Pull His Coat

Donald "Smooth" and I sat in the Diner and drank two tumblers of coffee. Roscoe and Ralph Mole came in and joined us at the table. I ordered two more tumblers of coffee.

"Where's the big man?" I asked , meaning Fathead.....and knowing that he would not be at this meeting...Not with someone trying to kill him right now.

"He's around" said Roscoe.

"Laying Low huh?" I said.

"Gots to...Until we find out who's behind this." said Ralph Mole.

"That's why I asked you to come here...I think I know." I said.

"Yeah? ,Who?" asked Roscoe.

"Either of you know a guy named Micah? I don't have a last name...just his first name." I said.

They both looked astonished....but it was a look that told me they knew exactly who I was talking about.

"Yeah , we know him.....He used to be a big time operator....He was George "Goldie" Thomas's enforcer....One of em anyway....Once we rid ourselves of Georgie boy...He and what was left of his organization scattered. We thought he had left town." said Ralph Mole.

"Well he's back in town..and he's in cahoots with Georgie's sister....The same girl that's got Chris's nose so wide open right now." I said.

"You mean Wendy? I thought that babe looked familiar...." said Roscoe.

"So how do we find Micah?" asked Ralph Mole.

"That's the problem.. I don't know where he is...He's somewhere near by, he's keepin a real
low profile...and he's calling in big time hitters from somewhere." I said.

"Damn Chess...how do you know all of this?" asked Roscoe.

"I got him on tape talking to Wendy.....He seemed to know all of the particulars about the Goldie hit.....He knew that Sonny Templeton did the job...He knew that Chris bailed him out for Fathead, He knew everything..."I said.

"So he's back in town to avenge his boy.....He's using the girl to get to Chris, who he hated with a passion....and he's callin in muscle to hit Fathead who ran him out of town. Okay Chess...Ya did good....We'll start huntin..We'll find him...somebody on the street will know something." said Roscoe..

"Or we'll uh vigorously persuade them to know somethin...ya get my drift?" laughed Ralph Mole.

"You gotta find your boy and pull his coat ....The longer he's with that girl, the more danger he's in." said Roscoe as he and Ralph got up to leave.

"Yeah...I'll do what I can." I said.

I called Chris's cell phone....I was lucky today..He answered it.

"Yo, what up Chess?" he said.

"Where you at man?" I asked.

"I'm at my crib." he answered sleepily.

"You by yourself?" I asked.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact..I am....the babe was here last night..but she left this morning." he said
with a yawn.

"Listen..you gotta trust me...Sit tight..don't go anywhere and load your peice...Ya here me..Load it and be ready..Me and Donnie are on our way." I said.

"What's this about Chess?" said Chris.

"Just be ready." I said.

Donald Smooth and I got in my car and we hit the expressway..It would be the fastest way to get to Chris before someone else did... As we were driving , my Blackberry went off..Luckily, I had on a Blue tooth.

"Hello" I said.

"Hello Chess..This is Kevin."

"Hey Kev, what's up?" I said.

"I pulled the number of that guy who called your friend's girl and I gave it to a friend of mine in
law enforcement who owed me a favor....I found out the general area of where the calls are coming from." he said.

"Kevin, you're a life saver.....I owe you big time man." I said after he gave me the address.

I called Roscoe and Ralph Mole and gave them the information.

"Chess, I don't know how you're gettin this information...but I'm glad you're on my side baby....
Don't you worry..Ralph and me will take care of Mister Micah...Just get to Chris...I'm sure he's sent somebody after him." said Roscoe.

"We on it ." I said.

When we got to one of Chris's apartments...The first thing we noticed was a Black Escalade parked halfway down the block. There was a heavy set, dark skinned man at the wheel with a black muscle shirt on ,under a suit jacket and dark shades...He was just sitting.

"Chess....you head toward Chris's place...I got this guy covered." said Smooth.

I began walking towards Chris's Apartment complex...Just as we thought..The man in the Escalade got out and began walking behind me...He pulled out a Silver.44 Magnum pistol with a
laser site on it....Definitely not a cop.....He aimed right at the back of my head.....but not before two well placed rounds...dropped him where he stood....Courtesy of Donald "Smooth", who looked at me and winked. He dragged the dead gangster back to the Escalade and deposited him in the drivers seat.. Donald motioned for me to duck down. I ducked down behind a car, just in time to see another guy, also heavily muscled and with a big gun parading Chris out of his apartment and down the street towards the Black Escalade.

When they got to the car they were astonished first to see a trail of blood in the street and then the bloody and very dead corpse of his partner in the drivers seat.

"What The hell is goin on here?" said the Hitman.

"How am I supposed to know?, you the one with the gun." said Chris.

"Shut up nigga." said the hitman.

I had a clear shot and I had to make it good...I fired....My shot hit the big man right in the back of his head...He fell up against the car, dead as could be and then fell down on to the pavement..

Chris turned around startled...Then looked releived as he saw Donald "Smooth" and Me.....

"Chess, Smooth..You saved my life....What's going on?" he asked.

"That's what I been tryin to tell you...Your babe set you up...She's Goldie's sister..she was workin with a guy named Micah....They were here to kill everyone she thought was involved in her brother's death in anyway....They got a bounty on Fathead and you." I said.

"Damn man....I owe you Chess...I was out of control....She left while I was sleepin and probably called these goons and told em where I lay my head..." said Chris. "Thanks for pullin my coat on this." he said.

"Oh and you don't have to worry about Micah....We know where he lays his head....Roscoe and Ralph went to have a little talk with him..He won't be callin any hits on anybody anymore."laughed Donald "Smooth"

Chris put his arms around me and Donald "Smooth." -"My Niggas" he said.

The next day, I read in the papers that one Micah Thompson, reputed drug trafficer and suspect in several murders was found shot to death on a private boat at Penn's Landing. Chris and I both went to Wendy's apartment to confront her , but when we got there it was empty..She had probably heard about what had happened to Micah and caught the fastest thing smoking out of Philly....I didn't think we'd seen the last of her...I was certain she'd be back.

"Wow Chess...As long as I been in this game and I let a broad fool me....I must be slippin man...That woulda never of happened to me a few years ago...I'm a player Chess, the ultimate playa and I got played.." said Chris as we sat in Josies that night.

"It can happen to anyone man..We meet a hot woman and for a time we get lost." I said.

Chris smiled, he turned his beer bottle up and guzzled the last of it....He signaled to Gus for another one.

"It won't happen to me again." he said.

"Yeah? You think so, huh?" I laughed.

"Yeah....This is somethin that's supposed to happen to you, not me." laughed Chris....

"Uh Huh...talk your talk Mister Boss playa." I said and we both laughed as Gus brought us both two more beers.


(For SLC)