replied hurriedly, stepping to the curb to hail a passing taxi.

  When the taxi stopped, she grabbed Alicia by the hand to urge her into the cab. The girl looked confused but complied. After giving the cabbie instructions, Bai leaned back anxiously. It wasn’t until Alicia tried to remove her hand that Bai realized she still clung to the girl.

  “Who’s Lee?” Alicia asked.

  “My friend. My family.”

  The girl looked confused. “Which is it—friend or family?”

  “Both. There’s an inane saying: ‘you can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your family.’ I pick my family.” She looked at the girl. “I picked him. And, I picked you.”

  “What does ‘inane’ mean?”

  “It means stupid.”

  “What if I don’t want to be your family?”

  “That’s your choice. But if I were you, I wouldn’t be too quick to judge. Stick around for a while. You might decide you like it.”

  “I’m not Chinese,” Alicia stated.

  “Really? I hadn’t noticed.”

  The girl looked away. Bai picked up her phone to call Jason. She feared he’d still be in transit. He picked up on the third ring and started talking before she could say anything. “I’m just going through customs. I’ll be back in the city within the hour.”

  “Lee’s been shot. I don’t know his condition. I’m on my way to San Francisco General.”

  “I’ll meet you there,” he said and ended the call.

  She dialed again, this time to the hospital’s information desk to find the surgical floor where Lee had been taken. He was on the fifth floor, north wing, but they couldn’t tell her anything of his condition. They didn’t know. She stared at the phone as her stomach churned.

  “Mia padre got deuced a year ago,” Alicia said in a soft voice. “He was tecato. When Bai stared at her she explained, “He liked to shoot heroin. A Sureño capped him while he was slinging rock to support his habit. The cops let him lie in the street for hours while they picked up the shell casings and took pictures. They treated him like shit. I guess maybe he was.”

  “Did he claim Norteño?”

  Alicia nodded. “Um.” She seemed to reflect. “He wasn’t all that. But after he was gone, no one protected me. My mother ran away when I was little. My father’s asshole friends passed me around and used me until Rafe claimed me. He kept the others off of me, but he wasn’t any better. He’s hard, likes to hit.” She looked at Bai. “I’m a whore. I’m not the kind of person you want for family.”

  “People are more than their history, Alicia. I got pregnant at seventeen, and I’m still not married. Some think I’m trash, though they’re afraid to say it to my face. You can’t let other people decide your worth. Stay with me, at least for a while. Take some time to find out who you are. I’m offering you sanctuary. Take it.”

  Alicia stared into her eyes before shrugging and turning away. The girl snuffled and dug into her purse, leading Bai to believe she’d been moved to tears. Instead, she brought out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

  Bai reached around and grabbed the pack away from her. “Sorry to act like your mother, but that’s part of the package. You can smoke when you’re eighteen if you still want to. Until then, you’re going back to being a teenager.”

  Before Alicia could respond, the cab pulled to the curb in front of the hospital entrance. Bai paid the cabbie and opened the door. Looking glum, the girl followed her out of the cab. Bai had enough experience with teenagers to know the battle of wills had only just begun, but she had more important issues to deal with. Thoughts of Lee consumed her.

  They walked through sliding glass doors to the hospital lobby. Patients and visitors packed the hallways leading to the elevators. Cramming into a crowded lift, they proceeded up to the fifth floor, which had been split into four wards. Each had its own waiting room, imaginatively designated by its geographical location: East, West, North, and South.

  With a relu
ctant teenager in tow, Bai made her way to the nurse’s station in the north quadrant of the building, where she identified herself as Lee’s sister. A harried-looking nurse informed her Lee hadn’t come out of surgery, and they had no way of predicting how long he’d remain there. His condition had been listed as serious with multiple gunshot wounds. Bai would be paged as soon as the surgery ended or when they had more information.

  She turned to Alicia. “Have you eaten today?”

  “This morning,” the girl replied without enthusiasm.

  Bai pulled a roll of hundred-dollar bills out of her pocket and pressed one into Alicia’s hand. “There has to be a cafeteria in the building somewhere. Get yourself something to eat and bring me back a black coffee when you’re finished. I’ll wait here.”

  Alicia looked at the bill then at Bai. “Are you rich?”

  “Yes,” she said. “It just so happens I am.”

  The girl seemed to reflect for a moment then smiled with a look of glee. “Boo ya!”

  “Yeah, ‘boo ya!’ Now, go get yourself something to eat. And buy some nicotine patches if you think you’re going to need them.”

  Frowning, Alicia turned around to wave the hundred-dollar bill over her shoulder in reply.

  Bai found an unoccupied chair in the waiting room next to a rotund man with skinny legs. He wore red shorts and matching suspenders over a bright-yellow shirt. His attire led her to believe he was either color-blind or unusually festive.

  The gentleman’s head bobbed in greeting as she took her seat. Tears brimmed, then overflowed slowly from his eyes. She looked away, giving him privacy.

  Left to her thoughts, she carefully put all of her emotions into a box and closed the lid. Until she could come to terms with Lee’s injuries without completely losing it, her feelings would stay locked away. The thought of losing him terrified her. The thought he might die because of her insatiable curiosity filled her with contempt and remorse. Why couldn’t she mind her own business?

  Chapter 18

  “My name is Larry Boil,” said the plump man in the colorful clothing.

  “Bai Jiang,” she replied as she suffered a limp, damp handshake.