“No. He just comes by here.”
“How often? Every day? Once a week?”
“You know, he just come by sometimes. Like you used to just show up here when you felt like it.”
Rocky wrote down his number on a piece of paper on the table. “You call me when you see him, Jeanna. I’ll make it worth your while,” Rocky said and stood up.
“How much?”
“Five hundred.”
“You gonna kill him?”
“No, Jeanna. I just need to talk to him.”
“You promise you ain’t gonna kill him?”
“Yeah, I promise. I ain’t gonna kill him. You just need to call me when you see him.”
Rocky started for the door.
“Rocky.”
“What?”
“Let me have a couple dollars.”
“You ain’t earned it yet.”
“Come on, now. You know you got it.”
Rocky reached in his pocket, counted off five twenties and put the roll back in his pocket. “Here.”
When Jeanna tried to grab the money, Rocky held it above his head. “What you gonna do to earn it?” Without another word, Jeanna dropped to her knees and began to undo Rocky’s pants. He sat back down in the chair and Jeanna proceeded to earn the money.
It had been three days, and Rocky still hadn’t heard from Jeanna, but he wasn’t worried. After he left her, he made the same offer to the guys who hung out on the corner, so he knew Jordan still hadn’t showed up at Jeanna’s.
It certainly wasn’t from a lack of effort to get him there on Jeanna’s part. She called everyone she could think of and had been everywhere that she knew Jordan hung out, but nobody had seen him.
Since that night on her knees with Rocky, Jeanna developed a plan. She no longer cared if Rocky killed Jordan. In fact, she hoped he would. Jeanna planned to take the money, get herself cleaned up, and make a play to get back in Rocky’s good graces. The money and perks were definitely better than what Jordan had to offer.
Late one night, Jeanna heard his key hit the door. She panicked when she realized that she had left Rocky’s number lying on the coffee table. She started to reach for it, but it was too late. Jordan had come through the door.
“What’s up, Jeanna?”
“Hey, Jordan,” Jeanna said nervously.
“What’s wrong with you?” Jordan asked as he sat down on the couch.
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“What’s this?” He grabbed the paper off the table. “Who number is this?”
“It’s Rocky’s number.”
“Rocky? The one you used to fuck?”
“Yeah,” Jeanna said quietly. She was scared, very scared, but she was determined to make this work for her.
“What was he doin’ here?”
“Lookin’ for you.”
“Me! The fuck that nigga want wit’ me?”
“I don’t know. He said for you to call him. Then he said I should call him when I see you.”
“Did you call him?” Jordan asked.
“No. Did you see me run to the phone?” Jeanna said sarcastically.
“Oh.”
“So, you gonna call him?” Jeanna asked.
“What I’m gonna call that nigga for?”
“’Cause he wanna talk to you. He said he got business with you.”
“I ain’t got no business with him,” Jordan said, but in the back of his mind he knew what Rocky wanted. He knew that Rocky was the one who sent Miller to collect from Bruce Lawrence, and that Miller had kept the money they got before they killed him.
Now it was Jordan who was scared. He snatched the paper off the table, balled it up in his fist and threw it down on the floor.
“What’s wrong with you?” Jeanna asked.
“Nothing!” Jordan spit out.
“Okay, okay. You don’t have to bite my head off. You bring something for me?”
“Yeah.” Jordan reached in his pocket and threw Jeanna a bag of white powder.
“Why don’t you go in the bedroom? Relax, get undressed, make yourself comfortable while I cook this up. Okay?”
Jordan simply nodded his head and followed Jeanna into the room. At that point, her plan was simple. She would cook what he brought her, stash some for later, and smoke the rest. Then she would fuck him until he went to sleep. Once he was sleeping, she would call Rocky.
Chapter Thirty-nine
When Jordan woke up, Rocky and three of his boys were in the room with him. “That bitch,” Jordan said. “I knew she was no good. Jeanna! Jeanna! Where the fuck is she?”
“She was outta here as soon as I got here. From the looks of it, she’ll be gone for a while.” Rocky laughed.
“All that shit she broke outta here with,” one of his boys said.
“Damn,” Jordan said as he reached under the pillow.
“Lookin’ for this?” Rocky asked and held up Jordan’s gun. “She handed it to me on her way out the door.”
“That bitch!”
Everybody laughed, even Jordan. Still, he knew what a fucked up situation he was in, lying in bed, unarmed, butt naked with three killers around him.
“What you want with me, Rock?” Jordan asked.
“Warren Miller. Where is he?”
“I don’t know where Miller is,” Jordan lied. “Rock, I swear. I ain’t seen Miller in at least a week.”
“I heard that you was down with him.”
“Yeah, we do some work together.”
“You was with him when he went to collect from Bruce Lawrence.”
“I was there.”
“Where’s the fuckin’ money?”
“Miller didn’t bring you that money?” Jordan asked, knowing that he hadn’t.
“No, he didn’t. That was Chilly’s money, and I think you know that, and that’s why all of you are stayin’ on the low. But it’s cool, Jordan. All I want is Miller.”
“Don’t kill me, Rock. I didn’t know that was Chilly’s money. I swear, Rock. I didn’t know.”
“Don’t cry like a bitch now,” Rocky’s boy said, pointing a gun to Jordan’s head. “It was probably you that raped the kid, wasn’t it?”
“No, no, please. That wasn’t me. It was Blue that raped that girl!” Jordan yelled.
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know, Rock.”
“Shoot him,” Rocky said.
“No!”
Rocky’s boy pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. “Damn, Rock, I forgot I didn’t have one in the chamber.” He laughed and cocked it before returning it to Jordan’s head.
Rocky smiled. “Now, you were about to tell me where Blue is.”
“Come on, Rock. I’m serious. I don’t know where he is either,” he lied again. He knew exactly where both Blue and Miller were, at least where they were a few hours earlier.
“I’m gonna give you a chance to save your ass and come out of it with some money in your pocket.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I told you, Jordan. Miller, I want him. You were supposed to get four grand from Lawrence. Well, you bring Miller to me and I’ll give you five grand. And do it quick. There’s somebody else lookin’ for him.”
“Who?”
“Guy named Travis Burns. He runs a robbing crew. He’s fuckin’ Lawrence’s sister. You better get him to me before this guy kills him.” Rocky stood up and threw the balled up piece of paper at Jordan. “My number’s on the paper, but you knew that.”
Rocky and his boys left the room laughing, but they left Jordan thinking. If this Burns guy was a robber, then he could use him as bait to get Miller and Blue out in the open where Rocky could grab him. Jordan got up and got dressed.
Once he made his way to where Miller and Blue were staying, he laid it all out for them. He said that he talked to Rocky, but Rocky didn’t know that they killed Bruce Lawrence and took the money. He told them Rocky had been looking for them to give them another job to do, this time in Philly. Then he told them about Travis. “I hear this guy Burns is lookin’ for you ’cause he heard it was you that killed his brother.”
“Who’s his brother?”
“I don’t know. Probably some dealer you killed.”
“You know this guy?” Miller asked.
“I heard of him. I hear he runs a robbing crew,” Jordan said, knowing what Miller’s reaction would be.
“Robber, huh? Then he got money,” Miller said and Jordan smiled. “We’ll get him before he gets us. He’s just another muthafucka to rob. You know where to find him?”