The Black Market

by Kiki Swinson

  “And how long do you want me to do that?”

  “For as long as we need you to.”

  “Well, this is not gonna happen because I just got a new job. And I start working there next week,” I explained to them.

  “You’re gonna have to call them and tell them that you cannot take the job.”

  “I’m not doing that. Do you know how bad that would look for me? I don’t want to work with Sanjay and his brother anymore after this week. I’m ready to get out of there. That place stresses me out,” I started complaining. “Do you know that Sanjay and his brother both got smacked around with guns at the store a few days ago? That shit scared me to death. You want me to still work in that environment? What if those guys come back and pistol-whip me too? Are you gonna run in there and save me? Fuck no! You didn’t save them, so I know you wouldn’t run into the pharmacy and save me,” I continued while my heart rate exploded.

  “Those guys that smacked Sanjay and his brother around are part of a mafia in the District of Columbia.”

  “Wait, did you just say mafia?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “So, you want me to help you bring down Sanjay and his brother and possibly those two guys that are in a mafia? Are you out of your fucking mind?” I roared. These two idiots standing in front of me had some nerve asking me to help them bring down my boss, his brother, and possibly some guys from a mafia in DC. Those badge-wearing motherfuckers sounded like they were on drugs. I refused to help them with their case.

  “It’s either help us with our investigation or we will charge you with stealing the bottle of Percocet and you’ll serve three to five years in federal prison.”

  I panicked at their accusation. I didn’t know what kind of evidence they had on me, and I didn’t want to find out. “Tell me you are kidding? You will charge me with prescription drug theft because I don’t want to help you?”

  “Yes, that’s exactly right. We lock up those who commit crimes. And you committed a crime when you stole the prescription drugs.”

  “So why didn’t you arrest me then? Why wait until right now? Because you know this is bullshit!”

  “Listen, Misty, we know you’re upset right now because we’re throwing all of this on you at one time. So here, take my card and give me a call by tomorrow. At that time, I’m gonna need to know where you stand in this investigation. If you decide that you aren’t going to help us, then clean out your house, because we’re going to bring charges against you,” he said and then he walked away.

  I watched both DEA agents as they walked toward their black Yukon SUV. I wanted to scream in the air as loud as I could, but I knew it wouldn’t help me in this situation. I had to admit that I fucked up my life over some damn prescription drugs. So, what was I gonna do now?

  When I went back to work, I found Amir helping one of our regular customers. He didn’t say hi to me when I came back into the pharmacy and I didn’t care. The customer said hi though. After I greeted him, I put my things away and went back to work. What’s so crazy is that those knots I had in my stomach wouldn’t go anywhere. They stayed in the pit of my stomach and continued to toss and turn. I felt like walking away from this place and never looking back, but I knew I couldn’t do it. Those DEA agents had me by the balls. And there was nothing I could do about it, and that hurt my soul.

  Amir let me off two hours early today. And boy, did I need it. I hopped in my car and I sped off in the direction of my grandmother’s house. I knew she was still mad at me about me giving Jillian the prescription drugs, but I didn’t care about her feelings today. I had something majorly going on in my life and I needed someone to talk to. Jillian was the first person that came to mind.

  I called her while I was driving in her direction and she told me she was home, so I was happy about that. Instead of going to my grandmother’s house, I asked Jillian to come outside and get in my car so we could talk without my grandmother eavesdropping. I couldn’t risk her hearing anything I had going on with Sanjay, his brother, and the DEA agents.

  “What’s going on? And why you looking like that?” Jillian said immediately after she got inside my car.

  “You’re not gonna believe this,” I started off.

  “What happened?”

  “When I was leaving from my interview today, two DEA agents approached me while I was walking to my car.”

  “What the fuck did they say?” Jillian asked me. She looked spooked, like I was about to tell her that they’re investigating her or something.

  “They told me that they are investigating Sanjay and his brother for dealing illegal prescription drugs.”

  “Oh my God! Are you serious right now?”

  “Of course I am, stupid.”

  “What else did they say?”

  “They said that they need my help to arrest them and that if I don’t do it, they’re gonna charge me and put me away.”

  “They can’t do that!” my cousin spat.

  “Yes, they can, Jillian. They said they know about the big bottle of Percocet that I stole from there last week. So, if I don’t cooperate and help them, they’re gonna lock me up too.”

  “Oh my God, Cousin. I can’t believe that this shit is happening.”

  “Me either.”

  “So, what are you gonna do?”

  “I don’t want to do anything. I just want all of this shit to be over with.”

  “I wish it were that simple.”

  “Me too.”

  “Tell me exactly what they want you to do.” Jillian pressed the issue.

  “They want me to wear wire and a small camera and record everything that goes on behind the counter,” I started explaining. “They want me to have a dialogue with Sanjay and his brother about the drugs. But that’s not gonna happen. They don’t like having conversations with me.”

  “Did you tell them that?”

  “Yes, I did. They told me to try anyway.”

  “Do they know what they want you to do is very dangerous?”

  “Of course, they do. They don’t care. They just want to get an arrest by any means necessary.”

  “Did they say anything about me or my homeboy that copped the bottle of Percocet from us?”

  “Nah! His name didn’t come up. Their only concern is arresting Sanjay, his brother, and whoever else they deal with. Speaking of which, remember when I told you that I saw two guys smacking Sanjay in the head and put a gun in his brother’s back?”

  “Yeah, what about it?”

  “The DEA agent told me that those guys are part of a mafia from DC.”

  Jillian’s eyes doubled in size. “Get the fuck out of here! They told you that?”

  “Yeah, they did.”

  “I don’t know, Misty, I don’t feel good about this.”

  “Neither do I.”

  Jillian turned around in her seat and looked forward. I saw her quietly staring through my windshield. I knew my cousin like the back of my hand, so when she did this I knew she was in complete thought mode.

  “What are you thinking about?” I didn’t hesitate to ask her.

  “Did the agent tell you when they wanted you to start wearing the wire?”

  “No. But he did tell me that I need to give him an answer tomorrow.”

  “An answer about what?”

  “If I was gonna help them or not.”

  “You know we are going to have to plan the heist to a tee. We can’t mess up for nothing in the world.”

  “What do you mean, we can’t mess up? You’re still trying to rob the store even after I told you that the DEA agents are investigating them?”

  “Yeah, why not?”

  “Because we can get in a lot more trouble. The DEA is closely monitoring that business.”

  “Look, what you’re saying is right, but we can’t walk away from this. If anything, knowing that the DEA is watching your boss only helps us more. We could’ve went in that place and robbed it, not even knowing that the DEA was investigating it. With you
working with them, you’re gonna know exactly where they are and how long they’re going to be there. It’s a blessing that they approached you. Do you know how catastrophic it would’ve been if we were robbin’ the place and they were watching us the whole time? They could’ve arrested us on the spot and we would’ve been in jail right along with your boss and his brother. See how that works?”

  “God has nothing to do with this. This is all your doing,” I reminded her.

  “Has your boss come back from out of town yet?” Jillian asked me.

  “No. His brother says that he’s still out of the country on family business.”

  “Did he say how long he was going to be out of the country?”

  “Not really. I was in the middle of filling a prescription order for one of our customers and noticed that we didn’t have a few meds in stock or in the system, so I started questioning him about certain drugs. He come up with different reasons why we didn’t have them. So, I told him that I saw the boxes of meds on the floor near the closet. And he says that those were empty boxes. I went even further and told him that those weren’t empty boxes because they had new UPS tracking tickets on them. And when I said that, he got a little upset with me and told me to mind my business. I did get a chance to tell him to reorder more, because if he doesn’t then we won’t be able to fill our customers’ prescriptions.”

  “What did he say?”

  “Nothing but okay.”

  “Do you really believe that drugs were in those boxes?”

  “Fuck yeah! I do. I know what new order boxes look like when the UPS driver drops them off. I’ve been cracking those boxes open and filling up the supply closet with them ever since I started working there.”

  “Think he’s gonna order more drugs?”

  “He has no choice. So, if he puts in the reorder today, we’d get more by tomorrow or the day after.”

  “We need to figure out when would be the right time to run up in there.”

  “Is that all you’re thinking about? Shit, I just got approached by a law enforcement officer about helping him bust my boss, and all you wanna talk about is how you’re gonna get your piece of the pie,” I argued.

  Jillian began to aggravate my nerves with her bullshit-ass speak about how much she loves me and that when either one of us gets into a situation, we’re in it together.

  “You know I’m always talking shit. And I may even sound selfish sometimes. But you know I will always have your back. You’re like my sister. Niggas in the street already think you’re my sister, so that’s how it’s gonna stay. You hear me?!” she said, and then she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “What time are you calling that agent?”

  “Probably in the morning, why?”

  “Because I wanna be with you when you do. I wanna hear how they’re gonna execute their investigation. See how they plan to orchestrate this shit! Remember, you and I are in this shit together.”

  “Please don’t tell your homeboy about this whole DEA thing,” I begged her.

  “No worries. I won’t. Now let me get out of here. Gotta make some runs. So, I’ll call you later,” Jillian said and then she got out of my car.

  By the time I got home, I was too mentally tired to do anything, so I took off my clothes and shoes and took a long, hot bath. My cell phone rang over four different times, but I ignored it. I needed a bath and I wasn’t going to let anyone interrupt me.

  19

  I JUST WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE

  The moment after I got out of my warm bath and went to my bedroom, I slid on my bathrobe and grabbed my cell phone from my dresser. Next to my cell phone was the DEA agent’s business card. I placed it next to my phone because he would be the first call I made in the morning.

  Immediately after I picked up my cell phone I looked at the caller ID I saw that my mother called me once, Terrell called me twice from a different number, and I don’t know who was the other caller because their phone number was blocked.

  I sat on the edge of my bed, contemplating on whether or not I should call my mother back. She drained me a lot of the time when she and I engaged in a serious conversation. And what I don’t particularly like is when she tries to act like the victim all the time. That mess just eats away at me. As a matter of fact, it chips away the layers of love for her I’m still trying to hold on to. She doesn’t make it easy for me. So I asked God for patience to deal with her on a daily basis.

  After getting up the gumption to dial her cell phone number back, a private call appeared on my caller ID. I took a deep breath and spoke in a whisper-like tone, “Hello,” I said, not sure who to expect on the line.

  “Don’t be trying to act like you’re asleep,” Terrell replied in a humorous fashion, and then he chuckled.

  “I wasn’t asleep but I am lying down.”

  “Who’s there with you?”

  “Nobody.”

  “Well, get up and open your front door.”

  “Do what?” I spat.

  “I’m standing outside your front door, so come and open it.”

  “Terrell, why are you standing outside my apartment?” I asked him. The thought of him standing outside of my front door irritated the hell out of me.

  “Because I wanna see you.”

  “Terrell, I’m already in the bed.”

  “That’s even better.”

  “Come on now, Terrell, let me get some rest and I’ll call you in the morning.” I tried to reason with him.

  “Misty, I am not leaving until I see you.”

  I so badly wanted to tell him to go fuck himself. But I knew he’d fly off the handle if I did, so I stood up from my bed, told him to give me a minute, and disconnected our call. I tossed my bathrobe into my clothes closet and grabbed a set of pajamas and a pair of panties from my dresser drawer, slipped them on and then I headed to the front door. As soon as I opened it he gave me a huge-ass smile. I’m sure he thought that he looked handsome, but I thought he looked really creepy.

  “Are you gonna let me in?” He didn’t waste any time.

  “Before I let you in, I want you to know that you’re not spending the night. Do you understand?”

  “Yeah, I’m cool with that.”

  I stepped to the side of the door and gave him enough space to walk by me. “Whatcha cook today? It smells good in here.”

  “Cut it out, Terrell. You know damn well you don’t smell no food in here,” I told him after I closed the front door and locked it.

  “I do. I’m not lying.” He smiled.

  I wanted to smile with him because he’s a handsome-ass man. Always looked good, smelled good, and he always kept plenty of money in his pockets. The quality that initially attracted me to him was that he was very funny. I’m talking Dave Chappelle funny. We used to have a ball with one another when we first started dating a few years ago. He and I even talked about getting married, but that all went down the drain after I caught him cheating on me. I took him back a couple of times. But nothing got better. It actually felt like it got worse. Thankfully, I was able to keep my sanity after I broke it off for good.

  I took a seat on the love seat the same time he sat down on the other sofa. “So, do you think you could give me another chance?” he asked me, trying to give me the most alluring facial expression he could muster up. He was looking a little bit like the actor Omari Hardwick from Power.

  “Terrell, you know I can’t go back to that life we used to have together. I was unhappy and depressed for most of the time we were a couple.”

  “Look, Misty, I changed, so I’ll never take you through that shit anymore.”

  “Terrell, you’ve been singing this same song as long as I’ve been knowing you.”

  “Why don’t you just give me a chance to show you?”

  “That’s not gonna happen,” I said adamantly.

  He slid to the edge of the sofa. “You’re fucking with another nigga, huh?”

  “No, I am not. Jumping into another relationship is not on the to-do l
ist for me.”

  “Where is your cell phone?”

  “It’s in my bedroom. Why?” I asked him. But instead of answering my question, he hopped off the sofa and ran into my bedroom. I jumped up from my chair and ran down behind him. By the time I walked into my bedroom, Terrell was standing next to my dresser with DEA Agent Sims’s business card. “Yo, what’s up with this? You dating a DEA agent now?” he questioned me.

  “No, I am not, stupid,” I replied and snatched the card from his hand.

  “Well, if you ain’t dating that dude, then what are you doing with his card?”

  I sighed heavily. “It’s complicated,” I told him.

  “Stuff ain’t complicated until you make it that way. Now tell me why you got that dude’s business card?”

  I hesitated for a second and then I said, “If I tell you why I have that agent’s number, you gotta promise me that you won’t tell anyone.”

  “Yeah, a’ight. So, what’s up?” he asked as he stood in front of me. He held on to the DEA agent’s business card while he gave me his undivided attention.

  “You know I work at the pharmacy, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, when I was leaving work earlier today, two DEA agents walked up to me before I got in my car and told me that my boss and his brother are selling prescription drugs and making millions of dollars doing it.”

  “And what do you have to do with it?”

  “They want me to talk to them and tell them if I know or see anything going on while I’m there.”

  “So those dudes want you to snitch?”

  “Essentially, yes.”

  “Hell nah! Tell them dudes that you ain’t no informant.”

  “I already told them that.”

  “If you told them that, then why do you have his business card?”

  “He told me to take it just in case I change my mind.”

  “Well, call him back and tell him that you ain’t doing it.”

  “Already did it.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He didn’t say anything. I got his voicemail, so I left him a message,” I lied.