“What do you want?”
“Indio lied to me, Liana,” Rasheem said. “Believe me when I tell you, I had no idea he was still in the game.”
“Umm, hmm.” Liana slurped on a spoonful of ice cream.
“The cops picked Indio up this morning. They called me down to the precinct and the DA asked me a few questions then they let me go.” Rasheem sucked his teeth. “He really fucked shit up. The DA closed down the stores, and froze all the business accounts.”
“Humph, that’s all you care about? What about Elizabeth who’s sitting in jail because of your grimy ass cousin?”
“That’s the reason why I’m calling. The charges they’re filing against Indio are serious.”
“How serious?”
“Twenty to life serious. And I know Elizabeth had no knowledge of what Indio was doing. My lawyer said the DA down here was working with the DA up there on this investigation for about eight months. They have wiretaps and all kinds of shit. They got phone conversations with Indio and a dude in Albany named Shatiq Miller.”
Fat Sha, Liana thought.
“He would call Indio and tell him what he needed, and Indio would send it, via Elizabeth’s car rental. Then Maurice, the dude that’s in charge of cleaning out the cars when they’re returned to Hertz, would retrieve the package and deliver it to Shatiq. And from what my lawyer is saying, Maurice is trying to cut a deal, too.”
“If they know all of this, why are they still holding, Elizabeth?”
“I don’t know, but she may need a lawyer, and a good one. I’m just trying to right a wrong here. I got some money tucked away that I want to bring to you to assist in retaining a lawyer for her.”
“How soon can you get up here?” Liana asked.
“Tomorrow evening.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
***
The next morning Wayne was parked in front of Mrs. Levinson’s house, taking deep breaths. She left seven messages on his cell, telling him it was urgent he come by; they needed to talk. He tried getting her on the phone, but she wouldn’t answer. Which told him whatever she had to tell him she wanted to say it to him face to face.
I have to be professional about this. Don’t get upset, be understanding. She may try to run some bullshit about me not being honest with her, and that I should’ve let her know that my father is a convicted felon. The important thing is I can’t lose my cool. I don’t want her trying to poison my other clients.
He got out of his truck and headed for the front door. As he stepped onto the porch, Mrs. Levinson opened the door.
“I was wondering when you were going to get out of your truck and make your way up here. Come in.” She stepped to the side for him to step in. “Have a seat,” she said, pointing to one of the dining room chairs.
Wayne sat down and twiddled his thumbs.
Mrs. Levinson sat down, and placed her hand on his twiddling thumbs. “My son called yesterday and told me he didn’t feel comfortable with you doing my lawn, because your father, who works with you, has been to jail a couple times.”
“Mrs. Levinson—”
She put her finger to his lips. “Your father is a hard working man, and although a lot of people would hold his past against him, I don’t. I trust you, and I know that you wouldn’t put me in any kind of danger.”
Wayne was freaking out on the inside, because Mrs. Levinson still had her finger on his lips.
“And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Carol?” She removed her finger.
“I really appreciate you giving me the benefit of the doubt… Carol. I would love to continue doing business with you, but I don’t want your son making it his business to make things hard for me.”
“Please, if he gives you any trouble, you let me know. I’ll straighten his behind right the fuck out, excuse my French,” she said putting the same finger she had on his lips to hers.
Carol had on a baby blue Polo shirt and the way her hard nipples were stretching the fabric, it was obvious she wasn’t wearing a bra. Wayne looked away a second too late. She caught him staring and smiled.
“Uh… Carol, I don’t want to overstep my bounds, but I need to ask you for a favor.”
“Anything for you, honey.”
Wayne felt his breakfast coming up. He swallowed hard, trying to keep it down. “I have this friend who got arrested a couple days ago, and she had nothing to do with what the police arrested her for.”
“What did they arrest her for?”
“Her boyfriend, unbeknown to her, has been smuggling drugs to Albany in the trunk of her car.”
“That’s terrible,” Carol said, putting her hand on Wayne’s.
“She really had no idea what this guy was doing. She has so much going for her, and I would hate to see her go to jail for this grimy dude. It would just destroy her career.”
“So, you need me to talk to Marcus and get her off the hook?”
“Can you do that? I mean just get her off the hook?”
Carol leaned closer to him and whispered. “I can do lots of things.”
Wayne smiled and leaned back, trying not to make his nausea look too obvious.
“What’s her name, baby?”
“Elizabeth, Elizabeth Romain.”
“Pretty, light-skinned, valedictorian Elizabeth Romain?”
Wayne forgot Mrs. Levinson was a teacher at Albany High, like, forever. “Yeah, that’s her.”
“Oh my God. How did she get involved with someone like that?”
“Like I said, she had no idea. If she did, she wouldn’t have messed with him.”
“Don’t you worry. I’m going to get Marcus on the phone and find out what’s going on.”
“Thank you, Carol. I really appreciate anything you can do to help.”
“Not a problem.”
“I have to get to work,” he said standing up, and heading toward the front door.
“It seems like you owe me a favor, huh?” Carol said, behind his back.
“If there’s anything I can do for you—”
“Oh, I’m quite sure I’ll figure something out.”
Wayne could see her reflection in the glass of the front door window. She was biting her lower lip, as she stared at his butt. He headed out the front door and hopped in his truck, feeling like he just got violated. A shiver shot up his spine when the thought of him in bed with Grandma Dynamite flashed across his mind.
***
That afternoon, Wayne was at the Johnson’s house mowing the lawn, while his father was trimming the hedges in the back when he saw Taz sitting on the hood of his truck. He cut off the lawnmower.
“What’s up?”
“I’m chilling,” Taz said, hopping off the hood.
“No,” Wayne said, “I mean how do you always know where to find me?”
“You’re not hard to find. Just follow the sound of lawnmowers, and the scent of fresh cut grass, and there you will find… Look up in the sky! It’s a bird… It’s a plane… No it’s… Lawnmower man. Dat, dah, dah, daahhh.”
“You got jokes, huh?”
“Just figured I come by and give you the inside scoop.”
“The inside scoop?”
“Yeah, the inside scoop from my homies in Albany County jail. Dexter’s giving everybody up, son. The DA is adding attempted murder to Indio’s indictment.”
“What!” Wayne said.
“Dex is saying that Indio was one of the guys shooting at him and Reese that night in front of the club.”
Wayne looked confused. “Why would Indio want to get at Dex?”
“Use your head for something other than cutting grass. Remember when Nana had that cookout/baby shower for Jenna, and Indio was kicking it with Dexter about opening up his own business? Well, Indio gave him a jump-start with a kilo of coke, but Dex fucked it up. You can fill in the rest.”
“And you just used your head to figure all that out?”
“Nah, Dexter’s little man, Shorts, put me on.”
“So, there were two guys shooting at them.” Wayne cocked his head. “So, the other one had to be his cousin, what’s his name?”
“Of course, it was. I already told you how he was getting down in Maryland.”
“No, Taz, you didn’t.”
“Yes, I did. That night when I was released from jail over that Vince situation and we were… pardon me, and I was putting some purple haze in my system.”
“No, you didn’t. You started to then you changed the subject.”
“I didn’t?”
“What’s up with Indio’s cousin?”
“The dude did some time in Maryland. He was running a business, kind of like what Indio was doing up here. Dudes said he ran up in one of his competitor’s crib and sprayed him right there on his sofa while dude’s wife and kids were in the other room.”
Wayne reached into his overalls and pulled out his cell phone.
“Who you calling?” Taz asked.
“Liana,” Wayne said into his phone. “I’m going to swing by later on tonight. I have to talk to you about something.”
“What’s it about?”
“I’ll tell you when I get there.”
“Yeah, Wayne. Whatever.”
***
That night, Rasheem pulled up to the curb of Nana’s house at ten o’clock. Liana was leaning on the front yard fence. She pushed away from it and headed up to the porch, assuming Rasheem would follow. When she didn’t hear him get out of his car, she turned around. Her stare of confusion made him step out. She waved for him to come on, and come inside. He walked to the porch, but he didn’t follow her when she stepped through the front door.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, looking back at him.
Rasheem looked at his watch. “I don’t have much time. I just came by to say what I have to say and then I have to go.”
Liana blinked, trying to understand the nervousness in his voice. “Can’t you come inside and tell me what you got to say?”
Rasheem slowly walked up to her until there was nothing between them but air. “I just want you to know that I’m really sorry Liana… I really had no idea—”
“I believe you, Rasheem. Don’t ask me why, I just do.” Rasheem surprised her when he tilted her head up and kissed her. She felt the pain that his words couldn’t convey. She stood on her tiptoes, put her hands around his neck, and let him know she understood.
Rasheem gently broke the connection and opened his eyes. He swept away the strands of hair that the night breeze had blown across her face. The way the moonlight blended with her dark complexion had him at a loss for words. The trance was broken when they both heard the roar of an engine speeding down the block. Wayne’s truck hadn’t even come to a full stop, and he had already opened the door and was stepping out.
“Let me guess,” Rasheem said. “That’s Wayne.”
“Wait here.” Liana walked down the porch steps and met Wayne at the curb.
“What’s up?” She said when she got into talking distance.
“Did you know that Indio’s also being charged with attempted murder?” Liana looked back at Rasheem. “Dexter is saying that Indio was one of the individuals who shot at him and Reese that night in front of the club.”
Liana’s head snapped back around to Wayne.
“Yeah, and word is your man over there was the other shooter.”
“Wha…what? Wait, wait. Reese said they had on masks. It all happened so fast. Indio knows Reese why would he… Why would Rasheem—”
“Because that’s how they get down. When it comes to that drug money, they don’t care who gets in the way.”
Liana shook her head. “But they came to the hospital—”
“This dude has you so open that you don’t want to believe he shot Reese.”
“You know what, Wayne? You better slow down. You’re making a whole lot of accusations. Where did you get this information from anyway?”
“Taz.”
“Taz? You need to stop treating everything that Taz says as the gospel. Dexter got caught with a kilo of coke in Texas, so it’s obvious he’s trying to give up some names, so he can work out some type of deal.”
“So you know about him being arrested?” Wayne said.
“Elizabeth told me. That’s old news.”
“Well the new news is your boy over there did some time in Maryland for murder. Did you know that?”
“Let me guess, Taz told you that, too?”
“So because Taz told me, it’s not true?”
“Why are you telling me all this, Wayne? I mean what are you trying to do? You like to see me miserable? You don’t want me to be happy if I’m not with you?”
“You talking real reckless, Liana.”
“Am I? I’m not the one standing in front of your house telling you all kinds of shit about Tammy now am I?”
“You think I’m jealous?” Wayne spat, as if his words tasted like vomit. “Jealous of that dude?” His animated hand gestures got Rasheem’s attention.
Wayne sized him up as Rasheem walked toward them. Liana turned around when she saw Wayne looking behind her.
She turned to face Rasheem. “Give us a second, please.”
“You know what?” Wayne threw his hands up in defeat. “I don’t even know why I bother.”
“That makes two of us,” Liana said, putting her hands on her hips.
“I’m done with it. Do you, do him, do whatever you want.”
“Damn right I’m going to do whatever I want,” Liana said emphatically.
“Fine!” Wayne said, as he turned to walk away.
“Fine!” Liana shouted back. With Wayne gone she focused back on Rasheem. “Did you know the police are saying Indio was one of the gunmen who shot at Reese and Dexter in front of the club last year?” Liana watched him carefully, trying to uncover the truth from his reaction more so than from his words.
“That’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about, Liana. I didn’t want to tell you over the phone, because I know how close you and Reese are. Dexter is on some bullshit. I don’t know why he’s trying to put Indio’s name in all this. He’s probably hoping that Indio’s past will validate some of the shit he’s feeding the police.”
“You said you went to the University of Maryland, and then you went on to get a job in a sneaker store.”
“Yes.”
“Somehow, you forgot to mention that you did time for murder.” Rasheem looked away. “It’s true then? You killed somebody?”
“Liana, that was a long time ago, before I got out of the game.”
“But you did kill somebody?”
“I did, but it was a stupid decision on my part. And when people find out about it, they look at me the way you’re looking at me now; they forget all the positive things I’ve done in my life, and they just see a murderer. So can you blame me for not telling you? Killing a man is not the sum total of who I am. Rasheem took a step toward her. “Indio may be a lot of things, but a murderer isn’t one of them. He didn’t shoot at Dexter or Reese, and I definitely didn’t’ either. You got to believe me.”
“I don’t know what to believe, now.” Liana folded her arms. Rasheem tilted his head as far back as it could go and focused on the stars directly above him, then looked back down at Liana with moist eyes. “I have to go.” He handed her an envelope with twenty-five hundred in cash and, then headed to his car.
“You said you had two things to talk to me about. What’s the second?” she called after him.
He thought of the two plane tickets to Bermuda in his pants pocket. “It was nothing.” He opened his car door, and looked at her one last time before getting in and driving off.
***
“Yes, Wayne, yes,” Tammy moaned, as Wayne put her legs on his shoulders and he plunged into her as deep as he could. Twenty minutes later, he was still pounding away, and he wasn’t any closer to coming than he was twenty minutes ago.
“You almost there, yet?” Tammy cooed in his ear.
“Yeah, baby, almost,” Wayne said, panting. “Wrap your legs around my waist.” After that shit Liana pulled tonight, he wasn’t going to pretend he was making love to her, not tonight. But it was evident that if he didn’t he wasn’t going to come, and if he didn’t come, that will open the door to a whole lot of questions and suspicion from Tammy. He closed his eyes and Tammy’s legs became Liana’s legs. Tammy moans became Liana’s moans. He could hear Liana’s moans in his head getting louder as he got closer to climax.
“I feel you, baby,” Tammy moaned. “I feel you about to explode.”
“Suck on my chest,” Wayne said. Liana always sucked on his chest when she knew he was about to come.
When Tammy’s lips formed a suction cup on his nipple, the fantasy was complete. He buried his face in a pillow, while his body twitched and spasmed.
He got up and headed to the bathroom.
“Baby, where are you going?”
Wayne didn’t answer. He looked in the bathroom mirror and shook his head. So much for being in love with Tammy.
CHAPTER 16
“Yo, dad,” Wayne called out to his father, who was sitting in the air-conditioned truck. “This is it.” He waved his hand back and forth under his chin.
His father rolled down the window.
Wayne cut the lawnmower off. “I said this is it. It’s too hot. We’ll get to the other houses tomorrow.”
“Hot? Boy, don’t you know that it was three times hotter than this when our ancestors were in them fields picking that cotton, and they were in the heat three times as long?”
“So, come on out here, and help me do some of this work.”
“You want me to get heatstroke? Don’t play with me.”
“What about the ancestors?”
“They had to be out there. I’m fine right where I’m at.”
“Well, like I said, this is the last house.”
“Fine by me.” Nevel rolled up the window.
“So, you straight with Alisa?” Wayne asked on their way home.
Soul Dancing Page 19
