Queen Diamonds

by Noire

  Honore snatched the bomb from him and took a long pull. There was real fear in her eyes and her hand shook as she inhaled again then passed the sticky back to Sly.

  “You the one who told me that in this business you ain’t got no friends!”

  “Don’t worry, baby girl,” Sly told her in a soothing tone. “I got a few ears pressed to the ground out there and sooner or later something’s gonna start rumbling.”

  “But what if it don’t?” Honore wailed. “What if we don’t never find that shit? What am I gonna do, run-duck-and-hide for the rest of my life? If they know the damn diamond got stolen then why should they still be expecting a cut? A cut of what? Nothing from nothing is nothing! Would them mothafuckas leave me alone if we just paid them back the sweet money?”

  Sly shrugged. “Paying them back the sweet money might keep ’em off your ass for a second or two. Maybe long enough for us to find the diamond and get it to Avi so he can sell it. Why? You got a half mil in cheese stashed somewhere?”

  “Nah,” Honore shook her head. “I got some nice ends, but not that many. I got a little bit of crushed ice that I can sell though.”

  Sly McFly snipped the heat off the tip of the blunt with his calloused fingertips then stood up and brushed off his suit.

  “You got something else, too, Honore. I don’t know what the fuck you been out there doing witcha time but you sure as hell ain’t been handling your business.”

  “What?” Honore asked, her head buzzing lightly and her mouth dry. “What are you talking about? What do I have?”

  “You got that nigga’s address! That sucka-for-luv nigga who snatched the diamond in the first fuckin place! If it was up to me we woulda been done ran up in there and folded that nigga up! He woulda been hung up on a rack by his nuts by now, begging to tell me what he did with that goddamn diamond!”

  Slick!

  The name exploded in her mind and Honore frowned, but just a little. She knew Sly McFly spoke truthfulness, but so far Slick had some real closed lips. Them shits seemed airtight and waterproof. No matter how deeply she probed him, or which direction she came at him from, that smoove nigga never leaked. He dipped and dodged, rolled and bounced. He stayed on his toes and guarded his game. He mighta been wide open on her delicious booty, but he wasn’t giving up shit that had anything to do with a diamond!

  “I feel you, Sly. I really do. And if we can’t come up with nothing else then we might just have to roll on him like that. But it’s gotta be our last resort. That nigga has a savage-ass killer crew too, and right now I don’t need no extra hittas coming at my throat.”

  “A’ight.” Sly shrugged. “But while you busy playing games you better get to work on his ass. Before I do. Now let’s get the fuck outta here so Charlie can drop you and Cucci off at home. Funerals make me hungry and I got a taste for some Chinese food.”

  CHAPTER 8

  Bullet Fried Rice

  It was right before the lunch crowd and Wild Man was carrying big boxes of condiments through the back of Woo Shin’s Chinese restaurant in Jamaica, Queens. He cradled as many boxes as he could in his strong arms and stacked them as neatly as possible in the back room.

  As hard as he grinded for the Zip ’em up Crew, Wild Man still found time to run around to his father’s chain of Chinese spots throughout the city. Whenever a little help was needed at a store he was glad to pitch in.

  Shin, the long-time manager of the restaurant in Queens, was like an elderly uncle to Wild Man. He had a very sick wife and he had called on Wild Man to do a little manual labor for him.

  Shin had been running the store since Wild Man was a young boy. He had taken a liking to Wild Man because they had similar personalities. He, too, had come from a street background and had lived his younger life in the trenches before he finally got his shit in order.

  Wild Man had always respected Shin because he treated him as an equal without judging him too harshly. Shin knew what it was like to be Asian in an all-black neighborhood, and even though he was now a legitimate businessman he could relate to Wild Man’s struggles.

  “Is the truck empty yet, William?” Shin asked as he came in from the front of the store. “I have some cheesesteak eggrolls in the deep fryer for us.”

  “Almost. Just a couple of boxes left,” Wild Man responded.

  “Take your time young man, and don’t strain your back,” Shin said grinning. “If you are not strong enough to get the job done I’ll give you hand, just say please.”

  Wild Man couldn’t help but laugh at the short, small-boned man. Shin was a humorous old cat and being around him always lifted Wild Man’s spirits.

  “I think I can handle it old uncle,” Wild Man said as he chuckled at Shin. “Just get those egg rolls ready while I finish up back here. I dropped a bottle of soy sauce but I’ll clean it up after I eat.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll save my strength for later,” Shin said as he smiled at Wild Man. “How is your father doing by the way, William? I haven’t spoken to him since last month.”

  “Yeah, well, you know pops stays busy. I go by and check on him at least once a week. He just buries himself in his work. You know how he does.”

  “I understand, William,” Shin said. “Your father is a good man, and without his generosity I would have been dead a long time ago. He took a chance on me and showed me the meaning of hard work.”

  “I know, I know. You tell me this every time I see you,” Wild Man muttered as he carried in the last of the boxes.

  “Whatever it is in those streets that has you hooked, William, you’d better learn to let it go,” Shin advised, loving Wild Man the way he would love his own son. “Before it catches up with you some day.”

  Wild Man wasn’t dismissing what Shin was saying but he couldn’t dwell on it either. Hell yeah he had a lot of pent up anger and frustration inside of him. What muthafucka walking the streets of New York City didn’t?

  “Look uncle, I ain’t—” Wild Man opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by a loud voice roaring from the front of the restaurant.

  “Hey, where the fuck is everybody at? Hurry up and get out here! I’m hungry as hell, goddammit!”

  “Yo, who is that?” Wild Man asked, reaching under his shirt for his gat as he peered through the doorway.

  “That is a very bad man!” Shin leaned back and whispered with a frown. “You see my front window? Many years ago he beat a woman up in here and threw her right through the glass! It cost a lot of money to have that window replaced and he refused to pay me for it.”

  Shin shrugged and his face went blank. “But that was a long time ago. Time to get back to work,” he said and disappeared through the doorway.

  As Wild Man gripped his heat and set the last box down on the shelf, the sound of Shin out front raising his voice put his ears on high alert.

  “Why must you always come into my store so disrespectfully and demand things? All these years I try to tell you that you don’t own anything in here and I am not afraid of you!”

  Wild Man almost chuckled as he walked up behind his uncle. Although Shin had a thick accent it was obvious he was from the streets. His words were very clear.

  “Look at my window! This is my store and you still owe me money for the damage you caused so long ago!”

  “Listen here, you chinky-eyed cat-killer,” a tall, nicely dressed black man gripping a white cane blasted on Shin. “You want some money? Then shut the fuck up and take my order!”

  “You are rude!” Shin yelled. “I am not afraid of you!”

  “Is that right?” the old man said. “After all these years you wanna play with me, Shin? You wanna act like you don’t know who the fuck I am? Fool, I can burn this store down to the ground and turn this whole shit into a vacant lot in less than an hour! Fuck with me and see.”

  Wild Man stood behind his uncle quietly. Shin was a small man but he was also a very proud man so he fought the urge to walk out from behind the glass and step to his defense.

 
“I know exactly who you are, Sly McFly!” Shin yelled, not backing down. “You are a criminal! A bad man who hurts helpless women! You are not tough when you kill a lady, you know. In my country that makes you a coward!”

  “What did you just say, you soy sauce-slinging bastard?” Sly McFly growled, enraged as he slammed his palm on the bulletproof glass that separated him and Shin. “Mothafucka if I ever, ever hear you accuse me of some shit like that again I will cut your fuckin tongue outta your mouth and let my little homeys gang rape that flat-faced wife of your yours! You better watch what you say to me, you tiny yellow bitch!”

  “Ayo, hold up!” Wild Man finally spoke up, then opened the glass door and rushed into the customer area where Sly McFly was standing. “Who the fuck is you talking to, old head? Fuck outta here with all them dry-ass threats, my man.”

  The older man turned and fixed him in a cold, killer glare.

  “And you best stay your young ass in a child’s place little nigga!” Sly said as he posted up eye-to-eye with Wild Man.

  A sudden urge to kill rushed through Wild Man’s blood. His instincts told him the old head was the real deal but he ain’t give a shit. Wild Man was the real muthafuckin deal too.

  “Yo, I ain’t no little old man and I ain’t ya fuckin girlfriend neither,” Wild Man barked with venom as he stared Sly down. “If I just heard correctly you like to throw women around, right? Well ain’t no pussy between my legs, old head! Get at me! I’ll fuck your narrow ass up in here!”

  Several customers had walked inside the restaurant but Sly ignored them as he glared at Shin and then back at Wild Man.

  “You got a loud mouth my friend Shin, but trust me I’ma fix that shit for you,” Sly said with a sick grin. “Right after I kill this Jet Li-looking shithead right here. Come on, muthafucka!”

  Sly raised his cane ready to strike at Wild Man’s head. Wild Man took a step back and put his fists up. His strong muscles flexed under his shirt.

  “Go ’head. Swing that shit so I can shove it down your goddamn throat,” Wild Man promised, ready to do battle with the older man that his uncle had called Sly.

  “Stop it! Stop it! Not in my restaurant!”

  Shin rushed out from behind the counter and wedged himself into the narrow gap between Wild Man and Sly.

  “Mister McFly,” he pleaded, pushing a bag of food into the black man’s hand. “You are my old friend. We were once young men together, yes? I apologize for saying those bad things to you. It won’t happen again,” Shin said trying to defuse the volatile situation and keep his store from getting fucked up. “Please. Just leave. Enjoy your meal. It’s free on me. I don’t want any trouble here. I don’t want my store burned. I don’t want any trouble with my wife.”

  Wild Man looked at Shin angrily. He had never seen his proud uncle back down from anything before. Wild Man wanted tear off into the old head even more now. Sly had the look of a true killer about him and Wild Man could tell that if it popped off it would be a fight to the death. But for the sake of Shin and his livelihood, Wild Man stepped back and let it go. For the moment.

  “That’s what I thought,” Sly said as he lowered his cane. “Yeah, we were boys together Shin, and you still a boy now. Next time you best remember your manners when a grown man steps up in this bitch!”

  Sly turned to Wild Man and nailed him in a cold, vicious glare and spit, “Next time you see me you better watch ya mouth, young boy. Cause a nigga like me’ll fuck around and serve you up a plate of bullet-fried rice, muthafucka!”

  Then just as cool as he could be, Sly gave Shin and Wild Man both a bitter smile, then turned and walked out carrying his bag of free food.

  “What the fuck was that about, uncle?” Wild Man said as Shin hurried to take care of his new customers.

  “I told you he’s a very bad man,” Shin muttered as he snatched some money from the register and gave a young lady her change. “He scares a lot of people. I don’t want any trouble. I must protect my wife. It’s not worth it.”

  “Fuck him!” Wild Man spit. “That old crippled woman-beater bleeds just like everybody else out here! You just can’t let people run over you like that man!”

  “You might not understand the way this works, but I do, William,” Shin snapped at him. “I said to let it go! I run a respectable business and I’ve been here for many years. Please don’t bring any trouble around my wife. Thank you for your time. If the boxes are done then you can leave.”

  Shin took care of his remaining customers and then disappeared into the back room to check on his sick wife, leaving Wild Man by himself.

  Wild Man cursed under his breath. He hadn’t meant to upset Shin. He had only wanted to help. He went back and mopped up the soy sauce he had spilled in the storage room and straightened up as much as he could, and then shaking his head, he dipped outta the back door and breezed off.

  CHAPTER 9

  Rap Central

  Jewelz stepped out of the taxicab holding a large designer umbrella. She paused for a moment as she stood in front of the Restoration Plaza located right on Fulton Street in the Stuy.

  It had been sunny and warm earlier in the morning when she planted Fat Donnie with a poison pellet out in Queens. But here in Brooklyn the afternoon sky was gloomy and heavy drops of rain fell from the grey clouds that hung overhead.

  The little brown capsule that Jewelz had spit into Fat Donnie’s cup of Coke was one that she had used many times before. She had learned a lot about herbs and toxins when she first got sick and tried to heal her body holistically.

  Today she had packed the tiny dissolvable capsule with a highly toxic chemical and then concealed it under her tongue. The inner contents of the capsule were safe from the mild acid in her saliva, but once the pellet hit that corrosive soda acid in the cup of Coke…well the outer shell had dissolved almost immediately allowing the poison that was packed inside to go straight to work.

  One down and two to go, Jewelz thought happily as she walked down the street killin ’em softly in her tight black skirt, bright red patent-leather Giuseppe Zanotti pumps, and stylish black swing-shawl. She was about to enter the Royal Blue Recording Studios to meet Handgun Goody and she knew she was looking just right.

  Ever since the night of the Unsigned Hype showcase when Jewelz had put her spit game on full display, Goody had been sweating her and waiting on her call. When she finally hit him up he was so anxious to get up with her that he offered her a lucrative recording contract right over the phone.

  Jewelz had laughed inside. She could give two shits about a recording contract. Rapping was just a hobby that she was using as a tool to get the drop on the real target. And trust, that nigga was a target too. Jewelz understood the mindset of hood sharks like Goody. They used and abused the lil jump-off broads who fell at their feet and worshipped them like they were God’s gift to the hood-rat universe. The powerful grip of that big-time money hypnotized these broke ghetto bitches to the point where they were just fine with being a nigga’s toilet seat whenever he needed to take a shit.

  But when a bad bitch like Jewelz came along the whole game changed. She had her own money and she stood on her own feet with dignity and intelligence, and with the pride of a lioness.

  Chicks like her were rare in the hood, and it never failed that dopeboys were either gonna be intimidated by her stature or they would chase it. Jewelz planned on having Goody’s ass running a fucking marathon to try and get a piece of what she was holding.

  Pausing in the doorway of a pizza shop, she lowered her umbrella and hit Slick on the cellie real quick to put him down on her location. They had agreed to hook up together later on in the evening and compare notes, but Slick had insisted that she call him before she went in to meet with Goody, and he’d ordered her to keep in touch with him every step of the way. She had already called his ass once today but he hadn’t picked up.

  “Yo! Answer the phone!” she said, leaving him a voice message when he still didn’t pick up. “I’m next door to Handgun
Goody’s recording studio about to line this snake up! You told me to call you before I went inside. Well I’m on my way in there and I’m about to finesse this nigga half to death!”

  Jewelz hung up and stuck her phone back inside her purse and slid next door. As she stepped inside the building a security guard met her in the foyer, and after taking her name he politely escorted her upstairs to meet with the big boss.

  “There you are sexy. So glad you could make it,” Goody said as Jewelz strutted into a lounge area that was right outside the recording and engineer booth.

  He was dressed in a black Sergio Armani tailor-fitted suit and posted up in his b-boy stance as he flashed a big grin at her.

  She eyed him with her head held high. He was sharp. His teeth were bone white and stood in contrast to his deep chocolate skin. His shape-up was fresh, and an all-gold dope-boy Rolex was on his left wrist with the matching Jesus piece hanging around his neck.

  Jewelz finally smiled a little, but she remained silent and queen-like as she analyzed her surroundings.

  Handgun Goody kept his eyes locked on her as she inspected his shit like s she had on a white glove. He was hoping for her complete approval because he was intrigued by her style and her air of confidence. Goody recognized those qualities in her because he also had those same character traits and he prided himself on it.

  Without a word, Jewelz strode across the floor and took a seat on a soft sofa in the lounge and crossed her long, shapely legs. The look in her eyes said his lil shit had passed her test and the plush leather sofa was good enough for her to sit her precious ass down on.