didn’t have to ask what that was. He had been rolling with Suave for many years and knew of his drama-filled life. “I need to see you as soon as possible. My finger got burned with the lighter.”
Tires screeched as Suave cut around a minibus to pull over to the side of the road. “What! How bad did you get burned?” he screamed into the phone.
“Bad enough that I need medical attention,” Cobra continued to speak in their code. “Like right now.”
Suave pounded his fists on the steering wheel, shouting expletives. Cobra just informed him that they got robbed again. This was the third time in less than a month. Just last week, one of Suave’s runners was held at gunpoint, robbed of a large quantity of marijuana and cocaine and thousands of dollars. The teenager was beaten almost to a pulp, and a letter to Suave was left on his battered body, saying, There is only room for one.
“You and Daddy Lizard meet me at the hut in thirty.” Suave clicked off the phone and threw it down on the seat. He took deep breaths as he stared off into the distance, his mind racing. Someone was out to get him. This wasn’t anything unusual or unexpected, but the method was new. Robbing Suave’s workers and beating them down was total disrespect. Who would be so brazen to do something like that?
He took a deep breath before he put the truck in drive. Glancing up and down the busy street, he then eased into traffic. He was pissed.
Suave raced toward the “hut,” speeding through red lights, cutting off vehicles left and right. He climbed the hill of the prestigious neighborhood of Belgrade Heights, St. Andrew, and drove up in front of a beautiful mini-mansion. Once he pressed the garage door button above the sun visor, Suave drove in and parked in one of the four parking spots. He pressed the garage button again to close it, grabbed his phones, and walked into the house.
The hut was nestled in a corner of one of the most attractive, tree-lined streets in the area. The light-filled home emanated charm and appeal, with its five bedrooms overlooking the beautifully landscaped tropical yard. The four bathrooms were fully renovated with a water heater system, and the huge living room with its floor-to-ceiling windows was elegantly furnished with expensive furniture and paintings. The kitchen had custom cabinetry and top-of-the-line appliances, while a carved extendable dining table sat on a large, rich oriental rug in the dining room, with a huge chandelier hanging above.
This was Suave’s safe haven away from the streets. Only a handful of people knew about the house. Not even Monica and his other baby mommas knew.
Suave went into his bathroom, undressed, and took a quick shower. After getting dressed in a white Nike sweat suit with his long dreads pulled back in a ponytail, he marched barefoot into the kitchen and got a cold Red Stripe from the refrigerator. A horn honked outside as soon as he took the first sip.
Suave looked through the window and saw the familiar black Range Rover in front of the house. In a few quick strides, he was at the door entrance to the garage, pressing it open.
The truck pulled in beside the Cadillac, and two tall men alighted from the vehicle and marched toward Suave with solemn expressions on their faces.
“Paulie is at Public in critical condition,” Samuel Briscoe, a.k.a. Daddy Lizard, greeted Suave. He was referring to the Kingston Public Hospital in downtown Kingston.
Suave took a big gulp of his beer, then fired off a few curse words before he turned and marched back inside. Cobra and Daddy Lizard followed him.
“How much they got?” Suave sat on the leather couch facing the two men who were sitting across from him on a matching couch.
“Our entire shipment from Westmoreland and all the payments that Paulie collected from his runners.” Cobra took two joints out of his pocket and lit one before he passed the other and a lighter to Suave.
“We took a big loss, Boss.” Daddy Lizard sucked hard on the spliff he had just lit. “They are not only robbing us, but they are hurting our workers too. We have to find out who it is and hit them back hard.”
Suave remained silent as he drank his beer and smoked the weed. “There’s beer in the fridge,” he said moments later.
Cobra jumped up and went to get two for him and Daddy Lizard.
“What’s the word on the street?” Suave asked when Cobra returned and sat down.
“My source claims it’s Queen Bee.” Daddy Lizard’s eyes blazed with anger.
“Word is that it’s King Kong,” Cobra added in a low and dangerous voice. King Kong was one of Suave’s main competitors in the Kingston area. Both men knew each other since they were children and had a personal vendetta against each other going back many years.
“So... Three robberies—and we don’t know for sure?” Suave stared at his two top men. “Is that what you’re telling me?” His nostrils flared. “All those fools we have on payroll and nobody can tell me who’s disrespecting me?” By now, Suave was shouting. “They hurt my people, steal my money, and nobody knows nothing!” He threw the joint in an ashtray sitting on a glass coffee table between the two couches.
“We’re working on it, Suave,” Cobra was quick to assure him. “You know Queen Bee and King Kong are very powerful in the business. People are afraid to talk, but we’ll find out.”
“It’s not Queen Bee.” Suave stood to his feet and paced the carpeted floor. “We’ve been doing business with her for years. She was the one who gave me a start.”
“Well, that leaves King Kong.” Cobra stood and looked at Suave. “Say the word, and we can hit a few of his spots tonight.”
Suave looked back and forth between Cobra and Daddy Lizard as a plan began to form in his mind. “I think I have an idea.” A sinister smile spread across his lips. “My brothers, King Kong ain’t got nothing on me.”
Cobra and Daddy Lizard stared at him, puzzled.
“I’m starved.” Suave sat down, settled back on the couch, and crossed his legs. “What do you say we order some food and I’ll tell you all about my plan?”
Chapter Five
Danny Moore, King Kong’s best friend and second in command, whistled a tune as he walked from his mistress’s house toward his car parked in her driveway on Mountain View Avenue. It was 5:00 a.m., and he needed to head home. His wife was going to raise hell that he never came home last night. After spending the night with freaky Bambi, Danny was exhausted but content. Bambi was like a tranquilizer. Even if taken in small doses, she still knocked a brother out.
Danny clicked his key fob to unlock the car and pulled open the door. He was about to slide behind the wheel when he heard a click, followed by the feel of cold metal pressing into the back of his head. His hand flew to his hip where his gun was but paused when he heard two other guns click, one after the other.
“Reach for it, and you’re a dead man,” said an unfamiliar deep voice in Danny’s ear.
Danny held up his hands in the air, his back still facing the men. He knew he was outnumbered. “Do you know who I am?” Danny was angry. “You are dead men walking.”
The blow to his right ear temple caused Danny to see bright colored lights flashing before his
