Chapter Twenty Four

Koran devoted the next three days to handling his duties as one of the Head M.G’s. The first two he spent transferring the money and drugs from Emma’s apartment to the four stash houses. It was a job that took Serenity’s help. He cleared everything out except for one army duffle bag which he planned to keep for himself. The Heads still didn’t know the whereabouts of the stash houses and until he found out who was trying to kill them, he wanted to keep it that way. So far no one had asked about it so he didn’t volunteer the information.

The third day, which was on Friday when the drugs were passed down and the money was collected, he spent most of the day in traffic. First, he went to Harlem, where he parked his Range Rover in front of Princes’ brownstone. He traded the Range out for a Plymouth Voyager, equipped with a large hydraulic powered stash compartment stuffed with drugs.

From Harlem, he drove the minivan back to the Bronx, where he met Joey who won the coin toss. They met up to make a pass off at a Jamaican restaurant on Jackson Avenue. After meeting Joey, he switched vehicles again for a 1938 Pontiac Bonneville. He then drove straight to Joe’s Moving Company and dropped the money off so it could be counted.

Feeling like he was about to starve, he returned to the same restaurant he met Joey at and ordered curry chicken, peas and rice, coco bread, and an apple juice to wash it all down. After grubbing, he took a cab back to Harlem to pick up his truck. This was the first and last time he would hand deliver or have any dealings with drugs period.

Once he and Serenity moved to North Carolina he was college bound. Serenity could be the lawyer, his mind was set on business. With millions to work with there was no limit to what he could build. It would be a legal enterprise worth billions.

When Koran made it back to the Bronx thinking his day was almost over, he remembered the stash in Emma’s apartment which called for another trip to meet Joey. This added to the trip back to Joe’s to pick up the money, then another trip to the stash house.

Finally, at seven o’clock that evening, he made it home tired but happy that he wouldn’t have to put up with Jahad’s job no more after this week. When he walked in Serenity was in the living room staring at the wall, a pensive expression on her face. Koran knew right away, Hector had contacted her.

“What he say?” he asked without bothering to confirm his thoughts.

Serenity gave him an ominous look. “He wants to meet you.”

“What?”

“My mother called me right after you left this morning. My girlfriend Veronica, you probably remember her from Junior High, she was at your apartment wanting to see me.”

“Yeah, I remember shorty. She was part of your little clique.” Koran pictured the pretty Puerto Rican he had swung a few episodes with in high school. Serenity nodded. “But listen, I get to my mother’s expecting a reunion, instead she gives me a phone number telling me Hector said to call him immediately because my life was in danger. Like he really gives a damn.” She rolled her eyes. “When I called he told me everything about you and the Heads. That you’re supposed to kill me because you found out I was his sister. I played…”

“Where’s the shit about him wanting to meet me come in at?” Koran asked, impatiently.

“I’m getting there!” Serenity snapped back. “After he said that, he told me to tell you that he really wasn’t your enemy. I asked him what he meant, but he said it was best for you and him to meet. He said you name a place and he’d be there.”

Caught off guard, Koran sat down and rubbed a hand over his face. This was the last thing he expected. He just knew Hector would take the bait and try and use Serenity to get to him. Then again, this could be just that.

“You know what this means, right?” Serenity asked, breaking into his thoughts. “It’s one of the Heads.”

“Yeah, it’s good to know, but fucked up just the same. I’m trying to figure out what’s up with Hector. What the hell he mean he ain’t my enemy?”

“Don’t trust him Koran!”

“C’mon Sin, you think I just fell off a banana boat? Call him back. If he’s serious about meeting me, he’ll come here. If not, I’ll have to set up something else. Just in case I do get him here, start packing our shit. I won’t rest with him knowing where we rest our Heads at. That’s if I don’t body him.”

Serenity nodded and dialed Hector’s number. Once it started ringing, she passed it to Koran.

“Hello?” Hector answered on the second ring.

“Yeah, Hector, this Koran. What up with you wanting to meet me? You know like I know that could be a death sentence for one of us.”

“Whether you believe it or not, it’s in your best interest that we meet. Trust me.”

Koran laughed mockingly. “Trust you? You got jokes, huh? And what’s this shit about me killing Sin? You must be getting your information from a crackhead.”

“No. My information comes from someone who wants you and Jahad dead.”

“And you’re coming to my rescue? Yeah, right. Save the bullshit for somebody else.”

Hector exhaled a frustrated breath. “I’ll level with you. That was my people who tried to kill you and Jahad on story Ave, but my information had to come from someone in your circle. He’s too well informed not to be. And truthfully, he’s not only a serious threat to you. I feel he may be a serious threat to me also. That’s my reason for wanting to meet with you.”

“Let me see if I understand this right. You wanna call a truce. You for real?”

“Yes, whoever this person is, he’s crazy as hell, but smart. So think about it. It would be best for both of us if we knew his identity.”

Koran stayed quiet a moment, his mind working, trying to decide how to proceed. Then something from ‘The 48 Laws of Power’ struck him. Selective honestly.

“Since you say you’re keeping it hands up with me, I’ll keep it hands up with you. Only four people had that information to give you, so I half ass believe you. This is how it’s going down though. If you wanna meet it’s gonna be here at my crib. You can bring two of your people. They stay outside in the hallway while we meet though.”

“Now you’re being the comedian. You think I’m…”

“Breathe easy Duke and listen,” Koran cut in. “I’m bringing you to my crib where I rest my head at. If I body you, then I gotta body your men and most likely that’s gonna draw too much damn attention. How can I explain that to Jake?”

“So you’re asking me to walk into the lion’s den?”

“Listen man, let’s cut through the bullshit. There’s a muthafucka close to me and my brother trying to kill us. This same nigga will probably body your ass too after he get’s us. So it’s only common sense that we dead our beef until we find out who this bastard is. After that we can go back at it if you want.”

“Now I’m about to give this phone back to Sin so you can tell her where to pick you up from. She’ll escort you here and back so you’ll have a safe pass.” Koran paused. “On a show of good faith, I’ve been expecting your call. I deliberately fed that information to whoever gave it to you thinking you would try to use Sin to set me up. My plan was to get the information outta you, then body your ass. Your willingness to help even though I know you ain’t doing it for me changes things. You never know. This could be the turning point in our beef.”

Hector chuckled. “Maybe. And since you put it in plain English, I believe you.”

After Hector gave Serenity his information she hung up, grinning. “Damn you slick baby. He went for it.”

“Went for what? I’m serious about not killing him here unless he makes me.”

“You can’t let that bastard live!” she shouted outraged. “He’ll only end up trying to kill you when this other stuff is out the way!”

“I said I wasn’t gonna kill him here. Before I leave New York that muthafucka gonna be dead! You think I forgot that he bodied my pops? This first meeting will open his trust. The second I’ll open his chest!”