It was July Fourth- technically a holiday, although I still didn’t give a rat’s ass about that colonialist celebration. Hetty was out with some church friends and Yasmin had gone out to Coney Island with some of the other kids from the neighborhood. I was sitting in my backyard, reading a newspaper and listening to news radio when Pierre called me in a panic. It was 1:07pm.
“Hopeton!” he yelled into the phone. “Eula’s crib got raided! Biz just hit me on the BlackBerry!”
“Alright, Pierre, just slow down,” I told him. “Hit Biz back and tell him to get over to PanStar as soon as possible. I’m on my way just now.”
“Okay, I’ll see you soon,” he replied, then hung up.
By two p.m., Pierre, Biz and I were in the PanStar backroom, seated around my desk.
I listened as the two of them told me a sorry tale of sloppiness, ineptitude and stupidity.
Every single thing I’d warned them about had come to pass. And now it was Cabrón’s turn to figure out how to get them all out of the mess they’d created.
Pierre brought the meeting to order. I knew he knew I was observing how he handled himself in this moment.
Cabrón started out a bit rough. “We have a lot of shit hemorrhaging and it’s getting out of hand! Biz, tell us what’s going on with Eula. Is she handling it?”
Biz had no choice but to list out all of the bullshit he’d been up to that was now in the hands of the police. His EBT paperwork, his computers and the backpack filled to the brim with bundled up EBT cards and booklets of food stamps. The backpack that was not supposed to be in that little girl’s apartment until mid-month.
“And they got the guns,” Cabrón confirmed. “Those fucking guns!”
He turned to Biz and started yelling, “And it’s all your fucking fault because you were too fucking sloppy and lazy to handle your shit over at HQ like we all told you to do. You have us all caught out there now, just because you wanted to lamp out on that chick’s couch and play video games with Lucci.”
I sat silently and watched Pierre dress Biz down.
Cabrón rode it a bit too long, but he needed the practice.
After a while, I’d seen enough.
“So, where are we at now?” I asked. “Is there any chance that little girl will keep her mouth shut?”
Pierre told me he reckoned she’d hold tight, as long as she thought she was being looked after properly.
I slapped my palm on my desk and said, “Okay. This is how it’ll play. HQ is shut down for good, effective immediately. Biz, you are now strictly focusing on the EBT scheme. And you’re going to have to find a safe place to conduct your business from. No confusion and no disorder. What happened with HQ cannot happen again. Yunnastan?”
Biz nodded.
He knew I was onto him. There was nowhere to hide anymore.
I told Pierre it was up to him to decide how Eula should be handled.
He picked the only viable option, and told Biz to go visit Eula the second she was allowed to have visitors.
“Get your ass on a bus to Rikers first thing and promise her anything she wants,” he said. “Just make sure she doesn’t snitch. Period.”
Then he sent Biz on his way.
Once Biz was dispatched, I pulled out a bottle of Smatt’s and let Pierre in on what he should have figured out a long time ago: everything that had transpired had been put into place long before all the moves had been charted.
I hadn't known the exact movements of how it all would play out, but it was inevitable that Bolo would be back in Panama, Mundo managed into a position of non-influence and the kids that had been foisted on me would self-select their way out of my periphery.
“So, what happens now?” Pierre asked me.
“Mundo’s out of our way. HQ is shut down. The girl isn’t going to flip. Biz has been demoted. And now, you and I can get to the real work.”
“But what’s going on with Mundo?” Cabrón asked. “What did you all talk about when you were in Panama?”
“Mundo wants to get his garage sold. After that, he’s strictly on the Panama side of things. Bolo’s agreed to start moving weapons. Mundo will not be involved.”
Pierre shot me a look that let me know he did not believe me. Mundo’s pull was still too great.
“I’m serious,” I said. “The garage is sold, you get your commission and we work directly with Bolo to set up a real arms business. Mundo is not a factor.”
Pierre decided not to push any further. He told me he’d start moving on trying to figure out who could possibly want to buy a semi-industrial garage located in Brownsville.
“I think I may be able to help you with that,” I told him. “Stop by tomorrow and I’ll get their info to you.”
“A’ight,” he said as he stood up to leave. “Check you tomorrow.”
As soon as I was alone, I dialed Prentiss and let him know what I had on offer. He said yes, sight unseen. I told him to expect a call within twenty-four hours.
