about. The main thing is that, as soon as your girls lead a trick off, you make damn sure that girl gets the hell out of that neighborhood."
"That," Danny said, "don't seem like too much of a job to me, just taking off some drunk chasing his hard around."
Prince laughed harshly. "Don't worry," he said, "there's more to it than that. We're going to need as many stolen cars as we can get for various jobs. Sometimes when we have a large job on hand, you'll have to detain some poor trick while the boys borrow his papers to go along with his car."
Danny laughed. His admiration for Prince was obvious. "Yeah, man, I can dig it now. Just keep the trick under wraps until after the sting goes off."
"That's right, baby," Prince replied. "You got the picture now. Whatever men you might need, just let me or Roman know, and you can have them."
Prince glanced around at all the astonished faces. The magnitude of his plans had jolted them out of their fantasies of toughness.
"I didn't bother telling you," Prince said, his voice harsh, "but it goes without saying: there's no such thing as quitting. You're all in it 'til the bitter endif it should happen to go that way."
Preacher, a tall brown-skinned Negro wearing a midnight-black silk suit, stood up. He casually displayed the exquisite jewelry on his wrist with a swift motion of his left arm. "Prince," he began, "I'm having a little trouble down in the Hastings projects."
"Oh! And how is that?" Prince asked.
"Well, to begin with," Preacher said, "everybody here is hip to the stud I'm having trouble with. The stud thinks he's a little too big for this thing you're trying to work out of, Prince. He also told me to tell you not to come down in the projects with that shit of yours, 'cause he don't want to hear it."
Prince studied Preacher coldly. "How many guys does he have following him now?"
"I'd say he's got at least a hundred, if not more."
"If something happened to Dave, Preacher, who would fill his shoes?" Prince asked softly.
"That's easy," Preacher replied. "You're lookin' at him right now."
"Can I depend on that?" Prince asked softly.
"You can damn well depend on it, Prince. Once Dave is out of the way, I'll be the big dog down there."
The meaning of the conversation was not missed by anybody in the room. Everybody knew that Square Dave was big not only in his own neighborhood but anywhere in the city he chose to go.
A young girl with hair bleached bright blonde yelled, "Say, Prince, when are we going to start celebrating your homecoming?"
"Soon, honey, soon, but first we're going to take care of the business at hand," Prince said sharply. "So, first of all, I want all of you to put your Ruler outfits on, and then I want you to make sure you're seen all over the city."
"That means there's going to be trouble in the city, don't it, Prince?" Shortman asked.
"You hit the nail on the head, baby boy, that's just what it means," Prince replied. "Make sure all of you have an airtight alibi. Stay in the lights wherever you've taken a notion to be. Make sure you're seen, but make sure you can prove where you were at, too."
4
IN A PENTHOUSE ACROSS town in the heart of the city, two identical blondes dressed in skintight black satin dresses swayed to the beat of soft jazz. A door opened from one of the bedrooms and a young man stepped into the wall-to-wall carpeted living room.
"Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed. "Don't tell me you two are still doing that funky dance!" He stared at the two women in disgust.
"Can we help it if we like to dance?" one of the blondes replied. "Tony," the other woman called, shaking her hips meaningfully, "come dance with me."
Tony ran his hand through his wavy, jet-black hair, and stared at the woman who had spoken to him. "Why don't you go into the bedroom and wake Racehorse up if you want somebody to dance with you," he said without anger.
"Donna better not wake up my old man," the first blonde said loudly. She stared at her sister,
"That," Danny said, "don't seem like too much of a job to me, just taking off some drunk chasing his hard around."
Prince laughed harshly. "Don't worry," he said, "there's more to it than that. We're going to need as many stolen cars as we can get for various jobs. Sometimes when we have a large job on hand, you'll have to detain some poor trick while the boys borrow his papers to go along with his car."
Danny laughed. His admiration for Prince was obvious. "Yeah, man, I can dig it now. Just keep the trick under wraps until after the sting goes off."
"That's right, baby," Prince replied. "You got the picture now. Whatever men you might need, just let me or Roman know, and you can have them."
Prince glanced around at all the astonished faces. The magnitude of his plans had jolted them out of their fantasies of toughness.
"I didn't bother telling you," Prince said, his voice harsh, "but it goes without saying: there's no such thing as quitting. You're all in it 'til the bitter endif it should happen to go that way."
Preacher, a tall brown-skinned Negro wearing a midnight-black silk suit, stood up. He casually displayed the exquisite jewelry on his wrist with a swift motion of his left arm. "Prince," he began, "I'm having a little trouble down in the Hastings projects."
"Oh! And how is that?" Prince asked.
"Well, to begin with," Preacher said, "everybody here is hip to the stud I'm having trouble with. The stud thinks he's a little too big for this thing you're trying to work out of, Prince. He also told me to tell you not to come down in the projects with that shit of yours, 'cause he don't want to hear it."
Prince studied Preacher coldly. "How many guys does he have following him now?"
"I'd say he's got at least a hundred, if not more."
"If something happened to Dave, Preacher, who would fill his shoes?" Prince asked softly.
"That's easy," Preacher replied. "You're lookin' at him right now."
"Can I depend on that?" Prince asked softly.
"You can damn well depend on it, Prince. Once Dave is out of the way, I'll be the big dog down there."
The meaning of the conversation was not missed by anybody in the room. Everybody knew that Square Dave was big not only in his own neighborhood but anywhere in the city he chose to go.
A young girl with hair bleached bright blonde yelled, "Say, Prince, when are we going to start celebrating your homecoming?"
"Soon, honey, soon, but first we're going to take care of the business at hand," Prince said sharply. "So, first of all, I want all of you to put your Ruler outfits on, and then I want you to make sure you're seen all over the city."
"That means there's going to be trouble in the city, don't it, Prince?" Shortman asked.
"You hit the nail on the head, baby boy, that's just what it means," Prince replied. "Make sure all of you have an airtight alibi. Stay in the lights wherever you've taken a notion to be. Make sure you're seen, but make sure you can prove where you were at, too."
4
IN A PENTHOUSE ACROSS town in the heart of the city, two identical blondes dressed in skintight black satin dresses swayed to the beat of soft jazz. A door opened from one of the bedrooms and a young man stepped into the wall-to-wall carpeted living room.
"Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed. "Don't tell me you two are still doing that funky dance!" He stared at the two women in disgust.
"Can we help it if we like to dance?" one of the blondes replied. "Tony," the other woman called, shaking her hips meaningfully, "come dance with me."
Tony ran his hand through his wavy, jet-black hair, and stared at the woman who had spoken to him. "Why don't you go into the bedroom and wake Racehorse up if you want somebody to dance with you," he said without anger.
"Donna better not wake up my old man," the first blonde said loudly. She stared at her sister,
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