No More Tears in the End (9 page)

Not now, maybe not ever.

“Nope, I would have told you by now if I had heard your name.
Him
and K Murder used to talk about you all the time. Talk about you like you was Darth Vader.”

I laughed. “No one ever compared me to Darth Vader before.”

“How you know?” CeCe said and stood up. “You don’t know how these niggas in them streets are scared to death of you.”

“I guess I don’t.”

“That’s why you got me to let you know these things. And you do
got
me, Mr. Black, all of me. I’m just waiting for you to take me.” CeCe started walking toward the desk. “I know you got to get back to your woman. She’s probably looking for you and giving Bobby a hard time about where you are.”

I picked up the phone and called Kevon on his cell. “Yes, boss.”

“Come to the office.”

“On my way,” Kevon said and hung up.

I got up and led CeCe to the door. “The least you can do is
give
me Kevon’s number.”

I went back to the desk and wrote it down. I handed the paper to her. “Thank you. I promise not to blow it up.” CeCe looked at it then looked at me. I felt that urge to rip her clothes off as Kevon knocked on the door.

I opened the door for Kevon. “Escort the lady out and tell Bobby I need to talk to him.”

“Well, I guess this is goodnight, Mr. Black.”

“We’ll talk again, soon.”

“Is that a promise or a threat?” CeCe remarked as she closed the door behind her.

I walked over to the couch and sat down. I sat there thinking about what CeCe had just told me about Cash and Mylo. Did Cash know Mylo was DEA? If he did know, how did Vinnelli fit into this?

Chapter 13

Nick Simmons

I was tired when Black dropped me off. I had gotten up early that morning and it had been a long day. I decided not to fight it any longer and got in bed. I woke up to the sound of my cell phone ringing. “Hello,” I said, but I was still half asleep.

“Nick, its Tamia. I got something for you.”

“What you got?”

“The way I hear it, the murders were drug related and the robbery was just a cover.”

“That the official line?”

“Pretty much, but I heard some talk that the robbers might be associated with a gambler named Jasper Robinson, calls himself JR.”

“Thanks, Tamia. If you hear anything else let me know.”

“I will,” Tamia promised and hung up the phone.

I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep when I heard somebody knocking on my door. I thought about ignoring it, but got up anyway. I got my gun and went to the door. I was about to see who it was when I heard the key hit the lock.

The door opened and Wanda stepped in.

“Hello.”

Wanda jumped. “You scared me.” Then she saw the gun. “Were you gonna shoot me?”

“Yes,” I said and turned around and headed back to bed.

“You all right?”

“Just tired,” I told her and got back under the covers.

“Too bad,” Wanda said and began getting undressed. “
You been
with Mike all day?”

“No. I took some money to Mrs. Phillips. I spent the day lookin’ into the murder at Paradise. I was with him most of the night. ”

“Did Mike ask you what you wanted to do?”

“I told him that I was thinkin’ about runnin’ the game.”

Wanda frowned. “What did he say?”

“Black said to give Jackie a chance; Said she got Travis up there now.”

“What good does he think Travis being there, knowing less about the game than she does, is gonna accomplish?” Wanda asked, questioning Black’s logic.

“Security. I didn’t ask him. He wants me to check on them every night.”

“Just the game?”

“No, Black wants me to check on everything.”

“Anything else he
want
you to do?” Wanda asked without commenting on what I had just told her—which surprised me. Maybe she didn’t understand what everything meant. But knowing Wanda, she just wanted to know everything before she said anything about it.

“No, that’s it.”

“Okay,” she said and headed for the shower.

Once she got out of the shower and dried off, she got in bed. When Wanda rolled close to me and kissed me, I thought we were getting ready to have sex, but Wanda had other ideas. “I have to be honest with you, I’m not sure I like the idea of you checking on everything.”

Now it comes.

“I didn’t think you would.”

Wanda rolled her eyes at me. “I mean, I can see where this is goin’.”

“Where do you see it goin’?”

“He’s got you taking money to that family, something Freeze used to do. You’re going to start making the rounds every night, something Freeze used to do. Black wants you to take over.”

“That’s exactly what he wants. But you have a problem with it?”

“Frankly: yes. Yes, I do. You know that I think that we need to be moving away from all that, not have you move into Freeze’s spot. But I guess Black has other ideas about what we should be doing.” She folded her arms across her chest.

Wanda is so fuckin’ sexy when she pouts.

“Black understands that we need to be moving in that direction; and he said that he is taking more of an interest in our legit business.”

“Did he say that, or are you just guessing?”

“That’s what he said, especially since we’re making more money on that side. But he understands that right now, we are still in the business and somebody needs to stay on top of that.”

“I agree.”

“I’m glad you do,”

“Why you? Why can’t
him
or Bobby do it?”

“Because you got him busy gettin’-up on the legitimate business, and Bobby, I guess you need to ask him about that.”

“I will. But why you?”

“Why not me? Don’t you think I can handle it?”

“That’s not it and you know it.”

“Then what?”

“I don’t want to lose you, Nick. Don’t you understand that?”

“Of course I understand that.”

“But that is not gonna stop you from doing it, is it?”

“No, it’s not. If that’s what Black wants me to do, then that’s what I’m gonna do.”

“I knew he was just playing me off with all that shit about how we gonna get out and makeup that income.”

“I don’t think so.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because I think he wants to get out. He’s lost a wife; I know he doesn’t want this to touch Michelle.”

“I should have been prepared for him; anticipated him asking that. Next time I’ll be ready.”

“If you were paying attention, he gave you the answer to both questions.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have everybody buy us out and then you take that money and flip it. Invest it in
shit that will
makeup the income. But I guess you weren’t paying attention.”

“I guess I wasn’t.”

“Too busy pouting.”

“You love these pouty lips,” Wanda said and pushed them out.

“Yeah, I do, so I tell you what I’m gonna do.”

“What’s that?”

“While I’m making the rounds, I’ll feel everyone out on it. When we think the time’s right, I’ll bring you around with me and you can run it by them, establish a price and then we’ll go to Black together.”

Chapter 14

Jasper Robinson.

I knew JR from the old days, but I hadn’t seen him in years.
Him
and André were friends, used to run together. He owns a nightclub called JR’s and he ran a poker game, scraps, the usual stuff, in the basement at night. I would roll by there later tonight.

After I checked on a few of our stops, I stopped by JR’s. It was still early when I got there, a few people; probably regulars seated at the bar. I took a seat and signaled for the bartender.

“What can I get you?”

“Johnnie Black on the rocks.”

When the bartender came back with my drink I hit him with my question. “Is JR here?”

“Who?”

“JR, the guy who owns this place, is he here?”

“You a cop?”

“Nope. Old friend.”

“Wait here,” the bartender said and came out from behind the bar. He took another look at me before he went in the back. It wasn’t too long after that when I was approached by two big muthafuckas.

One tapped me on the shoulder. “Who you here to see?”

I turned around on my barstool. “Jasper Robinson. Calls
himself
JR, owns this place.”

The other man looked at me. “I know you, don’t I?”

“I don’t know. Do you?”

“Yeah, you’re Nick Simmons, you work for Mike Black.”

“That’s right.”

“I’m Jeff Ritchie,” he said like I should know the name. He looked disappointed when I said, “I don’t know you, I just want to talk to JR, is he here?”

“Yeah, he’s here. Follow me.”

Jeff Ritchie led me in the back to the office and he knocked on the door. When JR answered, Jeff Ritchie stuck his head in. “Somebody to see you, JR.”

“Who?” JR asked and I walked in. “Nick, Nick Simmons.”

“What’s up, JR? How’s it goin’?”

“Not bad for an old man. What about you? I heard that you were back in town. I haven’t seen you in what—fifteen years?”

“’Bout that.”

“Come on in, have a seat. Can I get you a drink?”

“Johnnie Black on the rocks.”

For the next hour, JR and I sat in his office and talked about the good old day and I drank his liquor.

“Young bucks these days don’t respect
nothing
. No respect for the game, no respect for each other,” JR said.

“Tell me about it.”

“You know what the problem is, Nick?”

“I know you’re about to tell me.”

“There was a time when you had to be brought into the game. You know, the way André brought Black in, and then he reached out to you and brought you along. You learned the game that way; learned that there were things that you just didn’t do. Men had respect for one another. Now, shit, any dumb nigga with a couple of dollars he can rub together can get him a package and bam, there he is. Dumber than a muthafucka; not knowing shit, but how to pull his gun and shot over stupid shit.”

“Times change, JR After awhile there won’t be a place in the game for things like honor and respect,” I said and thought that this would be a good time to talk about what I came here for. “While we’re on the subject, JR, there is something I need to talk to you ’bout.”

“You know, Nick, I been in this game a long time, which means I know enough to know that you ain’t come here just to drink my liquor and talk ’bout the old days.”

“I meant no disrespect.”

“What’s on your mind, Nick?”

“Last week there was a robbery at one of Black’s businesses. Place called Paradise Fish and Chicken. Two people were killed.”

“I hadn’t heard anything about that. Now I’m wondering
why
you wanna talk to
me
about this?”

“My sources tell me that the bandits were connected to you.”

“I see. How much money was taken?”

“About two hundred dollars.”

JR laughed. “Nick,” he said and tried to stop himself from laughing. “You have to excuse me for laughin’. I didn’t mean you any disrespect. I know this is a serious matter, or you wouldn’t be sittin’ here. But I can assure you that I had nothing to do with it. I ain’t about to fuck with Black over chump change.”

“And believe me; it’s not about the money. Two people were killed, civilians, just standing in line waiting for their food. That type of thing is bad for business.”

“I understand.”

“To be honest with you, JR, I don’t believe you knew anything about it, ’cause if you did, the people involved would be dead for bringing that kind of weight on you for that little bit of money. But the word is out there that it was your people. All I’m asking is that you ask some questions.”

“You have my word on that, Nick. If I find that it’s true, I’ll call you before I put a bullet in the back of their heads,” JR promised and I took him at his word.

Chapter 15

 
Just then, there was a light knock at the door, and it opened slowly. A young woman walked in. She was attractive, if not pretty, but she had a body that screamed LOOK AT ME!

JR sprung to his feet, so I stood up too. Besides, I had said what I came here to say and I was ready to go.

“Sorry, Daddy,” the woman said. “I didn’t know you were busy. I’ll come back later.”