Devil's Alley

"One Million bucks eh?" laughed Fathead Newton as he sat in his hot and small office space. Roscoe, his cheif enforcer stood by his side and his main man, Ralph Mole passed me and Chris Thompson a cold bottle of water.

"Look Fathead....Chris and me have raised most of the money ourselves...We thought about getting a government loan to make up the rest....but we don't really want the government in our business." I said.

"Yeah Chess, especially since a sizable part of your revenue....namely your floating crap game is uh let's say untaxable and therefore...uh..illegal." laughed Fathead.

Chris didn't say anything at first...He kept drinking his water...sweat was running down his brow..He looked up at Fathead and said-

"Damn man...you aint got no air conditioning in here?"

"It's on and off man." shrugged Fathead.

"Why do you do business here?" I asked..We were in a small office on top of an old grocery store.

"Because it's out of the way....Nobody would think to look for me here." said Fathead.

"You go in with us....and we'll give you an office. A nice new office in our suite with a gym...a bedroom and most of all some air conditioning...."I said. Chris began to laugh and slap his knees....

"So what is this now?" said Fathead...

"We made arrangements with a contractor to break grown on a mini-shopping mall...Our Attorney, Robert Foxworth has gotten an agreement of good faith from a major supermarket chain and a major bank and a major fast food chain to put their businesses in it....We talked to Mabel Jenkins and she's going to open up a second Soul Food Joint and let her sister, Corrie manage that one and I'm going to open up another gym and juice bar there...It will make money and provide jobs...It's a solid investment." I said.

"Damn Chess...ever the businessman....." laughed Fathead.

"It's clean money Fathead...a damn good investment." laughed Chris Thompson.

"Okay...I'm in...I'll give you three million upfront...and you'll give me that suite huh?" he said.

"Yup....because we are thinkin about putting our suite in there..moving from Penns Landing back into the neighborhood....You'll be upstairs in the back...away from the street...and only you and your people will know that this is your office and place of business..You can give this rat hole up." said Chris. Roscoe and Ralph Mole laughed...

"Yeah man...this neighborhood is so dangerous..even I'm scared to leave here without my people sometimes." said Fathead.

"You still got enemies?" laughed Chris.

"Heavy is the head that wears the crown" laughed the fat gangster.

"I know...that's why I relinquished it...gave it to you..." laughed Chris..".I sleep a lot better now of days." he added.

"Well, I'm gettin there....I got the two clubs and a lot of legit stuff workin for me now...I'm gettin less and less involved in that street thing...but you know..I still got to hear my name ring on the corners from time to time." he laughed.

Fathead loved being a gangster....It was in his blood...Just then my Blackberry went off...It was Rell.. We were supposed to go out tonight.

"Well fellas ..I gotta go." I said as I headed for the door and some cool air.

"Be easy Chess." said Fathead, Chris, Roscoe and Ralph Mole in unison.

I rushed to the street....My Black 2010 BMW was parked in the massive Alleyway behind the ratty grocery store that was the host for Fathead's "office" and base of operations. I'm usually more alert when I'm on the street...but I was rushing... I never saw the guy come up to the door of my car..

"Heyyy man, nice car." he said. He was slender, a little taller than me with a wide smile. He kept smiling.

"Thanks man." I said. He then grabbed my arm and shoved some cold steel in my side...Another man who I didn't see came up and punched me in my face and then hit me over the head with something...I fell to the ground and then felt my side get kicked....I was in extreme pain. They pulled me to my feet...

"Mister Wally Gator sends his regards" the guy with the smile said and was about to cock his pistol...When I pulled my door open hard and slammed it into his knees...he grunted and I cold cocked his so hard, he dropped his gun and staggered...His friend attempted to grab me..but I took my elbow and bowed him in his temple so hard that he fell to the ground...stunned...By now the guy with the smile wasn't smiling anymore...he was headed towards me...I hit him in his gut with an uppercut and then put a right cross to his face that dropped him for the night... Both of them were attempting to get up when they felt some cold steel of their own on the backs of their necks....It was Chris and Roscoe!!!!

"Ah...Ah ..Ahhhh...wouldn't do that playa." said Chris as he pistol whipped the smiling guy. Roscoe followed suit....Within minutes they were all tied up...and in Fathead's hot office...They were scared to death...

''Who you workin for?" asked Fathead. One guy would say nothing...but the other guy spilled his

guts-

"A guy named Felix......He works for Wally Gator." he spat.

"Wally Gator is in jail." I said.

"He out on bail...a technicallity got his original conviction overturned..." said the guy...His friend still didn't mutter a word.

Chris looked at them both and smiled-

"Gentlemen...tonight is your lucky night...Nobody feels like killing you...I got a date...and my man Chess here, who should kill you...has got somewhere he's got to be...So we gonna let you go..

You tell Felix, whoever he is..and Wally Gator..That we'll be seeing them...ya hear?" laughed Chris.

We uncut them and allowed them to leave....They ran for all they were worth..

"Damn man...they were a pair of amateurs." laughed Roscoe.

'That's all you can find now of days...most of the pros are either in jail or dead." laughed Fathead.

"Boss , we gotta get out of this neighborhood." said Ralph Mole.

(To Be Continued...)