BERLIN, Wisconsin (RapNewswire) June 10, 2007 - The black Mercedes rolled down highway 41. Still alive, three sixty-five, killer on the loose. Sometimes somebody’s got to pay. Now was the time, or was it a few hours ago. Poppin knew there would be others. The party had just begun. Payback is a bitch, he smiled to himself. He was feeling really high, a little crazy, not really crazy, just ... a little unwell . He supposed that was the way it was supposed to be. He knew the first kill would be tough. Heart still pumpin’, hands still shakin’ on the wheel. A little oxy, that would do it. Slow it down. He could lean over a little, feel like pimpin’. Let the adrenaline slide. See a stripper, let the adrenaline ride. Up and down, back and forth, straight down the highway, takin’ a ride. Wouldn’t be long, he would be in Madison. Death behind him, death ahead. There would be others. Some mother’s sons. Poppin looked ahead and saw the capital building in the distance. The ten foot long American flag blew wildly in the wind. It wouldn’t be long now. He’d be back in his element. Hips grinding on the stage. The women he knew. The women he loved. Some of his bros be in the house. He would tally on. Find a party. Chill out. The first kill was done. There would be others. The promises had been made many years ago. These men had to come down.

Poppin lit up a small, black and mild cigar. He was happy. A broad smile crossed his face, creasing down in a wide line beside his lips. He loved Madison, party town of the USA. Everything moved fast here. A white Mazeradi sped past him on the right with an attractive blonde woman hitting up on a bong in the passenger seat. Silver earrings flashed on the young, male driver. The Benz chewed up the pavement as he slipped the car into third gear and accelerated. Poppin reached into his pocket, pulled out a pill, popped the Oxy in his mouth and followed the pill with a slug of Bud Light. He needed to slow the car down, stay within the speed limit. Wouldn’t do to get stopped for speeding. There was no hurry. Now it was party time.

Small sparkles of light flashed on the wet, black asphalt, but the sparkles barely shone in comparison to the sparkle emanating from the one hundred karats of diamonds imbedded in the silver cross that hung from a silver chain to lie upon the black T-shirt covering his chest. He pulled the 2006, jet-black Benz into a parking spot directly in front of the Sizzle. A six foot tall, red neon light flashed the silhouette of a buxom woman. The bouncer at the door smiled broadly and gave him props. They had rolled together many a time. Poppin blended into the darkness, the only giveaways were his shiny white teeth peering out, and the diamonds glittering from his necklace. His six foot-two inch lean frame shifted comfortably against a black, marble top, high-rise table. His heart twittered. Alyssa was on the stage, her beautiful body outlined in a sizzling silhouette. They’d been tight once, but Poppin had to move on. He had too many things to do. There was no time for a woman in his life. Maybe later. With a cold, street stare, Poppin surveyed the surrounding clientele. Habits of a lifetime of street life never died. Half a dozen middle-aged men sat directly below the stage. Several older men, near seventy years of age, sat quietly at the bar, a little too shy to get up close for a good look, although occasionally one of the old men would walk up to the stage and give the dancer a dollar. The rest of the crowd was young men, some of them getting their first look at the live action between the women’s legs. Poppin knew almost everyone present except for the assorted college students. They were no threat, indirectly; they were all probably customers of his.

He made eye contact with Rolly who was standing at the bar. Rolly and Poppin had been tight for years. It was a bond formed in their youth when they met at a foster home and had taken immediately to each other. Rolly was his main man, trust worthy, and ready to serve time for Poppin if he had to. In fact, he had done two years when a deal went bad. The snitching from the street had seeped all the way to him, but he had held firm, the last resort, protecting Poppin from what would have been his first bust. He was now pretty low profile with the police, had faded from their radar a couple of years after the bust. If he had only been more careful, hadn’t gotten a little too loose and carefree, the bust would never have happened, but then again, some people had to learn the hard way. Poppin had schooled him since. Told him the way things had to be; the way things had to be done. Rolly now carried an almost military-like bearing.

Rolly saw Poppin in the bar mirror and flashed him an enormous smile. Rolly slammed his drink and headed out of the bar. Ten minutes later Poppin left. No contact need be made. The drop point was always made up in advance, carefully planned and rotated. They had worked together for years and each knew what the other would do. Poppin rolled the Benz slowly down the street. He felt low now, in his element, in the element that he had built up for years. The money was so easy, the risk so low. He worked in a drug business where trust was paramount, and he had chosen well on both ends of the deals. Everything always went smooth, easy. Sometimes drug networks truly worked. No one at the top of the food chain was caught. Everyone was happy. Everyone got richer.

Poppin parked the car behind the white Cadillac that rested at the curb opposite the bus depot. Rolly exited the Cadillac and greeted him with a handshake and a smile. The two men proceeded to the back of the Benz where Poppin opened the trunk. He handed one suitcase to Rolly, and took hold of two by himself. One of the three suitcases was loaded with one hundred dollar bags of crack. The black Samsonite suitcases were identical. The two men moved forward and placed the suitcases in the back of the white Cadillac. The deal was done. Rolly would make the proper cash deposits from sales made on down the line, visit the different bank safety deposit boxes that had been set up. The money was always there; Poppin was never worried. Rolly was a trusted brother.

It was all so easy, so very easy.

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Author: Daniel Sonnentag