“On another note, I want to officially welcome Ball to the team.” Seven said as he raised his cup in the air. Everyone, including Ball raised their glass while all eyes were on Seven. “This is to a beautiful friendship and more money than we can spend.” Seven said as he raised his glass a tad higher and then took a drink of the wine. Everyone took a drink and Ball smiled and nodded his head as he looked at Seven. Seven had his reservations about Ball, but gave him the benefit of the doubt because he was sharp enough to save his life the night before. He did question Ball’s judgement of character. The clown that he introduced him to the night before had him leery. Nevertheless, Seven took a liking to Ball and wanted him on his team. So he shook off the bad notion he had and embraced him ... temporarily.
“Yo, but ya’ man. That nigga suspect. It’s something up with that cat. Believe that.” Seven said, believing he should drop a gem on his newly acquired soldier.
Ball was about to say something back but all chaos broke loose. The loud sound of glass breaking startled everyone as small particles of glass flew everywhere on to everyone. The front glass was shattered and a brick came flying through it. Everyone ducked for cover and hit the floor while grabbing their guns that rested on their waists. Seven instantly grabbed his son and shielded him as he tackled him to the floor and put his hand over his young son’s head. Moments later the sound of automatic weapons began to thunder and it began to rain bullets. Bullets flew through the house non-stop, making the walls like Swiss cheese. After thirty seconds of nonstop firing, a silence filled the air and the sounds of screeching tires erupted, echoing through the night’s air. After a moment of gasps and screams, things died down and Seven stood up and checked his son who was crying.
“Is everyone okay?” he asked as he brushed the glass off of his shoulder. Rah was crying as he lay on the ground in a fetal position, not knowing what was going on. Everyone responded and no one was hit.
“You’re okay big man. Don’t worry,” he said as he embraced him and slowly rubbed his back. Seven’s jaws were clenched so tightly, it seemed as if he would break his teeth. He was boiling with anger. The thought that someone had the audacity to disrespect his home had him on edge. Maria rushed in from the kitchen speaking Spanish, obviously in fear.
“Maria, take him to the back and stay there!” He said as he kissed the top of Rah’s head. After a small nudge, Rah ran into Maria’s arms and they both disappeared into the back. Immediately, Seven reached into his holster and pulled out his chrome .45-caliber pistol. His goons rushed outside, only to see nothing and hear crickets. Ball stood next to Seven as he breathed heavily and possessed a fire in his eyes that Ball had never witnessed before. Seven wanted blood. He calmed himself and looked over at Lola who was brushing glass off of her shoulder.
“You good Lola?” Seven asked as he put his hands on his hips and shook his head in disgust.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” She responded.
Ball looked at Lola and breathed heavily as he tried to grasp what had just happened.
“What the fuck is going on?” Ball asked in confusion.
“I don’t know. But I tell you one thing I do know,” Seven said just before he paused and looked Ball in the eye. “Someone is going to pay for this.” He said with confidence and he headed to the back to his son. It was time for him to relocate. He was dealing with an invisible enemy; the absolute worst kind you could have.
Ball was dead sleep in his bed as the morning sun rays began to beam through the cracks of the blinds. The sounds of birds chirping filled the air as Ball laid there peacefully. He was awake but he hadn’t yet opened his eyes. However, the feeling of someone standing over him, made him peek. Ball opened his eyes and saw the barrel of a .40 cal pointed directly in his face. Lola held the gun as Seven stood next to her with his hands slid into his expensive Armani slacks.
“What the fuck!” Ball yelled as he was taken totally by surprise.
“Wake yo’ punk ass up,” Lola said as she dug the barrel of her gun into Ball’s forehead. She wore her hair braided tightly to the back and a silencer was attached at the end of her gun. Seven watched patiently as Ball slowly sat up with his hands up in surrender.
“What’s going on? I can explain,” Ball said as he began to see his life flash before his eyes. The sensation of the metal against his skin sent chills up his body.
“No need to explain. You’re a snitch and well.... you gotta die.” Seven said calmly. “Do your thing babygirl. Show him how we get down,” Seven instructed Lola as he turned around and started to walk toward the door. Ball tried to explain, but his pleas fell on deaf ears as a single shot rang out. Instantly, Ball’s brains spattered all over the headboard. Ball never saw it coming; now all he saw was black.
Suddenly, the sound of buzzing rang in the brains he had left. Buzz, Buzz, Buzz....
Ball woke up to a buzzing phone that sat on the night stand. He had just experienced a horrifying nightmare and his body was drenched in sweat. Goosebumps were all over his arms as he looked around in terror. The phone danced across the surface each time it vibrated. It was a text from Lola. It simply read: Dinner tonight. Meet me at Hazel’s at 6 o’ clock. Come through back door. Ball sat up and looked at the clock. It was noon and he had overslept big time. He got up and instantly jumped in the shower. As he let the water hit his face, he began to think about Zoey and how life would be if he hadn’t gone to see Ralphie that night. The scenario played over and over in his mind as he let the strong streams of water give his body a slight massage. He knew that before long, he would go see Ralphie and get revenge for what he had done. But first he had to handle his business so he could stay free.
It was Sunday and Hazel’s was closed for business. However, the place was semi-full from people from the community. Although Seven moved dope through the area, he was what you called the problem solver. On Sundays, he kept his door open and gave people in the community a chance to speak with him. Seven ran the city and everyone knew it. If someone had a problem, they didn’t go to the police; they went to Seven.
Seven sat in his back office with a cigar in his mouth and a small glass of cognac beside him. He started at the teary eyed woman who sat in front of him. Lola stood to the left of him and listened with her arms crossed. She was a single mom who was having trouble paying her rent. She was two months behind and her ends just weren’t meeting as planned. She lived in the housing projects that sat in the middle of the city and also one of the main hotspots for Seven’s drug business.
“Lillie, you still fuck with that shit?” Seven asked, knowing that she once had a bad heroin addiction back in the day.
“No Seven, I promise. I haven’t touched any dope in almost a year. I’m clean.” Lillie pleaded as she wiped away the tears on her cheek. Seven remained silent and just stared at Lillie, trying to detect any malice in her eyes. Seven put his cigar down, stood up, and walked around his desk. He leaned on the edge of his desk and stood directly in front of Lillie. She cried as all of her burdens weighed heavy on her soul. She had five young kids at home and she had nowhere else to go. The state assistance she was receiving wasn’t enough to keep her out of financial turmoil.
“Lillie, wipe your eyes.” Seven said as he handed her a box of tissues that sat at the edge of his desk. He gently grabbed her by her shoulders and lifted her to her feet. He put his arm around her shoulders and walked her to the exit while talking to her patiently.
“Everything is going to be okay. Lola is going to set you up real nice. You don’t have to pay rent anymore. I will take care of that. Now, I’ma need your apartment from time to time, ya’ know? Let one of my youngins’ use your stove sometimes. When the kids are at school, we are going to need you to help package up a couple things, feel me? This way, you can keep a little money in your pocket.” Seven said as he gave her his charming smile.
“Seven, Thank you! Thank you so much. I will not let you down,” Lillie said as she grabbed his hand and kissed it in appreciation. Lola then wa
lked over and escorted her out. Lillie was thanking Seven all the way out of the door. Seven shook his head as he walked back over to his desk. He heard a knock at the back exit that was attached to his office. He knew it was someone in his crew because no one came in that way. He stepped to the door and opened it. Ball was on the other side of the door waiting.
“Right on time,” Seven said as he looked down at his watch. Seven stepped to the side and let Ball come in.
“What’s good? Lola told me to meet here,” Ball said as took a seat.
“Want a glass of cognac?” Seven asked as he picked up his glass and took a sip.
“Yeah, I will take one,” Ball responded. Seven walked over to his mini bar and poured Ball a double shot. He handed it to Ball as he studied Ball’s movements. He was trying to see if he sensed any snake in Ball. Lola was just returning to the office as Seven made his way around his desk. He picked up the newspaper that was in front of him and tossed it in front of Ball. Just as the paper hit the desk, Lola had a gun to the back of Ball’s neck.
“Read that!” Seven yelled sternly as his mood switched from calm to irate within milliseconds. Ball was taken by surprised and looked down at the paper.
“Cop found dead. Lynched,” The headline read.
“So you a fed, huh? Your little friend you tried to introduce me to was a cop. You thought I wouldn’t see through that bullshit?” Seven asked. He felt insulted that Ball would even think that he would fall for it.
“Yo, I didn’t know. I know that nigga from back home. He used to get those things from me.” Ball said nervously as he tried to plead for his life.
“I knew he was a cop as soon he came in. Shit ... he even walked like one.” Seven said as he stood up and expressed his anger.
“Yo, I swear to God. I did not know. You gotta believe me.” Ball said.
“The clown ass nigga even had on one of my old goon’s chain. That chain was custom made. How do I know? Because I bought it for him, before he got locked up on drug charges a few years back. I know it was the chain the feds confiscated because it’s the only one in the world. One of one, homeboy!” Seven explained. Ball instantly thanked God that he passed on the chain and it made him wonder about the Rolex that he currently had on.
“You have to believe me! I didn’t know that bitch-ass nigga was a pig. If I knew ... I would rocked that nigga to sleep my damn self!” Ball shot back with fire in his eyes. Ball honestly forgot that he was undercover and spoke truthfully as he pleaded for his life. Seven stared long and hard as he slowly paced back and forth with his hands in his Armani slacks. Seven then went into his pocket and pulled out a chain. It was the same chain that G had worn. He placed it on top of the article and smiled at Ball.
“That nigga sleeping. You understand me? That’s what we do to snakes,” Seven said.
“If he was a cop, that’s good. I never knew. I wish that nigga a thousand deaths!” Ball screamed.
Seven looked at Lola and then back at Ball. Something was telling him that he made a mistake. There was something about Ball that was authentic and Seven took notice to it. So much tension was in the air, you could cut it with a knife. Lola stood behind Ball ready to shoot on command, and Seven went back and forth in his mind. Ball sat there with his teeth clenched, awaiting his destiny. Lola glanced over at Seven and then shook her head, signaling that they shouldn’t kill him. She believed that he was telling the truth. Seven valued Lola’s opinion, so he nodded, signaling her to take the gun off of him.
“We just had to be sure,” Seven said as he walked around to his desk chair and sat down. He picked up his cigar and took a pull. Ball didn’t want to show it, but he was nervous as ever. He thought for sure he was a goner.
“There is nothing fake about me. I’m just trying to get to the money. Nothing more, nothing less. And if you put a gun to my head again ... you better kill me.” Ball said in a threat. Seven respected Ball’s gangster.
“I respect that. But I had to make sure. It was too much smoke around the situation.” Seven said.
“Come on. Let’s get to the money,” Lola said as she smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
Ball smiled back, but deep inside he was nervous as hell. He played it off as he took a sip of his drink, knowing that he had just dodged a bullet.
Seven flipped through the pages of the paper and pointed to another article. “This is what we’re about. Family over everything. Nobody goes against the family,” Seven said as he tapped the headline which read, “Two men and a woman found slain on the northside of Columbus.” Ball instantly knew that Seven had cleaned up the robbers that had tried him the other night. At that moment, Ball realized how treacherous Seven was. He ran the streets with an iron fist and Ball just witnessed that first hand. Ball was about to get in deep with a real life gangster. Seven spun in his chair, signaling that he was done talking to Ball. The smoke circles seemed to come out of thin air as Seven puffed his cigar and thoughts of accepting a new member on his team danced around on his brain.
“See you guys tonight at dinner,” Seven said. With that, Lola motioned for Ball to follow her out the back door. She was about to take him to the trap.
The halls reeked of piss and the busted lights vaguely illuminated the long hallway inside the project housing. Ball followed Lola as they headed to the fifth floor, taking the stairs. Three members from the Goon Squad trailed them as Lola prepared to give Ball a tour of the main money spot. They reached the fifth floor and Lola knocked on door number 552 in a rhythmic pattern. Moments later, the sound of deadbolts clicking echoed throughout the hallway and seconds later Ball was welcomed to the trap.
Ball couldn’t believe his eyes as he walked into the door. The open spaced looked like a studio rather than an apartment. Five walls had been knocked down, connecting all of the apartments together. Rows of tables were lined up as females weighed and carefully bagged up heroin. A goon stood guard by the door with a loaded shotgun for security. Every single person in the room acknowledged Lola as she walked the floor. Ball could sense the power that Lola possessed. Her direct affiliation with Seven gave her a status in the streets. Ball scanned the room in awe as he took in the fully functioning trap spot. Everyone was busy either cutting, weighing, or bagging the raw. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The strong odor hit him like a tons of bricks. The air conditioner was blaring so the temperature would stay low. The dope had to stay in a cool place so it wouldn’t go bad and also to give it a longer life.
“So this is where the magic happens.” Lola said as she walked through the spacious spot. Ball looked around at the naked girls and soaked it all in. “This is where they cut it. Bossman doesn’t let them cut it more than twice. Our shit isn’t stepped on. We want to give the streets the strongest product possible. The difference between good heroin and bad heroin is in the mix. We’ve got the best mix.” Lola explained to him the orders of actions and then led him to the back of the room were two older men sat. They were the testers of the heroin. This position usually didn’t stay filled long. If the product was too strong, it usually ended in a drug overdose. Fiends were in line to grab the position as a tester. Even though their lives were at stake, users didn’t care. They just saw the opportunity to receive free dope and took the risk. Ball laughed as he saw one of the men in a dope-fiend lean while sitting in a fold up chair. His head was dropping down to his knees in a nod and he would then bounce back up and do the same routine again.
“After the product is packaged up, we drop the packages out this window,” Lola said as she waved Ball over and encouraged him to look down. Ball peeked down five stories and saw a couple of goons sitting on the steps. “Once they get the packages they take it to the runner. The runner takes it to another spot and that’s where distribution starts.”
Ball was impressed. They had the hustling game down to a science.
“Damn,” Ball said in amazement as he looked down and around.
“We are going to set you up on the other side of town in our
less active areas and see what you can do.” Lola said as she crossed her arms and looked Ball intensely in his eyes. Her piercing stare was rough and sexy all at once and Ball took notice.
She sexy than a mu’fucka, Ball thought as he took in all the information. “Yo, put together a four piece for my man and take it to the spot,” Lola ordered as she headed toward the exit. “Your bag will be waiting for you at your new spot.” Lola said as she nodded at the goon by the door so he could let them back out.
“This is the main spot. Seven rarely comes up here. That’s why the feds can’t touch him. He never deals with the dope directly; always through me or a henchman,” Lola explained to Ball.
“So everyone is working for a man they never see?” Ball asked trying to get a better understanding.
“That’s right. If nobody can point him out as the head of the operation, the feds have no case. Of course the feds know Seven moves weight in this city. But the question is ... can they prove it?” Lola said as she broke the game down to him. Ball then realized why Dame needed an inside informant for Seven. He had a flawless operation and the only way he could be taken down was by a snitch. The city embraced him so it would have to be an outsider that took him down. Ball just hated that he would have to be the outsider to do it.
They walked back outside and headed out of the projects. Now it was time for Ball to show and prove what he could do with the plug. As Ball staggered back so he could catch a glimpse of Lola’s juicy behind, he wondered what made her so gangster, so cold, and so mysterious. It was like she came from a different planet. But like everyone, she had a story.
Dopeman: Memoirs of a Snitch (Part 3 of Dopeman's Trilogy) Page 8
