Animal 2 (32 page)

Years went by without anyone hearing from June, until one random night, she showed up on Swann's doorstep looking like death warmed over, with a kid who wasn't a Clark and a story to tell. By then, Swann was already a part of Tommy's inner circle and Shai's best friend, so there was no way he was going to let it get out. He gave June some money and dismissed her, praying that he'd never see her or the child again. This held true until a few months ago, when the boy Swann had produced with his best friend's mother had resurfaced as a low-level homosexual pimp, looking for permission to get money on the streets that the Clarks claimed as their own. Swann had taken Percy under his wing, upgrading his stable and his game plan. It was the least he could do for the son he'd abandoned.

Animal shook his head. “Something like that getting out would be a black eye to the Clark family. I can only imagine
how Shai would take it. He might be hurt enough to have you killed.”

“What's it gonna take to keep this quiet?” Swann asked, barely above a whisper.

Animal took Swann's hand and placed a cell phone in it. “A simple phone call.”

T
HE MEETING WAS SET TO
take place at Daddy's House, the restaurant Shai had recently opened in honor of his late father. Shai was surprised when Swann called him and said that King James's men wanted to meet to discuss a truce. Had it been anyone but Swann calling to arrange the meeting, Shai would've assumed that it was a setup, but he trusted Swann. He had expected to be meeting with King James himself or possibly his second in command, Lakim, but was shocked to find Ashanti, a woman he had never met, and a man who was supposed to be dead. For a few long moments, all Shai could do was stare at Animal in disbelief.

Angelo and the soldiers who had come along as members of Shai's security detail immediately reached for their weapons, causing Animal and Ashanti to do the same. It was Swann who stepped between them.

“Swann, have you lost your fucking mind, siding with the enemy over your family?” Shai snapped.

“Shai, the Clarks have been better to me than my biological
family since I was a kid. I'd never take the side of another man over you. All I'm asking is that you hear them out, please.” Swann motioned for Shai to take the empty seat at the head of the dining table. Shai was clearly upset with Swann, but he took the seat.

Angelo leaned in and whispered to Swann. “Swann, I've known you a long time and have always given you credit for being smart, until now.”

“Angie, I know what it looks like, but it's not what you think,” Swann told him. “Just listen before you go flying off the handle.”

“I'm listening, but I'm also watching you. I don't know what the fuck you think you're doing by setting this little meet-up, but when it goes to the left and Shai gives the order to kill you, it'll be my bullets you feel first,” Angelo promised.

For a while, there was just quiet, with Shai and Animal staring at each other from across the table. The tension between them was so thick you could've cut it with a knife. Shai stared at Animal curiously, wondering if he was stupid or brave for coming there. Part of him wanted to order Angelo to kill Animal and Swann both, but there was also a part of him that was curious about why he would risk his life to come.

“In all the years Priest has been with my family, he has never disobeyed a direct order given by a Clark, yet I ordered him to kill you, and here you sit,” Shai said after a long silence.

“Sometimes a man has to choose between doing his duty and doing the right thing,” Animal said, thumbing Priest's gold rosary around in his hand.

Shai looked down at the gold beads. “I know that only death could've parted Priest from that old thing, and the fact that you
have it means the rumors of his demise are true. Did you kill him?”

“I was there when he died, but it wasn't by my hands. Priest gave his life so that I could be here at this meeting,” Animal said.

“Bullshit. What the hell makes you so special to where Priest would even piss on you if you were on fire, let alone give his life for you?” Shai asked.

“That piece of business is between Priest and me. Just know that it was important to him that we sat down and tried to put our old grievances to bed,” Animal said.

“And what makes you think that I'm ready to turn the other cheek after all the grief you've given me?” Shai asked him.

“Because you're a businessman, not a warlord,” Animal said. “I'm willing to bet you're just as tired of fighting as I am.”

Shai shrugged. “I may have a few more rounds left in me.”

“More than likely, you do, but like I said, you're a businessman. There's no money to be made in war, especially when you have nothing to gain from the death of your enemy other than saving face and slaking your thirst for revenge,” Animal said.

“And you're quite the authority on revenge,” Shai shot back.

“Yes, it has been the motivating factor in my life for more years than I can remember. Most of the things I've done have been motivated by revenge, including going to war with you over what happened to Gucci.”

Shai nodded. “Not that I owe you any explanation, but I never meant for that girl to get hurt. My men were reckless, and she happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Maybe, maybe not, it doesn't change the fact of what
belongs to me was touched, and I acted accordingly, as any man would've done. Could you say that you would've done any less had it been Honey who was shot instead of Gucci?”

“No,” Shai answered honestly.

“Then you understand my position. Both of us are men willing to do whatever it takes to protect those we love, even if it means bowing out gracefully,” Animal said.

“So you're throwing in the towel?” Shai asked in disbelief. Men like Animal would rather face death than concede defeat.

“No, just taking the high road on this one. Gucci is alive, and so are my friends, and I'd like to keep it that way. You give me your word that this is over, and I'll give you my word that I won't come after your family and make you watch them die,” Animal said.

“You threatening me?”

“No, Shai. I'm not threatening you. I'm just telling you how far I'm willing to go with this,” Animal said.

“And what's to stop me from having all of you slaughtered right here and ending it?” Shai asked.

Animal motioned to Kahllah, who stepped forward and handed him an iPad. Animal tapped the button, burning the screen to life, and slid it across the table to Shai so that he could see what was on it.

Shai looked down at the information displayed on the iPad, and his eyes widened. Curious, Angelo looked over Shai's shoulder to see what was on the screen, and he, too, found himself shocked. “What the fuck is this?” Shai asked.

“The information the Little Guy had on all the crime families, including the Clarks. This is the reason you'll go along with my terms and agree to end this,” Animal told him.

“I take it this isn't your only copy?” Shai asked.

Animal smiled. “Of course not. Right now, I have people on the streets with orders to take hard copies and discs with this information to every major newspaper and the FBI if we don't walk out of here the same way we came in within one hour. Give me your word that this is over, and this information goes no further than us.”

Shai thought on it. “OK, let's say that I did decide to give you a pass. It's only good for one free ride. Your boys are still on the hook.” Shai motioned toward Ashanti.

“No dice. It's a package deal or nothing,” Animal told him.

“Then I guess it's nothing. Ashanti and his pal King James have been running around pissing on my name. Do you think I'm gonna give him a pass so they can keep killing my men and trying to muscle in on my turf?”

“The truce extends to all of us, King James included. You let them keep whatever territories they took over, and they won't take any more. You'll even be paid a restitution of five hundred thousand dollars for the pain and suffering you've been caused,” Animal suggested.

“And you can speak for King James?” Shai asked.

“No, but I can,” Ashanti said, speaking up. He knew that King wouldn't like the fact that he'd negotiated behind his back but figured he'd get over it when he found out that they could finally get back to making money without being killed off.

Shai excused himself from the table and huddled with Angelo in the corner, whispering. Every so often, they'd cast a glance over at Animal, who was sitting at the table as if he didn't have a care in the world, and Swann, who stood by the door nervously. He looked like he was ready to bolt, but Shai
had two shooters positioned by the entrance to ensure that nobody came in or out unless he said so.

“Big homie, we ain't got five hundred stacks to give this dude, and even if we did, I don't think King James would be willing to part with it,” Ashanti whispered to Animal.

“Don't worry about it. I was a millionaire before my little disappearing act, remember.” Animal gave him a wink.

After a few minutes, Shai came back to the table. “Animal, I don't like you, can't say that I ever have, but I respect you. You've always been a man of your word, and I trust that your word is strong enough to consecrate this truce and make sure all parties stick to it.” Shai extended his hand.

“I'll do my part.” Animal shook his hand.

Angelo shook his head in total disbelief at what he had just witnessed. “You know what, kid, if life had dealt you a different hand, you'd have probably had a hell of a career as an agent. You just brokered a hell of a deal.”

“So tell me, is there anything else that I can do for you while you're in here bartering favors?” Shai asked sarcastically.

“Actually, there is. I want my life back,” Animal told him.

“I
T WAS THE STORY THAT
rocked the tri-state area. Every news channel was reporting the story of murder, extortion, and corruption that had stretched from New York City to Puerto Rico. It was a story so twisted that some said it was straight out of a crime novel,” the reporter on the television screen began.

“Many of you may remember the story of the former street hustler, turned platinum-selling rapper, turned baby-faced killer and eventual fugitive Tayshawn Torres, who went by the street name Animal. He was arrested and convicted of the slaying of a Brooklyn man outside a Manhattan recording studio in what was deemed a robbery attempt gone wrong. During transport from the courthouse, an already strange case took an even stranger twist when Torres mysteriously vanished after a daring broad-daylight shooting that led to the deaths of several people, including a police officer, and almost claimed the lives of two homicide detectives. It sparked what was called one of the biggest manhunts since Larry Davis, but it eventually came to a bloody end when the bodies of Torres and his girlfriend,
Gucci Butler, were found in the trunk of an abandoned car. The couple had been killed, gangland-execution style . . . or so we were led to believe. As it turns out, it was all a part of an elaborate hoax, orchestrated by a vicious drug cartel, based out of Puerto Rico and operating in New York City, and foiled by a member of the NYPD whom some are calling a hero and others a rogue.

“Torres found himself at the center of a plot to extort millions of dollars out of his record label, the notorious Big Dawg Entertainment. At the center of this plot was the former head of the San Juan, Puerto Rico, drug task force, Captain Herman Cruz. When Torres refused to participate, Cruz tried to have him assassinated, but the would-be assassin was shot dead, and Torres would later be charged with his murder. Fearful that Torres would expose the plot to the police, Cruz sent men to kidnap the young rapper en route to Riker's Island so that he could execute Torres. The rapper was able to escape before the death sentence was carried out, but he still wasn't out of the woods. He was a wanted man and a falsely accused cop killer.

“Fearful for his life if he turned himself in, Torres turned to an unlikely source for help, ten-year police veteran Tasha Grady. Officer Grady knew Torres from the multiple times she'd arrested him as a juvenile, and she was also one of his biggest supporters when he turned his life around for the better. In exchange for surrendering to her, Animal asked Grady to look into his claims. When she did, what she found was something out of a gangster movie. Knowing she had to keep Torres and his loved ones out of harm's way until she could crack the case and have them testify in court to their claims,
Grady staged the fake execution and leaked the report about the corpses of Torres and Butler that were found in the car trunk.

“By the end of Officer Grady's investigation, nearly two dozen indictments had been handed down, and more were still coming. Among them were several political figures in Puerto Rico and a handful of New York police officers who had acted as muscle for the cartel in New York. There was no sign of Herman Cruz, who had disappeared at the height of the investigation and hadn't been heard from since, but law-enforcement agencies vowed to keep looking.”

Animal's name had been cleared of the additional murders that had been tied to him during his time as a fugitive, along with the escape charge, but he still had to answer for the shooting outside the recording studio. Because of the circumstances, he was granted a new trial. Animal's lawyer, Keith Savage, spun a tale of impoverished circumstances, cruel society, and doomed love that tugged at the heartstrings of everyone, including the judge. When he was done, there wasn't a dry eye in the courtroom. In light of the extenuating circumstances and in exchange for Animal not suing the police department, the judge reduced the murder charge to involuntary manslaughter and sentenced Animal to the minimum, one to three years, of which he would likely serve less than a year and come home on parole.