by K'wan
Sophie was in the kitchen, leaning against the refrigerator, smoking a blunt to the face. She was staring off into space, deciphering the signs in the smoke rings she blew out. When she noticed Li’l Monk standing there, she smiled.
“Morning, love.” Li’l Monk kissed her on the cheek before plucking the blunt from her hand and hitting it. “Why’d you let me sleep so long?”
“Because you looked like you needed the rest. You spend some much time in the streets that you neglect the body’s basic needs, like sleep.”
“Shit, I ain’t never seen a nigga make a million dollars by lying around and sleeping all day. I got shit going on in the street that needs handling,” Li’l Monk replied.
“What about the shit you got going on here that needs handling?” Sophie tapped her finger on the counter for emphasis.
Li’l Monk grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close. He took a long pull of the blunt then leaned in to blow the smoke in Sophie’s mouth. “You must be ready for me to knock that out again.”
Sophie pushed him away. “I’m not talking about sex, thirsty-ass. You been in the streets real heavy lately, Li’l Monk. Why don’t you take a minute to stop and smell the roses while they’re still in bloom?”
Li’l Monk sucked his teeth. “Here we go with this shit.”
“What shit, Li’l Monk?” Sophie asked.
“You thinking that you’re my mother and trying to tell me what to do.”
Sophie gave him a look. “Li’l Monk, you know better than that. How am I trying to be your mother by just trying to make sure you’re good? That’s what a good woman is supposed to do, take care of her man.”
“A good woman also knows when to let her man be so he can do what he gotta do,” Li’l Monk shot back.
Sophie’s face said she was about to go in on him, but she caught herself and softened her tone. “See, that’s your problem, you’re too damn stubborn to take good advice when it’s given to you. You question everything I say, but you never second-guess your friends. If this had been you and Omega having this same conversation I’ll bet you’d be open to listening to him.”
“What are you trying to say that I’m a follower or some shit?” Li’l Monk’s tone was hostile.
“No, I didn’t say anything like that, why you tripping? Li’l Monk, I don’t know what’s been going on with you lately, but those demons of yours have been working overtime.”
“My demons I have under control. It’s my girl I’m having the issue with,” Li’l Monk snapped. “Man, I got some shit I gotta do for Ramses. I’ll check up on you later.”
“Once again I’m put on the backburner for Ramses. I don’t know why I’m not used to it by now.”
“Sophie, what do you want from me? If I’m out grinding then I’m neglecting you, if I’m not grinding then I’m a lazy nigga who ain’t brining nothing to the table. I can’t win for losing.”
“That shit you just came at me with is what I mean by you getting me confused with your other bitches. Let’s not forget that I loved your black ass long before you had two nickels together.” She checked him.
“Yeah, you rode out with me when I was down, baby, but you’re also reaping the benefits while I’m up, so let’s not pull out the scales and start weighing deeds.”
Sophie shook her head sadly. “Sometimes talking to you is like talking to a brick wall. Why do you have to be so angry all the time?”
Li’l Monk thought about it before responding. “Because sometimes anger is all I have to keep me going.” Li’l Monk kissed her on the lips. “I’m about to go handle business. I’ll call you later, ma.”
Sophie wanted to stop him and make him finish the conversation, but it was pointless. Lately it had been like the closer she tried to get to Li’l Monk the more distant he became. Her heart went out to Li’l Monk. Her man was like a walking mystery and every time she thought she had figured him out, things just got more complicated. She knew better than most how he had come up and the things that made him the way he was, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. She and Li’l Monk didn’t always get along, but Sophie had his best interests at heart. All she wanted to do was love Li’l Monk, but in order for her to give love he had to be ready to receive it.
The moment Li’l Monk stepped out of Sophie’s building he felt it. There was something in the air that he couldn’t put his finger on, but it made him feel uneasy. Butterflies fluttered around in his stomach and the chill of the grave settled into his bones. Li’l Monk had always been slightly more paranoid than most and it was this trait that had kept him alive during his run in the streets, but what he felt that day was different than his normal paranoia. It was as if someone somewhere was watching him, stalking him, and Li’l Monk didn’t like it.
He made hurried steps down the Avenue toward his building, hands tucked snuggly in his hoodie, wrapped around the handle of his gun. His eyes constantly swept back and forth, looking for signs of some hidden danger. Li’l Monk slipped inside his building and bounded up the stairs to his floor. When he came out of the stairwell he was surprised to find Huck and two of Ramses’s shooters standing in front of his apartment door, waiting for him. The minute he saw the worried expression on Huck’s face he knew something was off. Huck was one of the coolest cats he knew and nothing ever rattled him, but he seemed deeply disturbed.
“What’s all this?” Li’l Monk stopped short. He let one hand dangle at his side, while he kept the other one in his pocket on his gun. He didn’t like the way the shooters were sizing him up.
“Relax, Li’l Monk. If we meant you ill you’d have never seen us coming,” Huck assured him. “Why don’t you let me see that other hand, just to put an old man at ease?”
Li’l Monk was hesitant. He and Huck shared a bond that was a bit deeper than anyone else’s on the team and he had come to trust and admire the old head, but at the end of the day he knew that Huck was loyal to Ramses above all others. Still, it was like Huck said: if they meant him harm, Li’l Monk would’ve never seen them coming. After some internal debate, he let them see both his hands.
“Thank you.” Huck nodded.
“Huck, you wanna tell me what’s going on?” Li’l Monk asked.
“Where’re you just coming from, kid?”
Li’l Monk thought it was an odd question. “I’m coming from Sophie’s, why?”
“Can she or anyone else verify this?” Huck asked as if he was conducting a police investigation.
“Since when do I have to verify my whereabouts?” Li’l Monk asked angrily.
“Since there’s a trail of blood leading to Ramses’s doorstep,” Huck replied.
This shocked Li’l Monk. He wondered who had been killed this time and what it had to do with him. “What’s this all about?”
“I think that’s for Ramses to tell you himself. He wants to see you.”
Li’l Monk was tired and irritated. The last thing he wanted to do was sit through another meeting with Ramses, especially after he had just seen him a few hours prior, but the meeting wasn’t a request; it was an order.
The ride to the steak house where Ramses took his meetings was one of the longest of Li’l Monk’s life. The car was deathly silent, except for the soft sounds of the radio playing. He tried to engage Huck in small talk to see if he could get a feel for what was going on, but the older man wasn’t receptive, which bothered Li’l Monk. There had been times he and Huck would talk for hours on end about this or that, but the old head was eerily silent. The only positive thing Li’l Monk had to hold on to was the fact that they had let him keep his gun with him.
The first thing he noticed when he got out of the car in front of the steak house was that Ramses had doubled up on his security. It wasn’t unusual for him to keep a couple of his soldiers lingering around for protection when he was doing business, but from the double-parked cars and the men loitering on the curb, it looked like Ramses was gathering a small army.
Li’l Monk followed Huck inside the steak hou
se, still unsure what to make of all of it. He greeted a few of the men he knew from the block, but they too seemed distant. Dudes who Li’l Monk hung around with all the time now wouldn’t even look at him. It was as if there was some running joke being told that he hadn’t yet been let in on.
Sitting in his regular booth in the back was Ramses. He was smoking a cigar, and talking on the phone to someone. Worry lines were etched all across his face, and his eyes were red as if he had been up all night. Ramses looked haggard and stressed more so that Li’l Monk had ever seen him. When he spotted Huck walk in with Li’l Monk he ended the phone call. Li’l Monk extended his hand to shake Ramses’s and to his surprise, Ramses didn’t return the gesture. Instead, he motioned for him to sit down opposite him.
“You wanted to see me, Ramses?”
“Yes, I did. Look, you know I don’t beat around the bush about shit so let’s get straight to it. What happened last night?” Ramses asked.
Li’l Monk looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“Li’l Monk, now ain’t time to play the big dummy role. I need you to answer my questions, and I need you to tell me the truth. What happened last night when I sent you to see Mr. D?”
Li’l Monk shrugged. “Nothing, I picked up the package like you told me to and came straight back.”
“Was there anyone else in the apartment with you two, or did you notice any suspicious-looking cats anywhere around?”
Li’l Monk hesitated. He wasn’t sure if he liked where the conversation was headed or the way Ramses was looking at him. He started to tell him that he had taken Charlie with him, but until he was sure what was going on, he decided not to tip his hand. “Nah, I went alone,” he lied.
Ramses studied his face. “You sure?”
“Yes.” Li’l Monk tried to hide the nervousness in his voice. “What’s going on?”
Ramses sighed deeply. “Mr. D was found dead in his apartment this morning. Somebody robbed the old man then off’d him.”
Ramses’s revelation hit Li’l Monk like a blow to the chest. When he’d left the old man, he was still very much alive so to hear that someone had killed him came as a shock. “Wow, I’m sorry to hear it.”
“Not as sorry as you’re going to be if we don’t get this sorted out. Do you know who Mr. D was?” Ramses asked.
“No, can’t say that I do.”
“Mr. D, Mr. Donatello, was Frankie the Fish’s uncle. More importantly, he was a Capo in the Parizzi crime family, which means he was a made man. Do you know the penalty for touching a made man?”
“Death,” Li’l Monk said in a shaky voice. His mouth had suddenly become very dry and he found it hard to swallow.
“Yes, slow and painful death, for the offender and anyone close to you. Li’l Monk, I’m gonna ask you something and it’s important that you be truthful with me. You shoot straight and I can help you, but if you lie then there’s nothing I can do. Did you kill Mr. Donatello?”
“Absolutely not,” Li’l Monk said with conviction.
There was a tense silence between Li’l Monk and Ramses, with Ramses just staring as if he could read Li’l Monk’s mind. When he was satisfied with Li’l Monk’s answer, he nodded in approval. “This is bad, all bad. Mr. D getting hit not only tanks our deal with the Italians, it also puts us in very, very delicate situation. Heads will roll behind this and I don’t plan on mine being one of them.”
“Ramses, if you need me to do something, all you have to do is give the word and I’m on it. What do you need me to do?”
“For now, do nothing. Our people as well as Frankie’s people are looking into it. In the meantime, I need you to go about everything as if it’s business as usual. They’re going to be watching all of us and I don’t want any of my people doing anything suspicious that would give the Parizzis a reason to ride down on us until we’re clear on everything that’s going on.”
“You got it, Ramses.” Li’l Monk stood to leave.
“And Li’l Monk.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t make any unexpected trips.”
“You got it,” Li’l Monk agreed and left.
Li’l Monk’s steps were slow and measured as he left the restaurant. He was scared almost to the point of losing control of his bowels and didn’t trust his legs to support him if he tried to move any faster.
Ramses had just dropped a bomb on him. Li’l Monk knew the Parizzi crime family by reputation. They were an especially ruthless lot and one of the strongest of the remaining mafia families in New York. Someone killing one of their inner circle meant that there was surely a shit storm on the horizon.
Li’l Monk knew he didn’t kill Mr. D, but Ramses didn’t seem so sure, which was what bothered him. When dealing with criminal politics it wasn’t the same as dealing with the law where you would be granted a fair trial before sentencing was passed. In the underworld, being suspected of something was enough to get you killed and him being a suspect in the slaying of a made man did not sit well with him at all.
Li’l Monk replayed the events of the prior night over and over in his head to see if he had missed anything, but kept coming up with blanks. He had done everything Ramses had told him to do, with the one deviation being bringing Charlie with him. Charlie was the X factor. Could it be possible that Charlie could’ve doubled back and killed Mr. D after he and Li’l Monk had parted company? Anything was possible, but the theory didn’t sit right with him. Charlie was a slime ball, but he wasn’t a killer. He couldn’t see Charlie taking on a heist like that, let alone committing murder; but what if he’d had an accomplice? Li’l Monk and Charlie knew all of the same people and there wasn’t one of them who Li’l Monk could say was built like that to take on such a caper, but then again you never knew. His best course of action was to track Charlie down and question him. He would give his friend the benefit of the doubt, but if he suspected had crossed him, Charlie wouldn’t have to worry about Ramses catching up with him because Li’l Monk planned to kill him personally.
After Li’l Monk had gone, Ramses gave a signal to one of his men who disappeared into the kitchen area and came back out escorting a woman. She was an attractive older woman who was slightly underdressed for the weather and wearing a cheap-looking wig. Ramses motioned for her to take the seat Li’l Monk had just vacated. She looked nervous and couldn’t seem to sit still.
“Relax, sis. I gave you my word you would be safe here,” Ramses told her.
“I know, but I feel kind of funny about all this. You know we don’t snitch in the hood,” she told him.
“Don’t look at it as snitching, look at it as doing a public service for your Pharaoh,” Ramses tried to ease her mind. “The kid who just left, is that the man you saw leaving the apartment building?”
The woman thought about it. “It was dark and he was moving fast, but I think that was him.”
“I don’t need you to think. I need you to be sure,” Ramses said sternly. “Was that him?”
“Yes, that was him.”
Ramses heart sank. He looked at Huck, who just shook his head sadly. They both knew what needed to be done, but neither of them was looking forward to it. Ramses slid an envelope full of cash over to the woman. “Thanks for your time. You can go now.”
The woman took the envelope and made hurried steps from the restaurant.
Ramses took a few minutes to collect his thoughts before wearily rising to his feet.
“Ramses,” Huck began, but Ramses waved him silent.
“Not now,” Ramses told his friend and walked out of the restaurant. He had so much on his mind that he had no idea where to begin as far as sorting it out. His heart was heavy. He had grown quite fond of Li’l Monk and saw great potential in him, but like so many of the others who had come before him, Li’l Monk was getting overly ambitious, just like Chucky and Benny had. Ramses felt like a failed father.
Outside the restaurant, a white Rolls-Royce sat idling. Ramses moved through the throngs of soldiers, and climbed int
o the back seat of the car where Pharaoh was waiting.
“I take it by the look on your face things didn’t go well,” Pharaoh said, using his pocket knife to carve off slices of a fresh peach.
“Not well at all. The broad fingered Li’l Monk as the one she saw leaving the apartment,” Ramses told him.
“And do you believe her?”
Ramses hesitated before answering. “No, I believe Li’l Monk. I know that kid and he’s loyal.”
“That was the same thing you said about Benny and look how that turned out,” Pharaoh reminded him. “This isn’t good, Ramses.”
“I know,” Ramses said. “This isn’t sitting right with me. Give me a little time and I’ll get to the bottom of this.”
“Time is a luxury we don’t have, old friend. Between the Clarks, the Puerto Ricans, and now this, we have wolves scratching at our walls on all fronts. We’ve worked too hard to build this organization to sit back and watch it be picked over by vultures.”
“I know,” Ramses said sadly. “But I’m telling you, Pharaoh, there’s something we’re overlooking. I don’t think Li’l Monk would go out like that.”
“Maybe you’re right and maybe you’re wrong, but why even take the chance?” Pharaoh asked. “When you leave a sore untreated it’s likely to fester and infect the rest of the body. I can’t have that. Are you going to take care of this or should I?”
“No, I’ll take care of it.”
Pharaoh nodded. “So it is said, so it shall be done.”
“It’s done,” Maggie said once she was back in the car.
“Do you think he believed you?” Chucky asked from behind the wheel.
“This envelope says he does.” Maggie held up the reward money Ramses had given her.
It had been Chucky’s idea to send Maggie into the restaurant and feed Ramses the false information. When he had gotten wind of who the old man was that he had killed, he knew he would have to cover his ass. The best way to do it was to feed Ramses someone else to blame for the murder. It was a risky plan, but thankfully it had worked.
