“Well, speak, nigga,” Mocha told him. “This pussy can’t wait all day.”
Khiron thought quickly about his plan, knowing that everything about it was pointing against him, but putting Mocha in the know was the only way she would sing information. If it didn’t work it would be nothing to just put her to sleep forever in that hotel suite.
“I know about you, ma,” Khiron started, and immediately saw the look on her face go from pleasured to nervous.
“Know about me?” Mocha giggled, trying to catch herself. “I would hope you know me. You’ve been fuckin’ with me for a while now, bae. Now come here and make me feel good.”
“Nah, Mocha,” Khiron pushed her hands off of him. “You know what I mean. The Last Kings ring a bell?”
Mocha’s face paled and she stood to her feet.
“Were you ever going to tell me?” Khiron asked her, seriously wanting that answer.
“No,” Mocha didn’t even have to think before she answered, and that made Khiron even more angry than when he got wind of who she really was.
Mocha saw the anger in Khiron’s face and couldn’t help not giving a damn. She didn’t feel that Khiron needed to know about her business dealings. It wasn’t any of his business. She also didn’t inform him of her affiliation in fear that he would try and use her connections for his own personal gain. She felt something in the air change between them, and she didn’t like or trust it. She knew how Khiron got down. She wouldn’t have kept visiting him in Atlanta if she didn’t do some kind of research. His body count stretched a long way; he’d killed mercilessly to obtain his spot as Atlanta’s boss, so she knew that he was nobody you wanted to go toe to toe with. Khiron just nodded his head.
“I met with Ray a few nights ago,” Khiron’s intentions were no longer to keep his words sweet. He wanted to cut her deep to the core. “That nigga, he’s a true boss I’m not gon’ hate on ’em. But every boss gets caught slippin’, right?”
Mocha stopped dressing herself and stared at Khiron in only a pair of shorts and her bra. The mood had been killed for her and her mindset was changing from girlfriend Mocha to Last King Mocha. The man before her was not the man she loved. The look in his eyes held something completely different. It was the look of a hungry dog.
“The fuck are you talkin’ about, Khiron? The Last Kings don’t get caught slipping, least of all Ray, so quiet that noise.”
Khiron stood up and walked slowly to the night stand beside his bed. From it he pulled out a machete. The same machete he used to kill D and Amann in fact, it still was stained with their dried up blood.
“I’m assumin’ that’s what those other two niggas thought? Right?” He smirked at Mocha and her mouth dropped.
“Y-you?” Mocha’s mind reeled looking at the weapon. “You killed my bros?”
Khiron’s connect was just sent to prison and he had just said he had a meeting with Ray. She remembered Adrianna mentioning something about a meeting with someone from Atlanta that he turned away. Mocha didn’t really pay her any mind since Ray had a lot of business meetings. Standing there, she wished she’d paid more attention and hadn’t left her gun in the car. She backed up as far as she could until her back was pressed up against the wall, and Khiron advanced on her.
“What do you want, Khiron?” she asked him. “Why did you kill them?”
“I want it all,” Khiron smiled, knowing his answer answered both questions. “I’m going to kill anyone in the way of what’s mine.”
In Khiron’s crazy way of thinking, Ray’s operation was rightfully his since it was given to him by Khiron’s father’s killers.
“No!” Mocha cried out. “You bitch! You didn’t come here to see me . . . you’re trying to take the city, our city.”
“Yea,” Khiron shrugged. “Pretty much, and you’re going to help.”
“Fuck you,” Mocha tried to make a dash for the door, but Khiron grabbed her forcefully by her neck.
Mocha was a fighter, but her punches did nothing to Khiron’s big build. Her energy was fading along with her breath, so she stopped fighting after a few seconds. Khiron pinned her back up against the wall, but as he opened his mouth to speak his phone vibrated with a message. Knowing what it was about he glanced at it, smiled, and turned his attention back to the woman he was suffocating.
“I don’t want to kill you Mocha, but I swear to God I will,” Khiron’s voice was like venom and Mocha’s body was paralyzed.
She felt hot tears coming to her eyes as she gulped for air. She stared into the cold eyes of the man she once loved and felt nothing but hatred. She saw her life flash before her eyes when his grip around her neck tightened and then loosen.
“I know you, Mocha. You’re not a hustler and you’re not a killer. You kind of just fell into this profession, and I want to take you out. Your place is beside the man in charge,” Khiron decided to change up his approach. “I’m so sorry, babe; I don’t want to hurt you. You know I love you, ma, but this is business. A woman of your caliber shouldn’t have to work, ever. Help me, ma. And I promise I got you.”
Mocha’s mind was reeling. Her loyalty was to the Last Kings, and a part of her wanted to spit in his face for what he was implying she do. But another part of her had to admit that he was right. The cartel was and had always been Sadie’s idea; Mocha was just her ride or die. But now faced with the presence of death she knew she wasn’t ready to perish. The lavish life she lived came with a price, and with every heart her bullets pierced a piece of her soul left her body. She felt like a traitor, she had said she would go to the grave for her team. The tattoo branded on her body made that promise, but promises were meant to be broken. After the deaths of D and Amann the pain she felt was unbearable, and feeling the tears trailing down her face she knew the Last Kings would never be the same. She knew she only had seconds to make her decision.
“Just promise me one thing,” Mocha choked on her tears and closed her light brown eyes. “And I’ll do whatever you want.”
Khiron felt the sticky smile forming slowly on his face.
“Name it,” he wiped the tears from her face like he wasn’t the one causing them.
“Sadie lives,” Mocha’s eyes shot open and there was a fire so strong in them Khiron almost took a step back.
He studied her, knowing that if he said no he would have to kill her and find another way of getting to Ray in a day’s time. But he also knew that what she was asking for was a promise that he couldn’t keep. Still, he looked into her eyes and put on the most sincere face he could muster.
“You have my word, ma,” the lie burned on his tongue, and he cupped her face. “I promise.”
Mocha heard the ding that let her know that she had reached the floor she needed to be on and she wiped away her tears. She wished every day that she could redo that day, but it was something that God wouldn’t permit. That day Khiron had taken her out on a picnic, although it was a sweet gesture, held no real meaning. He had still tried to take everything from her, but he failed. She would never forgive him, the same way she understood why Sadie would never forgive her.
She looked at all the numbers on the room’s doors, and when she found her destination she opened the door softly. To her surprise, she found it full of people. There were many faces she didn’t know, but she did recognize Devynn, Adrianna, and Tyler. When they saw her, the look of distaste was apparent on their faces.
“What’s going on?” she asked the room of people, but nobody said anything, they just ignored her. “I know you mothafuckas hear me!”
“We just got here too, nigga,” Devynn snapped, glaring at Mocha, but she ignored her and looked directly to the hospital bed.
Laying there with her eyes wide open was Sadie. Sadie looked like shit. It looked like somebody had literally beaten her to a bloody pulp. They stared at each other but before either could speak. Mocha rushed over to her former best friend’s side.
“Say,” Mocha said with her lip quivering. “What happened? Did the Dominicans
do this to you?”
Sadie looked around her at everybody in the room and shook her head.
“No,” she said. “The Dominicans didn’t do this to me, Khiron did. I was about to kill him, but I ended up getting got and ahh . . . the Dominicans. Well, the Dominicans saved me.”
The room became loud several confused outbursts.
“Why would they do that?”
“Are you sure, Sadie? You got hit in your head a lot of times.”
“They saved you? Was Don Rivera there?”
“What about the feud?”
“There was no real feud,” They heard a voice boom from over the noise. “And yes, I was there.”
Everybody turned around to see an older Dominican man that they all recognized as Don Rivera himself. He saw all the confused stares and smiled, bowing his head quickly as an apology for the miscommunication. Everyone was silent and everybody, even Legacy, stepped out of his way as he made his way to Sadie’s bed. He stared at her fondly, like she reminded him of somebody, and then he smiled.
“It is true that I was angered by the actions of the Italians, but Vinny is very silly to think that I would start a war because of that. As a business man I understand that his decision was strictly a business one. But, however, I needed him to believe that there was a feud. And we needed you to believe so as well, Sadie. All of this was to get a common enemy: Khiron.”
“We?” Sadie asked, confused.
“Yes, we,” Don said.
Don turned to Tyler and handed him a slip of paper.
“Here is your plane ticket; go get your sister,” Don told him. “Your flight leaves in a few hours. You need to get going now. The rest of you need to clear this room. Now.”
He dismissed Tyler, and the rest of them by turning his back on them.
“How can I trust you?” Tyler asked skeptically.
“If I wanted to kill you, I would, right here and now. I wouldn’t go out of my way to.”
Tyler stared at Don, whose back was still to him. Tyler noticed how he looked at Sadie. He stared at her as if he loved her.
“Leave,” Tyler told the rest of them. “Go back to the house. Except you, Mocha.”
There were some protests, but they knew better than to test Tyler’s authority. Legacy gave Tyler a look and Tyler just nodded. When they were all gone Tyler looked to Don. Ever since Don had given Khiron the address of the warehouse to meet him something hadn’t been sitting right with him. There was something about Don that Tyler just couldn’t put his finger on.
“Who are you?” Sadie asked him, looking deep into his eyes. “Why did you save me?”
“Rae would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you. She would turn over in her grave,” he said simply, walking toward her bed and grabbing her hand. “I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”
“Y-you knew my grandmother?” Sadie breathed.
Don smiled deeply.
“Yes, very well, actually,” Don squeezed her hand slightly. “She was my wife. I loved her and your mother deeply.”
Mocha gasped, and Tyler stood there looking dumbfounded.
“My grandmother was your wife? You knew my mother? But ho—no. . . .” Sadie finally understood.
“Your mother is my daughter, Sadie. And that makes you my granddaughter. I came back to avenge Rae’s death, and in turn I found two of the last of my direct bloodline.”
“You found my mother?” Sadie asked. “How is she?”
Don shook his head.
“I didn’t find your mother,” he said.
“Then who did you—”
They all heard the door open and heard a voice so familiar they all thought that someone was playing a cruel joke on them.
“What’s up, shorty?”
Chapter 25
I felt tears rush to my eyes as I stared at the most beautiful face in the world. No he didn’t look the same—and no, his face wasn’t unblemished—but standing there he looked more perfect than ever.
“Ray,” I barely whispered. “Ray . . . Is that really you?”
I forgot about my bruises and aches in my body as I struggled to sit up in my bed. I wanted more than ever to run to him and cling to him, but my current state wouldn’t allow that. Instead he walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me as tightly as he could without hurting me. Don stood to the side, smiling as he watched the reunion of The Last Kings, minus two. I cried hard into his neck and thanked God in my head.
“I knew it, nigga!” Tyler gave a triumphant laugh. “Niggas can’t kill a real king! I knew some shit was up when Don wanted to meet at the warehouse you were in the process of creating.”
Mocha just stood there, her feet were frozen to the ground. She stared at Ray’s brush cut and the light blotches on his skin and I saw the look of remorse spread across her face. She could barely keep her balance.
“How?” she whispered. “I saw you die.”
“You thought you saw me die,” Ray said, looking at Mocha indifferently. “After the acid hit me it ate away at some of my flesh, but it didn’t penetrate my organs. Just because I was still and not breathing didn’t mean I was dead. Khiron left the building without checking my pulse, and Don Rivera found me when the cleaning team was on its way to get me. The bone in my arm was almost completely eaten away,” Ray looked at his arms, but you could barely tell anything was wrong with them. “I had to go through over half a year of cosmetic surgery and undergo several other bodily surgeries just to look like this again. The hair on my head might grow back eventually, but if not it’s cool. I’m starting to grow fond of the no hair look. Don shipped me away to Azua once I was able to be moved, and I have lived there ever since.”
“What about the video?” I asked. “You said you were dead.”
“I did make that, just in case I died,” Ray smiled at me.
I studied my cousin’s face and saw that although he was scarred for forever and his life would never be the same, he still was very handsome.
“Tyler,” Ray’s voice changed from sweet to business in a matter of seconds. “Get everybody out of here, Sadie needs to rest. Have the doctor bring in some pain medication for her; she will need all the strength she can muster tomorrow. Mocha, you can stay.”
“A’ight, man,” Tyler slapped hands with his right hand man, still not believing he was alive and upset that there was no time to celebrate it. “I’ll catch y’all tomorrow evening.”
When everybody left except for Ray and Mocha, Don tried to convince me to go to sleep, but I couldn’t. Before, I would go to sleep just so I could see Ray in my dreams, but at that moment I felt I didn’t need to. My dreams had come true. Don sat in a chair staring curiously at me, and Ray commenced to talking to me; answering all of my questions. Mocha sat in a chair looking uncomfortable, but her eyes never left my hospital bed. Finally, the nurse came in and gave me something for my pain and to help me sleep. I tried to fight off the drowsy feeling overcoming my body in fear that once I closed my eyes Ray would be gone again when I woke up, but it was no use. I was out in less than five minutes.
* * *
The next day I woke and was pleased to see the same faces I went to sleep to still there, just in different clothes. My body was still very sore, but whatever the doctor prescribed me was working wonders. I knew my face was still puffy and I was positive my eye was black, but the aching had become dormant. My eyes first fell on Don Rivera’s.
“You’re still here?” I asked.
“Of course,” was all he said. It was all he had to say, and I smiled.
I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost three o’clock in the afternoon.
“I had the doctor prescribe you some of their strongest pain killers,” I heard Ray’s voice say. “We have some unfinished business to handle; I needed you to be able to move. Can you walk?”
Even if I couldn’t, I knew I was going to force myself. I didn’t want to stay in that hospital bed longer than I had to. The aching was mostly in my head
and my face, so I figured I would be okay. After standing to my feet, Mocha handed me a handful of clothes.
“Thank you, Mo,” I said.
I quickly got dressed and allowed Don Rivera to push me in a wheel chair out of the hospital to his limousine, not knowing where we were going. In the limousine I sat so close to Ray you would have thought I was a tampon up his ass, while Mocha kept her distance, as she should.
“Where did you leave him?” Don asked Ray.
“Gun range,” Ray answered simply.
Don smiled at Ray and nodded his head in approval. I didn’t understand exactly what they meant, and for once instead of asking I just sat, waiting to find out. I felt indifferent. I knew that day was going to be a big day, but until that moment I didn’t know how big.
“I heard they got Loon,” Ray broke the silence.
“Yeah,” I said sadly. “That muhfucka was trained to go.”
“Yeah,” Ray said nodding his head. “That nigga was thorough. Wish it didn’t have to be him; any of you for that matter.”
We rode the rest of the way making small talk, and Don looked at us very intrigued.
“You both remind me so much of her. Thank you,” he said and smiled.
“No,” I said to him earnestly. “Thank you. If it weren’t for you my cousin really would be dead. How did you know to go to Amore that night?”
“Vinny and I did great business together back then. He would often brag about the food and drinks there, so I decided to go. In a way, I knew I was supposed to be there. I was confused as to why the restaurant was empty, yet the doors were not locked. I saw Khiron give the order to kill Ray, but before that I heard him confess to the murder of your grandmother, and at the time you.”
I nodded my head, thankful for the fact that his heart had brought him back to Grandma Rae even though it didn’t work in his favor with her. I looked at Mocha with hate in my eyes, and she looked back at me with hope in hers.
“I’m surprised you haven’t skipped town yet,” I told her.
“What good would that do?” Mocha shot back. “You would just track me down.”
The Last Kings 2 Page 17
