“I guarantee that I’ll double the money you’re making on the gambling, the women, and the extortion within a month.”
“How you planning on doing that?”
“You let me worry about that,” I said.
André looked at Ricky. “See this is the kind of shit I keep this mutha fucka around for,” and then he turned back to me. “Double my money, huh?”
“At least.”
“What you think, Ricky?”
“What you got to lose. If anybody can shake some more money out of them fuckers, it’s him and Bobby. I say let him go for it.”
André looked at me and then he drained his glass. “Let me talk to Mike alone.”
“I need to get back to my spot anyway. I’ll get with you tomorrow.” Ricky stood up and walked out.
André got up and went to the file cabinet where he kept his liquor. When he came back, he had the bottle. He refilled both of our glasses and put the bottle on the desk.
“Double my money on all that shit?”
I nodded my head.
“Okay, Mike, I’m gonna trust you with this, and I’ll tell you why.”
“I’m listening.”
“You always do. I’m gonna let you do this; one, because I know that there’s money still on the table from that shit and two, shiiit, I know you can do it.”
“I won’t disappoint you,” I said. I had too much respect for André to ever fail him in anything.
“I know you won’t, Mike; you never do.” He took a sip of his liquor. “I spend so much time concentrating on making this dope money that I don’t focus on all that other shit, so I know that even if you just stayed on top of it and tighten up on the ones who come up short and ain’t payin’, you’ll double my money. So I want more.”
“What’s that?”
“You triple my money and I’ll make you my partner in that. Seventy-thirty, my way,” André said and raised his glass.
“Deal,” I said and we drank to it.
“You need me to make some type of announcement, put the word out or something?”
I shook my head. “I can handle that myself. But when they come crying to you complaining about me—”
“I’ll tell them that they need to talk to you.”
“That’s all I need.”
Chapter Two
“Hi, Mike,” she said the second I opened my eyes.
She was lying on her side next to me with her hand on her head and I wondered if she slept that way.
“Hi,” I said, and tried to remember her name.
I knew who she was; she dances sometimes at André’s private spot in Ricky’s afterhours club. She says she has a real job, and she only dances there when she needs extra money. I’ve seen her in there a few times, but last night was the first time we talked.
André had left word that he wanted to talk to me and Bobby. He heard that we had gone to see Emmet that night and he wanted to know what happened. André laughed just about the entire time Bobby was telling him the story.