The thugtress of harlem, p.10
The Thugtress of Harlem, page 10
“What is your lawyer saying?”
“He’s saying that I may have to fight the case from the inside. I have whatever collateral they need for bail; houses; buildings; cars; boats. You name it. But it’s up to the judge. We got another bail hearing coming up soon.”
“I pray they let you out.”
“Me, too. But in the meantime, I gotta figure certain things out.”
Lady could only imagine the pressure Drac was under, even though he seemed to be taking things easy. While he was in jail, she wondered who would take lead of the DuPont’s.
“Who’s gonna hold the fa…”
Drac quickly cut off Lady as if he knew what she was going to say. “I need you to come and visit me. Asap!” He instructed.
“Can I come up there tomorrow?” Lady asked.
“Hold on.”
Drac screamed to someone in his noisy background, asking was the next day a visit for his last name. He came back on the line quickly with an answer.
“They do visits here in alphabetical order. They go by the first letter in my last name. Tomorrow is my day. So, get up here,” he said.
“I’ll be there.” Lady meant it. Rain, sleet, or snow couldn’t stop her from making it up to see Drac. Regardless of what he was going through, she would be there for him.
“See you tomorrow.”
“Okay, babe.”
Chapter 19
News of Drac’s arrest was music to Mark’s ears. Fuck that nigga! With Drac out the way, the only person left to run the family was his old man, the Bull. Finally, his father would receive the position he deserved. Big Bear had no more sons on the street to carry on the family’s legacy. It was his old man’s turn to take lead. Officially.
Since hearing of Drac’s arrest, Mark tried reaching out to his father but got no response. He wondered if his father was upset about the move he made in the Bronx. With Drac out the way, that small blemish should not have been a worry, though, he believed. Was his father holding the move against him? Regardless of if he was, Mark began his mission of organizing things. Starting first with Harlem.
Pulling up to Polo Grounds, he hopped out his ride and entered the projects, shooting to the Bear Cave. Inside the building, a group of young boys crowded the halls, none of whom he recognized. Bypassing the group, he could hear one boy telling the group who he was. “That’s Mark DuPont,” whispered the boy. “Word?” Asked the group in unison. Smiling, Mark made his way upstairs to an apartment controlled by the family. The pad was one of Big Bear’s main leers, also where a lot of decisions was made for the family. Knocking the door, an older man answered.
“What’s good, Fred?” Mark greeted with a smile.
Fred was a soldier in the family, also one of Big Bear’s main shooters. Though he was retired from the gangster life, he still stuck around to assist the family with running errands.
“Hey, Mark. Didn’t expect to see you here,” said Fred.
Mark pushed his way inside the apartment, finding his way to a living room area. He took a seat and waited on Fred to lock up the pad and enter the room.
Fred made way to the living room.
“I know you heard about what happened to Drac?” Mark asked.
Fred let out a breath. “Yeah, man. They got my nigga,” he said.
Mark didn’t like Fred’ response but kept from commenting on it. He wanted to playthings cool before he made his next move.
“So, you know the ball in is my court now, right?” He asked Fred.
Fred made up his face as if he was confused. “What you mean?” He asked.
“Meaning I got the family now.”
Fred became silent.
“Did you hear me?” Asked Mark, wondering why Fred became silent.
“Yeah. I hear you,” said Fred.
Fred’s body language and silence showed he was discomforted by what Mark mentioned. Right away, he knew he couldn’t trust the older man. If Fred was to remain around, he could easily be influenced by Big Bear, and he didn’t want that. Slipping a gun from the small of his back, he quickly took aim at Fred.
“What the fuck?!” Fred put up his hands as if to indicate he was not resisting.
“I could see you gonna be a problem, nigga,” mentioned Mark before firing a single shot in Fred’s stomach.
“Aaagh!” Voiced Fred, grabbing his stomach where he was shot, falling to the ground.
Mark went over to Fred. Placing the pistol to the side of the man’s head, he gave him a final glimpse. Fred looked up at him with tear filled eyes. His expression was distorted into that of shock. It was clear he was in disbelief with what was going on. But Mark didn’t care. It was all about his rule over the DuPont’s. And anyone who he felt may get in the way would have to be taken out. Firing a single shot into Fred’s head, he watched as the man’s body spasmed before eventually going still.
Searching the apartment for material to dress Fred before disposing of him, he found a carpet in a room and some duct tape. He’d handled many a dead body in his day and was familiar with how to deal with victims when making them. Wrapping Fred’s fragile frame, he taped the carpet at head level, mid-section, and feet part. He then rolled Fred over to a wall where he would stay until it was time to dispose of him. Looking down at Fred’s remnants, he spat on the carpet. He felt no mercy for the man. Probably if he hadn’t pulled the trigger on Fred, the man would have one day pulled the trigger on him.
Searching the apartment, he found a set of keys for the pad in a kitchen area. Fixing himself up, he vacated the apartment, locking up after he left. Making way downstairs, he ran into Shooter Sean.
“What’s good?” He asked, bracing himself to kill the younger boy.
Shooter Sean watched Mark with cautious eyes. He didn’t know how to react to the man’s presence. Should he take out his gun and fire on Mark? Or should he wait on orders from Drac first? His friend wasn’t around so he figured Mark would be the next up to control the DuPont’s. But was that the case after what he’d done in the Bronx?
“You tell me?” He asked, preparing for a duel. If Mark made a wrong move, he would be forced to blow the man to smithereens. Whether Drac liked it or not. Self-preservation came first; he would be damned if he let Mark get one up on him without at least trying to defend himself.
Mark could tell the boy was on point by the way he angled himself; Shooter Sean’s hand showed it was near a pistol on his waist. But just as the boy, he was also prepared to eject his weapon. It would be a battle; one Mark was ready to fight.
“The projects is mine until Drac gets out,” he said, though he didn’t mean it. Whether Drac came out or not, he had every intention of taking over the family.
Shooter Sean could not argue Mark’s point. All his life he watched the DuPont’s control Polo Grounds with an iron fist, not allowing anyone to rain on their parade of ultimate control. The family was the real deal and stuck together. So, as a DuPont affiliate, Shooter Sean decided to play his position until he got word from Drac about the current situation in the projects.
“No doubt, b,” he responded.
Mark thought about killing Shooter Sean. The boy would surely be a problem, and he did not want any extra drama during his climb to the top. But he could not kill Shooter Sean in the building. Such a move would be too brawling. It would draw too much attention. Thus, he decided to wait things out. Once the opportunity presented itself, though, he would send Shooter Sean home to his maker.
“I need for you to round up your troops and let them know there will be some new rules from here on out,” he said. “I’ll be by tomorrow during the afternoon. Let’s meet up and talk.”
“No doubt,” said Shooter Sean, shaking his head. There was no way he would ever meet up with Mark. The older man couldn’t trick him. Mark’s eyes spelled deceit. He could not be trusted. But he would playthings cool for now.
Cautiously, Mark side stepped Shooter Sean and exited the building, watching his back along the way out. Making way to his car, he geared up to go and check on all the spots the DuPont’s were in control of. He wanted to let everyone know there was a new sheriff in town, that everybody had be under their best behavior. Or else… The DuPont family was now rightfully under his father’s control, but he would be at the helm of keeping things organized, in check.
Chapter 20
Drac was stressed but kept a level head. The last time he spoke to his attorney, he was informed that the prosecutor had a strong case against him, so bail was out of the question. He had to fight the battle from behind bars. Cases of his magnitude could take years before some sort of resolution came about. Just the thought of having to, possibly, be away for so long rattled his mind. He’d been to jail in the past but was always bailed out right away. He never had to spend a long while on the inside like many he knew. But now he was stuck, possibly for a long time.
Most days he thought about the family. His uncle, Bull, was now the unofficial leader of the clan. Which put Mark at an advantage. Reaching out to Bull proved futile. All his calls were sent to voicemail. He wanted his uncle to know that even though he was in jail, he had a shot of coming out and that he was still in charge. However, he got no answer to give this break down. It was clear Bull had gone on with whatever program he decided to run the family under. His incarceration meant nothing. The show had to go on. That was the rules of the family, anyhow. If a leader was sent away, someone had to step up to lead the clan. There was no going around that. Thus, Drac just had to understand that. But he would not give up his position without a fight. If Bull was head of the family, it could wipe out his father’s rule forever. Big Bear could become a thing of the past. Drac would not have that.
Called for a visit, he quickly got himself together and shot down to the visit room. Prior to entering the visit floor, he had to join a line of prisoners also waiting to go out to their visitors. He ran into a boy from Polo Grounds.
“Drac, what’s popping, b?” Saluted the boy.
“Nothing much, b. I see they got you, too,” said Drac.
“Yeah, man. For a body.”
“We in the same boat.”
“I heard,” said the boy, shaking his head. “You heard about old man Fred?”
Drac didn’t speak much on the phone while in jail, fearing a further indictment for saying something wrong on the phone, so he was not privy to what was going on in the outside world. Thus, he would not know what happened to Fred, a past enforcer for his father’s regime. Fred was a dear friend, though. The older man had his back one hundred percent.
“Nah. What’s good with him?” He asked.
“They found his body out back the Bear Cave in a heap of garbage,” said the boy.
Drac’s eyes widened. “Word?” He asked.
“They’re saying Mark DuPont got to him. He’s been out there regulating shit since they got you.”
Drac’s heart rate accelerated when hearing his Mark’s name. If the information was true about Fred, his prior thoughts served him right. Mark’s trying to control the family. Bull would be in violation if this were the case, though. After what Mark had done in the Bronx, there should have been no way he could control the family. His death warrant had already been signed, so even Bull was compelled to get rid of his son, according to family rules. Keeping his composure, he just shook his head, not giving the boy the chance to believe he was sweating about the situation.
Drac’s name was called, and he went out to his visitor.
Lady got up to greet Drac.
Cracking a huge smile, Drac pulled Lady close and gave her a kiss on the lips. “I missed you, babe,” he said.
“I missed you, too,” smiled Lady.
The two sat down at a table.
“How you feeling?” Drac asked.
“I’m feeling much better than before. But I still can’t believe I got shot,” said Lady, still in disbelief about her situation.
“It comes with the game in the hood.”
Lady raised her eyebrows. “But I was never a part of the game in the hood,” she said.
“But now you are, and you just have to get used to it.” Drac gave Lady a serious look. He wanted her to know that shit was real before he got into what he wanted to tell her. He wanted to feel her out before he got into his spill.
“I hear you, babe.”
“Lady,” called Drac, looking deep into her eyes.
“Yes, babe,” responded Lady, matching Drac’s stare.
“Are you with me a hundred percent?”
“One hundred percent?” Lady asked as if Drac were crazy. “I’m with one thousand percent, and some.”
Drac smiled. Lady’s response made him feel more confident about his girl. She was surely the one. Whatever doubts he had about her before no longer existed following her response. Lady’s eyes said it all. She was a real one.
“Let’s get married then,” he said. He scoped her facial expression and body language after his proposal.
“Let’s do this,” Lady responded right away.
“You sure about this?”
“Listen, Drac, I took a bullet for you…”
Drac laughed. “You’re blaming it on me?” He asked, pointing at himself.
“Yes. I’m blaming it on you. Anything I’ve gone through in the past couple of months is because of you. But I’m not holding it against you. I’m on your side and I want to be there for you. I know there will be pitfalls along the way, but that’s how the game goes. Let’s do this, as I said.”
Drac was blown away by Lady’s sermon. She was right. Had she not been brought into his world, she would not have gone through certain things. The Jamaicans would not have been on her heels. He owed her a lot. She was definitely a real one.
“Say no more. I’ll set it up with the jail,” he said.
“Do that. Asap!”
Drac couldn’t stop smiling about Lady’s brash behavior.
“On another note, you know I’m really gonna need your assistance with things on the outside. I might have to sit up for a while,” he said, getting back serious.
“Just let me know what to do, and I got your back,” replied Lady.
“Cool. Check it. I’m a need you up here on every visit.”
Drac decided to run the family through Lady. But for someone to be in control of the DuPont’s, they had to be a DuPont. Thus, they had to get married first. Bringing Lady into the family would allow him to keep his position. She would be in danger, but with his Young Gunners gang at her side, she would have the protection she needed. Shooter Sean would be there for her. He knew he could count on his friend when it came to that aspect.
“That’s no problem,” said Lady.
“I’m a need for you to secure a cellphone to pass on to a female guard I know in here, to get to me. I need that done by tomorrow.”
“When I leave here, I’ll go to a phone store and get a phone. Just let me know where to meet the guard and I’ll get it to her.”
“Cool.” Drac looked into Lady’s eyes. “Babe, this will be a bumpy ride. But if you follow my lead, you’ll be okay.”
“Well, lead me right. As I said. I got your back,” responded Lady in a stern tone.
“Say no more.”
The visit went on for an hour more before their time was up. They embraced and kissed before departing.
Chapter 21
Lady met up with a female prison guard in Midtown Manhattan at a restaurant to hand over the phone Drac requested. The guard, a voluptuous older black lady, came dressed to the nines in Louis Vuitton from hat to shoe. Lady could tell she had a complete body make over. Her ass did not coordinate with her thighs. Her breasts stood at attention too high on her chest. She didn’t look good. Lady wanted their meeting to be short. The lady’s exterior was too loud. She didn’t want to be seen with the lady.
“How you doing?” Asked the guard, taking a seat across from Lady.
“I’m good,” responded Lady, handing the lady the phone right away.
The lady took the phone and placed it in a tote bag she was carrying. “I’ll get it to him later on when I clock in,” she said. “So, look out for a call from him then.” The lady got up and left.
Lady was glad the lady got out of there. She seemed to not want to be around Lady as much as Lady didn’t want to be around her. Good. Ordering something for lunch, she ate a plate of salmon and then shot back to Queens.
During the evening hours, she received a call from Drac.
“I see you got it,” smiled Lady, happy to hear from Drac as usual.
“Yeah,” replied Drac. “I’m not gonna stay on long, though. I’m a hook up Shooter Sean real quick. Hold on.”
Lady waited as Drac went on the other end of the line. Within a few seconds he came back over with Shooter Sean on the line.
“My girl on the line,” said Drac.
“Okay,” said Shooter Sean. “What’s good, Lady?”
“I’m good,” replied Lady.
“She’s my eyes and ears. I need you to meet with her tonight and let her know everything that’s going on in the hood.”
“Say no more.”
“Lady, I’m a give you his number and y’all connect tonight.”
“Okay.” Lady wished she could meet with Shooter Sean during the day, but whatever Drac needed of her, she would do the necessary. So, if he wanted her to meet with Shooter Sean now, she would.
After the short conversation on the three-way, Drac called back and gave her Shooter Sean’s number. She called the latter and they agreed to meet up in the projects.
Lady prepared herself and headed out, reaching Harlem, by way of taxi, in an hour time. She met with Shooter Sean in her old apartment.
“Let him know that Mark killed Fred and set up a bunch of Bronx niggas out here to oversee things,” said Shooter Sean, sounding defeated.
“It’s like that?” Lady was surprised to hear that guys from the Bronx were in Polo Grounds running things.
Shooter Sean shook his head in disappointment. “My hands are tied,” he said. “You know the DuPont’s run this, and if I’m not hearing anything from Drac, I can’t do nothing. I would a been brought it to these niggas if I had a green light.”
