“Like crack?” he asked.
“No, it was way better than crack. It was on its way to being the most successful drug ever. H.E.A.T. makes Molly look like aspirin. It was the answer to every weekend partier’s dreams. It would have made the Duncans much more than multi-millionaires. I’m talking billionaire status. We had the game on lock with H.E.A.T.”
Elijah was hanging on my every word, and I was enjoying his attention, so I continued my story. “People all over the world have tried to buy the formula from us. You wouldn’t believe how much money we’ve been offered—enough for generations to come to be set for life. But we turn them down every time.”
He sat quietly for a while, probably trying to process the story. I didn’t blame him. Sometimes it was still hard for me to believe the Duncans had turned down so much money, and it was my family I was talking about.
“So what happened to it?” he finally asked.
“Cancer,” I said, taking another bite of the peach and wiping the juice off my chin. He wasn’t noticing anyway, so no reason to keep up the sensual act. “We found out it causes liver cancer. We didn’t want that shit out there because ultimately the powers that be would make sure it settled in the black community like every other drug.” He frowned, and I couldn’t tell why. Maybe if I knew how he’d heard about it, I’d understand his motives better. As it was, though, it was a mystery to me, so I wrapped up my story quickly. “Long story short, despite the money, we didn’t want to be responsible for all those deaths.”
Elijah sat quietly, marinating on what he’d just heard. “Wow. I just can’t imagine shutting down a billion-dollar enterprise.”
“Yeah, not a week goes by that someone doesn’t offer to buy the formula, but hey, the Duncans are drug distributors. For us, this is just business. We’re not trying to kill off our entire race—or any other race, for that matter.”
He looked truly stunned. “So the Duncans aren’t as bad as I thought they were.”
“No, we’re hardworking people, just like everybody else. Your camp included.” I wanted him to see me as no different than him.
“Just one more question.”
“This is about your fifth one, but who’s counting?” I said with a flirtatious smile.
“Why would Junior sleep with another man’s wife?”
Now, this was the first question I would have expected him to ask, considering that was what started this war anyway. “I don’t know. Junior’s not the type to do that kind of thing. Maybe he didn’t know Sonya was married at first. But now he’s in love.” I leaned in and shot him a seductive look. “If you were in love, would you give up so easily?”
He opened his mouth to reply, but we were interrupted by a knock on the door. Another soldier poked his head into the room and said, “Brother Xavier wants to see you.”
Elijah got up and retied the restraints around both of my hands. “Thanks for the conversation,” he said then left the room.
“Thanks for the fantasy,” was my reply.
Daryl
47
“We’ve spotted his men on Jamaica Ave, Merrick Boulevard, and over by both airports,” I said. “My guess is he’s still got Sasha in Queens somewhere.”
With Vegas’s security detail getting killed in the restaurant parking lot, Kennedy dead, and Junior walking around with a price on his head, I’d been asked by Ma Chippy to bring in some of my Israelite brothers and head up Duncan security. I told her I couldn’t commit to the job long term, but I was there until this whole situation was resolved. Truthfully, I was thankful for the work, because the distraction helped to keep my mind off of Connie.