Shai stepped in and squashed that shit, so why do we gotta get our asses handed to us left and right with no support. All I’m asking is when Shai’s gonna even the playing field?”
Rico didn’t have an immediate response, because he knew that there was truth in his lieutenant’s words. This wasn’t the first time he had heard the grumbling of his troops over the uneven balance of power. Though he would never admit it publically it bothered him too. A lot of cats on the streets felt as Lee did, that Shai’s default inheritance of the throne was unfair and the power should have shifted to a more seasoned soldier when Poppa Clark died and Tommy got locked up. But unlike some of the soldiers who wore their emotions on their sleeves, Rico always kept his game face and showed the proper respect for Shai. But this didn’t change the fact that he was becoming more and more dissatisfied with the youngest Clark son and some of the decisions he was making, like the situation with Tech a while back. Little did Shai know Rico and some of his boys had planned on staging a revolt if he hadn’t handled Tech accordingly. Shai ordering the young bandit’s executionsettled some of the unrest, but it didn’t quiet the whispers about a more fitting boss running the organization, namely Rico.
“Just be easy for now, Lee. When the time comes for the power to shift, you and your boys just be ready to bust your guns,” Rico told him.
“What the fuck are you looking at?” Changa asked the frail busboy who was eavesdropping from the corner. He had been watching them for a while but no one but Changa had noticed.
“Nothing,” the boy said quickly and went to wiping down one of the tables. The way the man with the sunglasses looked at him made his flesh crawl.
“Leave him alone, Changa. The boy is the cook’s nephew,” Rico told him. “Come here, little man.” Rico waved the boy over. The boy reluctantly approached the table, but he kept his eyes fixed on his shoes. “Look at me.” Rico tapped the boy on the chin and forced him to meet his deadly stare. “Didn’t anybody ever tell you that it was rude to listen in on grown people’s conversations?” Rico motioned toward his men.
The boy wrung his hands together nervously when he spoke. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to stare, but I’ve never seen guys with such nice clothes. My auntie tells me that you’re important, but she never says how. I figured you were movie stars or something so I was trying to see what shows I knew you from.”
This got a hearty laugh from Rico. “Your auntie was right to tell you that we were important men, but we ain’t no movie stars.”
“Yeah, we’re
block
stars,” Lee added comically and all the men laughed.
Rico wiped the tear of laughter from the corner of his eye and pulled his bankroll from his pants pocket. He tossed a fifty on the table and stood up with his jacket. “Thanks for the chuckle, kid. That’s for you.” He nodded at the money. “Make sure you clean this table good and tell your auntie she needs to speak with me, okay?” Rico patted him on the cheek twice.
The busboy stood there smiling and nodding like an idiot until Rico and his men had left the restaurant. He dipped one of the dinner napkins into an abandoned glass of water and wiped his face where Rico’s vile hand had touched him. After making sure nobody was watching, the busboy used the steak knife to pick the Pepsi can up off the table and dropped it into the pocket of his apron. It was the easiest five hundred dollars he had ever made.
“Why are you always messing with that thing?” Rico asked Ras, who was scrolling on his BlackBerry.
“It’s how I stay connected with the world,” Ras said, not bothering to take his eyes off the BlackBerry screen. “Oh, shit. Did y’all hear about this nigga getting killed in PA?” Ras held up the BlackBerry so they could see the news article he had pulled up on the screen.
“So what? Niggaz get
Rico didn’t have an immediate response, because he knew that there was truth in his lieutenant’s words. This wasn’t the first time he had heard the grumbling of his troops over the uneven balance of power. Though he would never admit it publically it bothered him too. A lot of cats on the streets felt as Lee did, that Shai’s default inheritance of the throne was unfair and the power should have shifted to a more seasoned soldier when Poppa Clark died and Tommy got locked up. But unlike some of the soldiers who wore their emotions on their sleeves, Rico always kept his game face and showed the proper respect for Shai. But this didn’t change the fact that he was becoming more and more dissatisfied with the youngest Clark son and some of the decisions he was making, like the situation with Tech a while back. Little did Shai know Rico and some of his boys had planned on staging a revolt if he hadn’t handled Tech accordingly. Shai ordering the young bandit’s executionsettled some of the unrest, but it didn’t quiet the whispers about a more fitting boss running the organization, namely Rico.
“Just be easy for now, Lee. When the time comes for the power to shift, you and your boys just be ready to bust your guns,” Rico told him.
“What the fuck are you looking at?” Changa asked the frail busboy who was eavesdropping from the corner. He had been watching them for a while but no one but Changa had noticed.
“Nothing,” the boy said quickly and went to wiping down one of the tables. The way the man with the sunglasses looked at him made his flesh crawl.
“Leave him alone, Changa. The boy is the cook’s nephew,” Rico told him. “Come here, little man.” Rico waved the boy over. The boy reluctantly approached the table, but he kept his eyes fixed on his shoes. “Look at me.” Rico tapped the boy on the chin and forced him to meet his deadly stare. “Didn’t anybody ever tell you that it was rude to listen in on grown people’s conversations?” Rico motioned toward his men.
The boy wrung his hands together nervously when he spoke. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to stare, but I’ve never seen guys with such nice clothes. My auntie tells me that you’re important, but she never says how. I figured you were movie stars or something so I was trying to see what shows I knew you from.”
This got a hearty laugh from Rico. “Your auntie was right to tell you that we were important men, but we ain’t no movie stars.”
“Yeah, we’re
block
stars,” Lee added comically and all the men laughed.
Rico wiped the tear of laughter from the corner of his eye and pulled his bankroll from his pants pocket. He tossed a fifty on the table and stood up with his jacket. “Thanks for the chuckle, kid. That’s for you.” He nodded at the money. “Make sure you clean this table good and tell your auntie she needs to speak with me, okay?” Rico patted him on the cheek twice.
The busboy stood there smiling and nodding like an idiot until Rico and his men had left the restaurant. He dipped one of the dinner napkins into an abandoned glass of water and wiped his face where Rico’s vile hand had touched him. After making sure nobody was watching, the busboy used the steak knife to pick the Pepsi can up off the table and dropped it into the pocket of his apron. It was the easiest five hundred dollars he had ever made.
“Why are you always messing with that thing?” Rico asked Ras, who was scrolling on his BlackBerry.
“It’s how I stay connected with the world,” Ras said, not bothering to take his eyes off the BlackBerry screen. “Oh, shit. Did y’all hear about this nigga getting killed in PA?” Ras held up the BlackBerry so they could see the news article he had pulled up on the screen.
“So what? Niggaz get
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