THE ALGORITHM

4.

"I already told you the story," Greg spoke to his father.

"I want to hear it from him." David pointed at his grandson. He chewed on his food and swallowed before saying, "Tell me the story, Bilal."

"Well..." Bilal huffed before continuing, "I sent Decon and Shawn to get rid of Ricardo. Shawn did some searching and found her in the trunk of his car."

David held a perplexed expression on his face. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and said, "You're still dealing with Ricardo?"

"Not anymore."

"I told you something was off about him a long time ago. It's good to hear that you finally opened your eyes."

"What about Yusef?" Greg questioned his son. "Decon mentioned him, too."

David grew alert and asked, "Are you still fighting with Yusef?"

Bilal looked off and rasped, "Not lately. My guards are up, though."

"I don't understand why you two hate each other. The Haitians used to be cordial with us until you and that damn Yusef took over. Now, you're always at each other's necks."

That was true. The Lawsons were once cool with The Germain's. However, all that changed once Bilal and Yusef took over as the head bosses of their organizations. Their beef didn't stem from a business rivalry, as Yusef and his people had invested their money in a Haitian restaurant and a large, successful drug operation.

The Lawsons, on the other hand, did not invest their money in drugs. Thanks to David, they had a successful real estate company that had been in the family for decades. Greg created and invested in a distillery that brought wealth. Bilal had also developed a technology company that made millions of dollars.

The legal businesses made The Lawsons look great. Judging from their photos, you would assume they were friendly and innocent people who didn't take their lives for granted. However, the family had a dark side, and only a few knew about it. The Lawsons didn't believe in distributing drugs, but they had other activities. Such as contract killings—they didn't mind carrying out contracts to have their targets assassinated in exchange for payment. They also dabbled in loan sharking and arms trafficking.

Jealousy was the cause of Bilal and Yusef's rivalry. It all started with Bilal receiving positive attention from the locals around Manhattan. Yusef grew upset when he realized how much people liked Bilal. He'd recently teamed up with a well-known billionaire named Malcolm Sullivan. Both men donated $10 million to a local charity and distributed bikes to children through Malcolm's organization, called Givin' Back.

Yusef would ride by the Lawsons' real estate business. He knew the young man spent a lot of time there because they were once cool and would hang out together. Yusef let his feelings get in the way, destroying their friendship. He began by speaking negatively to Bilal, gradually escalating to full jeering. He was essentially poking the bear, and that led to the men falling out. That was three years ago.

"It's been three years...almost four years. Settle the animosity." Greg pleaded with his son. "Before someone gets hurt."

"People have been getting hurt...for years." Bilal corrected his father. "You're too late."

His beef with Yusef was severe. A few of their men died because of their foolishness. Yusef started the war, and Bilal decided to retaliate. Unfortunately, it didn't get the men anywhere.

"There is no use for you two to be enemies. You're not in the same line of business, and we don't deal with drugs anymore." David continued. "Greg and I distributed enough drugs for you not to do that. I just don't understand."