I lie in the bed with my wife Sepia after a night of serious lovemaking...The first night like this we've had in weeks. We were in a hotel in Atlantic City, far enough from Philly to be out of Malik Lockjohn's reach for the time being. He had tried and failed again to kill me just three nights before and had escaped with his life.
Smooth and Clerow didn't have to do much to get the information we needed from the guy who was driving for him. We got an address where Lockjohn had been staying...which of course was empty by the time we got there and we got a
restauraunt where he was taking his meals, which of course he didn't frequent after the shootout. He had gone to ground..but I knew him..He wasn't one to give up and if he didn't kill me...His reputation would be blemished and he couldn't afford that.
Sepia and I got up , washed and dressed and checked out and had a nice breakfast on the boardwalk before we left and decided to head back to Philly.
Once back in Philly, the talk began.. Lockjohn was wearing a cast and a huge bandage, but he was still able to shoot with his good arm and he was questioning people about my whereabouts.
Finally, I got a call from Fathead Newton of all people.
"Kevin...yo man, dis is Fathead...hang up and call me on a pay phone..it's important." he whispered.
I don't know where he thought I'd find a payphone , but apparently, I did. I called him back.
"What's up Big man?" I said.
"That fool Lockjohn paid me a visit yesterday..He put a gun to my head ,just as I was coming out of the Strip club..He told me that he wants to meet with you...to uh parlay..you know...He'd like to call a truce between you and him." said Fathead.
"A truce? come on Fathead...you and I know that he aint the one to have truces..this is a set-up..." I said.
"Of course it is...I told him that you would never go for it...He told me to make it happen or he'd kill me in your place..I got people lookin for him now to make sure that don't happen, you know what I'm sayin Kev?" he said, not sounding too sure of himself.
'Don't worry Fathead..I'll meet with him." I said.
"You'll what? Kev don't be crazy man." said Fathead.
"Nah, I don't want you on the hook. Tell him that I'll meet with him at the Aloquin Hotel.."I said.
"That joint? Oh...I got'cha" laughed Fathead.
"Set it up" I said.
"Kevin, did I hear you say you were gonna meet with that monster?" said Sepia.
"Yeah, but on my terms..not his." I said.
Sepia looked at me and started smiling..."You got a plan don't you?"
"Of course I do...when have you known me not to?" I laughed.
"I hope it works..I'm not trying to be a widow." she said.
"Hopefully you won't be." I said.
That night, I came to the Aloquin Hotel (Which had been closed for about a year) with Smooth, Eddie, Albert and Big Nasty..All of us were wearing bullet proof vests complete with a re-inforced steal "trauma plate" underneath. All of us were armed to the teeth. Such was the respect we had for Malik Lockjohn.
When we got there..a short gentleman with a round face and a pot belly met us.
He was wearing dark sunglasses and he had two beefy gentlemen with him.
He had a bag full of bottles of Fiji water with him.
"Hi..I'm Ralph Mole....Fathead sent me here to kind of facilitate this meeting...
Anybody want any water? Frankly,I gotta tell ya..I'm kind of freakin nervous..
I don't want nothin to do with this guy.. man, you must be crazy.."he said.
"Don't worry..He's not coming here." I said
Everybody turned and looked at me...
"WHAT?" they said.
"He's no fool...he never intended to come here... He's going back to my house to kidnap my wife and hold her hostage." I said.
"Well man...we'd better get back there and get him" said Smooth.
"Nah..if I know right..he's been "got" by now" I said.
We waited for at least an hour and sure enough ,he did not show. Finnally ,I looked at the group of men and said-
"Let's go home fellas..he aint coming...When you get home..turn on the news."
I said...as we all got in our cars and pulled off.
I called Sepia....
"Hey Kevin..." she said.
"Well did he show up?" I asked..
"Just like clockwork...and Agent Cotton and about ten FBI agents were waiting and picked him up...He's in custody...How'd you know?" she said.
"I'm in his head...I'm thinking just like him...I knew that a man like him doesn't make truces...I've studied him, how he operates , how he was able to be so successful..He was always one step ahead of his victims or adversaries...and I was always one step ahead of him." I laughed.
"Wow Kevin ...Does that mean he's out of our lives?" she asked.
"It depends on how long his sentence is." I laughed.
But Malik Lockjohn wasn't out of my life just yet...he had one more trick up his sleeve as I would find out.
(Conclusion Next)
Smooth and Clerow didn't have to do much to get the information we needed from the guy who was driving for him. We got an address where Lockjohn had been staying...which of course was empty by the time we got there and we got a
restauraunt where he was taking his meals, which of course he didn't frequent after the shootout. He had gone to ground..but I knew him..He wasn't one to give up and if he didn't kill me...His reputation would be blemished and he couldn't afford that.
Sepia and I got up , washed and dressed and checked out and had a nice breakfast on the boardwalk before we left and decided to head back to Philly.
Once back in Philly, the talk began.. Lockjohn was wearing a cast and a huge bandage, but he was still able to shoot with his good arm and he was questioning people about my whereabouts.
Finally, I got a call from Fathead Newton of all people.
"Kevin...yo man, dis is Fathead...hang up and call me on a pay phone..it's important." he whispered.
I don't know where he thought I'd find a payphone , but apparently, I did. I called him back.
"What's up Big man?" I said.
"That fool Lockjohn paid me a visit yesterday..He put a gun to my head ,just as I was coming out of the Strip club..He told me that he wants to meet with you...to uh parlay..you know...He'd like to call a truce between you and him." said Fathead.
"A truce? come on Fathead...you and I know that he aint the one to have truces..this is a set-up..." I said.
"Of course it is...I told him that you would never go for it...He told me to make it happen or he'd kill me in your place..I got people lookin for him now to make sure that don't happen, you know what I'm sayin Kev?" he said, not sounding too sure of himself.
'Don't worry Fathead..I'll meet with him." I said.
"You'll what? Kev don't be crazy man." said Fathead.
"Nah, I don't want you on the hook. Tell him that I'll meet with him at the Aloquin Hotel.."I said.
"That joint? Oh...I got'cha" laughed Fathead.
"Set it up" I said.
"Kevin, did I hear you say you were gonna meet with that monster?" said Sepia.
"Yeah, but on my terms..not his." I said.
Sepia looked at me and started smiling..."You got a plan don't you?"
"Of course I do...when have you known me not to?" I laughed.
"I hope it works..I'm not trying to be a widow." she said.
"Hopefully you won't be." I said.
That night, I came to the Aloquin Hotel (Which had been closed for about a year) with Smooth, Eddie, Albert and Big Nasty..All of us were wearing bullet proof vests complete with a re-inforced steal "trauma plate" underneath. All of us were armed to the teeth. Such was the respect we had for Malik Lockjohn.
When we got there..a short gentleman with a round face and a pot belly met us.
He was wearing dark sunglasses and he had two beefy gentlemen with him.
He had a bag full of bottles of Fiji water with him.
"Hi..I'm Ralph Mole....Fathead sent me here to kind of facilitate this meeting...
Anybody want any water? Frankly,I gotta tell ya..I'm kind of freakin nervous..
I don't want nothin to do with this guy.. man, you must be crazy.."he said.
"Don't worry..He's not coming here." I said
Everybody turned and looked at me...
"WHAT?" they said.
"He's no fool...he never intended to come here... He's going back to my house to kidnap my wife and hold her hostage." I said.
"Well man...we'd better get back there and get him" said Smooth.
"Nah..if I know right..he's been "got" by now" I said.
We waited for at least an hour and sure enough ,he did not show. Finnally ,I looked at the group of men and said-
"Let's go home fellas..he aint coming...When you get home..turn on the news."
I said...as we all got in our cars and pulled off.
I called Sepia....
"Hey Kevin..." she said.
"Well did he show up?" I asked..
"Just like clockwork...and Agent Cotton and about ten FBI agents were waiting and picked him up...He's in custody...How'd you know?" she said.
"I'm in his head...I'm thinking just like him...I knew that a man like him doesn't make truces...I've studied him, how he operates , how he was able to be so successful..He was always one step ahead of his victims or adversaries...and I was always one step ahead of him." I laughed.
"Wow Kevin ...Does that mean he's out of our lives?" she asked.
"It depends on how long his sentence is." I laughed.
But Malik Lockjohn wasn't out of my life just yet...he had one more trick up his sleeve as I would find out.
(Conclusion Next)
1 comment:
I knew it wouldn't end that easily. I can't wait for the conclusion.
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