Changed Man

“What the fuck you want!” Andre yelled.

“It’s Wanda and Mike, Andre,” she said sweetly and then she covered her mouth. I just shook my head and waited for him to open the door.

“Finally decided to show your face,” Andre said and then he looked at Wanda. “How you doing, Wanda?”

“I’m fine,” Wanda smiled as he walked away from the door. “How are things going with you?” she asked, and we sat in the chairs in front of the desk.

Andre sat down at his desk. “Everything is lovely.”

“That’s good. And how is Shawna doing? I haven’t seen her in so long.”

Andre smiled at Wanda. “That’s because you don’t come around like you used to.”

Wanda shrugged. “Law school.”

“I understand,” Andre said and looked at me. “What’s your excuse?”

“Excuse for what?”

“You been back damn near a week and you just now showing up here.”

“Been busy.”

“I heard.”

“Then you already know why I’m just now showing up here.”

“You find out who had Whitey killed?”

“Not yet.”

“Heard somebody took a run at you and Bobby a couple of times. You think it’s the same people?”

“I’ll find that out when I find out who hired Vance to kill Whitey,” I said, thinking that this nigga hears everything, nothing gets past h

im. So, he had to have known what Nicky and Johnny Boy were up to. “Anything going on with you that I need to know about?”

“Like I said, everything is lovely. But what about you? Anything going on with you that I need to know about?”

“No. Wanda and Bobby held it down while I was gone.”

“I heard that Crazy Nicky, Johnny Boy and some of his crew had been hanging out in some of our gambling spots.”

“You hear everything,” Wanda said.

“Information, Wanda; knowing what you need to know to do what you have to do. That’s how you get on top and stay on top. I’m surprised Mike hadn’t told you that.”

“Oh, but he has. Many times. That’s why we’re here,” Wanda paused. “To learn as much as we can from the master.”

That girl is something else.

Andre’s smile broadened. “Come by anytime, Wanda. I’ll teach you things that will help you in this game that you won’t learn in law school.”

“I will certainly make time to do that,” Wanda flirted. “But as far as Nicky and Johnny Boy are concerned, I think it was just them having a case of jungle fever. They did a little gambling, had their fill of dark meat, and moved on.”

“And nothing else came of it?”

“No,” Wanda said flatly.