The Reign of Rain Robinson

by Roy Glenn

  “You’re absolutely right. She has plenty of money to take.” Carla was seated in front of Rain’s desk and had set up her laptops on it. “Hey, Black; hey Bobby.”

  “What up, Carla?”

  “How you doing, Carla?” Black asked, sitting down on the couch and Bobby sat next to him.

  “I’m doing fine,” she said as Rain sat at her desk.

  “What you got for us, Carla?” Black asked.

  “Yeah, show us that voodoo … that you do,” Bobby said and smiled at Carla.

  “Like I said, she had plenty of money. She works for a company called Trend Source Qualtrics, as a market research analyst and she earns a high six-figure salary there. She also has money that came from her father,” Carla said and pointed to the screen. “Robert had an impressive legitimate investment portfolio when he died, and she inherited it all. With her knowledge of the markets, she’s invested her money well over the years.” Carla paused. “On paper, Rona King’s net worth is just over twelve million dollars.”

  “Damn,” Bobby said.

  “So she has the money and she’s smart enough to have orchestrated it,” Black commented.

  “Definitely, on both counts,” Carla said. “So, the answer to the question of whether she could have afforded to back Mobley, Barnes and Hawkins, is yes. But from what I could tell, she was not involved in it in any way.”

  “What!” Rain leaned forward quickly and said.

  AD’s face appeared on the screen. “Everything that I found leads to her father’s old right-hand man,” Carla said as a detailed report came up on the other screen. “His name is Andrew Davion; he worked for Robert for years.”

  Black held up his hand. “We all know who AD is, Carla. Continue.”

  “After Rona buried her father and brother and went back to California, and Sonny Hill was killed, AD began running what sunshine there left of the King’s illegal businesses. According to the phone and financial records that I’ve been able to obtain and review, Rona King has little or no contact with AD or anybody that is involved in what is now AD’s business,” Carla concluded with a smile. “But, that doesn’t mean that I’m not all set up and ready to take her money anytime you say.”

  “Thank you, Carla,” Black said.

  “Voodoo,” Bobby said nodding his head.

  “Is there anything else that you need from me?”

  “That’s it, Carla. You can go,” Rain said, and she began closing up her hardware to leave.

  “Good night, everybody,” she said on her way to the door.

  “Good night, voodoo,” Bobby said.

  “Good night, Carla and thank you for coming out so late,” Black said and walked her to the door.

  “I still say that she is behind this,” Rain said as soon as Black closed the door behind Carla.

  “I agree with you,” Black said as he reclaimed his seat.

  “You do?”

  “Yeah, I know AD. He’s too stupid to outfight us. No.” Black shook his head. “Even if it ain’t Rona, it definitely ain’t him.”

  “Robert thought, so AD didn’t have to,” Bobby said.

  “Exactly. If he’s the quarterback in this operation, somebody else is in his ear calling the plays,” Black said.

  “So, what do you wanna do?” Rain asked.

  “Kill him,” Black said bluntly. “Since all the evidence points to AD and his contact with them, kill him.” He stood up and walked to the bar. “And then I want you to be patient.”

  “Yes, sir,” Rain saluted because she was a soldier. She would follow orders, but she was sure it was Rona behind it and would have preferred that Black have ordered her assassination. “Yarissa!” she yelled and a few seconds later, she came in the office.

  “Intercom.”

  “Jackie’s in the club. Send somebody to find her. I need to see her,” Rain ordered.

  While they waited for Jackie; Black, Bobby and Rain discussed and decided not to make Judah a captain in spite of what Doc wanted.

  “Tell him he can run Doc’s crew,” Black said. “I don’t care if it was what Doc wanted, there is no fuckin’ way in hell that we’re making Judah a captain.”

  “You think he’s ready to run the crew?” Bobby asked and joined Black at the bar.

  “No, but Richard is. He has been for years,” Black said and poured him a drink. “If he listens, Judah can learn a lot from him.”

  “Richard won’t let Judah get too far out there and do something stupid,” Rain said as Black pushed a glass in front of her.

  “Keeps the crew loyal to you,” Black said and pointed at her. “If you had busted up his crew and made them work for Carter or Jackie, they would have resented you for it and that’s the last thing you need when you’re trying to rebuild. Understand?”

  “This way everybody’s happy,” Bobby said and shot his drink and Black poured him another. “Judah gets to have a piece of Doc’s legacy and his crew stays loyal.”

  “I understand.” Rain paused. “What you wanna do with Ed Weather and the rest of Doc’s businesses?”

  “What do you wanna do?” Black asked as he and Bobby sat down.

  “I don’t think we need to make anybody a captain, not right now, for sure. So what you think about splitting it up between Carter and Jackie?”

  “I think that you’re right,” Black said. “I honestly don’t see anybody I’d pull out the captain’s chair for. Do you, Bob?”

  “Not anymore. Anybody I thought could have stepped up is dead.”

  “Neither do I,” Rain said as Yarrisa knocked on the door and stuck her head in.

  “I have Jackie for you,” she said, and Rain waved her in.

  “Hey, y’all; what’s up?” Jackie said.

  “What do you know about AD and what happened to Robert King’s organization after he died?” Rain asked.

  “And you killed Ronnie?”

  “Yeah, smart ass.”

  “Not much, to be honest with you,” Jackie said, thinking that Rain was ready to start hitting their spots. Because that’s how we do it. “But I’m on it.”

  “I’m out. I’ll take care of AD,” Black said as he and Bobby stood up. He looked at Rain. “Remember, you be patient. Understand?”

  “Understood.”

  When Black, Bobby and Jackie left Rain’s office, she was faced with a dilemma. She was sure, without question, that Rona King was not only involved, Rain was certain that she was the mastermind behind it.

  After all, the bitch really is brilliant.

  But that didn’t change the fact that Rain had to find a way to stop her and put an end to this war.

  Putting that bitch in the ground would have been my first choice.

  But she was a soldier; Mike Black’s loyal soldier, so she would do what he told her to do.

  And then you be patient.

  Being patient, about anything, was never Rain’s strong suit, so not ordering that her people find Rona King so she could kill her was the hardest thing that she had ever had to do. And there in lay the dilemma.

  Go do what I know is the right thing to do, or sit here like a good girl and behave myself?

  The decision was easy.

  “Yarrisa!”

  It took a while this time, but Yarrisa came in the office shaking her head. “I’m not even gonna say it.”

  “Good, ’cause I don’t want to hear that shit. Is Jackie still in the club?”

  “In the lounge with Carter and Baby Chris.”

  “Get them for me,” Rain ordered and Yarrisa rushed off to carry them out.

  While she waited for them, Rain thought about Rona; the friendship they once had, and how it evolved to hatred.

  It wasn’t all that now that I’m thinking about it. She was always more Analisa’s friend.

  All the hate started the day that Rona introduced Rain to her brother, Ronnie and sparks flew immediately between them. It didn’t take long before the two of them were in each other’s face talking that talk. Each one t
empting and taunting the other and before the night was through, Rain had disappeared with Ronnie and she was on her back with her two feet in the air.

  It didn’t happen all at once; it wasn’t like Rain met Ronnie and Rona started hating.

  It wasn’t like that at all.

  First off, it took a little while for Rona to find out. Both Rain and Ronnie being very private people who didn’t like people in their business, felt like it was nobody’s business that they were fucking. That naturally included Rona.

  “That especially means Rona’s nosey ass don’t need to know,” Ronnie used to say. But she knew them both well enough, had spent enough time around the two of them to not notice that there was something going on between them.

  When the office door opened; Jackie, Carter and Baby Chris walked in.

  “Tell me everything you know about Rona King and her operation, Jackie,” Rain said before the door closed. It stopped her in her tracks.

  “I already did,” Jackie said. “Not much.”

  “Well tell me what little you do know,” Rain said through gritted teeth.

  For the next hour, Jackie told Rain everything that she knew about the organization that AD was running. When Rain demanded details, that was where Baby Chris came in. He was Jackie’s eyes and ears.

  As for Carter, he pretty much just sat there and listened as Rain fired off question after question and demanded answers. Jackie had told him what Black said about her being patient, so he wondered if she planned on defying Black’s orders and going after Rona. If Rain did choose that course of action, he would have a dilemma of his own on his hands.

  What am I gonna do?

  Like everybody else, Carter knew it wasn’t a question of if she was going to kill Rona, it was when she was going to kill Rona. When she did, what was he going to do about it?

  The day that Rain made him her consigliere and they both talked about their tempers, he knew then and there that his job was to not let the young boss of The Family get too far out there.

  And defying Black’s orders is definitely too far out there.

  But how do you reign in Rain Robinson?

  “What do you want us to do?” Carter asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing?” Jackie leaned forward and asked.

  “Nothing. Black told me to be patient and that is exactly what we’re going to do.”

  Carter breathed a little easier and Jackie looked disappointed because like Carter, she was sure that Rain was going to go after Rona.

  Jackie had already faced her dilemma and had made a choice to back whatever play Rain made.

  And hope that Black doesn’t kill us both.

  “What about a spot called Bones? They still run that place?” Rain asked.

  It was one of the places that she and Ronnie used to hang out at back in the days when he was trying to impress her. Those days, neither knew what business the other was into and that it was the same business. That didn’t come until later and when it did, it quickly became volatile and dangerous.

  “Yeah, her family still runs that joint. I’ve been there a few times. The ribs are swingin’,” Baby Chris said enthusiastically.

  “They always were,” Rain smiled.

  “But they don’t do any business outta there, drugs I mean. The place is strictly legit.”

  “And that’s where we’re going?” Rain stood up. “Come on.”

  Carter stood up. “What are we going there for?”

  “To have some drinks, eat some ribs, have some fun, and make our presence felt.”

  Jackie smiled. “I like that.”

  She agreed with Rain, I think Rain is right, we need to obliterate the bitch and take everything she owns, and she told Carter as much.

  Carter knew that she was always ripe for a fight, but that was Jackie and that was just who she was.

  “He said be patient, Jackie and that is exactly what we’re gonna do. That means we observe; see how they operate.” Rain thought for a second or two. “Which is exactly what he wants me to do,” she said, knowing Black’s penchant for tests.

  “Huh?” Jackie asked in confusion.

  “Mike Black didn’t just meet me. He knew that I was ready to jump in the ride, kill that bitch and wipe her whole program off the face of the earth.”

  “That was my plan too,” Jackie said.

  “I’m surprised that we’re just sittin here talkin’ about it like it ain’t no big deal,” Baby Chris paused. “It ain’t usually how we do things,” he said, and Carter said nothing.

  “But he told me to be patient. Me? Patient?” Rain smiled, and everybody laughed a nervous laugh because they didn’t know where she was going. “In times like this, when I’m not sure of what to do, I always ask myself,” she raised one finger. “What would Mike Black do?”

  Rain looked around the room.

  “What would that nigga do?” Rain asked and looked around the room. “Anybody?” she asked and then answered her somewhat rhetorical question. “He would spend that time finding out everything that he could about them so when the time came to wipe her whole program off the face of the earth, he’d know where to hit them, when to hit them and how to hit them to cause the most damage. And that’s exactly what we’re gonna do,” Rain said knowing, without question, that she still had so much more to learn from the real Boss of The Family that it wasn’t even funny.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Do what I know is the right thing to do and be a good girl and behave myself.

  Rain looked at Carter. She knew when he stood up and asked, what are we going there for, that he planned to oppose her if she went against Black’s wishes. She expected no less from him.

  Baby Chris had shown that he was completely loyal to Rain when he went to jail for her. And Jackie’s loyalty had never been in question, and add to that, her desire to avenge the people she had lost, so they would follow Rain to the ends of the earth.

  But not Carter.

  Rain never told him or anybody else for that matter, but she remembered him from when he used to gamble at her father’s old spot. Carter Garrison had been a loyal member of this family since she was a little girl. He had done time for Black and that’s where his loyalties lay. Rain was good with that because that’s where her loyalties lay as well.

  “Anybody got any objections?” Rain asked, still looking at Carter.

  “I’m good with that,” Carter said, Jackie and Baby Chris nodded their heads in agreement.

  “Then what y’all still sitting down for?” Rain barked, and Jackie and Baby Chris bounced to their feet. “Let’s go.”

  On the way to Bones, a place that she hadn’t been in years, Rain was lost in her memories of the days when she was in love with Ronnie, or at least she thought she was. He was twenty-five, she was nineteen and Rain was wide open for him. Once he found out that Rain was dealing in defiance of her father’s wishes, she became his ride or die chick, which was the best and worst thing that could have happened to her.

  “One thing I’ll say for him,” Black told her when they first started working together. “He turned you into a soldier. Too fuckin’ bad that every fuckin’ thing he taught you was wrong. He wanted a soldier with no honor at all and loyalty only to him.” Black laughed. “That’s why he went to jail and you’re with me.”

  It always made her think of who she was when her father first introduced her to Nick. Those days, Rain was into everything and it was all bad. She was wild and had no discipline, she was a lying, cheating, backstabber that nobody trusted. She used Nick to settle her personal scores the first day they met. She had come a long way from there, but she knew that she still had a lot to learn.

  She had learned a lot over the years. The time that Rain spent with Nick, the time Rain spent in love with Nick was the best and worst time of her life. Nick being who he was and Rain being stupid in love was hard for her to deal with. There were many times that she wanted to kill Wanda. She did end up killing Tasheka, but only when
she was ordered. Mercedes liked to fuck with her about her relationship with Nick, so Rain definitely wanted to put a bullet in her brain.

  But one of the most important things that Rain learned from Nick was discipline, and with that newfound discipline came reason.

  Killing Wanda, because Wanda is, after all, Wanda, would have brought the whole family down on her. She probably would have gotten away with killing Mercedes, but since she was in the moneymaking end of the business, it would have cost her. Not just in terms of money, but it would have cost her respect as well.

  At the time, Mercedes was a dancer for Cynt, so Rain would have been required to compensate her for her future earning potential. And killing a dancer over a man would have cost her the respect that she was working so hard to earn and it just wasn’t worth it. Therefore, killing Danielle was definitely not happening because again, it just wasn’t worth it.

  Nick may have made her a disciplined soldier, but it was Wanda that taught her about power and how to wield that power to achieve the objectives that she had undertaken. Despite what some might consider the disastrous effects of Wanda’s time in power, she was a master at effectively wielding that power and with Rain’s help, accomplished everything that she set out to accomplish for The Family. Even Black had to grudgingly agree that had she not taken the steps that she had when she did, that they would have been in a worse position than they already were at the time.

  It was after her time with Wanda that she began working with Black. Rain remembered him from her childhood too and remembered being in awe of him. The respect and admiration that her father had for him seemed to be instilled in her. Rain also remembered being scared to death of him and with good reason.

  Give me one reason why Bobby shouldn’t shoot you right now?

  It was a night that she’d never forget. In the office alone with Black and Bobby, his gun was pointed at Rain’s head and nobody was getting past Monika guarding the door. Rain remembered thinking, The cavalry ain’t comin’ to save my ass this time.

  Rain would never forget that night, not just because she could have died, because that night was her first step on the path she was currently on. Black took the discipline that she had learned from Nick and the understanding of power and purpose that she learned from Wanda and turned her into the woman that she was today. Rain sometimes stopped to wonder if Black knew then that he was going to make her underboss of The Family?