The Corner III (No Way Out) (31 page)

Chavez smiled, “Like the good old days.”

Reese stated, “Gangsta, gangsta homeboy.”

Once back in their car, Slim told Reese that he was going to have to learn when to talk and when to listen. His point of the meeting was to get them to pay half of Bone’s share, but the gansta talk will cut any civil talk to shreds.

Reese stated that the meeting was pointless, that the Fuentes’ had made up their minds. Slim didn’t say anything. He knew there was a Fuentes who would not be agreeing to this, and he was going to have Lucky pay him a visit to see if he could get some order in his crew and put a leash on his pit bull of a wife.

*     *     *

Lucky had taken a trip south on Highway 41 to the Terre Haute Federal Penitentiary in Indiana. He and Jamel were led into the visiting room. Lucky told Jamel, “I’m going to get Carlos to put someone else on his visiting form so you won’t have to drive me here.”

“Lucky, I don’t mind. I don’t train with Fight Doctor on Sundays. I run five miles, but I can do that when we get back,” Jamel told him.

“That’s not the point. You coming with me to the penitentiary contradict what I told everyone. This is part of the game, and I don’t need you in it.”

“I got ya, Lucky.”

The guard brought Carlos Fuentes into the visiting room. The khaki prison uniform fit him well. He was on the slim side and in good shape. He smiled when he saw his Lucky. Carlos’ smile was wide, and he gave Lucky a hug stating, “What brings you here unannounced?”

“I’m going to get right to the point because you never know when visits can get cut short,” Lucky replied.

“True, true, what’s on your mind?”

“With all due respect, your crew. Your wife to be exact.”

Lucky paused to study Carlos’ face.

Carlos sighed and ran his fingers through his jet-black wavy hair.

“Lucky, do you know how hard it is to run things from in here?”

“Carlos, it’s hard enough on the outside, so I can’t imagine.”

“You know, Lucky, when you are on the streets and have more money than the next man it usually means that you have more power. That is why people are not happy with sharing.”

Lucky shook his head, “I know that’s right.”

“I wanted my people to make money and get out. The people close to me. My wife meant everything to me. My daughter means everything to me.”

Lucky caught the word meant and noticed he left his wife out at the end of his statement.

“Let me tell you a story, Lucky.”

Carlos began by telling Lucky that he’d found out that LaTanza had his father killed and him imprisoned. At first he didn’t believe it, but then he was given solid proof. For weeks he seethed on the fact that he’d been deceived and he was about to have his wife killed, but in his heart he still loved her, even though that was not enough to keep him from killing her, it was the fact that he didn’t want it to ever be found out by his daughter that he had killed her mother. So he figured he’d deal with her in a different way. Carlos told Lucky that he needed to be careful. With the Fuentes’ joining forces with the BDs, now that Bone was deceased, it would be hard for Slim and him to fight them both. Lucky knew this to be true, but knew his crew was not to be underestimated. Carlos said he was against his crew purchasing their drugs from the kingpin, Chacho, but his crew was Latin and they didn’t like the fact they were purchasing their drugs from Russians, especially with Slim being the contact.

When it was all said and done, Carlos told Lucky that his days were numbered as the head of the family, that if shit got fucked up, he needed to talk to Chavez, that no matter what, he was loyal. That they were like brothers, and nothing, not even all the money in the world, could change that.

The guard came over to them stating that the visit was over.

They stood and Lucky asked, “How did you find out?”

Carlos smiled. “My lawyer and the U.S. Attorney. The feds had my wife’s bodyguard under surveillance. It seems that someone back in New York knew the relatives he used to put a hit on my father. With their surveillance and phone tap, they found out he paid his cousins from the Bronx to do the hit. They also found out he and my wife are sleeping together. Said that she only sleeps with him to manipulate him. But nevertheless, he has betrayed me in the worst way. They both have.”

Lucky gave Carlos a hug. “Be strong, my friend.”

“I will.” He motioned toward Jamel then said, “Helluva fight. May God be with you.”

Jamel said, “Thanks, Mr. Fuentes.”

Carlos told Lucky, “Until the next visit.”

He walked to the guard who escorted him out of the visiting room. As he walked, he thought about the woman he told his wife and Chavez he wanted to help guard her. A woman he told them was his cousin. The feds had all the necessary paperwork, IDs and former address set up for Tonia Silva, whose undercover name is Liza.

*     *     *

Night had come faster than Slim expected. Fall had a way of doing that. Slim and Reese pulled into the parking lot of Dock’s, a seafood carryout restaurant on 89
^th
Street and the Dan Ryan Expressway. Reese parked the truck next to a custom painted light blue Toyota Rav-4. Elisa exited the truck and got inside Reese’s Tahoe and sat in the seat behind Reese.

“Elisa, my girl, how’s everything?” Slim asked.

In her raspy voice she said, “Everything is everything, Slim. Noonie hit me up. Told me that shit has changed. So we’re not getting that good shit no mo’?” she asked speaking on the high quality drugs they were getting from the Russians.

“We’re still good. That’s what I want to talk to you about. I need you and your girls to step up your game. The streets think y’all independent and I like it that way, but that will bring all types of niggas trying to come at you. If I claim you as a part of our crew, I need to get a better percentage.”

Concerned, she said, “Don’t hurt me too bad, baby. A nigga needs her money, you know how I am.”

“And you know I’m fair. I’m willing to make you a lieutenant. You work for me and answer to Reese, and it will be all good. We all eat, feel me?”

She nodded and her grin showed her excitement. “Fo sho, Slim. We got you, and my girls will get that work off. If there are fiends out there, they will get sold to.”

“Good. Reese will get with you tomorrow. If you need some hardware, let him know because you’re going to need to tool up. We’re no longer at a truce with the Fuentes’ or Reynard’s crew.”

“Yeah, I heard some boys tried to rob Bone and capped his ass.”

Slim didn’t say anything about Elisa having the wrong information on Bone’s death. That was the way the streets were. Easy for the wrong information to get passed down.

“Ahight, Elisa, let me get out of here.”

With that, the dangerous bull dyke was out of the truck and into hers where her main girl was waiting—strapped of course.

Reese pulled up in front of Slim’s condo. Before Slim got out, Reese said, “I’m going to get with Noonie and Shaun. Make rounds and make sure everyone in the crew all the way down to the lowest soldier knows where we stand.”

Slim gave him a pound then headed to his condo. Trish was inside fixing dinner and with all the running around and the stress that was on, he was looking forward to the home cooked meal, relaxing conversation and lovemaking he’d become used to over the months.

*     *     *

Teresa was pissed. It was the middle of November, and Shaun was still on some bullshit. It was three months ago when she found the long strand of black hair that was either a white girl’s or a Hispanic, but her guess was white from the faint smell of perfume that was on Shaun’s body. It was expensive, no doubt, but nothing she’d ever smelled before.

Teresa felt like a fool. She had been true to Shaun and did anything he asked whether it was some gangster shit in the streets or some freak shit in the bedroom. She was no fool. Born and raised in the projects in Harvey, a city south of Chicago, she learned how to hustle and how to survive, but somewhere down the road she became all in for Shaun and couldn’t stand the way he’d been treating her lately. She knew he stepped out. It was all in the game and women of dope boys who thought their man didn’t step out were fools, but earlier in the day while Shaun was sleeping, his phone vibrated, and she was waiting. She checked, and it was a text. The second vibrate was a picture and when Teresa put them both together she realized that her man was sleeping with a white woman. A Russian at that. It meant that he’d been mixing business with pleasure, and she was furious. It was one thing to get played, but Teresa was from the hood and to get played by a white girl was simply out of the question.

Teresa gathered herself and picked up her cell. She dialed and within seconds Shaun answered.

“Hello?”

“What’s up baby, what are you doing?” she asked trying her best to sound sexy.

“I’m about to make that move, you know,” he said talking about the kilos he told her he had to take to Tennessee. He’d told her that he was going to make the drive instead of Teresa because he needed to talk to DC personally about moving more weight.

“Are you really?” she asked. He could hear the concern in her voice.

“Everything’s cool. I’ll be back in a couple of days and we can do you. Whatever you want,” he said trying to pacify her.

“Okay. And Shaun, you know I always loved you, bye.”

Teresa ended the call, but Shaun was wrapped up in the piece of ass that was laying next to him that he hadn’t noticed that she said ‘I always loved you’. Teresa cried because she hated what she was about to do, but she felt as if Shaun had brought it upon himself. The thought of her giving him head many nights after he came home claiming to be with his boys, but in all actuality he’d had his dick in the skinny Russian woman.

She read the number that she’d scribbled on the paper and dialed.

When the secretary at the FBI’s Chicago field office answered the phone, she hesitated. She then mustered up the strength and gave the man all the information on the type of vehicle, the plate number and where to find the cocaine. When she hung up the phone, she went to her bedroom, locked the door and picked up the unopened bottle of Ciroc and went to town.

*     *     *

Slim was tired, and the warm water beating down on his body felt good. He’d just finished a meal consisting of pork chops, candied yams and greens. He could tell Trish wanted to make love, but she settled for giving her man a massage, and she felt all the stress that was built up in his shoulders. Later that night when Slim arrived in the bedroom after showering he saw that his woman had fallen asleep with a book in her hand. He removed the book from her lap and woke her. He guided the half asleep woman to a much comfortable position. She then fell deep into her slumber.

The weatherman had called for the temperature to drop into the low twenties, and Slim could feel the warmth that swept throughout his condo after dialing up the heat. He got into bed and pulled the sheet and comforter up to his shoulders and before he knew it, he was asleep. Slim had a lot weighing heavily on his shoulders. More than one man should, and he was one who always tried to shoulder more than the average man. He carried a lot because he knew he was a man who could.  It was the way he carried himself and never thought of doing it any other way, but tonight, his mother and uncle would talk to him in a dream. Let him know that it was okay to be vulnerable. Okay to let his guard down and love someone and to love himself. His mother told him it was time for him to marry and have children. Children who would grow to be just like him. A boy as strong, caring, loyal and smart as he. A girl as pretty, loving and willing to love her man with all her heart and back him in all that he does. She would be just like her mother—Trish. Slim could see his uncle walking toward him. He was wearing an all white suit and seemed to be glowing as he smiled. He put his arm around Slim and told him, “It’s time boy. Time for you to claim your Queen. Your mother and I thought we needed to come to you and guide you. It’s okay, ask her to marry you. She will love you no matter what. She’s the one.” Slim’s uncle and mother turned their back and walked away. His mother looked back at him and said, “Start making them grandchildren.”