The Diamond Empire--A Novel

by K'wan

  Before Vita could ponder her discovery further, Goldie came out of the bathroom. He was talking on his cell phone and his expression was grim. “A’ight. We’ll be right there,” he said and ended the call.

  “Everything good?” she asked.

  “That was the nigga Buda.”

  “Fuck did he want?” Vita asked in a sour tone.

  “He says he got the official word that it was Big Stone who gave the order on Diamonds, so we got the green light to move on him. Tonight we hunting big game.”

  This surprised Vita. “What the fuck? He know we always track our marks at least twenty-four hours. What’s with all this spontaneous shit lately?”

  Goldie shrugged. “I don’t know, and truthfully I don’t care. Only thing I’m worried about is putting a hole in the nigga who laid hands on my brother. Oh, and he said to bring your little boyfriend too. This is an all-hands-on deck situation.”

  An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of Vita’s stomach. Buda was moving way too fast for her liking. Also troubling was his insistence that Domo be there. She had yet to tell Domo that she was aware of his connection to the family they were about to move on, and right before wiping them out wasn’t how she pictured breaking the news to him. How would he react when he found out the man they were about to assassinate was one of his best friend’s father?

  “About that lead you said you found; how solid is it?” Goldie asked.

  “Solid enough for us to put Buda’s fat ass on hold for a few while we check it out.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Hank was relieved when the last of the packages had been wrapped up and he was able to leave Mousey’s house. Between Willie and Lucky’s back-and-forth arguing and Mousey’s constant begging for a hit he felt like he was about to snap. He wasn’t sure if it was old age or trying to adapt to a city as big as New York, but the game was losing its luster for him. This was why he had started stacking his paper to eventually retire. In Hank’s time on earth he had put a lot of mileage on his body. From being rich to becoming a fiend to being shot and doing stints in various prisons, he had seen his fair share of highs and lows, and thankfully was still around to reflect on them. In fact, the only reason he probably still played the game was on the strength of Diamonds.

  Thinking of Diamonds brought a deep sadness over Hank. He had known him since he was a small child, barefoot and stealing for his meals. Even as a youth Hank had seen the larceny lurking in the young man’s heart and he fed it. It was Hank who had first turned Diamonds on to selling drugs, by having him hustle weed out of his grocery store. Diamonds had always been a good hustler, but Hank had watched him grow into something more and he wasn’t sure if he was proud or afraid for him. In a sense Hank felt responsible for putting Diamonds on the corrupt path and the guilt of this is what really kept him close.

  Hank had been replaying his last days with Diamonds over in his head and couldn’t understand how he hadn’t seen it coming. His one-time ward had always been reckless, but more so when he started to rise to power. Diamonds had been running around like he was invincible, and the one person who was supposed to step up and check him didn’t, and now they were stuck with that idiot Buda as their chief. When Buda had invited Hank to challenge him for the position, he almost accepted but thought better of it. Hank’s time had come and gone. It was a young man’s game to play now. Besides, he had seen what happened to those who wore the crown. No matter how good their hearts were the power always eventually corrupted them. Diamonds had been a perfect example of that. Someone who had so much promise that couldn’t seem to get out of his own way. Hank prayed to whatever God would listen that Diamonds was still alive out there somewhere, but if he wasn’t at least he was free now.

  After leaving the Bronx he headed out to Queens, where he was to meet his lady friend, Elaine, and grab a bite to eat. They had met by chance one day when Hank was in Harlem doing some shopping on 125th Street. He was trying to decide on a pair of sneakers to buy, but found himself clueless. Hank had always fancied himself a Stacy Adams man, so picking out running shoes was out of his depth. Elaine had taken mercy on the confused man and helped him out with his purchase. She was younger than he, but had her shit together. Elaine owned her own car, home, and a thriving salon called Rouge. This is why they were meeting all the way in Queens because she was out there looking at a storefront where she was thinking of opening a second location. Hank admired Elaine for her ambition, as well as the things she could do in the bedroom.

  Their rendezvous was at a diner a few blocks from where Elaine was viewing the property. When Hank arrived, she was already seated. She was a light-skinned woman, just shy of forty, with curves in all the right places. Hank loved it when she wore tight clothes because she filled them out so well, but that afternoon she was looking professional in a business suit and pumps. When she saw him walk in she stood to greet him.

  “Hey you!” Elaine kissed him once on each cheek. “Thanks for coming out all this way to eat with me.”

  “Wasn’t ’bout nothing. You know I’d drive a million miles to spend a few minutes in your company.”

  “Listen to you on your Billy Dee,” she teased.

  “So, how’d things go with the storefront?”

  “It actually went pretty well. I looked at three properties, but I think I’ve settled on one I like. It’s huge and the rent is cheap.”

  “A lot of space for cheap rent in New York must mean something is wrong with it,” Hank joked.

  “Let’s hope not.” Elaine crossed herself. “I really wanna get this second location up an running. But enough about me. How was your day?”

  Hank shrugged. “Same as any other I gather. Just had to handle some family business.”

  “Ah, the family again. And when do you plan to stop hiding me from your family? You talk about them all the time, but we’ve been dating for months and I still haven’t met them.”

  “Soon, baby,” Hank promised. Elaine was the only part of his life that his crew didn’t have access to. She was his solitude and he wanted to keep it that way for as long as he could. “Did you order yet?” he changed the subject.

  Hank and Elaine sat chatting over two fish dinners, making small talk about love, life, and everything between. He loved talking to Elaine because she was smart and ambitious. It made him feel good to be around her.

  Halfway through their meal Hank spotted a buxom Puerto Rican girl walk in. The sun hadn’t even fully set yet, so at that hour of the day dressed in a short skirt and high boots she looked like she was either getting ready for the club or the track. He guessed the latter. As he continued to watch her he realized that he knew her … well, he had at least seen her before. It was Mercedes, one of Buda’s broads. She was the only girl Hank had ever seen stretch Buda’s nose open wider than the Holland Tunnel. Buda was so sprung on her that he wouldn’t even bring her around the crew, as if he were afraid one of them would try and poach on her.

  Mercedes walked across the diner and stopped at a table where a couple were sitting: a pretty light-skinned girl with a blond weave and a gentleman dressed in a white turtleneck and blazer. Hank had to blink twice to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. He almost hadn’t recognized the man, without his baggy clothes and those god-awful do-rags he loved to wear, but it was Born’s partner, Rolling Stone. What the hell was he doing talking with Buda’s girl and why was he dressed like that? The plot thickened when Mercedes leaned in and kissed Buda on the lips and then kissed the blonde. Hank continued to watch as they exchanged a few pleasant words before Rolling dropped some bills on the table and the three of them walked out together. What the hell was going on?

  “See something you like?” Elaine asked with an attitude.

  “Nah, it ain’t like that. I think I know that dude. Gimme a second.” Hank excused himself and hurried out the front door but by the time he made it outside there was no sign of the trio.

  * * *

  After they had finished eating,
Hank walked Elaine back to her car. She tried to get him to come by her place, but he took a rain check. His mind was still stuck on Rolling and the two girls. Something was amiss and he needed to find out what.

  He saw Elaine off before walking to his own car, which was parked on a side block two streets over. He was fumbling in his pocket for his keys when he felt someone behind him. He turned and was surprised to see Rolling standing there.

  “Damn, you scared the shit out of me.”

  “Sorry about that. I saw you back at the diner. I was gonna walk my ladies to the taxi and come back to see what was up with you, but you were already gone,” Rolling told him. “So who was that you were sitting with? That your girl?”

  “Nah, just some bitch I met this morning and was trying to fuck,” Hank lied. Something about the way Rolling was looking at him sent a warning bell ringing in his head. “What’s up with the outfit? You going to a funeral or something?”

  “Actually, yes. Yours.” Rolling produced a pistol and shot Hank in the gut.

  Hank slid down the side of his car, eyes looking up at Rolling in total shock.

  “Try not to take this personal, Hank. I actually liked you. You just picked the wrong diner to eat in today.” Rolling leveled his gun. As Hank laid there, fighting to breathe, he croaked out, “Why?”

  “Because I’m not ready for the other shoe to drop jus’ yet,” Rolling told him before pulling the trigger three more times.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  It took Knowledge a little longer than expected to track down the elusive detective. Wolf spent his nights trolling the streets of New York like some dark avenger, but he spent his days getting shit-faced in one of three watering holes that he was partial to. Knowledge and Power had visited two already with no luck, but hoped that would change with the third: a spot called Midian.

  “What the fuck would a cop be doing hanging out in this joint?” Power asked, looking at the spot.

  “Your guess is as good as mine. I ain’t here to judge the man, just ask a few questions,” Knowledge said. “Wait for me by the car, this shouldn’t take but a few minutes.”

  “Nah, God. I don’t like the looks of this place.”

  “Me either, but I don’t wanna spook this dude by rolling in deep. He’s kinda skittish and I don’t want him to buck unnecessarily.”

  “A’ight, it’s your call,” Power relented and went to sit on the hood of the car. He hated waiting on the sidelines, but he trusted Knowledge’s judgment.

  When Knowledge stepped into the bar all eyes seemed to turn to him. He imagined he stuck out like a sore thumb, dressed in jeans and Timberlands in a room full of men and women wearing mostly leather and denim. Midian was a biker bar located in a rough section of Hell’s Kitchen and off limits to the faint of heart.

  Knowledge scanned the faces of the few people inside drinking, but saw no sign of Wolf. He crossed the room and found an empty stool at the end of the bar, near a table where two men were playing pool. That vantage point gave him a clear view of the door so he could see anyone coming or going before they saw him.

  “You sure you in the right place?” The bartender had appeared as if by magic. She was a gray-haired hag, with tattoos covering her arms and neck beneath a leather corset that did its best to hold up her sagging breasts.

  “Pretty sure,” Knowledge replied. “I’ll have a Howl at the Moon,” he said, repeating the code words he’d used when Big Stone had last sent him to drop something to the detective.

  The hag narrowed her eyes at him. “Never heard of Howl at the Moon. We only serve beer and whisky here.”

  “A beer, then.”

  The bartender gave him one last distrustful look before heading down to the other end of the bar where the beer coolers were. She came back a few seconds later and slammed the beer on the counter in front of him. “Five bucks.”

  Knowledge handed her a twenty. “Keep the change.”

  The bartender held the bill up to the light to make sure it was real before stuffing it into her corset and walking off.

  For the next half hour or so Knowledge sipped his beer, watching the bar. Every time someone entered, he looked up hopefully but so far there had been no sign of the detective. He had begun to think that it was a dead end, until he spotted a couple stroll into the bar. The man was tall, wearing a baseball cap pulled low on his head. A black bandanna was tied snugly around his neck. He was an unsavory-looking character, but Knowledge was more focused on the girl with him. Her wig was a different color than the first time their paths had crossed, but Knowledge would recognize that walk anywhere. She moved with a swagger that was unmistakable. It was the same girl who had been in Pops’s hospital room the day he and Big Stone had visited him.

  * * *

  “Fuck we doing way down here, V?” Goldie looked at the front of the rundown bar in disgust.

  “This is where he wants to meet,” Vita told him. After several frustrating attempts she had managed to finally get hold of Detective Wolf. He wouldn’t answer when she tried to call from her phone, but picked up when she called from Diamonds’ cell. He seemed surprised to hear it was Vita on the other end. In their brief conversation he told her that he had information about what he thought may have happened to Diamonds, but wouldn’t talk about it on the phone. So they’d arranged a face-to-face meeting at a spot called Midian.

  “Well, I hope this nigga has news about my brother, because if he doesn’t he’s gonna regret wasting my fucking time,” Goldie said in frustration.

  “Easy, bruh. Wolf ain’t your average police. We gotta handle this situation with kid gloves, so best you let me do the talking,” Vita cautioned before leading the way inside the bar. She strutted into the joint like she owned the place, turning quite a few heads as she crossed the room to the bar. Behind it was an old tattooed crone, wiping out a glass with a greasy rag. She gave Vita a look that said her kind wasn’t welcome there, but Vita didn’t care. “Two Howl at the Moons,” she ordered.

  “You’re the second person to ask for one of those today, and I’m going to tell you like I told them: we don’t serve those here,” the old woman said in a nasty tone.

  “C’mon, sis. Why are you acting like you’ve never seen me in here before? You know what I want,” Vita insisted.

  The old woman shrugged. “I see a lot of coloreds in here lately. What makes you so special that I should remember?”

  Vita reached behind the bar and grabbed her by the throat. “What makes me special is that I’m the only one who will break your fucking neck if you don’t tell Wolf that Vita out here waiting on him!”

  “Why didn’t you say that in the first place,” the old woman croaked. After giving her one last shake, Vita released her grip. “Wait here, I’ll get him.” The old woman came from behind the bar and disappeared into the back.

  “That your idea of handling this with kid gloves?” Goldie asked sarcastically.

  “I got no time nor patience for games.”

  “Whatever, I’m going to find a bathroom. I been holding my piss since we left Diamonds’ place. Try not to kill anyone while I’m gone.” Goldie went off in search of the restroom.

  Vita sat at the bar, busying herself with her phone while waiting for Detective Wolf. Buda had been blowing her phone up, no doubt wondering where she and Goldie were. They were scheduled to link up at one of their stash spots on 136th and Eighth Avenue. The building was across the street from the venue where they would be executing the hit on Big Stone. Vita had killed more than a few men and hadn’t lost much sleep over them, but something about this just didn’t feel right. There were still questions she needed answers to and she couldn’t get them from a dead man.

  Her thoughts then drifted to Domo. Buda had insisted that she made sure he was on deck, but why? She had a sneaking suspicion that Buda had somehow found out about his connection to the Stone family and was doing this as his ultimate test of loyalty. The thing was, Vita wasn’t so sure this was a test that Domo would pass. I
f she didn’t inform Domo of the mission, Buda would become suspicious and there was no telling what he would do to Domo, or her, for that matter. She thought about just telling Domo everything, but was afraid he would hate her for it, so honesty was out of the question, at least for the moment. She needed to find a way to ease Domo’s hand out of the fire Buda had started without tipping either of them off. Just then she had an idea.

  Vita had just finished texting Domo the location where she wanted him to meet her that night when she felt a presence behind her. She turned, expecting it to be Goldie returning from the bathroom or Wolf, but it was neither.

  “So, we meet again.” Knowledge smirked at her.

  “Sorry, you must have mistaken me for someone else,” Vita told him and turned back to the bar.

  “I don’t think so.” Knowledge took the stool next to her. “You were at the hospital visiting Pops Brown.”

  “What are you, a cop?” Vita faked ignorance. She knew exactly who Knowledge was, but hadn’t realized he knew her.

  “No, just a curious young man,” Knowledge told her. “When I first saw you I thought maybe you were one of Pops’s kids, then I remembered he doesn’t have any daughters. So I got to figuring maybe you were one of his young chippies, but then I saw the way he looked at you. It was almost as if he was afraid of you. Now what could an old-school gangster like Pops have to fear from some pretty young thing?”

  “Look, why don’t you get your nosy ass out of here before my boyfriend comes back from the bathroom and gets the wrong idea about our little chat, yeah?” Vita said, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice. Knowledge was toying with her, but to what end she wasn’t sure.