by Glenn, Roy
“I was thinkin’ the same thing,” Bobby said.
“I was just thinkin’ out loud, Bobby, I’m not gonna kill them.”
“Suppose you can’t settle it?”
“I don’t know,” Black said and got up. He left the office and went to the bar. He saw Sonny Edwards at the table playing poker. When Sonny saw him, he cashed out and went to the bar.
“Evening Mike.”
“How’s it goin’, Sonny,”
“Question is, how you doin’?” Sonny asked.
“I’m trying to figure some things out.”
“I gotta admit, this thing with Nick and Wanda caught me by surprise, so I know that it’s gotta be fuckin’ wit’ you. I knew it was gettin’ outta hand when I saw Travis and Jackie with them two guns she always carryin’, walkin’ Rain out at gunpoint.”
Black laughed a little. “I’m sure that was the highlight of the evening.”
“That shit was only happening because you and Bobby were gone. Now that you’re back, I’m sure things will go back to normal,” Sonny said.
“I hope you’re right, Sonny.”
“You remember what you told me once?”
“What was that?”
“You said something about how every time you and Bobby step back a little, somebody always sees that as weak, and they try y’all. Then you and him deal with it; and everything goes back to normal.”
“It’s the natural order of things,” Black said remembering what he said.
“This ain’t no different,” Sonny offered.
“I hope not, Sonny, ’cause we usually just kill everybody.”
“I know. And this time, it’s a little different ’cause it’s your own people. But it’s the same. What you gonna figure out is how deep this shit goes. If it’s just some jealous shit or does one of them have their eye on your spot. Now if you wanna get out, spend the rest of your life in the islands with that gorgeous woman and your kids, then pick a winner, deal with the loser and move on. But I know that this is who you are. The shit is in your blood and retirement is the last thing on your mind.”
“You’re right.”
“I know I am, Mike. So do what you gotta do and you and Bobby gotta take control of your house,” Sonny told him.
“Thanks, Sonny. I appreciate your counsel,” Black said and Sonny went back to the table and got back in the game.
Black looked around and called Monika over. “What’s up?”
“I need you to do something for me.”
“I’m not heavy tonight,” Monika informed him. “All I got on me is a 9.”
“That’s all right, and besides, everybody thinks you’re always heavily armed so that will be enough for what I need you to do.”
“What you need?”
“Who ever gets here first, sit them down and wait until the other gets here. Then bring them in together,” Black looked around and saw Travis. “Get Travis to back you up if you need him, but I know you won’t.”
“You got it.”
“And keep your eyes on Ms. Robinson.”
“You want me to take her out?”
“You’ll know if I need you to,” Black said and started to walk away from her.
“How will I know?”
Black walked back to her. “If she comes runnin’ out that office,” he pointed at the door. “Kill her.”
“What about Nick?’
“If it comes to that, you leave Nick to me.”
“Cool,” Monika said, thinking that it would be hard for her to kill Nick after all they’d been though together.
Thirty minutes later Wanda came in with two of her men. When she headed for the office, Monika cut her off. “Black will call you when he’s ready. Right now, I need you to have a seat,” Monika turned to Wanda’s men. “And I need you two to give up your hardware.”
Both men looked at Monika like she had lost her mind. Then they looked at Wanda. “Go ahead,” she said and found a seat. Ten minutes later, Nick and Rain walked in with Chris Toney, Memphis and Donavan. Monika told them the same thing. Once they had surrendered their weapons, Monika went and knocked on the door. “They’re here.”
“Wait five minutes then bring them in,” Bobby said.
“They both came with their muscle. I disarmed them. Do you want them in here?”
“No,” Black said and Monika shut the door.
Five minutes later, Monika opened the door and escorted Nick, Rain and Wanda into the office and closed the door as she left. They found Jackie seated behind her desk and Black and Bobby standing against the wall. “Somebody wanna tell me what’s goin’ on in my house?”
Nobody said a word.
“Don’t everybody talk at once,” Bobby said. “Nick, why don’t you start.”
“I heard that Wanda had a meeting with Cynt, Doc and Grant and at that meeting they planned to take over control of the organization.”
“How did you know what they were planning?” Black asked.
“You told me once that I needed to know everything that’s goin’ on in the business I run.”
“And.”
“And I got somebody at Cynt’s that keeps me up on what goin’ on over there.”
“That true, Wanda?” Black asked.
“Yes,” Wanda softly and looked away.
“I didn’t hear you,” Bobby said.
Wanda turned back. “Yes,” she said again.
“I can do without the dirty looks, Wanda,” Black said.
“What I wanna know, and I guessin’ everybody else does too, is why you thought you needed to make that move?” Bobby asked.
Wanda didn’t say anything.
“I believe he’s talkin’ to you, Wanda,” Black said. “And he’s right, I really wanna know why you were even havin’ a conversation like that with anybody?”
“People came to me with complaints about the way things were going.” Wanda began.
“Who?” Bobby asked.
“Cynt and Grant.”
“You know damn well that Cynt says what ever you tell her to say and Grant just agrees with what everybody says,” Black said. “So you need to tell me now what complaints did you have with the way Nick was runnin’ things?”
“I think he gave her too much power,” Wanda said and pointed at Rain.
“Me? I know you ain’t tryin’ to make this shit about me.” Rain said.
“I’m not talkin’ to you Ms Robinson,” Black said. “When I wanna hear from you I’ll ask you a question.”
“That means that you shut up,” Bobby added.
“What power did you give her, Nick?” Black asked.
“I let her make the rounds and do collections.”
“Was she effective?” Black asked.
“She was brutal and rude,” Wanda spit out.
Bobby laughed. “She was rude?” But Black wasn’t amused.
“Was she effective?” Black asked again only louder.
“Yes,” Nick said.
“We can go around this point, but the bottom line is, Nick was runnin’ the show, Wanda. If you had a problem with the way he was doin’ the job I gave him, you talk to him. If you can’t get satisfaction you talk to me, you talk to Bobby. Did you do that?” Black asked her.
“No I didn’t, but—,” Wanda began but Black cut her off.
“No, you didn’t. ’Cause you weren’t speakin’ to Nick, you weren’t talkin’ to me. I don’t know why you didn’t talk to Bobby.”
“Bobby was busy,” Wanda said.
“Bobby were you too busy with Pam to talk to Wanda?”
“No. I always got time for Wanda. Besides it would have been a nice change from hearin’ Pam say ‘fuck you Bobby’ all the damn time.”
“What you don’t do is put out a fuckin’ contract on Nick,” Black said.
“I never put a contract on Nick,” Wanda said.
“Yes you did, don’t lie,” Rain said and stood up.
“Ms. Robinson, I’m not gonna tell you again.
If you interrupt me again, Bobby is gonna kill you. Are we clear?”
Rain nodded her head and sat down.
“Now sit down and shut up. Let grown folks talk, little girl,” Bobby said.
“Was Ms. Robinson the target?” Black asked. “Since it was her that you had a problem with, did you send them to kill her and they got Nick instead?”
“I should have, but I didn’t put a contract out on her either.”
“Then explain to me why, when Perry called you and asked you if you did, that you didn’t deny it?”
“Perry called me on the phone and asked me if I was involved in a crime. I wasn’t gonna discuss it over the phone and I told him that he should know better than to ask,” Wanda said.
“No, Wanda!” Black shouted. “When somebody asks you if you tried to have Nick killed your answer is no!”
“But you were good with everybody believin’ that you hit Nick. It gave you the power you wanted,” Bobby said and Wanda looked away.
“That’s sounds about right, Bobby. Thank you,” Black said. “What happened next Nick?”
“While I was out seeing who else was with her, Rain went to Cynt’s,” Nick said.
“Why did you go to Cynt’s, Ms. Robinson?” Black asked.
“I went there to send a message that I knew what she was up to,” Rain said.
“Did Nick send you to Cynt’s to send this message, Ms. Robinson?” Bobby asked.
“No. He didn’t know that I knew what she was plannin’.”
“How did you find out?”
“I got somebody keepin’ tabs at Grant’s and the word was that they was bringin’ on a lot of new muscle. I checked out Doc’s, same thing, a lotta new faces. So I went to Cynt’s ’cause I knew she would run and tell her. An hour later, she sends her team to kill Nick.”
“I did not send anybody to kill Nick,” Wanda proclaimed her innocence again.
“Whatever,” Rain said. “Then tell me who did?”
“I don’t know maybe it was Grant,” Wanda said.
“No Wanda. Grant never had an independent thought in his life. And it wasn’t Doc.” Black paused. “I’m still wondering what you said to Doc to make him get involved in this nonsense. That leaves you and Cynt. And we both know Cynt wouldn’t do it without your permission. But let just say I believe that you didn’t send them and you don’t know who did. Why didn’t you call me and tell me that Nick got shot?”
Wanda had no answer.
“Nick, why didn’t you or Ms. Robinson tell me?”
Nick had no answer either.
“Now everybody’s quiet,” Bobby commented.
“Why didn’t you tell me, Jackie?” Black asked.
She looked at Rain and then at Wanda.
“Jackie!”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t I just ask you a question?” Black asked and looked at Jackie. “Don’t look at them, look at me. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I talked to Wanda and told her that I wanted to call and tell to you, you know, about what was goin’ on.”
“What did Wanda say?”
“She made it clear that if I called you and said anything about this that she would have me killed.”
“Did you talk to Nick?”
“No, not exactly. Rain came here and I told her that I was gonna call you.”
Black looked at Rain. “What did Ms. Robinson say?”
“Nothing at first. Then she took out her gun and held it to my head and told me if I said a fuckin’ thing to you that she would blow my fuckin brains out.”
“So what you’re tellin’ me is that Jackie was the voice of fuckin’ reason. Not you two. Jackie.”
There was silence in the room.
“Ms. Robinson.”
“Yes.”
“Why did you go after Grant?” Black asked.
“After I got Nick someplace safe in case she decided to try it again,” Rain began but Wanda cut her off.
“I said I had nothing to do with it,” she said.
“And I’m sayin’ I don’t believe shit you say,” Rain said.
“Talk to me, Ms. Robinson, not her,” Black said.
“Anyway, after I got Nick squared away, I hit the streets and I saw the van they used parked outside Grant’s.”
“How did you know it was the same van?” Bobby asked.
“’Cause when we went after the shooters she sent to kill Nick—”
“How many times do I have to say this, I didn’t send anybody to kill Nick.”
“Shut up, Wanda,” Bobby said.
“Thank you, Bobby,” Black said.
Rain smiled at Wanda before continuing. “I was wearing my night vision goggles and I saw the bullet holes I put in it when they drove off.”
“Night vision goggles?” Bobby asked skeptically.
“Nick gave them to me,” Rain said with a smile.
“Y’all get the fuck outta my sight,” Black said. Everybody got up and started for the door. “Not you Ms. Robinson. You have a seat.”
Rain sat back down and her and Nick looked at one another. Wanda smiled a very satisfied smile and continued out of Jackie’s office. Nick followed her out and closed the door behind him. He walked over to Wanda as she prepared to leave.
“You think Black’s gonna kill her?” Nick asked.
“No. I think Bobby’s gonna kill her,” Wanda said and started to walk away.
“Listen, Wanda, I’m sorry things got to this point,” Nick said.
“You should be,” Wanda said and walked away. Nick watched as Wanda walked out of the gambling house and then he sat down to wait on Rain.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Nick watched Wanda walk out of the gambling house and thought about how he let things come to this. He sat through the meeting and came out feeling like Black supported his position. It was clear that the brunt of Black’s anger was directed at Wanda and to some extent Rain.
As he sat there he still felt like he had let Black down, by not telling him what was going on in his house. The house that he had left Nick to run. He asked himself the question again. How did I let it get to this? The answer was simple. Rain Robinson.
Did he give her too much power? The answer was yes. It wasn’t that Rain wasn’t good at what she did, she was. Rain was excellent. And it wasn’t that she was rude and brutal, as Wanda said. Being brutal was part of the job. The problem was Rain. Putting Rain out there like he had was a cold slap in the face to Wanda. That was the mistake he made.
Just then, Monika came and sat down next to him. She pushed a glass of Johnnie Walker Black in front of him. “You all right?” she asked and pointed at his chest.
“Yeah, I’m all right. It only hurts when I breathe.”
“How many you take?”
“Two to the chest,” Nick said and took a sip.
“That puts you three behind me, junior,” Monika said proudly. She had been shot five times while they were pursuing Chilly. Two shots in the chest, two to the head, one hit her above the left ear and one in her eye. They weren’t able to save her eye. The other one was in her hand.
“I’ll gladly let you keep that record.”
“See that you do. I’m in no mood to lose any more friends. Losing Jett was hard enough,” she said referring to their partner Jett Bronson. He was murdered the day after Monika got shot. “I can’t lose you too.”
“You won’t.”
Monika punched Nick in the shoulder. “Then why don’t you let me help you with shit like this?”
“You’re always busy doin’ stuff for Black,” Nick said, but he knew that was just an excuse. Then he decided to tell her the truth. “That and I can’t lose you either. Burying Jett and telling his family was the hardest thing I had to do. I can’t do anything that might get you hurt again. Remember it was me who insisted that you go after Chilly alone that night.”
“I’m a big girl, Nick. You know I can take care of myself. What you think Black got me doin’; making brow
nies?”
“I know exactly what you’re capable of, so I know what Black has you doin’. The difference is I didn’t send you.”
Monika thought about what he said and saw his point so she didn’t push it any further. So she asked the question that was really on her mind. “You think they gonna kill her?”
Nick finished his drink before answering. “Yes.”
When Black told Jackie to lock the door on her way out of the office, it told Rain one thing. The cavalry ain’t comin’ to save my ass this time. By the time anybody got past Monika and made it through that door, she’d be dead.
Rain looked at the stern look on Black’s face and the smile on Bobby’s and knew that she was going to die. What she couldn’t get to was why? Why was she in there about to get shot when this whole mess was Wanda’s doing? All she had done was bust back when somebody and she still thought it was Wanda, tried to kill her man.
“Give me one reason why Bobby shouldn’t shoot you right now?” Black asked and Bobby took out his gun. He pointed it at Rain’s head. “Better question; tell me why Nick didn’t put a pillow over your face while you were in the hospital?”
“You gotta ask Nick that,” Rain said with attitude.
“Wrong answer. Kill her, Bobby.”
“Wait!”
Bobby lowered the gun a little.
“I know that I been a lotta trouble, but I been tryin’ to get my shit right. I gave up the dope game like Nick told me to and shit. But when it seemed like they was bringin’ it to us and shot Nick, I had to do what I did.”
Black looked at Rain for a while and didn’t say anything.
“Can I say one more thing?” she asked without the attitude. She understood that attitude would get her killed.
“Go ahead,” Black said.
“Nick told me that when your wife was murdered that you killed everybody you thought was involved,” Rain said using her hands to emphasize her point.
“You askin’ me what makes you any different?”
“Yeah, I am. Somebody tried to kill my man. I went hard at the people I thought did it. I ain’t tryin’ to get smart, ’cause I know Bobby will shoot me, but what was I supposed to do? I couldn’t just sit back and take that shit.”
