Read Online Street Pharm by Allison van Diepen - Free Book Online Page B

be like?”
    “We got trouble.” I scanned the bench for bird shit and sat down.
    “I know. Heard they fucked up Carlos.”
    “Uh-huh. Tell me everything you know about this Darkman.”
    “All I know is, he used to run a big-time operation down in Miami. Don’t know why he came up here. The guys working for him, they from Miami too.”
    “I hope he bought them return tickets. They try to sell to you?”
    “Yeah, last night. One of ’em saw me smoking. Asked where I got the stuff. Said I found it in a mailbox. He said he’d sell me some real cheap. I told him I don’t smoke regular like. He said, ‘Yeah, right,’ and walked away.”
    “I like how you handled that. But next time, do it different. If you stay visible, one of those guys is gonna approach you again. Let ’em know you can’t afford to pay for no weed. But if they need shit done, you can swing that.”
    “Sounds like you asking me to be a spy.” Monfrey grinned. “I like it, son.”
    “Make yourself mad helpful to them. I want you to find out everything you can about their leader and their operation. Find out Darkman’s real name, how many men he got working for him, where he goes to eat—anything.”
    “Easy peasy.”
    “You a natural, Monfrey, but these guys are dangerous. If you think they suspect you, get away from them fast—got that?”
    “I got you.”
    “You can name your price for this job.”
    “The new PlayStation?”
    That was the thing about Monfrey. He had no fucking idea how much he was worth.
    “The new PlayStation, ten of the hottest games, and a pair of Jordans. How about that?”
    He slapped my hand. “We got a deal.”
    *  *  *
    I didn’t go to school on Monday. No time. I had to secure my ops, and that meant talking to every member of my team, from the big players to the small-time runners, to make sure there weren’t any cracks.
    I was straight-up with my peeps. We had a competitor and we had to be ready. Since I didn’t want to leave anything important on voice mail, I called each one until I talked to them. I didn’t go see them face-to-face. I wasn’t gonna make Darkman’s job any easier by leading him to my peeps.
    Just when I was about to call Sonny to see if he set up a meeting with our suppliers, my cell rang.
    “Yo.”
    “Ty, it’s Alyse. I’m calling from school. Where are you?”
    “At home. I ain’t feeling well. Got a bad headache.”
    “Oh, no. I hope it goes away soon. Look, you should get a doctor’s note. If you don’t, they’ll say you were cutting and—”
    “Chill. I’ll get a doctor’s note tomorrow.”
    “Good. I don’t want to see you get kicked out over this. They’re mad strict around here.”
    “Yeah, I know. Thanks for the advice.”
    “I’ll let you go. You should get some rest.”
    “I will. Holler at you later.”
    “Okay. Bye.”
    Click.
    Man, I wished I could talk to her about Darkman. It felt wack, lying to Alyse. But there was no way I could tell her my business, because there was no way she’d back me up.
    *  *  *
    My work was just getting started. I stopped by a few choice spots: pool halls, take-outs, barbershops, delis, bars—all places where they knew me. Places where new faces would get noticed. Places where I could ask questions and get the straight-up goods.
    I learned enough about my enemy to start a profile of him on my phone.
    Darkman:
    • late twenties
    • first name Kevin
    • cocky
    • Miami Crip connection
    • family is big in Miami drug scene
    • brought three guys with him from Florida(two black, one Hispanic, probably Cuban)
    • has a high-maintenance girlfriend named Leanne
    The question bugging me the most was why he was here in the first place. If he was so big in Miami, why did he leave?
    Maybe the stories about him being a Florida big shot were made up. Or maybe his family was running the show and he decided to go off on his own. Maybe he came to Brooklyn because he had something to prove.
    One thing was for