Chapter 33
Tasha Fields was depressed. It was now over a year since Damon’s disappearance. After months of chanting and marching, no one knew what happened to her husband. Pressure on law enforcement, while good for newspaper coverage and nationwide sympathy, had not delivered results.
Being a widow with three kids was tough. She had little time to date, and even if she did, no men were interested in her. For all Damon’s money making, he had not planned well for the future. Liquid assets had gone immediately to pay off outstanding debt. The life insurance policy payout was all she had. It seemed like a lot of money to start with, but over time, the apartment lease and private school payments ground away at the asset value, and she had no other money coming in.
Jasmine Howard watched the situation with grim satisfaction. How was the high and mighty bitch flying now? Tasha had not been a loving wife, constantly nagging Damon about how things ought to be. Jasmine, on the other hand, knew how to show appreciation to men. That was how she got her job at Star Candy. Damon had noticed her right off the bat, and sparks flew. One thing led to another, and the good times rolled. Until Damon disappeared and the merry-go round abruptly came to a halt.
The one thing both women had in common was Black Lives Matter. It gave them a purpose and something to do. The lessons of history showed, however, that revolutionary causes don’t pay the bills. Jasmine was still on probation with few prospects. She had no choice but to wait the time out until she could relocate to greener pastures.
Swallowing her pride, Jasmine walked into the Sparkles club. It was just after opening, well before the music acts and long lines would appear later that night. She sat at the bar with mineral water, observing the fine fixtures and gaudy furnishings. Leon and Mark had surely landed on their feet, she thought.
She felt a presence behind her.
“I should throw you out of here on your ass, bitch!”
The familiar voice belonged to Mark Pace.
“Aren’t you interested to know why I’m here?”
“I’ll admit, we never thought to see you again.”
“Are you so focused on revenge you won’t even listen to me?”
“You’ve got five minutes. Start talking.”
“Not here. Can we go someplace more private?”
He led her through the tables to a room in the rear area.
“Hi, Leon.”
“Mark, why did you bring her in here? What’s going on?”
“I gave her five minutes.”
“That’s more than I would have. Why should I listen to anything you have to say?”
“Leon, I told the cops just enough to get me off the hook. You know the pressure I was under. Especially with Damon gone.”
“The cops leaned on us too. So what?”
“I didn’t tell them everything. If I had, you and Mark would have gone down on the extortion charges.”
Leon surveyed her coldly.
“Ok. That’s true enough.”
“I’m here to make peace. And I might have something for you.”
“Really? In case you hadn’t noticed, Mark and I have this place humming. We don’t need you anymore.”
“I brought you customers in the past.”
“Sorry, the jig is up on that game. It burned down with the Star Candy, and nothing will bring it back. What else you got?”
“Tasha Fields.”
“What about her?”
“It’s been over a year and apartments aren’t cheap. She’s running short of cash with three mouths to feed and getting desperate.”
“Why should I care?”
“Leon, I know you. The extortion racket is up, but you’ve got some other game going. You’ll need a steady stream of people to operate it.”
“Like Tasha Fields?”
“Yes. And other people at Black Lives Matter.”
“Why?”
“These people are hungry for action. Chanting and marching only goes so far before it wears thin.”
Pace thought it over. As much as he detested this bitch, it was a good idea.
“I’ll think it over. Now make tracks out of here before I change my mind.”
“Thanks, Leon.”
After escorting Jasmine out, Mark returned and sat at the desk.
“What do you think?”
“It’s a good idea. We could always use more people.”
“Not Tasha though. Do you really think she’ll work with us after what happened to Damon?”
“They dropped the charges against us, remember? Besides, in her mind, the white robbery ring had it in for him.”
“The other thing is, Jasmine is still on paper. Talking to people like us could get her a probation violation.”
“Technically, yes. But no one really cares about her now. The cops and feds are after bigger fish.”
“Still, we should be careful.”
“Agreed. Let’s start slow and see how it goes.”
“Ok.”