by K'wan
Mula was seated at his usual position at the table. He was counting out money, which he would wrap with rubber bands and toss into shoe boxes. They would be picked up later on and taken to a second apartment, which they used exclusively to keep money in. Jonas never liked to keep his cash in the same place he stashed his drugs. That was a lesson he had learned from Drew. One of his spots had gotten raided, and the police ended up getting him for his money as well as the drugs. Drew was sick over it for a week.
Tavion sat on the couch with Stacey, watching a movie. He had been trying to get next to her since she started hanging around regularly, and so far, hadn’t had much success. It wasn’t for lack of effort on his part. Tavion had been going out of his way to woo the young woman but couldn’t seem to make his way out of the friend zone. Young girls loved Tavion, but Stacey was unmoved. Poor Tavion’s ego was becoming bruised. Jonas didn’t have the heart to tell him that Stacey wasn’t shooting him down because he wasn’t attractive; she just wasn’t into men. It was something that she had confided to Jonas, and he wouldn’t break her trust.
Ace was at his usual post, sitting in the armchair near the window. That was his spot, and no one was allowed to sit there when Ace was in the traphouse. He liked that spot because it gave him a view of the street, and he could see whoever was coming and going at all times. Ace always had control issues, and they seemed to get worse as he got older. As Jonas studied Ace’s face, he noticed something was off. Nothing obvious, just something about the set of his eyes that seemed strange.
“Didn’t expect to see you around here so early,” Ace said, blowing out a cloud of smoke. He had noticed Jonas examining him.
“I got a lot to do today; just needed to pop by here real quick to make sure y’all were good and to handle something,” Jonas told him.
“I keep telling you we don’t need a fucking babysitter.” Ace stormed off into the bedroom.
“What the fuck is his problem?” Jonas asked Mula after Ace had gone.
“You know that nigga is always on his period.” Mula shrugged it off.
“Whatever, yo. I need to holla at Stacey real quick.” Jonas gave him a look. Mula took the hint.
“I gotta hit the store anyhow.” Mula pushed himself from the table. “Take a walk with me, Tavion.”
“But the movie isn’t over.” Tavion didn’t want to leave Stacey’s side.
Mula snatched the power cord from the television. “It is now. Come the fuck on.”
Tavion sucked his teeth and mumbled something under his breath before following Mula out the door.
“What’s up, Wrath? Everything okay?” Stacey asked, noticing the serious expression on his face.
“Everything is right as rain, baby girl,” Jonas smiled. “Do you remember that thing I needed you to do? With the papers?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“It’s time.”
Stacey looked unsure. “Jonas, I’ve been having second thoughts. I mean, I want to help out, but I don’t want to get into trouble.”
“I keep telling you that you don’t have to worry about it. This transaction will be totally legit. All you’ll be doing is starting up a new business under the LLC that I set up in your name. The lawyers are going to do all the heavy lifting. All you have to do is sign off on the papers.”
Stacey still looked unsure. What Jonas was asking her to do was far bigger and far riskier than getting rental cars in her name or signing off on bail for one of the boys. She didn’t know all the details about the deal, but what she did know was that he had acquired the property under questionable circumstances. If it all blew back, it would land squarely on her.
“Stacey,” Jonas began, “when you first started hanging around us, neither Ace nor any of the others wanted to let you get down. They all said that you were too young and too square. Who was it that let you rock out?”
“You.”
“And when you had that other problem, who took care of it?” Jonas was speaking of an incident with her mother’s boyfriend. He couldn’t seem to keep his hands to himself, which is why she was always at Paula’s. One night, he had come into her room and forced her to suck his dick. When she told Jonas about it, he had gone to pay the man a visit. When he was done, he made sure that her mother’s boyfriend would never force his dick anywhere else. Jonas had never told another living soul about what had happened to Stacey.
“You.” Stacey’s voice cracked as she relived the abuse in her head.
“Exactly! I’ve always taken care of you, Stacey, and I always will. Whether or not you do this thing for me, that’ll never change. I love you like one of my own sisters. But I’m not gonna sit here and act like I really don’t need this favor from you. It’s important to me . . . important to us.”
Stacey was silent for a time. There was an internal struggling going on in her mind about doing what she felt was right versus not wanting to disappoint Jonas. He was one of the few men in her life who had always been kind to her and had never asked for anything in return. What kind of person would that make her if she couldn’t do him this one small favor? “Okay, I’ll do it.”
“That’s my girl!” Jonas scooped her in his arms and spun her around happily. “Look, I need you to go to one of those stores you girls like so much and buy yourself a nice outfit. Something dressy like what you might wear to a job interview. Then jump in a cab and head to the lawyer’s office ASAP.”
“Why do I have to change my clothes if all I’m doing is signing papers?” Stacey was comfortable in her sneakers and jeans and didn’t feel like changing.
“Because we have to keep up appearances. If you’re going to play the role of a shrewd businesswoman, I’m going to need you to look the part.”
* * *
After Stacey had gone, Jonas went to the bedroom to check on Ace. Paula was stretched out across the bed, high as a kite, while Ace sat on a folding chair. He was smoking a blunt and sipping from a bottle of Hennessey. When his eyes turned to Jonas, Jonas finally realized what it was about them that he had missed earlier . . . sadness.
“You good?” Jonas asked.
“Yeah, I’m straight. You don’t have to worry about me slacking on the job,” Ace said sarcastically.
“Yo, what’s good with you? You’ve been acting real funny lately, Ace. If you’ve got something to get off your chest, let’s get to it instead of dancing around it.”
Ace stared at Jonas with uncertainty. It was as if he were weighing whether to confide in his friend. “I fucked up,” he finally admitted.
“What do you mean?” Jonas asked, fearing the worst. His first thoughts were that his suspicions were confirmed, and Cal turned out to be foul.
“Remember Tisha?”
“Of course I do,” Jonas said. Ace was a pussy hound and had girls all over the city, but Tisha was different. Tisha didn’t drink, smoke, hang out, or go for Ace’s bullshit. He had met her when he was hiding out in Brooklyn when the police were looking for him in connection with the assault on Black. They had been dealing off and on for the last few years. She was the closest thing to a girlfriend he had.
“She’s pregnant,” Ace confessed.
Jonas breathed a sigh of relief. “Is that what you’re walking around in a funk for? Shit, that ain’t about nothing. If anything, you should be happy. Tisha is a good girl.”
“Yes, she is. That girl loves me even when I do shit to make her hate me. She’s been down for me since I was selling nickel bags in the park. That’s what’s got me so fucked up about this.”
“I don’t understand,” Jonas said, trying to see where Ace was going.
“She ain’t the only one that’s pregnant. I fucked around and put one in this bitch Shauna,” Ace said in frustration.
This threw Jonas for a loop. Shauna was a hood rat and offered her pussy up to the highest bidder. He hadn’t missed the looks she had been giving him while being pawed by Cal and apparently pregnant by Ace. Shauna gave new meaning to the title “Scandalous Bitch
.”
“You sure it’s yours?”
“With that ho, ain’t no telling. I knew I shouldn’t have run up in her raw, but I was drunk and on a bean,” Ace said as if that were a good enough excuse. “All I know is that she’s threatening to blow the shit up unless I break her off with some bread for an abortion and to keep quiet.”
“Then pay the bitch and be done with it,” Jonas said as if it were that simple.
“With what? You know I blow money faster than we make it,” Ace said honestly. Almost nightly, you could find him in whichever spot was hot, popping bottles and tricking off on women. Prince was always warning all of them about their spending, but Ace wasn’t trying to hear it. He was too busy living in the moment to worry about what the next day might bring.
“So, what you gonna do?” Jonas asked. Ace gave him a look that said the answer should’ve been obvious. “Ace, you can’t kill a pregnant broad, man.”
“You fuck with the bull, and you get the horns,” Ace said, taking another swig from his bottle.
“Look, I got a few dollars I can kick in. I hope it helps, but you gotta get your finances under control,” Jonas told him.
“I know, man. That’s why I’ve been giving some serious thought to going out of town with Cal.”
“Here we go with this again,” Jonas sighed.
“I already know, you don’t trust Cal. I hear you, but I need to pick up some extra bread. We’re doing all right with the few blocks we’re holding, but with Drew right next door, there ain’t so far we can stretch our legs,” Ace pointed out.
“Ace, I got some shit in the works. It’s going to take time to get it up and running, but we’re gonna be okay. I just need y’all to hold your heads while I sort it out,” Jonas said.
“Well, run the play down for me. You know I’m ten toes for whatever,” Ace assured him.
“I can’t really say right now. I just need you to trust me.”
“You’ve been saying that a lot lately, Wrath. You know, there was a time when we confided everything in each other, but now you’re playing your hand close to your chest. It’s like you don’t trust a nigga,” Ace accused.
“Of course I trust you, Ace. It’s just that—”
“Just that what? C’mon, man. I’m getting tired of you with all this secret squirrel shit. You’re keeping your crew at a distance, and I’m not the only one who’s noticing your funny moves.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means there are some of us who are starting to question your motives. Maybe you’ve got your own agenda outside of us, like that white boy you’re plugged in with.” Ace gave him a look. “I know you don’t think I’m the smartest muthafucka, but I peep shit. I know you’ve got some type of side hustle going that you’ve been keeping from us.”
“It isn’t what you think,” Jonas told him.
“Then stop having me guess and just tell me what it is.”
Jonas was silent.
“Just what I thought,” Ace continued. “You keep talking about how we can’t trust Cal, but it’s you who are out here making suspect moves.”
“As much as I’ve sacrificed for this team, how dare you come at me sideways like I ain’t about my shit!” Jonas snapped. He was on his feet and standing over Ace menacingly. “Now, I’m sorry that I don’t share your dreams of being a corner nigga for the rest of my life, but I’ve got bigger plans. I’m gonna take what the fuck this world owes me, and then some. Those who are with me will eat, and those who ain’t will get eaten. We clear on that, nigga?”
“Yeah, we clear.” Ace looked up at him with larceny in his eyes.
“I got moves to make.” Jonas started toward the door.
“So, you still gonna lend me the money?” Ace called after him. Jonas never even broke his stride.
Chapter Thirty
By the time Jonas left the trap house, he was in a foul mood. This was thanks to Ace. Here he was trying to be a friend and a brother, and Ace had the nerve to come at him sideways. It wasn’t his fault that he had two girls pregnant at the same time and found himself in the middle of a love triangle as well as an extortion plot. Even so, he tried to help, and what did he get in return? Ace was an ungrateful bastard, and it was starting to wear on Jonas. Ace was content to get rich, while Jonas was chasing wealth. There was a big difference, but his friend hadn’t seemed to have figured it out yet.
The friction between them had started to affect not only their relationship but also the hierarchy of their crew. No one had come out and said anything, but Jonas could feel it. The funny looks he would get from some of the newer recruits, who were loyal to Ace, hadn’t gone unnoticed. Likely because Ace was probably poisoning them against him. None of them were stupid enough to move against Jonas, but the tension was there and steadily building. Jonas knew that he would have to confront Ace sooner than later to put it to bed or risk a civil war within their organization.
Another thing that troubled Jonas was the fact that Ace knew about his relationship with the detective. Their arrangement was something that Jonas kept close to his chest, not only to protect his arrangement with Ceaver but also to protect his crew as well. Detective Ceaver had made no secret of the fact that he didn’t care for nor trust the members of Jonas’s crew, and if he had begun to see them as a problem, Jonas couldn’t say for sure what steps he would take to resolve it. He had seen what the man was capable of with the way he had dealt with Eight-Ball and Bruiser and didn’t want to risk Ace or Mula becoming the next headlines in the paper.
He jumped in a taxi and took it across town to the assisted living home where Alex volunteered. He had to admit that it looked nothing like what he expected. When someone said “assisted living,” visions of hospitals and clinics immediately sprang to mind, but this wasn’t that. It looked like a regular apartment building.
As he was walking inside, his phone went off. It was Jewels. Again, he didn’t answer. There would only be so long that he could avoid her. Jonas would get with Jewels in his own time and talk with her, but he needed to find out where he stood with Alex first.
Jonas went into the facility, where he found a thick man dressed in all white sitting behind a desk. He seemed more preoccupied with his cell phone than he did Jonas. Jonas stood there for a full thirty seconds before he finally cleared his throat and got the man’s attention.
“Name, ID, and the name of the resident you’re visiting.” The man slapped a clipboard on the desk in front of Jonas.
“I’m not here to see a resident. I’m here to see an employee . . . well, a volunteer,” Jonas explained.
“Still need your name and a copy of your ID,” the man insisted.
Jonas hadn’t expected this. As a rule, he never carried ID. This was so that if he ever got caught committing a crime by the police, he could be anyone he told them he was. He had never been officially arrested, and the only time he had ever been fingerprinted was when he had gotten picked up by the two detectives who were asking about Black. Even then, that had been illegal, so the prints had to be destroyed, or so Lou had told him. He was about to change his mind and leave when Alex came through a door in the back.
“It’s okay, Frank. He’s with me,” she told the man.
“Why didn’t he say so? You know I don’t mind breaking the rules for you, Lex.” Frank winked.
Lex?
“Hi, Jonas, I’m glad you decided to come.” Alex hugged him.
“I told you I would,” he beamed.
“Come on; I’ll take you in the back where the residents will be having lunch.” She took him by the hand and whisked him away.
Jonas wasn’t sure what to expect when Alex led him into the community room, but he was quite surprised by what he saw. The whole ride there he had been preparing himself for the worst: a room full of people suffering from terminal illnesses or being ushered around with machines hooked to them like in hospitals, but it was quite the opposite. There were people there who were clearly sufferin
g from different conditions, but for the most part, it looked like a regular party. Residents were enjoying themselves playing games with their families or sitting at tables eating. There was also some kind of dance battle going on between two people in wheelchairs. This wasn’t anything like he imagined it would be.
“What did you think? I was inviting you to hang out with a bunch of people knocking on death’s door?” Alex joked as if she had been reading his mind.
“Nah, nothing like that,” he lied.
“Hey, Alex, is this your friend?” A beefy woman wearing a white apron approached them.
“Yes, Mrs. Windle. This is my friend, Jonas Rafferty. Jonas, this is Mrs. Windle. She runs this facility.” Alex made the introductions.
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Jonas.” Mrs. Windle shook his hand vigorously. “I’ve heard quite a bit about you.”
“Good things, I hope,” he joked.
“Of course. If I’d heard anything else, I’d have never agreed to have you around our residents,” Mrs. Windle said seriously. “These are God’s special children, at least that’s what I call them. They’re just like us; they just need a little more patience and love than most folk.”
“Jonas knows all about being patient. Don’t you, Jonas?” Alex winked at him.
“Mrs. Windle?” One of the staff called over to her.
“Well, duty calls.” Mrs. Windle smiled. It was a warm, motherly smile. “It was nice meeting you, Jonas. Hopefully, we can talk again soon. Oh, and thank you so much for agreeing to help out.”
“Help out?”
* * *
As Jonas had planned, he got to spend some quality time with Alex, but it wasn’t in the way he had thought. He spent the next couple of hours shoulder to shoulder with her serving food to the residents of the assisted living facility. At first, it was awkward for him. Jonas had never spent much time around the handicapped and wasn’t sure if he was supposed to act a certain way or not. Some of them were a handful, like the woman who had thrown a fit and tossed her plate at Mrs. Windle, but for the most part, they were just like regular folks. After a while, he got comfortable and even began to enjoy himself talking to some of the residents and hearing their stories. It was as Mrs. Windle had said, all some of them needed was a little extra love and patience.
