“Man, this has got to be the fanciest whore house I have ever seen!” Jewels said, giving the three-story house the once over. It was a big white house in Long Island in a beautiful residential neighborhood. It was hardly the type of place where you would find a den of criminals, which is probably why the owner selected the location.
“Nigga, would you please shut the fuck up? And for the love of God, please try not to embarrass me while we’re in there. You only get once chance to make a first impression,” Tech told him. He was trying to appear the picture of calm, but his stomach was doing flip-flops.
“Let me ask you something, T. What you think that old woman really called you out here for?” Jewels asked.
“I told you; Belle says she wants me to court her the right way if I plan to kick it with her,” Tech repeated what he’d already explained the day before.
“And you believed her? Listen, all I’m saying is that this old bag is as big a gangster as Shai. Half these bitches in here sell pussy or steal, so why is she all of a sudden concerned with etiquette when it comes to you?” Jewels questioned. He didn’t like the setup and felt like there was more to Tech being summoned all the way to Long Island.
“My nigga, you being paranoid. Let’s just go in here and humor this old lady, so we can get back into the streets,” Tech told him before ringing the doorbell.
After a few moments, he could hear the locks being undone and took a second to make sure that he looked presentable. He smiled when the door opened, expecting to be greeted by one of the girls, but instead found himself looking up at a hard-faced man wearing a tee-shirt and jeans.
“Fuck you want?” He glared down at Tech.
“Uh, I’m here to see Lulabelle,” Tech told him.
“Why?” the man asked. It was an unexpected question that he wasn’t quite sure how to answer. Thankfully, he didn’t have to.
“Who is that?” Belle came from behind the man. She was wearing a sundress and sandals. When she noticed Tech and Jewels standing there looking awkward, she frowned up at the doorman. “Rick, why are you harassing my guests?”
“Ah, I’m just having a little fun with them. You niggas can take a joke, right?”
“Sure man,” Tech said dryly.
“Move, so they can come in!” Belle nudged Rick out of the way so that the men could enter. “Sorry about that. Rick is like our caretaker-slash-pain in the ass. He can be kind of a dick sometimes.”
“So I’ve noticed,” Tech mumbled, falling in step behind her.
The inside of the house wasn’t as impressive as the outside, but it was nice. Long couches formed a horseshoe around the living room and there was a big television mounted on the wall. Several of the girls who weren’t at the party were sitting around watching videos. When they saw Belle come in with Tech and Jewels, they exchanged giggles.
“I done died and gone to heaven,” Jewels said, eyeing the different flavors of women.
“Hi, Tech-Nine,” one of them greeted him playfully. Obviously, he had been the topic of conversation before they arrived.
“Sandy, don’t let me come out of this dress and handle you,” Belle warned.
“Chill out, Belle. I was only joking,” Sandy said, but didn’t sound believable.
“Well, my name is Jewels in case anybody is wondering,” Jewels said.
“C’mon, let’s go sit outside. Ms. Ruby is waiting for us in the backyard,” Belle said as she grabbed Tech by the hand. She was marking her territory.
Belle led her guests across the living room, under the watchful gaze of her roommates. Tech couldn’t help but to feel like a piece of meat from the way they were looking at him. Through the kitchen was a glass door leading to the backyard. He could see Ms. Ruby sitting on a lawn chair, but she wasn’t alone. She was chatting with a brutish-looking white man with a shaved head. Tech’s radar immediately went off and he hesitated.
“What’s this?” Tech asked Belle suspiciously.
“Relax, Tech. That’s just Natalia’s brother, Pietro.”
“I feel a little underdressed for a party. Maybe I should go back home and change.”
“Stop being so paranoid and just come on. Everything will make sense in a second and please try to keep an open mind before you form an opinion,” Belle said as she pulled him by the hand through the doors.
When they stepped out into the yard, Ms. Ruby and the white guy immediately stopped talking; another bad sign.
“Welcome to our home, Tech,” Ms. Ruby greeted him with a crocodile smile.
“Thank you for having us, ma’am. You remember my buddy Jewels from the baby shower,” Tech said in way of an introduction.
“Indeed I do. Hello, Jewels,” Ms. Ruby spoke to him. She craned her neck and looked beyond them as if she was expecting someone else to be coming out of the house.
“Something wrong?” Tech asked, not feeling the setup.
“I was half-expecting you to be traveling with your little shadow. What is it they call him?” Ms. Ruby searched her memory. “The Animal, right?”
Tech’s face couldn’t hide his shock. If he wasn’t sure about this being a setup before, her mentioning Animal’s name confirmed it. Instinctively his hand dropped to his side, where he had his gun shoved in his pocket, covered by his shirt.
“Relax, Tech. I didn’t ask you out here to hurt you. I brought you hear to offer you an opportunity to make some money,” Ms. Ruby said in an attempt to put him at ease.
“I’ll pass, thanks. We outta here, Jewels.” Tech turned to leave, but found Ricky standing in the doorway blocking his path. Slung over his shoulder was a shotgun. Tech cut his eyes at Belle, who looked nervous. “This how you do all the niggas who come by here to date you?”
“It ain’t her fault. Belle had no idea what this was about until right before you arrived,” Ms. Ruby said. “Tech, I assure you that if I wanted you dead I wouldn’t have you killed where my girls lay their heads, nor would I have allowed you and Jewels to keep your guns. I just need a few minutes of your time. If at any point you find yourself uncomfortable or not interested in my proposition, you are free to leave. Now please, sit down.”
Grudgingly, Tech and Jewels did as they were asked.
“That’s better.” Ms. Ruby was smiling again. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Nah, just get to the point,” Tech said angrily.
“Very well then.” Ms. Ruby was now serious. “What Belle told you before was true; anyone who wants to court one of my girls is expected to present themselves like a proper gentleman, but before you crossed my threshold I wanted to know a little more about you, so I did some digging. I found myself quite surprised that for someone so young, you have quite the resume; murder, extortion… It seems you dabble in a little bit of everything, but you seem quite good at taking things that don’t belong to you. I’ve even heard stories about dealers in the city who pay you not to rob them. That’s impressive.”
“Your point?”
“My point being that I have found myself in need of a man like you for a piece of business that Pietro and Natalia have brought to us.” Ms. Ruby motioned to the white man, who was just glaring at them with his cold blue eyes. “Problem is, we’ve found ourselves shorthanded and are in need of some capable young men to help us take off this score.”
“Sorry, I’m not interested,” Tech said as he stood. “Now that you’ve spoken your piece, I’m leaving. Let’s go, Jewels.” He headed for the door leading back to the kitchen.
“You must be doing pretty well for yourself to turn your back on twenty-thousand dollars!” Ms. Ruby called after him.
This stopped Tech dead in his tracks.