Long Live the Queen, page 22
Black opened his mouth and a screeching laugh erupted as tears stained his face. I leaned into Mob and whispered to him. Mob marched off on my mission.
Without saying a word, I slowly placed the tip of my gun in between Black’s eyes. He ranted on about Shasha, all the while crying. Mob returned and stood next to me with the can of gasoline and matches I had requested. He sat the gasoline down and passed the matches to me, then pointed his gun at Black head. Black stopped rambling and his eyes bulged, then darted back and forth between the gasoline and the matches. To my surprise he seemed to soften. “See Precious, it’s not like that. Listen, we can talk about this. Even the business about my sister.” At that I could have laughed.
“Stop crying like a pussy. Having balls are the basics in the game, you damn fool,” I snarled at him. This time I reached down, picked up the gas can and started to douse him with it until he was soaked.
I continued to douse him until the can was empty. “I think it’s important to mention that you murdered my child’s father.”
His face twisted with confusion. “What?” he asked.
I turned my attention to Mob. “See Mob, this dumb weak ass punk wants to be a kingpin but can’t even put two and two together. But I have an idea, let’s give him another chance.” I picked up the matches and pulled two out of the box, scratched them until they lit up with fire. I watched the fire blaze off the matches.
I took one of the lit matches and threw it on him. He screamed a piercing sound that burned my ears as he attempted to beg. I watched as the flame grew.
“One,” I mouthed then threw the other on him, it flamed, “two.” I mouth again.
The fire was so swift and thick I could feel the heat from it. Black fell to the floor, fighting, and kicking from the hot flames. I watched him.
“You can’t count very well but you can scream.” I taunted him. “Now let’s see if your brain can scatter.” I took steps to get closer to him but careful not to get too close to the fire. As one could, I pumped two bullets into his forehead. His head was so full of blood and guts, they could be heard as they spilled onto the floor. The fire was growing bigger. Mob and I carefully grabbed Marlo’s lifeless body and pulled him from the burning house just as it started to spread.
Chapter 45
“I swear this view is so beautiful I could look at it all day. It’s just calming.” Promise’s eyes darted around the scenery. We scanned the perfectly sitting sand that stretched out from all sides and led into the blue water that shined so bright and looked clean enough to bathe in. Just looking at the water cooled me all over even though the humidity was quite warm. The calmness of it all soothed me in ways I could not explain.
“It is.” I agreed in a soft tone standing right next to her, one of my long box braids trying to dip over my shoulder. I pushed it back from my face. We stood outside on the deck of the beachfront house I had purchased in Hawaii. It had been two months since Marlo was murdered and five weeks since I had miscarried our baby. I had told Promise the very next day after Marlo’s untimely death about the baby. And she had pleaded with me to rest in hopes the baby would be fine. But the pain of losing Marlo just proved to be a bit much for me. For days afterward I tried to remain as calm as possible all the while handling business. I had to make a quick trip out to Miami to handle some things. Then jumped on a plane to Georgia to do the same. But on the inside, I was a complete and utter wreck.
Still, I carried on as normal as possible. I couldn’t allow things to fall apart and with the assistance of Mob and the rest of the guys I did my thing. But still my body knew the truth. I was torn apart and in the end my body had let me down. Fresh off a plane from Georgia I went home to shower and catch some sleep before I headed off to a meeting with the crew. But in the midst of my sleep, I had woken up in so much pain I couldn’t move. I called Promise over since she was now living in her new house a few minutes away. By the time she got there I was still in pain, but I told her I felt like I had to use the bathroom. But as I tried to stand the pain only got worse, so she insisted she take me to the emergency room. By the time we arrived, and I was placed on the gurney, I started to bleed. Before the doctor could see me, I miscarried. I was distraught. Not only had I lost Marlo. Now our baby was not meant to be.
After being released from the hospital I had to get away from LA, so I hopped on a private jet with nothing but myself and my sister and fled. I could no longer breathe in LA; I needed a break. I now understood whole heartedly when Promise had told me she had to be in Miami for a while. I just couldn’t swallow the air in LA for now. I had to have a break.
Mob was holding down business in LA. Phil was holding down Miami and together he and Mob were holding down Georgia. So that was that. I left the club in the hands of Katrina. She knew how to order stock and I had put her in charge of hiring two bartenders which was now handled. I trusted her and knew she could handle it and the dry cleaners. I had promoted Regina to Manager at the hair store, which she proudly accepted, and she was thriving. Promise had of course made Toya manager at the salon, and she was holding that down.
I had business in Hawaii, and I wanted to tend to it while clearing my head. And the calmness of the beach, the cleanliness of the air, and the beauty of the scenery, were proving I had made the right decision every day. Hawaii had rejuvenated me and given me back my sense of reason.
“Maybe we can go for a run on the beach today?” Promise smiled.
“Why not.” I looked at her and nodded in agreement. These days it was her most times who suggested we worked out. Talk about a change in attitude, she was showcasing it. Another positive about Hawaii: it had given my sister a new outlook on health. And I was glad to have her by my side. Both of us had been through so much, but there were still reasons to smile, laugh and giggle like schoolgirls. “I still can’t believe you and Christopher eloped on me.” I had been more than surprised when she had flown back to LA three short weeks ago for two days and come back hitched. Not once had she even given me a hint that she was considering becoming a wife. But I was so happy for her. According to her I would have insisted on a wedding, with all the trimmings. And to be honest she was correct. I would have loved to see my sister walk down the aisle with me as her maid of honor. But I respected her wishes as long as she was truly happy. It appeared she was.
“I know. I know. I can’t believe I’m an old married woman either.” She gazed her ring and smiled. “He’ll make me the happiest of women.” She was giddy.
“Hey, you two.” Christopher stepped out onto the deck with us. He had joined us a week after they were wed. He was getting his real estate company up and going in Hawaii and I already had dibs on some properties for some new business ventures we had in store in the area. Christopher’s expertise in real estate and connects in the business were already paying off and opening up doors.
“Morning babe,” Promise turned to him just as my cell phone rang.
I had stepped away from LA, but I could never fully step away from the game because I was the leader. And now with Marlo being gone I lead alone. So, I was now El Guapo’s one and only contact and his standards of course were the same.
“Hello,” I answered his call and stepped back inside the penthouse and headed for my room to distance myself. I had contacted him and made him aware when Marlo was murdered. Then went on with my scheduled collection right after and made sure he was paid and on time. But since that meeting I had not spoken to him. It had been complete silence, but I knew it was him giving me time to grieve without actually saying it. He also knew he had nothing to worry about when it came to business, and that I would make sure everything else was handled.
“Precious . . . it’s been a while.”
“Well, time does fly.” I kept it short. I preferred when he got straight to his point. Small talk of any kind was a waste of both our times. And I would not pretend to be interested, Marlo still occupied a great portion of my mind.
“I know you got away take some time . . . but you know your reign is even greater now. Now you have the power and respect. You Precious Cummings are the most notorious and connected women on the West Coast and as well as the South . . .” He paused then ended the call.
I turned to look at myself in the mirror that was attached to the wall in my room. I saw myself at first as my daddy’s little girl. Innocent and curious. I saw myself running the register at the dry cleaners while Dad greeted and talked with his long-time customers. Then I saw me now. Me the person El Guapo had just described. His so-called validation of me, or which at least he thought and assumed I should be proud of. But I was not impressed. So instead, I put one foot in front of the other went back out onto the deck where Promise and Christopher no longer occupied the space and stepped onto the beach. I walked out onto the part of the beach of which I now owned, occupied with birds, seagulls, sand, and blue water.
My mind bounced from DeVon and then to Marlo. I could hear both of their voices in my head. I learned the most from DeVon when it came to the game, he had made me into the hustler queen I was. It was him I had started this journey for, it was him I still did it for. It was his legacy I could not walk away from until it was fulfilled. And that had not been done yet.
Marlo had also taught me some things as we ruled together. But if I had learned anything from the both of them it was that being on the top meant being ON TOP! Trust and partnership were a minus.
Yeah, I was a hustler and Queen of the South and West Coast, but I had lost too much to stay in that lane. I had much to still gain. Now international was on my list and the rules would be my own. Es Talita was right about one thing. There comes a time when “a woman must pick up her throne and hold it with both hands and nothing should be in the rearview mirror.”
And to that my solution would be this. El Guapo would be no longer in charge when I was done. Yes, I would reign over my own kingdom and my new title will be The QueenPin King.
Saundra, Long Live the Queen
