Diamonds and Pearl (37 page)

Goldie's voice came over the line. “Sounds like someone is having a shitty day.”

“Little brother, you don't know the half.” Diamonds sighed.

“Well, I got a bit of news that might perk you up. That science experiment in your office fridge has taken a turn for the worse. Last I checked, it looked like it was rotting,” Goldie told him.

Diamonds knew he was speaking of the tongue. He smiled, as it was the first piece of good news he'd gotten all day. “The little birdie tried to sing but couldn't finish the song. I guess that means we don't need that insurance policy anymore either.”

“You want me to take care of it?” Goldie asked.

Diamonds thought on it briefly. “Nah, I got a better idea. Grab my gear and meet me at the storage unit. I think I just figured out a way to kill two birds with one stone.”

 

PART

V

LOVE AND CONSEQUENCES

 

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Up until the point Domo arrived at the address, he had been suspicious of Vita's intentions for him. The fact that LA had gone on ahead of him and Raheem didn't do anything to assuage his nerves. The whole ride on the train into New York, his mind played more than a hundred different scenarios, and he started to consider turning back, but reasoned he didn't want Vita hunting him down if he blew her off. Against his better judgment, he answered the summons, preparing for himself for whatever she would throw at him. Of all the things he expected to find at the end of his journey, a party wasn't one of them.

The address brought them to a two-story house in a part of the Bronx that Domo had never ventured to. It was on a quiet, tree-lined street with manicured lawns. Most of the houses were almost identical in make and color, but Domo had no trouble picking out the one they were looking for. It was the only one with colorful balloons tied to the fence, and men who didn't look like they belonged in the sleepy neighborhood loitered in the front yard. Several sets of eyes turned to the approaching strangers.

“You sure we good out here?” Raheem asked, inching his hand toward the .38 in his back pocket.

“Honestly? Nope, but I ain't about to turn back like some pussy.” Domo continued toward the house.

One of the men peeled himself from the group. “You boys lost?” He was a tall brown-skinned fellow with thick lips that currently held a smoldering blunt between them. Tied snugly around his neck was a black bandanna.

Domo stood there for a few ticks, not really sure how to reply. It wasn't like he had a formal invitation to whatever they were celebrating—he only had the text message.

“Goldie, stop being a dick and let them boys pass,” a feminine voice called from somewhere in the front yard. Vita muscled her way through the cluster of men. Her eyes were glassed over, and a blunt bobbed between her lips. She was wearing a short denim skirt and a tight T-shirt that showed off erect nipples.

The man she had called Goldie cracked a sly smile. “Sorry, V. Didn't know these pups belonged to you, seeing as how they ain't wearing collars.”

Vita exhaled a cloud of smoke into Goldie's face. “Collars are for dogs, and this here is a pure-bred wolf cub.” She draped her arm around Domo.

“We'll see about that.” Goldie turned and walked around the side of the house to the backyard.

“Pay Goldie no mind. He'll warm up to you eventually—or try to kill you,” Vita said half jokingly. “Glad you made it out, even though you brought company.” She eyed Raheem.

“Rah, is cool.” Domo assured her.

“I wasn't sure you were going to come.”

“I wasn't sure I was going to come either,” Domo confessed. “I wasn't really sure what to expect, especially not a party.”

“Well, what did you expect? That I'd bring you all the way out here to whack you?” Vita said as if she could read his mind. “Lighten up, pretty boy” She patted his cheek. “Of all the things I might take from you before this night is said and done, your life isn't one of them … provided you know how to play your position. Now, stop standing there, looking like a tourist, and come on in the back so I can introduce you to the rest of the crew.”

*   *   *

As it turned out, the party wasn't a party after all. It was a baby shower thrown for a guy Vita introduced as TJ and the mother of his pending child. The backyard was laid out with tables full of food and a fully stocked bar in the corner. Boxes and bags of gifts seemed to take up every bit of available space, with a revolving door of people dropping more off every time Domo looked up. TJ was cool, but Domo wasn't sure how he felt about Teisha just yet. It was obvious she was a hood chick, but she went out of her way to play the role of ghetto fabulous. She sat perched on a wicker throne in the corner, receiving guests and giving orders like she was the Queen of Sheba. When Domo and Raheem had first come in, she assumed they were the help and tried to send them to take out the trash, but Vita set Teisha straight. She let her and anyone else wondering that Domo was family.

Vita made sure Domo and Raheem were situated with plates of food and drinks before heading back out to make her rounds through the shower. Teisha was the one having the baby, but it was Vita who moved amongst the guests, making sure everyone had what they needed and that the event proceeded smoothly. She had a way about her that put people at ease, and had Domo not seen firsthand the murderous fury bottled up inside that small frame, he, too, might've believed her façade.

Domo played the background, picking at his plate and sipping a plastic cup full of Hennessey. They had been there for nearly an hour, but there was still no sign of the mysterious Diamonds, or LA either for that matter. Vita had stressed how bad Diamonds wanted to meet Domo, but he wasn't about to wait around all night for him to make his grand appearance. He would give him a few minutes more, and then he was heading back to Jersey.

Raheem clung to Domo like a shadow. His friend was trying to play it cool, but Raheem couldn't hide the nervousness in his eyes. They were out of their depth and they both knew it, but they were playing the roles anyhow. Raheem gabbed into Domo's ear constantly, and every few minutes Domo would nod as if he were really listening, but he was more focused on the cast of characters surrounding him. He hardly knew anyone there besides Vita, but he did recognize a few faces from being around Stoney's family. One in particular was a dealer named Born. He had seen him at the house once with Knowledge. He didn't know much about Born, except that he was one of the men Big Stone supplied. With him was another man who Domo wasn't familiar with. He was slightly older than Born, but he dressed like a man half his age, in baggy clothes and rocking a do-rag. Studying his face, Knowledge couldn't help but to notice how much he resembled Big Stone. The older man looked uneasy being there, but Born had made himself right at home. Domo watched as he shook hands with and hugged TJ as if they were old friends. As far as Domo knew, Vita and her crew were new to town, so he wondered what Born's affiliation was.

“You good?” Vita startled him. She moved so quietly, he hadn't heard her approach.

“Yeah, I'm straight. Thanks,” Domo replied.

“Well, if you're done stuffing your face, come with me inside so I can introduce you to the rest of the boys.”

Domo and Raheem followed Vita through the back door and into the house and found it almost as crowded as the backyard. Children were ripping and running all through the house, laughing and knocking things over, while their parents acted like they didn't see them. Sitting around the table were four older women engaged in a card game. Domo had to do a double take when he saw the silver-haired old broad sitting at the head of the table, peeking at him over the rim of her violet bifocals.

“Well, well,” she said, plucking a cigarette from behind her ear and tapping it on the back of her hand, “ain't this a small world.”

“How you doing, Ms. Sweets?” Domo greeted her respectfully.

“You two know each other?” Vita asked in surprise.

“Shit, everybody in Essex County knows Carolina Sweets!” Raheem added.

It was true. On the other side of the Hudson, Carolina Sweets was something like a living legend. She had a track record of putting in work that went back to the sixties and consisted of everything from armed robbery to selling pussy. She was an OG for real. Domo knew her because she was sort of like a godmother to his mom, and she had looked out for them a few times. It had been a minute since he had seen Sweets, but last he heard, she was working as the madam at a cathouse in East Orange.

“How's Lisa?” Sweets asked after his mother.

“She's good,” Domo replied.

“When you see her, tell her I'm gonna come by for a touch-up next week.” Sweets fluffed her curls.

“Yes, ma'am.”

Sweets eyeballed the two boys suspiciously. “What y'all two young-ass niggas doing this far from home?”

“They're here with me,” Vita answered.

“Damn, V. I enjoy a young piece of meat from time to time, but these boys still got titty milk on their breath,” Sweets joked.

“I don't know about the chubby one, but from what I can tell so far, Domo is man enough,” Vita said suggestively.

“Ha!” Sweets slapped the table hard enough to rattle the glasses on it. “You just be mindful not to break your new toy, because he's kinda on the scrawny side. I'd hate to have his mama come 'round, looking for you.”

Vita sucked her teeth. “Sweets, why you acting like you don't know my résumé?”

“Oh, I know you're thorough, Vita. In fact, I'd put money on you against most men, but Domo's mama ain't no slouch. Back in the day, she did her share of slaning and banging. You kinda remind me of her, which is probably what got Domo sniffing around you. You know they say every boy wants a woman who reminds him of his mama.”

“Whatever.” Vita laughed it off. “Where're the boys?”

“Them hooligans down in the basement, probably tearing up some more of my niece's shit. Them fools are like bulls in a china shop. I swear, Vita, I never understood how such a sweet young thing like you hooked into such a group of classless men.”

Vita shrugged. “They ain't the most prized bunch, but they're all I have. Catch you later, Sweets.” She started toward the door to the basement, Domo and Raheem following.

“Vita, be mindful when you go down there. That fool-ass Buda is drunk and on one,” Sweets warned.

Vita shook her head sadly. “When the hell is he not?”

 

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

“So, how y'all know Sweets?” Domo asked Vita as they descended the stairs to the basement.

“She's Teisha's aunt. She and I got close, because when we first arrived in New York, the boys were always running to Jersey to party with her girls, and I always ended up sitting out front with Sweets until they were done being nasty. The stories that old broad can tell.” Vita chuckled.

“You ain't got to tell Domo, since he's lived through half of them,” Raheem joked, drawing a dirty look from Domo.

Domo's mother was a good woman, but she hadn't always been. In Domo's younger days, she was kind of on the wild side and spent a lot of time in the streets. He never asked his mother about her life prior to slowing down to raise him, but he had heard the rumors. Still, he liked to keep his family business close to his chest. Raheem was out of line, and the only reason Domo didn't check him was because they were in front of Vita.

As soon as Vita opened the second door at the foot of the stairs, they were nearly overcome by a thick cloud of smoke. From somewhere in the basement he could hear raised voices. Domo wasn't sure why, but his heart suddenly started thudding in his chest. When they rounded the corner that lead into the main area of the basement, there was a group of men huddled around a pool table, engaged in a dice game. LA was one of them. He had a fistful of cash in one hand and was shaking the dice in the other. Also present were Goldie and a brutishly built cat who they had yet to be introduced to. From the sour expression on his face, Domo reasoned it must've been his money clutched in LA's mitt.

“There're my niggas!” LA shouted when he spotted Domo and Raheem. He raised a cash-stuffed hand and waved them over. “Glad you're here. I was starting to think you were gonna miss this little event.” He embraced Domo.

Domo ignored the pungent stench of alcohol, and something that wasn't weed, coming off LA. “If you were that concerned, how come you didn't wait for us since we were all coming to the same place anyway?”

“Aw, man. I had some shit I needed to do in New York, so I came over a little early,” LA said, downplaying it. “But fuck it—we're all here now, and that's what's important. Welcome to the big-time, baby!”

“Jersey nigga, you gonna shoot the dice or keep making goo-goo eyes with your girlfriend?” the brute with the beard asked sarcastically. His face reflected that of a man who had already lost a few dollars to LA, and the half-empty whiskey bottle in his hand said he was just tipsy enough to make a big deal of it. That had to be the Buda who Sweets was speaking of.

“Slow your roll, Buda. I can take your money with or without the disrespect.” LA tossed the dice. “Up, bitches!” He snapped his fingers. They danced across the pool table, and four was his point.

“All that just to throw a weak-ass four.” Buda snatched the dice. “I'm sending this nigga home in his socks tonight,” he boasted, and tossed the dice. All the bravado left him when he rolled a three and lost again. “Damn it!” He slammed one of his fists on the edge of the pool table, cracking the wood.

“Damn, Buda. Why you gotta be on some gorilla shit? You know TJ is gonna be pissed about you messing up his pool table,” Goldie said.