by K'wan
“Don’t look at me like that. You act like I’m walking you into some bullshit,” Diamonds assured him.
“Like the time when we were little and you sent me into the candy store with that note without telling me you and Buda were going to rob the joint?”
“Man, that was different.” Diamonds waved him off. “This will require minimal work, and you might end up getting a treat at the end of the night.”
“Then tell me what it is,” Goldie demanded.
Before Diamonds could answer, Hank walked up. He looked tired and aggravated, which was nothing new. “Fuck y’all out here doing, yanking each other’s dicks?”
“Don’t be the next one to get dropped out here.” Goldie launched fake punches at Hank’s midsection.
“I’ll whip your little young ass later. Right now we’ve got business to handle.” Hank nodded toward the black SUV that had just pulled up at the curb. From the way Rolling and Born were climbing over each other to be the first ones to greet the vehicle, Diamonds knew it had to be the connect. The moment of truth had arrived.
“Goldie, do me a solid. In the house, amongst the rest of the gifts, you’ll find a bag with a gold-wrapped box in it. Why don’t you go fetch it for me?”
“C’mon, bro. You acting like I don’t wanna meet the connect too,” Goldie complained. He hated when Diamonds put him in the little brother zone.
“You’ll get your introduction after you bring me the bag,” Diamonds told him.
“A’ight,” Goldie pouted like a child, and sulked off.
“Showtime.” Diamonds started toward the SUV.
When Rolling spotted him coming, he said something to someone on the passenger side, which prompted all four of the vehicle’s doors to open at once. Two hard-looking characters wearing black sunglasses jumped out and gave a quick look around before taking up positions at either end of the truck. Next out was a young dude who looked to be not long out of high school. His scowl was hard, but his face was still tender and innocent. The last man to climb out of the SUV was surprisingly familiar to Diamonds. He was the dread with all the jewelry who he had seen with Pearl and her friends at the bar. That night, he was laughing and having a good time, but tonight his face was hard and serious. His keen eyes locked onto Diamonds, who was coming out the front gate to meet him.
“Bon Mesye aswe,” Diamonds greeted them.
“A good evening indeed,” the dread replied, letting Diamonds know that he, too, spoke Creole.
Rolling made the nervous introduction. “Doodles, this is the guy Diamonds who I was telling you about.” He was standing between two of the most dangerous men he had ever met, outside out of his brother.
“It’s good to finally meet.” Diamonds shook Doodles’s hand, and it seemed to ease some of the tension between their two caps. “I appreciate you coming all this way, especially with all you have going on. My condolences on your loss, by the way.”
“It was actually a friend of my son’s.” Doodles pointed to the young kid with him.
Diamonds didn’t see it at first, but now that he mentioned it, there was a resemblance between him and the scowling kid. They had the same eyes and thick lips. “Sorry for your loss.”
The kid just nodded.
“One of Franz’s friends caught a bad break last night in that bar fire on a Hundred and Forty-Fifth. You hear anything about that?” Doodles asked.
It seemed like an innocent enough question, but there was something behind it. Diamonds thought about playing dumb, but the direct approach had always been more his style. “Actually I was there,” he admitted. “Thankfully me and my friends left long before the fire started.”
Doodles nodded as if Diamonds had passed whatever test he’d just been given. “Some of Ricky’s family are in town, and I need to attend to them. So you’ll excuse me if I insist we make this brief.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Diamonds agreed. “As far as I knew, we were good, but now I’m hearing you got some concerns about the deal.”
“I wouldn’t call them concerns, more like reservations,” Doodles corrected him. “I did my homework on you, Diamonds. Your work in Miami and Texas tells me that you’re a man who knows how to flip a coin, but you also tend to leave big messes behind in every city you visit.”
Diamonds shrugged. “In this life people, die every day. It’s simply part of who we are.”
“I’m a man who understands that, but I’m also a man who understands that we have to pick our battles, not go out and invite them.”
“Trust me: I can handle anything I invite to my house,” Diamonds capped.
“Like you did Pana Suarez?” Doodles asked. When he saw the tick in Diamonds’s eye, he knew the information he’d received had been accurate. “Don’t look so surprised. I told you: I did my homework. Now, I didn’t know that man and don’t care why you did what you did to him, but I’m pretty sure there are people who do care and who are going to be looking for someone to lynch behind this. I just wanna make sure that the bullshit you’re up here kicking don’t splash on my side of the grass.”
“I feel you on that, and I can assure you the two won’t cross. One thing doesn’t have anything to do with the other,” Diamonds assured him.
“You and I both feel that way, but who’s to say that all parties involved will agree?” Doodles questioned. “People could look at me supplying you with heroin during your coup as picking a side. This could potentially turn your enemies into my enemies.”
“Well, under such unfortunate circumstances, that would make you my friend.”
As if on cue, Goldie came walking out with the bag Diamonds had sent him for, and he handed it to him. Diamonds took a peek inside and smiled before extended the bag to Doodles.
“What the fuck is that?” Doodles eyed the bag suspiciously.
“One thing you’ll learn about me is that I take good care of my friends, but better care of my enemies.” Diamonds placed the bag on the floor and stepped back.
Doodles waved one of his men forward to open the package. They all watched in anticipation as he carefully tore off the wrapping paper. It was expensive-looking hatbox tied off with a satin ribbon. He looked up at Doodles, who motioned for him open it. When his bodyguard removed the lid, he recoiled at the sight of the severed head inside. Men on both sides drew their pistols, and Diamonds and Doodles found themselves in the middle of a standoff.
“What’s the meaning of this fuckery?” Doodles snapped. His head whipped around toward Born and Rolling. “I come here to do business, and he lays a threat at my feet? I should kill the both of you for this disrespect.”
“D-doodles … I … I…” Rolling stuttered.
“Everybody, calm the fuck down.” Diamonds stepped up. He waved to his men to lower their guns, and they reluctantly complied. Doodles’s people kept their guns raised. “You got it wrong, friend. This here ain’t no threat; it’s me reassuring you that I take care of my own.”
“Fuck are you talking about?” Doodles’s eyes kept going from the head in the hatbox to Diamonds.
Diamonds picked the box up and peered inside before tilting it so that Doodles could see the petrified death mask on the head’s face. “This here isn’t just any old head. It’s the head of the man who’s responsible for the loss of your son’s friend … well, one of the men, at least.”
Doodles motioned for his men to lower their weapons, now interested in what Diamonds had to say.
“Like you already know, I was at that club last night, and could’ve bit it behind that bogus-ass fire too. I had some of my people do some digging, and as it turned out, it wasn’t an accident at all. Pops was drowning in debt, so he and his boy here got it in their heads to burn the place down to collect on the insurance money,” Diamonds said as if it were gospel.
“And how exactly do you know all this?” Franz questioned. It was clear from his look and his tone that he wasn’t buying into Diamonds’s story.
“Because I wanted to
buy the place from him.” Diamonds revealed the sliver of truth in his story. “I been on the old man for a time for the property, and I finally got him to cave. It was a cash deal, so we could leave the liquor license in his name and not have to bother with transferring it over. Old Pops thought he was going to beat me and the system, but he never counted on that fire spinning out of control. I hear he barely made it out.”
Doodles studied Diamonds’s face for signs that he was lying, but he found the young man unreadable. “So did you kill him because the fire took the life of one of mine or because his father tried to rob you?”
Diamonds pondered the question. “I killed because they tried to steal from me, but I cut his head off to earn the favor of a new friend. Will you be my new friend?” He extended his hand.
Doodles looked at the hand for a long while. The man was either shit-house crazy or more cunning than Doodles had expected. Either way, Doodles had decided at the moment that hatbox had come open and he saw the head, he’d much rather have Diamonds as an ally than an enemy. “Yes, I think I’d like that very much.” He shook Diamonds’s hand and sealed the bargain.
* * *
Doodles had barely cleared the block before men came spilling from the front yard and surrounded Diamonds. They were whooping and patting him on the back like he had just hit the game-winning shot in the playoffs. They all knew what time it was with the meeting and what the deal would mean for their crew. Shit was about to change. TJ was in his ear, going ballistic over the fact that he’d hidden a human head amongst the baby shower gifts. It wasn’t the smartest idea he’d ever had, but it beat toting the damn thing around all night. TJ was mad, but he’d get over it when he saw what his end would be from the heroin deal Diamonds had just secured. It was truly a good night to be a bad guy.
“You sure about being more gangster than politician?” Hank approached Diamonds after the crowd had dispersed. “That was a load of bullshit worthy of Washington.”
“Bullshit is in the eye of the beholder, old-timer. I’d have convinced that muthafucka that the sky was purple if it meant getting to that heroin,” Diamonds said.
“I still can’t believe you pulled that shit off,” Goldie said.
Diamonds grabbed him in a playful headlock and rubbed his knuckles across the top of his head. “Have I ever promised you anything I couldn’t deliver?”
“I gotta hand it to you, kid. When you set your mind to something, you don’t stop until you get it,” Hank said proudly.
“This is only the beginning.” Diamonds released Goldie. “Having this heroin-rolling plug is gonna open a lot of doors for us, boys. Before you know it, we’ll be rolling in dough.”
“So long as we ain’t rolling in bullets first,” TJ said, adding his two cents. “What about Eddie? Man, he gave us a shot and we’re burning him.”
“Calm your nervous ass down. Nobody is getting burned. We just ain’t putting all our eggs in one basket,” Diamonds explained.
“Yeah, unlike some of us, we ain’t quite so trusting of Eddie yet,” Hank added. He hadn’t missed out on the fact that TJ had seemed to be entirely too pro-Eddie throughout the whole ordeal.
“Stop coming at me like that, old man, because you know I’m just as down for this team as anybody!” TJ declared. “All I’m saying is, I’m about to have a new baby, so unlike y’all, I don’t have the luxury of picking up and moving from place to place like a damn gypsy.”
“Relax, cousin. Nobody is going to have to move. New York is home to all of us right now, but when and if that happens to change, I’ll make sure you and your family got no worries. Now, why don’t you go attend to your woman and let the grown folks talk?” Diamonds made a dismissive gesture. TJ was blowing his moment.
“What the fuck?” they heard Hank blurt out. All eyes turned to see what he was looking at.
“Who is that?” Goldie squinted to get a better look at the young ladies coming across the street.
“That, little brother, is the favor I need from you.” Diamonds smiled.
* * *
Directly across the street from TJ’s house, a man sat hunkered down behind the wheel of a beat-up Ford Explorer. He’d been parked there for over an hour, surveying everything that was going on. The fight that had broken out on the front lawn provided him a good laugh. He would’ve bet money on the brute, but David ended up triumphing over Goliath.
Not too long after the scuffle, the two combatants went their separate ways. The big man jumped in a taxi, and the young guy cut out with the girl who’d hung around the crew. He already knew where the big guy was off to, and he had one of his boys follow the girl. A black SUV pulled up, and several men jumped out. Diamonds and a few of his boys came out of the front yard to greet them. He recognized the man in the SUV, who was leading the group. He had seen him around a couple of times, but he knew him more by reputation than personally. Him being there was a bad sign, but the handshake he and Diamonds shared before parting company was even more disturbing.
The man surveying the scene was just reaching for his burner phone to report his findings when things took yet another twist. In his rearview mirror, he spotted two girls crossing the street from behind his truck. One was a chubby white girl, the other a shapely black chick. He adjusted his mirror to get a better look and realized he had seen the black girl before. If the girl was who he thought she was, then the situation had taken a turn toward the truly bizarre. Once he had seen enough, he picked up the burner phone and dialed the only number in the call log.
“Yeah, it’s me. I think you boys have got a bigger problem than you thought.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
“So glad you could make it.” Diamonds pulled Pearl in for a warm hug. “I trust you didn’t have a problem finding this place.”
“It’d have been kind of hard to miss.” Pearl looked over the sea of men who were staring at her and Ruby like hungry dogs. “I feel kind of overdressed for a barbecue.” She motioned over her cute skirt set and heels.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’d never have you waste such a nice fit on these hard legs. This is just a pit stop before we push off to our next destination.”
Behind them, Ruby cleared her throat.
“Oh, sorry,” Pearl said as if she were just remembering her friend was there. “Diamonds, this is my girl Ruby.”
“Nice to meet you, Ruby.” Diamonds shook her hand. “I’d like to introduce you to—”
“His brother, Goldie,” the younger sibling cut in. He took Ruby’s hand and kissed it. “Charmed.”
From the way the two of them were gazing at each other, there was no question as to whether they would get along or not.
“And, Pearl, I think you remember Hank from the bar.” Diamonds motioned to his OG, who was standing off to the side, looking at both of them as if they had sprouted additional heads. She waved to Hank, and he responded by shaking his head before storming back toward the house. “Pay him no mind; he’s on the rag today,” he joked. “So long as you’re here, let me introduce you to the rest of the family. I trust you’ll be seeing a lot of them in the near future, so might as well get familiar.”
“Who says I’m going to be around long enough to get to know them?” Pearl asked playfully.
“Sweetie, now that I’ve got you, you’d be a fool to think I was ever gonna let you go.” Diamonds looped his arm through hers. “Now, let’s go get my new lady acquainted.”
* * *
They were only supposed to be at the barbecue for a few minutes, but it had been over two hours and they hadn’t left yet. Initially Pearl was upset because she had gotten all dolled up for a date, not to spend her night in a backyard, but after a while she settled in and actually started enjoying herself. The music was rocking, the drinks were flowing, and there was a spread of delicious food that looked like it had been professionally catered. As far as baby showers went, it was one of the best she had ever attended.
Diamonds had strutted her proudly around the backyard, introd
ucing her to what he referred to as his family. They were really a ragtag bunch comprised of soldiers he had recruited from different cities during his push to New York. From the way the men embraced her, you’d have thought Diamonds was the president of the United States and she was the First Lady. The same couldn’t be said for the women. Some of them were cool, but most of them were shooting her shady looks. Pearl knew what that was all about. She was young, fine, and a new face, and the eyes of their men followed her everywhere she went. Pearl couldn’t blame them for feeling threatened, but they had nothing to worry about. She only had eyes for Diamonds.
After he was done introducing his cabinet to his new first lady, Diamonds got Pearl a plate and helped her to a chair in a quiet corner of the backyard. He excused himself momentarily while he handled something in the house. Goldie had taken that opportunity to go show his new redheaded toy off to his friends near the makeshift bar. They had hit it off right away, which was surprising to Pearl, because he wasn’t her type. Goldie was handsome to the point of almost being pretty, and Ruby usually went in for a rougher-looking sort. She was glad to see her friend having a good time and hoped that whatever seed had been planted between Ruby and Goldie blossomed. She and Pearl would be the envy of every girl in school if they showed up at prom with the brothers as their dates.
“Mind if I sit?” Hank spooked her when he pulled out the chair next to hers. He didn’t wait for her to reply before sitting down. “It’s Pearl, right?”
“Yes,” she answered uneasily. There was something about how he was looking at her that she didn’t like.
“You know, it ain’t hard to see why Diamonds is so smitten with you. You’re a fine piece of woman.” His eyes roamed over her. “A little young, but fine. So tell me, what’s a square broad like you doing in the company of gangsters?”
“And how you figure I’m a square?” Pearl snaked her neck, offended by the assumption.
“It ain’t too hard to tell. The way you dress, the way you talk, the way your eyes lit up like you had just walked into a circus when he brought you back here.” Hank snickered. “You might get your kicks hanging out in the slums, but you ain’t from ’em. What’s your angle here, baby?”
