by Roy Glenn
“No Shy, we got no desire to get back in the game. Ain’t that right Mike? Besides all that you got going on, too messy. That ain’t old Vicious Black here’s style. He would do it a lot smoother than that.”
“Oh really. So just how would you handle it, Vicious Black?” Shy asked.
Mike stopped eating and looked in her eyes.
“I’d cut off your supply. None of that robbing and shooting women in the back. I’d want you to have cash, but nowhere to spend it. I’d lock you out of the product completely. I’d have the cops sweating you every day. Locking you and your people up on sight, so everyone would be afraid to come near you. By the time I was done with you, even the Dominicans wouldn’t do business with you.
“Then, when you were weak and demoralized, you’d have to come to me,” he said staring in her eyes the entire time.
The look in his eyes.
The tone of his voice.
The way he spit out, ‘weak and demoralized’, sent chills through her body. Shy shook off the chill. She couldn’t help feeling that she had just met Vicious Black.
“That’s deep baby. You’d do me like that?” Shy asked.
“Of course not, Cassandra. I love you,” Mike replied.
“That is so sweet,” Pam said.
“You ever think about the future? I mean what are you gonna do when the game dries up?” Bobby asked.
“Sometimes I think about it, but not much. I try to save tomorrow for tomorrow.”
“You got some money put away for your retirement?” Bobby asked as if he were a lawyer and Shy was on trial.
“Not anymore. All my reserves have gone to digging out of this hole.”
“Bobby let her eat in peace,” Pam said.
“Does that answer your question, Bob?” Mike said.
Sensing an opportunity to change the subject, Shy said, “Pam everything tastes so good. Did you make this cream sauce yourself?”
“Yes, I did. Thank you, Shy, you just earned an invitation back.”
Bobby didn’t ask any more questions through the remainder of the meal. After dinner was over, Pam began to clear the table. Shy insisted on helping with the dishes. Pam carried the remaining food into the kitchen, while Shy got the plates and the silverware.
“Got time for a quick one, Mike?” Bobby asked.
“Always got time to beat you,” Mike replied, and they disappeared into the den.
“Where are they going?” Shy asked.
“To play chess. It’s what they live for,” Pam replied.
“Do you play chess?”
“My father taught me when I was a kid, but I haven’t played in years,” Shy replied.
Pam put away the leftovers, while Shy prepared to do the dishes. “Sit down, Shy, I’ll do that.” Pam said, taking the dishes from her.
Shy sat down at the kitchen table. “I wanted to thank you again for inviting me.”
“Thank you for coming. I’ve never seen Mike smile that much. And the way he looks at you. The way you look at each other.”
“Hope we didn’t make you sick.”
“No, of course not. I see what you like. Mike is good people. He’s the big brother I never had. I’m just happy for you two.”
“I am too. And thank you for making me feel so comfortable.”
“Not the interrogator you were expecting, huh? Mike probably told you I was just going to sit there and ask you a whole group of questions, didn’t he?” Pam asked.
“He sure did.”
“But you see who asked the questions?”
“Yeah and thanks for getting Bobby off me.”
“They are a very closed bunch and very protective of one another.”
“I wonder why I’m not surprised. I got the same kind of reception from Wanda. Only she went straight for my throat.”
“That’s it! Wonder Woman!”
“Excuse me?”
“That’s what Wanda calls you, Wonder Woman. She said you must be from another planet,” Pam said laughing.
Shy laughed, too. But now she had questions. “Why does she think that?”
“Honey, please. What’s it been, a month? You came in and set up camp quick. Mortal women have been trying to lock Mike Black down for years.”
Shy didn’t comment. She just smiled a very satisfied smile.
“Jamaica told me how Wanda flipped on you,” Pam continued, “Heard you got her up off you too.”
“Quick,” Shy said with a snap of her finger.
“You go girl. I went through my thing with Wanda, too. She tried to pledge me, but she doesn’t mean any harm. She’s pretty cool, once you get to know her.”
“What about Black? Did he try to pledge you, too?” Shy asked.
“Mike, no. He’s a sweetheart. I knew Mike for three years before I met Bobby. He used to get Wanda up off me,” Pam replied.
Now that the kitchen was clean and the food was put away, Pam led Shy to the den, where the chess game was in progress. “Who do you think is winning?” Shy asked as they walked.
“If they’re still playing the first game, Mike is. Bobby plays cutthroat. He comes after you with everything he’s got. When he wins, he wins quick. Mike plots, he lays traps, he gets you looking one way, and then he attacks from another. He anticipates counter moves.”
“Action and reaction,” Shy said.
“Exactly. That’s the way he thinks. So, he plays beyond the next move. He plans and then he executes those plans. He gets you to move the way he wants you to move then he’s got you. I think that’s what makes him vicious. You heard him, you saw the look in his eyes while he described how he would come after you if he were going to take over your business,” Pam said.
“I know. It sent chills through me.”
Shy considered the possibility one more time. That in spite of what he said, that Black was the mastermind behind it all.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Pam agreed. “Back when they got out the dope game, they were always outmanned and outgunned. But Mike crushed them. It was frightening and at the same time, it was very exciting just to be around them. It’s not what he does Shy; it’s the way that he does it.”
“Check,” Mike said, as the ladies joined them.
“I didn’t see that,” Bobby said.
“What’d I say,” Pam said.
“You called it,” Shy said.
Pam’s description of Vicious Black made Shy anxious.
Trust has to start somewhere; she thought and pushed the feeling away.
“What’d you say baby?” Bobby said, pondering his next move.
“I was telling Shy how Mike plays.” Bobby made a move.
Mike looked carefully at the board. He moved his knight to unveil his queen. “Checkmate.”
“Yes,” Shy said, giving the victor a kiss.
“Cassandra, me and Bobby need to go take care of that matter we discussed earlier.”
“What, Orlando?” Shy asked.
“Right. It shouldn’t take more than an hour. Do you mind staying here with Pam?”
“You’re going to leave me baby?” Shy said, trying her best to sound weak and demoralized. Mike smiled at her attempt.
“Don’t worry. Pam’s raw with a nine.”
“That’s right. You can ride with me to pick up the kids,” Pam said.
“No. If you’re going to leave the house call the club and get Jap or Kenny to drive you there,” Bobby said.
“That’s all right. I don’t want anything to happen while the kids are around.” Shy walked toward Mike. She put her arms around him. “Why can’t I go with you?”
“I don’t wanna dis Orlando in front of you. If you’re there he’ll have to do something about it,” Mike replied.
“What are you gonna say to him?” Shy asked.
“I don’t know. Something will come to me,” Mike said, kissing Shy good-bye.
“Something always does,” Bobby remarked as he and Mike walked out of the house.
; Mike came back in.
“No matter what Monica says, those are not my kids.” He kissed Shy again and left.
Pam called the club. Jap told her he would be right over. She hung up the phone and smiled at Shy. “I bet you want me to explain that?”
“The thought had crossed my mind.”
“Well, Monica is my sister. Like I said, we’ve known Mike for eleven years. Regina always thought they had a little thing going on when they first met.”
“Were they?”
“Both of them say no. Anyway, about a month after I met Bobby, Monica got married to Norman. A month after they got married, she got pregnant and she had Angela. Three months after they had Yvette, Norman got fired from his job. They caught him hitting the pipe in the bathroom. Things got bad after that. He started stealing her money to get high, beating her and the kids. She didn’t want to tell me or my mother because she knew my mom’s would freak out. So, she called Mike. Monica wouldn’t take money from Mike because she thought Norman would steal it. So, Mike would take food over there for her and the kids, or he would take them out and make sure they ate every day. That’s why she says they’re his kids.”
“Because he fed them?’” Shy asked.
“You never heard that old saying? If you feed them long enough, they’ll start looking like you.”
Shy laughed. “No, that’s a new one on me.”
“Well they don’t look like Mike. Norman was high yellow.”
“What happen to Norman. Did he get some help for himself?”
“No, some people say Mike and Bobby killed him. Others say he’s sucking dick on Third Ave,” Pam said.
“That’s too bad. How’d she get away from him?” Shy asked.
“After we got married and were on our honeymoon, Norman tried to kill her because she wouldn’t give him the money Mike sent for her. He took the money then beat her. Then he locked Monica in a closet for four hours while he got high. That’s how she lost her job.”
“Thought you said she wouldn’t take money?”
“Did Mike tell you anything about what happened between him and Regina at my wedding?”
“Yeah, he told me how she flipped on him.”
“That’s putting it mildly.”
“Did that put a strain on your friendship?” Shy asked, trying to shake out more information about Regina. Not that Shy was worried about her; she just wanted to know.
“It did. To this day she never has said why she went off on Mike that day. I always thought that she was just jealous. We were always competing with each other growing up. Me marrying Bobby after us only being together two years must have been too much for her to take, I don’t know. Her and Mike had been together five years and the words ‘marry me’ never came out of Mike’s mouth.”
“Oh really,” Shy said, her smile growing.
“He never seemed interested in marrying her. Anyway, we stayed gone for about two months on our honeymoon, and I didn’t talk to her for at least a month after I got back. We’ve been talking more often in the last couple of years. But she almost messed up one of the biggest days of my life. No, Shy, it took me a long time to get over that one.
“Anyway, Mike was pretty down after that, so he sent Freeze to take Monica shopping. She can’t stand Freeze, and she didn’t wanna go anywhere with him, so she took the money. Norman saw Freeze give her the money and after Freeze left, he went crazy. So, she called Mike.”
“Vicious Black to the rescue.”
“He got her and the girl’s outta there. He took care of them until she got herself together. Got her a job and found her a place to stay. He’s not vicious. Like I said, he’s just a sweetheart.”
“I know. That’s why I love him,” Shy said as Pam went to open the door for Jap.
On the way to Monica’s house, Shy thought about Pam’s story. For her it was a bittersweet story. Bitter because once again it forced her to deal with the tragic side effects of her business. Sweet because it was one of the few nice things, she had heard anybody say about Vicious Black.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Bobby drove slowly along the concourse looking for Orlando. They had already checked out a couple of his hangouts without success. Bobby had been unusually quiet since they left the last spot. Mike was in a good mood, so he didn’t care. Finally, Bobby could no longer contain himself.
“Mike, let me run something by you. We’re out here, riding around looking for Orlando. For what? To tell him that we ain’t guaranteeing no drug deal. Hoping that will kill all the talk. But it’s out there now. Not much we can do about that.”
“Right. So far I’m with you.”
“Hearing all that talk, your girl is worried that we’re trying to take over her little business. Which we’re not. But everybody thinks that we are. So, no matter what we do with Orlando tonight, people are still gonna believe what they wanna believe anyway.”
“What are you saying? You don’t wanna talk to Orlando?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying,” Bobby said.
“Well what’s your point?” Mike asked, knowing Bobby had a tendency to be long winded.
“Suppose that was the point all along.”
“Okay. You lost me.”
“Mike, I like Shy. She seems like cool people. And I know you’re all in love with her and shit. But did you ever think that maybe she’s using you?”
“Huh?”
“Not just using you. Using us, using our reputation,” Bobby said.
“I’m still in the tunnel, Bobby.”
“Your involvement with her does make her a stronger player. And maybe that’s all she wanted. See the light now.”
“Right. Now I see. You think she arranged for somebody to try to kill her so I could save her.”
“No, but since you brought it up, just you seeing the attempt would have the same effect. But I’m willing to concede all that was real. Somebody is at her.”
“Willing to concede? You been hanging around Wanda, haven’t you?” Mike asked with a smile.
“Fuck all that!” Bobby smiled knowing it was true. He and Wanda had talked about it on the way to and from checking Jamaica into rehab. “All I’m saying is she coulda pushed up on you because of everything that she got going. Mike, you’re a powerful and influential man.”
“So, I’ve been told,” Mike said, staring at Bobby. “Okay, let’s say that was her plan from the jump. How’d she know I’d go for it?”
“Nigga please. I guess you ain’t looked at her lately. Shy is one fine ass mutha fucka, and I’m sure she knows. Who wouldn’t go for it? If she had pushed up on me, I’d be out there just like you,” Bobby said pointing in his face.
“I’m surrounded by paranoia here. She thinks I’m trying to dog her; you think she’s dogging me.”
How could she be all he wanted and not be real? It wouldn’t be the first time a woman became what a man wanted so she could use him. He refused to entertain the thought.
Bobby wouldn’t let up. “You can make all of her problems go away. And you are. If you haven’t done it already, you’re gonna give her the quarter mill to pay Angelo. You arranged for her to get cheaper product from Hector. And don’t even think about saying you didn’t. And even though, you told him to back off, Freeze will find who’s robbing her. And he’ll kill them. Or you’ll kill them. Or we’ll kill them. Either way, it’s all good. Her problems are gone,” Bobby fired back quickly.
Bobby parked the car outside a bar just off Grand Concourse. Mike sat quietly checking out the front of the bar.
“Let’s go.” Mike got out of the car and started walking toward the bar. He stopped suddenly and turned back to face Bobby. “Is that what you believe?”
“It’s possible. That’s all I’m saying.”
Mike sat down on the hood of the car. Bobby came and sat down next to him.
“So, what if she is dogging me. I’ve never met anyone like her. It’s like she’s inside my mind, knowing what I want, feeling what
I feel. When we’re together, it’s like nothing else even exists. And I’m loving every minute of it.”
“That’s a real pretty picture you’re painting, but like the man said, this ain’t fifth grade and these ain’t nursery rhymes.”
“Who said that?” Mike asked.
“L. L. Cool J. Look, what’s gonna happen is gonna happen. All I want you to do is see what’s in front of you because we got your back. And when she kicks your dumb ass to the curb, we’ll still be here,” Bobby said sarcastically.
“Thanks. That’s very comforting. You know, just when you think things are going good, here comes some old drag to fuck it up. Let’s go.”
“Because that’s what friends,” Bobby sang, following him into the club. “Real friends are for.”
Once inside the club, they looked around for Orlando. It was a small club with mostly Hispanic patrons and live Salsa music blasting in the background. Mike approached the bar and asked the bartender, “Is Orlando here?”
The bartender said he didn’t know anybody named Orlando and started to walk away.
“Well give me two double shots of Remy Martin VSOP, straight up.”
The bartender walked away to fix their drinks. He called over another man and whispered something to him. He looked at Mike and Bobby and immediately came from behind the bar. He went through a door marked ‘Keep Out’. The bartender returned with their drinks.
“Thanks for announcing us asshole,” Bobby said.
They walked away from the bar, taking a seat at a table by the door. The band broke into an upbeat version of Santana’s ‘Oye Como Va’, and shortly thereafter a beautiful woman wearing a black dress joined them at the table.
“Mind if I join you?” she said looking at Bobby.
“Have a seat,” Bobby said. She sat down next to him and put her hand on his thigh. “I’ve never seen you here before.”
“No, you haven’t,” Bobby said, grinning.
“We’re looking for Orlando. You seen him?” Mike asked, trying to stay on task.
She smiled at Bobby. “Who are you?”
“Mike Black and Bobby Ray.” Mike replied, demanding her attention.
“Wait here.” She frowned and left the table.
