Eviction Notice (9 page)

“Me too, so I could’ve thanked her,” Justice said sincerely.

“Thank her for what?” Animal was curious.

“Sit down for a second, my nigga.” Justice motioned toward the spot on the bed next to him. Justice had envisioned this talk with his little brother a million times, but he suddenly couldn’t find the rehearsed words, so he did what he should have done from the beginning a kept it one hundred with his little brother. “You have no idea how much I stressed over you while I was locked up. I left you in a fucked-up predicament and the streets ended up raising you instead of me.”

“I think she did okay.” Animal brushed his shoulders off playfully.

Justice mustered a weak smile but it didn’t take away from the pain behind his eyes. “Tayshawn, you are a master of words with everyone you encounter, but we come from the same womb so I can see through it. Tech taught you the ropes and you became your own man, but you had to give up your childhood for it. Instead of learning how to approach girls, you were learning how to load guns. That ain’t no way for a kid to live.”

“C’mon, Jus, you’re acting like I turned out all fucked up and shit. I’ve done more in my young life than most niggaz twice my age have even wrapped their minds around. From the trap to the billboards, I did it big! Before I got caught up with all this I had made it out, remember?”

Justice laughed at his brother’s ignorance. “Homie, you opened the door to get out, but you ain’t step all the way through it. If you’d really made it then you wouldn’t be hiding out over here with the rest of us hard-luck-ass niggaz. I was beyond proud of you when you was doing the music thing. I used to show everybody the magazines and shit and tell them that you were my brother.” He smiled. “That was definitely a great accomplishment, but what I was most proud of you for was being wise enough to finally lay those demons to rest, and I know that’s largely in part to Gucci.”

“Dude, you’re talking some Love Jones shit and you don’t even know the Gucci. For all you know she could’ve been a crab bitch.”

“Animal, just because I was locked up don’t mean I didn’t have eyes and ears on the street. I knew ya chick’s résumé from the first time you dropped her name to me in a kite, because that was the first sign that it was getting serious, even if your li’l ignorant ass hadn’t seen it yet. More importantly, I know you, li’l bro. I don’t respect Gucci because she was your girl, I respect her because she was able to help you find something neither Tech nor I was able to … peace.”

“True,” Animal said, looking down at his feet.

“I know is. In a perfect world you and shorty would’ve been able to make a life together and do something with your success, but shit ain’t go down like that. You killed any chance of that happening the minute you set foot back in New York and picked up a gun, and I blame myself because had I been home and on my job instead of upstate, then it wouldn’t have played out that way.” Justice’s voice was heavy with emotion.

“Sometimes shit happens, Justice. I knew that before I even stepped into the arena,” Animal said. “Jus, I know I fucked up a great life but I’m thankful that I’m still here to reflect on it. Shit is way complicated for me right now but I know one day I’m gonna get it all worked out. At this point I’d be a fool to think that I can walk back into my old life and expect Gucci and me to pick up where we left off, but I hold on to the hope that if we can’t have love we can at least have closure. Fuck, I didn’t even say good-bye before I left, and that’s gonna haunt me until I make it right.”

Justice gave him a serious look. “Homie, if you come within three feet of Gucci the only closure you’re gonna have is a coffin lid.”

Animal sucked his teeth. “Justice, you know your little brother knows how to conduct himself out in the world.” He picked up the pistol that had been resting on the night table and chambered a round.

“Animal, have you forgotten you’re a fugitive from justice? You’re a convicted murderer, and when them cops went down, that killed any hope you had of ever living a normal life. You are a wanted man, my friend, by the streets and law enforcement. If your enemies don’t kill you, the police are sure as hell going to drop you in a ditch somewhere. You touch U.S. soil and you’re finished.”

“So what do y’all expect me to do, hide out in the jungles of Puerto Rico for the rest of my life?” Animal snapped.

“Nah, man, this shit is way bigger than just P.R. K-Dawg has got some real Poppa Doc shit going on that stretches further than even I’m absolutely sure of. From here we push out to the next port and the next payday. Who knows, maybe we’ll land in Europe next and I can finally sample one of those euro devils!” Justice burst out laughing.

“Y’all can do whatever y’all want, Justice, but as soon as the heat dies down I’m out,” Animal said.

Justice stopped laughing and became very serious. “My nigga, do you know what it took for K-Dawg to get us our lives back? A few years ago I was lying on my bunk jerking my dick and you were on your way to the gas chamber, but look at us now.” Justice pointed out the window to the farmhouse that loomed in the distance. “We’re fucking the baddest bitches, smoking the best weed, and driving eighty-thousand-dollar cars. But for as good as we’re living, all this shit comes with a price, and in this case the price is loyalty to the man who made it all possible.”

“I agree with you on that, but for as grateful as I am to K-Dawg for busting me out of prison, there’s only so far I’m willing to go to prove that. I’m gonna thug this shit out with y’all for as long as I need to, but this ain’t my life, Justice. I’ve got things that need to be put in order.”

“So you mean to say you’d risk going back to prison or getting killed just to kiss your li’l girlfriend good-bye?” Justice gave him a confused look.

“Better to die in love than in war,” Animal told him.

Justice grabbed him in a playful headlock and mussed his hair. “My poor love-struck li’l brother.”

“Get the hell off me.” Animal pushed him away. “What’re you doing out here anyway? I thought you’d have been up in the main house with ya man plotting to take over some third-world country.”

“See, that’s your problem, you think too damn small. Fuck a country, we’re gonna take over the world, but we need all of our Road Dawgz on the same page and this means you too, li’l brother.”

“I ain’t no Dawg,” Animal said sharply.

Justice just smiled. “You’re a Dawg, li’l bro, whether you wanna admit it or not. It’s in your blood, and no matter what that bleeding-ass heart of yours says, blood is thicker than anything else and you’d do well to remember it.”

“Whatever. You still haven’t answered my question. What are you doing here?”

“Boss Dawg wants to see you,” Justice explained.

“Is that right? And what has ol’ Animal done to get an invite to the massa’s house?” Animal asked sarcastically.

“Why don’t you knock it off with the smart-ass jokes and get serious for a minute. I don’t know exactly what he wants, all he said was he needs you to do a favor.”

Animal laughed. “The last time he did
me
a favor I ended up a hostage in a third-world country.”

“You need to show a little respect to the man who pulled your ass out of the fire.” Justice jabbed his finger toward Animal’s face.

“And you might wanna watch where you jab that finger,” Animal said coldly.

“Or what? Listen, don’t play that big-bad-killer shit with me, I used to change your fucking diapers.”

“Been a long time since I was in diapers, Jus.”

Justice got in Animal’s face, but his little brother didn’t back down. “Don’t test me, Animal.”

Animal sized his brother up and for a minute he thought about trying him, but decided to let it go. “Ain’t nobody testing you, Justice. I’m just tired of getting my strings jerked like a puppet.”

Justice laid his hand on the back of Animal’s neck and gave him an affectionate squeeze. “Little brother, I know this is rough on you … it’s rough on all of us, but sometimes we have to play the hands we’re dealt.”

“Even if we didn’t ask to sit in the game?”

Justice hesitated. “Yes, even if we didn’t ask to sit in on the game. Now quit with the fucking questions and bring your ass on. You don’t wanna keep K-Dawg waiting.” Justice left the room.

Animal didn’t move right away. He considered ignoring K-Dawg’s summons just to spite him and Justice, but he knew that would only make Justice mad, which didn’t sound like a bad idea. Justice had been a heavy hitter in his day, but Animal had killed far more men than half of the original Road Dawgz put together. Still, in the presence of his big brother, Animal still felt like little Tayshawn.

CHAPTER 14

By the time
Animal made it up the grassy path to the farmhouse, K-Dawg was already sitting outside, speaking with some of the others. It was well over eighty degrees, but he still wore a black turtleneck and black fatigue pants over black combat boots. When he leaned in to whisper something to Justice, the sun kissed his bald head and reminded Animal of a Milk Dud.

Sonja sat off to the side in a wicker chair with a toned leg thrown over one of the arms. She was wiping down a long black pistol with a rag, while Sincere hovered near her. From the look on his face, Animal knew he was whispering sweet nothings to her, which he always seemed to be doing. Sonja had confided in Animal that she and Sincere had had a thing for a while, but it was old news. From the way he loomed around her, it was apparent that he hadn’t gotten the memo. When Sonja noticed Animal she rolled her eyes and walked into the house. Sincere glared at the approaching Animal and tried to mug him, but couldn’t hold his gaze. Sincere was one of the most dangerous members of Los Negros Muertes but he was weighed down by something that would always make him a runner-up when it came to Animal … a soul.

“You look well for a man who got carved up like a turkey a few hours ago,” Sincere said sarcastically.

“A jury of twelve couldn’t take me out, then letting those street urchins do it would’ve been an insult to my pedigree. Besides”—Animal patted his bandaged side—“Sonja can work magic with those hands.” He saw the hurt in Sincere’s eyes when he made the statement.

“Yeah, Sonja had to lay hands on me a few times back in the days,” Sincere boasted.

“So I’ve heard, but that girl has come a long way as far as technique.” Animal cracked a diamond-toothed smile.

“If you two are finished trying to see whose dick is the biggest, there’s a situation that I need to address,” K-Dawg cut in.

Sincere continued to glare at Animal like he wanted to do something, but he wasn’t fool enough to challenge K-Dawg’s authority. “You got that, boss,” he told K-Dawg.

“As long as you keep that in the forefront of your mind we’ll never have a problem,” K-Dawg assured Sincere. “Do me a favor: go get ready for that li’l thing we talked about. I wanna make sure everybody is correct when y’all roll out, feel me?”

“A’ight, Dawg.” Sincere addressed K-Dawg but kept his eyes on Animal. “See you around, homie.”

“Better you see me before I see you. It’ll make it more fun,” Animal capped back.

K-Dawg waited until Sincere was out of earshot before addressing Animal. “You two niggaz kill me, out here ready to off each other over a piece of pussy, but nobody’s worried about the fact that that girl’s daddy will have the both of you clipped if he finds out you’re playing hide the salami with his daughter.”

Animal raised his hands in surrender. “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“What-the-fuck-ever”—K-Dawg waved him off—“just remember that I warned you. So how’ve you been holding up out here, li’l bro, everything good?”

Animal made a dismissive gesture. “Outside of the fact that I’m a prisoner on this island, everything is roses.”

K-Dawg frowned. “Animal, why are you always such a pessimist? Look around you”—he motioned at the countryside—“beautiful land, the best weed, and your choice of the finest women Puerto Rico has to offer. What more could you ask for?”

“To be free,” Animal shot back.

“Listen, kid, I don’t know if you got the memo or not but there ain’t no such thing as free for you anymore, or have you forgotten about all those bodies you left laying around New York? Animal, out of love for your brother I extend my hand to you, but there’s only but so many times I’m gonna let you spit in it.”

“K-Dawg, he didn’t mean anything by it. Animal is just having a hard time adjusting to all this,” Justice interjected.

Animal waved him off. “You ain’t no ventriloquist and I ain’t no dummy so please stop speaking for me, Jus. K-Dawg, how long have you known me?”

“Shit, all your life. Even when you thought I was dead I was keeping tabs on you and the wild shit you were doing on them streets. Everybody feared the Animal and I had never been more proud of you.”

Animal cracked a slight smile at the flattering words. “Thanks, big homie, but my point is: if you know me then you know I’m a man set in my ways. I had a life before you brought me here, Dawg, a life that one day I’d like to get back to or at least as close to it as I can.” He thought of Gucci when he said this.

K-Dawg stared at Animal, waiting for the punch line, but his face said he was serious. At that moment K-Dawg didn’t see the belligerent young killer but the little boy who used to try to follow him and Justice on capers. “Li’l bro, I know you think I’m being an asshole about all this, but trust me, I have your best interest in mind.” He placed a hand on Animal’s shoulder and looked at him seriously. “That long, dark road you’re just starting down I’ve been walking on for more than ten years. In the blink of an eye everything and everybody I knew became dead to me, and I had to accept it or spend the rest of my life in captivity. I can’t say it was the easiest thing I ever did, but there was only one real choice. If the only way my people can see me is through a glass until the end of time, then I might as well be dead to them anyway.”

“Which is why I buried Tayshawn and will forever be Animal, but it’s not that easy for some of us to just give everything up like that,” Animal told him.

“Unfortunately, you’re going to have to adjust. Animal, you walking outta here and risking getting caught not only puts you in danger but my people as well. My men trust me with their lives and I can’t put them in harm’s way, even for family.”

Animal was silent for a long moment. He knew K-Dawg was trying to read him to see how he would react to the proclamation, but Animal was too seasoned to expose his hand too soon. For now he would let diplomacy speak where his guns normally would have. “I hear you, big homie.”

“You hear me, but do you understand me?” K-Dawg glared at him.

“Justice said you needed something handled. What’s popping?” Animal changed the subject.

K-Dawg peeped his tactic but wouldn’t press the issue. “Indeed I do. Now I know you know the skinny as to why we’re still in Puerto Rico—”

“Yeah, Poppito hates Cruz and we’re here to whack Cruz,” Animal cut him off. “We know all this, so let’s just kill this muthafucka and move on.”

K-Dawg laughed at Animal’s outburst as he knew he was getting under his skin. “Animal, for as much as you picked up on the streets, it’s amazing how much you still don’t know. Political warfare is the real deal, so you gotta make sure you play it right or you’ll find yourself locked in some third-world mudhole they call a prison or dead, and dead is lucky when you’re playing with these guys. This ain’t like capping drug dealers in the projects, so pay attention and you may actually live long enough to see that pretty li’l bitch you’re stressing over.”

Justice snickered.

“What the fuck are you laughing at?” K-Dawg turned his green eyes on Justice. “How many fucking fugitives do you know that have Facebook pages? I don’t know if it’s a genetic defect or what, but you and your brother better stop playing and get with the program. Now look: we done got these muthafuckas in check but there’s still a move or two to be made before we can move them into mate.” K-Dawg pulled a Polaroid from his pocket and threw it onto the wicker table. The man in the picture was an older gentleman with hard eyes and bulldoglike cheeks. Atop his block-shaped head was a thick nest of salt-and-pepper hair that he wore slicked back.

Animal stared at the picture long enough to burn the image into his brain. “Who is that?”

“The last rook on the board.” K-Dawg grinned wickedly. “Cruz pulls the strings because he’s police, but it’s this piece of shit that the street soldiers listen to.”

“This old fuck”—Animal frowned—“he don’t look so tough to me.”

“That because you’re young and dumb, kid.” K-Dawg smirked. “In the late seventies and early eighties that nigga had Spanish Harlem rocking until a fifteen-to-life rocked him. He served eighteen on that, then came home on parole and vanished. He’s been out here for most of that time, helping Cruz organize his operation. Cruz is the brains but the old man is the finger on the trigger. Cruz is on the ropes right now. The people are starting to call for his head because of the rash of murders, his people are dying left and right, and the Puerto Rican government is about ready to wash their hands of him and his bullshit. The old man is the glue holding things together right now, so if we knock him out we take away Cruz’s warlord and his street protection. Once the old man goes, this shit is gonna fall like dominoes and Cruz will have no choice but to try and go into hiding, which is what we want. As soon as he sticks his head out, I’m gonna blow it off.”

“Sounds good to me. How soon do we move on the old guy?” Animal asked.

K-Dawg looked at his watch. “In a few hours.”

Justice was surprised by the suddenness of the move and it showed on his face. “Forever the impulsive one, huh, Big Dawg?”

K-Dawg sensed his friend’s apprehension and it made him smile. “Justice, you of all people should know better than that. I’ve been planning this hit for a month.”

“So why didn’t you let us in on it?”

“Because the information was on the need-to-know basis and you didn’t
need to know
until now.” K-Dawg picked up the picture and flicked a lighter under it. The Polaroid began to crinkle under the heat as the flames licked up the edges. “Besides, this one isn’t for you, Justice. I’m putting Animal and Sincere on the case.”

“Man, fuck all that, I can handle this on my own,” Animal told him.

“I’m sure you can, but I want you to do it with Sincere. He’s a good soldier.”

Animal frowned in displeasure. “I don’t doubt that, but the boy has got a serious attitude problem and I don’t need him cramping my style while I’m trying to work.”

“Look who the fuck is talking.” K-Dawg glared at Animal. “Kid, you’ve been running around with a chip on your shoulder damn near since you got here, so let’s not go casting stones. Now I know you’re used to that lone-wolf shit, but you’re part of the unit now, so all petty differences go out the window when it comes to business.”

“So what’s the game plan, Dawg? A dude this high up the food chain ain’t likely to be an easy target,” Justice said, changing the subject.

“The old man is no fool, so he doesn’t have any set routines but one. Every two weeks he gets his hair cut at the same shit-hole barbershop down in the square.”

“Why would somebody sitting on all that paper go down to the hood to get their hair cut?” Justice wondered aloud.

K-Dawg shrugged. “He’s been using the same barber since he came to the island and refuses to let anyone else touch his hair. Some kinda superstitious shit, but who cares? His superstitious nature is our gain. I want this to be messy. When people hear what happened to that fuck, I want to send a very clear message.”

“I’m good at sending messages. I got some preparations to make and I’ll be ready to roll in a few,” Animal told them and left the two men alone.

“Looks like we’re about to wrap this up soon, huh?” Justice asked.

K-Dawg nodded. “As soon as I present Poppito with Cruz’s head, we get our bread and we’re outta here.”

“So where to next—Europe, Asia? I never been to Japan but I heard that shit is popping.”

“Your sightseeing tour will have to wait for a while, Jus. I’ve got some unfinished business locally that I need to wrap up before we move on.”

“So we’re staying in Puerto Rico?”

“Not exactly. Let’s just say that there’s a debt owed to me that I plan to collect in the very near future,” K-Dawg said and walked into the house, leaving Justice to wonder.