He learned how to control his temper. There was no such thing as nonviolent conflict resolution in the joint. You hit first, and you hit hard. If you didn’t, you would find yourself washing another motherfucker’s boxers. The first time he got cut off in traffic after being released had been tough. It had taken everything in him not to chase the guy down, drag him out his car, and curb-stomp him.
Buddy Lee had it all wrong. Ike wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He wasn’t afraid to spill blood. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop.
SIX
Grayson raised his garage door. The heat was a living thing that reached out and touched him with a suffocating caress. An oily haze gave the neighborhood a sepia tone, like he was trapped in an old photograph. The afternoon sun cut through the exhaust from the diesel repair shop to the east and the smoke and steam from the sheet-metal plant to the west. Grayson threw one heavy leg over his bike. He slipped his helmet over his broad head. Long blond hair trailed from under the helmet and down his back. He was just about to fire up the Harley when Sara opened the door and hollered at him.
“Your cell phone is ringing. You know, the one in the nightstand you forbid me from touching,” she crowed. Grayson pulled off his helmet.
“Bring it here.”
“Oh, I can touch it now?”
“Bitch, bring me the goddamn phone,” Grayson said. Sara opened her mouth, changed her mind, and disappeared into the house. When she returned she had Jericho on her hip and the phone in her free hand.
“Tell her she better not kiss you because she’ll be eating my pussy,” Sara said when she handed him the phone.
“Jesus, watch your fucking mouth in front of him,” Grayson said.
“Like you don’t say worse,” Sara said.
“Go in the fucking house.”
“Sure, keep treating me like crap. Maybe one day you’ll come home and I’ll be gone.”
“You promise?” Grayson said. Sara flicked him off before going back in the house. Grayson grunted out a brief chuckle. They’d be hate-fucking later tonight. They played the same song and dance for the last five years. Neither one of them was going anywhere. And they both knew it.
Grayson opened the burner. He read the number and shook his shaggy head before answering it.
“Hello?”
“Hello. I suppose you know why I’m calling.”
“I got a guess.” The person on the other end of the line paused for a full minute.
“So, you haven’t found her.”
“It’s been two months. I had guys looking for her all over the place. Even put some feelers out with some of the homeboys that buy hardware from us. That bitch is in the wind. After what happened to that reporter, she ain’t saying boo to a cat. You got nothing to worry about,” Grayson said. The person on the other end was quiet for nearly a minute this time. When they spoke again they articulated each word with a bestial intensity.
“I would like to ensure that she keeps her mouth shut. We’re too close to let some whore ruin our plans.”
“You really gonna go through with that shit, huh?” Grayson asked.
“It’s time for a change. Our people are ready. We don’t need her interfering with that. That’s why I need you to find her. And greenlight her.”
“Hey, she ain’t at that address you gave us. She ain’t been to work since the reporter got popped. She’s a ghost, man. You’re good.”
“Do you know how I’ve gotten to where I am? I’ll give you a hint. It isn’t because I don’t pay attention to details. You and your club have been compensated to perform a task. That task isn’t completed until the girl is taken care of as well. Do we really need to go down that road where I threaten you and your associates? Because I’d rather not do that. We’ve had a mutually beneficial relationship for many years. No need to put that in jeopardy. But I need that girl. Before the twenty-fourth.”
Grayson clenched his jaw. He held the phone away from his face for a few moments. Two deep breaths later and he felt he was able to speak.
“I hear what you are saying. But we’ve known each other a long time. So you know I don’t do threats. Let’s get that straight. We’ll keep looking for the girl because that’s what we said we would do. But that relationship you was talking about? That goes both ways, motherfucker. Remember that,” Grayson said.
“Duly noted. We can discuss the terms of that relationship at another time. Right now, I need you to take care of that slut.”