No More Mr. Nice Guy (13 page)

The library went deathly silent as I entered, with the majority of the inmates either looking past me or trying hard not to see me at all. There were the bold few who nodded to let me know that they were on my team, or at least not against me. Riverhead already housed quite a few brothers who already worked for me or wanted to when they were released, so I had more than enough muscle behind me to deter anyone from getting bold and doing anything stupid.

“Majestic?” Sonny was a tall, lanky guy ten years older than I was, and one of the heads of the South Side Crew.

I sat down across from him so we could be face-to-face. There had to be close to seven other South Side brothers hanging close by, and each one of them was now focused on me.

“Sonny,” I greeted him, the whole time keeping an inner dialogue going about how I needed to keep my cool.

“To what do I owe this visit? You looking for a good book?” he asked. Rival enterprises, including gang members, usually steered clear of each other inside jails, same as on the streets, unless they were looking for trouble. A couple of his men moved closer so that they were within an arm's distance from grabbing me.

“Need to have a sit-down with you.” I lifted my shirt and flipped over my waistband so he'd trust that I wasn't holding.

He waved his hands in front of me, locking eyes with his guys so that they'd back off. “That won't be necessary. Men on our level prefer not to get our hands dirty, am I right? I know that if you are coming for me, there is no way you'd come to this side of the building alone.”

I nodded. Like I said, rivals stayed in their lanes unless it was something serious, and this was the way to address those things.

“There's some shit we need to discuss,” I said politely, particularly because all of his men were watching, and the last thing I needed to do was show any sign of disrespect. These young cats, like my brother Rodney, had to learn that there was a protocol that needed to be followed if we were to coexist.

Sonny motioned to me, and I followed him out of the library and into the long corridor. “Let's go somewhere we can have privacy.” The two of us headed through the heavy door and into the common area that led to our cells. By the time we reached his cell, damn near everybody in the jail had heard about our meeting. I had to give it to Sonny; he definitely protected his back with this move. If he wound up dead or injured, the first person they fingered would be me.

A big, burly motherfucker about my size, with death in his eyes and ham hocks for hands, sat up from the bottom bunk when we entered. You know it's real when you got your own bodyguard as your cellmate. I wasn't sure what Sonny was in for, but he must have been expecting a long stretch.

“Eddie, give us a moment.” And just like that, Eddie humped his gigantic ass out of there, leaving us alone.

Sonny sat down on the bed and offered me a chair.

I sat down and began, “Not sure you heard, but my little brother Rodney was killed recently.”

“Yeah, I'm sorry to hear about your brother,” he responded, not taking his eyes off of me. “He talked a lot of shit he couldn't back up, but so does my son Troy. These young kids are gonna be the death of us.”

“Tell me about it. But speaking of your son, doesn't he hang out with that kid DaQuan?”

Sonny's eyebrows shot up. “Yeah, they're friends. What about it?”

“Word on the street is that DaQuan and one of his partners killed my brother,” I told him, trying to keep any trace of anger out of my tone.

“I can't speak for DaQuan, but I can assure you that none of my people or my son hit your brother. Unless, of course, there was a personal beef between your brother and some of my people that I am not aware of that could have escalated.”

I wanted to call bullshit on his answer, because there wasn't much a boss didn't know about his underlings. People climbing the ladder loved to rat out their comrades in the hope of rising above them.

“If you want, I can talk to Troy and DaQuan to see if they had anything to do with it. I can make that happen.”

“Sonny, there ain't no talking to DaQuan. My man Bruce took him out last night.” I leaned my chair against the wall, letting him digest what I had said. “The only real question is, was your son Troy involved? And if he was, am I going to kill him or not?” Sonny studied my face. I made sure my expression left no doubt about how serious I was.

“Are you threatening me, Majestic?” He sounded concerned.

“No, you've known me long enough to know I don't make idle threats. I'm asking you, Sonny, because Vegas Duncan asked me to, and also because I'm sure you know the truth. Now, did your boy have anything to do with my brother's death?”

“No,” he said, not with fear or concern, but with certainty. “He didn't have anything to do with it because he's a coward. My son is a straight-up pussy. He may hang with thugs like DaQaun, but he doesn't have the stomach to do what they do.”

Well, that wasn't the answer I had expected to hear. “A'ight, I'm gonna accept that for now, but, Sonny, if I find out different, Troy's a dead man, and so are you.” I got up from my seat and walked out of his cell but before I left I said, “Oh and Sonny, we are not on the same level.”

I'd just arrived on the steps of the New York Public Library, and between the building and the grounds, it was teeming with people. I actually smiled when I saw Bridget sitting next to the cement pillar that held up the lion. After spending the weekend with Keisha, I had a newfound respect for how money could change one's life and the advantages of working with Bridget and Dynamic Defense.

“Look at you, all happy and spry. You look ready for work,” Bridget said, handing me a cup of coffee. “I guess getting laid agrees with you, although you might wanna get an upgrade. Keisha's a little ghetto for the image we're trying to give you, don't you think? Not to mention she carries a lot of baggage.”

Bridget's words caught me off guard, stealing a little bit of my joy. How the hell did she know about Keisha? I was pissed off at the thought that my employers were still watching my every move, but I recovered quickly, remembering who and what I was dealing with. Looking up at her nonchalant expression, I came to the conclusion that I didn't even want to get into it with her, so I ignored her prying into my private life so I could concentrate on the work at hand.

“Yeah, I gave it a lot of thought. I'm ready to do what I need to do to get the job done.”

“Good. You have a lot of potential, Niles. Let's put it to good use.” She stood up, and I followed her down the steps and into the park, where lots of people were having lunch or moving through the park to get to their next destination. She found a bench, and we both climbed up and sat on the top.

“All right, so what are we doing? Surveillance, botany, bird watching?” As far as I could see, nothing was happening, but then again, you could never tell with Bridget. She was like Mr. Miyagi from
The Karate Kid
with her unorthodox teaching methods.

Bridget reached in her pocket and pulled out a sheet with a bunch of blue dots on it. I looked down at the dots, the only test I just could not pass for some reason.

“It's been a month. Time for you to put your money where your mouth is. That is, if you think you can do it.” She smirked at me, which only made me more intent on getting it right, just to wipe that look off her face.

“How about a thousand dollars?” she challenged.

I took a deep breath then cracked my neck as I stretched, biting my bottom lip. “Make it two thousand and you've got a bet.” I took out a piece of mint gum and stuck it in my mouth like I didn't have a care in the world. Inside, I was hoping I wasn't about to lose two thousand hard-earned dollars.

“You're awfully confident.” She looked pleased.

“I've been practicing.”

“Humph! Okay, let's see what you got. So, you see those three women right there?” I followed her eyes until I saw three twenty-somethings off in the distance moving toward us. She handed me the paper. “Let's see if you can hit the target at least once without being detected. Hit two and you win the bet.”

I took the paper. “Nah, I'm gonna hit all three or you win the bet,” I told her then got up and slowly moved in their direction.

I made a subtle motion toward the long-legged redhead dressed in an attention- getting black mini skirt and motorcycle boots. It happened to be one of those beautiful spring days in New York, when it hit 80 degrees and everybody got half naked in Central Park. People were out in full force to soak up the sun, especially the suits taking a lunchtime stroll before they headed back inside the stale-aired office buildings off the park.

I palmed the tiny blue circle and moved stealthily through the crowd, until I was right next to them. Swiping my arms up, I grazed the back of her neck before bringing my hands back to my sides.
Yeah, I got this,
I thought as the woman turned and checked me out, no doubt alerted by my close proximity. Instead of ignoring them, I smiled flirtatiously and moved closer.

“Afternoon, ladies.” I smiled wide, like I was about to ask one of them to the prom. “Beautiful day, isn't it?”

Their flirtatious smiles told me they had no inkling of what had just happened. “Y'all have a nice day,” I said as I passed by them. I leaned against a tree and watched as they passed Bridget, who got up from the bench, cracking the fuck up.

“What the hell am I going to do with you?” she asked, still chuckling. Not only did I hit the target behind one woman's neck, but I also put stickers on each of the nipples of the second woman, and right between the crease of the third woman's camel toe.

“How about you pay me?” I laughed, sticking out my hand.

“How about I give you something better than two grand?” She smirked seductively.

Ten minutes later, we were in the Rolls, headed west on the Henry Hudson Parkway toward the George Washington Bridge.

“Where we going now?”

“Well, remember how I said you are going to need a complete makeover?” she asked, giving me a once-over that made me feel uncomfortable. I thought I was killing it in my new custom-made suit.

“Yes?” I hesitated to say more, wondering if this was going to be something I liked—not that it mattered, because I knew I didn't have a say in the matter.

“Let's just say that what I'm about give you is very personal and will make you happier than you've been in years,” she answered cryptically before turning her attention to her iPad.

We crossed the GW and got on Route 1–9, into the heart of New Jersey. When we exited, I glanced over at Bridget, who looked way too pleased with herself. She still said nothing to me, until we pulled into a BMW dealership.

“Winston and I can't drive you everywhere, so I think it's time we got you some wheels,” Bridget informed me when she finally spoke.

She exited the car, leaving me with my mouth hanging open. I got out and headed straight for the M3 convertible in cherry red, the dream mobile parked in a sea of Beamers. I ran my hands over the pristine paint job, noting the fine lines and excellent workmanship. Damn, if those Germans didn't know what the hell they were doing, 'cause this ride was tight. It made me wonder what the next test would be as I started running possible scenarios in my head.

“This is me,” I boasted to Bridget, who had followed me over and was watching me with a pleased expression.

“You like that?” she teased. “You would really look good in it. That is, if you were getting the kind of car that made every single person you passed stop and stare.” Her tone told me everything I needed to know.

“But it's fast and powerful. With a car like this, I can do damn near anything you need,” I pressed, not ready to let my dream die.

“Attention is good, but you must attract the proper attention at the proper time. Always remember, class over flash. You remember that, and you'll be able to fit in everywhere. Go back to your sniper days. Would you want the enemy to notice you before you took the shot, or do you want to blend into the background? Like a sniper, in our line of work, that can be the difference between life and death.” Her words were sobering because I knew they were true. There was no way I could fly under the radar in that car. Damn.

She waved to a well-dressed salesman and then motioned me over to a black 750i sedan, the mack daddy of cars. Whatever temporary loss I was feeling about that red car dissipated as I slipped inside this baby. Yeah, now this was everything: luxury, style, class, and a whole lot of power.

“We'll take this one. When can we pick it up?” Bridget asked the salesman as she opened the car door so I could slide in. “You've done well today, Mr. Monroe, and you deserve this car, but you still have a lot to learn.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” I replied, gripping the steering wheel.

Whatever this new world was I had just entered, it happened to be a hell of a lot more high-end than I was used to, but something told me getting used to luxury would be the easy part. Eventually I'd have to start killing people.

“What do you think about this color?” I held up a body-hugging sea green dress for Tanya to give me a yeah or nay before I tried it on. She had her hands full, carrying the pile of clothes I had asked her to hold for me while I grabbed one more dress.

She leaned in to get a better look. “I like it, but you need to try it on. It's not about how it looks on the hanger. It's about making sure your man wants it on the floor.”

“You got that right.” I said in agreement as I headed into the dressing room. “Tanya, pick something out,” I called out through the door. “Aren't you and Willie going out tonight? I'm sure he wants to see you all turned up.”

“Well, he's going to have to settle for something out of my closet,” she said in a snippy way that I didn't take personally because I knew she was stressed about money. “The way they keep fucking with my hours at that job, before I know it there won't be no hours left. Last week they cut me from forty to twenty-five, and now they're threatening to cut me even more. I don't know how I'm going to keep my place unless I find some other job.”

I stepped out of the room in the dress, now more worried about my friend than how the dress fit me.

“That looks good on you.” She beamed at me.

Tanya was the hardest working friend I had, so it pissed me off that the people at her job were taking advantage of her. She had loved taking care of people ever since we were little, so it made sense when she decided to go to school and get an associate degree as a medical assistant. She thought it would guarantee her steady employment, but I guess not.

“Let me treat you to a new outfit, and we'll get our hair and nails done. The whole thing,” She was one of the few people I knew who never let anybody do things for her. She was the opposite of a gold digger.

Just like I expected, she shut me down. “Keisha, I can't let you go buying me things.”

I cut my eyes at her. “Why? It ain't like it's even my money,” I said with a laugh.

“Yeah, well, Majestic wouldn't take kindly to you spending his money on me. That money's for you and MJ.”

“I ain't answering to him, and once this is gone, I'm not taking any more money from him. Besides, I don't hardly go nowhere anyway. You can be the first woman he spends money on who's not fucking him. Let me do it for once. Please,” I begged. Tanya had always had my back for real, and right now she needed to be reminded how important she was to me.

She didn't look convinced. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Now, just pretend for five minutes that you're one more money-hungry chick,” I joked.

“If I was, I certainly wouldn't be going all crazy for Willie, 'cause he ain't got a dime.” She laughed. “But I really like him.”

“Well, if he's anything like his nephew, he's a keeper. I wonder where they're taking us tonight.”

I glanced over at Tanya when she didn't answer and saw that same worried look on her face she used to get when we were teenagers and had stayed out past our curfew. It started to make me nervous, so I asked her, “What?”

“Now, don't get mad. I'm not trying to ruin your excitement, but aren't you even remotely worried about Majestic finding out about Niles?”

“Fuck him. Hopefully they'll keep him in the jail for the next twenty years. Just because I have his baby doesn't mean that he can control my life,” I said, taking a stronger stance because there was no way he could get to me. “Don't worry. I'm gonna tell him that we're over, and I mean it.”

“We both know he's not try'na hear that. Let's face it. Majestic is cray-cray, and he's not going to let you ride off into the sunset with some other Negro,” Tanya said ominously.

I shuddered, but I shook my head defiantly. “Niles is the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. I'm not about to let nobody, including my baby daddy, ruin it.”

“You realize we're not talking about some nice, sane guy with common sense? We're talking about crazy-ass, shoot-and-ask-questions-later Majestic and his Deputy Dog, Bruce. Oh, and lets not even bring Pooh into the mix.”

“Yes, I know.” I sat down in the dressing room and stared at her. “I can't just walk away from this. I'm falling in love with Niles. I know you probably think it's too soon, but it's like I've always been in love with him. I'm not ready to give him up.”

Tanya stared at me. “Maybe you won't have to. Maybe Majestic will fall madly in love with one of those other women he's with and let you go. Maybe he'll get somebody else pregnant.”

I shook my head. “He won't do it. Over the last year, I've heard stories of women trying to get knocked up by him, but he's smart. For some reason, he chose me to bear his child. While we were dating, he begged me to have his baby. If I had known he was fucking all those hoes, I would have never agreed to it, but you know how charming he can be when he wants something. He made me think I was the only woman in the world and not just the one at the front of his harem. With Niles, I would never worry about him cheating.”

“I know. That's how I feel about Willie. He's so kind and interested in my life. He says he wants to help me, even though you know I won't let him. It's really nice to have a man want to put that kind of focus on only me.”

“Course I know your ass wouldn't take it.” I laughed at her. Tanya was such a good girl.

“Well, if we're married, that's different,” she said as calmly as if she were discussing accessories for our dresses.

“Marriage?” I shouted out in total shock.

“Well, there is something about him. I don't know. It's just that when I look down the road, I can see a future with him,” she said, grinning like a lovesick teenager.

“Me too. That's how I feel when I think about Niles,” I said quietly, but instead of being excited, I was starting to feel a sense of dread.