'Unless…' said Chavez, his voice fading out. 'Unless you think the party's already over. Maybe it's like the nuclear option, chola. You only bring out the nukes when you know it doesn't really matter anymore.'
'Maybe, but the party isn't over. It's not even winding down. Papa Danwe isn't being threatened. Not by us, not by any of the other outfits. Why go nuclear when life is good?'
'I don't know, boss. Maybe I'm wrong. Or maybe the Haitian doesn't see it the same way.'
'Okay, here's what we do. I'm still not willing to hit that thing until we know what's going on, but I want you to put a strike team together. Have them standing by. If Papa Danwe tries to go nuclear, we take it out.'
'How big a team you want, boss?'
'Jesus, Chavez, I don't know. Just some big hitters, bring them in from wherever. And send a few guys to run some tags in there, as close as you can get without blowing the lid off this thing. It won't do us any good to send in the heavy artillery if they can't get any juice.'
'Okay, boss, I'll get it done. You coming down here?'
'Not yet. I'm going to try to get a sit-down with Terrence Cole. I don't know the guy, really, but I know him better than anyone else in Papa Danwe's outfit.'
'I don't know, boss. I don't like the idea of you sitting down with those cocksuckers. They ought to come to us.'
'Even Nixon went to China, Chavez. This is getting out of hand. If sitting down with Terrence means I can cool this out, I'll do it.'
'If you say so, boss.'
'Plus, I think he's into this thing up to his earrings. Maybe I can learn something.'
My next call went to Sonny Kim. The Koreans had come down on our side, but they'd previously had a cordial relationship with Papa Danwe. They shared some of the same ghettos and generally managed to do it without killing each other. I knew Sonny Kim knew Terrence, and he was a good candidate for a go-between.
Kim promised he'd do what he could, and congratulated me on my clearheaded diplomacy in a time of crisis. Ten minutes later, he called back. Terrence Cole would meet me in Hollywood at the same bar where I'd sealed the deal with Kim and Zunin.
Unfortunately, there was no way I'd be able to meet with Terrence and still make my dinner date with Adan. Kim had arranged the sit-down for nine o'clock, and it would probably take an hour or so, plus drive time.
Then there was the whole question of whether I should be going out on a date with my boss's son when my outfit was at war. I considered it and decided I definitely wanted to see Adan if I could find the time. I'd made all the preparations I could. Sitting around my condo waiting wasn't going to do anyone any good, and besides, I had to eat. I was also still concerned about the Fred connection. I knew the vampire was involved in the escalating conflict with Papa Danwe, and I was concerned he had plans to somehow use Adan to the Haitian's advantage. So, really, I'd still be working if I kept my date with him. Sort of.
I decided I could make it work if Adan would agree to a late dinner. I called, and he did. He understood I sometimes had to keep odd hours-he reminded me who his father was, as if I might have forgotten.
I got to the bar at eight-thirty. I'd asked for the sit-down, it was on neutral ground, so I should get there first. Pick my spot, mark my territory, that kind of thing. Terrence was already there, waiting for me at a table in the back. He stood to greet me as I approached.
Terrence was the kind of guy you want to describe in one word. His word was wide. He had a wide forehead, wide-set eyes resting on wide cheekbones, a wide nose, wide mouth and a wide chin. He had no neck to speak of, but his muscular body was wide, too, all the way down to his feet.
Based on this, a person might think the guy had roughly the same shape as a city bus, but he was put together well. His skin was the color of strong coffee, his head was shaved, and all those wide features were pulled together in a round skull that was undeniably handsome, if a little imposing. His body was more or less the same shape as a city bus.
'Glad you could make it, Domino,' he said, as if he had set up the meeting and I was running late. His voice sounded like a city bus would sound if it could talk.
'You, too, Terrence. Hope you didn't have to wait long.' I offered my hand, and it was swallowed by his bus-size one. We sat down and ordered drinks. When the waitress had come and gone, we toasted our health and got down to business.
I was never a big fan of sit-downs in a situation like this. It always had a certain sting to it, like you want to talk while some guy is holding you down and doing something impolite. Most guys overcompensated for that by talking tough, so there were a lot of hard words flying back and forth without much being said. That got old fast, and with Adan waiting, I didn't have the time.
'Before we get started, I want to make something real clear. I'm not here to talk you out of anything, Terrence. If Papa Danwe wants a war, we'll give him one. But I don't see the profit in it.'
'There isn't any war, Domino, isn't going to be any war. No one wants that.'
'I got two dead soldiers and a lifetime supply of road rash says otherwise.'
'We know about your boys that got themselves hit. Everyone does. What makes you think Papa Danwe had anything to do with it?'
I looked at my watch and stood up. 'You sit there and pull your own cock, Terrence. I'm not going to do it for you. I got better things to do, and you're not really my type.'
Terrence held up his hands, maybe in surrender, maybe to show me he wasn't pulling anything. 'Sit down, Domino. We all just following orders. You know that.'
'That's all you got? Maybe I'm talking to the wrong guy.'
'It is what it is. All I know is Papa Danwe don't want a war. The Haitian told me this shit that's going on, it's to stop a war.'
'How does any of this stop a war?'
'I don't know that.' Terrence looked up from his glass and held my gaze. 'Your boss tell you everything he's up to, Domino?'
'So you don't know what any of this is about?'
Terrence shrugged. 'If Papa Danwe knew I was sitting down with you at all, I'd be in that mummy box with your boys.'
'How does Papa Danwe think this is going to go? All the hard-guy bullshit aside, Terrence, if it comes to war we both know who's going to be left standing.'
'Rashan's gotta go, Domino.'
I laughed. 'Papa Danwe can dream it, but that doesn't make it real. He doesn't have the juice to take down Rashan.'
'The way Papa Danwe sees it, it's him or Rashan. I don't know why. I don't know if there is any why. I do know Papa Danwe ain't stupid. This thing goes a whole lot deeper than you or I can see.'
'It's not that deep, Terrence. I can see the bottom pretty well. There's a lot of dead bodies down there, and I'm pretty sure one of them is yours.' I said it like it made me feel bad, even though it didn't.
'The thing is,' Terrence continued, 'it's not your outfit that's gotta go. It's the Turk. Papa Danwe don't tell me shit, but he made that clear as day.'
I could see where that went, so I didn't say anything.
Terrence locked eyes with me again. 'If your outfit had new leadership, there wouldn't be no war. Not now, not ever. Papa Danwe would back the right guy, the right person. He'd back you, Domino.'
My first impulse was indignant outrage, but I managed to swallow it. My second impulse was pride, but I put that away, too. My best bet was to play along.
'Let's say someone in my outfit was willing to stage a coup, Terrence. That brings us back to square one. The Haitian can't take down Rashan. Neither can anyone in my outfit. No one has the juice.'
'With the right help, you could do it. You can get close. We can give you the opportunity.'
'The opportunity?'
Terrence looked like he might be about to say more, but then he just shook his head. 'That's all I can say, Domino. Truth be told, I don't know much more than that.'
'It isn't much, Terrence. The thing is, it's not just Rashan. If someone did manage to take out the boss, what then? What about the rest of the outfit? You think they're just going to come along?'
'Yeah, Domino, I do. Everybody gets a bump up the ladder. Everybody gets a promotion. Anything else-what's
