IBO - Brian R. Lundin (100 books to read in a lifetime .txt) 📗

had lost everything close to him.
The police and FBI investigation concluded that the shooting was a drive by. There was a gang war between two of Little Rock's most violent gangs; one of the gangs was Hispanic and the other black, but they doubted if the senator or his wife was the actual target. Reginald Warren, Jr. declared his private war on gangbangers and dope dealers.


June 2011

The State Street Boys, thanks to Pops and Malik deal with Colonel Tong and Askido had become the leading drug wholesalers in Chicago. After they got the drugs from the couriers, which were eighty per cent pure, they would step on or cut it six times. They only sold kilos to the street dealers, which was ten percent pure, the dealer could then step on it twice making the final product about two percent pure, anything stronger would probably result in a “hotshot,” or overdose for the addict. They sold the heroin for $200,000 a kilo. After a year of doing business with Askido and Colonel Tong, Malik met Pops in the playground in Robert Taylor,
“Something up.” Pops said.
“What’s up?” Malik ask.
“I got a call from our man in Bangkok last night and he said that he’s been there for a week and had not been contacted.
“Any word from Askido?”
“No, all I have is her cell phone number and she is not answering, what do you think is going on?”
“Don’t know,” Malik said.
“Think we should go over there,” Pop’s asked.
“No, tell our man in Bangkok to go to Germany and bring the broad home,” Malik said.
“Done,” Pops replied.
In a couple of days Pops and Malik picked up Raymond, their man in Bangkok and Monica, who was carrying an arm baby at O’Hare Airport.
Pops gave Raymond $500.00 for Monica and she and her baby hailed a cab and left. Pops, Malik, and Raymond drove to the city.
“What happened?” Malik asked.
“Don’t know I stayed in the hotel for a week and nobody came or called, so I did like I was told, I left and went to Germany and got the broad and baby and came home, but something is happening over there. When I was at the airport in Bangkok waiting for my flight, there was a news flash on the television, some big shot police officer over there had been arrested and while out on bond he was found dead, it was big news there”.
“Did you get his name,” Malik asked.
“No not really, I had to leave to board the plane before the newscast was over, but it was a colonel something, Wang, Tang, Tong or something.”
Pops and Malik looked at each other. After dropping Raymond off, they sat in the car.

“Look like your buddy Tong, got caught up in his own shit,” Pops said.
“Yep,” surely does," Malik said.
“What about the broad Askido, think she is in the shit too?” Pops asked.
“I doubt it, she is a little too smart to be in the dealing end of the business, she probably was just a referral for Tong,” Malik answered.
“I agree. Well, we had a good run, we’ve got enough goods to last about six months and hopefully we will have made another contact by that time or gotten in contact by the broad,” Pops said.
“Hope so, but if not, I might have something else going. I’ll let you know if it works out,” Malik said.
“Harvard man, always thinking, talk,” Pops said admiringly.
Pops drove Malik home where Malik immediately goes to his computer and get on the internet and looks up the Bangkok news. He finds a news headline a couple days old. In large bold 2” headlines on the front page, “Colonel Hue Tong, Bangkok Chief of Police murdered.”
The articles continued, “Last night at about 7:30 pm Colonel Hue Tong, suspended Chief of Police was shot outside his home in the suburbs of the city. Colonel Tong had been suspended after a long ongoing investigation by the Thai National Justice Department and the United States Drug Enforcement Agency. He was recently indicted for alleged ties with the Red Tiger Drug Cartel, reportedly, a leading supplier of heroin. The investigation continues into the chief’s murder and as of this report no one is in custody and there are no suspects.”


Chapter 33

Eli tells Mrs. Gault to contact the U.S. Attorney’s office and notify them that he is representing the Johnson family and has filed a motion for discover. In a couple of days, he receives the files on the case. The FBI and the DEA had assigned young recruits from their academies to work on this case and none of the recruits was from Chicago. The recruits purchased crack cocaine from the Johnson’s in Robert Taylor Homes on twenty occasions and they went from buying small hits to half kilos of crack and heroin. All of these buys were video and audio taped and the drugs were inventoried and tested at the FBI lab in Washington, D.C., after reading the file, Eli called Malik.

“I read the file on your family, it doesn’t look good Malik, and they have a strong case. They used recruits to make the buys and they didn’t use any informants, we have nothing to attack.”
“What you recommend they do?” Malik asked.
“Try to make a deal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, if that’s what they want to do, I’ll set it up.”
“What kind of time we’re talking about?” Malik asked.
“For your moms and young brother, by this being their first arrest, I would try for five years, your older brothers based on their criminal history, maybe fifteen to twenty years.”
“What you think would happen if they went to trial?”
“Well, if they got convicted, and remember the feds have a ninety five per cent conviction rate, because they are only going to go to trial when they have a strong case, your moms and little brother maybe facing twenty years, your older brothers maybe life.”
“Thanks bro, I’ll get back with you,” Malik hangs the telephone up.
Malik thinks about the conversation with Eli; Ralph and Bennie are lost causes; if they stayed on the street they probably would wind up dead and he remembered his conversation with his moms; maybe being in jail would help her, no drugs, and no turning tricks for drugs. She was on a one-way street going nowhere too. Eventually she was going to get a hot shot or meet some sadistic john who she offered a blowjob and she would wind up all cut up or worse. Maybe a short time in the joint might help and her and his little brother, but it was their decision, Malik felt very depressed. The next day he and Joyce visited his mother and brothers and told them of his conversation with Eli.
“Five years is better than twenty”, Barbara says, I think we should take the deal John,” John agreed.
“Twenty years is a long time,” Bennie said.
“Yes it is, but life is longer,” Malik tells Bennie.
“What do you think, Malik?” Barbara asked.
“I think you should take the deal, a trial is very risky, you never know what might happen.”
“Ok, me and John will take the deal, Bennie, Ralph?” Barbara asked.
Ralph and Bennie nodded their head in agreement. After arriving back at his apartment, Malik called Eli and tell him to set up the deal.
A short time later, he receives a call from Pops.

“I got a call from that broad Askido, she is coming to Chicago next week and want to have a sit-down” Pop said.
“Good, maybe we’ll find out what’s up,” Malik said.
A week later Pops and Malik meet Askido at Glady’s restaurant. Malik and Pops got there early and got a table. Askido arrived a few minutes later. When she enters the restaurant she becomes the center of attraction, the white mink coat she was wearing and her long jet-black hair touching the collar of her coat accentuated her deep cinnamon complexion. When she smiled at them, there was a little twinkle in her eyes. As they watch her walk to their table Malik notice her royal and confident bearing. Malik helps her with her coat and she joins them at the table.
“Hi guys, long time no see,” she said.
“Greetings to you and welcome to Chicago” Malik said.
“I read about Colonel Tong, what happened?”
“Colonel Tong along with a lot of other government officials was deeply involved with the Red Dragon Heroin Cartel. Recently the Red Dragon has become more violent and they have assassinated politicians and justice ministers that they could not buy. Your government indicted Colonel Tong and wanted my government to arrest him and turn him over to them for trial. My government was afraid that if they did not turn him over to your government the U.S. might invade like they did in Panama, but they were also afraid that if Tong started to talk to save his own ass, a lot of people would be involved. That could cause a lot of problems for the government and the cartel so they did what was necessary, they killed him, the killer or killers will probably never be found.”
“What happened to Morressy?” Malik asked.
“Well, when the shit hit the fan, Tong threw Morressy to the wolves, trying again to save his own ass. Morressy was convicted of drug trafficking and got twenty years, but the Colonel was dying anyway from the consumption,” Askido said matter-of- factly.
“Wow” Pops sighed, what about our business?” Pops asked?
“It got to be placed on hold until things quiet down, maybe a year or two,” Askido said.
“Are you in any danger?” Malik asked.
Askido smiling said, “No, not at all, I wasn’t actually involved in the drug end of the business, but thanks for asking.”
“What are your plans, now,” Malik asked.
“I have always wanted to see your country, New York City, Chicago and California, so I am on vacation. Maybe you could be my tour guide while I am in Chicago, Malik; I have a suite at the Holiday Inn downtown.”
“My pleasure,” Malik said.
After dinner Malik offered to drive Askido home, she politely refuses and when they left the restaurant, she got in a limousine and waved as it pulled off.

Chapter 34

The long winter finally ended and Yolanda called Diki and told him of her plans on getting married in June. Meanwhile Malik and Askido were spending a lot of time together; they went to