Wake of the Storm - The Mason Storm Series Book One

Are you saving up for a rainy day? (02/20/17)

Five weeks later and we are on our third load of cigarettes from the GDs. We've just delivered them the six thousand fish. We managed to keep another fifteen packs back out of both of these last two loads, too. Most groups, if they are smart, keeping something put away for a rainy day. Anything can happen in here. Hell, the cop could get caught bringing it in and then the compound is dry. Plus, at the end of the day, this is real money and just like out there it can fix most anything.

The White Boys are not saving for a rainy day though. We are stacking up for different reasons. We're going to take control. We have just over fifteen thousand fish on hand, another ten thousand owed to us and the forty-five packs in the stash spot...though we did have to move it out of the showers.

When lil' Matt went up into the ceiling this morning, he said he thought someone had been up there looking around. We've had the spot for close to six months now and he's the only one who goes into it. If he believes someone's been up there, I have no reason to doubt him. It's certainly not the cops because they would have looked around until they found the stash; and they would have replaced the rivets.

About six months ago one of our guys was fired from the kitchen for stealing a hundred pieces of chicken. Staff reassigned him to Facilities. He went from being one of the head cooks to fixing the showers and plumbing in the units. His first week on the new job he was in my unit trying to find a leak in one of the urinals. I held point for him while he drilled out the rivets in one of the ceiling panels above the showers and replaced them with screws. A few days later, Dub-C made a makeshift screwdriver. He kept it under his bunk, attached it to a magnet.

We actually hide stuff for some of the other cars...for fish of course. Lil' Matt runs the operation and we make between three and five hundred fish a month.

"Did you tell anyone about the spot, other than the guys?" I asked Matt when told me.

"No one."

"Anyone see you go up?"

"Nah, I don't think so. I only go up in the middle of the night, or if I have a look-out," he said.

"Who's stuff do we have right now?"

"There's probably two ounces of weed from the Sureños. A sealed box from the Paisas and about thirty to thirty-five packs of cigarettes from the Ñetas."

"Okay, so arrange to meet all of them, and give them their stuff back. Today. Tell them they will have to hold it themselves, we've had a problem with the spot. Tell 'em we'll have something worked out in a day or two. We'll give them a free month."

"I'll go now," he says, and starts to walk away.

"Hey, I just thought of something." Lil' Matt turns around. "You said the Ñetas have thirty packs of cigarettes up there, right?"

"At least."

"You dealing with Flaco?"

"Who else?"

"Go see him first, tell him what's going on, but tell him I'd like to speak with him right away. Alone. See if you can get a time and place."

"I'm on it. I go see him and come back before I go see the others," he says, and walks off.

The Ñetas began on the Island of Puerto Rico in 1980. Originally, they were a movement opposing the administration of the country, but since have spread their fingers to all corners of the world. They are now one of the larger gangs in prison and Flaco is the person calling the shots here.

They have at least thirty packs; with ours that's more than seventy-five. Close to forty thousand in fish. I need to see if I can convince Flaco to let us borrow them.

I finish what I am doing, lock my locker and go looking for Flip.

I find him on the yard. He's playing poker at one of the tables in recreation. I wait for him to fold his hand, before I get his attention. When I do, I motion for him to meet me outside. I walk over to the picnic tables and wait.

"Are you up or down?" I ask when he gets to me.

"Up about two-fifty. I just lost a big hand about twenty minutes ago. Mike the Italian had poker. I had second best."

"Good. Okay, listen. Lil' Matt thinks someone has been up in the ceiling—"

He cuts me off, "Are we missing anything?"

"No, settle down. Nothing is missing. He could just tell someone had been up there. I had him take everything back to everyone for right now. I don't want us responsible for anything, just in case someone is planning to hit us."

"It's probably the GDs. They probably suspect something."

"They don't have any idea. Just stay with me for right now. The Sureños gave Matt their weed to hold. He thinks it's close to two ounces. Wait about another hour and go see Grumpy—their shot caller. I know they have a bunch of weed already on the pound, Grumpy will be nervous having two more ounces out. I know they don't have a stash spot right now either. The cops hit it last week. Tell him we will buy everything he has, all of it; even what he has on the pound. We will bring the fish tonight. See if he will give us a good deal, but that's not even important; just get everything he has."

"Where are we going to hide it?" Flip asks.

"In Shaffer's desk?"

"Mrs. Shaffer?"

"Is there a mister?" I look at him sideways.

"She's a CO! How are you going to manage this?"

"Apparently, she's unhappy at home."

"How do you know this?"

"She told me."

"Oh no!"

"Oh yes!"

"If they catch you with a female officer they are going to send your ass to Alaska."

"They gave me twenty years. Ship me to Zimbabwe for all I care!"

"I hope you know what you are doing," Flip says.

"I do. Don't worry. Just keep it between you and I. You are the only one who knows."

"About the weed?"

"No, Shaffer."

He laughs.

With that we split. He went to see Grumpy and I go to find lil' Matt to see what Flaco said. Plus, I want to go hang out with Shaffer for a little while before her shift ends.

Gregory C. Brown is the author of The Mason Storm Series and just recently released Book One, Wake of the Storm. He is also the creator of Stories from Behind the Wall with weekly installments found at https://gregorycbrownbooks.com/stories-from-behind-the-wall/