In a Cold Sweat (8 page)

“Yeah, I’m alone,” Nick replied.

“Where’s Wanda?” Freeze asked and laughed.

“Fuck you,
that’s
where Wanda is.”

Freeze stood up like he was going to shake hands with Nick, but tapped him on the hip. “I’m just askin’, ‘
cause
usually she be right there attached to your hip.”

Nick slapped Freeze’s hand away. “Fuck you, Freeze.”

Every time Freeze saw Nick without Wanda, he would kid him about it. She and Nick had sniffed around each other and denied that there was anything going on between them.

If you had asked Wanda, she’d say, “Nick? Please, we are just two old friends that like to hang out.”

While Nick had become notorious for saying. “Hangin’ out with her is like old times, you know, when we all used to hang together.”

That was until they finally got together one night while Black was in jail.

Since that night, they’ve carried on a relatively secret relationship. That’s the way Wanda wanted it; she didn’t want anyone to find out, especially Mike Black. The only person who knew was Freeze, and although Nick was proud to have Wanda and wanted the world to know that she was all his, there were times like this that he wished Freeze had never figured it out.

“What's up, Nick?” Mylo said and got up. Freeze looked at Mylo and he started walking toward the door. “I’m gonna see how the game is goin’.”

“Send somebody in with some drinks,” Freeze ordered.

“Johnnie Black, right?” Mylo asked Nick.

Nick nodded his head.

When Mylo closed the door behind him, Nick looked at Freeze. “You got him well trained,” he said and sat down on the couch.

 
“He serves a purpose. He hears shit; all kinds of shit.” Freeze sat at the desk. “So where is the ball and chain tonight?”

“At the club waiting for me to come back.”

“How long she give you to get back?” Freeze asked and Nick gave him a dirty look. “I’m just sayin’
,
I’m surprised she didn’t wanna come with you.”

“I told her Black was gonna be here. She doesn’t ever want Black seein’ us together, much less knowing we’re—,” Nick started, but stopped and thought about what he would call their little arrangement. He didn’t wanna just say they were fuckin’, because it was more than that.

They did things together, but it was always in New Jersey or Connecticut. They couldn’t take a trip together because Wanda was afraid of what people would think if they were both out of town at the same time. Nick didn’t like hiding.

“Go ahead, say it,” Freeze said.

“Say what?”

“Knowing y’all in love.”

“Fuck you, Freeze,” Nick said, even though it was the truth. He loved Wanda very much.

“Whatever, but y’all just think it’s a secret. That nigga psychic. Black
know
all about that shit.”

“He
say
something to you?”

“No. But think about that shit. Wanda
be
up in the club every night, actin’ a gotdamn fool every time a woman get near you and you don’t think Tara ain’t told Black?”

“Wanda ain’t worried about Tara.” Nick smiled as there was a knock at the door and Mylo returned with the drinks. Once he was gone, Nick said. “Tara caught us fuckin’ above the stage one night.”

“That used to be her and Black’s spot. I know she couldn’t wait to tell Black about that.”

“Wanda knew that too, so she threatened her job. Wanda gave her a choice; Tara could tell Black and get fired, or keep her mouth shut and get a raise.”

Freeze laughed. “Wanda gangster.”

When Black and Bobby got to the gambling house, he headed straight toward the office until he saw Jackie at the table. He stopped to watch her play out the hand while Bobby continued to the office.

When the hand was over Jackie pushed back from the table after racking a hundred thousand dollar pot. She got up and walked over to where Black was standing. “Well hello, Mr. Black,” Jackie said and stepped close to him. Black kissed her on the cheek and Jackie felt herself get a little wet.

“How you doin’, Jackie? I didn’t know you played here. I see it’s goin’ all right for you.”

“It has,” Jackie said nervously. She wanted to say something more, but couldn’t think of anything clever.

“You done for the night?” Black asked.

“No, I just came to holla at you. I haven’t seen you since—you know. I just wanted to—if you—were all right?”

Black flashed a smile. “I’m okay, Jackie.”

When Jackie saw him smile she wanted to offer herself to him on the spot. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Black looked around the room and then back at Jackie. “I want you to do something for me.”

“What’s that?” Jackie asked, hoping that he wanted her to bend over and grab her ankles.

“I need to talk to Nick right now, but don’t leave. We’ll talk when I’m done,” Black said and walked toward the office where Nick and Freeze were waiting.

After he dispensed with the pleasantries and Mylo brought him a drink and left the room, Black turned his attention to Nick. “So what you got for me?”

“You remember the guy that told me how Shy was killed?”

“Yeah, Xavier Assante. What about him?”

“He told me that Rosstein had a girlfriend.”

“So.”

“It’s a long shot, but she might know somethin’. Maybe not who hired him for that job, but she could tell us who he met with around that time.”

“Where is she?”

“Hong Kong. X said he’d be there for a couple of weeks and will help you find her.”

Mike sat down and thought for a minute. “What do you think, Bobby?”

“Worth a shot,” Bobby said.

“Good, ‘cause you're comin’ with me,” Black told him.

“I’ll set it up,” Nick said and got up to leave.

“Tell him we’ll be there in a couple of days. I promised my mother that I’d bring Michelle down there for a while.”

Freeze stood up. “Where you rushin’ off to, Nick?”

“I need to get back to the club,” Nick said and gave Freeze another one of those looks.

“We might come through there later,” Black said to Nick as they all walked out of the office together. Freeze walked out with Nick, while Black stopped to wait for Jackie. She folded as soon as she noticed him waiting.

“What?” Bobby asked.

“I need to talk to Jackie,” Black replied as she walked up to them.

“Hi, Bobby. How you doin’?” Jackie asked him, but it was obvious to Bobby that she was looking at Black.

“I need a drink, that’s how I’m doin’, Jackie. I’ma
go
get me a drink.”

“I’ll be outside,” Black said to Bobby.

“I’ll be in the car waiting,” Bobby said and walked off.

“Come on.” Black took Jackie by the hand and led her out of the house. They walked down the street a little ways before Black stopped. “There’s something I need you to do for me, Jackie.”

“Just tell me what you want,” Jackie said, eagerly.

“I want you to keep an eye on Mylo for me.”

“You don’t trust him, do you?”

“No.”

“I don’t trust him either,” Jackie admitted.

“Why don’t you trust him?”

“I just don’t like the way he looks at me.” Jackie laughed until she looked at Black and he was looking at her the same way. Only now it didn’t bother her, in fact it excited her. She knew she was hot for him, but she always thought that Black looked at her like a kid sister. Now to see that
I wanna fuck you
look in his eyes gave her hope that maybe one-day her Mike Black fantasy would come true.

“You keep an eye on him for me. I’m gonna be out of the country for a couple of days, but we’ll talk when I get back. This is between you and me; no Freeze and no Travis, understand?”

“I understand,” Jackie said, excitedly because she knew it would give her a chance to use some of the surveillance techniques that she had learned while working with Nick and Monika.
 

“I heard Travis got shot. He all right?” Black asked.

“He doin’ a lot better,” Jackie said.

“Tell me I asked about him and give him this,” Black said handed Jackie the roll of bills he had in his pocket. “We’ll talk soon.”

Jackie watched Black until he got in the car with Bobby. She was overjoyed that Black thought enough of her to ask her to do something like this. It was better than sex, although sex with him would be good too. “Trust before sex. What a concept,” Jackie said to herself as she walked back to the house.

“Jackie’s fine
ass wanna
fuck you,” Bobby said to me as soon as I got in the car.

“What you talkin’ about?” I asked him even though I knew.

“Don’t play stupid. You know what I’m talkin’ about. I can see it in her eyes; the way she looks at you. Jackie wants to give you some of that pussy, and you know it,” Bobby said.

“I like Jackie.”

“So—what's the problem?”

“I don’t wanna like anybody right now.” And I didn’t. I don’t know if I ever could or even if I wanted to feel for another woman what I felt for Cassandra.

“You a single man now. Get you a box of
Jimmys
and fuck as many hoes as you can.”

“Not worth the effort.”

“What, fuckin’ a bunch of hoes?”

“No. Fuckin’ a bunch of hoes with condoms. It’s not worth the effort.”

“How you figure that? I really need to know why you think fuckin’ ain’t worth it. ‘
Cause
I love fuckin’,” Bobby damn near testified.

“I love fuckin’
too,
all I’m sayin’ is that I don’t like condoms. I don’t know how you do that shit.”

“You strap that mutha fucka on and go for it. How the fuck you think?”

“But I don’t feel anything, Bob!” I said louder than I needed to, but I got my point across. But just in case I didn’t, I continued. “I hate them damn things, ’cause I don’t feel a damn thing. And they’re tight.”

“Get Magnums,” Bobby said quickly.

“They’re tight too.” I could deal with the whole tight thing, but unless I feel it, it’s like I’m just goin’ through the motions, and after a while, I just lose interest.

That was another reason why I missed my baby so much. I loved fuckin’ her. I couldn’t get enough of her. There was never any need for anyone else.
 
Everything I wanted, or could have ever imagined was right there.

I loved everything about Cassandra. The way she walked turned me the fuck on. Her eyes, her beautiful smile, the way she talked. Everything about her screamed,
Fuck me, Michael!