“Why?” Bobby asked.
Sherman looked at Rain and pointed. “That bitch there is Freeze with titties.” Black and Bobby laughed, but Rain didn’t. “Don’t slap me, Rain,” he said.
“I ain’t gonna slap you, Sherman. I know you meant it as a compliment. But you ain’t got no more times to call me a bitch, ’cause if you ever call me a bitch again, I’ll do more than slap the fuck outta you.”
“See what I mean,” Sherman said and put his arm around Rain. They got along from the first time Nick bought her around. “No, Black, I ain’t got no problem with this one. And the people that say they do, got a problem with her for one of two reasons.”
“What’s that?” Black asked.
“Some,” Sherman paused for effect. “Got personal issues. And the others got a problem with her ’cause she kept everybody standing at attention, if you know what I mean. If you was slack, she made you tighten up or you had to deal with her. Everybody was too comfortable with Nick ’cause of the history he got with everybody. Others didn’t like him ’cause of that shit with Freeze dyin’. She don’t have that problem. Only one she gives a fuck about is Nick and doin’ what he need done.”
“That’s pretty high praise comin’ from Sherman, Ms. Robinson. Be sure you live up to it,” Black said and turned his attention to the real purpose of his visit. “Take a look at this picture, Sherman,” he said and handed the picture to him.
Sherman looked at it and recognized both men right away. “That one there is Raheem Lindsey and the man with him name is Marley. What you want with them low rent niggas?” Sherman asked.
“They’re dead men,” Rain said.
Black and Bobby looked at one another. “Just tell me where I can find these niggas.”
“They’re muscle sometimes for a guy named Billy Jackson. They call him Billyjack.”
“Never heard of him,” Black said.
Sherman smiled. “Yes you have, Black. And you definitely know the man he works for.”
“Who is that?”
“Billyjack is Russell Stokes right hand man.”
Now it was Black and Bobby that were smiling along with Sherman. “I’ll have a talk with Mr. Russell Stokes when we’re done with these two.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Billyjack drove down White Plains Road feeling pretty good about himself. He had manipulated the events with the skill of a Roman general. Once Russell gave him the go head, he arranged the hit. The target was supposed to be Rain Robinson. That changed when Nick pushed her out of the way.
He didn’t want to kill Nick, because Billyjack knew that killing Nick would bring Black back to the city the next day if not sooner. Nick getting shot and not dying was the break he needed on that one. After Raheem and Marley got away from Rain he told them to leave the van outside of Grant’s. Rain took the bait and went after Grant.
At every turn he was a step ahead of Rain. It was Billyjack that had the man killed outside of Rain’s warehouse spot. Then he put the word out that they were Grant’s people and they were at his number joint on Bronxwood. After Rain drove the Suburban through the window and killed everybody, he sent the men that caught her outside the store. He figured by that time, Nick would have recovered enough to retaliate. Only thing he hadn’t planned on was Rain surviving the attempt.
Now that Rain had just about wiped out Grant’s whole set, he planned to drag Doc and his people into it. It was getting late, and Billyjack thought he would stop by and see Russell and have a drink before calling it a night.
“What’s up, Russell?” Billy asked when he walked in.
“How’s it goin’, Billyjack?”
“Everything is goin’ just the way we want it.”
“What’s your plan to bring Doc and them into it?”
“Tomorrow night, Raheem and Marley are gonna rob and kill one of Doc’s runners,” Billyjack said.
“What makes you so sure that they will think that Rain did it?”
“Don’t worry, I already put the word out that she was gonna go after Doc next.”
“I’ve known Doc a long time, he might not just rush in like that,” Russell cautioned.
“If he don’t, they’ll just keep ambushing his runners until he does something about it,” Billyjack assured him.