02x12 - Can't Front on Me

[bunniefuu]

Kiki, come on! I gotta return this outfit tomorrow.

Calm down.

Calm down! Calm down, man! I came up seeing a lot.

My dad.

His drug buddies.

But I ain't never seen anything like that.

Break it down.

It was like they just came at each other.

Wild eyes.

Chomping teeth.

It was like that bath salts stuff you hear about.

It wasn't coke? Heroin? PCP? No.

None of my friends get down like that.

And I wouldn't have them over if they did.

Real talk.

These kids were from Harlem, but we didn't know 'em like that.

Girl practically ripped out the side of Tisha's neck.

What you gonna do about it? I'mma try and shut it down.

First I gotta know where it came from.

Bushmaster? It's everywhere.

I gotta go open up the shop.

But you need to handle this sh*t, Luke.

My bad.

Bushmaster's name is on the package.

He's gotta be behind it.

A while ago, it was my name on that package.

That's different.

Bushmaster's about that life.

You ain't.

Stylers? dr*gs? I'm not feeling it.

They bogarted all them grow houses, man.

Yeah, for nightshade.

Not for distribution.

Look, who cares? Except for the Stokes, all these fools are neck-deep in the drug game, okay? They're guilty as sin.

You should force all of them to use some.

- What's with you, man? - You didn't see what I saw.

Plus my girl almost got hurt.

No.

No, man, it ain't okay.

What's the word, Sug? It ain't Shabba.

It's Satan's niece.

Mariah's in bed with the Chinese.

My people saw Oldboy up in her office.

She probably gave him the green light to sell that poison up in Harlem, in exchange for points on the package.

Yeah, which is why she calls it Bushmaster.

To drag his name through the mud.

It's just another way to force him out.

Even if it doesn't work, it tarnishes his name in Harlem.

My whole life, the Stokes stayed out of the drug game.

Different Stokes.

Nah, same Stokes.

Ain't none of 'em sh*t.

How you wanna play this? Couldn't Misty do something? No, no, no.

She can't.

Not fully.

New crimes call for new laws.

All cops have are handcuffs and excuses.

You know where the Chinese do their processing? I could holler at some of the drivers.

You do this business long enough, everybody knows everybody.

Good.

Holler at 'em.

- I'll take care of the rest.

- You got it.

And we come to this beautiful Romare Bearden.

An American treasure.

Vibrant.

Quite the catch, since it's been decades since a Bearden original has found its way to the market.

Ah Two million to open it.

Good morning.

Two point five over here.

Three million? Thank you for joining me on such short notice.

The last time you called a meeting, my brother Peter got a b*llet to the head.

Oh, good Lord.

Diamondback was a plague on us all.

Now it's Bushmaster.

Funny how all these plagues begin and end with you.

Are you calling me God? Calling you a pebble in my shoe.

$6.

5 million.

Sold.

Well done to you, sir.

The Stylers are done.

And I am the one who did them.

This whole United Nations idea of yours isn't gonna work as long as Bushmaster is still out there.

Ms.

Stokes and I have plans in motion to eliminate our problem, so this collective will thrive.

I don't even know why we need it.

The Italians, the Chinese, the Japanese have been running networks for centuries.

Blacks are the only ones who can't keep themselves organized.

Tempi cambi.

That's your weakness, Carbone.

You've always kept yourselves isolated.

A wonderful addition to any serious aficionado's collection.

Bidding starts at $5 million.

There are bigger profits in an open exchange.

World trade, so to speak.

Harlem is the gateway.

Plenty of customers for whatever you are offering, and increasing real estate opportunities to wash the profits.

But you'll be in charge.

It's my black face on the money.

But it's still green.

My legitimate access to legal, social and political assets will be advantageous to us all.

I am willing to open the wall around Harlem for specific access.

Of course, there's a price Twenty-five million dollars.

Last chance.

Sold! Congratulations, sir.

I adore this place.

It's a cathedral to power and privilege.

And here it is, from the private collection of Mariah Dillard's, the first galley of W.

E.

B.

Du Bois' The Souls Of Black Folk, produced in 1902, published in 1903.

With Mr.

Du Bois's very own handwritten corrections and line alterations in the margin.

- Bidding starts at two million.

- Since we're practically in church, I think it's fitting that you make an offering.

I suggest you start bidding quickly.

Or just Yangsi Gonshi will have access to Harlem.

Four million? Four point five? Four point five? Any advance from four point five? The book is just a place holder.

Legitimize this.

I expect it back.

Untouched.

That went well.

Nicely done.

As for our other problem, my security team suspects he's watching us.

Oh, hopefully so.

That's the whole point of putting cheese in a rat trap.

You still holding that silly-ass theory? That guilty men sleep? Absolutely.

Look at him.

He's resting up.

Our 24 hours is running out.

He just wants Mariah locked up so he can take over.

You take away a player's queen, the game is pretty much won.

There's a rub.

Queen-for-a-day proffer.

We risk never being able to prosecute Mr.

Alvarez on any of the crimes that he discloses to us.

Including capital crimes.

With his cooperation, we can finally get Mariah in handcuffs.

We could get closure on Candace Miller.

And we get to the bottom of who k*lled Ridenhour.

It's worth it, Priscilla.

- You just want your pound of flesh.

- You don't? I remember Mr.

Alvarez.

Quite well.

I'll call the A.

U.

S.

A.

Feds are the only ones who can make a proffer.

And with all the g*n connections, it should be easy to build a federal case.

No doubt.

Let's do it.

Show me the goods! You want to use my name? Huh? Puttin' that poison on the streets like it's me, huh? Mariah was right.

Rats always follow the cheese.

Make it swiss! Now! Now, now! Bushmaster! Stay behind me.

Stop sh**ting, you idiots! Hey.

We do this my way.

You k*ll anybody, you're on your own.

Okay.

Hey, what'd I say? You realize Mariah is behind all this, yeah? All to destroy my name.

You must protect your name.

Yeah.

That's about the first thing you and I agreed on.

Poisoning the children.

Now you see why Babylon must burn.

First them.

Then her.

Why don't you k*ll each other, get it over with so I can get some g*dd*mn sleep? How many more people have to die? Anyone who gets in the way.

Anyone.

I used one of these before.

You might want to leave.

I'm not letting you burn the evidence.

Or them.

You don't have a choice.

Sweet Christmas.

Rassclaat.

Hey.

I'm sorry I've been away so long.

You know, I've never felt normal a day in my life.

Between the Dillards and the Stokes, I never felt really accepted.

I loved the Johnsons, but I was always Mariah's.

You were the only Stokes that I could actually count on.

Oh, I remember your laugh.

You introduced me to Nina, Stevie, Sly, Curtis Bought me my first Casio.

"Play what you feel inside, baby girl.

Play what you got inside.

Your song is your truth.

" I wanted to.

I really did.

But I was always afraid of what I might find inside.

And now I know I was right to be afraid.

I am the product of r*pe.

Incest.

m*rder.

Stokes twice over.

You knew that.

You saw Pete's face and his eyes in mine, and you still loved me anyway.

I thank you for that.

Thank you, cousin.

Thank you always.

I know who I am now.

Deep down who I've always been.

Knowing changes everything.

Mariah! I need to introduce you to Dapper Dan.

Oh, I know Dap.

The last Dap suit I had, your cousin messed up.

My clothes always end up like this.

I'm used to it.

Hmm.

No, thanks.

I never drink when I'm on duty.

You know that drug lab you went in on with the Chinese? I just shut it down.

I'll admit, slapping Bushmaster's name on those packages was genius.

Worked when Arturo did it to me, too.

You know what they say.

We live and die by our rep.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

I don't care how many allies you think you have, Black Mariah.

Yeah.

Your nickname is starting to ring true.

Bushmaster's coming for you.

These little punks can't protect you.

I have always lived my life in opposition.

Tell me something new, hero.

I saved you twice.

I won't do it a third time.

There ain't no deception like self-deception.

I learned something that night at the Alamo, when your daddy showed me your high school pictures.

You are still just a goofy kid.

You have no idea what to do with your beautiful powers.

Let me guess.

You have a better idea of what to do with my powers.

Oh, baby, I'm already doing it with just half your gifts.

Of course, you're going to save me.

You are my dark chocolate Boy Scout.

It's what I love about our relationship.

There is no relationship.

I hate you.

It's the hate that makes it great.

I used to daydream about how to k*ll you.

Drown you.

Poison you.

Burn you.

Break your heart.

So foolish.

I didn't appreciate what was right in front of me.

Yeah? And what's that? You're the only man I've ever been able to count on.

Harlem, too.

You are a real man of the people.

The real thing.

That's your weakness.

It's poetic, actually.

Things change.

I just decided that I'm not on duty anymore.

Wow, this Bushmaster Rum is really good.

I'll pour some out when you two are done with each other.

Maxine.

Mariah.

Get Kris Parker on the phone.

Yeah.

Spread the word.

Free concert.

A unity jam.

The Paradise has to be packed-out tonight.

From the windows to the walls.

Gotta be hot to death.

Looks good on our end.

Make sure your client understands that if he lies, or leaves anything out of his statement, the proffer becomes void.

And he could be charged with anything he admitted here today.

I get it.

It ain't my first rodeo.

State your name and date of birth for the record.

Hernan Enrique Salazar Alvarez.

Born May 11th, 1977, in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

And you are making this confession of your own free will? I am.

Witnessing this confession is your attorney, Patricia Wilson, A.

U.

S.

A.

Colin Dunbar and myself, Detective Mercedes Knight.

My last year in Seagate, me and Comanche got paid by this juiced-in guard, Rackham, to b*at the sh*t out of some guy named Carl Lucas.

We broke him down, Billy Batts style.

Lucas should've d*ed.

But some shady-ass prison doctor did an experiment, and he came out bulletproof.

Smashed his way out of jail with his bare hands.

And now he calls himself Luke Cage.

Ain't that some sh*t? What does that have to do with Mariah Dillard? Relax.

I'm gonna get there.

Yo, yo, yo citizens.

What's up, man? This just in.

There's a concert at Harlem's Paradise tonight.

One night only.

The one and only Blastmaster, KRS-One.

It's a unity jam, Heather B.

Sponsored by the Family First Initiative and Bushmaster Rum.

Hold up.

"Bushmaster"? Ain't that the crazy drug that got people runnin' around here trippin' and losing their mind? Nah, nah, nah, I thought it was the dude who knocked out Luke Cage.

You going? Yeah, I'll probably still go.

- Ya miss me? - No.

- Liar.

- Hey.

You must hear what she got to say.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Go on.

Tell your story.

After I left you, I went to see my mother.

I had to look her in her eye.

And what happened? She didn't just give the order.

She lit the fire that b*rned your uncle alive.

Why did you come tell me this, huh? Why did you deliver yourself to the lion? Because I need that lion to maul my mother.

You want me to k*ll her for you? Not for me.

For everyone.

The woman is a virus.

She infiltrates, destroys, and moves on to the next.

You can't treat her.

You can't quarantine her.

She won't stop.

Hmm.

I don't need a motivation to k*ll your mother.

I need opportunity.

And right now, she's fortified herself inside the castle.

So So, I can get you inside the club.

There's secret passageways underneath from back in Prohibition.

I used to play in them when I would visit.

And even if I get inside, she's still got plenty of protection.

That is why you'll need a secret w*apon.

What is it? A supershot of nightshade.

Hmm.

It could double your strength.

And the cost? You need to be careful.

Whatever you do, don't take it all at once.

It can destroy your body and your mind.

No, no, no.

Rhaatid! It's not worth the cost.

- It's not worth the risk.

- Hey, hey, hey.

For my mother, for my father, for Anansi, for my grandfather.

All the people It's worth it.

And what about Chico? Did you guys sh**t up Pop's Barber Shop to get to him? There's rules to this sh*t.

Pop's was Switzerland.

Everybody loved him.

One of Cottonmouth's guys, Tone, was reckless.

When he found out Chico was there, he lit the place up.

I couldn't stop him in time.

It mentions, uh, Luke Cage was there.

He was present? Yeah.

Incognito.

He, uh, shielded some kid or something.

That kid was my son.

Well, then you should be ecstatic.

Cottonmouth was so pissed off with Pop's death that he took that punk, Tone, and threw him off the roof of Harlem's Paradise.

He screamed all the way down like a little bitch.

That sh*t was perfect.

I have to recuse myself from this case.

Mr.

Alvarez, you are a piece of garbage.

I hope you burn in hell.

Is my proffer still good? Yes.

Then I don't need your sorry ass.

Bounce.

Don't let that door hit you.

Where was I? Yo, you heard about the unity concert tonight? Yo.

I can't front, sounds kind of dope! I kind of wanna go.

Yeah.

That's on me.

How? I went by Harlem's Paradise to tell Mariah that I was done protecting her.

That I was going to let Bushmaster get her.

And what does she do? She throws a massive free concert.

Yep, n*gg*s can't resist anything free.

Yo, maybe she's trying to party like it's 1999.

No.

More like she's trying to surround herself with collateral damage.

So if Bushmaster att*cks, I'll be forced to show up and protect Harlem.

And Mariah by default.

That's jacked-up.

Man.

I am so sick of this sh*t.

It's always rinse and repeat with her.

If it isn't Bushmaster, it's someone else.

Always comes back to Mariah.

Yo, don't take it personal, yo.

It's always personal, man! Pop, Candace, Piranha.

All those people at Gwen's.

I even lost Claire behind this sh*t.

It's just It's all those fires you have to put out.

Staying ready.

Always on edge at every moment.

It does something to you to live your life that way.

Changes you.

Claire saw it.

She tried to warn me, but I just I just couldn't hear it.

So she bounced.

And I don't blame her.

I chose this life.

I mean, I love Harlem.

I do.

But Mariah, she's she's If I protect her tomorrow, the next day she will just destroy someone else's life.

So sit this one out.

Yo, come on, fam.

How he gonna sit this one out? He's Luke Cage.

I was on my way there to k*ll him myself.

Mariah b*at me to it.

I get there right as she picked up the mic stand and bashed his head in.

You know I can't front.

I was proud of her.

Candace Miller witnessed the crime, too? Oh, yeah.

Candace.

That was her name.

We paid her 50 Gs to say Luke Cage did it.

I used Luke's dish-washing gloves from the kitchen for the DNA frame.

It would've worked out perfect.

But Cage whooped Diamondback's ass, and, uh, Candace broke her silence.

Y'all had Mariah.

I had to get her out somehow.

You used my phone.

You dropped it at the barber shop.

I texted that girl as you to get her to meet me.

Standing out front of the bodega.

All tentative.

Looked like an angel.

Came up behind her slow but steady.

Sunday morning casual on a Friday night.

The g*n.

What about the g*n? Pearl-handled .

38.

Same g*n that was used to k*ll this man.

That wasn't me.

Mariah sh*t him.

After she lit him on fire.

Jesus! Die already! Man, that guy wouldn't stop screaming.

That's all I heard.

Hey, let me get some water.

Ridenhour.

Comanche sh*t Ridenhour.

That wasn't me.

What happened? You know what happened.

I need it in your words.

We knew we had a snitch.

Ridenhour slipped up when he questioned Mariah.

He knew about Tone going off the roof.

Nobody else knew about that, except Mariah, myself, Cottonmouth, Turk and Comanche.

It had to be him, because I trusted him with it.

I got the drop on 'em both.

Che panicked.

And when his lies stopped working, he sh*t Ridenhour.

And he started hustling backwards, but I knew he was the snitch.

So I kneeled down I took Ridenhour's g*n Gut sh*t.

I should have let him bleed out.

But I didn't want to watch my friend suffer.

The .

38, Hernan? The pearl-handled .

38 that k*lled Anansi, Candace, and p*stol Pete Stokes.

Ah.

You didn't know about that one.

I knew I should have tossed that g*n.

But Mariah was obsessed with it.

We need that g*n.

Then get a warrant and go get it from her.

Because I've given you everything.

I'm done.

Janis.

Janis I didn't I didn't I didn't know.

Sit your ass down.

I'm not done with you yet.

We need that g*n.

Or else this whole deal goes away.

So where is it? Thank you, brother.

You can leave now.

How you plan to get through without backup? Mariah's operating with plenty of guards.

If you're born to hang, - you can't drown.

- Mmm-mmm.

Anansi, gone.

My cousin, gone.

You're the only family I have left.

I can't lose you.

All is well, brother.

We can't lose.

But my mother's calling to me.

She wants justice.

Hmm? Tonight I'm gonna give it to her.

Take your glasses off.

You been crying? Allergies.

I'm allergic to bullshit.

No.

Keep 'em off.

I've always liked your eyes.

What do you want? I want you.

Simple as that.

Nothing's ever simple with you.

I wanted to say that I'm sorry.

Let's go talk about it in the office.

Hey I paid a fortune for a legend tonight.

Let's enjoy him first.

Ya know, that's why, man I be telling you all the time, man, love That word love is a very serious thing And if you don't watch out I tell you that Love's gonna get you Love's gonna get you Love's gonna get you 'Cause a lot of people fallin' in love With their car, with their house Love's gonna get you Man, I tell you These things come and go Love's gonna get you Love's gonna get you Love's gonna get you Original Love's gonna get you Listen Love's gonna get you I'm in junior high with a B+ grade At the end of the day I don't hit the arcade I walk from school To my mom's apartment I got to tell the suckers every day "Don't start it" Where I'm at If you soft, you lost To stay on course Means to roll with force My boy named Rob He chillin' in a Benz In front of my building With the rest of his friends I give him a pound Oh, I mean, I shake his hand He's the neighborhood drug dealer My man I go upstairs and hug my mother Kiss my sister, and punch my brother I sit down on my bed To watch some TV, but Do my ears deceive me? No, that's the fourth time this week Another fast brother sh*t dead in the street Very next day while I'm off to class My moms goes to work Cold busting her ass My sister's cute, but she got no gear I got three pairs of pants And with my brother I share So, there in school I'm made a fool With one and a half pair of pants You ain't cool But there's no dollar for nothing else I got beans, rice And bread on my shelf Every day I see my mother struggling Now it's time I've got to do something Look for work I get dissed like a jerk Do odd jobs and come home like a slob - I told you so.

- Here comes Rob, his gold is shimmery He gives me two hundred For a quick delivery I do it once, I do it twice We need to talk.

So you can apologize properly for that Ike Turner sh*t you pulled up in here? I'm not proud of how I handled that.

You are who you are.

And who are you supposed to be? Huh? You in bed with the Chinese? With dr*gs now? Slow your roll.

I ain't decided how I feel about you yet.

Love's gonna sneak right up And snuff you from behind So you wanna check the story out As we go down the line Hey.

Where you been all day? With Shades.

He gave up Mariah.

Everything.

So that's your play? A wire? She's too smart for that.

I didn't send a pawn after the queen.

I sent a bishop.

What, you got a better idea? Nope.

But I'm working on one.

Me and my brother Jump in the BM Driving around our territory again I stop at the light like a superstar And a*t*matic weapons Cold sprayed my car I hit the accelerator Scared as sh*t And drove one block To find my brother was hit He wasn't dead But the blood was pouring And all I could think about Was warrin' Later I found That it was Rob and his crew Now tell me What am I supposed to do? Where the hell is he? It's down there.

Hey.

Remember, it's just Mariah.

No one else gets hurt.

Wait for me.

I need you alone.

Come to the lair.

"The lair"? Where the hell is that? Hey, Bailey.

Do you have blueprints? Oh, sh*t.

Bringing an end to this gold chain w*r What you saw KRS-ONE is now seeing Another fly human being Maybe we can get back to the way things were.

Mmm.

No, baby.

I don't think we're gonna be able to do that.

Sit down.

A g*dd*mn snitch.

He's here.

Give me the g*n and get behind me.

I need you to listen to me.

We got one sh*t at this dude.

Now! sh*t.

Where the hell is Luke Cage? Luke! Luke.

Luke? Luke, are you okay? Yeah.

Yeah.

- Where is he? - He went after Mariah.

But look at you, man.

I don't think you can stop him.

Watch me.

God! - Come.

- No! No! Get your g*dd*mn hands off me! No! Watch my eyes as I squeeze that bloodclaat life out of you.

Do it! k*ll him! Break his g*dd*mn neck, Luke! Do it! Do it! k*ll him! Luke.

Luke! Did you get him? - Who? - Bushmaster.

No.

He's gone.

sh*t.

Mariah Stokes Dillard you are under arrest for the m*rder of Candace Miller, Cornell Stokes, and the m*ssacre at Gwen's.

I didn't pull the trigger.

You have the right to remain silent.

- Anything you say - I know my g*dd*mn rights.

Do you really think this is gonna hold? It's his word against mine.

And he is a g*dd*mn gutter gangster.

A lowlife.

And I am Mariah Stokes.

Forever councilwoman of Harlem.

Millionaire philanthropist.

Everybody will clock this for just what it is.

The pigs trying to drag yet another successful sister down.

You best believe the court of public opinion will eat you alive.

Well, a court of law will convict you.

Let's go.

Get her out of here.

Let's go.

Finally a win.

We ain't win sh*t.

This ain't over yet.