All You Had to Do Was Ask!

We parked two blocks down from Freddie's Barbershop.....Kool Kat and Owen Todd walked up to the two toughs who were standing guard outside...They put pistols to their temples and quietly marched them away.....Donald Smooth walked across the street to a Black BMW gingerly parked on the corner with tinted windows and got the drop on the driver and another guy who was inside and gingerly marched them away....

Chris and I walked into the barbershop....where Freddie was just finishing up Bruce Studden's haircut....I sat down next to a thick ,muscular thug and put my pistol in his ribs and quietly whispered..."Don't twitch or I'll drop you where you stand...." He got the message quick.

To Bruce's horror, he looked into the eyes of Chris Thompson!!!!!   Freddie, his other two barbers and three customers all got up and began heading for the door....

"Nice haircut Brucie....I've been lookin for a barber...I need to start comin here..." said Chris...

Bruce looked around...He didn't see his guys outside and he was startled to see me sitting quietly next to his bodyguard...

"So you're gonna do me right here huh?" he said, almost whimpering....

"Come on Bruce....You know me better than that?  All these witnesses..You think I'm going to risk going to jail over you...right here, right now?"

"Well what is this about?" he asked.

"What is this about?  You tell me Brucie....You send hitters after my main homey, Chess here two times and let me just say..If Chess or a member of his family had gotten just a knick...just a knick...Brucie...they would be picking parts of you up all over Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania...you feel me??? But to get back to you...What is your beef with me?   I'm not in the game anymore...I'm totally legit...I got nothin you want." said Chris.

"I want that building." he spat...

"What Building?" Chris asked.

"That building you finesed the panties off of Rita Davis to purchase....It wasn't hers to sell...That was my building....I purchased it...I was runnin business out of there for Mingo before I went to jail.." he spat.

"Well Hell Bruce...all you had to do was ask...You don't go puttin a contract out on people." said Chris.

''So you'll give me the building?" he asked.

" Helll No.  It's Chess and mine now...Legally....We bought it.....And we are not going to have you or nobody else sellin drugs or runnin women up in there either.And for your information...It was a legitimate business transaction...Then the panties came off" said Chris.

"Don't matter...That was my buildin..I collected rents, I conducted business ,all out of that building..I laundered money, the whole works...That was mine!" he spat.

"Well ,like I said...It's mine and Chess's now...She had papers drawn up with her name and her name only as the legitimate and legal owner and Chess and our lawyer dealt with her...I only closed the deal." said Chris.

"Yeah, I guess you did." said Bruce.

''What?" said Chris...Who now was no longer in a joking mood...

"You heard me!" said Bruce who looked like he was going for a gun...until he heard the click of my gun and saw Chris's gun on him and realized that he'd lose no matter what he did.  He was not a stupid man by any means.

"Look....Let's compromise here...I'm not into runnin women  in this area and I aint runnin drugs no more period...I just got out of the joint...I need some income man." said Bruce.

''Get a job." said Chris... I smiled....

"Okay, well look...How about this...When you guys finish renovatin..You rent me a floor?   I give you my word Chris...No drugs, no babes ,no juice....I aint into that , not here....I swear." said Bruce.

"We rent you a floor?  For what?" said Chris...

''Just to chill and to conduct business...My count.Just the money Chris...Nothin else....The real business will be nowhere near where I lay my head, I swear.." said Bruce.

"I might could do that....." said Chris..

"Okay...Could I make you an offer?" he asked...

"Hold that thought...Give me a number where you can be reached and we'll get back to you...In the meanwhile, your contracts on us are off." said Chris...Who signaled me to get up...

"You got my word...the contract is up. You guys will get no more trouble out of me.'" He said..

"Your boys are safe and sound...They're around the corner, unharmed. If you try to go back on your word Brucie, the deal is off and you'd better find another city to live in" said Chris.

"Okay...Okay...I gave you my word didn't I....A playas word is bond or has that changed?" he asked.

"How long was you in the joint?" I asked.

"Three years, six months and 14 days Chess." he said with a sigh.

''Some things done changed." I said.

"True dat." he said as Chris and I left the barbershop.

II-

A few hours later, Chris and I sat in Josies having a few beers and talking..

"You really want to rent a floor out to that creep?" I asked Chris...

''Don't be ridiculous Chess...I just said that to stall him.  Something is up...First he wants to buy the building, then he agrees to rent a floor and he's saying all along that he's not going to be running women or drugs out of there....I don't buy it...That's how Bruce Studden makes his money..He runs women, he sells drugs and he puts juice on the streets...He's all about the money...and there's a reason he is so interested in that building..." said Chris.

"What do you think it is?" I asked.

"I don't know...but I just wanted to stall him until we could find out...." said Chris....

"How are we going to do that?" I asked.

''We gotta do a little snoopin."  said Chris...

"I'm going to Robert Foxworth's office tomorrow...He's got  a friend in records..I'm gonna look up the history of this building" I said.

"Now you're talkin...Take Donald Smooth with you...Me and Owen Todd are going to take a real close look inside that building. I gotta feelin there is either something in that building or it's location that is very valuable to Brucie...More valuable than he"s lettin on." said Chris.

(To Be Continued....)