by K'wan
“I think we’re about to make a mistake. This shit was poorly planned and too many things can go wrong. We’re about to step out of the shadows and declare war on the kings of New York; if even one of them escapes to tell the tale we’re going to have every crew in the city on our backs,” Vita pointed out.
“Then I guess you better make sure your bullets ring true, lil sis.” Buda sneered. “You know, I don’t recall y’all second-guessing Diamonds this much. You, Hank, and the rest followed him into the bowels of hell on more than one occasion without so much as a question and I’m starting to feel I ain’t getting that same respect.”
“That’s because Diamonds always had a sound plan.”
“Well, Diamonds ain’t chief no more, now is he?” Buda shot back. “Look, V, this shit is going down with or without you. Now I’m going downstairs with the real niggas to set this off. If you’re by my side, I’ll know you’re with us. If not,” he patted his pistol, “I’ll know you’re not.” He walked off.
After Buda had gone Vita continued to stand there, weighing what she was about to get herself into. Every fiber in her body told her that they were making a bad move, but what choice did she have? Buda hadn’t said it directly, but his message had been received: she could either join her crew in battle or be branded a traitor and a coward. Neither option sounded appealing. Her cell phone went off, and her face fell when she saw Domo’s number on the caller ID screen. She hoped that one day he would understand that whatever the outcome, she’d had his best interests at heart. Hitting ignore, she went off to join the fight.
* * *
Domo had a lot to process on his ride into New York. He felt bad about slipping out on his mother, but she just didn’t get it. He had watched her suffer long enough and had vowed that he wouldn’t sit idle anymore. He had chosen his path and hoped that she understood.
He made it through the Lincoln Tunnel in record time. He was already running behind and didn’t want to hear Buda’s mouth about him showing up late for a job. He had no idea who they were about to take off, but by that point it didn’t too much matter. He navigated the streets until he found the address Vita had texted him. Had had to double-check it to make sure he had read it right, but he had. It was an abandoned warehouse in the meatpacking district. What the fuck could they be taking off in there?
Domo waited for twenty minutes or so, but still hadn’t seen any sign of the crew and was starting to get worried. He tried calling Vita but the phone just rang. When he tried to call her again it went straight to voice mail, as if she had powered it off. Domo began to replay the entire day’s events and something wasn’t adding up. What if instead of this job being his final test, Buda had something more sinister planned for him? It could’ve been paranoia on his part, but something wasn’t right with the setup and he had no plans of sticking around to figure out what it was.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
As promised, Big Stone made sure Pearl’s party was of epic proportions. It was held at his restaurant, Rain, which was located uptown on Eighth Avenue. It was a nice spot that had a dining area on the lower level and a club on the second floor. Out front spotlights flashed HAPPY BIRTHDAY PEARL in the sky.
“Wow, don’t you think this was a bit much for a teen party?” Asia asked as she and Knowledge pulled up to the front of the venue.
“Ain’t nothing wrong with a man spoiling his kids. We’re gonna do the same for ours when we have them.”
“And have them turn out like Pearl, thinking everything in life is given and not earned?” Asia sucked her teeth. “I don’t think so.”
“Why don’t you just be cool. I know you and Pearl don’t always see eye to eye when you’re at work, but this isn’t St. Francis High School, this is her birthday party, and I expect the both of you to be civil.”
“So long as she doesn’t get out of pocket,” Asia said. “How’s your head, baby?” She touched the knot on the back of his skull, causing him to flinch.
“It’d be fine if you’d quit picking at it.”
“I will when you tell me how you really got it,” Asia shot back.
“I told you, I fell,” Knowledge lied. When it came to his street business he kept Asia on a need-to-know basis. She wasn’t naive about what he did, but the less he told her the less likely she was to be charged with conspiracy if he ever got bagged.
“That’s bullshit and you know it, but I’m gonna let you have that. At least for tonight.” Asia clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth.
The valet met the Range Rover and opened the doors for the couple. Knowledge got out first. He was wearing a black suit, white shirt, and paisley tie. His lady was looking equally good in a flowing blue strapless dress.
Sandra was standing out front talking to Big Stone and Black when she spotted Knowledge and Asia. “Well, well, well, don’t you look handsome.” She kissed Knowledge once on each cheek. “Boy, if I was a little younger you might be in trouble.”
“Quit playing before you get me in trouble.” Knowledge laughed. “Sandra, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Asia.”
Sandra gave Asia the once-over then nodded in approval. “You’re even more beautiful than Knowledge told me. I can see why he’s been hiding you, probably because he’s worried about somebody stealing you.”
“Thank you.” Asia blushed. “Is the birthday girl here yet? I’d like to give her the present from us.” She held up a gift bag.
“Yeah, she’s inside cutting up with her friends. Come on.” Sandra looped her arm in Asia’s. “Let’s go inside so I can show you where to put the gift and we can grab some drinks. I’m sure the boys got business to discuss anyhow,” she said, leading her toward the entrance.
“Damn, that’s a fine piece of woman.” Black whistled as Asia walked inside.
“Don’t get your old ass kicked out here, Black,” Knowledge said playfully. “Sorry I’m late, boss,” he addressed Big Stone. “Kinda had my hands full.”
“I still can’t believe you let a girl kick your ass.” Black laughed.
“She didn’t do shit, and had her buddy not hit me from behind I’d have beaten the information we needed out of her by now,” Knowledge said angrily. He was still in his feelings about Vita escaping.
“Well, hopefully you’ll get your rematch soon. Any luck with Wolf?” Big Stone asked.
“It would’ve been easier getting blood out of an orange. He admitted to getting a dude named Buda out of jail on behalf of one of his clients, but wouldn’t tell me who. Claims it’s confidential information,” Knowledge told him.
“Sounds like a crock of shit to me,” Black added. “Well, if this Buda character got tossed out of a whorehouse, it means he’s in the business of paying for pussy and y’all know that’s my field of expertise. I’ll have my girls keep their ears to the streets. We’ll find this janky muthafucka.”
“So, is everybody here?” Knowledge asked.
“Yeah, they’re back in the kitchen area,” Black told him. “Everybody who was confirmed to show up did, except one.”
“Eddie,” Knowledge guessed.
“Boy, you must be psychic,” Big Stone joked.
“Not at all. This thing has had his stink on it from the beginning,” Knowledge said. When he’d met with Eddie the week before to inquire what he knew about the bandits, he’d faked ignorance, but the fact that he’d been MIA ever since said that he’d known more than what he was telling. “I should’ve blasted his ass right then and there.”
“Eddie’s time will come, son. Once we consolidate our forces we’ll deal with this Buda nigga and everybody else who didn’t wanna get with the program,” Big Stone vowed. “Like Black said, I got everybody tucked in the kitchen so as not to make Pearl suspicious. You know that girl is nosy as hell. We need to hurry up and get back there before my daddy bores them to death with his old war stories. I ain’t never met a nigga who loves to hear the sound of his own voice like Bo Stone.” Big Stone shook his head.
“I could think of one,” Know
ledge teased.
Big Stone gave a half chuckle. “Very funny, nigga. Now bring your ass on so we can get this meeting started.”
* * *
The birthday party was happening upstairs, but in the kitchen a gangster party was taking place. Knowledge walked in to find at least a half dozen cats that he knew by name or reputation congregating around a stainless-steel counter. To the average person this gathering of elder statesmen didn’t seem like much, but they represented what was left of those who hadn’t fallen under or in line with the new threat plaguing the city. Big Stone had put out the call to arms, and they had answered.
There were some heavy weights in that room, all powerful and well respected in their trades, but the one who had the most presence had been the only one who could say he’d played the game and lived to retire, Bo Stone. Bo looked like a miniature version of Big Stone, being shorter than his son by almost a foot and nearly half his weight. He was still in good physical condition, but nowhere near the monster he had been in his glory days. Knowledge had once heard a story about Bo Stone hitting a man so hard that he shattered every bone in his face. He was a beast back then, but old age and bypass surgery had slowed him down.
“Well, it’s about damn time you brought your ass back in here, Stone. I thought we were gonna have to listen to your daddy’s tired-ass stories all night long,” Isaac said. He was an old-timer who moved heavy coke in Staten Island.
“Isaac, you just mad because in your best days of slinging poison your money couldn’t stand up to what I made of my protection rackets,” Bo Stone capped. When he was in the streets he made ten cents off every dollar made in the neighborhood.
Isaac sucked his teeth. “Man, you wasn’t but a well-spoken goon, taking that community-uplift shit. How you uplifting the community when you’re charging for your services?”
“The cost to be the boss.” Bo chuckled.
“Well, if you old heads are done strolling down Memory Lane, can we get to it? Some of us got other shit to do tonight,” Born said. On that night of all nights, Rain was the last place he wanted to be, but Big Stone had insisted. Born was one of his street bosses and was supposed to serve as sergeant at arms in times of war. Born had started to make up an excuse and thought of just plain blowing it off, but Rolling had convinced him otherwise. He was to be Rolling’s eyes and ears on the inside to help coordinate the assassination. Born didn’t like it, but he had accepted the task and hoped that Buda’s people were as good a shot as they claimed to be.
“Boy, what the hell is wrong with you tonight? You been acting all jittery since you got here,” Big Stone pointed out.
“Sorry, boss. It’s just that I got a little jump-off lined up and the bitch keeps blowing my phone up trying to figure out what time I’m coming to get her.” The lie rolled off Born’s tongue.
“That bitch can wait. We got pressing business we’re here to discuss,” Big Stone told him.
“Then how about we get on with it?” Richie suggested. He was a fence and a thief who ran a crew of jack boys from the east side. Nothing went missing around the city that Richie didn’t steal personally or know who stole it. He was a sneaky dude and the least liked of those in the room.
“Right on,” Big Stone concurred. “Fellas, it’s no secret why I called you here tonight. We’ve got a serious problem brewing in the streets.”
“Serious is an understatement. I hear they’re trying to put you poison pushers on the endangered species list,” Bo Stone capped.
“Daddy, I really ain’t up for your shit tonight. As a matter of fact, I don’t even know why you’re at this meeting instead of upstairs at the party. This is for active hustlers,” Big Stone said slyly. He and his father had never had the best relationship and the older they got, the more it seemed to deteriorate. “While my daddy is over there cracking jokes, like mass murder of our friends and loved ones is funny, I’m trying to put together a solution. I say we pool our resources and meet this threat with numbers.”
“Join forces under whose banner, yours?” Richie scoffed. “Stone, you ain’t never offered to share a cab let alone your resources, and now you wanna play United Nations because these boys got you on the ropes. I think this is just another plot for you to get us all under your thumb like you’ve been doing for years. Frankly, me and mine are prepared to hunker down and wait this shit out.”
“If that were true then you wouldn’t be here,” Knowledge spoke up. “Look, fellas, it’s no secret that there’s been some bad blood between several of us in this room over the years. We’re all drug dealers and this city ain’t but so big, so it’s to be expected we step on each other’s toes from time to time. It comes with the territory. But for all our differences we now have a common enemy, and that’s these niggas out here cutting the heads off of all our friends and associates. I say that shit stops tonight.”
“I hear you talking, youngster, but how are we supposed to combat an enemy we can’t even identify?” Isaac asked.
“That was true, up until now,” Big Stone informed him. “Knowledge has been out hitting these streets harder than Mike Tyson in his prime and he was able to uncover a few things about our mysterious enemies.”
“One of them goes by the name of Buda,” Knowledge picked up. “Thick muthafucka with a beard who goes in for the whores. He keeps company with a slim brown-skinned dame, known to be pretty good with a trumpet, and a tall joker who rocks a bandanna around his neck.” He recounted the descriptions Power had given him after he was ambushed in Midian.
“Sounds like the ones who raided my spot and killed my boy,” Snow Man interjected. He was an older man who had gotten his nickname not from his long white beard but from the grade-A cocaine he pushed. “About a year ago they got the drop and took us off for ten bricks. Those bastards tied me up and made me watch while one of them gutted my son like cattle with a black knife. Until the day I die I’ll remember that diamond-toothed smile mocking me from behind that ski mask while he killed my boy,” he said emotionally.
“Did you say diamond-toothed?” Knowledge asked curiously.
“That mean something to you?” Big Stone asked.
“Was just a hunch until now.” Knowledge went on to tell them of the man called Diamonds whom he had encountered sniffing around what remained of Pops’s bar. He purposely omitted the part about the man having been with Pearl.
“And you’re just now thinking to mention this?” Big Stone asked angrily.
“Let me play devil’s advocate here,” Isaac interjected. “I’m sure I speak for every man in this room when I say we’ve been trying to get a read on these boys for months, yet you seem extremely knowledgeable about them. Maybe it’s you and Big Stone who turned these dogs loose on the city in the first place? Who’s to say this isn’t some elaborate scheme you two cooked up to get us to play ball?”
“It’s a valid concern, Isaac, but ain’t no truth to it,” Big Stone told him. “Just this morning they took out two of my biggest cash cows. Everyone in this room knows how much I love money so could you see me cutting my nose off to spite my face like that? I gotta be honest with you boys, any doubt I had about these dudes being a real threat died when I heard they cut Pana’s heart out in broad daylight. I can’t speak for the rest of you but I ain’t never encountered no muthafuckas as vicious as these, and frankly, I’m worried, as we all should be. Now whether we partner up or not, every man in this room is going to have their day in court with this crew. I’d sooner do it in numbers rather than keep getting picked off one by one.”
“Now that’s one thing we can agree on,” Richie said. “Me and my boys are in.”
Knowledge stood off to the side and watched as one by one the heads of the crews signed off on Big Stone’s plan to consolidate their forces to go at the outsiders. It had been a brilliant plan on Big Stone’s part. He had seen what Diamonds and his lot could do and knew they would need all the help they could get if they planned on beating them. As Knowledge continued his silent observati
on, something stuck out to him. All of the heads of the crews were present, but besides him and Born their captains were absent. Maybe Big Stone had made it a closed-door meeting and neglected to tell him and they were upstairs at the party, but it was something Knowledge would look into as soon as the meeting let out.
“That went better than expected,” Big Stone told him, once the meeting was over.
“Of course it did. For all the shit these niggas talk, they know there’s strength in numbers and that’s what we need right now. If we’re done here, I’m gonna go upstairs and check on Asia. Ain’t no telling what kinda foolishness Sandra is putting in her head,” he joked.
“Hold on a second, and come with me to walk these old niggas out, then we can go up to the party together. Besides, I need to bend your ear about something real quick.” Big Stone draped his arm around Knowledge. “For what you pulled off in there, you just earned yourself a promotion.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Sandra escorted Asia to the upper level of the club where the party was taking place. It had an ocean theme, and the club was decorated in blues, greens, and golds with fish swimming in the glass dance floor. It didn’t take them long to find Pearl. She was in the middle of the dance floor with Marissa and two boys who looked like they were way too old to be at a teen’s birthday party. Pearl was looking like every bit the princess that she was in a form-fitting gold dress with matching tiara. She was grinding on one of the boys, giving him the business, while the crowd cheered her on.
“My eighteenth birthday wasn’t nothing like this,” Asia said, taking in the humpfest.
“And hers won’t be either.” Sandra bumped her way through the crowd in Pearl’s direction.
Pearl was so deep into her groove that she hadn’t even noticed that the crowd had gone quiet. She turned around and was about to try a move she had seen in a music video on the guy she was dancing with, but he was gone and she found herself confronted with an angry Sandra. “Oh, shit.” She covered her mouth.
