New York's Finest (7 page)

Vanessa didn’t let him get too far. She was hot on his trail. “Don’t you walk away from me Reggie. I am so tired of you disrespecting me with all your bitches and staying out all times of the night!” she yelled as she stormed behind him. And when she got within arm’s reach of him, she grabbed him by the back of his shirt and tried to prevent him from leaving. I stood by the front door and watched as the drama unfolded.

Reggie turned around abruptly and pushed Vanessa away from him. I watched as she stumbled backwards. “Keep your fucking hands off me and take your ass back out there in the street and go be with that nigga you was laid up with all day,” he snapped.

I could see the embarrassment on her face. I wanted to say something, but I kept my comment and opinion to myself. This wasn’t the first time I witnessed them fighting. This drama had been going on for years.

“
Did you see him just hit me?” she belted out. But I turned my back to her and opened up the front door. “You ain’t gotta answer me. But don’t be trying to talk to me later when I call the police on his ass and get him arrested for putting his fucking hands on me.”

“
Let’s go,” Reggie instructed me as he pushed me out into the hallway.

Immediately after he closed the front door behind us, Vanessa had the audacity to open up the front door and come out in the hallway behind us. But Reggie coaxed me to continue towards the elevator. That didn’t stop Vanessa from continuing on with her rampage. “Fuck both of you motherfuckers! Don’t come calling me when y’all need somebody to bail y’all asses out of jail!” she screamed behind us.

“
I’m not doing shit wrong to go to jail!” I yelled back and then Reggie and I hopped on the elevator.

After the doors closed, I exhaled. “How the fuck you deal with her? She is wreck-less as hell! I mean, who comes out into the hallway of a building you live and insinuates that your man and his sister dabble in illegal activity?”

“
She does.”

“
Well, you need to nip that shit in the bud before she gets you locked up for some far more serious shit then whipping her ass!”

“
Don’t worry. As soon as I get my paper up the way I want, I’m gonna dip out on her dumbass.”

“
Really?”

“
You damn right. And I’m looking forward to that day too.”

“
Wait, so you think she’s fucking around on you?”

“
Nah, I don’t think that.”

“
So, why did you say that back in the house?”

“
Come on now Naomi, you slipping,” Reggie said and smiled. “Niggas blame shit they do on their women all the time. That way, we can take the heat off us.”

“
So wait, am I really dropping you off to one of your bitches cribs?”

“
Nah, we gon’ go and see moms and pops,” Reggie replied and then we hopped off the elevator.

During the drive to the Bronx, I tried to touch on the subject about him and Damian. But he didn’t bite. I could tell he wasn’t in the mood to discuss anything dealing with what happened last night. He did, however, tell me that he and Damian were going to link up and handle some business later. So I left well enough alone. I figured they must’ve come to some mutual understanding and moved on.

My parents’ house sat on the corner of Gun Hill and White Plains Road. It wasn’t the newest or the most posh house in the world, but it was better than where we grew up in the Polo Grounds. Even though they changed addresses, my pops kept that same street mentality.

I wished I could say Carter Foxx was a retired hustler, but I couldn’t. Our dad was a forever man of the streets. He was semi-retired at best. He still hit the streets every now and then. To keep my skills up, he would tell us.

Reggie and our dad were close. He taught Reggie at a young age all of the rules of the game. If Reggie had an issue, especially dealing with business, he bounced it off Carter Foxx.

As always, when we showed up, my mom would sit us down and practically shove food down our throats. It was her Hispanic culture to always cook and have family over. That’s how we found time to bond with one another. So we chatted a bit and caught up.

After the four of us had dinner, Mom excused herself because she knew we needed to talk business. She didn’t know my part in Reggie’s business but she suspected I was doing way more than the lies I told her. She always warned me that I was doing well in a legitimate job and I shouldn’t mess that up.

Foxx listened intensely as Reggie ran down everything that had occurred. We called our dad by our last name—Foxx. I couldn’t remember referring to him as dad. He taught us what he could, and that meant we knew the streets. I loved the man. He was a loving and caring like a father should be, but cool and down with knowledge, usable knowledge—the kind of teaching that kept you alive from one day to the next.

He was a slim man, slightly standing over five feet seven, a couple of inches shorter than my mom and Reggie, and an inch taller than me. His hair was naturally wavy with streaks of gray in his black locks, lending credence to his wisdom.

“
I ever tell you about the time I recommended a runner for Stone business?” Foxx asked us after Reggie had went in-depth about the events that took place at the Polo Grounds yesterday. We both shook our heads no. Stone was Big Joey Stone, an enforcer and some say assassin, who was Foxx’s best friend. “Well, I gave this guy, Marlo, who I was locked up with in the joint, my recommendation to work for Stone. A couple of weeks later, the motherfucker ran off with Stone’s money and dope.”

As kids we grew up on Foxx’s stories, or misadventures, as our mom used to describe them. But somehow they had a therapeutic value to them, probably more so for Reggie. At the end of each story, was a lesson and today that was what my brother was looking for—the lesson in all of this madness.

“
Well, we are talking about Stone here and the man knew everybody and everything. It took him a day to track Marlo down in the Bronx, and the house he was hiding in, they were waiting on Stone. It was a good old fashioned ambush. Well, Stone being Stone, he sniffed it out and handled his business. Six people died that day including Marlo.

“
Of course, everyone thought I would be the seventh, but I met Stone at his house and apologized for recommending Marlo. I told him I didn’t know the deal, and after he threw some bullshit questions at me, all was copacetic. I was Stone’s best friend. The man knew I wouldn’t betray him for nothing in the wrong. That’s the value of friendship.”

We were silent for a good minute. I think we both had to take in what Foxx had just relayed to us. I knew Reggie was searching for the message in the music. “So you saying Damian would not sell me out and this Walt nigga probably done this shit on his own or was a plant by somebody like Sheffield,” Reggie stated.

“
Exactly what I’m saying about Damian and about this cat Walt, but Sheffield is not your man. Sheffield is happy making dough slinging dope and pimping sluts throughout New York and New Jersey to want your action.”

Sheffield was probably the oldest gangster in the New York area. Hell, he was the man when Foxx and Big Joey Stone were younger. The legend as told to us by Foxx was that Sheffield was really the front man for Stone’s operation, but no one knew it. When Stone really wanted out of the business, he turned the business completely over to Sheffield. From that day forth, Sheffield provided Stone with ten percent of the profits on the first of every month like clockwork.

“
Then who?” Reggie asked.

“
Son, you are at the top of the food chain now. You have graduated to the top spot on the radar. The DEA and Narcotics Division may not know about you yet, but they will soon find out. Your success has painted this target on your back. So you better be very careful because someone is going to try to take you down a couple of notches or try to get you eliminated altogether.”

Once again, silence filled the room. I could see the wheels grinding and turning in Reggie’s head. Additionally, Foxx was his usual calm self. I was the deer in the headlights.

Carter Foxx broke the silence. “Let me ask around and see if I can find out if somebody knows who set y’all up and killed your boy. I can almost guarantee that if it was somebody from uptown, then some of my people will know who did it.”

My dad never ceased to amaze me. He and Stone knew everyone, and who they didn’t know, someone in their circle knew that person. I smiled inside at Reggie’s strategy to come talk to the master. After all, most of what he knew he learned from Foxx.

“
I think you did right kicking his ass and putting him on notice,” Foxx continued. “If he is the spy and played the part well, he will stick around and see if he can get some info on you for his boss. Assuming he is working for someone else. But be careful and chill ’til I get back with you. Now what’s this Walt last name?”

“
Granger,” Reggie replied. “Walt Granger. He’s supposed to be related to that nigga Gerald Granger that caught that murder rap a couple years ago for setting them niggas on fire from the Pink Houses.”

“
Oh, okay,” my dad said as if he’d remember exactly whom Reggie was talking about.

We chilled a little, talking about other things. Foxx filled us in on the necessity of being vigilant and respecting the game. He didn’t want us getting too high strung on the game, and reiterated to Reggie on watching his back. As he stated, “Top dog always have the biggest bull’s eye on his back.”

That was the Foxx we loved. The man who lived by the streets, and unfortunately, one day would probably die by the streets. But he was a man who would do anything for his kids. If he said he would get the lowdown on Walt, he would; even if it meant turning over every damn rock in the five boroughs of New York.

New York’s Finest Kiki Swinson

While Reggie and I were visiting our parents, Vanessa was blowing his fucking phone up. She called every bit of thirteen times back to back. And Reggie did not answer one call. He eventually turned off his phone so we could continue our talk with our dad in peace.

On the way out, Reggie and I kissed our mom, and Foxx walked us both out to my truck. I handed Reggie my car keys and climbed into the passenger seat. My dad closed the door behind me and then he leaned up against the passenger side door. “How is everything at home?” he looked directly at Reggie and asked.

“
It’s hell!” I blurted out. “Vanessa is taking him through the ringer. And she’s been provoking him lately so he can put his hands on her, so she can get him locked up.”

“
It’s gotten that bad?” my dad asked.

“
Worse!” Reggie commented.

“
Well, whatever you do. Don’t put your hands on that girl. You got too much shit riding on you to fuck it up behind her.”

“
I tell him that all the time,” I chimed in.

“
I hope he’s listening to you then. Because ain’t nothing worse than going to jail because you done whipped your woman’s ass,” my dad commented and then he chuckled. “It ain’t worth it.”

“
I got everything under control,” Reggie assured him and then he turned on the ignition.

My dad kissed me on the cheek and stepped away from the passenger side door. “I’ma hold you to that,” he said. “Now y’all take care.”

“
A’ight,” Reggie said.

“
Love you,” I blurted out as Reggie drove off.

Reggie wasted no time getting us back on the Cross Bronx Expressway. It was late in the evening and I was dead tired, so when he asked me if he’d be able to borrow my truck, I happily obliged. But before he dropped me off I managed to tell him that Marco would be in town tomorrow.

“
I thought he was going to be in South America until next week,” Reggie stated.

“
I thought so too,” I replied. “But he called and said he’ll be in town tomorrow. He also told me to tell you to be available, because he wants to have a meeting with you before he leaves.”

“
Did he say how long he was going to be in town?”

“
I think he said a day or two. Either way, he won’t be here long so please answer your Blackberry when I call you,” I instructed him. “So where are you on your way to tonight?”

“
Since Vanessa thinks that I’m going over to one of my bitches’ house, that’s where I’m going.”

I was never shocked by Reggie’s candor, but he took it to another level with this remark. I backhanded him in his left arm. “You are terrible! You suppose to be the bigger person and prove to your wife that she’s wrong and that you don’t cheat. Maybe then, she’ll act like she’s got some damn sense. I told you a long time ago that a happy wife will give you a happy life. As long as Vanessa is happy and knows that you’re respecting her and you’re not out here fucking around on her with your mistresses, then everything at home would be peaceful and cozy.”

Reggie sucked his teeth. “That shit doesn’t work. Remember we’re talking about Vanessa. That bitch is never satisfied with anything I give her. It seems like the more I give her greedy ass, the more she wants. You should see all the fucking receipts she’s got from Neiman and Saks. She’s probably got more fucking Giuseppe Zanottis and Christian Louboutins than you.”

I burst into laughter. “Correction. No one in the city has more Zanottis and Red Bottoms than me. Remember Marco nicknamed me New York’s Finest. So I dress the part. And don’t you ever forget that,” I replied sarcastically and then I smacked him against his arm again.