Fluff,Dried and Handcuffed!

In one day I had crippled Mike Traine's organization..At least 69 of his people were in custody...and a number of his people had left Philadelphia on the fastest thing smoking, believing that someone was moving in on him fast...

The funny thing, the thing that really made me laugh was that he didn't even know it...Wasn't aware that his offices were closed , his legitimate employees had quit, or rather had been strongly urged not to return Under Advisement from the likes of Kool Kat, Chris Thompson, Chess, Donald Smooth, Big Nasty and others...and that for all intents and purposes..he was powerless....

He still thought that my wife was his prisoner... He really didn't have a card to play and was under indictment himself...but I wanted to play my last string.

Stevie "Hats" McMillian contacted me early in the morning...

I drove to his girlfriend's aunts house in Camden the next morning...

"Hey Kev, whats good?" he said.

"I talked to ADA Wallace man...you got your deal Hats..."I said.

"Yeah?" he said...

"Yup, you turn yourself in and turn in the money and neither the D.A.'s office or the bank will press charges." I said.

''Wow that's great."he said.

I need a favor from you though." I said.

"What's that?" he said.

"I need two of those thousand dollar bills" I said.

"Kev, you can't spend them, the serial numbers are known." he said.

"No..No..Not for that...Mike Traine is still out there...He thinks I'm going to double cross you and turn the money into him...He kidnapped my wife and was holding her hostage." I said.

"Oh My God." said Hats..

"Relax..She's safe now...but he doesn't know that...I got a trap set for him...I owe him some payback." I said.

''Yeah, I see that the swelling in your face is just startin to go down ..Guess you had a run in with him too." said Hats.

"Yeah and hopefully I'll get to pay him back in kind." I said.

"Awww yeah...I hate that bad skinned cowardly weasel myself. He hides behind his thugs..I'll take you to the money Kev." Said Hats ,Who was wearing a purple and yellow baseball cap with rhinestones on the edges.

II-

Hats and I drove to a safe deposit box in downtown Philadelphia.....He peeled off two one thousand dollar bills and passed them to me...He took the box with the rest of  stolen money and surrendered to Detective Carlotta Rodriguez  and two uniformed policemen.

"Thanks Kev." she said.

"Tell Keith, everything will be set for tonight." I said.

"Okay, I can't wait." she said and kissed me on the cheek..

''Do be careful papi.."she said.

"But of course...that goes without saying." I said.

III-

Later that afternoon, I called the number Mike Traine had given me from a payphone...

"Hello.." he said.

"Mike Traine...This is Kevin Morris." I said.

"Yeah, You got good news for me?" he said..

He still didn't know how bad things were.

"I got your money.."I said.

"Very good..." he said.

"Is my wife alright?" I asked.

"I suppose...I haven't been to the safehouse...I been busy...Nobody has answered the damn phone over there. I suppose my guy lost you huh?"he said under his breath.

"You had somebody on me? Wow, I never knew."I lied.

"Okay smart guy , you shook him...Probably why I haven't heard from him...He knows how I feel about failure." said Mike Traine.

"Yeah whatever, Just meet me in front of the laundromat tonight at midnight." I said.

"That's in two hours." he said.

"Good , you can tell time." I said.

"Still got the smart mouth eh?" he said.

"Let's just get this over with." I said.

''Hey Boss...I can't seem to reach anybody on the phone...I called a couple of our offices..I called the lawyer, the accountant, the book keeper, some of the other guys..Nobody is answering their phones." came a voice.

"It's the weekend...They're probably with broads...Don't worry about it." said Mike Traine.

''Havin problems Mike?" I asked.

"Nothin you need to worry about...just be there with my dough." he said.

"I'll be there...I can't wait." I said.

He didn't know how bad I couldn't wait!

IV-

I sat in my Lexus outside the laundromat....At 11:59 pm..Three guys approached the passenger side and Mike Traine and two of his goons approached the drivers side..He motioned for me to open the door, so I did...

He got in...He was holding a .45..

"Okay, so where is the loot?" he asked.

I went inside my coat pocket...

''Easy...Easy." he said.

"Relax...Here are two thousand dollar bills just to show you I have the money in good faith. I'm sure you know the serial numbers" I said.

He looked at them, then shook his head.

"Okay, where is the rest of it?" he said.

"It's not  like I'm carrying three million on me." I said.

''What? You aint got the money on you?" he screamed...

"No ,I didn't say that...It's in the laundromat." I said.

"What?" He asked.

"In the dryer!!!...Number Three..The one that's got out of service on it..."I said.

"You're a real creative guy Kevin...I'm creative too...I put two hot ones in Little Willie Tate's head...It was my idea to stuff him in the dryer." he said..

"Yeah, that was pretty creative. Cruel, but creative." I said.

"What was cruel? He was already dead when my guys brought him here." he smirked.

"You're all heart." I said.

"Okay laughin boy..We are all going in to get that dough...If it aint in there...I'm makin a call and your wife is dead....Now get out the car...Let's go." he said.

I got out...Five of his goons surrounded me..

"You always travel with such an entourage?" I asked as we walked into the laundromat.

"Yeah...There is security in numbers ." he said.

"For a punk like you, I suppose so." I said.

''Huh? What?  I oughta belt you one." he said.

"Look around sport...There's too many people in here...You don't want to draw a crowd..Just get your money and get out of my life!" I said.

There was two women doing laundry...  two guys doing their laundry on the other side and a young white guy listening to an ipod with his headphones on sitting on top of a washing machine...He looked like he was high.

Mike thought better of hitting me with this many customers in here...

" You lucked out this time..Just show me the dryer and get me my money." he said.

"What about my wife?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'll have em cut her loose.. Ya know..It coulda been worse...She looks kinda sporty....I coulda demanded she give me a taste of the goodies ya know??  I thought about it...but even a jamolk like you deserves a little respect." he jeered..

My temper had now reached it's boiling point...

Lt. Sissy Van Buren, dressed in black tights and a denim top spun around...I can't tell you how hot she looked in those black tights, which hugged every curve...She pulled a glock nine out of the washing machine!

"Game over fellas drop em!!!" she said.

One goon was foolish enough to draw his weapon and Sissy shot him in the shoulder and in the thigh...I don't think she is the one to piss off!

He yelled out in pain..

"ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGHH...I don't believe it ,I've been shot." and fell to the floor.

Carlotta ,spun around and flipped another goon and put his arm behind his back...I wouldn't piss her off either!! She pulled out her Glock nine and stuck it in the base of his neck...He didn't offer any resistance...

Detective Tyriq Pile, wearing an apron for some reason  pulled his revolver out of a washing machine and backed another goon up...

"Don't hurt him Top." laughed Tyriq Pile as he backed his man up.

" I always wanted to do that move."laughed Carlotta...

"I can tell." laughed Tyriq.

''Hey sexy chocolate, take that apron off...You look ridiculous." said Sissy.

Sissy and Carlotta howled with laughter...

Tyriq just smiled as he handcuffed his man.

While Detectives Edwin "Duke"Baylor  and Jimmy Barlow pulled their guns and handcuffed the remaining goons..

I grabbed Mike Traine and punched him so hard in his stomach that he fell up against the dryer and dropped his gun..I kicked it away and then punched him several times in his face...I hit him so hard and so often that his fat face began to swell and blood began to trickle out of his mouth and nose....Then I grabbed him and rammed his head into the dryer until the glass broke..

"Now Mr. Fluff and dry, let's see how you like it." I said and I flung the door open and stuffed the short, balding gangster into the deep dryer...dropped three quarters in the slot, slammed the door and turned it on...

''ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH." he screamed as the dryer spun around with him in it..

A crowd gathered and laughed as he spun around and tumbled, screaming to the top of his lungs for help! ... Finally Sissy walked over to me, put her arms around me gently and whispered...

"That's enough Kevin." she said....She had a way about her that was so soft ,so tender that she could totally disarm me...Again I wondered how Robert could have ever let her go and hoped that Eddie C. made an honest woman out of her one day and married her..Sissy was and is an amazing woman.

Tyriq, Jimmy and Duke were laughing uncontrollably, So was two other plain clothes detectives who also happened to be in the laundromat....Carlotta walked over to Sissy and I, took one look at Mike Traine tumbling in the dryer  and fell out laughing herself...

"Did you get his confession on tape?" I asked.

"Every word...We got him for murder one. Chica, Jimmy, get him out of that dryer" said Sissy softly..

Carlotta and Jimmy pulled him out of the dryer and handcuffed him...He was clearly dazed...

"Fluff, Dried and handcuffed." said Jimmy...

Duke ,Tyriq,Carlotta and the two other  plain clothes detectives fell out laughing...

"Okay,Okay...Get him and his gang out of here.Get an ambulance for him and the guy I shot." said Sissy as some uniforms arrived and helped the detectives lead them all out...

Sissy looked at me..

"Hey Kevin, you got any quarters?" she asked.

"Yeah...You want a soda or something?" I asked.

"Uh no...Since I knew we were coming to the laundromat tonight...I brought a few things I wanted to wash." she said...

She actually had a box of detergent and a laundry bag full of a few things.

I laughed....

"You serious?" I said.

"Yes I'm serious..." she said with a straight face.

I laughed, a good hearty laugh....First time in days.

Sissy smiled and laughed too...

I handed her four quarters and she took her clothes out of the washing machine and put them in the dryer..

She looked back at me and winked...

Sissy was too much!

EPILOUGE-

All 69 of Mike Traine's associates got from 25 years to Life for a variety of charges , ranging from Extortion of business, Bribery of public officials,  Conspiracy to operate a criminal enterprise, money laundering and even murder!!...The young lady and the five goons who kidnapped Sepia and I got Life sentences...The other five guys arrested in the laundromat that night got 15-25 years on assault ,attempted murder and various conspiracy charges...

Mike Traine himself was sentenced to two life sentences without possibility of parole for the murder of Little Willie Tate and the kidnapping of Sepia and I...

In prison, he was no longer the big cheese...He was hated and blamed for most of his one time associates being there with long sentences... Several attempts were made on his life.He had to be transferred to protective custody for his own safety.

Stevie ''Hat's"McMillian is a free man...He returned the money as agreed and was not prosecuted..He and Edie got married and their laundromat is pulling in big bucks...
At his wedding he wore a White Top Hat with gold trim and blue polka dots... Imagine that!

He paid me handsomely...More than was originally agreed...

"I can't thank you enough Kev...The whole neighborhood thanks you for gettin that bum, Mike Traine off the streets." said The Hat Man...

"Yeah, from what I understand, he's not the big man on campus at the prison." I laughed.

''I heard a couple a guys tried to take him out." said the Hatman...

"Couldn't be happening to a more deserving person." I said. We both laughed.

"Heard you got creative with him..Stuffed him in one of my dryers." he laughed.

"Oh yeah..I'll pay you for that." I said.

"Relax Kev...It's done...I just wished I was there to see it." he said.

"So what will you do now?" I asked.

"Oh ,Edie and I are goin to the Bahamas for our honeymoon Kev..I'm gonna have a nice tall cold drink on the beach somewhere, Somewhere I don't know the playas and the cops don't know me...and the beer is cold and flowing.Then we'll be back."he laughed...

"Good for you Hatman...Good for you." I laughed...."Be Easy Hatman."

'' Always Kev...Always." he said.

Sepia and I relaxed in our house one afternoon...
"Sepia ,I'm so sorry about this...This is the second time you've been kidnapped by my enemies..I'm going to make sure this never happens again." I said.

"Don't worry about it lover...I'm licensed to carry...Next time..I'll have my .38 smokeless in my pocketbook and I'll bust a cap in any would be kidnapper." she said.

I looked at her kind of funny.

"Kevin...I was born in Newark...I'm essentially a street girl." she said.

"My ride or die chick." I joked..

"You better know it." she said..

I kissed her forehead...

"What's with this forehead kissing?" she said.

She grabbed me and kissed me slowly, sensually and softly for a few minutes...

"Wow!" was all I could say...She put her forefinger on my lip....and spoke softly,almost in a whisper...

"I'm going down in the basement...I've got a few things in the washing machine...I hope the washing machine isn't the only thing down there rocking." she said and curled her lip sensually...

We stood at the basement door and  we kissed some more....Sepia's skin was as soft as a baby...and she smelled great...She was hard for me to resist most times...

"Well alright!" I said as she took my hand and lead me to the basement and turned the lights off!~

"I didn't think you'd mind." she said.

"Not at all." I said as I sat her up on the washing machine and hiked her dress up...