Inside Lex’s office, Denny unzipped the bag and took out the jewelry we’d gotten from Vaughn and his people. Lex picked up each item, examining them one at a time. He didn’t look pleased.
“I hope this ain’t all you boys got, because right now you’re looking at about eight hundred bucks.”
“Eight hundred? Are you crazy?” I yelled.
“Hey, you can take this fake shit back if you want to.” Lex shrugged, pushing it toward Denny.
At the sound of the word fake, I groaned. “That cheap motherfucker Vaughan been wearing fake shit this whole time.”
“No worries.” Denny nudged me. “That’s not the only thing we brought.”
“Let’s see it. What you got?” Lex inquired, peering over to see what else Denny was about to pull out.
“What do you think of this?” Denny removed the brown plastic-wrapped bricks from the bag and carefully placed all four of them on the desk.
Lex looked over at me, wide-eyed. “Tuh, you should’ve started with these instead of the cheap-ass jewelry.”
Denny laughed. “We saved the best for last.”
“I can see that. Where’d you get them?”
“None o’ ya business. How much you paying?” I asked.
“Depends on what it is and the quality,” Lex said, reaching into the drawer and pulling out a small pocketknife, which he used to slice the plastic on one of the packages. He used the knife to scoop a pinch of the white substance, placing it on his tongue. He stood up straight, looking impressed. “Hmmm, heroin.”
“It’s good, huh, Lex?” Denny looked like he was about to go over the table.
“How much?” I repeated.
“We’re about to find out,” Lex told us as he reached into another drawer, taking out some kind of testing kit.
We watched as he took another sample of the heroin and put it in a small glass vial, then shook it before holding it up to the light. The vial was now a bright blue.
“Fuck me. This is some primo shit. I’ve never tested anything so pure.”
Denny leaned over and whispered to me, “We must’ve caught ’em before they cut this shit.”
“That’s why that motherfucker ain’t have no cash. He just scored,” I whispered back.
“Okay, fellas, I can give you sixty-five hundred a ki,” Lex said with a big grin.
“You said this shit was primo, superb!” I reminded him.
“Hey, take it or leave it. You got another buyer, go right ahead.”
Surprisingly, Denny leaned over and started putting the bricks back in the bag. “Fuck him, Rome. I’ll step on this shit a couple of times myself and take it down south and let my cousin sell it for us. We’ll make ten times what he’s offering. He’s forgetting we ain’t broke no more.”
“Lex, listen, my mom is sick and needs surgery. I ain’t trying to be out their slinging dope, but if I have to, I will. So, what’s your best offer?” I asked. Last thing I wanted to do was spend the next month worrying that one of Denny’s cousins would get busted and dime on us. Plus, I need the money for my mom’s transplant.
“Sorry to hear that,” Lex said, not taking his eyes off the dope. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you a grand for the fake jewelry and eleven grand per ki. That’s the best I can do.”
I knew we were being taken advantage of, but at this point, I didn’t have a choice. Dr. Ford had already said that if the transplant was a go, it would cost in the hundreds of thousands. Even with Denny giving me his share, what Lex was offering wouldn’t put a dent into that amount, but it would at least be a start. The hospital wasn’t gonna do shit without a down payment.
“Just give us the cash,” I snapped.
Thankfully, Denny didn’t protest.
After we’d exchanged the goods for cash, Lex looked me in the eyes and said, “Listen, I’m sorry your mom is not well. But if you guys are looking for a big score, I may have one for you.”
“How big?” I pushed.
“It pays a hundred grand a piece.”
“Get the fuck outta here. A hundred thousand a piece?” Denny almost dropped his money.
“Yep.”
“And what do we have to do for this hundred grand? Rob the White House?” I asked.
“Cute.” Lex laughed. “No, there’s a truck coming in from Texas. Y’all get me that truck, you get a hundred grand each, no questions asked.”
“For a truck? What the fuck is in the truck?” I asked skeptically.
Lex glared at me then shook his head. “For a hundred grand a piece, do you really care?”
“Maybe,” I said. “This just sounds a little bit too good to be true. What’s the catch?”
“The catch is that the guys who own the truck will kill your asses and mine if they catch us. Any more fucking questions?” Lex stared at us. When we didn’t give him an instant response, he waved his hand in disgust.
“You know what? Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you two aren’t the guys for the job. Maybe your coconuts are just plain old walnuts.”
“Our nuts are just fine. It’s the bullshit that—”
“Say less,” Denny whispered, touching my arm as he cut me off. “You forgetting your mom needs that money for her operation.”
“He’s got a good point,” Lex added.
I was still unconvinced, but they were right. I needed the money.
“When and where do we find this truck?” I asked.
Lex smiled. “So, does this mean you want the job?”
I glanced over at Denny, already knowing what his answer was. I said, “I still have to think it over, but for now, yeah, we want the job.”
Rio
29
I went by Dreams and every other strip club in Hunts Point, but I couldn’t find anyone named Kandace. Lots of chicks with stage names like Candy Cane, Brown Sugar, and Honey, but Kandace must’ve been her government name, because no one had ever heard of her. So, the next morning, I went to plan B and wound up riding up and down the Grand Concourse, looking for an orange building with a mural on the
