“To make everything look all nice and correct for tax purposes, I had put together a series of traditional loans from private lenders with favorable rates for financing the acquisition. This afternoon, I met with Franklin Malone at Citizen Trust to finalize the loan.”
“That’s the final piece, right?” Black asked.
“Yes. Seeking approval from the Bahamian regulatory agency is our last hurdle. Now that everything is in place, the only thing standing in our way is Desmond Pennybrook. I had dinner with Dan Phelps, he’s a bank examiner for Los Angeles County. He offered me some ideas on how to deal with Pennybrook.” Wanda paused. “But to be honest with you, Mike, I really do need Jada’s help with him,” she raised her hand. “Before you say it, I will make it happen without her help.”
“How is Jada anyway?” Bobby asked.
“I don’t know,” Black said.
Chapter Six
When Jackie saw Rain coming out of the building from meeting with Black, Bobby and Wanda, she started the car. Rain got in the back seat.
“Let’s go.”
“Where to now?” She asked.
“Take me to J.R.’s. We done for the night.”
“What did Mike say?” Carter asked Rain as Jackie pulled off and headed uptown.
“He agrees with me.”
“Black thinks Rona was behind Barnes, Hawkins and Mobley?” Jackie asked.
“He agrees that it’s possible that Rona was behind Barnes, Hawkins and Mobley,” Rain was very careful to say.
“So, what are we gonna do now?” Jackie asked, knowing that if Black agreed it was possible that Rona was involved, that they were going after her.
“We’re going to check her out. Make sure that she’s involved before we go after her,” she replied and it surprised Jackie. Rain was never much on waiting. She was more of a shoot first, burn the bitch to the ground and ask questions only if somebody was alive.
Carter knew and understood Rain’s anger and her need to put a stop to it the only way she knew how.
Force.
So, he knew that the only reason that they weren’t on their way to kill Rona right then was because Black, Bobby and Wanda told her not to and he was glad about that.
“You gonna get Carla to look into her?” he asked.
“Yes. And you, Jackie,” Rain began.
“You just need to tell me what you need me to do,” Jackie said eagerly.
“I need you in the streets. I need to know what happened to what was left of Robert King’s operation after we killed him and Ronnie.”
“I’m on it.”
“Until we know for sure that Rona King was the one that was backing them niggas, or that she was involved in any way, we stay on finding Hawkins.”
Carter and Jackie looked at each other with a bit of disbelief. “You got it,” they both said.
When they got to J.R.’s, Jackie said good night and headed for her car. Rain walked toward the building with Carter.
“I thought you’d be out too,” Rain said.
“I’m gonna get a drink first,” Carter said. It’s been a long day, he thought as they went inside the club.
He also wanted to hear more of what Black had to say about what they were doing and the way forward. When he told Black that he would be Rain’s consigliere, he understood his role was to be a stabilizing influence for the young boss of The Family and to protect Black’s interest.