"It's got to do with territory and a councilman getting stronger, 'Bazz," Carlos said, pounding Yonnie's fist again. He looked at his old friend from his old life."Expansion. Nuit is in full favor if he's slammin' vamps like you say heis,hombre ."
"He got da hoes working day and night, and in a minute, they'll be on the street with fangs and real strong." Yonnie nodded and smiled, flipping the toothpick in his mouth with his tongue. "Mr. Chairman."
"I really wish you wouldn't call Carlos that," Marlene said, tension making her begin to pace. "He's not that anymore.Can't even think like that anymore."
"Hebetter think like that," Yonnie said, losing his smile as he stared at both Marlene and Shabazz. "He better rememberall that shit from his old life." Yonnie cocked his head to the side and looked at Damali. "You know I ain't lying. . . . C was one of the baddest mofos in the valley, and that's what we need right now-not some politically correct-"
"Right," Damali said, intentionally cutting off Yonnie's statement before the wordbitch could come out of his mouth. "We need the truth, straight no chaser."
Carlos gave Yonnie a hard glare, the edges of his irises beginning to flicker silver. Yonnie was crazy, but wasn'tthat crazy-Damali hoped. After all, everybody was hyped.
But if Yonnie said the b word in reference to Carlos, there'd be no telling what could erupt in the kitchen. There wasn't time for that. Right now it was imperative for her to agree with the plan to go old-school gangsta so that Carlos wouldn't sit the fence. Decisions were going to have to be swift and possibly reckless, and her husband was so worried about her that he was erring on the side of caution.
"No disrespect, Mr. Chairman," Yonnie said after a moment, calming down a little but lifting his chin with pride. "I'm just used to seeing the oldyou, man . . . that cock-diesel, crazy motherfucker who would go for broke without hesitation. I know you been playing it safe on account of the kid-"
"Ayana ain't got nothing to do with this shit," Carlos said, his voice escalating as he pointed at Yonnie.
Yonnie rolled his shoulders. "I ain't talking about Ayana, aw'ight. I'm talkin' 'bout yours, bro." He motioned toward his nose and glared at Carlos. "What, you think I ain'tknow ? You think mysenses is that off since I crossed over? That's why I'm telling you I got your back. Fuck all this seniority shit, we gotta go for broke. I'm planning on being an uncle-ain't gotno blood relatives, but y'all, man. So let's do this shit."
"Oh . . . my . . . God. . . ." Marlene began walking in a circle.
Shabazz just closed his eyes. Damali opened and closed her mouth as Yonnie gave Carlos a warrior hug and nodded.
"Youda man , motherfucker," Yonnie said, laughing as Carlos let him go. "How you pull that off during the Armageddon and half dead, sheeit, I'lln't know!"
A huge smile broke out on Carlos's face. "You gotta keep it on the low, man.For real.Orders from On High."
"I ain't messin' with them," Yonnie said, waving his hands in front of his chest. "Ifthey said keep it on the low, shit,my lips are sealed." He made the sign of a key turning a lock in front of his mouth with his fingers and then threw away the imaginary key.
Carlos glimpsed at Damali and then gave his attention to Yonnie. "Just like they ain't trying to blow up oil fields and are fighting to keep all the bombs away from those resources, the darkside ain't burning South America orTurkey, they . . . ain't directly going to war in the cash crop breadbasket zone. Cocaineis their Dow Jones."
"That's what I've been waiting to hear, man," Yonnie said, wiping his forehead. "The old you back in action." He looked at Damali. "I know you got a lot riding on every decision being right this time, yo . . . I feel you. But we can't afford to have you playing it so conservative that they get us because we didn't do something buck wild."
"And do not damage the oil and the wine," Marlene murmured. "Seal three."
"Since that third seal is broken, you gotta get 'em with love this time, Yonnie," Damali said, and folded her arms over her chest. "We've gotta stop this thing with the most powerful energy on the planet-love."
Shabazz and Yonnie both reacted instantly, their voices blending into a single outraged question. "What?"
"That's right," Marlene said with both hands on her hips. "Noetic science-combination of quantum physics, spiritualism, and psychometrics . . . bet you gentlemen didn't read the Internet pages I copied for you?"
Three sets of male eyes sought the kitchen floor and then the horizon.
"Ten bucks says J.L. read it, though," Damali muttered.
"I'll raise Shabazz twenty, who're you telling-don't even get me started," Marlene fussed, cutting a glare at Shabazz as she answered Damali. "It's real simple," she added in a huff. "Damali is talking about shifting energies on the planet, tapping into the fifth force of psi, which is on the order of photons, gravitons, leptons, and quarks. Psi is a river of energy with currents all around us-like the river of life that never stops flowing-and if as little as 11 percent of the population shifts perspective, we can create a paradigm shift . . . hence why music is so dangerous and used for every major revolution. It's a universal language." Marlene shook her head as the men in the group gaped at her. "Hello. . . quantum physics, quantum mechanics. . . . Y'all need to read, I swear!"
Damali let out a heavy sigh. It was always a clash between yin and yang, male and female energy in the house and battle tactics. She couldn't even begin to deal with the shock of Yonnie knowing her condition. That reality had spiked a panic rush within her that she just had to suck up and let go, because if Yonnie knew then it wouldn't be long before the darkside figured it out. Her only hope was that the Light had somehow silver-shielded her. Not knowing for sure, though, was the terrifying part. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to address that right now.
"We're fighting on multiple fronts," Damali said, moving to the kitchen counter. "They're using natural disasters to flush us out, sending fire, floods, twisters, whatever they can through our old stomping grounds. They know we have to move to avoid all that, and if they see a miraculous reversal of nature-like a fire going out on its own, or whatever, they'll know where to target more pressure. So, I'm guessing, Heaven wouldn't blow our cover like that-but has given us the means to help ourselves outta that type of jam." She used her fingers to count off the points, sporadically moving tabletop items around to visually make her case.
"Then they went after human capital-people's psyche's and spirits, and are breaking people's backs with the economy," she added. "They figured if the disasters don't drive us out into the open, clusters of really horrific human behaviors might send our team in on a reconnaissance mission to investigate or to try a direct intervention. But I say let's use our resources to flood the airwaves with messages of hope and love and get people helping their neighbors more . . . let's move that psi around and start chipping away at the 11 percent we need to sway the balance, because that's the only thing that's gonna inoculate people from the darkside taking up residence in their spirits."
Damali folded her arms again and gave the men around her a slight smile. "My condition hasn't made me all wishy-washy. Once we narrow down the target, we kick their asses. I'm just trying to be efficient and minimize human casualties."
"Damn," Yonnie said, smiling. "Your woman is still gangsta, man. I love it!"
"That's why I love her," Carlos said with a half smile. He looked at Damali, his smile fading as he tried to comprehend her strategy. "So, we get the underground Guardian teams to start blowing up the Internet and guerilla radio waves and all that with what . . . like stories of victories?"