Carl Weber's Kingpins (12 page)

Later that day, I changed into a pair of True Religion jeans and a black hoodie. My hair was trimmed and goatee was shaved perfectly to suit my chin. I snatched my keys from the island, and then left to go meet up with Pebbles. The parking lot was jammed-packed, and the inside was thick with people gossiping, eating, dancing, and drinking. It was stuffy as hell, and the dance floor was no bigger than a ten-by-ten square. All heads turned each time the door opened, and many of the women, both young and old, had their eyes on me. I tossed my head back and kept it moving to an empty booth I spotted near the restroom. It was only big enough for two people, but it was the only place I could find to sit. I hadn't spotted Pebbles yet, but I kept looking at my watch because she was late. It was already ten minutes after six. If she wasn't here by six thirty, I was leaving.

As a thick cloud from people smoking filled the air, I waved my hand in front of my face to clear it. I had no problem with the weed smell, but it was very overpowering. A waitress approached the table with pen and paper in her hand.

“What can I get you?” she asked.

“I'm waiting on someone, but a shot of Henny would be good.”

“Would you like any appetizers while you wait? We have wings, pulled pork sandwiches, onion rings, and much more. Look over the menu and I'll be back with your drink.”

I picked up the menu from the table, and the waitress walked away. As I looked toward the door, two ladies at the bar were trying to get my attention. They waved. I winked, then opened the menu to look at it. Right then, my phone rang. It was Pebbles, but I didn't answer because she was supposed to be here. She sent me a text message saying she was outside searching for a parking spot. Hopefully, she'd find one soon.

Minutes later, I looked at the door and saw her strut in. This time, she rocked a pair of tight leather leggings that looked melted on her skin. The shirt that she wore showed part of her midriff, and her high heels made her even taller. She looked real classy, and there was something about her big doe eyes that made up for how skinny she was. I saw her squinting and searching around for me. When her eyes moved in my direction, I tossed my head back. She proceeded my way displaying nothing but confidence. Other women checked her out. Jealousy was in their eyes. They whispered and frowned, but she ignored them. Many of the men wanted her, but she had a look about her that said no. No man was good enough. Not even me. She kept it moving my way, sticking out like a sore thumb.

As she neared the table, I could smell her sweet perfume. I saw the tiny gap between her legs and wondered when the last time was that she'd been fucked. Well . . . It probably had been awhile, especially since so much seriousness was washed across her face. She had issues, no doubt, and I suspected that like many women who wore their attitudes on their shoulders, she had nigga problems. One fool reached for her waist, and he caught hell. I couldn't make out what she'd said to him, but her facial expression said it all.
Back the fuck up and if you touch me again you will pay with your life.
I couldn't get past the feistiness, but the direction of my eyes traveled to her curvy ass that suited her small frame. As she approached the table, I shifted my eyes in another direction, as if I hadn't been paying attention.

“I didn't expect for it to be this crowded,” she said, sliding into the booth. She placed her designer purse on the table, then opened it to pull out a cigarette. “Were you waiting long?”

I cracked my knuckles, then picked up the small glass with a shot of Henny in it. “Been waiting long enough. Now what's the plan? Mango said you were going to provide me with some specific details about our next move.”

“Hold up. Can a sista take a few minutes to get comfortable? I mean, I just walked through the door and sat down. Haven't even ordered a drink yet.”

“If you had been on time, you would've had time to order a drink.” I looked at my watch again, seeing that it was almost six thirty. “But since you late, I need specifics so I can hurry up and get out of here.”

“If you had somewhere else to be, you should have said so. We can always reschedule.”

I washed down the Henny, then put the empty glass on the table. After that, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a ten-dollar bill.

“I'm out,” I said. “Call me with the details about Atlanta and let me know where I need to be when it's time to roll. Have a drink and enjoy your evening.”

Pebbles sat with her mouth wide open. “Are you serious?” I heard her say as I walked away. Her voice was drowned out by the loud music. But when I got outside, she was a few steps behind me.

“You know you got a real bad, ugly-ass attitude,” she said. “I don't know what your problem is, and I apologize if I hurt your feelings by saying that 50 Cent looks better than you. I had no idea that my opinion would sting that much.”

I didn't respond. Kept it moving to my car, then opened the door to get inside. Pebbles stood outside the door with her hand on her hip. “Text me your address and I'll pick you up around noon on Friday. You'll hear the details then, and I hope you'll be in a better mood.”

“I don't invite people that I don't like to my crib, so no need for me to send a text message. Meet me at Mango's place at noon. If you're late, I'm going alone.”

I raised the window, then started the car. Pebbles rolled her eyes at me and had nothing else to say as I drove off. She did, however, send me a text message that invited me to kiss her ass. A picture of it followed thereafter, and then a text that said:

I was mistaken. You do look better than 50, but you will never, ever have his money if you don't change your attitude. Glad we're off to a good start.

I was sure she wanted a reply, but I didn't offer one. But as I drove back home, I couldn't stop thinking about her. Thought about how we were going to make this partners-in-crime thing work and about fucking her. I wanted to throw her legs over my shoulders and show her who the real boss was. She had those eyes a nigga could gaze into and get lost. There was something about her that turned me on, but it had been a long time since both of my heads connected. Then, maybe I was just horny. I'd been depriving myself too much, and I had to come clean about how relieved I felt when I busted a nut with Alexis. I could always get my shit off with her, so instead of going home, I drove to her crib. Almost immediately, I noticed several trash cans outside with Nate's things inside of them. I guessed Alexis was cleaning her house out and ridding herself of their fucked-up relationship.

It was a little past seven when I knocked on the door. The porch light came on, and shortly thereafter, Alexis opened the door. She looked surprised to see me. Her hair was pulled into a sleek ponytail, and the jeans she wore were unbuttoned. A tank shirt covered her meaty breasts, and a small container of ice cream was in her hand.

“What's up?” she said, seeming slightly annoyed by my presence.

“Is Brianna here?”

“No. She's with her cousins. Why?”

I opened the screen door, then made my way inside. Alexis continued to watch me with a puzzled look on her face. “Why are you here, Bones?”

“Do you have company?”

“No, I don't. I was watching TV and eating this ice cream.”

“Good. 'Cause I came here to eat something too and take care of your pussy since I failed to do so the last time I was here. Take off your clothes.”

Alexis's eyes grew wide and looked as if they were about to break out of their sockets. “Huh? Stop playing, Bones. What is this about?”

I pulled the hoodie over my head, then tossed it on the floor. As I reached for the button on my jeans, Alexis kept her eyes locked on me.

“Are you gon' make me ask again? I said, take off yo' clothes.”

She dropped the container of ice cream, and within one minute, our clothes were history. Alexis was on the dining room table with her legs spread wide open. Her long nails scratched my back as I forced my tongue inside of her and lightly licked against her walls. The sweet taste of her pussy made me think of Pebbles, and as I fucked the shit out of Alexis, sweating hard and trying to relieve all that was inside of me, I couldn't help it that she wasn't the one trapped in my thoughts.

Bones and I were finally in Atlanta. We argued most of the way here, or should I say ... We couldn't agree on much. If I said stop, he said go. If I said, yes, he said, no. If I said this way, he'd say that way. He was a serious pain in my ass, but from the first time I saw him, I liked what I saw. I loved his no-nonsense attitude. Loved how he carried himself, and I loved how I couldn't read him. The mystery made him so attractive to me, and I needed a man like him in my corner. I wasn't sure about anything evolving between us, because he had already made it clear that I wasn't his type. And every time the opportunity presented itself, he let snide remarks slip about my weight. To me, I wasn't too thick or thin. I was perfect, and nothing but healthy foods went into this body. My feelings were slightly bruised from his remarks, but to hell with a nigga who didn't appreciate a woman in good shape. Obviously, he didn't, so that only meant he would be good for having my back.

Pertaining to business, I'd been handling some of Mango's dirty work for years. He had several connects in almost every major city, and whenever business deals needed closure, negotiations had to be made, or somebody had to be killed, Mango turned to me. Whatever he ordered me to do, I did it. His instructions were always precise, but he was a little upset with me for doing shit my own way and not following orders. It had been that way lately because some of the men I stepped to had gotten cocky and gotten out of line. Just because I was a woman, it didn't mean I had to put up with anybody's shit. I didn't, so Mango felt as if adding Bones to the mix would be best. That was his choice, and thus far, I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. Why? Because Bones's attitude was just as bad as mine. He had the capabilities to rub muthafuckas the wrong way too. It wasn't as if they would appreciate his presence more than mine, but maybe I was wrong. After all, Carmen seemed to appreciate Bones. And as we sat on a soft white leather sectional in her exquisite living room, she was all smiles. Her dimples were on display as she sat close to Bones, damn near on his lap. She was a wealthy, beautiful Puerto Rican woman with megapower. She and I didn't click, and quite frankly, neither did she and Mango. But there was no time for petty shit when business was the priority.

“Remind me to call Mango and thank him for sending you,” she said to Bones with her tanned legs crossed over his lap. “I think these new negotiations will work out just fine. The two of you can pick up the package tomorrow around noon. And if you have time, Mr. Bones, I'd like to show you around. And just so you know, I won't take no for an answer.”

Bones displayed a fake smile. I could tell he wasn't with it. He stood, then planted a soft kiss on her cheek. “I do have some other things planned for tomorrow, but maybe I can find an hour or two to take a tour. If not tomorrow, certainly some other time.”

Carmen was persistent. People with money and power always were. “Tomorrow it is. Hopefully, whatever else you have planned can wait.”

Bones knew when to keep quiet. All he did was nod. We made our way to the double door, and after sealing one of the deals we drove to Atlanta to close, we got in the car. It was a rented Mercedes-Benz. Bones drove off, and as we waited for the gates to open, he looked at me.

“Is she always like that,” he said.

“Yes. And you'd better stop to pick up plenty of condoms for tomorrow. Her intentions are to fuck your brains out. If she could have done it today, I'm sure she would have.”

“All I'm doing tomorrow is picking up the package. That sex bullshit can wait for another day. Besides that, she didn't move me. Sexy as fuck, but too in control and demanding.”

I pursed my lips and quickly shot down his comment. “What's wrong with a woman being in control and demanding what she wants?”

“Nothing. But it's all about how you do things. I wasn't feeling her.”

That didn't surprise me. Bones wasn't feeling anybody. I could already tell that he was on this mission for money, control, and power. Nothing or no one else mattered. He stayed focused and when we reached our second destination, I let him handle a situation that had gotten out of control. Mango was called last week to send somebody to handle it. In return, he sent the best of the best.

We followed behind Keith who was Big L's right-hand man. Like always, they never wanted blood on their hands, and the dirty work was left for someone like me to do. According to Big L, no one would ever suspect me. I resided in a different state, and Big L didn't have the police on lock in Atlanta like Mango did in Chicago. Here, it was harder to hide crimes, and investigations would definitely take place. People would get questioned, but leads would lead to nothing. Crimes would go unsolved, maybe even for the two pretty white chicks who had snitched. Bones and me were sent there to get names. They weren't talking, and Big L didn't want them to see any familiar faces.

Keith led us to a damp basement that had drips of water coming from the cracked concrete. Behind a wooden door with several locks on it were two white chicks tied to chairs with rope. Their eyes were covered with black blindfolds, and the smell of shit infused the air. A puddle of piss sat beneath their feet, and bruises covered their faces. Dirty socks were stuffed in their mouths and their clothes were shredded. I honestly couldn't tell if they had been raped or not, so I quickly turned to Keith's big and black, yellow-toothed ass.

“Mango sent us here to take care of this for Big L. Why are they down here looking like this?”

“Because the bitches kept on yakking, ignoring me, and talking shit.”

“So you had to rip off their clothes and fuck them? Really?”

Keith frowned, then laughed at how upset I was. He was another nigga that I didn't get along with. “Bitch, you were sent here to question
them
, not
me
. Do yo' damn job or take yo' dumb ass back home.”

I stepped forward, but Bones grabbed my waist and pulled me back. “Trust me,” I said. “I got yo' bitch. And one of these days, she gon' show up and make yo' black fat ass eat your words.”

“I'll be waiting on her arrival.”

Bones backed me into a corner and stood in front of me. “Chill,” he said. “Your temper is too up there. Let no one see you sweat, and you gotta learn to ignore people who don't deserve your attention. Words only hurt if you let them. Now, shake that shit off, and let's get this done.”

I rolled my eyes, then turned my head to the side to look at Keith. He irked the fuck out of me, but Bones was right. I don't know what had gotten into me lately. Every little thing set me off, but I needed to chill.

Bones told me to remove the blindfolds from one of the chick's eyes while he removed the blindfold from the other. Both of their faces were almost beet red, and their hair was stringy and matted. It looked as if they'd been in the basement for years, instead of days. I didn't want to get too close because the stench coming from both of them was nothing pretty. After we removed the socks from their mouths, one of them cried out.

“Help us. Can we pleeease go home? This is all a mistake. We never meant to cause anyone any harm.”

Keith stood in the far corner with his arms crossed against his chest. I leaned against the wall, watching Bones do his thing. He stood right in front of the women with his bowlegs straddled. That sexy mutha had it going on, but I was sure that those bitches didn't give a damn about a fine muthafucka standing before them. They wanted out of here. Fast.

“Calm down,” Bones said. “I've been sent here to get to the bottom of what happened, and if y'all can tell me exactly what went down and who is responsible for Kebow and Treasure being arrested, then I will have no problem opening those doors and letting y'all get out of here. All I ask for is the truth. I also want the names of anybody who coaxed you ladies into doing this.”

We all listened in as Bones spoke calmly to the two women and got them to reveal how much they were paid to snitch on Kebow and Treasure. Basically, the bitches were used as pawns to bring them down. The chief of police was the main one involved, and these bitches were offered half a million dollars to help bring down Big L's organization. It was an organization that affected Mango too, so none of us wanted that to happen.

“That's all we know,” one of the women said with tears flowing down her face. “We didn't want to do it, and when we tried to renege, Chief Blair said he would have us arrested too. So we had to follow through with the plan. I don't know what else we could have done.”

Bones nodded and appeared to sympathize with the women. I sure as hell didn't. My thing was, why get involved from the beginning? And if it were me handling this situation, both of these bitches would be already dead. But Mango ordered me to sit still on this one and take notes. That's what I did.

“I'm not sure what else y'all could have done, but the problem is the evidence,” Bones said. “Too much evidence out there, and how do I know that if I decide to let y'all go, y'all won't snitch again?”

“We won't. I promise you that we won't. We'll leave this country, for God's sake, and no one will ever hear from us again.”

The other woman pleaded too. “No one,” she said. “This has been a horrible experience. We had no idea that it would lead to this. If we don't testify, then there is a chance that Kebow and Treasure will go free. You have our word that we will never ever testify.”

Bones released a deep sigh, then eased his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, but a black man on trial is never a good thing. We'll deal with Chief Blair, but what if y'all ain't telling me everything y'all know? I get a feeling that y'all holding back on me. Y'all wouldn't do that, would you?”

The two women looked at each other. One took a hard swallow; then she added another name to the mix. “The mayor,” she said. “Mayor Damsey is my uncle. He has had several confrontations with Big L, and he wants his organization brought down before he runs for office again. I didn't want to say anything about him because he's family. But he should have never involved us. I hate like hell that he involved us.”

The women started to break down even more. Bones looked at me and asked if I had any tissue.

“Hell no,” I bluntly said. “And if I did, they sure as fuck wouldn't get it.”

One of the bitch's eyes cut me like a knife when she rolled them. I started to intervene, but decided against it. Bones was taking too long with this shit for real. I was getting real impatient, and Keith's presence wasn't helping me either.

“Anything else I should know?” Bones said. “Tell me the best way to reach the mayor and Chief Blair.”

They told Bones that on Friday nights, the mayor and chief could normally be found at a strip joint where private parties were held. They gave Bones the address, along with directions.

“That's good. Thanks for the info.”

He started to untie the women, and within a few minutes they were freed, as well as shocked. “Are you really going to let us go? Can we leave?”

Bones shrugged. “Why not? Y'all done told me everything I need to know, and I assume that by tomorrow, y'all will be tossing back tequilas somewhere in . . . maybe Mexico, right?”

They both looked at each other and nodded. These fake-ass, snitching bitches needed to quit. I could see straight through their lies. Mexico, my ass.

“Yes. Mexico or wherever. Like I said, you'll never see or hear from us again.”

Bones looked at Keith. “Unlock the door,” he said. “Let them go and make sure they are nowhere to be found tomorrow.”

The women rushed behind Keith and made their way toward the door. They only had a few more steps to take before Bones removed the Glock tucked in his jeans and fired off two bullets. One bullet went into the back of one woman's head, and the other bullet went into the other one's neck. Their bodies dropped simultaneously.

Bones looked at me with no remorse whatsoever on his face. “Can you believe that shit? Those bitches didn't even thank me. How in the fuck was I supposed to trust them?”

I let out a soft snicker thinking the same damn thing. We both moved toward the door, and as one of the women squirmed around on the ground, Bones stood over her. She was trying to say something with blood clogged in her throat.

“What's that?” Bones said, then kneeled down beside her. He placed the gun against her temple. “I know. You're in pain, right? Here, let me help you.”

He pulled the trigger, causing her brains to splatter. With some of the blood splattered on my high heeled shoes, I stepped over the women and tiptoed my way back up the stairs behind Keith. I asked where the bathroom was, and he pointed to a nearby room that was down the hall. I quickly cleaned myself up, then saw Bones waiting for me by the door. I now had a clear picture of what kind of man I was dealing with. He was smooth. Ruthless. Coldhearted—and knew how to get shit done. He didn't waste too much time, unless it was necessary. I admired him already, and keeping it real, he was my kind of nigga.

Bones and I left and were on our way to take care of things with the mayor and chief. On our way to the strip club, Mango called and congratulated us on doing a good deed. He also asked me to meet with one of his connects who only spoke French. I would do so tomorrow while Bones was with Carmen. I figured that Mango needed me for the job because Bones couldn't speak French or Spanish. I had learned both languages years ago, knowing that it would one day benefit me.

The strip club we went to was indeed private. But Big L made preparations for us to go inside and have access to some of the back rooms where the so-called magic happened. Chief Blair was in the house tonight, but unfortunately for us, the mayor was nowhere to be found. Bones and I would have to come back another time to deal with him. We had strict orders from Mango to be back in Chicago tomorrow. After those two women's bodies washed up in the river, he didn't want us to be nowhere in the vicinity. So after my meeting tomorrow, we had to jet. Carmen wouldn't have time to get a taste of Bones, and I was glad about that.