by K'wan
The two rode in silence for the next few miles. If Buda’s speech had gotten through to Vita, she showed no signs of it. He had known from the beginning that next to Goldie, she would be the hardest of the crew to sway to his side. She’d had her head shoved up Diamonds’ ass for so long that she could probably still smell his shit. He could sponsor her on a one-way trip to join her former lover, but he still needed Vita.
“Do you believe it?” Vita finally broke her silence.
“Believe what?”
“That stuff you were saying about Diamonds being dead?”
Buda thought on the question. “I don’t want to, but ain’t no other explanation. Our boy is dead and gone, and I’m willing to bet if we dig deep enough we’ll find that blood on the hands of none other than Big Stone,” he said venomously.
“Why are you so sure that Big Stone was behind it? You got an all-seeing eye like Willie now?” Vita asked suspiciously. She hadn’t missed the fact that Buda had been not so subtly pushing them in that direction.
“Look at the chain of events. We start pushing fools out the game, then Diamonds starts catting around with the daughter of the potential opposition right before he goes missing.” Buda shook his head. “Ain’t all that much coincidence in the world.”
“I knew that prissy bitch was gonna be trouble!” Vita spat, thinking back to the first night she had seen Pearl at Pops’s bar. She knew she hated her from the moment she laid eyes on her. Not because Diamonds was sniffing around her, he chased pussy all the time. But it was the first time since Vita had known him that she had seen Diamonds look at a woman the way she always wished he’d looked at her.
“You and me both,” Buda agreed. “I tried to tell him—hell, we all tried to tell him—but you know how Diamonds is when he gets his sights set on something. I ain’t seen him that bent out of shape since Bleu.”
Vita snorted at the mention of Diamonds’ first, and some said only, true love. “That evil bitch worked a spell, so I can understand why he was so crazy over her. What Pearl got that’s so special besides a young, tight pussy?”
“Sometimes that’s all it takes,” Buda said honestly.
“Well, if her fuck-ass daddy did have something to do with it I’m gonna cut his head off personally, and then I’m gonna carve that fast-ass baby girl of his up real nice,” Vita promised.
“That’s the Vita I know,” Buda placed his hand on her thigh. “Say, I know losing Diamonds hit you harder than anyone else. If you ever need a ear to bend, or maybe something more, I’m here for you.” He began sliding his hand farther up her thigh.
“Buda, you must of fell and bumped your damn skull.” Vita slapped his hand away. “I’m broken up, not desperate.”
“Damn, you act like I’m an ugly nigga or something,” Buda said, clearly offended by her rejection.
“Physical appearance ain’t got shit to do with it. It’s what’s lurking in that black heart of yours that’s gonna always keep you at a distance. Besides, all you trying to do is fuck. I seen how you move with them other gals.”
“That’s because they ain’t you,” Buda said honestly. “Girl, you know I been crushing on you since the first day we met. Remember that?”
Vita laughed. “How could I? Especially when y’all came with plans on killing me.”
* * *
It seemed like ages since Vita had first become a part of their band of misfits. Back then Diamonds and the others were just starting to get their weight up, but were starting to become quite notorious around the city. They had a young boy who they had moving dime bags for them down near Bourbon Street. It was slow money, but during Mardi Gras they made a nice piece of change off the tourists. On the final night of the parade, which was their most lucrative, the young boy came back to the spot beat all to hell with a story about having been robbed by someone called V.
Diamonds didn’t think twice before arming up and rolling to where the young boy told him V was known to hang out. Buda and John-Boy were with him. When they got to the block there was a cluster of guys posted up shooting dice along with a young girl. By then Diamonds was making a reputation for himself as a killer, so the boys knew they were in trouble when they saw him walk up. They all appeared scared shitless, except the girl.
“You little grasshoppers know who I be?” Diamonds asked the young boys. They all nodded nervously. “Then you should know what happens to those foolish enough to steal from me, yeah? Because I’m still in a good mood from the day’s activities, I’m gonna give you a break and not punish all you lil niggas.” The boys breathed a collective sigh of relief. “Just tell me which one of you niggas is V, and I’ll take my business up with him.”
The boys all looked back and forth between each other as if they were trying to figure out who among them would wear the blame.
“Well, since y’all seem to have a problem remembering your names,” Diamonds pulled out the biggest gun they had ever seen, “everybody gets the business.”
“I’m, V.” The girl stepped forward. She was scared, but trying her best to hide it.
Diamonds studied her. “Girl, you got a big heart, I’ll give you that. But why you trying to protect a boyfriend who won’t stand up for himself? And what kinda nigga let’s his lady volunteer to take his bullet?” He looked over the boys.
“No, I really am V,” the girl insisted. “It’s short for Vita.”
Diamonds cast a disappointed glance at his worker. When he had recounted the story of the robbery he had omitted the part about it being a girl who had jacked him. “Girl, you can’t be no more than one hundred pounds on your best day. You expect me to believe you done this deed all by your lonesome?” he still wasn’t quite convinced.
“I don’t care what you believe, I’m telling you what happened,” she said defiantly, trying to find her courage.
“She’s a real spitfire,” Buda chimed in.
“Indeed she is,” Diamonds agreed. He paused for a few ticks as if he were weighing what to do next. Vita was dusty and a little rough around the edges, but beneath it she had a beauty about her that stirred something in Diamonds. “Tell me something, Ms. Vita, do you know what pirates did to people in the old days who stole from them?”
Vita shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Well, I’ll tell you. They either made them walk the plank,” Diamonds brandished his gun, “or shanghaied them into their pirate crew. Which one will it be for you, Ms. Vita?”
* * *
“I ain’t never been so scared in my life,” Vita recalled.
“But you stood tall. I know then that you was gonna grow up to be a special lady. Only reason I didn’t push up on you then was because Diamonds ol’ thirsty ass got to you first.”
“And so you figure now that Diamonds is gone it’s your turn at the plate?” Vita saw where the conversation was going.
“Damn, baby, you know I ain’t mean it like that. V, you been the queen of this crew since the beginning. You strong, and you crazy as hell, which are the two things I love most about you. You stood by Diamonds when he was chief, and now I’m hoping you stand by me.”
Vita had to take a minute to see if Buda was joking, but from the look on his face he wasn’t. This was the first time since his little brother was killed that she had ever seen him show anything close to human emotion. “Buda, I’m sorry but this can never be.”
Hurt flashed in Buda’s eyes. “Why, because I ain’t Diamonds?”
“No, but that’s part of it,” Vita admitted. “I done been through enough with men in my short life to know that from here on I gotta make wiser choices with my heart.”
“That the same thing you told Domo? You ain’t even let Diamonds get cold in the grave before you let him have a taste.” Buda hadn’t meant to say it, but she’d hurt him and he wanted to hurt her back.
Vita’s sour expression returned. “Beneath those pretty words lies the same old Buda. Man, you can let me out on the corner. I’ll take a taxi the rest of the way.”
<
br /> “Vita, I’m sorry. I didn’t—”
“I said let me the fuck out!”
“All right, keep your damn shirt on.” Buda waited for a break in traffic and pulled over at the curb. Vita reached for the door, but he hit the locks. “Look, girl, I hope you ain’t taking this too personal. We still got money to get and I’d hate for some misplaced words to make things bad between us.”
“Buda, shit already bad between us. Personally, I ain’t got no script for you. But as far as that paper goes, I’ll be wherever I need to be whenever I need to be there, as always.” Vita unlocked the door and got out, slamming it behind her.
* * *
That went far worse than Buda had expected. He had been scheming on running up on Vita for years, but that cock-blocking ass Diamonds had always been in the way. Secretly, he had always been jealous of Diamonds and Vita’s relationship. Diamonds was a piece of shit who stuck his dick into whomever he pleased whenever he pleased, while Vita turned a blind eye to it. Her weakness for Diamonds made him sick, and he tried to punch holes in things between them whenever he could, yet Vita remained loyal to him, even in death.
Fuck it and fuck her, Buda thought to himself. Once Buda’s hold was absolute, she would have no choice but to see that he was the better man. If she didn’t, she would find herself expendable, as would anyone who represented a threat to his master plan. It was time to start cleaning house. With this in mind, he set out to meet with his new business partners.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The meeting was scheduled to go down in Brooklyn, at a Cuban restaurant off Washington Street. He’d told Doodles that he selected the spot because it was their turf, but of course that was a lie. Buda had chosen the restaurant because it was public and the police patrolled the area heavily. That would keep everyone honest.
When he arrived, he noticed T.J. was already there. He was pacing back and forth, pulling on a cigarette nervously. He was probably scared to death. T.J. was Diamonds’ cousin and had been the crew’s liaison in New York City. He had been the one who brokered the deal between the crew and Eddie, and had been fielding the situation with Doodles and his crew in Diamonds’ absence. Buda had never liked T.J. because he felt the boy was all mouth and no action. He was soft, and Buda didn’t like weak people. The only reason he hadn’t killed him yet was because T.J. was still of value to his cause. The moment he closed the deal with Doodles, T.J. was going for a dirt nap.
“Sup, lil nigga?” Buda greeted T.J. when he stepped onto the curb. T.J. was nearly a foot taller than Buda so he had to look up when he spoke to him.
“Chilling.” T.J. ignored the insult. “Everybody is inside already.”
Buda looked at his watch. “Am I late?”
“No, they showed up early. I don’t know, Buda. I’m getting a funny vibe about all this.”
“Nigga, stop being so fucking scared. Everything is going to be fine.” Buda slapped him on the back harder than he needed to and proceeded inside the restaurant.
“So, any word on my cousin yet?” T.J. fell in step behind Buda.
“Nah, man. Still quiet. My money is still on Big Stone finding out he was fucking his daughter and having him clipped,” Buda told him.
“Yeah, about that … before you got here I was talking to Born. He says he hasn’t heard anything, but for some reason I don’t believe him,” T.J. said.
“And why would he tell you even if he did? The man has already proven he’s a snake by agreeing to double-cross his boss. Don’t worry, T.J., once we knock the big man off, everybody else is going to get what they got coming shortly after. You got my word on that,” Buda said seriously.
It wasn’t hard to spot their party. Rolling stuck out like a sore thumb, wearing an oversize green and yellow baseball jersey and matching hat. Several cheap-looking gold chains dangled from his neck. The man had to be at least fifty-something years old, but still dressed like a teenager. He looked like a damn fool, but Buda had learned firsthand that looks could be deceiving when it came to Rolling Stone. He was the brother of Big Stone, and the man who probably hated him most of all for reasons only known to him. Next to him was Doodles, a tall Jamaican cat. With his matted dreadlocks and a shaggy beard that covered almost his entire face, he looked like a mountaineer. He was a known killer throughout the streets of Brooklyn and the man who would allegedly be fronting the heroin Buda and his crew would distribute. Last was Born, the turncoat, and an old-school cat who hustled drugs out of Queens. Until recently he had been one of Big Stone’s street bosses, then he got tired of eating the crumbs off the big man’s plate and decided he was entitled to a plate of his own. He was now one of the three-headed monsters who would help Buda knock the old-timer out of the box once and for all. There was another man with them, one Buda didn’t recognize. He was a young, dark-skinned dude who was dressed in a black suit and white shirt. He reminded Buda of one of the Muslims he always saw peddling papers on 125th Street. His presence was a surprise and Buda didn’t like surprises.
“Who’s your friend?” Buda asked Born.
“This is Minister, an associate of ours. He’s up from Florida to help us move things along,” Born told him.
“Florida, huh?” Buda eyed him suspiciously. “I spent a bit of time down there. Maybe our paths have crossed?”
“I doubt it,” Minister said, sipping his water.
“Grab a seat, so we can get this show on the road.” Born motioned toward the empty chair.
Buda gave the man called Minister one last look before sitting. There was something about him that tugged a familiar cord in his brain. “Did y’all order yet, or were you waiting for me?”
“Just drinks. Me no need no food, because I can’t stay long. Got other business after I leave here,” Doodles said in his thick accent.
“Okay, right to business then,” Buda replied. “So, we all good for the first shipment?”
“Ya, mon. Me people getting everything ready as we speak,” Doodles confirmed. “Delivery soon come, provided that you are still able to handle what we ’bout to drop on you.”
“Fo’ sho. We ready to rock and roll,” Buda assured him.
“Well, that ain’t what I hear through the grapevine,” Doodles said, much to Buda’s surprise.
Buda looked confused. “What the fuck is this nigga talking about?”
“Seems like we have a fly in the ointment,” Born told him.
“And what might that be?” Buda asked.
“Eddie,” Rolling answered. “He reached out through a friend of a friend and it seems that he ain’t as amicable to you moving heroin through his streets.”
“His streets?” Buda chuckled. “I don’t recall him being out there busting his gun when we exterminated Pana and his crew.”
“Still, a man like Eddie could present a problem down the road. I thought your boy Diamonds said he worked this shit out with Eddie,” Born said.
“He did. I’m sure this is just some type of misunderstanding. I’ll take care of it,” Buda assured him. Once again Eddie’s sneaky ass was stepping on his toes. If he messed up the heroin deal for Buda, it wouldn’t matter who his uncle was or how much pull he had. He’d cross that bridge when he came to it.
“Then you best do it quick if you want me drugs,” Doodles said. “Me no want no problems with Eddie or his uncle Michael. Maybe it’s best if we hold off until you get this shit straight.”
“Wait, but we had a deal!” Buda said.
“No, the deal I make was with Diamonds,” Doodles corrected him. “Diamonds, I liked. Him an honorable man, a straightforward man. You, too much double-talk for my taste.” He got up from the table.
“Wait a minute, we can work this out.” Buda tried to stop him, but Doodles never broke his stride.
“I’ll talk to him.” T.J. got up and went after him.
“Yo, what the fuck is this shit? You niggas said we was good and now you pull this? I ain’t feeling it.” Buda slammed his massive fist on the table, drawing the a
ttention of the other diners.
“First of all, lower your muthafucking voice. You talking crazy to me and I’ll cut your fucking throat,” Rolling hissed. He had dropped his sniveling yes-man persona that he used to fool everyone and had reverted to the cold-blooded mastermind who had coerced Buda to betray his leader at gun-point.
Buda had just finished having a freak session with his girl Mercedes and her girlfriend, Zonnie. He was celebrating their new heroin deal. He found himself surprised when he came out into the living room and found Rolling sitting on the couch between the two ladies—his ladies. Rolling Stone had baited a trap and Buda had walked right into it. As it turned out, Doodles had been nothing more than a front man, and Rolling was the plug all along. Rolling could’ve killed Buda that night if he’d chosen, but instead offered him a deal: usurp Diamonds and take over his position as the distributor of the heroin. Buda wasn’t big on the idea of stepping over his childhood friend, but he figured that he didn’t have much of a choice. Besides, it was time for some new blood in the crew, a new chief. So he accepted Rolling’s bargain and turned a blind eye when Diamonds was taken out.
“Be cool, Rolling.” Buda raised his hands in surrender. “We’re all friends here, right?”
“Fuck outta here! We ain’t friends and will never be friends. You’re a means to an end and don’t you forget that shit!” Rolling spat.
“Whatever you say, boss,” Buda said sarcastically. “By the way, I never got a chance to say thanks for handling that piece of business for me. With Diamonds out of the way the lane is open for me to march my crew into a new era and really get to this money. No more war games.”
