Prince of the City (27 page)

After Malik got into the truck and unlocked the door, Rico opened the door for Lil Dave and stepped to the side.

“Get in the back.”

Just as Lil Dave was about to put his feet up on the running board of Malik's truck, Rico's .45 automatic pressed against his temple. As Malik turned the ignition to start the truck, Rico pulled the trigger.

Boom!

Splattering Lil Dave's brains on the cold concrete.

Rico hurriedly jumped in the truck. “Come on! Let's go, Malik.”

Malik looked at Rico as if he was crazy. “Man, Rico, what the fuck is wrong with you?”

“The nigga asked me to help him get off the shit, so I did. I just helped him get off it for good.”

“Man, you're a stupid-ass nigga, Rico.” Malik shook his head. “You don't think for shit!”

“Man, what's done is done. Ain't no sense in crying over spilt milk, or should I say spilled brains,” Rico said as he flashed a devilish grin.

“Shut up, Rico. You're stupid.”

“Yeah, I love you too, Malik.”

“Fuck you, Rico. You a stupid-ass nigga.” Malik looked at Rico in disbelief while putting the truck in gear and speeding off.

 
 

Chapter 35

-WELCOME HOME-

 

 

inda Wells was released from prison early in the morning on New Year's Eve 1999. As she walked outside the heavily guarded razor-wire fences, she was greeted by a tall, long-haired, handsome man. He was wearing a light brown, hip length fur coat imported from Africa. By his side stood a short, big-bellied, pretty woman, who was at least seven months into her pregnancy. The woman wore a full-length fur coat to match the one the man wore. They stood beside a green Cadillac Escalade with a bow and ribbon tied to the front grill.

As Linda hugged Malik and Peaches, the tears on her face turned to icicles from the cold weather.

“I missed you two,” she said.

“We missed you too, Linda,” Peaches responded.

“And look at you. He got you out here in this cold all pregnant.”

“Nothing in the world could stop me from coming to get you.”

After the two friends laughed and hugged each other, Linda turned toward Malik.

“Boy, you look just like your daddy. Come here and give me a hug.”

Tears fell down Malik's cheek as he embraced his mentor, teacher, aunt, advisor, and only family. His embrace was so tight and affectionate that Linda was the one who had to break it.

“We'll talk later,” Linda told Malik. He nodded okay.

“But in the meantime, who's the owner of this pretty-ass truck?” Linda asked.

Peaches held up the keys. “This here is your Christmas present.”

Linda hugged and thanked them both. “This is nice, y'all. But I was looking for something like a new house.”

Malik and Peaches smiled.

“Now, Aunt Linda, you're gonna have to pick that out yourself. Shit, I almost had to fight Peaches over the color of this truck.”

“Girl, I keep telling Malik that your favorite color is green.”

“Malik, you forgot?”

“Nah, I ain't forget. But they had a burgundy one that looked better to me.”

“Well, for your info, I love whatever you two get me.”

“Come on. Let's go home now,” Peaches said.

Malik looked at Peaches and saw how happy his fiancée was. He, too, was happy.

On the drive back to the house, Malik's cell phone rang. As Peaches and Linda sat up front talking about everything Linda had missed, Malik was laid out in the back asleep after a long night out with Rico.

“Will you wake him up, please, and tell him to answer his phone?” Peaches asked.

Linda shook her nephew. “Malik, get up. Here, boy. Your phone is ringing.”

“Hello?”

“What's up, young nigga?”

“Who dis?”

“Kojack, nigga. What? You high or something?”

“Nah man. I just woke up. What's up?”

“Look, my partner has decided to finally meet you and Rico. He's inviting you two out to his house tonight for New Years. So whatever you already got planned should be set aside. This is a one-in-a-million chance and you don't want to blow it.”

“What is it? A party or something?”

“Yeah, a small party, or more like a celebration of a new partnership. He's quite impressed by you and Rico and wants to proposition you.”

“Well, tell him we'll be there. What time does he want us there?”

“About eleven o'clock. He first wants to discuss a few things, and then bring in the New Year with a new resolution.”

“A'ight, I'll talk to you later.”

As Malik was talking, Linda acted like she was listening to Peaches, but she was really ear hustling on Malik's conversation.

After hanging up with Kojack, Malik dialed Rico's number.

“Yeah, big daddy speaking,” Rico answered.

“Nigga, you stupid.”

“What's up, baby boy?'

“Where you at?”

“I'm in Tiffany's picking out some earrings for Tasha's fat ass. You know she's due next month.”

“How can I forget? You tell me almost every day.”

“Fuck you, Malik. What you call me for anyway? I thought you were supposed to be picking up your aunt?”

“I did, and we're on our way back home now.”

“So what's up, nigga?”

“Guess what?”

“What?”

“We've just been invited to the muthafuckin' man's house tonight.”

“Black Sam?”

“Yeah nigga. This is it.”

“So I guess you feel like Tony Montana when he first visited Sosa, huh?” Rico asked, laughing.

“Fuck you. Your ass just be ready to roll tonight.”

“What time are we going?”

“About eleven o'clock. He wants to bring in the New Year with us.”

“A'ight. I guess I should spend as much time with Tasha as I can, 'cause you know she gonna be a pissed bitch. It's New Year's Eve, Malik.”

“Yeah, I know. You act like I ain't gotta go through the same thing. They just gonna have to be mad, 'cause this here is our chance of a lifetime.”

“Yeah nigga, we about to blow up like the World Trade Center,” Rico said in his Biggie Smalls voice.

“You better say it.”

“See you later then.”

“Come by the house around ten because I want you to meet my aunt before we go.”

“A'ight then. I'll see your long-haired ass at ten.”

“A'ight.”

 

Chapter 36

-TRUTH BE TOLD-

 

 

fter Peaches cooked dinner, they all ate while reminiscing about old times. Soon Peaches started to get sleepy.

“Excuse me, but I've been up all day and I'm a little tired,” Peaches said. “I need to take my butt to bed. Somebody better come wake me up for New Year's.”

“Okay, baby. Go 'head and get you some rest. You've been carrying that big ol' luggage around all day.”

“Shut up, Malik. I'll sure be glad when I drop this load, 'cause it's killing me.”

“I'll be glad too, boo. Maybe then a nigga can get some you know what.”

“Now, don't be nasty, Malik,” Linda said.

“A'ight, Aunt Linda. Peaches, I'll be up to rub your stomach in a lil while. I gotta talk to my aunt for a minute first.”

“I already know you two got some catching up to do. See you later on tonight, and welcome home, Linda.”

Linda kissed her former protégée on the cheek before she went upstairs. “Now, Malik, what's up?” Linda asked.

Malik sat back in his chair and smiled. He couldn't wait to tell Linda everything that had happened while she was away. First, he told her about Rico and how close they were. He also told her how Butter treated him, and how he didn't want to turn him on to his connect. Malik even told her about the murders he'd committed and how he'd always thought they were justified.

Linda smoked her Newport while listening carefully to Malik tell his story, detail by detail. “I wanna ask you a question,” she said.

“Go 'head, Aunt Linda. What's up?”

“Over all these years of being in the streets, what's the most valuable lesson I taught you?”

“Never trust no one.”

“And what else goes with that phrase?”

“Trust no one. Not even you, Aunt Linda.”

“That's right.”

“Man, it's kinda hard not trusting you. You're the only one I can trust. You're my only family. You're more than my aunt. You're my mother, father, sister, and brother wrapped in one.”

“I know, Malik, I know.”

“There's something else you don't know that I wanna tell you.”

“What's up?” Linda asked.

Malik began to tell the story of how Sonny James tried to trick him out of his life. Linda smiled as she listened to the young man's life of crime. She was pleased that Malik turned out to be one of D.C.'s most ruthless but smart gangsters.

After he finished telling his story, Linda blew out a cloud of smoke.

“You wanna know something, Malik?”

“What's up?”

“I always knew it was you who killed Sonny James and Smitty. I just never said anything because I wanted to see how long you could hold water.”

Malik looked at Linda with surprise. He wondered how she knew. There wasn't a witness in sight except Booga, and he didn't think Booga saw anything. Plus Booga ended up dead two weeks later.

“How did you know?”

Linda flashed a devilish grin. “Let's just say I went around the Bowling Alley one night looking for you, and I ran into Booga.”

“So Booga did see me, huh?”

Linda smiled. “He won't be able to tell nobody though.”

At that moment Malik knew that Linda was Booga's killer. Linda was too smart to straight up tell Malik that she had killed Booga. She stuck to her principle of trusting no one.

“So tell me. Who's your connect?”

“Oh, you won't believe this shit. I get my shit from this dude named Kojack, and guess who he works for?”

“Who?”

“Black Sam. Uncle Sam doesn't even know it's me that's dealing with Kojack. I'm supposed to meet him tonight at his house. When I get there, I'm a see if he remembers me. It's been thirteen years now,” Malik said with excitement.

Linda's expression suddenly changed from happy to sad, and tears began to drop from her eyes.

“What's wrong? Why are you crying?” Malik asked Linda.

“There's something I want to tell you. Something that you've been longing to know since you were ten-years-old. Because of where you're going tonight, you need to know this. Malik, I'm a give it to you raw and uncut.”

“Give it to me then.” Malik prepared himself to hear whatever Linda had to say.

“Black Sam ain't your uncle. He's your enemy.”

“Why you say that?”

“'Cause he's the one who killed your parents. He killed your father because he wanted to keep hustling and your father wanted to quit.”

Malik's eyes began to fill with tears. “Then why'd he kill my mother?”

“She was in the apartment and was the only witness.”

“How do you know all of this, Aunt Linda?”

Linda looked down at the floor where her tears became a small puddle. “I was on the phone with your mother when it happened, and you were sitting right beside me playing cards with Butter.”

Malik's anger boiled as tears came rushing down his face. “Is there anything else I need to know before I kill this nigga tonight?”

“Well, I wanna tell you something your father didn't know. Before he met your mother, he had a girlfriend, Chevece Jones. She was his high school sweetheart. She got pregnant but never told your father. After your father met your mother, he dumped her. Chevece was so ashamed and hurt that she wanted a way to get back at your father, so she left town and had the baby. I don't know if it was a boy or girl, but I heard she put it up for adoption, ran away to Las Vegas, and married some rich white man.”

“So you're telling me that I got a brother or sister out here?”

“I don't know, Malik.”

“Damn. Is there anything else?” he asked, looking confused.

“No, that's it. Just remember the golden rule. This is why I constantly tell you not to trust anyone. You never know what someone else is thinking. Your friend Rico is probably a really cool dude, but look at your father. He and Sam grew up together. They'd known each other since preschool, and Sam turned around and killed your parents over some money. The love of money is truly the root of all evil, Malik. Remember that.”

Malik sat back and looked at Linda while savoring everything she had held back from him over the years.

“Is Sam having a lot of people over tonight?” Linda asked.

“No. It's only me, Kojack, Rico, and Sam to my knowledge,” Malik replied.

“Do you think your friend Rico is down with what you're about to do?”

“Of course. The nigga loves this type of shit.”

“Good then. Most likely Sam has his money close by. If he's been moving shit all these years, I know for sure he gotta be a multimillionaire by now.”

“You think he's gonna give up that money?” Malik asked.

“Yes, but he won't give it up if you let him know that you know he killed your parents.”

“Why do you say that?”

“'Cause he's gonna figure out that you came to kill him anyway.”

“So you're saying to play it off like a robbery until he gives up the money?”

“Yes. And whatever you do, don't give him a chance to talk.”

“Why?”

“'Cause he'll try to talk his way out of you killing him.”

“Yeah, I understand.”

Malik looked at Linda as she instructed him on how to pull the biggest caper ever. Linda was extremely careful of how it should be laid down properly, as if she'd done it before. Malik was impressed by her wisdom in the game. He always thought if Linda was a man, she would be the most ruthless gangster of all time.