Chapter ?: Dangerous Partners

Everybody's Got An Angle

Kenny sat in the passenger seat of his own car, reclined all the way into the back. He wearily rolled his shoulders before folding both arms behind his head and just stared at the roof. He listened to his heart, it was beating much more calmly than just moments ago before he parked and switched sides. He propped his right leg up on the dashboard, inhaled deeply until his chest expanded then slowly released it through his slightly parted lips.

The handle on the driver's side door was tampered with, it opened allowing the many different noises of the outside to pour in until somebody sat down and pulled it shut, adjusting himself behind the steering wheel. "You good son?" The familiar voice asked.

Tim adjusted the side and rearview mirrors as well as the seat before reached for the ignition and found the key already in place. He gave it a soft twist and sank into the leather cushioning of the car seat as the vehicle came to life with a gentle purr. He grinned, nodded in his head in approval. "Aight, I see you getting some work done. Shit is nice." Tim shifted the automatic gear from park to drive and drove away.

They left behind them a seemingly abandoned warehouse in what could be considered one of the worst parts of the city. It was a lone, crumbling, desolate area that was left to decay after the Great Depression so far long ago. The warehouse lot had become inhabited by the homeless, drugs addicts, gangs and it wasn't uncommon for a few half-buried dead bodies to be found. It was a section the city wished they could all forget, but it stunk too bad for anybody to do anything but ignore it. Its old, decaying buildings had hosted everything from weapon smuggling to human trafficking, illegal immigration, gang executions and as of late… drug operations.

The black BMW sped onto the main scene of traffic, losing its distinguish amongst the many other vehicles. The two inside of it, Tim and Kenny were lieutenants of the drug kingpin, Frank Benecio. They were in charge of city's street operations and receiving in bound shipments from overseas. These two were the face of the kingpin's organization; he was rarely seen.

Tim sucked on his teeth and glanced to the side at Kenny with a risen eyebrow. "We good… or what?" He looked over the detachable, digital video player, shifting through the music he knew to be loaded until an album of his own heart was found. "You know I gotta fuck with my man Biggie." Tim commented and found Life After Death, his choice of driving music for the pre-dawn hours of the morning. Again, he shot a look at Kenny still waiting for a response, but didn't verbally press.

"…yup, it's going to happen." Kenny uttered dryly, rolling his dark eyes to the side and nodding to his partner. "The Queen's in. We've got all the pieces so all we need to do is put them in place," and at the mentioning of this Queen, he closed his eyes and saw the face of a young woman flash through his mind almost hauntingly. He breathed out a sigh and continued. "She knew about your side arrangements, apparently we got a snitch in our camp but then again she isn't too concerned with it as long as it's not interfering with whatever she has going on behind her husband's back. It just gives her something to hold against us should this unsteady alliance of ours fall through…"

Driving the car, listening to music, listening to Kenny and thinking about what he said… Tim was quiet for a moment. He watched the lights of the street lamps overhead flash by one after another, the other cars on the street and the scenery that changed from the warehouse district to the familiar settings of the city's Southside.

"Mm-hmm, you fucking her… so you trust her?" It irked him to even think that woman was thinking she had him by the balls. He'd just as quickly lace some of her coke with battery rust and watch her snort herself into a vegetative state. Instead he'd let the man that had been his brother-in-arms since their hoodlum days in high school and early college make that decision.

Kenny grunted, lifted his seat and pulled his leg down so he was positioned upright and opened the glove compartment, retrieving his nickel-plated M1911A1. He had a special bullet reserved for her the chamber; it was the one that had been pulled out of his left shoulder after he took a bullet for her years back when she'd taken some of his product for her own personal use… Back before she married Frank, the man who shot him as a punishment. "No. I'm fucking her so we can so we don't end up in the harbor… and 'cause it'll make killing her that much more sweeter." He protected the scar of her betrayal so it'd be raw when he took his revenge.

"Aight, aight!" Tim stroked his chin, grinning in an amused manner. "I thought you might've loved her still," he teased, knowing he was touching a nerve that was always irritated. "Survival means you're playing an angle; no real nigga is gone be content eating scraps from the hand of another motherfucker. Let's do what we got to do and take this shit for ourselves! Frank's gotten comfortable, lazy… ignorant. We ain't his fucking kids, he ain't gone leave a drug empire for us when he die… we're just two niggas he took off the streets to do his dirty work for him." Tim's temper swayed toward the worse, his voice deepening with anger and agitation. He wanted more for himself, his son and daughter… his lady. "Let's dead this nigga and do this shit right!" He strongly insisted.

Hours earlier…

"Don't act stupid; it's unbecoming of you, Ken… Everybody is playing an angle to get a piece of the action, but eventually somebody will want all of it!" Becki was sprawled out across the bed, naked save for the red bed sheets that wrapped her shapely figure. She breathed in the soothing scent of flavored candles and the musk of her sexual exploitations with her ex-boyfriend, now her husband's lieutenant… and also her lieutenant. She crawled to the edge of the bed, reached out with her thin right arm and snatched up his gun from the nightstand. Becki eyed it momentarily and then decided to slide out of bed, bare feet carrying her across the marble floor to Kenny.

Inside of the luxurious master bathroom, Kenny was pulling himself together after tearing Becki apart. He stood bare-chested in front of the mirror, a wash cloth on his left shoulder covering the scar left by his gun shot wound. He inspected himself… while listening to the reasoning of the queen. His hands rest on the countertop, balled in fists as he leaned forward and thought about what she was suggesting. "He's the only person I trust," Kenny protested and shook his head… he briefly saw a faded reflection of his partner in the mirror which enforced his resolve to avoid being involved in Becki's own agenda. "Rebecca…" He felt her eyes on from him the doorway.

"Don't call me that!" She sneered at him, aiming the gun in her hands at him and mockingly shooting him by saying bang. "You know I have enough evidence to show Frank that Tim's betrayed him and is attempting to stage this little coup de tat? I can shut it all down in the blink of an eye," her voice took a more serious tone as he stepped lightly in her approach, laying her hands on he ex's chest as he turned toward her. "Then what? Of course, you'd be next… if hubby didn't just decide to bury you both together. I'm sure you'd both look good in matching suits." She amused herself greatly.

"I'd kill you… -" Kenny began to argue.

"No you wouldn't!" Becki exclaimed, licking her lips as she slowly inched away from his half naked form after placing the gun down on the countertop behind him. She flashed her nude body before him, laughing, and leaning against the edge of the Jacuzzi. "Because then you'd be all alone… and I know you haven't quite broken that phobia, yet. So stop acting like you don't need me and use your damn head, Ken! There can't be two kingpins, let alone THREE! He has the power right now and the two of you want it… so take it, then kill Diggs before he decides to kill you for full control. After that, it'll be us, boo. Perfection. It'll all be ours," she assured him, beckoning him to come forth with her nude form and seductive gestures of the hand.

Kenny took possession of his tailored handgun, eyes torn between it and his ex… the two having a strong connection. "Maybe I'll just give it to Tim and find something else out in the world," he suggested, truly pondering the prospect of leaving behind his life of crime and this city drowning in sin. Kenny grit his teeth, sucked in a deep breath and forced himself to step out of the bathroom, tucking the gun in the back of his black jeans.

The queen broke into a fit of laughter, tagging behind her ex whom appeared to be delusional about his life. She concealed herself properly, tucking in the ends of the wrapped sheet so she move her hands freely. "Oh? You're still looking for redemption from that skank that came before me? Hahaha! You're little high school sweetheart who left you after graduation for a plain, boring legit lifestyle. I heard she was engaged… living well, quite educated. Now why would she give that all up for you now… when she didn't want you back then?" Becki lit a cigarette and pinched it between her lips, lighting it and sucking in on highly addictive source of nicotine. "Look at what the fuck is around you, what you've been doing with your life, Ken."

Even in Kenny's own mind the truth was undeniable, the queen knew him too well to not prey on his few weaknesses. He loved her so much before the almost middle-aged Frank came to the conclusion she was the wife he wanted, and shot Kenny with his own gun that was a gift from Frank to humiliate him.

"I'll inform you when we're making our move…"

Next Chapter: Assembling A Team