Beneath The Surface Read online

  Before that afternoon, he hadn’t thought about Carmen in years. Black had met her seventeen years ago on the train one day, when he and Freeze were going to kill a Rasta named Desmond Kelly, who had been sent by Vincent Martin to kill him.

  Carmen was riding the train home with her friend Jackie, when she looked up and Black was standing over her. When he sat down next to her, Carmen could tell that he had a gun in his coat pocket because she could feel it bump against her leg every time the train stopped.

  “So, Carmen, where are you goin’?” Black asked Carmen that day on the train.

  “Jackson Ave.”

  “I’m gettin’ off there too.”

  “Do you live around there?”

  “No. To be honest with you, I’m goin’ there to kill somebody.”

  “Kill somebody! Why?”

  “’Cause they tried to kill me. But I don’t want to talk about that. I’d much rather talk about you. Is that a Georgia accent I’m hearin’?”

  “Yes, I’m from Atlanta.”

  “Atlanta is a nice city. What brings you to New York?”

  “I came here ’cause I needed a change; so I’ve been hangin’ out with my girl here. If I like it, I’ll stay, get back into school, see if I can pick up some work as a model.”

  “You’re a model?”

  “I’ve done some modeling in Atlanta. Some print, some commercials; shows—that type of stuff.”

  “Freeze,” Black said glancing up at his companion, “never mind. Do you have a pen and a piece of paper, Carmen?”

  “What do you want it for?”

  “I want to give you the number of somebody who might be able to help you.”

  “Okay,” Carmen said, digging in her purse.

  Carmen handed him the pen and paper and he wrote a name and number on it. “Here,” he said handing the pen and paperback to Carmen, “this guy’s a modeling agent. Call him and tell him what you’ve done and what you’re interested in doing, and he’ll take care of you,” Black said as the train approached the station.

  “Thank you. I’ll do that right away,” Carmen said as they got off the train and walked down the platform toward the steps.

  When he got to the bottom of the steps, he turned to Carmen. “It was nice talking to you, Carmen.”

  “Hey!” Carmen yelled as he started to walk away. “What’s your name?”

  “My name is Mike Black. Just tell Calvin that I’d consider it a personal favor if he found you something.” That introduction was what started Carmen’s career on the road to becoming a super model.

  At 6 o’clock sharp, the limo arrived at his house. Black walked out of his house and got in the limo. On the way to the restaurant, he thought more about his days with Carmen, all those years ago. At the time, Carmen Taylor was the most beautiful woman he had ever met.

  He thought about Cassandra.

  Although he hated to admit it, Carmen was prettier, but not by much. However, in addition to her beauty, Cassandra was smart as hell, and had a certain style about her that set her far above any other woman he had ever met. “I guess that’s why I married her,” Black said.

  “What did you say?” the driver asked.

  “Nothing,” Black said, and looked out the window.

  Chapter Four

  As they drove to pick up Wanda, Black thought more about Carmen and how they were together. There was a time when he thought that she was the one, and he wondered if he had made a mistake when he’d told her it was over.

  Those days, Carmen had a thing for thugs and she fell hard. He was feeling her too. It all ended the day an unannounced visitor showed up at Black’s apartment. “Calvin,” Black said when he opened the door, “what are you doing here?”

  “I need to talk to you about something,” Calvin said, and took off his hat.

  “Come on in and have a seat.” Black walked away from the door.

  “Thank you.”

  “I don’t remember ever telling you where I lived,” Black said and sat in his chair.

  Calvin sat down. “How you think I found out where you lived?”

  “Carmen.”

  “Right.”

  “She send you?”

  “No. She doesn’t know anything about me coming here. But it’s her I wanna talk about.”

  “What’s on your mind?”

  Calvin hesitated and twisted uncomfortably in his chair. “I wanna talk to you about Carmen, Mike.”

  “You said that, Calvin. Get to the point.”

  “The first time I saw Carmen, I knew that she was something special. She has a classic look. She has carriage and poise.”

  “She does, doesn’t she?” Black said and smiled.

  “With a lot of hard work, Carmen has the potential to be big in the industry.”

  “I think so too, Calvin; but what’s your point? I know you didn’t come here to tell me some shit I know. Carmen is beautiful.”

  “I know you know. You probably knew it the minute you saw her. That’s why you sent her to me; so I could make something of her. And I can. I know I can. But it’s not going to be easy.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Carmen is undisciplined.”

  “Carmen?”

  “Where was Carmen last night?”

  “Since you’re askin’, I know you know she was with me,” Black said. Since Black didn’t like to drive, and at the time, Freeze didn’t know how to, Carmen drove them out to Long Island to take care of some business. Naturally, Black didn’t tell Carmen that they were going to kill somebody; and when he was no longer breathing, Carmen drove them back to the Bronx.

  “Did you know she had a show to do last night?”

  “She didn’t mention it,” Black said quickly, and was surprised that she hadn’t. “If she had, I would have made sure she got there.”

  “I know that. But this is not the first time this has happened. Anytime she is MIA, I know she’s with you; because to Carmen, there is nothing more important than being with you.”

  “You want me to give Carmen up, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” Calvin said, and leaned forward. “For her sake, Mike, let her go. Let Carmen be somebody more than just your woman.”

  “Tell you what, Calvin,” Black said as he stood up, “you got a lotta fuckin’ nerve coming here to tell me some shit like that.”

  “That should tell you how serious a matter this is for Carmen.”

  “And you too.”

  “You’re right. If I’m right, Carmen is my ticket to the big time.”

  “How long we known each other?”

  “Long time—lotta water under the bridge. And in all that time, I never asked you to do anything for me. But I’m asking. Not just for me, Mike, for Carmen. She deserves a chance. Do it for her.”

  Black broke it off with Carmen that same night.

  After that, he avoided Carmen until she finally gave up and got serious about her career. Over the years, Black followed her career and thought about the part he’d played in her success. He thought he would never see her again. Now he was going to have dinner with her, Wanda and Marcus Douglas.

  The driver stopped in front of Wanda’s house and got out to open the door for her. Once she was aboard, they headed for the restaurant for a dinner that Black was no longer sure he wanted to be a part of. Now he wondered why he agreed. He knew why Wanda invited him: she can’t stand CeCe. And anything that she could do to get in the way of that relationship, Wanda was all for it.

  Black had known Wanda Moore since they were kids. They even went together for a week. She had played around in the game for a while, but Wanda always wanted to be a lawyer. So he paid for her to go to law school. Over the years Wanda managed the money; making a small fortune for her partners, in addition to developing a reputation as an excellent entertainment lawyer.

  When they arrived at Cercle Rouge on West Broadway, they were seated and ordered drinks while they waited for their dinner guests to arrive. “You’r
e kind of quiet tonight,” Wanda said as she sipped her apple martini.

  “Sorry I’m not good company. Maybe I should go,” Black said and looked toward the door.

  There she was.

  Looking just as beautiful as the last time he saw her. Carmen was dressed in a black Teri Jon ruffled, silk taffeta dress with Jimmy Choo “Nina” sandals, a Badgley Mischka Hedren clutch, Roberto Coin diamond earrings, and a string of pearls. She looked so good he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

  Carmen had met Marcus when she went to his office to give a deposition. Her sister, Desireé Taylor Ferguson, was murdered, and her brother-in-law, Roland Ferguson, was on trial for the murder. Marcus was his lawyer.

  When Roland was found not guilty, Carmen wasn’t satisfied. “A little bit of justice for my sister, Mr. Douglas. That’s what I’m asking for. If Roland didn’t kill her, fine—somebody did! What bothers me is that nobody is interested in finding out who did.”

  Marcus agreed to help Carmen and together, they began their own investigation into Desireé’s dark sexual past, which led them into a world of drugs, prostitution, money laundering, and murder that the police seemed unwilling to pursue. As that investigation continued, they fell in love with one another.

  For her part, Carmen had no idea who she and Marcus were having dinner with. All Marcus told her was that they were having dinner with an old friend from law school. While they were in school together, Wanda and Marcus were very close friends.

  Just friends.

  In fact, had it not been for Wanda, Marcus would never have gotten through Constitutional Law. Those days, Wanda had a big crush on him, but he never knew because she never told him. He was too busy chasing every other woman on campus.

  Now that he had moved back to New York to open a practice and her and Nick’s relationship was over, Wanda had set her on sights on Marcus. She figured that she and Marcus would be a better match than she and Nick was. All she had to do now was get him away from Carmen Taylor; and who better for that job than Mike Black: The man she used to love.

  “My name is Marcus Douglas,” he said to the maître d'. “I’m meeting my party here this evening.”

  “Yes sir,” the maître d' said, signaling for a hostess to escort Marcus and Carmen to their table.

  “Right this way, sir.”

  As Carmen got closer to the table she thought that she saw a face that she knew. The closer she got, the surer she was that it was Wanda Moore sitting at the table. She thought for a second about Mike Black and smiled.

  She was surprised when Wanda waved and Marcus headed in that direction. Small world, Carmen thought as she continued to follow Marcus to the table. Then Black stood up and turned toward Carmen. She stopped with her eyes wide open. Even though she knew that if she moved to New York, the possibility of them running into each other existed, Mike Black was the last person she thought she would see that night.

  “Wanda,” Marcus said and hugged her. “It is so good to see you. You’re looking good,” he said as Black and Carmen smiled at one another.

  “Thank you, Marcus. It’s good to see you too,” Wanda said, and noticed the scar on the right side of his head. “Marcus, this is Mike Black.”

  “Marcus, it’s good to finally met you,” Black said, still looking at Carmen out of the corner of his eye.

  “Same here,” Marcus said as the two men shook hands. “Wanda has been talking about you for years,” he said and turned to Carmen, who was still smiling at Black. “Wanda, this is—”

  “Hello Wanda,” Carmen said and gave her a hug.

  “You two know each other?” Marcus asked.

  “Almost as long as I’ve known you,” Wanda said to Marcus.

  “Then you know—”

  “Hello Mike.”

  “How are you, Carmen?” Black asked, and politely extended he hand.

  Carmen shook his hand and felt chills rush up her arm. “I’m fine, Mike,” she said, and everybody took their seats.

  The waiter served Marcus and Carmen their drinks and took orders for dinner. After quite a bit of uncomfortable, “small world ain’t it” conversation, they all enjoyed a quiet meal. After dinner the foursome began to relax.

  Wanda asked Carmen about her outfit. Carmen told her it was something she’d bought before she left Paris. “How long are you in town for, Carmen?” Wanda asked, even though she already knew.

  “Marcus didn’t tell you? I live here now. I’m special features reporter for channel four,” Carmen said. Marcus didn’t have to tell her because Wanda had seen her on television a month ago. She knew that Carmen was the reason Marcus had moved there.

  “Really,” Black said.

  “Really,” Carmen said to Black, and then turned back to Wanda. “I was living in Paris for the last couple of years, but I wanted to get back to the States. So when a friend of mine called and said he could get me in at the station he worked for, I jumped at the chance to come back here.”

  “Have you ever done television before?” Black asked.

  “I’ve been involved in televised modeling shows, sure; but I’ve never done anything like this, so I am just learning—everything. Even holding the mike was new to me,” Carmen said and laughed a little, cutting her eyes at Black.

  “Don’t be so modest, Carmen. I saw her story last night and Carmen was excellent,” Marcus bragged to the group.

  “What was the story about, Carmen?” Wanda asked, even though she knew.

  “It was just about a new restaurant that opened in the theater district.

  “How was the food?” Black asked.

  “The food was excellent,” Carmen said enthusiastically. “But I’d like to do more than just covering local events. I want to cover real news.”

  “It will happen in time. It’s only been eight months,” Marcus said.

  “Maybe sooner than I expected. Last night I was covering the opening of an exhibition at the 18th Street art gallery, and I got the chance to cover a murder,” Carmen announced.

  Wanda looked at Black. “Who was murdered?” she asked.

  “The police haven’t identified the body yet, but she was found in one of the gallery offices with the strap from her purse wrapped around her neck. I’m hoping that I can turn that into something more,” Carmen said. “I don’t want to cover restaurant openings my entire career.

  Black winked at Wanda. “I’m sure it will work out just the way you want it to, Carmen,” he said.

  “I hope so, Mike,” Carmen said, staring deeply into Black eyes.

  Wanda looked at the way Carmen and Black were looking at each other and moved ahead with her agenda. “So, Marcus, are you finally going to tell me why you all of a sudden decided to open a practice in New York?”

  “I think he just did,” Black said quietly.

  “I assure you, I had very little to do with it,” Carmen laughed.

  “Now I’m dying to hear this,” Wanda said.

  “Yes, Marcus,” Carmen said and tapped his hand. “Tell Wanda why you decided to leave Atlanta.”

  Marcus cut his eyes at Carmen. He had noticed how she and Black had been exchanging glances since they got there, and was feeling a little jealous. “Oh, it’s nothing that deep. I just needed a change of scenery,” Marcus said.

  He really didn’t think they needed to hear that his former client- turned-lover, Panthea Daniels had shot him in the head, and then shot herself to death. Or that another client-turned-lover, Angela Pettybone had began to get on his nerves. She was so damn needy. He would tell Wanda all about it in his own time.

  Marcus was about to try to change the subject, but Carmen saved him the trouble. “Other than the restaurant, are you still in the same business, Mike?” Carmen asked, and sipped her third Bacardi on the rocks.

  “Yes, Carmen, I am,” Black said. He reached in his pocket, pulled out a business card, and handed it to Carmen. “But since the last time I saw you, we’ve expanded into restaurants. We own Cuisine and two others. We own nigh
t clubs, real estate, entertainment, finance, automotive and construction companies, and burial services.”

  “The Parlor,” Carmen said, knowing the reason he invested in that particular industry. She looked at the card: “Cuisine?”

  “It’s a supper club.”

  “I always said you should open a restaurant. You always were a good cook,” Carmen said, and Marcus began to wonder about the depth of her relationship with Black.

  “You and Marcus should come by some time.”

  “We will,” Marcus said quickly.

  “The house band is great and the food is excellent. Maybe you’ll do a story about my restaurant. That’s where you’ll find me,” Black said, staring deeply into Carmen’s eyes. He looked at his watch. “Unfortunately, I have to say good night, my friends. I have another appointment I need to keep.” He stood up. “Like I said, Marcus, it was good to finally meet you.” And then he turned to Carmen. “Carmen, let’s not let it be seventeen years until I see you again.”

  “I promise,” Carmen said and extended her hand, “it won’t be.”

  “Now I have something to look forward to.” Black bent at the waist and kissed her hand. “Wanda, I’ll get with you in the morning. Good night.” Black left the restaurant and got in the car with Victor.

  Chapter Five

  Victor drove Black out to Yonkers to see Angelo Collette. Black and Angelo met when they were in high school. Back in the day before Angelo became a made man, they put in a lot of good work together. Black was going there to tell him something that he was sure Angelo already knew: why Bobby and Nick decided that Bruce Stark, who was in business with Angelo, had to die. But Black felt it was important that Angelo hear it from him.

  Black and Victor pulled up in front of a small private club, and were met at the curb by two large gentlemen. “While I’m talkin’ to Angelo, you give them your gun and wait at the bar.”

  “I heard the story,” Victor said and got out of the car. “I know the drill.” The story of how Freeze a room full of Angelo’s armed man had become legendary.

  They went inside and, as promised, Victor gave up his gun and sat down at the bar. Black went in the back to Angelo’s office. When he opened the door, there sat Angelo with a bottle of Rémy Martin XO Premier Cru, and two glasses sitting on the table.