Hostile Takeover

by Roy Glenn

  “So you’re here wasting my time,” I said, turned and leaned against the bar.

  Bodie took a step closer. “Don’t turn your back on me, nigga,” he said, and pounded his fist on the bar.

  I looked at Bodie and then I grabbed the back of his head and slammed his face into the bar. When I did, my boys moved in quickly, put their guns to the back of Bodie’s men’s heads and took their guns. Sammy had the pump pointed at them as the rest of my security rushed up.

  Just the way we planned it.

  “Bottom line, Bodie.”

  I slammed his face in the bar again.

  “You better have my money tomorrow.”

  Then I slammed his face in the bar again.

  “And to make sure that you understand me.” I slammed his face on the bar again.

  I pushed him toward security. “Get him out of here.”

  They grabbed him, and Bobby and them walked his crew to the door at gunpoint.

  Like I said, this was our mutha fuckin’ house. Wasn't shit going down in here that we couldn’t handle.

  Chapter Fourteen

  After we threw Bodie out, I spent most of the rest of the night in the office with Bobby, Nick and Jamaica making plans, because my slamming his face into the bar repeatedly was a declaration of war. I know that I said that I didn’t want to go to war, but he shouldn’t have brought his ass up in my joint trying to front.

  “This is just me playing devil’s advocate,” Bobby began. “But if you hadn’t gotten happy slamming his face into the bar, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

  “I know. But fuck that.” I laughed a little. “I hate to sound like a fuckin’ little kid, but he started it, so yeah, Bobby, we’re going to the mattresses.”

  “I ain’t sayin your wrong. Shit, if it was me, I would have just put a bullet in his brain and we’d be talking to Wes now,” Bobby said, and everybody laughed. Wesley Talin was Bodie’s right hand man.

  The laughter stopped when the door open and Wanda came in with that look on her face. That look told me that she had already heard what went down with Bodie. One of these days, I’ll find out who her sources are.

  “We’d be talking to Wes about what, Bobby?”

  “I was just sayin’ I woulda shot Bodie—”

  “Instead of slamming his face into the bar.” Wanda looked at me. “Really, Mike. You said you didn’t want to go to war with Bodie.”

  “Then he shouldn’t have brought his ass up in here, five deep and heavy.”

  Nick and Jamaica got up and tried to ease out quietly.

  “You don’t have to leave because I’m here,” Wanda said.

  “Yes we do, Wanda,” Jamaica said, and Nick closed the door behind them.

  “He came up in here talkin’ shit. What was I supposed to do?”

  “You could have tried talking.”

  “He didn’t come here to talk,” Bobby said. “We did what we had to do.”

  For the next half hour, we went back and forth with Wanda about what we could and should have done. Until she finally said, “What’s done is done. Let’s talk about how we can end this. War is bad for business.”

  “That’s what we were doing before you walked in with this shoulda-coulda-woulda shit,” I said.

  “I say we go find Bodie now and kill him,” Bobby said. “And then we can talk to Wes about how we can end this.”

  After a while, I told them to go home and that I would close the club. But I told Nick and Jamaica that their mission for the next day was to go get my money from Bodie and that they should take Jap and Kenny with them. It was around seven in the morning when the crowd started thinning out. That was when Arlene, one of the waitresses noticed that I was still there.

  “You closing this morning, Mike?”

  “That is why I’m still here.”

  Arlene liked doing it on the pool table, and that was enough of an excuse for her to hang around until the club closed. After I fucked her, I walked home.

  When I got to my apartment, the door was cracked opened. I took out both of my guns, used my foot to push open the door and I went in slowly.

  I lowered my guns when I saw the trail of women's clothes on the floor leading to the bedroom.

  When I walked in the bedroom, there was Vickie, lying naked and spread eagle in the middle of the bed. I shook my head and went in the bathroom to take a shower. I tried to wake Vickie up when I got out.

  “Get under the covers, Vickie,” I said, and she didn’t move. I shook her and I could smell the gin on her breath and saw a trace of powder on her nose.

  “Vickie, move over so I can get in bed,” but she still didn’t move. I kneeled on the bed, pulled back the covers on one side, rolled her over and once I got her under the covers, I got in bed. The second I hit the sheets, Vickie rolled over, pressed her warm body next to mine and laid her head on my chest.

  “Hi, Mike.”

  “You’re getting to be a regular here.”

  “I know. I don’t like sleeping alone and I like sleeping with you.” She snuggled up a little tighter. “You’re warm, and I know you won’t try to fuck my drunk ass.”

  “We need to talk about your ass being drunk all the time, so don’t leave.”

  “Okay, Mike, I promise.”

  “I’m serious Vickie, don’t leave,” I said, but when I heard her snoring, I knew she didn’t hear me.

  When I woke up late that afternoon, Vickie was still in bed asleep. We were spooning; I had a hand full of tittie and my hard dick was in-between her butt cheeks. I eased my arm from under her head, got out of bed and went in the bathroom. When I came out, Vickie was gone.

  “Maybe I should have handcuffed her to the bed,” I said, got back in bed and called Michaella.

  Once Michaella and I did what we do, I had her drop me off at The Late Night. She pulled up in front and put the car in park. “You gonna call me later?”

  “Probably not, but anything’s possible.” I kissed her on the cheek and got out of her car.

  When I got inside, I could hear music playing and was surprised to see Wanda there. She was sitting at a table near the back, surrounded by books and listening to Sade. She waved when she saw me and then she dropped her head back in her book. I went to the bar, poured myself a shot of Rémy and went to join her.

  “Hi, Mike.”

  “Do you always come here to study?”

  “Sometimes, when I need to spread out. And besides, the acoustics in here are great. It makes the music sound so much better than it does in my apartment. What are you doing here so early?”

  “I told Nick and them to roll by and see Bodie.”

  “Oh, yeah, I forgot.”

  “You seen Vickie?”

  “Earlier, why?”

  “I’m worried about her.”

  “She said she’s been staying with you the last few days.”

  “She has. When I got home this morning, she was lying across my bed, butt ass naked, and passed out drunk.”

  Wanda’s facial expression changed, but only for a second.

  “Not surprising. That’s been her M. O. lately.”

  “So you told me. I wanted to talk to her, but she always manages to slip out before we can talk.”

  “That’s not surprising either. I’ve been trying to talk to her about it. I think that’s why she’s been staying with you, so she doesn’t have to hear my mouth.”

  “You think we need to get her some help?” I asked.

  “You talking about rehab?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I don’t think we’re at that point yet,” Wanda said as Freeze came in.

  “What’s up Black? What’s up, Wanda?”

  “What’s the word?”

  “Most people say they gonna sit it out and see what happens. Sherman, Howard, Drew and Whitey are with you. The only ones with Bodie are Emmett and Dayton.”

  I nodded. “That means that we should have him out manned and hopefully out gunned.”

&
nbsp; “Or you could try sitting down with him. But this seems to be how you want it, so I’ll shut up,” Wanda said.

  I laughed a little. “What did Sonny say in Godfather one, no more advice on how to patch things up. Just help me win.”

  She zipped her lips and we all got a good laugh outta that.

  It was then that Nick and them came in. While everybody else went to the bar, he came and sat down at the table with us.

  “Well?” I asked.

  Nick shook his head. “Couldn’t find Bodie anywhere.”

  “What about Wes?”

  “He’s ghost too. We been rolling around most of the day and we couldn’t find any of his top people anywhere.”

  “Maybe they already went to the mattresses,” Wanda said, and I looked at her. She zipped her lips again and smiled at me.

  “You all stay on finding Bodie,” I told Nick.

  “You got it.”

  He went to the bar, poured a shot of Johnny Black, and then Nick headed out with Jamaica, Jap and Kenny.

  “What you want me to do, Black?”

  “You go back and see Dayton. Convince him that falling in with Bodie is a bad idea,” I said, and Wanda looked at me like I was crazy.

  “Understood,” Freeze said and got up to leave.

  As he got to the door, Bobby came in. “What’s up, Kid?”

  “Sup, Bobby,” he said as he passed.

  “Where’s he going?” Bobby said as he sat down.

  “He’s going to see Dayton.”

  “For what?”

  “Dayton said that if we go to war, he’s with Bodie. I sent Freeze to teach him the error in his logic.”

  Bobby nodded his head.

  “And you think that’s a good idea?” Wanda said, and zipped her lips again.

  “Trust me, Wanda, I’ve seen him work. The Kid will be fine,” Bobby explained to her.

  “Nick and them can’t find Bodie or any of his people,” I said.

  “I know where we can find Wes,” Bobby said.

  I finished my drink and stood up. “Let’s go.”

  “See you, Wanda,” Bobby said, and got up.

  “Please be careful.”

  We left The Late Night and got in Bobby’s car. While he was driving, he told me that he thought that Bodie and his set would go underground, “So after I left last night, I went and found Wes and followed him.”

  “Where’d he go?”

  “Tracey Towers.”

  We arrived at Tracey Towers and took the elevator up to the twenty-seventh floor. On the way up, we both put our silencers on our guns. When we got off the elevator, there were two men standing in front of an apartment. When they went for their guns, Bobby and I both raised our weapons and fired, one shot a piece to the head.

  “Guess we’re in the right place,” I said, and was about to kick the door in, but Bobby stopped me.

  “Knocking works,” he said and knocked on the door.

  A female voice answered. “That you, Chris?”

  “Yeah, open up,” Bobby said, and she opened the door.

  As soon as she did, Bobby grabbed her and put his hand over her mouth.

  “Where’s Wes?” I asked.

  She pointed to the bedroom.

  “You wanna die?” I asked her.

  Her eyes bucked open and she shook her head.

  “Get out.”

  I didn’t have to tell her twice. She grabbed a coat and ran out of there, almost tripping over the bodies in the hall. Once she was gone, me and Bobby dragged the bodies in the apartment, and then we took out our guns and went to the room the woman had pointed to. Wes was asleep when we walked in. I put my gun to his head and then Bobby slapped the shit out of him.

  That woke him up.

  “What’s happening, Wes,” Bobby said, and slapped him again.

  “Bodie give you my money, Wes?”

  “No Black. I ain't seen Bodie since last night at your spot,” Wes said.

  “Where’s Bodie now?” I asked.

  “I swear I don’t know, Black.”

  “Yes you do.”

  Bobby smiled and got in his face. “Then it’s time to feel a little pain, Wes,” he said, and we dragged him out of bed, and out into the living room. I looked at the door to the balcony and I smiled.

  Bobby was about to start stomping him, but I stopped him.

  “I got a better idea.”

  “What’s that?” Bobby asked, and I pointed.

  “No,” Wes yelled.

  I opened the door and then we dragged Wes outside.

  “Come on now, Black you ain’t gotta do this.”

  “Where’s Bodie?”

  “I don’t know where he is Black.”

  Me and Bobby picked him up and hung him over the rail by his ankles.

  “I’m gonna ask you one more time; where’s Bodie?”

  “Please don’t drop me, Black.”

  “Where’s Bodie?” I asked again.

  “Tell us where he is and we’re outta here,” Bobby said.

  “He’s in an apartment on a Hundred Ninety-Ninth and Grand Concourse. Fourth floor.”

  “Thank you,” I said, and I let him go.

  I did, but Bobby didn’t and I had to grab Bobby and hold on to him until he let Wes go.

  “You could have told me you were gonna drop him.”

  “What was I gonna say, excuse me, Wes, but I need to let Bobby know that we’re going to drop you as soon as you tell me what I wanna know?”

  “That would have worked for me.”

  I laughed as we left the apartment. “He might have told us sooner if I did.”

  “I know he wish he had picked and apartment on the fourth floor to hide out in,” Bobby said when the elevator came and we got on.

  “Yeah, he might even have survived the fall.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Instead of rushing over there guns blazing like me and Bobby have a tendency to do, we drove back to The Late Night and I called Michaella. She was surprised to hear from me, especially since I told her that I probably wouldn’t call. I asked her to come up there because I needed her to take me and Bobby somewhere.

  When she got there, me and Bobby got in her car and she drove us up on the Concourse and I told her to drive by the building slowly. Just as we thought, it was like a fortress, with no less than ten guys outside. I recognized some of them, they were Bodie’s people.

  “I ain’t liking the looks of this. We’d have to shoot our way just to get to the building.”

  “I know. And there’s no way for us to know what kind of numbers they got inside.”

  “How adventurous you feeling, Michaella?” Bobby asked.

  “You want me to go in and find out?”

  “No.” I looked at Michaella. She was just excited to be there with me.

  “Why not, Mike?” Bobby leaned forward. “She can walk in there with no problem. And we need to know what they got in there if we’re going to do this thing.”

  I didn’t want to admit it, but Bobby was right. I just wasn’t cool with the idea of sending Michaella in there alone. She wasn’t a soldier, Michaella was a civilian and to me, she wasn’t expendable like that.

  “I can do this Mike,” Michaella said.

  Sometimes a nigga gotta do what a nigga gotta do. I took a deep breath. “Okay. You walk in there like it ain’t shit. If anybody asks you what you’re doing there, you tell them that Wes sent you to deliver a message to Bodie.”

  “What should I say if they ask me what the message is?”

  “Tell them that I found Wes at Tracey Towers, so he had to move, and he’ll reach out once he gets settled.”

  “Okay,” she said, and bolted out of the car.

  “She’ll be alright, Mike.”

  “And you’re sure of this why?”

  Bobby sat back in his seat and said nothing.

  “I thought so,” I said, and we waited.

  It was fifteen minutes later when I saw Michaella come out
of the building. When one of Bodie’s people grabbed her and pulled her to his chest, I took out my gun and started to get out of the car.

  But then I saw Michaella reach back and slap the shit out of him and he let her go. The rest of his men started laughing, grabbed dude and they let Michaella go. She got back in the car.

  “I thought that was about to get hectic,” Michaella said.

  “I saw. How’d it go?” I asked.

  “I got what you needed. I got in and delivered the message to Bodie.”

  “You talked to him?” Bobby asked.

  “Yup.”

  “How they set up in there?” I asked.

  “There are four men in the lobby. I saw one standing by the stairs and there was another one in the elevator.” Michaella laughed. “He tried to push up on me on the way up.” She shook her head, “Not!” She giggled. “There are another four on the fourth floor outside the apartment.”

  “What apartment is he in?” Bobby asked.

  “The one at the end of the hall.”

  “How many men he got in the apartment with him?”

  “Just him and another guy.”

  I nodded my head. “You did good. Take us back to The Late Night,” I said, and she started up the car.

  When we got there, Bobby got out and went inside. Michaella smiled at me. “So, am I gonna see you later?”

  “I’ll be by when I’m done.”

  “Good. All that did was make me wet for you.”

  Michaella grabbed my face and tried to stick her tongue down my throat. I thought about boning her right then and there in the car, but I had shit to do.

  “See you later,” I said, and got out of the car.

  “I hope so.”

  When I got inside, thankfully, Wanda was gone, but Nick and Jamaica were there. When I explained the situation and told them how Bodie was set up, nobody seemed excited.

  “That’s us against twenty-two niggas,” Jamaica said.

  “No. That’s us against twenty-two niggas with guns,” Nick corrected.

  “That’s right,” I said. “But I have a plan to thin the herd.”

  “What’s that?” Bobby asked.

  “I think it’s time that Detective Cavanaugh earned some of that money André pays him,” I said, and went to the office to make a call. When I got back, it was all set. “Mount up. We’re going to war.”