Page 136 - The Jazzsipper Novel

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THE JAZZ SIPPER

But, for some reason Vance had an unsettling feeling about this whole Dee
Dee situation. So, he contacted his assistant and asked her to push
everything off his schedule that week. She said sure Vance, consider it done.
Vance then scheduled a flight to New York. His flight would be leaving thirty
minutes after Regina’s flight and landing thirty minutes later than her arrival in
New York. He had hotel reservations at a hotel right down from LaGuardia
Airport, far away from the JFK Airport where Regina would be landing. Vance
decided that he would need a gun when he got to New York. He began
working on that angle by talking to one of the vendors, a friend of his that was
from New York. Vance explained the situation to his friend who everyone
called Raheem. Then, Raheem told Vance he could do one better, he would
go up there with him and help him get around. Vance told him that he would
pay him the money he would be losing for shutting down his booth while they
were away. Vance said he would also pay all their expenses. Then Vance told
Raheem, that way I can see if you were really that cat you said you were up
there.

They both began laughing and Raheem said, Vance my man, I was all you
can be up there and they laughed even more. Normally Vance would make
all the moves himself, but he knew Raheem was a brother with integrity and
strength. He was also a street cat gone straight, much like Vance himself.
Vance and Raheem had known each other for the past four years, ever since
Vance began vending merchandise in Atlanta. They broke bread together
many times, partied together, fought robbers off together after long nights of
vending in Atlanta and they would even watch each other’s back during the
busy times of the hustle and bustle during major events. Raheem even helped
Vance to win the confidence of the other vendors when his company was