Sweet Tooth

Plans were being made for a round-up of the crack dealers at Rose and Sharsandra's apartment complex. Cam and Shari, the informant couple, had already relocated to another "problem complex" across town, and within a few short days, they had lined up a long list of dope dealers to target. JR and I went to the CI's apartment and met with two of the managers. They were asking for help. The informants had a rent-free apartment and we had the run of the place. In exchange, we would try to rid the complex of the problem tenants and their visiting dealers. They would get more than they bargained for in the end...

The massive complex was made up of over 850 apartment units that sprawled across nineteen, oak covered acres. From the exterior, the complex was very attractive; large clubhouse, indoor and outdoor, Olympic-sized swimming pools, large health club, indoor/outdoor tennis courts and two full-court, indoor basketball courts and a multi-purpose gymnasium. It was a sport buff's "Mecca". There was a cancer growing within the perimeter though, and the middle and upper class tenants, the "marketed" folks, had begun to take notice, and as a result, were fleeing the resort in record numbers. Dope had reared it's ugly head and management was feeling it's repulsive wafting at the back their necks.

Donte and Lavon were 16 and 17 year old "identical" brothers. If the brothers stood without speaking, you couldn't tell them apart. The distinguishing characteristics were prodigious though; Lavon walked with a limp, the result of a gunshot to the calf, and he wore a gold "L", a "slip-on" initial on his left central. Tooth "bling" in the 90's. Donte worked for Lavon and he took all the risks. "You probably won't get to Lavon, we've never seen him touch the stuff, but it's his dope and he makes Donte sell it," Shari proclaimed, having already "reconned" the duo - probably while scoring crack for Cam. JR was ready to get the party started, "Well get 'em up here then, and we'll see what Precious can do with 'em." With that, Cam's eyes lit up as he anxiously clicked his dental appliance, "How much you want?," he asked nervously. "We'll decide that when they get here," JR answered. JR knew Cam would try to work an angle on him if he gave him the slightest opening. Cam shot out the door; he was "jonesing" for the bonus pay he'd get for the introduction, if he could convince Donte and Lavon to sell to us.

Cam returned within a few minutes, out of breath and being followed by the "twins". Donte walked in first and came straight to the corner unit where I sat. Cam had obviously primed him for the sale. I stood, to get out of my disadvantaged position, and to acquire an angle on Lavon. Donte wasted no time in pitching his wares, "I got some tens and some twenties." These guys seemed to be strictly business - no BS talk, no ass grabbing or anything like that - just "get down to what you want" types. "Lemme see the twenties," I said, "if they're big, I'll take two." Donte reached into his left pocket and pulled out a few rocks of crack cocaine, neatly packaged in tiny ziploc baggies. "And how much you want for that," I asked, pointing to the "Atomic Fireball" that had come out with the dope.

He was just a kid; candy and crack in the same pocket. Lavon pretended to play with Cam and Shari's kid, but he watched every move Donte and I made. He needed to be punished. Donte sheepishly grinned as he put the piece of candy back into his pocket, then he picked out two twenties. "You want these two?," he asked, handing me the baggies of crack. "I can't do $20 on these, got any heavier ones?," I asked. Donte shrugged his shoulders and briefly looked at Lavon, "That's it fool. They all the same." I toyed with the baggies and lightly tossed them up and down in my palm. "Naw, you gotta get bigger pieces if you want my money." Cam's face went ghostly white. His "payday" was gettin' screwed 'cause I wasn't buying Donte's crack. "Damn, Tony - those are the best you're gonna get here." Cam was trying to salvage the deal, but JR glared at him and gave him a "STFU" look. JR wasn't too sure of what I was doing either, but he didn't need Cam interjecting his "snitch" philosophy at this point. Donte joined me in staring at the dope in my hand, like we were waiting for the rocks to grow. "What you goin' do?," he asked. "I'm going back to where I was gettin it before I came here," I replied, "unless you wanna give me three of those for fifty... and throw in that piece of candy?" Lavon couldn't stand by any longer; the time of indecision was costing him money. "Lemme see them damn rocks!" Lavon took the crack cocaine from me and held the bags in his hand, tossing them up and down in the same fashion that I had just seconds earlier. "Naw fool, they right - you ain't gettin three o' these fuh fitty!"

Cam and Shari were in mourning - deflated - feeling broke. They had brought in some good dealers and I was pissing away their hard work. I toyed with the idea of walking away from the deal, doing something different for a change. That would give JR something to evaluate me on. There was a calculated logic to all the drama, though. "Fuck it, I'm already here, lemme have 'em." Lavon dropped the crack rocks back into my hand; expanding his chest - puffy, feeling that he had exercised his authority and taken control. In reality, all he had done was earn himself a date with the judge. "You probably won't get to Lavon..." Punished.

I handed Donte $40 and closed the deal, "You still gonna throw in that piece of candy?" Donte forced a small grin and gave me a peculiar look, "Man, is you crazy?," he asked, while he handed me the jawbreaker. "Yeah, I'm crazy - Crazier than a shit-house rat..."