CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Pooh had gotten comfortable. That was exactly what I wanted. For the last few days, I let him move around like I didn't know shit. Hulk kept eyes on him while Poncho looked into Marquez. The nigga I saw step onto Pooh's porch was Jon's cousin. That changed everything.
Jon worked for me. Which meant Marquez had access to somebody who knew enough about my operation to make that robbery possible.
What I didn't know was whether Jon gave that information up willingly or if his cousin had been listening when he shouldn't have been.
Either way, I was going to find out. My phone rang. It was Hulk.
"Yeah."
"We got him."
"Bring him."
I hung up and leaned back in my chair. I was sitting inside the office of one of my businesses when the door opened about twenty minutes later. Hulk walked in first. Pooh came in behind him. The second he saw me, he stopped and I smiled.
"What's up, Pooh?"
He looked back at Hulk, then at me.
"What's this about?"
"You know what the fuck this about."
"Nah, I don't."
"Sit down."
"I'm good."
I lowered my feet from the desk.
"That wasn't a question."
Pooh stared at me for a second before pulling out the chair and sitting down. I leaned back.
"You know June Bug?"
He didn’t react at all.
"I know a couple June Bugs."
"Kevin Bennett."
That did it. It was quick, but I caught it.
"Yeah. I know Kevin."
"How?"
"From around."
I nodded.
"June Bug told me some interesting shit."
"June Bug a fucking junkie."
"He is."
"That nigga will say anything."
"Maybe."
I leaned forward.
"But he knew exactly who took my work."
Pooh's jaw tightened.
"And he said this shit was your idea."
"That nigga lying."
"That's what I thought."
Pooh looked at me.
"So, I checked."
He kept his mouth closed and just looked at me.
"Turns out June Bug might smoke every fucking thing he can get his hands on, but his memory ain't too bad."
"I don't know nothing about your shit getting took."
"That's where we got a problem."
I stood and walked around the desk.
"Because I know you do."
"I already told you—"
"I heard what you told me."
I stopped in front of him.
"Now tell me about Marquez."
Pooh suddenly tensed in his seat. That meant one thing to me. The truth was near.
"Who?"
"Don't do that."
"I know a Marquez, but—"
"Jon's cousin."
Now he was silent.
"Yeah. That Marquez."
"Marquez ain't got shit to do with this."
"I ain't ask you what he had to do with it."
Pooh looked at me.
"I said tell me about him."
"That's my dawg. That's it."
"How long y'all been friends?"
"Couple years."
"And somewhere in them couple years, your dawg just happened to tell you exactly when my work was moving?"
"He ain't tell me shit."
I stared at him.
"Pooh."
"I'm telling you—"
"Did Jon give y'all my shit?"
"No."
The answer came fast, so I watched him carefully to read him correctly.
"No?"
"Jon ain't know nothing about what we was doing."
"Then how Marquez know?"
Pooh looked away.
"Look at me."
His eyes came back to mine.
"How the fuck did Marquez know?"
"Jon talk too much."
"Explain."
"That's his cousin. Niggas talk. Jon would tell him shit here and there. Nothing major."
"Apparently it was major enough for y'all to take my shit."
Pooh swallowed. "Marquez started putting shit together."
"And brought it to you."
He didn't answer, so I continued the interrogation. "Whose idea was it?"
Pooh stared at me.
"Whose fucking idea was it to take my work?"
When he looked down. I already had my answer.
"That's what I thought."
"Look, Jokah—"
"Nah. We past that."
"I told you what happened."
"You did."
I walked back around my desk.
"Who else knew?"
"Nobody."
I sat down.
"Think real hard before you answer that shit."
"I'm telling you. Nobody."
"Who touched my work?"
Pooh hesitated.
"Names."
He rubbed his hands together.
"Jokah—"
"Names."
"Me, Marquez and June Bug."
"That's three."
He didn't say anything.
"Who moved it?"
"A couple niggas."
"Names."
Pooh started giving them to me like he was rapping DMX’s song, ‘What these bitches want from a nigga.’
I listened without interrupting. Nor did I ask him to repeat shit. When he finished, I sat there looking at him.
"That's everybody?"
"Yeah."
"You sure?"
"On my mama."
I nodded.
"A’ight."
Pooh leaned back slightly, relief settling across his face like he thought he'd just talked his way out of this shit. He hadn't.
"So, we good?"
I looked at him.
"Do we look good?"
"I just told you everything." He panicked.
"I know."
"I gave you names."
"I heard you."
"Then what the fuck else you want?"
"Nothing."
I looked at Hulk.
"Take him."
Pooh immediately stood.
"Hold up."
Hulk grabbed his arm.
"I told you everything!"
"I know."
"Then what the fuck?"
I stared at him.
"You thought talking meant you got to go home? Nigga, the only place you going is to the muthafuckin’ coroner’s office."
Pooh froze.
"Jokah, come on, bruh. Please."
"That was June Bug's deal. Not yours."
"Man, fuck that! That crackhead was there too!"
"I know."
"He helped us!"
I looked at him. "I know that too."
Pooh shook his head. "So why the fuck he gets to walk?"
“You don’t get to question me.”
Pooh stared at me.
"And it checked out."
"That's some bullshit."
"Nah."
I leaned back in my chair.
"That's me keeping my word."
Hulk started pulling him toward the door.
"Jokah!"
I didn't respond.
"Come on, bruh! I told you everything you wanted to know!"
I picked up my phone.
"JOKAH!"
The door closed behind them and silence filled the office again.
I sat there for a minute, going over everything that Pooh had told me.
June Bug had been telling the truth. Pooh planned it, Marquez gave him the information and Jon had been running his fucking mouth.
Whether he knew what Marquez was doing with that information was the only question left.
I picked up my phone and called Poncho. He answered on the second ring.
"What's up?"
"Where Marquez at?"
"I know where to find him."
"Go get him."
"A’ight."
"And Poncho."
"Yeah?"
"Bring Jon too."
There was a short pause.
"Jon?"
"That's what I said."
"You think he involved?"
"I'm about to find out."
I hung up.
Jon had worked for me long enough to know better than to discuss my business with anybody.
Family included. If Pooh was telling the truth, Jon had gotten careless. If Pooh was lying, that meant Jon betrayed me. Either way, we had a fucking problem. I just needed to figure out which one I was dealing with before I decided how many bodies this shit was going to cost me.
A few hours later, everybody that Pooh named was standing in front of me. Jon, Marquez and the two niggas who helped move my work. Pooh was there too. Nobody was leaving. Jon looked around the room before his eyes landed on his cousin.
"What the fuck is going on?"
Marquez didn't answer.
"Ask him," I said.
Jon looked at me. "Jokah, I don't know what this shit about."
"I know."
His eyebrows were pulled together.
"Then why I'm here?"
"Because you talk too muthafuckin’ much."
I stood.
"You told your cousin shit about my business."
"I ain't never gave that nigga no information about your shit."
"I didn't say you gave it to him."
Jon went quiet.
"I said you talked too fucking much."
He looked at Marquez.
"You did some shit with something I told you?"
Marquez stared at the floor.
"Marquez."
The room was so quiet I could hear a mouse piss on cotton.
Jon stepped toward him. "Nigga, answer me!"
Hulk pushed him back. Then I looked at Marquez.
"Tell your cousin what you did."
Marquez finally looked up.
"It wasn't supposed to go down like that."
Jon's face twisted. "What wasn't?"
Pooh shook his head.
"Man, shut the fuck up."
Jon looked at him and that's when everything clicked. He turned back toward Marquez.
"You took Jokah's shit?"
Marquez didn't answer. Jon lunged for him, but Hulk caught him before he got there.
"You stupid motherfucker!" Jon yelled. "I was talking to you because you my fucking family!"
Marquez finally snapped back. "I ain't know that shit was gonna turn into all this!"
"You gave this nigga information about my fucking boss!"
"I ain't give him shit! I told Pooh what I heard!"
"THAT'S GIVING HIM THE FUCKING INFORMATION!"
I let them go back and forth for another few seconds. Then I raised my hand and everybody got quiet. I looked at Jon.
"You know what happens when people steal from me?"
His breathing was heavy. "Yeah."
"Then you know why everybody standing here."
"Jokah, I swear to God, I ain't know."
"I believe you."
Jon froze. Then Marquez looked at me too.
Jon swallowed. "You do?"
"Yeah."
Relief flashed across his face, as I nodded.
"You ain't betray me."
He slowly exhaled.
"You were careless. And your carelessness cost me."
"Jokah—"
"I trusted you with information that wasn't yours to repeat."
"I know. I fucked up."
"Yeah. You did."
Jon looked around the room. Then back at me.
"Please."
I didn't answer.
"Come on, Jokah. I've been solid with you."
"You were."
"Was?"
I looked at him.
"Until you weren't."
Marquez stepped forward. "This shit was me. Jon ain't have nothing to do with it."
"I know."
"So let him go."
I looked at Marquez.
"You still don't understand." I paused briefly. “This ain't about who came up with the idea anymore."
My eyes moved across every man standing there. "It's about who knows enough to make this shit happen twice."
Nobody spoke. I looked at Hulk, then at Poncho. I didn't have to say a word. They already knew what time it was.
Jon's eyes widened. "Jokah."
The first shot silenced the room. Then two more followed. By the time it was over, nobody who had touched my work, moved my work, or helped make it possible was standing.
I looked around once at Pooh, Marquez, and Jon.
All three of them were gone and I didn't feel a damn thing. Jon didn’t mean to betray me, and that was probably the most fucked-up part about it.
He hadn't intentionally crossed me or set any of this shit in motion, but his intentions didn't change the consequences of what happened.
I looked over at Hulk.
"Clean this shit up."
He nodded.
I walked toward the door. Behind me, Poncho called my name, stopping me in my tracks.
"What about June Bug?"
I looked back at him.
"Nothing."
"He was part of it."
"I know."
"So, he gets to live?"
"I gave him my word."
Poncho nodded, as I opened the door.
"And unlike everybody else in this room, his information saved his life."
Then I walked out.