by L. Brown
“But Lindell is a fiend. He doesn’t give a fuck about her.”
“Any nigga that doesn’t give a damn about his mother is coldhearted.”
“Yeah,” Ghost agreed.
“It’s only one way to find out.”
More silence. It was understood that Lindell was the key to getting at Reese. Ghost wanted to have some fun while away, though.
“Yo! This wheel is crazy!” Ghost complimented the Maybach. “You want one?” Reef asked nonchalantly, as if the car was nothing.
“Huh?” Ghost murmured, his eyebrows shooting up, wrinkling his forehead. He didn’t think he’d heard him right.
Reef couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re in Miami, baby boy. You can rent one of these down here for a few grand a day.”
“Oh, this is a rental?”
“Oh no, baby boy. This here is mine. I put in a lot of work for this here. But you can rent all types of cars down here. Shit! You would never imagine. How much paper you bring down with you?”
“Something light.”
“Something light, huh?” Another chuckle. “Well, before the day is out, I’ll take y’all to the spot to lace you and your peoples.” Ghost simply nodded. He was looking forward to getting behind the wheel of something exotic. The trip to Miami wasn’t a bad idea after all.
The rest of the entourage met in the hotel’s eatery to enjoy lunch together. Breakfast had been served courtesy of room service.
Schemes pulled his seat up next to Rita’s. The previous night he wasn’t sure if Rita was playing hard to get or if she had morals because she refused to go to the room with him after the numerous advances he had made. He had kicked all the game in the world, trying to get her to bite, but she wasn’t going for it despite being tipsy.
Her standards only attracted him more to her. Maybe that was her intentions to begin with. Knowing that if she would have given it up too quick and easy, she would have defeated what she stood for, and he would’ve ran right off to the next piece of pussy.
They missed Ghost’s presence. They knew he was with Shareef somewhere. Kia and Frog had been up when he left the hotel in the morning. The both of them were stunned when the Maybach pulled up. Ghost had looked like a kid climbing into the huge car.
“Ghost called and said he was taking us to rent some cars, y’all,” Kia told the rest of them.
That excited everyone. They couldn’t wait to get out and enjoy the city. They all knew they were there to stay away from Philly for a second, but they wanted to ball out while they were down south.
Frog had had the time of his life last night. He learned the two woman he was with the night before were from Chicago. They were shy at first, but afterward they explored one another’s bodies—bi-curiously. What happens in South Beach stays in South Beach, he thought. Eventually, the Florida sun eased through the shades, awakening them. As if on cue, Frog kicked the two freaks right out. They seemed just as eager to go as he was for them to roll. Not looking for much more themselves, the hoes quickly gathered their scattered belongings and vanished.
Toya and Reem were seated by one another at the table. Reem was so busy digging in his chicken alfredo dish, he didn’t notice Toya’s attention diverted across the table. However, although Schemes was mingling with Rita, he peeped Toya constantly cutting her eye at him. The two of them were laughing, whispering, and all into one another. Between bites, Toya would steal a glance across the table.
Schemes’s intuition picked up on her looks, telling him Toya was feeling him. He wondered if Reem or Rita had picked up on her wandering eye, but he appeared to be the only one to see it. He even locked eyes with her a couple times, which meant she wasn’t hiding her looks. He couldn’t help but wonder why she was checking him out the way she was. Did Reem have a bad girl? An untraceable smile formed, and he wondered if it was visible to anyone else or was the grinning all inside his egotistical mind.
Later that evening, the girls were out on the road enjoying life. Although Kia barely knew Rita and Toya, she decided to spend the night out with them to have a little fun. The men could use the space while the girls got better acquainted.
They rolled down Ocean Drive in a hot pink Lamborghini Aventador. Earlier, Ghost had taken them all to get rental cars to enjoy the luxury of the south. Kia had rented a McLaren, but she’d left the coupe parked at the hotel in order to ride with the girls.
The sun crept lower and lower, and the blazing temperature went with it. The sky was orange, and the air was crisp with a light humidity. The evening was just right as drivers filled the streets in all sorts of expensive wheels and as pedestrians covered the sidewalks.
People were half-dressed. Kia and the girls weren’t wearing much of anything themselves. Kia had squeezed into some skin tight Seven jeans, and her belly, back, and shoulders were revealed because of the bikini top she wore. Toya was behind the wheel of the Lambo. Rita played the passenger seat while Kia worked the ledge in between the seats.
The three of them were gone off the countless drinks they’d guzzled all day. If the police got behind them, Toya would be visiting the gray-bar hotel for driving under the influence. But that would be the case for many of the tourists because everyone seemed to be on.
Rita couldn’t sit still in her seat. She was constantly standing up or resting her ass on the headrest where the next person in the rental would be resting their head.
The Lambo drifted down the block. The eye-catching pink car caught the attention of nearly everybody out. It was definitely a head turner. Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday blasted through the custom speakers and had people dancing to the music.
Two men walking together on the sidewalk had their gazes fixed on the chicks in the Lambo. Rita locked eyes with them, shifting back and forth from one to the other. The men were clad in nothing but shorts and sandals, showing off their bodies. They were both tall brothers with pecs bursting from under their chocolate skin. Their bodies were completed with broad shoulders and flawless abs.
The girls were several cars back, stopped at the traffic light. The fellows came straight at them.
“Damn! Can we roll wit y’all?” one of them asked from the crowded pavement.
Toya and Rita were flattered, but Kia tried to act like she didn’t hear them. Rita didn’t have no shame in her game. The drinks had her on. She stooped up in the seat and started dancing to the music. Her skirt was hiked up, revealing her ass cheeks, and she didn’t even bother to pull it back down.
“Damn, baby girl!” one of them said.
“What’s up with y’all?” the other asked.
Toya turned down the music to give them a little play.
“What y’all getting into?” one of them cracked.
“Ain’t shit. We down here just having a little fun,” Toya said. “I see, y’all tryna get together? We got a suite with a Jacuzzi and all,” one of the buffs said, trying to lure them.
“Yeah?” Rita asked, acting interested. “Too bad we don’t do the dick thing. I mean, y’all are sexy and all, but I don’t think my girl here would like it if someone else touched me,” Rita continued.
“Oh, that’s how y’all get down?”
Rita let actions answer that. She leaned over and grabbed the nape of Toya’s neck. Then, she kissed her smack on the lips. Toya invited the embrace, and the two of them tongue wrestled for several seconds before coming up for air.
Kia’s eyes shot open in amazement. She was caught off guard just as much as the dudes were, but she said nothing. One of the men rubbed Rita’s ass while she was bending over kissing Toya. She smacked his hand away and said, “Look, but don’t touch!”
The light up ahead turned green, and traffic slowly pulled off. Toya turned the music back up. As the car started inching away, Rita slid her skirt all the way up and started clapping her ass to the beat. Nicki Minaj and Sean Garrett’s “Massive Attack” came blasting through the speakers. The hook of the song echoed down the block. Every time Sean Garrett made his gun sound ef
fect, “blah, blah, blah,” Rita made her ass clap in sync.
The two dudes stared, smiled, and shook their heads as the car full of freaks slid off.
CHAPTER 16
GHOST SANK INTO THE smooth leather of the Maybach 62. The rental made him feel like he was a little boy again. He was as excited as a child on Christmas morning. His slim frame was swallowed by the spacious interior. Unlike Shareef, he wanted to push himself, so he didn’t get a personal driver. The car vibrated with Meek Mill’s, I’m A Boss, which featured Rick Ross as it slithered down Ocean Drive.
In front of Ghost, Reem was leading the way in a black Lambo. The others followed Reem as they headed to the club. Frog was behind Ghost in a Ferrari, and Schemes pulled up the rear in a Rolls Royce.
Ghost wore a sly grin as they made their way through town. The feeling was indescribable. It was like living in a music video. He remembered the days he was down and in jail. Now, he had returned to the top of his game in only a few months. All thanks to the take. Heads turned as the line of flashy wheels pulled up to the club. They hopped out, and, just like everyone else at the scene, they rocked designer clothing and shoes. Valet parking was also lined with all types of expensive cars. Women were in numbers, and many of them stood around mingling with one another and the ballers who were out for the night. It looked like the entire city had shown up.
Everyone at the party looked like they were getting money, and the woman were all dimes. Bottles were being popped all night. Ghost watched as a waitress flew by with a bottle on top of a tray. The bottle had sparkles flying from it, lighting up the club. It was undoubtedly the most expensive bottle in the house. All eyes followed the bottle to its destination, a corner in VIP where a group of men were sitting with a flock of women surrounding them.
Bottles of their own cluttered Ghost’s entourage table. He wanted to order one of the sparkling bottles once he saw it, but didn’t want to make it seem like he was competing with some niggas he didn’t even know.
Women surrounded Ghost and his friends at their table as well.
“So, what’s up? Can I roll with you tonight?” an attractive woman asked Ghost.
Though Ghost was faithful and loyal to Kia, the chick straddling his lap was bringing on one hell of a temptation. As her curves sank into his lap, the liquor played a big part in his manhood bulging from his pants.
“I don’t know, baby girl. I got a girl,” Ghost told her, regretting the words as they left his mouth.
“A girl? Shit! I got a man.” The girl’s eyes scanned the club. “I don’t see either of them in here,” she added convincingly. She had a point, too. “I won’t tell if you won’t tell.” She rubbed his chest up and down with her index finger. She was very persuasive.
Ghost thought about how easy it would be to check into a separate hotel, crush this freak out, clean up, and head back to the hotel with wifey. Kia would never suspect a thing. Just as the thought started winning in his head, his phone rang. The screen told him it was Shareef. He’d been awaiting his call.
“I have to take this, baby girl.” She sucked her teeth as she scooted off him.
“Yo, Reef!” He answered the phone while stepping inside the bathroom to drown out the music.
“Where you at, baby boy? It sounds like you’re partying.” “Yeah, I was waiting on you.”
“All right, I need to see you in person. So what time can you meet me back at the telly?” Reef asked.
“I’m on your watch, OG.”
“What time are you leaving the club?”
“I can leave now. I’ll be there in less than a half if you’re ready for me.”
“Perfect. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” Reef loved the sense of urgency Ghost had. He was obviously clubbing, but he was ready to leave at the drop of a dime.
Ghost informed the others that he was rolling out. They were so caught up with the ladies at the table that they didn’t even ask Ghost where he was going. The chick Ghost was kicking it with was more worried about his departure than them. She stared at him through lustful eyes as he gave daps to his boys. He left without saying goodbye to her.
She was left there with her mouth dangling wide open. Fuck her! She’ll find another nigga soon as I leave, Ghost thought. He was right. Before he even got out the door, she was on to the next one.
As the night wore away, Frog became a bit irritating from the alcohol. His already throaty voice got louder and louder and carried throughout the club. Not long after Ghost left, Reem made his way back to the telly. He was on and horny and wanted to get up in something. Schemes was left with his cousin Frog. They convinced some chicks to go back to the hotel with them, but, before they could get out the club, all hell broke loose.
Frog, staggering, bumped into another dude not far from the doorway.
“Yo! Look the fuck out!” Frog snapped on buddy.
All Frog had to do was say excuse me and keep it moving, but the drinks had him in his bag. “Man, watch where the fuck you’re going,” dude barked back with a hint of a southern accent.
Without any more rap, Frog threw a combo of wild punches, crashing against dude’s jaw and midsection. Frog was always on go-time. The two of them wrestled and swung recklessly at each other. Schemes tried hard to pry the two apart. Frog always got into something no matter where they were. Now, Schemes regretted being left alone with his little cousin. He had no choice but to start pummeling the guy with Frog.
Commotion broke out inside the club. Two buffs with black T-shirts with SECURITY written across them were sliding through the crowd.
They grabbed Schemes and Frog but left the other one unattended. Somehow, Frog squirmed and wiggled out the hold the bouncer had him in. He pushed the bouncer in the chest, but he didn’t even move a foot backward from Frog’s weak shove. The security was husky, 6’3’’ and, at least, a solid 240 pounds with muscles busting out of his tight-ass shirt.
“Get the fuck off me!” Frog yelled.
A slight smirk formed on the bouncer’s face. He wasn’t looking at Frog; he was looking past him. Schemes was stuck in the grip of the other bouncer. He was trapped with his arms in the air in a full-nelson.
“Frog, behind you!” Schemes screamed, trying to warn him. It was too late. Before Frog could turn around, he was cracked in the head with a bottle. Fragments of glass flew everywhere from the bottle bursting from the impact. Frog thudded to the ground as the dude he was fighting stood over him with the neck of the bottle in his hand.
Maybe that would calm him down.
Ghost, oblivious to the rumble taking place back at the club, was with Shareef at his luxury estate. After meeting up back at the hotel, the two of them went to Shareef’s house to talk business.
Ghost was taken aback by the astounding house. They pulled inside a black, lion-faced gate and went around a sputtering fountain when they parked the Maybach.
Inside, the house was immaculate. The fluffy carpet made Ghost feel like he was walking on clouds. The glistening chandelier and white walls made the crib feel like a white heaven as a cherry-almond aroma pervaded the air. The kitchen was like a marble and granite showroom.
They sat in the kitchen, eating a gourmet meal that had been prepared by Shareef’s staff. The two of them enjoyed the five-star meal while indulging in a rather interesting conversation. By now, Ghost had already filled him in on how he and his team got at a dollar. Without giving too much detail, he had shared stories about robberies that he and the rest of them had committed.
Shareef listened intently and liked what he heard. He was already considering using Ghost his team to assist him with something he was putting together. It involved a lot more money than what they were used to, so Shareef wanted to be sure they were ready for the job. The take would take more than heart; it would take brains as well. There would have to be precision in this job. One mistake and someone could end up locked down for a long time. That was, if they made it out alive—the tricky part.
“I like what I’ve
heard so far,” Reef said flatly. “I’ve been putting something together for a while now, Ghost. It took a lot of work. It’s real big, Ghost, real big.”
“Yeah?” Ghost listened, waiting for him to tell him about the plan.
Instead, Shareef caught him off guard when he asked, “Why do y’all call him Schemes?”
“Huh?” Ghost didn’t see that one coming. He gave him the rundown on how Schemes had received his name while he was in prison after Shareef repeated the question.
“I see,” was all Shareef rendered as a response.
He didn’t like Schemes. He didn’t know why, but he got a bad vibe from him. For that reason, he didn’t want Schemes to be a part of the job he was trying to execute.
“I like your crew, Ghost,” he said, not yet disclosing his true feelings about Schemes. “This job takes skill, Ghost. I’ve put a lot of planning into this. A lot of homework. Most of which is already done, but I still need a solid crew to move when I say move.”
“What is it?” Ghost’s curiosity kicked in. He was tired of the riffraff. He wanted to get to the point.
Reef ignored the question. “I see the most y’all ever took was a few hundred thousand—which isn’t bad for you guys,” he said before taking a bite. “But this here involves millions.” He let that sink in for a moment.
“What’s the take?” Ghost repeated his question in an even tone.
Once again, Shareef ignored the question. “There will be armed guards everywhere, and they are always alert. Things must be precise, or it could get ugly. You may have to shoot your way out of there, paint the city red if things go sour.” He paused. “Are you ready for that?”
Ghost nodded, but was growing impatient because he still didn’t know what they were supposed to be hitting. “You still haven’t told me what the target is, man.”
