Diamonds and Pearl

by K'wan

  “I lost one of my best friends when this place went up, so you’ll have to excuse me if I don’t find that shit funny,” Pearl snapped.

  Diamonds suddenly felt very foolish. “My apologies. I meant no offense with my tasteless joke. Please accept my condolences for the loss of your friend.”

  “Thank you, and I’m sorry I bit your head off. This wasn’t your fault,” she told him, not realizing the irony in her words.

  “It’s fine, love. Losses tend to bring out the worst in us, even more so when it’s someone close to us,” Diamonds said with a tinge of sadness to his tone.

  “Spoken like someone who has gone through it,” Pearl observed.

  “More times than I care to count.” Diamonds thought back on John-Boy and Auntie.

  “Were you here? I mean, when the fire started?” Pearl asked.

  “No, thankfully me and mine left before it happened. I ain’t much for late nights,” he lied.

  “Me either,” Pearl said while looking out at the remains of Pops’s bar.

  “I guess we should count ourselves amongst the fortunate.” He moved to stand beside her, wondering if she, too, saw the things that he did dancing in the wisps of smoke still coming off the rubble.

  “I guess, but it sure doesn’t feel like it.”

  “Enough talk about death. It’s far too nice of a day to dwell on things we can’t change. Let’s go somewhere that’ll make us both smile?”

  “And where would that be? A hotel?” Pearl asked sarcastically. The last thing on her mind was sex, though with a man as fine as Diamonds, it was hard not to think about it.

  Diamonds shook his head in disappointment. “Again you misinterpret my intentions. I was thinking more of us grabbing a bite to eat, since I left without having breakfast this morning. No offense, but I can only imagine the types of niggas you attract if the only thing they’re focused on getting from you is pussy when you clearly have so much more to offer.”

  “And how would you know what I have to offer when you just met me last night?” Pearl challenged.

  “I might’ve only known you a little while, but I’ve been dreaming of you all my life,” Diamonds said with such sincerity in his voice that she felt it in her chest.

  “You claim you ain’t trying to get into my pants, but those sweet words are sure trying to woo these panties off,” Pearl joked to try to hide how hot and bothered he was making her.

  “To say that every fiber of my being isn’t raging to make love to you would be a lie, but that’s not how I want to start this. I’d rather take some time getting into your head first before I make my way further south,” Diamonds told her.

  Pearl studied his face. “I like you, Diamonds. You’re a little on the cocky side, but you’re honest.”

  Diamonds laughed. “Don’t go convincing yourself that I’m no choirboy, Ms. Pearl. I got plenty of sin in me, but I’m hoping you can help me wash it away.”

  “Maybe you’ve got it wrong and I’m the one who needs her sins washed away,” Pearl challenged.

  “Then I would gladly bathe you from the soles of your feet to the crown of your head in the waters of salvation.”

  Pearl hadn’t even realized he’d moved until she found herself wrapped in his arms. Her mind told her to pull away, but her body wouldn’t let her. She looked into those same black eyes that had seemed so cold and commanding at the bar and found longing and compassion. It was like she was drifting through a beautiful dream she had no desire to wake up from. “Diamonds, you make it real hard for a girl to say no to you.” She lolled in his arms.

  “Then don’t,” he countered. “One date … one chance. That’s all I ask,” he said, breathing over her parted lips. “Come, have lunch with me and see for yourself what kind of man I am.”

  “Jesus, Pearl! I’ve been trying to catch up with you for blocks!” Knowledge appeared and ruined their perfect moment.

  “Sorry, I just needed to clear my head.” Pearl pushed herself away from Diamonds.

  “Who the fuck is this?” Knowledge’s eyes fell on Diamonds, who was regarding him curiously. Something about Diamonds tugged at Knowledge’s brain, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

  “A friend of mine. Why are you being all aggressive?” Pearl asked with attitude.

  “Because that seems to be the only way to get through to your ass!” he shot back.

  “Listen, friend,” Diamonds interjected, “if this is your lady, then you have my apologies. But if you got no legitimate claim to her, then I’d appreciate it if you took some of that bass out of your voice.”

  “Do you know who the fuck you’re talking to?” Knowledge let his hand drop to where his gun was tucked.

  Diamonds spared a glance at the bulge beneath Knowledge’s shirt. He recognized the threat but was unmoved by it. “I got no clue who you are, but if your hand moves another inch, you’re likely to find out just who I am.”

  An oppressive tension imposed itself between the two men, and for the briefest of moments the threat of violence hung in the air like the smell of salt water coming off the beach at high tide. It wasn’t until Pearl stepped between them that the coming storm finally receded. “Normally I’d be flattered over two men about to go head up over me, but this isn’t the time, and my nerves can’t take any more drama today. Neither one of you are my man or my daddy, so knock it off!”

  “You’re right, and you need to be thankful that it’s me catching you all up on this nigga instead of your dad, because he’d probably have air-holed this dreadlocked muthafucka by now!” Knowledge spat.

  “Boy, you ain’t too fond of living, is you?” Diamonds took a step forward, but Pearl placed a hand on his chest.

  “Don’t.”

  Diamonds gave Knowledge one last defiant look before stepping back. “You got it, Ms. Pearl. I ain’t looking to upset you further. You’ve already been through enough.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that. Knowledge”—she turned to her guardian—“could you give us a minute?”

  Knowledge looked at her as if she had taken leave of her senses.

  “Please,” she added.

  Knowledge grumbled something inaudible before giving them their space, but not much. He leaned against a parked car and glared at them the whole time.

  “Sorry about that,” Pearl told Diamonds. “Shit is kinda crazy around my house after what happened to Sheila. I’d love to see where this moment would’ve gone, but right now isn’t a good time for me to be chasing romance. I gotta get back to my house and wait until everything settles, but maybe we could hook up later tonight?”

  “I think I can find a hole in my schedule later on,” he joked.

  “Whatever, nigga. I may give you a play tonight, but if we do go out, I have some conditions,” Pearl informed him.

  “This is supposed to be a date, not a negotiation.”

  “Everything is a negotiation with me, baby,” Pearl capped. “You wanna hear them or not?”

  “Fine, I’ll humor you.”

  “First, you can’t come to my house. We don’t know each other well enough for me to trust you with where I live. We can meet somewhere and go from there.”

  “Sounds fair enough. Is that all?”

  “No, my girl Ruby has to come with us.”

  Diamonds frowned. “You wanna bring a third wheel on our first date?”

  “I told you, we don’t know each other like that. For all I know, you could be some kind of killer. And Ruby won’t be a third wheel because you’re going to bring somebody for her, too, and they better not be ugly.”

  Diamonds shook his head. “For all the shit you’re putting me through, this better be worth it.”

  “Trust me, love, my company is well worth the effort.”

  “And you called me cocky.” Diamonds laughed.

  “Pearl!” Knowledge yelled far louder than he needed to. He was getting tired of waiting.

  Diamonds glanced over at Knowledge and gave him an amused smirk. “Pearl, le
t me let you go before I have to fuck this nigga up. Hopefully I’ll see you later on.” He pinched her cheek and spun off. Diamonds made it a point to pass Knowledge on his way back to his car. “Our paths will cross again soon and under far different circumstances,” Diamonds said as he flashed a smile and kept it moving.

  When Knowledge got a glimpse of the grills in his mouth, it suddenly occurred to him why he looked familiar. It was the same guy who had mean-mugged him at the traffic light. “‘Teeth that sparkled like glass,’” Knowledge mumbled, recalling the old wine head’s account of Pana’s killer.

  “What did you say?” Pearl asked.

  “Nothing,” Knowledge lied. “What’s up with you and the dude?”

  “Oh, he’s just a friend.”

  “You’ve said as much already. I meant, what’s his name?”

  “Damn, you nosey.” Pearl sucked her teeth. “His name is Diamonds. Why, do you know him?”

  Knowledge looked in the direction Diamonds had gone. “I’m not sure yet, but I’m going to find out.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Diamonds was proud of himself. The whole time Knowledge had been bumping his gums, he had wanted nothing more than to reach out and snatch his lips off, so he could have Vita sauté them over rice later on, but he didn’t. Two things stayed his hand: one, it was far too early for Pearl to see that side of him, and two, the identity of her guardian angel.

  He’d heard the name Knowledge early in his residency in New York, when he was doing reconnaissance for his invasion. For the most part, he knew who old the old-timer players were, but Diamonds was more focused on who their number-two men were, as they represented the next generation and his eyes were on the future. It would be the young ones who he inspired to break their chains of servitude and stand with him in the coming war. The neglected and underappreciated would help him build his foundation, or it would be their blood he used as mortar to hold the stones together.

  Knowledge had been mentioned as being a strong ally or dangerous enemy. Diamonds had expected their paths to cross eventually. That was inevitable. He’d just never expected Pearl to be the thing that brought them together. Even though Pearl had insinuated their relationship wasn’t an intimate one, Diamonds suspected different. The way Knowledge had thrust himself between her and unknown danger without a second thought was an act of love. If it hadn’t gone down between them yet, it wasn’t for a lack of want. Something else that Diamonds had caught was the mention of Pearl’s father. Diamonds knew that Knowledge was the right arm of an old-school gangster named Big Stone, but how was Pearl connected? The more he thought about it, a theory began to form in his head that didn’t quite make sense to him. For all intents and purposes, Pearl seemed like a square broad from a good family who got her kicks dancing on the wild side, but what if there was more to her than that? Could she, like Diamonds, be wearing a mask to hide what she really was? And if so, what did that mean to his plans for the city?

  Before he could ponder it further, his cell phone rang. “What?” he answered a little harsher than he’d meant to. When he heard who was on the other end, his tone immediately softened. “Sorry about that. Been one of those days, ya know? So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call? I ain’t due to see you for another two weeks.” He listened intently as the caller on the other end delivered a piece of information that only further darkened his mood. “You’ve got to be shitting me.” He shook his head. “Thanks for calling. I’ll be there to fetch him personally.” After ending the call, Diamonds hit speed dial and placed another one. “Hank, it’s me.”

  “That’s funny, because I was just going to call you. Your boys from Queens been blowing my line up all day. We need to—”

  Diamonds cut him off. “Whatever them niggas want can wait, I need you to meet me at the twenty-sixth precinct and bring some cash. This nigga Buda done got himself pinched last night.”

  * * *

  By the time Hank arrived at the precinct, Diamonds was already there. He was outside, pacing, and he looked like he was trying his best not to explode.

  “What the hell happened?” Hank offered by way of a greeting.

  “This fucking idiot has gone and gotten himself arrested over some dumb shit,” Diamonds fumed. “It’s just dumb luck that they brought him to the precinct a friend of ours in blue works out of.”

  “What’s the charge?”

  “They wanted to hit him with assault and destruction of property, but a few coins placed in the right hands brought it down to drunk and disorderly. They’re going to release him with a desk appearance ticket. So long as we take care of the fine, it’ll get swept under the rug.”

  “This ain’t good.” Hank shook his head. “In every city we’ve swarmed, anonymity has always been our greatest asset. By the time anybody even notices we’re in town, we’ve already infested their hoods. We invade, we feast, and we move on. Landing on the police radar, even for something as petty as this, can crack the whole foundation of we’ve taken all these years to lay.”

  “Thanks for pointing out the fucking obvious, old man!” Diamonds snapped.

  “This old man can still kick your ass, so you might wanna watch that mouth of yours,” Hank warned. “Look, kid. I know you’re frustrated, but I ain’t the one you need to be sore with. Buda ain’t been right since he lost John-Boy, and that bottle ain’t helping him none. My heart goes out to the boy, but I ain’t trying to die or go to prison because he can’t let go of them demons. Bottom line: Buda is going to bring this whole operation down unless we do something about him.”

  “So what you saying? You suggesting I clip my best friend?” Diamonds asked defensively.

  “No, I’m suggesting you put that dog on a leash before he winds up biting you next.”

  Diamonds didn’t want to admit it, but he knew Hank was right. He wished could’ve said he hadn’t seen it coming, but he had. The tea leaves had told him as much. Each time he gazed into the remains of the brew that Auntie had taught him to make when he was a kid, he hoped for a different outcome, but the story in the leaves never changed. In his arrogance he had thought he was skilled enough in the dark workings of the here and there that he could intervene on what fate had already predetermined, but he had only made things worse. The same power you crave so desperately is going to rise up and swallow everything you hold dear to your heart: the curse Auntie had laid on him right before he’d stolen her life. Her power rang in his head. The old witch was probably sitting somewhere in the pits of hell, cackling her ass off at him.

  “Did you hear what I said?” Hank snapped Diamonds out of his daze.

  “Huh?” Diamonds hadn’t even realized Hank was still talking.

  “I said your boys from Queens called again about the meeting,” Hank repeated.

  “How many fucking times do they need to go over this shit? Three days from now we sit down with their people and negotiate terms,” Diamonds said in frustration. The two guys who were supposed to introduce them to the heroin supplier had been on his back about the deal since he agreed to do business with them. They had to be two of the most paranoid fuckers he had ever met, but considering the audacity of the double cross they were pulling, he was having a hard time blaming them.

  “That’s the thing: the plans have changed. They need to meet today,” Hank told him. “Apparently, the leader of the crew had some kind of family emergency. Appears a friend of his got himself cooked in that mysterious fire that broke out uptown last night.”

  He now had Diamonds’s full attention. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”

  “I wish I were.”

  “They know how the fire got started?” Diamonds asked.

  “Nah, they got the same story everyone else did that it was an electrical fire. I guess they got some family coming into town to take care of the arrangements, so he’ll have his hands full with that and wants to sit with you beforehand. He just wants certain assurances that we’ll be able to handle the arrangement.”

 
“Assurances?” Diamonds made a face as if this were laughable. “They only thing they need to be assured of is that when they open the pipeline, I’m gonna flood this city with dope!”

  “You know it and I know it, but with the tense nature of everything in the streets lately, they want to make sure their investments are protected.”

  “Hit them back and tell them today is no good. We got TJ’s shower, and I don’t wanna hear him crying about us missing it. If my word that I can do what I say ain’t good enough, then they can go fuck themselves. I ain’t got time to be keep explaining myself to these New York niggas. I’m a gangster, not a politician.”

  “That’s the cost to be the boss,” Hank reminded him. “Now, if you wanna blow these jokers off, that’s up to you, but you might wanna take into consideration what it could do to the deal. You said yourself that hooking into these Haitians niggas is the power play we need to really establish ourselves in New York. Now only that, but think about all the money we stand to make by pumping heroin into other cities we got business in, like Miami and Dallas. You slight these boys all because you feel like being petty, they could snatch the deal off the table. Now, I’m pretty sure we could find another dope plug, but it’ll take time, and there’s no guarantee the next connection will have access to the kind of weight we’ll need to really step it up. So you need to ask yourself: Is your ego worth more than this paper?”

  Before Diamonds could answer, Buda came walking out of the precinct. His shirt was torn, and there was some slight bruising under his eye. When he saw Diamonds and Hank standing at the curb, waiting, a look of shame crossed his face. He knew he had fucked up.

  A second or two after Buda, another man came out. He was tall, with brown skin and an angular face, and dark keen eyes that seemed to look everywhere at once. He had thick sideburns and a deeply cleft upper lip that gave him an almost canine appearance. With his hair in cornrows and his baggy jeans cuffed over his Timberlands, he looked like your everyday corner boy, but the badge hanging from around his neck said he played for the other side. He paused just long enough to look at the trio like they were shit on a shoe before ambling across the street to the bodega.