The Mike Black Saga; Payback (10 page)

"What difference does it make, Mikey? The fuckers are still dead."

"Okay, so what does he want?"

"Nick. He wants Nick."

"I can’t believe that Nick is DEA."

"It don’t matter what you believe. The question is, is he or isn’t he?"

Mike sat back and thought about it. Whether he wanted to believe it or not, the possibility did exist. Nick could be a DEA operative, and if that were true, he would have to be dealt with.

"What does Diego want?"

"He wants to sit down with you."

"When and where?"

"The where is
here.
I’ll call you when he calls me."

Mike stood up. "Let me know."

Once they were outside and heading for the car, Mike looked at Freeze. "Nick, you drive," he said, and Freeze nodded his head. Freeze threw Nick the keys to his truck and got in the backseat on the driver’s side.

As Nick drove away, Mike sat in the front seat and thought about what Angelo had told him. Suddenly the DEA was all up in everything. First a DEA agent was killed in his club, now Angelo said Nick was DEA. Coincidence? Maybe. Nick did say he knew the agent who was killed in Black’s Paradise, so it was possible they could have been working together.

Even if it were true, why would he involve Cassandra?

Mike looked at Nick and refused to believe that somebody he’d known most of his life would turn on him. But like it or not, believe it or not, Mike had to face it and do it now. "Hey, Nick, do you remember when you and Jamaica had that scam goin’ where y’all were shakin’ down the number runners that you knew were skimmin’ money off André?"

"Yeah, that was a sweet hustle while it lasted," Nick said as he drove. He didn’t notice that Freeze had taken out his gun and set it on his lap.

"André was pretty lax about that whole gambling thing, wasn’t he?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, all André saw was drug money. The houses, the women, the numbers, none of that made any difference to him. It wasn’t until you took over that the money got right."

"Yeah, but it fucked up y’all’s hustle. And I know you and Jay were makin’ crazy money off them muthafuckas, right?"

"Damn sure was, Black."

"But when I took that shit over, you came to me like a man and told me about it. I didn’t even have to ask you. You just came to me and said, ‘Yo Black,
this what’s
happenin’, boom, boom, boom.’ Even though that shit cost you money."

"Come on, Black. I was loyal to you and you trusted me."

"Are you still loyal to me, Nick? Can I still trust you, Nick?"

Nick looked at Mike. "Of course I am."

"Nick, I gotta ask you something. Something important. I don’t even like having to ask you some shit like this, but I gotta."

"What you wanna ask me, Black?"

"Are you DEA?"

Before he answered the question, Nick glanced in the rearview mirror at Freeze. Nick immediately pulled off to the side of the road and put the car in park.

"Why you ask me that, Black?" Mike didn’t answer. "No! Hell fuckin’ no, I am not DEA."

"Tell me why Diego
Estabon
thinks you are?"

"Diego?" Nick said excitedly. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. "I don’t know, but it might be because it was his plant we were moving on in South America when most of our unit got killed. Maybe it’s because he had Jett killed and he’s the reason Monika is in the hospital. Maybe it’s because I killed Chilly."

"And Felix and the General," Mike pointed out.

"I killed them, Black," Freeze said.

"Diego says you cost him a lot of money."

"Look, Black, I swear to you, I am not the fuckin’ DEA."

"I had to ask."

Nick looked at Mike and glanced in the backseat at Freeze. "You were gonna kill me behind some shit fuckin’ Diego
Estabon
said?"

"No, Nick, I wasn’t gonna kill you on his word. But I had to look into your eyes and ask you that question," Mike said and looked back at Freeze. Nick turned back to Freeze.

"Yeah, Nick,
I’da
killed you. It wouldn’t be easy, much shit as we been through, but yeah, I woulda done it."

Nick looked at Mike. "It’s cool, Nick. I believe you," Mike said and Nick drove off. He never really believed Nick was DEA.

No, Diego is working some other angle,
Mike thought.

"Do you remember Sally Fitz?" he asked Nick.

"Yeah, I remember him. But if you’re thinkin’ it’s the same Sal, I doubt it. I woulda recognized him," Nick said.

"Freeze, I know that you got shit you need to handle, but you and Nick ask around, see if you can find Sally Fitz," Mike told them. "Angee says Sally Fitz is workin’ with two Cubans. And two Latinos and a white guy named Sal kidnapped Cassandra. Too much of a coincidence."

"Even if it is just a coincidence, Sally Fitz knows a lot of people. He might be able to put us on to something. ’Cause right now we ain’t got shit," Freeze said.

Chapter Eleven

While Nick and Freeze went to find Sally Fitz, Mike sat impatiently at Cuisine, waiting for Bobby to return. It was at that point that he remembered Freeze said he needed to talk to him about Bobby.

After about a half-hour of waiting, Mike finally picked up the phone and called Bobby on his cell phone. On the fourth ring, a female voice tentatively answered.

"Sorry," Mike said. "I must have the wrong number."

As he was about to hang up the phone, the female said, "You wanna talk to Bobby?"

"Yes," a confused Mike answered.

"Hold on."

In the background, Mike could hear her whispering, "Bobby, Bobby, wake up. Bobby, come on. Bobby, wake the fuck up, nigga," she said a little louder. "I think it’s Black on the phone."

A half-asleep Bobby took the phone. "Hello."

"I’m at Cuisine, man, waiting for you. What the fuck are you doin’?"

"Huh."

"What the fuck are you doin’?" Mike said louder.

"Mike?"

"Yeah. I’m at Cuisine waiting for you. What the fuck are you doin’, man?"

"Damn, I’m on my way," Bobby said quickly and hung up the phone before Mike got a chance to at least ask him how long he would be.

Thirty minutes later, Bobby burst into the office at Cuisine. "You ready?"

"I was ready an hour ago."

"Where are we goin’?"

"Let’s just ride. I need to get out of here. I can’t just sit here and do nothing," Mike said as he got up and followed Bobby out of the office.

Once they were in Bobby’s car, Mike asked, "You wanna tell me about it, or you gonna make me ask?"

"Tell you about what, Mike?"

"Who was that woman answering your phone, and how did she know that it was me callin’ you?" Mike asked, knowing that this was probably what Freeze wanted to tell him about.

"Her name is
Cat.
"

"That’s it? Her name is Cat? This Cat woman, whoever the fuck she is, is answering your fuckin’ phone while you’re sleeping, Bob. And all you got to say is her name is Cat?"

"Okay, okay, she a friend of mine."

"No shit.
You fuckin’
her?"

Bobby looked at Mike in silent response.

"
You fuckin’
around on Pam?"

Once again, Bobby’s response was silent.

"I don’t believe it. After all these years,
you fuckin’
around on Pam." Mike looked at Bobby, shaking his head.

"What?" Bobby said as he drove. "You gonna sit there and tell me that you ain’t fuckin’ any of those island hoes"

"No."

"Get the fuck outta here. All them fine-ass Bahamian bitches—and the tourists, let’s not forget about the tourists—coming up in your spot, all tanned and topless, and you gonna tell me that you ain’t fuckin’ none of them?"

"No. The last woman that I fucked, other than my wife, was Melinda."

"Get the fuck outta here. Or has Melinda been down to the island?"

"No, Bobby, she hasn’t been to the island, at least not that I know of."

"I didn’t think so. She’s been fuckin’ around with Curl these days."

"Curl? She’s fuckin’ that nigga?"
Coincidence?

"I guess she’s just a gangster’s girl," Bobby said with a laugh.

"What’s up with that bitch-ass gangster anyway? You don’t think that somebody must be backin’ him up?"

"Since Nick killed Chilly, D-Train grew some balls and finally left 205
^th
Street."

"You don’t think that’s a little strange?"

"Maybe
it’s
Melinda backin’ him up," Bobby joked. "Maybe she’s pissed off that you dumped her for Shy, and this is her revenge."

Mike laughed along with him. "I don’t think so. That’s a great combination, no balls and no brains."

Bobby’s cell phone rang. "What’s up?" Bobby answered.

"I need to see you," Cat said.

"I told you I got something to do. I’ll get with you later."

"I know what you said, but I need to see you now. Just come by here. You fell asleep and didn’t finish what you started."

Bobby’s cell beeped with a call on the other line. He looked at the display. "Look, I got another call coming. I’ll get with you later," he said and clicked to the other line. "What’s up?"

"Bobby, this is Angelo. Is Mikey with you?"

"He’s right here, Angelo, " Bobby said and handed Mike the phone.

"What’s up?"

"Got a tip for you."

Chapter Twelve

Nick and Freeze rolled out of Cuisine and hit the streets. While Nick drove, Freeze made some calls. They checked a few places, but hadn’t come up with anything. There was very little conversation between the two until Nick turned to Freeze and broke the silence. "You really woulda killed me, wouldn’t you?"

"Yeah, Nick. I woulda put a bullet in the back of your head," Freeze replied nonchalantly.

"Like it wasn’t shit," Nick said angrily, but what he was feeling inside was something different.

"Shit ain’t changed, and I ain’t either. I’d feel really bad about the shit, Nick, but yeah, if Black wanted you dead," Freeze said and stopped.