The cost of vengeance - [28]

“You’re right. I am that same nigga. But it ain’t gotta be like that between us. I know you know where he is. So why don’t you go on and tell me and we’re outta here.”

“What you want with Bull?”

“I’m gonna do you a favor.”

“Only favor you can do for me is kill that nigga,” Nita Blue said.

“As soon as you tell us where he is,” Bobby said.

“Y’all gonna kill Bull? For what?”

“What do you care?” Bobby asked. “You want him dead, you tell us where he is.”

Nita looked at Bobby and then she smiled at me. “He must know you lookin for him,” Nita Blue said. “I need to make a call, okay,” she said and looked at Bobby.

“Go ahead,” he said.

Nita took out her phone and made a call. “Where you at?” We sat and waited while Nita listened. “How many he got with him?” she asked then hung up. “He’s hold up in a house in Queens. Got three niggas wit’ him.”

“The address, please,” Bobby said.

On the way to kill Bull, I thought about taking a deep breath and calling Monika. Having her along on a job like this would make the whole thing a lot easier. She would have a layout of the house and would use one of her high-tech toys to pick up the heat signatures of everybody in the house, and Jackie would be out in the van monitoring their movements. Monika would toss in a flash grenade and the sudden flash of light would distract them, and before they could react it would be over. Somehow I thought that would be easier than what we were about to do.

Bobby parked the car down the street from the house. “How you wanna do this?” Bobby asked as I got out and started walking toward the house.

“Same way we always do it.”

“Walk in and kill everybody. Good plan,” Bobby said and followed behind me. “Why don’t we just knock on the door and ask to speak to Bull?”

“That ain’t a bad idea. You knock on the door and I’ll go around back,” I said. “Since they know we’re looking for them, they’ll probably start shootin’ as soon as they see you.”

“I think we need another plan.”

“I’m not suggestin’ you just stand there and let them shoot you. Knock and move out of the way.”

“If it’s such a good plan, you knock and move, and I’ll go around back and wait for them to come runnin’ out,” Bobby said.

“Fine,” I said and watched Bobby go around back. I gave him a few minutes to get set before I walked up to the door. Before I could get close to the door, I heard a noise and knew I should get down. I dove to the ground and when I looked up, there was a big hole in the door from a shotgun blast. I heard shooting coming from the back of the house and wondered if Bobby was still glad he picked that spot.

I got up and ran in the house. The three of them were at the back door, shootin’ it out with Bobby. They didn’t see me coming. I fired at one of them and hit him in the back of the head. I took aim at another one and fired twice. Both shots hit him in his back. I heard loud footsteps coming down the stairs. The last man at the door turned and fired on me as I ran back down the hall. I got there in time to see Bull Harris running out the front door.

He moved pretty fast for a big mutha fucka, but before he could make it to his car, I shot him in the leg. Bull went down hard and rolled over. He fired a couple of shots at me and I hit the ground. Bull kept firing and I shot back and hit him in the arm, but he kept firing. I didn’t want to kill him yet. I wanted to know where I could find Skip before I killed him. Once his gun was empty, I got up and walked toward Bull. I put another clip in my gun. I didn’t hear anymore shooting coming from the back and hoped that Bobby had gotten his man.

Bull threw his gun at me and struggled to his feet. He tried to get in the car, but when I fired a couple of near-missed shots at the door, he changed his mind and decided begging for mercy was his best option. “Please don’t kill me, Black. I didn’t have nothing to do with what Bo and them was planning,” Bull pleaded.

I heard gunshots and turned quickly. I saw a man go down on the side of the house and Bobby walk up and stand over him. Bobby put two more in him to make sure he was gone and then walked toward me and Bull.

“Now, what were you sayin’?” I asked and put my gun to his head.

“Really, Black, I didn’t have nothin’ to do with it. When Bo told me that shit, I told him that I didn’t want shit to do with it.”

“Then why did you blow a hole in the door when I walked up?”

“That wasn’t me, Black. I was upstairs sleep when you got there. I woke up when I heard the shooting.”

Bobby leaned against the car next to Bull. “You know what, Bull,” he said. “I believe you.”

“You do?” I asked.

“Yeah, Mike, Bull is a smart man. He wouldn’t be involved in no dumb-ass shit like trying to kill me, you, and Nick; would you, Bull?”

“No, Bobby, you know me. I ain’t have shit to do with it,” Bull said and I eased my gun away from his head a little.

“What about Skip?” I asked. “I know Skip was all for it; wasn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Bull said. “Skip’s the one that came at me wit’ that shit. He said we could stand back, let Bo and Hank do the dirty work, and then we’d be golden. But I told him to count me out of that shit.”