Against the Grain

by Freeze

  “You a stupid-ass nigga,” Mike told Tank. Once the laughter died down a little, Mike asked Kay, “What’s up with the white girl, playa?”

  “I met her about two years ago. She’s an actress. Well, she’s trying to be one. We met in the airport and I’ve been fuckin’ wit her ever since.”

  “Damn, why you move the bitch in with you? I know there has got to be some fine-ass black women out here,” Tank said.

  “Yeah, it’s a lot of fine-ass black women out here, but I get enough black pussy at home. Besides, it ain’t a black and white thing with me. I just go for Jordan. She’s going to blow one day. After looking at all the white girls in the fuck books while in prison all those years, shit, I had to get me one. She’s the only white girl I’ve ever been with. Wait til you try it,” Kay told them.

  “So what’s up with everything being white around this motherfucker?” Tank asked.

  “I don’t know. That’s some ho shit. Jordan decorated everything around here. White is her favorite color.”

  “See, that’s what I’m talking about. She’s trying to suck you into her little white world and turn you into one of them corny-ass white-boy niggaz,” Tank said, causing everyone to laugh.

  “Nigga, you is buggin’. You need to stop smoking that shit,” Kay told him and they all laughed again.

  “She got some white girlfriends?” Tank asked.

  “Yeah, and they all like dark meat. She’s on the phone right now inviting them over for a pool party tonight. She’s telling them all about ya’ll. And her friends can party. Them bitches is models and actresses, but they’re freaks. So it’s on tonight.”

  “Okay, that’s what I’m talking ’bout. Jordan is my nigga,” Tank said.

  “Yo, take the balls off the table, I’m ready to gamble,” Kay said as he threw a pair of dice on the pool table. Everybody started pulling out wads of money.

  They partied and played hard for the next two weeks. They did everything under the sun. Kay even met his man Joey at his apartment. Joey didn’t know about his other house or Jordan. No matter how much fun they were having, niggaz was beginning to miss wifey. Kay was missing Shu-Shu. Kay rented a limo to take them to the airport. Jordan rode along with them. When the guy’s flight was announced, Jordan kissed Kay. He turned and walked down the corridor to the plane. When he disappeared, she walked over to the big window and waited for the plane to take off, taking Kay back to Baltimore. She turned and walked away with tears in her eyes when the plane was out of sight.

  • • •

  A few weeks later the summer was almost over and it was time for the kids to go back to school. Shu-Shu gave Mama’s church the money to sponsor a free bus trip to Kings Dominion for all the mothers and their children in the neighborhood. Since the trip wasn’t until the next morning, and Shu-Shu wasn’t invited to Kay’s party at the club that night, she decided to pick up Lil ‘C’ and Kaneeka and go back to Mama’s house to get some rest.

  • • •

  Later that night, Kay’s party jumped off at The Raven. It was called the THOUSANDNAIRE PARTY. You didn’t have to have a million but you had to have ten thousand dollars or better in your pocket to get in the door. So this meant. . . . No Broke-Ass Niggaz Allowed! The club was set up like a casino that night. There was plenty of gambling, free food and alcohol, but the main course of the night was the women. Kay had imported fifty of the prettiest exotic dancers from up and down the east coast. Even a few porn stars were invited and showed up. Heather Hunter, Menage, Obsession, Xtacee, Janet Jacme, Lana Sands, Dynamite and her crew all came through to show some love. Kay and the fellaz were in VIP 1, alone. The music was turned down real low on the inside. They were playing the video game.

  “Yo, this party is bangin’, Kay,” Gee said.

  “Yeah, it’s like a coming-out party for a nigga,” Kay said.

  “What the fuck is you talking about?” Scatter asked him.

  “Okay, check it, ya’ll niggaz know I been thinking ’bout expanding my operation a little, right? Well, you see that little short nigga right there talking to that porno bitch, Heather Hunter? That’s JD, he’s from New Brunswick, N.J. The nigga in the wheelchair is my man Mingo, from Detroit. The bald-headed nigga with the gold teeth is C.E., he’s from Atlanta. That nigga right there is my man Pharaoh, from New York. The other dude with the dreads is my man Sweat, from Charlotte. That smooth nigga right there is Mr. Darryl Shully, representing Philly. That black-ass nigga right there is Cease. He and his little partner, Half, is from Ohio. See the white boy with the long hair? You’d have to kill him if he heard you call him white. He’s just as black as any of us in this room. That’s Romeo Capone. The nigga standing next to him is Chris, the Pimp God. Romeo is from Pittsburgh and the Pimp God is from Sacramento. Don’t leave your bitch around these two niggaz. That bald-headed red nigga is my man Caprise, from Mil-waukee. I met most of those niggaz while I was in prison. Through these niggaz, I plan to take shit over. I’m going to flood their cities with dope.”

  “You know the locals might not like that,” Mike said.

  “Fuck ’em! If I have a problem in Detroit, I send niggaz from Ohio. If I have a problem in New York, I send niggaz from Cali and they kill everything moving. Niggaz either get down or lay down,” Kay said as he gave Mike a pound.

  “I feel you, nigga. I might want to spread some of this coke around with you. You know, expand my operation a little, too,” Mike said.

  “Say no more, nigga—done,” Kay told him.

  “Yo, who’s the Chinese kid in the corner?” Tank asked.

  “That is the man behind the man. Shorty is my connect,” he bragged.

  “You’re joking right? That little nigga looks like he’s no older than seventeen or eighteen,” Tank said.

  “Nah, Joey’s older than that and he’s no doubt the most powerful man in the building tonight.” Then Kay continued, “Let’s go have a good time. Pussy on me tonight.”

  All the top playaz in the city were there. Everyone was having a good time. Any- and everywhere you looked, someone was getting some head or fucking. All the women made plenty of money that night. That was the way Kay designed it.

  • • •

  Meanwhile, on the outside of the club, Agent White was undercover trying to get in. Dinky, the doorman wasn’t having it.

  “Who are you?” he asked.

  “I’m Reggie. I’m a friend of Kay’s,” Agent White answered.

  “Where you be at?” Dinky asked him.

  “I’m up on Laurens and McCollugh.”

  “Yeah well, I know Big Reg, Vinny, and them. You ain’t part of they crew so I’m going to have to ask you to step aside.”

  “C’mon, man, don’t play me like that. I’ve got the entry fee and I’ll piece you real good,” he told Dinky as he flashed ten grand.

  “Nah, I don’t need your money. There’s a lot of important people in here tonight and you smell like a cop to me. I don’t want you fucking up nobody’s high, so if I have to tell yo punk ass one more time to step to the side, I’m going to call the rest of security and have you stomped the fuck out. Now beat it!”

  Agent White didn’t want any trouble, especially since he didn’t have his gun on him. He walked away and said in his hidden microphone, “I’ve been made. Make sure you get a good picture of the guy on the door and remind me to find something to lock his black ass up for.”

  When the party was finally over, Agents White and Powell were sitting close by, taking pictures of everyone coming out the club. Once the doors had been locked from the outside and the crowd had dispersed, Agents White and Powell realized that neither Kay nor his crew had been seen coming out of the club. That’s because immediately after Agent White walked away from the door of the club, Dinky told Kay what happened and he and his guests and the crew were rushed out the back door into the alley behind the club where he had two black passenger vans with tinted windows waiting to take everyone to the hotel. They even took most of the girls with them.
Nobody but Kay knew why they left early. The vans rode right past the agents’ unmarked car. They were so busy looking at the entrance of the club, they didn’t even notice the vans. But as the vans went by, Kay noticed them. He was sitting up front in the passenger seat and looked right into Agent Powell’s face and it registered to him where he’d seen her before. She was the same broad that kissed him in the club the night of the grand opening. He didn’t worry about it though. He would just get Marisol to check it out tomorrow. Plus he was getting ready to move his operations out of B-More anyway.

  • • •

  The next morning by 9:00 a.m. the five charter buses the church rented for the Kings Dominion trip were packed. The driver of one of the buses had to call in for two more buses because people were still coming. Everyone was there. Shu-Shu, Kay, Lil ‘C’, Kaneeka, Mama Frost, Lyniece, Mike, T-Kie, Tramaine, Pooh Pooh, Kelli, Caleek, Tank, Quchelle and their kids, Gee, Sandra and their daughter Stacy, Lady and Scatter, Big Duke, his girl and son Lil Duke, Dre, Mina, and security. Everyone wore bright yellow and white T-shirts with Frost Family Day on the back. That was just in case someone got lost in Kings Dominion. The buses were lined up on Fremont Avenue between Harlem and Edmondson. Everyone was on the buses except Kay, Mike, and Big Duke.

  Kay was on the corner of Harlem and Fremont, on the side of Romanos sub shop, talking on his cell phone. He was making last-minute arrangements to get all his guests to the airport on time, when he saw something in his peripheral vision on the roof across the street. He turned to get a good look. Agent White jumped back from the edge of the roof so that Kay couldn’t see him. Kay told whoever he was talking to that he would call them back. He put his phone in his pocket and stared at the roof for a long moment.

  “What you looking at, Kay?” Big Duke asked.

  “Nothing. C’mon, let’s go,” Kay told him. They got on the bus and headed for Virginia.

  • • •

  Later on that night Kay and Shu-Shu were home alone. Kay was lying across the bed naked with the remote in his hand trying to find something good on TV. Shu-Shu came in with a bottle of wine and two glasses. She was wearing one of Kay’s T-shirts with nothing underneath. She filled both glasses and handed one to Kay. Then she climbed on his back and with her free hand, began to massage his shoulders and neck.

  “What’s wrong, baby? You seem stressed about something. You been like that all day. I noticed it at Kings Dominion. You want mama to make it better?” she said as she bent down and stuck her tongue in his ear.

  “Chill for a minute, ma. Let me talk to you about something,” he told her as he pulled away from her. She sat straight up and took a sip of her wine.

  “I got this vibe that something is about to go down. I don’t get a vibe often but when I do, I’m usually right. Baltimore is getting hot, so I’m going to move around and do my thing. I think I’m going to start with New York, then Atlanta. I want you to stay out of the city for a while. Just let Mama or whoever come out here to keep you company. Lil ‘C’ and Kaneeka will be here with you on the weekends anyway. I’ll be coming back and forth every other week to make sure shit is tight on this end. Plus, you know I get sick when I stay away from you too long,” he said as he smiled.

  “Why can’t I just take some time off and come with you?”

  “Nah, ma, I need you here to be my eyes and ears, take care of all the businesses and stay on point for anything out of the ordinary. Have you ever heard of a spooker, baby?” he asked her.

  “No, what’s that?”

  Kay turned over on his back so that he would be facing her. “I read this book a while back called Spooker. It was about some CIA shit. All CIA agents are taught to keep a spooker. A spooker is like a getaway kit. A car, a passport, and identification all in another name. And as much unmarked cash as you can carry. You keep your spooker where no one can link you to it and when the shit hits the fan, you run for your spooker as fast as you can, leaving everyone and everything behind and never look back,” he told her.

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “I don’t know. Just in case, I guess.”

  “Do you have a spooker?” she asked.

  “No.”

  “Well, I don’t need one either.” She bent down and kissed him. They both finished their wine and dropped the glasses to the carpet. Kay rolled over on top of her between her legs and they began to make love.

  20

  Gee and Tank were riding around smoking weed when Gee’s cell phone rang. He passed the blunt to Tank before answering the phone.

  “Hello.”

  “It’s me, man, Lowsy.”

  “Wham my yoot? What ta gwon?”

  “Yo, that nigga Punchy got bagged for driving with no L’s. He can’t get out because he got a fugitive warrant up top.”

  “Where’s mi tings, bredren?”

  “I just gave him both of them this morning, so they should be at his girl’s crib. I’m on my way over there now to pick that up. I’ll hit you back in a little while. Peace.”

  “Alright, me ah check fi you later,” Gee said and hung up the phone. Twenty minutes later Gee’s phone rang and it was Lowsy again.

  “Yo, Gee, I’m at Punchy’s house and it looks like a fucking tornado hit it. His girl said that she just came home and found it like this. She can’t find the food. She’s looked all over for it. She said it’s not where he usually puts it. She’s saying that someone must have broken in while she was at work.”

  “So mi things not deyah? Yo sta, it’s not mi problem. I give you mi tings to sell it. You give it to your mon. Your mon get bag up over some foolishness, so you haf to deal wit it. You understand mi? Call mi bock when you haf mi money,” Gee told him and hung up.

  He and Tank were parked across the street from Club 900, a strip club. Gee was rolling another blunt when Tank got off his phone. He knew somebody that worked at Central Booking. She confirmed that Punchy was there with no bond. He hadn’t seen the commissioner yet, but he had a detainer on him from New York. Tank looked over at Gee and said, “That nigga Lowsy is trying to play you. That shit don’t sound right. As soon as this nigga goes to jail, his crib gets robbed? C’mon, man, one of them niggaz is playing games. Either that nigga Punchy and his girl is in it together or that nigga Lowsy robbed the crib before shorty got there. You feel what I’m saying?”

  Gee inhaled the smoke from the blunt and stared out the window. Then he spoke without his Jamaican accent, “I don’t care who got my two ki’s—that nigga Lowsy is going to pay me for my shit or die. That’s my word.”

  “Yeah, that’s how it has to go down, nigga,” Tank yelled. He took the blunt from Gee and hit it again. Once it was done, they got out the car. Their bodyguards were in a black Yukon behind them. The four of them went in the club for a while. When they finally came out they had two strippers with them. Instead of going straight to the hotel they decided to go by Lowsy’s first. When Lowsy opened the door and let them in, he was wearing just a bathrobe. They had caught him while he was sleeping. As soon as they entered into the apartment and Lowsy had locked the door, the bodyguards began to beat him senseless as he screamed like a bitch for Gee to make them stop. Gee raised his hand and they stopped.

  “Get up!” Gee yelled. Lowsy got up slowly.

  “Have a seat,” Gee said as he pointed to the couch. Lowsy did as he was told. Gee told the bodyguards to search the apartment.

  “I swear, Gee, man, I didn’t have anything to do with it. I’m not crazy enough to cross you and stay around. Please, Gee, don’t kill me. I’m going to get your money. Every penny of it.”

  Gee didn’t say a word. The bodyguards came back with six guns and $8,000 they found in the bedroom.

  “Looks like he was waiting on us with all this artillery, Gee,” Tank said.

  “Nah, I just keep them around for the stickup boys,” Lowsy said.

  “You should have had one in your hand when you came to the door, you stupid motherfucker!” Tank yelled, poking Lowsy
in the face.

  “Get this nigga dressed, he’s coming with us,” Gee told them.

  “Please, Gee! No! I’ll get your money today!” Lowsy yelled.

  They got him dressed and took him out to his MPV. Gee decided to take his van because if the cops found his van at home and his body somewhere else, they would come around asking questions. Gee made the strippers follow them in his car. They put Lowsy in the back of the MPV. On the way to the stash house, they stopped at a 7-Eleven for a box of phillies. Before Gee could get out, Lowsy snatched the sliding door open, jumped out, and ran in the 7-Eleven. They ran in behind him but he jumped over the counter.

  “Help me! Help me! Call the police!” he yelled to the clerk who was already on the phone dialing 911. Gee and Tank stopped in their tracks. The bodyguards were on their way around the counter to get Lowsy.

  “No!” Tank yelled. They froze and looked at him. He pointed to the security cameras.

  “Let him go. We’ll get him later.” They got back in the vehicles and drove off.

  • • •

  Late one afternoon the crew was hanging out around the way when Kay and Dre rode up on their Ducati 995 SPS motorcycles. Kay’s was red and white, Dre’s was yellow and black. They both rocked the leather Ducati jackets to match their bikes. The Raheem family was also out there. The Raheem family grew up in this same neighborhood. The reason they were known as the Raheem family is because they were about thirty-strong and counting if you add brothers, sisters, cousins, nephews, and nieces. They all lived around the way and they were tight. Their family had been getting drug money in Baltimore for years. Now that the nephews were grown, they started doing their thing. One day a beef jumped off between some of the Raheems and some of Mike’s workers. Both sides were capable of bringing it but neither really wanted to, so everyone was out on the corner to talk shit out and show that there was no love lost. The fellaz greeted each other with handshakes and hugs. Big Duke drove up. Scatter was riding with him. Everyone started clowning Big Duke because Kay had finally showed them the videotape of Big Duke at the hotel in Virginia Beach.