Within that mysterious realm in which murder and mayhem prove to be a potent motivator for a man to pursue an enemy's location, there's no limit to the things that he would do to accomplish his objective.
If money is available to shop for favors, from people that would not normally give more than a minute of their time or attention, thousands could be spent to purchase whatever information was needed.
And Kirkwood Kenny was prepared to pass around twenty thousand, if necessary...
He wanted Swaylo dead before he left the city.
It did not take Kenny long to find someone, that would lead him to Swaylo's doorstep.
Karen Carmichael did not have a clue about the reason in which Kenny was searching for Swaylo, but for the thousand dollars that he had offered, she was prepared to hand-deliver his ass straight to Kenny's apartment.
"Are you sure that you know where this kid lives, Karen?"
''I'm telling you," she insisted with a suck of her teeth as if the question was too ridiculous to take seriously.
"His grandmother lives off of Alston... Two buildings down from my girl, Cynthia"
There was a pregnant pause.
"Okay. I tell you what... Meet me up at the MacDonald's off of Memorial Drive in ten minutes. I'll bring your money with me when I come, but I'm not giving it all to you until I confirm that that's where he lives at. Deal?"
"Bet that up. I'm telling you, he lives there..."
When he hung up the telephone, Kenny took in a thorough survey of Shonda's apartment.
It was only a matter of time before the FEDS visited it, he reasoned.
He needed to get his belongings out of there before they showed up...
That, he thought, would allow him a plausible excuse to refute whatever Shonda's brother Broderick might say.
As he scrambled to remove every item he possessed from Shonda's apartment, and load it into his car, Kirkwood Kenny never even paused to grieve the death of D-Money.
This was his moment to elevate beyond the box of his city, and he did not plan on blowing it.
He was shrewd, ruthless, and determined.
He knew that federal investigators were out there at that moment, searching for clues that would lead to the capture of the bandits responsible for the bank heist.
And he did not plan on getting snared in their net of suspects.
After careful consideration, Kenny decided that it was best to leave D-Money in Shonda's apartment until dark; to prevent the risk of having some nosey neighbor spot him carrying the body to the car, and call the cops.
Or risk getting caught up in a roadblock, and have the cops find him in possession of D-Money's dead body.
Moving with extreme awareness of his surroundings, Kirkwood Kenny carried the two duffle bags to his car and met up with Karen Carmichael at the agreed-upon location.
She was parked and waiting when he got there.
He could see her sipping on a soda and munching on a Big Mac.
Her gaze locked on him as soon as she spotted his car turn into the lot.
He stepped out with a broad smile etched upon his face.
"What's up lil momma, you did not waste any time pulling up, huh?"
He asked, leaning into the driver's side window.
Karen returned his smile.
Her gaze appeared to size him up, from his clothes to his jewelry...
It was clear that he had a bankroll, and Karen saw that as her chance to secure a sugar daddy.
A man to help alleviate the weight of having to worry about where her next meal would come from.
"For what," she popped with a bat of her eyes and a flirtatious grin.
"When a man is speaking my language, I listen..."
"That's what I'm talking about," he replied with an amused smile.
"Let me find out that you're a thoroughbred bitch, with more than an awesome body and a cute face..."
"Oh, so you didn't get the memo?" Karen stated with a girlish giggle.
"From Monday through Sunday, the 'hood know me as 'lil momma DON'T PLAY'... 'Cause for my money and my man, I DON'T PLAY!"
Her gaze walked over his body with the scrutiny of a produce inspector; evaluating groceries.
"Okay, Miss DON'T PLAY... I tell you what, if you want to make another four thousand, I'll pay you to rent a car for me and help me drive to Miami. We can kick it for the weekend while I handle my business and be back by Monday."
He lied with a smile.
"Are you serious?" She exclaimed.
"Hell yeah, I'm down with that..." she gushed before it occurred to her that she had two kids to consider.
"Damn. Hold up...I've got to see if I can get my mom to babysit for me."
She dropped her head in concentration, tapping her finger against the steering wheel in an absentminded drumbeat.
Kirkwood Kenny watched her scheme up ways to convince her mom to babysit for her.
"I'll tell you what..." Kenny stated, extracting a large wad of cash from his pocket, and passing Karen a thousand in small denomination bills.
It looked like a fortune.
Karen's eyes locked in on that bundle of cash like a hawk, in pursuit of a rabbit. There was no reigning in her determination...
She was committed to doing whatever was required, to get ahold of every dollar he had to give.
Kenny pretended not to notice the sparkle of greed, in her eyes.
"Here is a thousand for your mom, and a thousand for you.
I'll ride with you and you show me where Swaylo lives.
Once I confirm what you're telling me, we'll go grab the rental, then while you handle your business with your kids,
I can tie up a few loose ends... How does that sound?"
Karen tried to suppress the giggle of greed that bubbled up from her chest before she could stop it.
"You wanna meet back up here?"
"Nah. I'm about to place my stuff in your car. I'll have one of my Homeys swing by and get my car..."
He stated and spun to grab the duffle bags from his trunk.
He slid them across the backseat of her Honda Civic.
He had no intentions of returning to his car.
And he didn't want his money out of his sight.
But he played it with the cool of an ice cube, so as not to arouse her suspicions.
Or give any indication that he was a part of the crew, who had robbed the bank in Kennesaw.
He could not afford to have her acting stupid and fidgety.
As soon as she helped him escape from the city undetected, she was history, he decided with a charming smile.
"I've got a few ideas to entertain us for the weekend,"
he stated and stroked a hand across her thigh.
"Just make sure you pack some sexy lingerie for me."
Karen leaned back to give him a better view beneath her green pleated skirt.
"What, like this..." she asked with a complete disregard for her modesty.
To have been twenty-four, with two kids, Karen Carmichael had the toned body of an athlete.
Her mocha-colored complexion had him feeling hot and horny.
"Alright, don't start something that you can't finish," he stated with a husky tone of lust. Karen licked her lips and grabbed his crotch with a firm stroke.
"Whatever I start, I assure you that I can finish it... Would you care to find out?"
Kenny could feel his manhood respond to her touch, but sex was the last thing on his mind.
"Hold that thought until we handle this business."
He slid her panties aside and dipped a finger inside of her vagina.
" I'll deal with this when we get to Miami."
Karen pulled his finger to her lips and sucked it.
"It's been a long time since I've been, as you say, dealt with..."