The Late Night was our private afterhours spot. We didn’t open until one in the morning and you had to be somebody in the game or be with somebody who was somebody or you weren’t getting in. That always left a crowd of wannabes hanging outside so they could be seen, and wishing they could get in. There were so many of them that we opened another spot down the street called the Blue Room, so we could make money on them.
It was just after one and there was already a crowd outside The Late Night. When me and Bobby got out of the car and walked across the street, we were met by the usual chorus of people shouting, what’s up, Black? Or, what’s going on, Bobby?
They all swear they know us. And then there are the women that practically throw themselves at us like we’re rock stars or some shit.
Every now and then, Bobby will pull one or two out of the line and bring them in with him, but I didn’t. Until last week, I had reason not to. This was Carmen’s house and she was the queen here. But I sent Carmen away, so now I don’t. But I had work to do, and I didn’t need to get distracted.
“Hey, Black,” one said shaking her titties at me as I passed.
She was wearing a black silk lace-trim top that barely covered them and black leather jacket and pants that she poured herself into.
“I thought you said you were going to call me?”
“I don’t even remember you,” I said and kept it moving even though she looked good. “But leave your number with The Kid and I’ll get with you.”
“Who’s The Kid?” she shouted.
It was crowded inside like we had been opened for hours. As I made my way through the crowd, I saw Nick and Jamaica and motioned for them to meet me in the office.
“How’d it go with Drew?” Nick asked when he and Jamaica came into the office.
“He said he’s with us, but we’ll see,” I said.
“What’s the word in the street?” Bobby asked.
“Everybody’s talking about what we did at Emmet’s last night,” Nick said.
“Anything worth hearing?” I asked.
“Nothing we didn’t expect. Most people were like, we’ll wait and see what happens.”
“After tonight, there won’t be any questions about it,” Bobby said.
“So we’re on for Henderson tonight?” Jamaica asked.
I nodded. “We’re leaving right now.” I was about to stand up just as there was a knock at the door.
“Who that?” Jamaica shouted.
“It’s The Kid,” he said and Jamaica let him in.
“What’s up, Freeze?”
“Carmen is here.”
“And.”
“She wants to talk to you.”
I looked at Freeze for a second and then I got up and walked to him. “What I tell you?”
“That you don’t wanna see Carmen.”
“What that mean?”
“That you don’t wanna see Carmen.”
“Right.”
“What happened with Carmen?” Nick asked.
“Shut up, Nick,” I said and got in Freeze’s face. “It means that you need to handle it. Not come running back here every time she shows up for me to tell you what you already know. Do you understand me?”
“Understood.”
“And you make sure that she gets home safely.”
“Understood,” Freeze said and left the office. When I turned around, I was met by blank expressions on Nick and Jamaica’s faces. I didn’t feel like explaining to them why I didn’t want to see Carmen.
“Let’s go,” I said and followed Freeze out of the office as Calvin’s words pounded in my head.
For her sake, Mike, let her go. Let Carmen be somebody more than just your woman.
So I let her go.
I didn’t want to think about what I had done. It was easier to keep telling myself that I did the right thing. That now, Carmen would have a chance to be somebody.
As we made our way through the crowd, I saw her. Carmen was in Freeze’s face and he was shaking his head, probably telling her no she can’t see me. Even though she looked as beautiful as she always did, I could tell that Carmen had been crying. I could see it in her eyes.
Then she saw me.
I wanted to be cold … look away and keep walking, but I couldn’t. Our eyes locked for a second. Then I stood paralyzed and watched as Carmen made a move around Freeze and he had to lunge to grab her.
Then I felt a hand on my arm.
“Come on, Mike,” Bobby said, and I saw Jamaica and Nick heading to help Freeze hold off Carmen.
Bobby led me out of The Late Night and I felt like shit for what I knew I was doing to Carmen. But I was doing the right thing, right? I was letting her go so she had a chance to be somebody. There wasn’t no future in her loving a thug nigga like me. Carmen was going to be much better off without me holding her back.
When we got in Bobby’s car, he started it up and we drove off. “Ain’t we gonna wait for Nick and Jamaica?”
“They know where we’re going. They’ll catch up.”
I looked at Bobby. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
Since he knew, I didn’t bother answering.
“No point torturing yourself about it, you did what you thought you had to do,” Bobby said as he drove. “And Calvin’s right.”
“I know that, Bobby.”
“Carmen is beautiful.”
“I know that, too.”
“That’s why I never understood what she saw in you.”
We both laughed.
“Carmen is something special. She has a classic model look, carriage and poise,” Bobby said repeating what I told him Calvin said to me.
“I know, Bobby.”
“And with a lot of hard work, Carmen has the potential to be big in the fashion industry.”
“Bobby!” I shouted.
“What?”
“Stop trying to make me feel better.”
Bobby stopped talking and drove quietly for a change, but it didn’t last. We had stopped at a red light and just before the light was about to change, Bobby turned to me.
“You love that girl, Mike. That’s why you had to break her heart,” he said, then the light turned green and he drove off.
“Shut up, Bobby!”
He drove to Henderson’s gambling house in silence, which was and wasn’t good for me. It forced me to think and I didn’t want to think, not about Carmen Taylor. But I did think about her. And since we left Nick and Jamaica, we had to sit and wait. It didn’t take long for me to have enough of that.
“Come on,” I said and got out of the car. Bobby got out and hustled to catch up as I walked toward Henderson’s spot.
“You don’t wanna wait for Nick and Jamaica?”
“We’ll be inside when they get here,” I said, and I kept walking toward the building.
Then I stopped and faced Bobby.
“And you’re wrong. I am not in love with Carmen,” I told him in no uncertain terms, because I wasn’t and we went inside.
We talked shit with the doorman for a while and then we went in. When it got suddenly quiet in there, I knew that everybody in there had heard about Emmet. And then, just as suddenly, the buzz was back.
“What’s up, Black,” I heard some woman say.
“Yo, baby, what’s up,” I said, and kept moving toward the bar.
When I got to the bar and the bartender served us our drinks, I looked around and saw Drew standing by the stairs that led down to the gambling room. I nodded at him and he returned the gesture.
When I turned back, I saw Henderson and his long time bodyguard, Pistol Pete coming toward us. When I looked back, I noticed that Drew was gone.
“Here he comes,” Bobby said.
“I see him.”
“He doesn’t look happy.” We shot our drinks.
“He’ll feel much better about it soon. I promise.”
Bobby laughed. “Or not,” he said as Henderson arrived.
“We need to talk,” he said the second he was close enough.
I took a step toward him. “What we need to talk about?”
“That shit you pulled last night with Emmet.”
“What shit you talkin’ ’bout?”
Henderson laughed. “Don’t fuck with me, nigga. I ain’t Emmet. Me and André was killin’ young punk niggas like you two when you was still suckin’ on your mama’s tittie. I bet André don’t even know what you up to, because if he did, he’d put a stop to you and your shit permanently.” He got in my face. “I oughta throw you outta here like you did Emmet, Vicious Black.” He laughed and poked me in my chest.
When he touched me, I took a step back, and reached for my gun. I pointed it in Henderson’s face and pulled the trigger.
It got everybody’s attention.
When his body hit the floor, I stood over him and put three more in his chest.
I guess Pistol Pete finally got over the shock of what he’d just seen, because he started to go for his gun. When he did, Bobby raised his gun to Pete’s temple and fired.
It was then that Nick and Jamaica came in the spot. When they realized that it was already on, they pulled out their guns and covered the room. Some of Henderson's men started to move, but I saw Drew hold up his hand to stop them.
“I want everybody to understand. These are my streets now. You don’t make money in my streets without paying me.”
“Anybody got a problem with that?” Bobby asked.
That was when Drew stepped forward with his hands in the air. “No, Black. Ain’t nobody got a problem with it,” he said and turned to one of what were now his men. “Get them outta here.”