Parker 05 - The Darkness Read Online Free PDF Page B

dark skin and luminous green eyes. Her
    skin was the color of cinnamon, and she looked a few
    years older than the blond man. Her body was toned,
    sinewy, her breastbone visible above the curve of her
    tank top. The bodyguard let his gaze hover over her an
    extra moment, then ushered the three people inside.
    The apartment was located inside a largely unoccupied
    building in Harlem. The man they were going to see
    owned the premises, and other than letting family members stay from time to time, he kept it mainly for business
    dealings. And that's what this meeting was about. Business.
    The bodyguard ushered them down a hallway into a
    room that was lit only by two weak floor lamps. The
    windows were blacked out, and there were no phones or
    other electronic devices present. Three couches were
    arranged in a semicircle, and sitting on these couches
    were four men. Three of them were dressed all in black
    trench coats, and were just as big as the guy who opened
    the door. Machine guns were strapped to each of their
    chests. They made no efforts to hide them.
    The one man who was unarmed was dressed in a
    simple track suit, and wore enough gold chains to bring
    down a hot air balloon. He was thirty-two years old, and
    worth nearly twenty million dollars. The woman looked
    around the place, slightly disappointed that there was no
    evidence of his successful rap career in the building. No
    The Darkness
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    platinum albums, no framed magazine covers. For what
    she had in mind, those trinkets would have made the
    ensuing story that much more vivid.
    The chains clinked together as the man twitched involuntarily. He constantly licked at his lips and rubbed
    his hands together. His eyes were wide, the whites almost
    eerie in the gloom. He smiled broadly when they entered.
    "Mr. Culvert," Malloy said. "Good to see you again."
    LeRoy Culvert stood up. He gripped Malloy's hand
    with both of his and shook them energetically. He looked
    warily at the two people Malloy was with. The other man
    he viewed with skepticism. The woman he eyed with fear.
    "Mr. Culvert," the woman said. "Let's talk about
    the future."
    "Absolutely," LeRoy Culvert said, sitting back down.
    The four bodyguards watched, guns at the ready. "Here,
    take a seat."
    "That's all right," she said. "We'd prefer to keep this
    short."
    "Whatever you say, ma'am," Culvert said with a laugh.
    The man was stoned out of his mind. That was clear. And
    the woman knew exactly what drugs he had taken.
    "So?" she said. "You've clearly sampled our product.
    What do you think?"
    LeRoy Culvert leaned back, his head tilted toward the
    ceiling. Then he whipped it forward.
    "See, normally I'd lie to y'all. I'd tell you your
    'product' is shit, and that you should feel lucky if I'd sell
    it to the poorest crackheads who live in the subway. See,
    that way I'd bargain you down, get you to sell it to me at
    a discount, and I'd keep the profits for my own."
    "Smart business strategy," the woman said.
    "But I ain't gonna do that to you. You're good peo-38
    Jason Pinter
    ple. Listen, this be the finest product I have ever tried
    in my whole life. Fact is, if you hadn't come on time
    today I'd have to get my man Buttercup to track you
    down and get some more down here because my stash
    is out. "
    "Buttercup?" Malloy said.
    The massive, milky-white bodyguard nodded. "That's
    what people call me."
    "Intimidating," the woman said.
    "Listen, lady," Buttercup said, "I will break your bony
    ass over my knee."
    "Hey, my man Cup, there's no need for that," Culvert
    said. "These people are our friends. They're going to double
    your salary, because I'm gonna be worth twice as much."
    "At least," the woman said.
    "So look, I want in. I'll start with a million worth of
    the rock. I have enough dealers on the streets that we'll
    probably be sold out in a month. Then we'll re-up, and
    go from there. Everybody makes money. You have the
    product, I have the distribution. Together, we'll blanket
    the city. Every