“And what has been the response from his allies?”
“Nobody wants a war. It’s not good for business. Most of them have decided to stay on the sidelines for now, but if they had to choose sides, I don’t think you would fare well. You provide a necessary service, but the Duncans are a cash cow that makes us all a great deal of money. Although . . . I’m sure many of them wouldn’t mind seeing the Blacks kill each other off so they can pick up the scraps, if you know what I mean.”
I knew exactly what he meant, but it didn’t change the fact that I was going to kill Junior Duncan. “And you? What do you and your people want?”
“That is an interesting question. To be quite frank, we want what you want, but we want you to do it smart.”
“I’m listening.”
“You want to kill Junior. Well, we’re suggesting you make life easier for yourself—and us—by eliminating his father first.”
“You want us to kill LC Duncan?”
Bernie leaned back smugly in his chair. “Who are we to tell you anything, Xavier? You’ve always been your own man. Still, logic dictates that if you cut off the head, it’s much easier to kill the rest of the snake.”
I shook my head. “Bernie, you are one cold piece of work. Here I am thinking you’ve come to stop me from killing Junior, and instead you tell me to kill his whole family.” We laughed together briefly, but I cut it short, announcing, “It’s gonna cost you one million dollars.”
“Huh. A million dollars for what?” He sat up, looking pained at the thought.
I explained my price, though he knew damn well what the million was for. “A million dollars to kill LC Duncan.”
“This is your problem, not ours.”
Elijah noticeably stiffened, and I can’t say I blamed him. It was taking everything in me not to go off on this old Jew for insulting me this way. If Bernie was anyone less powerful I might have snapped his neck on the spot. Given his position of power, though, I kept my temper in check as best I could.
“I don’t understand why you think I’m so stupid, Bernie,” I said through gritted teeth. “You didn’t come here to give me advice. You came here because you want us to do your dirty work—and I’m telling you it’s going to cost you one million dollars. I’ll throw in the rest of LC’s sons, especially that homewrecker Junior, for free. But I want a million dollars to take out LC.”
Bernie bit down on his lip. To be honest, I didn’t think his cheap ass would go for it. He looked like he was in actual pain when he finally said, “Fine, we’ll pay one million dollars, but I must have your assurances that nobody will know me or any of my people gave the order. And I mean nobody.”
“We don’t talk about our clients or the jobs we do for them. You know that.”
“Just make sure you kill the one they call Vegas too. Otherwise we’ll all have to sleep with one eye open. He’s a very dangerous man.” Bernie got up from his chair with a little help from one of his bodyguards. “Let me know when the job is done.”
I nodded. “So before you leave, you wanna tell me why you want the old man dead?”
Bernie turned to me with an annoyed expression. “For a million dollars, I don’t think I should have to tell you shit. Just get the job done, Xavier.”
I watched Bernie and his goons head out the door.
“What, Elijah?” I asked. I couldn’t see his face, but I could feel his gaze.
“I don’t trust him,” Elijah replied.
I turned to face him. “Neither do I, my friend. He’s hiding something, I just don’t know what it is yet.”
“You want me to look into it?”
“No. I’ll deal with Bernie Goldman. You go speak to our people on the street. I want to know everything there is to know about LC Duncan and his family.” I grabbed his arm. “And this time, Elijah, I want to know everything there is to know about the Duncans—both legal and illegal.”
Paris
12