Passion for the Heist, page 26
It didn’t take long for word to start getting out that the Blackbird was back. Wherever he went in the neighborhood, people shouted him out or tried to take up his time to get a bit of conversation. Even before going to prison Pain had been a respected man, but this time around it felt different. He wasn’t the Queen’s feared Blackbird and prince of the Crows. He was getting to it on his own, and on his own terms. When word of his exploits started getting around, Cassandra reached out. She wanted her Blackbird back. Being back in the fold and with his Queen was tempting, but Pain respectfully declined. Serving under Cassandra was in his past and Pain was trying to build a future. A part of him missed some of the perks that came with flying the open road with the Crows, especially those intimate moments he had spent with the Queen, but he learned that he far more enjoyed living the life of a true outlaw. One without restrictions. One day he might revisit returning to the nest, but that would be a conversation for a different time. Until then, he would keep the Queen and her Crows at arm’s length.
Pain’s name was ringing again and it wouldn’t be long before Lolo would hear the bells, too. Being that Pain was back associating with the criminal element, it would only be a matter of time before their paths crossed again. He and Case could often be found in local hotspots that catered to men who danced on the wrong side of the law. He had seen her in a few spots, but almost every time Lee had been with her. He and Pain would exchange dirty looks from opposite sides of the room, but to that point it hadn’t gone beyond that. At least not yet. Pain could see that the two black eyes he’d given Lee when he broke his nose hadn’t healed yet, and it would probably be a slow road to recovery. Lee was a respected man in the streets and Pain had marked him. That wasn’t something he was likely to let go easily. Pain knew he wouldn’t. It would only be a matter of time before they clashed again, but that was a bridge he would cross when he came to it and crush Lee once and for all. But currently he was plotting on crushing something else.
Lee hadn’t been the only one watching Pain. Lolo had taken notice of him. He could feel her eyes on him whenever they happened to occupy the same spaces. Those were the nights when Pain sensed a little something extra in the air. Normally Pain was the quiet one, content to play the shadows and let Case and Tyriq have the spotlights, but on nights when he knew that Lolo was in the building, he was right there with them popping bottles and talking big. This was out of character for Pain to those who knew him, but there was a method to his madness. He was putting himself on her radar. See, Pain didn’t know Lolo, but he knew her type. Women like her were like moths, attracted to whoever’s light shone brighter. So, Pain tried to blind her every chance he got. The hook had been baited and eventually she would bite.
The night it finally happened had been a low-key one, and she hadn’t been who he’d had his sights on. Case had been telling Pain about this huge score that he had been plotting for months, and the time was almost at hand to execute it. They had a ritual that dated back to when they were still young men sticking up weed spots. The night before a big heist, the Crows would go out and celebrate. It was like manifesting the success of a job before even undertaking it. This was also just in case one of them happened to fall while on the job, so if this was to be their last night as free—or living—men, they’d at least have some great memories.
A small group of them had rolled to a spot that Tyriq had put them onto. It was in the Bronx, right across the 145th Street bridge. It was a cool little spot where the drinks were strong, the DJ was rocking, and a hundred dollars slipped to the doorman allowed Lil Sorrow to enter. Case had to give his word that Lil Sorrow wouldn’t drink in order for the doorman to go for it, for fear of him getting caught and costing the spot their liquor license. Lil Sorrow didn’t like it, but it beat the alternative, which was him being left on the block while the rest of them partied. Pain had been on the fence about Lil Sorrow when they first met. He was a new face, but more importantly he was way too young to be caught up in the type of games that Case was playing. But all suspicions he’d had about Lil Sorrow were squashed once he had seen the boy in action.
Lil Sorrow could break into a car and be gone with it in under a minute, and he drove like a stock car driver. In addition to being a talented car thief, the boy had a heart bigger than most. Lil Sorrow hadn’t met a foe that he wouldn’t square up with, and it didn’t matter how big or small they were. One night when they had been on the block drinking, Lil Sorrow had gotten into a heated exchange with another member of their crew that everyone called Hook, because of his vicious right hook. In another life Hook had been an amateur boxer. Words turned into fists flying, and of course Lil Sorrow got knocked on his ass. Hook had caught him with a nasty blow, one that would’ve sat men twice his size down for good, but Lil Sorrow got back up and came at him again. Hook knocked Sorrow down at least three or four times, but the boy wouldn’t stop coming. Even when his eye was black and swollen closed, Lil Sorrow kept attacking. Hook would’ve probably beaten him to death had Pain not stepped in. Lil Sorrow had not only proved himself to be solid, but loyal as well. With the proper guidance, Lil Sorrow was sure to become a ghetto superstar, provided he didn’t get himself killed first. From then on Pain made it a point to keep the runt close to him, as he had once done with Tyriq.
The minute Pain and his gang walked into the Bronx spot, people took notice. Since mostly locals hung out there, when new faces entered the building they stuck out like sore thumbs. Pain was dressed in loose-fitting jeans, wheat-colored Timbs, and a cream sweater. Swinging from his neck were two chains: the Blackbird pendant that Tyriq had gifted him and a slightly larger chain. It was a Cuban link that hung slightly longer than the Blackbird chain. Dangling from the end of it was a circular medallion, trimmed in small diamonds. In the center of it was a picture of his departed mother. For the most part, Pain spent almost every dollar he pulled in from the streets on getting his grandmother out of debt. He had to be slick about paying off her medical bills because he didn’t want to have to explain to her where the extra money was coming from. For all she knew, he was still working the shitty job at the junkyard that his parole officer had hooked him up with. The chain was the first and only major purchase Pain had made for himself.
They didn’t roll too deep that night. Only the homies who would participate in the heist. Pain and Case led the entourage, as always, looking like two handsome movie stars. Lil Sorrow moved quietly in their shadows. His oversized hoodie was pulled up over his head, hands shoved deep in the pockets. From beneath its folds his small eyes watched everyone who wasn’t a part of their crew and some who were. Not far behind was Tyriq, with his confident swagger and reckless eyeballing of every female they passed. He was looking to see which one of them were trying to get chosen to be his plaything for the night. The only time his mind wasn’t on pussy was when it was on stealing. Bringing up the rear were Hook, and Pain’s buddy from the junkyard, Sauce. Sauce had been keeping time with Pain and his friends since the takeover of the chop shop. He had proven to be more valuable to them than he ever was to Mr. Carson. It had been Sauce who helped them disable the alarm system on an appliance store they had broken into earlier in the week. They made off with at least fifteen grand worth of toasters, microwaves, and other goods. That had been the biggest score they’d taken off since Pain had rejoined the crew, but the one Case was planning for them next was said to be even bigger.
You would’ve thought that Pain and his gang were rappers the way they turned heads while crossing the room. Even the DJ acknowledged them. “Shout out to Blackbird and the crew! Welcome home, Pain!” he announced over the microphone.
“Damn, bruh. You didn’t tell me that you were a celebrity,” Sauce joked, falling in step beside Pain.
“Shit, I ain’t nobody special,” Pain told him humbly.
“You got that right,” Hook mumbled.
“What you say?” Pain stopped and turned to him. Hook had been talking slick since the night Pain stopped him from beating up on Lil Sorrow. Pain had chosen to ignore him to that point, but he was starting to work his nerves.
“What he means is, no one man above the team, right?” Case tried to clean it up.
“Yeah, man. That’s what I meant,” Hook said unconvincingly.
“A’ight.” Pain looked him up and down distastefully and walked off. Had he bothered to turn around he would’ve caught the grimy look that Hook was giving him. He missed it, but Lil Sorrow didn’t.
Because the crew had dropped extra money at the door for bottles, they were given a private section in the back. It was more like a bench and two chairs set around a small wooden table, but they made the best of it. Tyriq rounded up a few girls who looked thirsty, literally and figuratively, and invited them to join the group. There were four of them, all different shades of brown. Case had his sights on the butterscotch cutie with green eyes, but she jumped on Pain before he could stake his claim. Pain wasn’t really interested. He just made small talk with her so as not to be rude. The whole time she was chattering, his eyes were sweeping the room. That was when he spotted her. Lolo was posted up near the bar with a few of her homegirls. Pain looked around for her ever-present shadow, Lee, but to his surprise he wasn’t with her.
“Pardon me for a minute. I need to hit the bar,” Pain excused himself from the girl who was trying to attach herself.
“What you going to the bar for if we got bottles?” Tyriq threw his hands up in confusion, but Pain was already moving across the room.
“Tender dick nigga,” Hook grumbled once Pain was out of earshot.
“Blackbird been a pussy hound for as long as I can remember. You could learn a thing from him,” Tyriq teased.
“I’d rather chase a bag than a bitch,” Hook replied.
“Says the broke nigga with no chicks,” Lil Sorrow commented, drawing a laugh from the crew.
“You sound like somebody trying to get his head knocked off,” Hook growled.
“And you sound like a hater,” Lil Sorrow countered.
“I see that ass whipping I gave you hasn’t taught you how to keep that big mouth closed,” Hook said, standing.
“I’m a slow learner. That’s why I had to repeat the third grade.” Lil Sorrow rose, and stood toe to toe with Hook. The man was almost a foot taller than him, but Sorrow didn’t back down.
“Y’all knock it the fuck off,” Case commanded.
The two men eyeballed each other for a few seconds longer, Hook with his fist balled, and Lil Sorrow flipping the razor around in his mouth that he had snuck in under his tongue. He was ready to get to it, and everyone knew it, including Hook. It was Hook who broke his stare first. “Fuck this.” He sat back down and grabbed one of the bottles from the table.
“What’s up with you, homie? You been on some real sour shit lately.” Case leaned in to speak with Hook.
“My problem is ya man Pain,” Hook told him.
“You still holding a grudge about him getting between you and that business with Lil Sorrow? He did what he was supposed to do, and protected a member of this crew,” Case told him. He had actually been impressed that Pain stepped in on Lil Sorrow’s behalf, as he didn’t know him that well. That was confirmation for Case that Pain was all in and dedicated to the crew.
“Fuck that midget terrorist!” Hook spat, looking in Lil Sorrow’s direction. He found the young man watching him intently from behind his sunglasses. “I could give a damn about all that. I’m just not feeling this new pecking order.”
“Pecking order?”
“Bro, we been out here putting in the work all this time with you leading the charge. Then ya man comes home from prison and they’re treating him like some kind of fucking war hero.” He was glaring at Pain, watching people go out of their way to show him respect as he made his way across the room. “They act like he’s the one running this show instead of you.”
“You know I ain’t never gave a fuck about what other people thought,” Case reminded him.
“I ain’t talking about other people.” Hook looked to Tyriq and Sauce, who were enjoying the company of two girls. They were laughing together like two old friends instead of a couple of guys who had only recently met. Pain had brought them together, as he had with other members of their crew, new and old. He had an uncanny ability to bring strangers together for a common cause. Another testament to his leadership abilities and the willingness of men to follow him. “You need to watch that pretty muthafucka, Case. One day you might look up and find you ain’t the one calling the shots anymore.”
Case didn’t reply to Hook’s warning, but he received it.
* * *
Pain tried to move with stealth, but it was hard considering that someone seemed to stop him every few feet. Some of the people he knew in passing from the streets, and others were just trying to get a few ticks with the notorious Blackbird in hopes that they would get put on. It was one of the drawbacks of street fame.
Lolo and her crew were currently in the middle of a full-court press by a group of dudes rocking a lot of floss, big jewels, and cold bottles. She caught a glimpse of Pain when he neared them. Her eyes lit up hopefully as he drew nearer, thinking he was about to approach, but instead he walked by her like he hadn’t even seen her. He perched himself on a stool three down from Lolo and her group and gave his order to the bartender. Pain didn’t have to turn around to know that she was looking at him because he could feel the heat on the back of his neck. About the same time the bartender placed a vodka and cranberry in front of him, Pain felt a presence at his back. He still didn’t turn.
“Drink on you, handsome?” Lolo got his attention.
Pain gave a half turn, glanced at her, and sipped his vodka. “I don’t buy drinks for women who belong to someone else,” he told her in a tone that said he didn’t have time.
“Oh, so you on that now?” Lolo moved to position herself in his line of vision. “That day in the backyard you were trying to make it your business to get to know me.”
“And the day I tried to get at you in the sneaker store on 145th you acted like I wasn’t worth your time,” Pain reminded her.
Lolo studied his face. When she’d seen him in the backyard he felt familiar to her but she couldn’t place him. Now that he mentioned it, she remembered where she’d seen him for the first time, but all clean-shaven and shining he looked like a totally different person. “That was you?”
“Should it matter?”
“Blame it on my head and not my heart. I was going through something at the time.” Lolo invited herself to the stool next to Pain. “How about I buy you a drink instead? To make up for me being rude to you and all.”
“I’ve got a better idea.”
“And what would that be?” Lolo asked curiously.
Pain took a sip of his drink before answering. “How about we cut the bullshit and get straight to what’s this really is. Tell your friends you’ll catch them later and let’s get out of here.”
“I’m no whore!” Lolo said defensively.
“Relax, baby. I ain’t said all that. You just ain’t been fucked properly in a while and I aim to change that,” Pain said coolly.
“And what makes you think that?” She folded her arms.
“The fact that you’ve entertained me for this long without walking away or slapping my face for talking to you like that,” Pain replied.
“You know I got a man, right?” Lolo reminded him.
“Yet you’re still over here up in my face, letting me tickle your ears. It ain’t that serious, shorty. That nigga can have you back when I’m done. I ain’t trying to keep you, just borrow you.” Pain downed the rest of his drink. “I’m going to flag down a cab. Don’t take too long making up your mind.” He slid from the stool and made his way to the exit. The way he had played it was a long shot at best, but he felt good about his odds. If Lee’s hold on Lolo was as tight as he thought, then Lolo would remain loyal and Pain would be riding away alone and feeling like a fool. But if she was any bit the ambitious bitch he thought, she was getting her ass cracked that night. She chose ambition over loyalty.
* * *
Lolo’s lips were still moving, but Pain couldn’t hear a word that she was saying. He had learned how to tune her out throughout the night. Lolo was fine, and fucked and sucked him like he had never been fucked and sucked before, but that was the extent of her value. Beneath the beauty and fancy clothes was a grade-A hood rat. All she talked about during the night they had spent together was neighborhood gossip, designers, and what was going on in the blogs. Her mouth seemed to go nonstop and the only time she was quiet was when Pain threw his dick in it. He had put so much into chasing her, and now that he had her he couldn’t wait to be rid of her.
