Out of Control (19 page)

Jackie Washington walked into Cuisine for dinner. “I don’t have a reservation,” she told the hostess, but she didn’t need one. Jackie was family. She ran the high stakes poker game that Black and Bobby used to run back in the day. A lot of money ran through that game and a lot of people thought Jackie shouldn’t handle it. But Jackie proved them wrong.

She got the spot by proving her loyalty to Black. It was Jackie who put Black on Mylo, AKA DEA agent Clint Harris who along with another agent named Masters planned to kill him. Mylo used to run the game. After Freeze was killed, it was a couple of days before Black got around to checking things out. When he got to the game, there was Jackie holding it down. Since she’d been watching Mylo for him, Jackie knew how things worked. Everything was going fine. Black felt like he owed Jackie for putting him on to Mylo, and he respected the way she stepped up and ran the game when he needed her, so he left Jackie there. Since that time, Jackie had earned everybody’s respect.

The hostess looked over her seating chart and escorted Jackie to a table. It had been a while since she had been away from the game. Usually she was the first one there and the last one to leave. But that night, Jackie thought she would get out, have a good meal and watch the show.

When Jackie finished her meal and the show was about to start, a waitress came to her table. “Lexi would like to see you in her office.” Jackie finished her drink and went back to the office. When she walked in, Lexi who managed Cuisine and Tara who ran Impressions, a nightclub owned by Bobby Ray, were sitting in the office.

“What up, ladies?” Jackie asked.

“Hey Jackie,” Lexi said. “Come on in and close the door.”

Once Jackie was seated, Lexi began. “We were just talking about what’s going on between Nick and Wanda.”

Jackie looked confused. “What’s going on between Nick and Wanda? They get back together or something?”

Tara laughed. “You haven’t heard?”

“Heard what?”

“Wanda tried to have Nick killed,” Lexi said.

“Over Rain?” Jackie asked.

“No, Jackie, Wanda is making a move to take over from Nick and sent men to kill him,” Tara said.

“Is Nick all right?”

“I heard he’s all right and Rain got him hidden somewhere in case Wanda tries it again,” Lexi told her.

“That’s some shit right there,” Jackie said.

“Then Rain killed Grant and four of his men, then she set his club on fire,” Tara said.

“I heard that last week two more of Grant’s people were found dead in the back seat of a car. Both of them were shot point blank in the face.”

“Damn, Rain ain’t no joke,” Jackie said.

“I’m surprised you haven’t heard any of this,” Tara said.

“I’m not,” Lexi laughed. “Jackie never leaves that gambling house. What I’m surprised about is that you’re out tonight.”

“I have a home and I go there everyday,” Jackie said in her defense.

“To sleep, and then you go right back. That game is your life.”

“Does Black know about this?” Jackie asked wishing to change the subject.

“If he does, he letting them go at it,” Lexi said. “Wanda came by here last night with three big ugly niggas.”

“What did she want?” Tara asked.

“Just asked me a bunch of questions. She was trying to see if I knew anything. But I just played dumb. You know I don’t want any parts of this mess.”

“I don’t either,” Tara said.

“I don’t think either of you got anything to worry about. You’re not that end of the business. Whatever’s goin’ on shouldn’t touch what you do,” Jackie told them.

“I hope you’re right, Jackie,” Tara said. “We ain’t all gangster like you are, Jackie.”

“I ain’t all gangster,” Jackie said.

“Really?” Lexi asked. “I know for a fact that you got two guns on you right now, don’t you?”

Jackie unbuttoned her jacket and opened both sides to reveal a 9-millimeter in each holster. “Always armed and extremely dangerous.”

“Looks pretty gangster to me,” Tara said.

“What should we do if they try anything?” Lexi asked.

“Like what?”

“Like try to take over,” Tara said.

“How much security do you have?” Jackie asked.

“Some, but they’re the type of security that can handle loud customers and drunks, not the kind that’s gonna stand up to a takeover bid,” Lexi said and Tara agreed.

“If somebody were to try and takeover the club, all I could do is roll over and let them have it,” Tara said.

“Like I said, I don’t think that’s gonna happen, but if it does, call me,” Jackie said.

“You gonna come shoot it out with them yourself two gun?” Tara said jokingly, but she really wanted to know.

“No. But I got some people that I can send to back you up,” Jackie promised. And that seemed to allay their concerns, at least for the time being.

After she left Cuisine, Jackie went back to her spot thinking that she didn’t want to get involved in it. When she got there, to her surprise, Rain was there with Chris Toney, Memphis and Donavan. The men were gambling and Rain was at the bar. Jackie acknowledged their presence and went about her business.

If this was what she thought it was, it wouldn’t be long before Rain stepped to her. About an hour later, Travis came in. “Stay close to me,” Jackie whispered to him.

“Why, what up?” Travis asked.

“I’ll tell you later,” Jackie said and walked away. Travis went in the office to arm himself. As Jackie made her way around the room, Rain approached her.

“I need to talk to you about something, Jackie,” Rain said.

“I’m listening.”

“Can we talk in your office?”

“Sure. Come on.” Jackie led Rain to her office and Rain closed the door behind them.

“What’s up?”

“You know what’s goin’ on?”

“No,” Jackie answered, deciding to follow Lexi’s example. “What’s goin’ on?”

“Wanda tried to have Nick killed.”

“Wanda?”

“Why everybody say it like that? Like that bitch ain’t capable of murder.” Rain knew for a fact that Wanda was quite capable of pulling the trigger. Nick told her that it was Wanda that killed Camille Augustus years ago.

“It just seems hard to believe, that’s all,” Jackie said.

“Well she did.”

“Is Nick all right?”

“Yeah, he’s gettin’ better. He someplace safe for the time being.”

“Does Black know about this?”

“Unless Wanda’s ass told him, he don’t know nothin’ about it. And Nick wants it to stay that way.”

“I think he needs to know,” Jackie said.

Rain pulled out her gun and pointed it at Jackie. “You not gonna tell Black a damn thing. You say a fuckin’ thing to Black and I will blow your fuckin’ brains out. Understand?”

Just then Travis walked up behind Rain and put his gun to her head. Rain felt the steel and lowered the gun.

“Hand me the gun, Rain,” Travis said.

Rain reached back and Travis took the gun out of her hand. Jackie took out her guns and pointed them at Rain.

“I ain’t got no beef with you, Rain. But I can’t let you walk up in here and pull a gun on Jackie like that,” Travis said.

“I didn’t know you was in here. If I did, I might have thought twice about doin’ it,” Rain said and smiled at Jackie.

“Come on let’s go.”

“Where we goin’?” Rain asked.

“Out of here. You can have your gun back when we get outside,” Travis said and walked Rain toward the door. Jackie opened the door. When Rain’s men saw her being led out of the office at gunpoint, they went for their guns.

“It’s all right,” Rain said. “Put away your guns. We ain’t got no problem here,” she said and continued for the door. “Don’t nobody do nothing stupid.”

When Rain was at the door, Jackie motioned with her gun for them to follow her out. Once they were outside, as promised, Travis gave Rain back her gun. She put it in her waist. Travis and Jackie choose to keep theirs pointed at Rain and her men.

“Like Travis said, we don’t want no problems with you, Rain,” Jackie said. “You just can’t come up in here and disrespect me like that and expect me to take it.”

Rain smiled. “I think we understand each other, Jackie.” Rain turned to her men. “Come on let’s go. Good night Travis.”

“Rain,” he said with his gun still pointed at Rain’s head.

They stood and watched with guns drawn until they got in the truck and drove off. “Put a couple of people out here in case they come back,” Jackie said.

“Done. As soon as you tell me what the fuck is goin’ on,” Travis said.

“You heard most of it. We’re at war,” Jackie said and went inside. And just like that, Jackie was involved.

It was quiet in the Suburban as they drove away from Jackie’s spot until Chris Toney asked the question on everybody’s mind. “What just happened?”

“Nothing,” Rain said and continued to look out the window.

“Looked like a little more then nothing, Rain,” Memphis said.

“Look. I was juiced about what went down today. Losing Brandon and shit, and I went up in there incorrect. Like I said, it was nothing.”

“What you wanna do now?” Chris Toney asked as he drove.

“Take me to Nick.”

Nobody else said a word on the way to the convalescent home where Nick was recuperating from his wounds. When they got there they checked in with the convalescent home in-house security.

“Lorraine Robinson to see Tom Paris,” she said and showed her ID to the man at the desk. That was the name she had checked Nick in under.

“Sign in, please.”

Rain signed everybody in and they made their way to the room.
 
When they came in, Nick was awake and talking to Jap. The only time he’d been out of the room was when Rain was there, otherwise he hadn’t left. “What’s up, Jap,” Rain said and went to the bed. She kissed Nick. “How you feeling, baby?”

“I feel good. Perry said he might let me outta here tomorrow.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Yeah, that is,” Donavan agreed.”

“Yo, Rain, we ’bout to get outta here,” Chris Toney said.

“Where y’all goin’?” she asked.

“We’re goin’ to the club.”

“I’ma stay here tonight. Y’all be safe and stay outta trouble.”

“You know us,” Memphis said.

“Yeah, I know y’all, that’s why I’m sayin’ it.” Last week, when she let them go off by themselves they were bored, so Chris Toney suggested they ride by one of Grant’s gambling spots. “We gonna burn it down?” Donavan asked.

“No, man. Rain already did that. We need to do some different shit,” Chris Toney said.

“We could kidnap a couple of them,” Memphis suggested.

“No. That would take too long and besides, suppose nobody wanted to pay the ransom?”

“Then we shoot them niggas,” Memphis said.

“Why not just shoot them and be done with it,” Donavan said. “Ain’t nothin’ in the world like puttin’ a gun in a mutha fuckas face, seein’ the fear in his eyes before you put two in his head.”

“I think you on to something,” Chris Toney said and it was on.

 
They sat outside for an hour and waited until two of Grant’s men, Burke and Cootie, came out and went to their car. Just before they got there, Donavan and Brandon took them at gunpoint and made them drive. While Chris Toney and Memphis followed, they were forced to drive until they found a block where the streetlights were out.

They were told to stop and then get in the back seat. Donavan and Brandon got in the front seat. Memphis and Chris Toney stood outside and looked in the window. “Y’all together? Donavan asked and laughed.

“What?” Burke asked.

“I mean ya looked kinda on the funny side when y’all was walkin’ to the car. Looked like y’all was holding hands; didn’t it Brandon?”

“Like he wanna kiss him now,” Brandon said.

“Hey, Chris, we got any more of them plastic cuffs?”

“Sure do.”

“Get me some,” Donavan said. When Chris Toney came back, Donavan told the men to hold hands. “You know you want to,” he said and everybody pointed their guns until they did it. “Both hands.” Once they did it, “Tie their hands together.”

Chris Toney laughed, but he did it. “You a sick mutha fucka, D.”

After he was done Chris Toney got out of the way and Donavan raised his gun and put it close to the mans face. “You’re gonna die now,” he said and pulled the trigger.

Memphis quickly followed suit and shot the other one.

“That’s how The Purple Gang do some shit!” Chris Toney yelled.

They wiped the car down, shut the doors and walked away.

When they left, Jap left the room with them and made himself comfortable out in the hall. Nick moved over and Rain got in the bed with him. He slowly put his arm around her.