Promise Kept, page 12
“Gangster?” Moochie gave Christian a comical look. “I probably got a bigger dick than you do.” She grabbed her crotch. Her eyes rolled over Christian, the beautiful head of hair, the tight pants. If she didn’t know any better, she could’ve sworn that he was wearing makeup. He was no threat. At least that’s what she had assumed. The fact that all the strippers in their section had moved themselves out of harm’s way should’ve told her differently.
Christian matched her stare. “Then how about we both pull out our cocks and compare notes? Your dick might be bigger, but mine is going to make for a much more exciting ride.” He undid the zipper of his pants. As he was doing so, his sweater rode up exposing the pearl-handled pistol he had concealed.
Moochie smirked at her underestimation of the seemingly soft man. Maybe he was more than just a pretty face after all. “That’s a bet I might be willing to take.” She lifted her sweater to show her gun. This was Moochie’s type of party.
The tension in the air had gotten so thick that Promise felt like she was suffocating. The big girl with the dreads looked like she didn’t play any games, but the man called Christian didn’t seem phased. It reminded Promise of an old western she had watched with her aunt Adelle where the villains would have the hero outnumbered and outgunned, but somehow the hero would win the day. She wasn’t sure who was the hero or the villain in this standoff, but if she had to bet, she’d put her money on Christian.
“Okay, break this shit up.” Larry appeared. Odell followed closely behind him with one of the other bouncers. “What’s going on?” He looked back and forth between Christian and Moochie.
“Nothing much, Larry. I’ve just come to reclaim my property,” Christian told him.
“I don’t belong to you, Christian. I’m my own woman,” Donna said indignantly.
“Own woman? Bitch, I built you!” Christian chuckled. “When you came to me, you were a scrawny flat-backer turning tricks on Backpage for a hundred dollars per lay. I turned you into a star. You don’t wanna leave with me? No problem. Give back those tits I paid for, that ass I flew you out to the DR to have worked on, and that new nose that you call yourself trying to look down on me with. I’m also gonna need back the bread I spent to get your junkie of a mama into that rehab facility up in Westchester. If you can do all that, then consider our business concluded. If not, get the fuck up and let’s go!”
Donna looked to Larry with pleading eyes. He knew that trying to snatch one of Christian’s girls would be a problem when he hired her, but when he looked at Donna, all he saw were dollar signs. “Christian, I can’t have you in here strong-arming my girls. How about you come back tomorrow and we can sit down and work things out like gentlemen?”
Christian snorted. “Nigga, you ain’t no gentleman. You’re a chili pimp and a fucking thief. It still amazes me that you can find bitches desperate or dumb enough to come work for you.”
“Fuck all this chatter. How we gonna carry this, Larry?” Odell asked in a menacing tone.
Christian looked up at Odell studying him. “I had heard stories about the brute Larry had on retainer. I have to admit, Larry, he is a truly fascinating specimen. I imagine this one can do some real damage with those brawny hands of his. Unfortunately, my monster is bigger than yours.”
A shadow appeared over Larry and Odell. When Larry turned his eyes went wide. Up until then, Odell had been one of the largest men he had ever seen, but the owner of the shadow dwarfed him. He was six eight with wide shoulders and a head that was deformedly large. Zig-zagging down his forehead was a scar that resembled a lightning bolt. He bore a striking resemblance to Mary Shelley’s fictional monster, which is how he had gotten his nickname, Frankenstein. Larry had heard tales about Christian’s enforcer and had always dismissed them as far-fetched. Seeing Frankenstein in person, Larry realized that none of the stories had done him justice. He was a truly terrifying sight to behold.
Frankenstein didn’t say a word. He just stood there, glaring at Larry and Odell with dead eyes. He turned his attention to Christian, awaiting the kill order.
Larry was literally caught between a rock and a rock. Odell was a gladiator. He had proven it time and again, but Frankenstein was ripped straight from the pages of a horror novel. It was possible that Odell would be able to take him, but at what cost? Odell was too valuable to Larry to have him sidelined. In the end, the kind of problems Christian was capable of creating weren’t worth it. Not over a girl that he should’ve known better than to deal with in the first place. “Donna, get your things. You’re done here.”
“What?” Donna’s eyes got wide. She was just as surprised as the other girls who had gathered to watch the spectacle. They all knew that she had been Larry’s favorite, so it was a shock that he would cast her aside so easily. A few snickers came from some of the girls, happy to see that the self-proclaimed queen of Dirty Wine had been knocked off her throne. “Fuck you, Larry.” She sprang to her feet. It was all she could do to fight back the tears of embarrassment. She made to storm past Christian, so she could go to the dressing room to collect her things, but he grabbed her arm.
“And where are you going?” Christian asked.
“I’m going to get my shit from my locker,” Donna told him.
“No, ain’t nothing that carries the taint of this dump getting in my ride. You’re fine just like you are,” Christian told her.
“But I’m half-naked and it’s freezing outside!” Donna pointed out.
“Call it penitence for your betrayal,” Christian told her. “Frank, walk this lame bitch out. I’ll be along in a second.”
Frank hesitated, not sure he wanted to leave Christian alone, but he reasoned that his boss had it under control. “C’mon, Ms. Donna,” he said in a voice so gravely that you almost had to strain to make out what he was saying. He reached for the girl’s hand, but she jerked away.
“I can walk on my fucking own!” Donna snapped at Frank. She wasn’t mad at the big man. He had never been anything but kind to her. Her anger was directed toward Christian, but to address him further might’ve led to her having to spend a night or two in his playpen. She would’ve rather taken an ass whipping than that. With her head held high, Donna strutted from Dirty Wine, ignoring the mocking laughter from the other strippers that followed her.
Christian waited until Donna and Frank had gone before addressing Larry. “I’m only going to say this to you once: steal from me again and you die. Won’t be no drawn-out speeches or back-and-forth conversation between us. You’ll just quietly leave this world.”
“Is that a threat?” Larry questioned.
“Fuck you think?” Christian popped the collar of his fur and gave Larry his back. “My apologies for disrupting your night,” he addressed the rappers. “If you ever find yourself in my neck of the woods, pop into my spot and allow me to make it up to you.” He handed them several black business cards with the word Hades etched across the front in gold letters. “That goes for you too, beautiful,” he told Promise. “Me, you, and that alabaster skin can make a lot of money. If you ever get tired of working for a nigga who can’t teach you shit outside of how to suck dick and try and steal crumbs from another man’s table, come see about me. My name is Christian, and I make stars out of meteors. Ask around about me.” He winked and was gone.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Look at them. They’re like fat little pigs, begging for us to run spits through their asses and twist them over an open fire. You boys up for some barbecue?” Bone asked, half-joking. The crowd had begun to thicken by then, and there were some players in attendance rocking nice jewelry. He was paying particular attention to Inferno’s group. Among them was a short dude rocking a bald fade. Around his neck was a thick gold chain and on his wrist was the bracelet to match.
“Mind that your eyes don’t get bigger than your belly, Bone,” Unique cautioned. He looked to Sin, who was inconspicuously watching the group over the rim of his glass. Unique could see the wheels in his head turning, making the necessary adjustments. “What you thinking?”
“That I’m starting to question the validity of your source,” Sin replied.
“Nigga, you know my sources are always on point. These extra jokers showing up with Inferno are unexpected twists. That’s all,” Unique said.
“Man, I don’t give a shit how many of them there are. I say we bank all them niggas,” Bone said.
“That ain’t what we were hired to do,” Sin reminded him.
“I forgot, we gotta play it straight because of this mysterious client of yours that got us out here on a witch hunt. You still ain’t said much about who dropped the bag. You fill us in from top to bottom on every other job, so why you playing this one so close, Sin?” Bone wanted to know. He had been curious about it since Sincere had brought the job to the table. Somebody wanted a nigga done filthy, which wasn’t out of the ordinary. That’s what the crew did—take shit that didn’t belong to them and put the hurt on people. This situation was different though. It felt more personal than about the money, and the fact that Sin was being so secretive only made Bone more curious.
“All you need to be concerned about is getting cashed out when the job is done. Anything else, leave to me,” Sin told him.
“Big bro, you on some bullshit. Them niggas is over there looking like free money right now. From the way they just let that faggot play them out of pocket, we can probably book ’em all with little to no hassle,” Bone spat.
“El príncipe de la noche,” Unique said.
“Say what?” Bone didn’t understand.
“The prince of the night,” Unique translated. He’d heard stories about the dark prince of the underworld, but this was his first time seeing him in person. “That’s what they call Christian. He might be a lot of things, but somebody we wanna tangle with ain’t one of them. That pretty muthafucka is as cold as they come. One story I heard was about these Eastern European cats who tried to muscle him on a deal. Ol’ Christian laid them boys low with nothing but an umbrella at his disposal.”
“Bullshit. I can’t see that candy-ass laying nothing down,” Bone said disbelievingly. There was no way Unique was going to convince him that a cat who dressed like Prince was a murderer.
“That’s his gift—deception. Dudes like him you never see coming until it’s too late,” Unique warned.
“Good thing we spotted him first then, huh?” Sin asked. To him, Christian was yet another obstacle that he might have to overcome to reach his goal. And despite his laidback demeanor, Sin would cut through Christian and ten more muthafuckas who looked like him if they got in the way of his target.
“Does seeing your little bitch over there giving them niggas the attention you thought was all yours got you in your feelings?” Bone noticed his brother glaring at Christian as he invaded Promise’s space. The girl didn’t seem to mind either. “What? You too good for sloppy seconds now?” he laughed. It was meant as a joke, but the look Sin shot him was a serious one.
“Don’t ever disrespect my character. How about you keep your mind on this business and off my dick?” he said sharper than he had meant to.
“Calm down, Sin. Baby bro is only fucking with you,” Unique said, defusing the situation. “I don’t think it’s a secret to anybody at this table that you seem a little bit invested in this broad.” It wasn’t an accusation, just an observation.
“You know there’s always a method to my madness. For all you know, I might be the one who put her up to cutting into them dudes,” Sin said cockily. Truth be told, he really was into Promise, but his interests were twofold.
“I’d say you hit a two-for-one tonight and neglected to tell us,” Unique said with a knowing smile. “Knowing you the way I do, it wouldn’t surprise me. You keep a trump card up your sleeve, this we all know. Only . . . she seems a little green to me.”
“And that’s the best part. Niggas are always looking for greener grass, until they find out there are snakes lurking there too,” Sin said.
“So, what’s the play?” Bone asked. “We gonna keep sitting here burning money or get some? We been here for hours, and Nique’s info ain’t proved good yet. That don’t mean the night has to be a total waste. I say we strip these rap niggas of their goods and get in the wind. What’s good, bruh?”
Sin didn’t reply right away. He continued to stare across the room at the rappers, but he could feel the eyes of his brother and best friend on him. When they’d first started running together it was agreed that there would be no singular leader of their crew. Every man would have a part to play. Sin was their strategist, the one whose job it was to explore every possible outcome of a caper and factor in the probability of them pulling it off successfully, before undertaking it. Though he took the lead most of the time, he didn’t officially wear the title of leader. Still, he was one they all looked to for reassurance that they would make it home to their respective families after a job. He looked at his brother and his best friend and saw an all too familiar look in their eyes. The wolves were hungry and depended on him to make sure that they ate. This was not how Sin planned the night would go, and he hated to go off script, but in this case, he had to put the good of the team ahead of his personal feelings. The client would be disappointed by the turn of events, but Sin didn’t have any other choice other than to play the hand he had been dealt. It was either that or leave with his bankroll in the red, and this he couldn’t have. “Fuck it,” he relented. “Go see if that bitch left our package where she said it would be.”
“About fucking time!” Bone said before getting up and heading to the other side of the bar.
“You sure you wanna follow Bone’s greedy ass on this play?” Unique asked once the big man had gone.
“Not really, but he’s right about us leaving here empty- handed. I’ll talk to the client and let them know shit went left,” Sin said.
A few minutes later, Bone came back to the table smiling like a kid who just realized he had been left alone in a candy store after closing. He slid awkwardly back into the booth, waving off one of the girls who was trying to get Unique to spend a few dollars with her. Sin could tell from the mirth in his eyes that the package had been there. His insider had done their part, and now it was time for him to do his. He gathered his team around him and began running down the new plan.
“Everybody clear?” Sin asked after having gone over the plan twice.
“Yeah, man. This is gonna be light work,” Bone boasted.
“That’s just the type of attitude that’ll get you killed, baby bro. I ain’t gonna be the one to tell Pops that you died on my watch. Don’t put that on me. We give each target the same measure of respect, and it puts the odds in our favor to all make it back whole.” It was one of the first lessons his father had taught him when he was a kid, right before he started taking him along on robberies. By the time Bone was old enough to get involved in the family business, their dad had gotten himself retired, and Sin was the one feeding the family.
Sincere watched while Bone divided the stash of guns he had retrieved, using the tabletop as cover. They were all small handguns: a .380, a baby 9mm, and a .38. They usually rolled heavier on jobs, but it would’ve been kind of hard for his insider to stash a machine gun in the paper towel dispenser on the wall. Bone kept the baby 9mm, gave Unique the .380, and slipped the .38 to Sin. He was still in his feelings over his big brother scolding him, and leaving the pop shooter for Sin was proof of that. It didn’t matter to Sin because, in his mind, all bullets burned the same when they cut into a man’s chest. Still, in light of recent developments, the smaller guns would put them at a disadvantage if they ended up having to bang out. The job they had planned for was supposed to be quiet, a simple snatch and go, but Sin knew in his heart that this new twist wouldn’t go down like that. They would have to be fast and coordinated if they hoped to get out alive, let alone pull it off successfully. He knew he could count on Unique to do his part, but he wasn’t so sure about his drunk-ass brother. Everything in him screamed to call it off, but they had come too far to turn back.
Just as Sin was about to give the signal for his guys to take up their positions, a commotion broke out near the front door. He watched Larry hot-foot it across the bar in the direction of the entrance where a small crowd had started to gather. Odell was right on his heels. Strippers had abandoned their poles and lap dances, surging in the same direction. From the way they reacted, you’d have thought someone had just tossed a bag of money into the joint. When the crowd finally parted and Sin was able to see who had just come in, he realized that someone had. At least in a sense. He breathed an audible sigh of relief when he realized that he would no longer have to go off script. He looked to Unique, who was smiling at him knowingly.
“You still wanna question my sources?”
“You can gloat on it once we’re out of here and in one piece, Nique,” Sin replied. This was as close to an apology that Unique would get, and he was fine with that.
“This shit went from a meal to a buffet,” Bone pointed out. “We not only got two millionaires in the spot, but if we decided to turn this whole place into meat, they ain’t got the muscle or firepower to stop us! We could feast and go to sleep tonight with our bellies overflowing and—”
“Or stick to the script and not let greed trick us into taking unnecessary chances,” Sin cut him off. “We plan and execute, not overplay our strokes. That’s how we’ve always won, feel me?”
“Whatever you say, boss,” Bone grumbled.
Sin was about to check his brother about his attitude when the sound of breaking glass caught his attention, followed by shouts. It was coming from the section where Inferno and his guests were seated. At first, he thought that a fight had broken out, until he spotted Promise at the heart of the disturbance. Her eyes bulged and what little color she had to her skin drained away. Larry was barking something at her, but her eyes were glued to the newcomer. When she finally turned to address Larry, she said something that seemed to shock him. The next thing Sin knew, Promise was galloping on her stilettos toward the dressing room. Sin called after her, but she never broke her stride or spared him a look. It was as if she had the devil on her heels. Sin stood to follow, but Unique stopped him.
