The Fix 2

by K'wan

  “It’s only right.”

  “So what you ’bout to get into?” Charlie asked.

  “About to go holla at Ramses then take it down. I been neglecting my lady and so I’m gonna go spend some time with her tonight,” Li’l Monk told him.

  “You should. Not for nothing, Sophie is good people. Don’t fuck up a good thing, real talk,” Charlie said seriously.

  “You ain’t gotta tell me, I already know,” Li’l Monk replied. “Get with me tomorrow.” He gave Charlie dap and went to make his last rounds.

  Charlie waited until Li’l Monk was out of sight before heading for the nearest payphone. He dropped a quarter in and dialed one of the few numbers he knew by heart. After a few rings someone picked up on the other end. “Chucky, it’s me. I got a business opportunity you might be interested in.”

  CHAPTER 20

  When Sophie snatched her front door open, her mood was clearly etched across her face. She was pissed. Standing on the other side was Li’l Monk. He had come bearing gifts of flowers, candy, and a bottle of Hennessy, but she was unmoved. When he leaned in to kiss her, she turned on her heels and started back down the hall.

  “Well, hello to you too,” Li’l Monk said sarcastically. He followed her down the hallway into the living room. Sophie flopped on the couch and started flipping through the channels with the remote as if he wasn’t even there. “What the fuck is your problem?”

  Sophie paused her channel surfing and cut her eyes at him. “Are you really gonna stand there and ask me that?”

  “Sophie, I know you’re salty at me for beating dude up earlier, but he had it coming,” Li’l Monk said.

  Sophie shook her head. “Is that what you think this is about? You getting into a fight? You just don’t get it do you?”

  “Then tell me what it is that I’m missing.”

  “What you’re missing is that I really don’t appreciate how you played me to the left when all I was trying to do was look out for you. Do you know how embarrassing that was for you to walk off and leave me standing there like I’m some side bitch? Save that for your other hoes, but don’t do it to me, Li’l Monk.”

  “Sophie, I ain’t got no other hoes. You know you the only ho I got eyes for.” Li’l Monk laughed. Sophie did not. “I’m just playing, babe.” He leaned in to kiss her.

  “Get out of here, I’m not playing with you.” Sophie tried to push him off, but he was too heavy.

  “Stop acting like that, boo. Let me make it up to you.” Li’l Monk planted soft kisses on Sophie, starting at her forehead and working his way down to her lips. She was still resisting, but not very hard. Li’l Monk kissed her passionately on the lips while fondling her breasts in his strong hands. He could feel her nipples getting hard through her tank top.

  “You think coming in here and playing with a little tittie is gonna make up for your bullshit?” Sophie asked between kisses.

  “Nah, but I know something that might.” Li’l Monk slid down between her legs. Gently, he pulled her sweatpants off and found that she wasn’t wearing any panties, which worked for him considering what he was about to do. Li’l Monk spread Sophie’s legs and dipped his head into her midsection. Like a kitten on a bowl of milk, he started lapping at her clit gently. When she was moist, he dripped the tip of his tongue inside her and started exploring her insides. When he heard a low hiss escape her, he knew he had found her spot and focused on it.

  Li’l Monk came up, with his lips and face moist with her juices. There was an animalistic look in his eyes. “Can I feel you, baby?” he asked softly, while undoing his belt, and pushing his pants down over his hips.

  “No, I’m not giving you none, Li’l Monk,” Sophie said while spreading her legs wider.

  “Just a little bit,” he breathed in her neck. “All I need is a little bit.” Using his thumb as a guide, Li’l Monk slipped his massive cock inside her. He had barely gotten the head in when her body tensed.

  “Be gentle,” she warned.

  “I got you,” he said, taking his time sliding the rest of him inside her. Sophie’s womb was as warm as fresh baked bread, and super tight. It took him a minute of working himself back and forth before he was able to get all the way inside her. After a few strokes they were able to establish a rhythm. Li’l Monk grabbed the back of the couch, balancing himself on his toes and began dipping in and out of Sophie. “I love you so much,” he panted.

  “I love you too, baby,” she whispered. Li’l Monk’s dick felt like it was going to split her wide open, but it was such a good hurt. She dug her nails into his ass and forced him deeper.

  Li’l Monk hooked her legs in his arms and started thrusting into her harder and faster. His face twisted into an evil mask as it started getting good to him. Sophie’s face said that she was in pain, but he was too far gone to notice. Li’l Monk flipped her over on her stomach and entered her from behind. He forced Sophie’s head into the couch cushion with one hand and hooked her around the waist with the other, holding her in place. Li’l Monk stroked her feverishly: slow, fast, fast, slow. He was pounding her like a man fresh home from prison who hadn’t seen a woman in years and to her credit, Sophie took it like a champ. When he felt the telltale buildup in his hips, spreading to his dick, he grabbed her by the back of her hair and pulled it like a jockey holding the reins of a horse. Li’l Monk came so hard, and so much that it spilled from Sophie’s womb and dripped down both their legs. When he was spent, Li’l Monk climbed on the couch, spooned Sophie from behind, tenderly. Just like that, he went from a beast back to his gentle self. That’s how it always was with Li’l Monk.

  As they lay there, holding each other, listening to their respective heartbeats, Sophie said. “I hope you know you’re gonna get my hair done over.”

  All Li’l Monk could do was laugh as he drifted off to sleep.

  CHAPTER 21

  Omega and Tut stepped off the hospital elevator on the floor that served as the burn unit. They stopped at the desk and gave them the name of the person who they had come to visit. The nurse at the desk told them which room to go to, but first they had to slip on two gowns and scrub caps. It was important that they kept the floor as sterile as they could to lessen the chances of any of the victims catching random infections. Omega’s dreads couldn’t all fit into the scrub cap, so they gave him what looked like a shower cap. As he was stuffing his hair inside, Tut noticed a purple and gray ribbon tied around one of his dreads.

  “What the fuck is that?” Tut asked.

  “A good luck charm,” Omega told him and started down the hall.

  It didn’t take long to find the room they were looking for. Standing outside the door was a hard-faced Hispanic man with a pork chop mustache and a bad haircut. Handing from his shoulder was an automatic weapon. The fact that he was armed in the hospital, like it was legal, gave them an idea of what kind of people they were dealing with and just how far Poppito’s reach went.

  As the man with the mustache searched them, Omega looked over at Tut. He looked nervous, which was good thing. The fact that he still had the good sense to be afraid was a good sign. Men who knew no fear were dangerous, and prone to do stupid shit. After making sure neither of them was carrying a weapon, they were allowed inside.

  There were two beds in the room, but only one of them had a patient in it, the one closest to the window on the far side. The other was empty, except for a guitar case. What a guitar case was doing in a hospital room was anyone’s guess, but Omega reasoned he didn’t want to find out if he could avoid it.

  In the next bed there was a woman, sitting propped up on some pillows. Her arms and half her face were heavily bandaged, but the little skin that was exposed was raw and blistered. It looked like even the most subtle moves were painful. Omega gave Tut a dirty look.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing ice chips on her lips, was the man Omega assumed was Felix, Poppito’s mouthpiece in the States. He was an average-sized man, whose hairline was starting to recede, with big ears.
Dressed in a simple white shirt and black pants, he didn’t look much like what Omega had expected from the stories he’d heard. Felix was supposed to be a real piece of work who they spoke about in the streets like the bogeyman, but he didn’t look like much. It wasn’t until he turned around that Omega saw it: the unmistakable look of death in his eyes.

  Felix whispered something to the woman in the bed before standing to greet Omega and Tut. “Which one of you is Omega?” His voice was sharp and to the point.

  “That would be me.” Omega stepped forward, extending his hand. When Felix shook it, Omega could feel the extra squeeze. “First let me say that I am sorry for your loss. Petey was a good guy.”

  Felix gave Omega a look. “No, he wasn’t. Petey was a fucking asshole and we both know it. That still doesn’t change the fact that he was Poppito’s family. Let’s not mince words between us, Omega. I have not the time nor the patience.”

  “Fair enough,” Omega agreed.

  Tut stepped forward. “Nice to meet you, Felix. I’m—”

  “Not important right now,” Felix cut him off. “Let’s make this quick. She needs her rest.” He led Omega to the bed where the woman was propped up.

  Tut stood there with a confused expression on his face, not sure whether to follow. Omega motioned for him to stay put, so he lingered near the door.

  Felix led Omega to the woman’s bedside and pulled the curtain so they would have a little privacy. “Maria, this is Omega. He’s one of Ramses’s people who have come to help us find the monsters who have done this.”

  “I remember you,” she said weakly.

  Felix gave Omega a suspicious look.

  “I came to the restaurant with Petey a few times,” Omega clarified. “Maria, I’m sorry that this has happened to you and you have my word I’m going to have my people do all that they can to make sure justice is served for this. Now, is there anything you can tell me about the men who attacked you?”

  Maria went on to recount the events that had occurred the day Petey had gotten killed and her restaurant was burned to the ground with her in it. He listened intently as she gave descriptions of the man she had seen, who bore a striking resemblance to King Tut. Omega glanced nervously over his shoulder to make sure Tut was still out of sight.

  While Maria was talking, Omega noticed that Felix kept giving him funny looks. It made him nervous, but he didn’t show it. At some point he heard Felix say to Maria, “¿Es uno de ellos?” asking if he was one of them. Few people knew Omega was fluent in Spanish, and he kept it that way. He watched Maria closely to see how she answered. He stared at her closely, waiting to see how she would respond. Maria studied his face for a few seconds then shook her head no.

  Tut felt like a sucker, just standing off by the door doing nothing. He knew that it was best that he stay off the radar because of his involvement in the crime, but not knowing what was being said behind that curtain was killing him. He looked back at the door and saw that the Hispanic with the pork chop mustache was more interested in one of the duty nurses than he was with watching Tut. Moving stealthily, Tut crept closer to the curtain to see if he could hear better.

  “Thank you, Maria. You’ve been very helpful,” he could hear Omega saying. Tut cursed himself for having missed the meat of the conversation. Unexpectedly the curtain was flung back and Tut was busted eavesdropping.

  “What the fuck are you doing, bro?” Felix asked angrily. Hearing his raised voice brought in the Hispanic with the mustache, gun in hand and ready to kill at his boss’s word.

  Tut found himself at a loss for words. As if catching him listening in on a private conversation wasn’t bad enough, things took a turn for the worse when Maria saw Tut. Her eyes went wide and her body seized with fear. She started gasping as if she was having trouble breathing, which momentarily took the attention off Tut and brought it back to her.

  “What’s the matter, Maria?” Felix rushed to her side.

  “No, no, no,” she said over and over, looking at Tut. She was clearly spooked by his presence.

  Felix followed her line of vision and it only took a split second for him to leap to his feet, and draw his gun on Tut. “You piece of shit, did you have something to do with this?”

  “Wait a minute, Felix.” Omega stepped forward, but was backed up to the wall by the man with the pork chop mustache jamming his gun into Omega’s chest. Things were getting real ugly, real quick.

  Felix pressed his gun into Tut’s forehead. “I’m gonna ask you one time and if I think you’re lying, I’m going to blow you and your friend’s fucking brains out. Did you touch my family?”

  “Bro, I ain’t never seen this lady a day in my life,” Tut lied with conviction. It sounded convincing enough, but the look on Felix’s face said he wasn’t buying it.

  “I don’t believe you,” Felix said, cocking the hammer.

  Omega saw the situation getting away from him and had to do something. He snatched the shower cap off, letting his dreads spill freely, and held the cap in his hands humbly. “Felix, I don’t know what’s going on, but why don’t we just talk about it.”

  “Ain’t shit to talk about. If this pussy was involved with what happened in Maria’s restaurant, both of you are going to sleep and then we’re gonna wipe Pharaoh, Ramses, and anybody loyal to them off the map.” Felix looked to Maria. “¿Es uno de ellos?” He repeated the question from earlier. The lives of Omega and Tut depended on how she answered.

  Maria looked from Tut, to Omega. When Omega made eye contact with her, he tugged at the loose dread that had the purple and gray ribbon tied around it. From the look on her face she had gotten his signal loud and clear.

  “¿Es uno de ellos?” Felix asked for the final time. Omega held his breath and prayed to every God he could think of for them to make it out of that hospital room alive.

  “No,” Maria said looking down at her hands.

  “Are you sure?” Felix pressed. It looked like he would’ve liked nothing more than to shoot Tut and Omega.

  “I’m sure. He wasn’t there. Please, I’m tired. I just want to rest,” Maria said wearily.

  Felix kept his gun aimed at Tut for a few seconds longer before finally tucking it and giving his bodyguard the signal to release Omega. “Wait outside,” he said, not bothering to look at either one of them. Wisely, Omega and Tut got their asses out of the hospital room. The Hispanic with the automatic weapon kept them company, and in sight, while Felix tended to Maria.

  When Felix emerged in the hallway the anger was apparent on his face. He looked at Tut as if he wanted to continue his inquisition, but thought better of it. He started toward the elevator and motioned for Omega and Tut to follow. When they got the elevator doors he turned around to address the two youngsters. His face was hard and his eyes cold. “Let me just go on record as saying that this all sounds like some nigger bullshit either orchestrated by Ramses or two of his stooges with big ideas.”

  “Yo, Felix—” Omega began, but Felix waved him silent.

  “Don’t talk, just listen. This whole situation stinks like shit to me. For as much as I would like nothing more than to publically execute you and your little friend I still have enough respect for Ramses not to go about it like that, which is more than I can say for the respect my family has been shown. Regardless of my personal feelings, I’m not going to open the faucet of blood . . . yet. You take a message back to your bosses for me. You tell Ramses that I will have the head of the person who has done this or I’m going to hold all of you accountable.”

  Omega had never been so happy to taste stale New York air as when he stepped outside. For a minute things looked like they were about to go way south. Thankfully they were able to walk out with their lives, but it was only a temporary reprieve.

  “Man, you hear them wetbacks talking that gangster shit?” Tut was asking him. “They lucky I didn’t have my gun or else it would’ve been some shit in there. Bitch-ass niggas.”

  “Tut, do me a favor and shut the fuck up,�
�� Omega told him and started toward the Avenue to get a taxi. He knew when he broke the news to Ramses he was going to be pissed. Heads would surely have to roll for this and he just prayed that his wasn’t one of them.

  “O, I know we had a little scare but we both walked out in one piece.” Tut tried to make it seem as if it wasn’t that serious.

  “But for how long?” Omega snapped. “Do you realize that you almost got us killed?”

  “But we ain’t dead!”

  Omega shook his head. “You just don’t get it. If I hadn’t been able to change her mind we would’ve died in there.”

  “Speaking of which, how did you get the chick to change her story midsentence?”

  “With my good luck charm.” Omega pulled the purple and gray ribbon from his hair. Upon closer inspection you could tell that it wasn’t a ribbon at all, but the necktie from a child’s school uniform. “It’s the same uniform colors that her daughter’s school wears.”

  “You kidnapped her daughter? Damn, you a cold muthafucka, O!” Tut said proudly.

  “No, I didn’t kidnap her daughter, you dumb fuck. They’re giving out double digits for kidnapping grown people, so ain’t no way I’d have kidnapped a kid. I found out what school her kid goes to and picked this up at the uniform store just to let her know we knew how to hurt her.”

  “Genius, man, pure genius.”

  “Which is more than I can say for you,” Omega capped.

  “So what now? Do we go and tell Ramses we might be going to war with these Spanish niggas?” Tut asked.

  “Not yet.” Omega ran his hands through his hair as he often did when he was contemplating doing wrong. “If we can find somebody to pin the murders on, Ramses will never have to know.”

  CHAPTER 22

  Li’l Monk felt like he had only been asleep for a few minutes, but when he opened his eyes again the first rays of dawn were peeking through Sophie’s curtains. He reached for Sophie only to find she was gone and he was alone on the couch. Li’l Monk rolled off the couch, damn near tripping over his jeans, which were still around his ankles. He pulled them up and then went to find Sophie.