He doesn’t know that I set the whole thing up, Draya thought. She studied his face and saw no malice in his eyes.
“We have to get out of here. Did you touch anything?” Cass asked, looking around.
“No, I don’t think so,” Draya said between sniffles.
“Okay, good.” Cass stood up and saw her panties, shoes, and dress on the floor. He picked them up and handed them to her. He pulled a small towel from his back pocket and wiped down the doorknob and lock. “Hurry up and let me take you home.”
Draya got dressed and Cass pulled off his leather coat and put it over her shoulders. He knew they had limited time. He had paid an inside guy to kill the cameras for an hour so he could get Blink.
Draya’s mind was gone. She couldn’t think straight as they made their way through the hallways and out of the casino. She just wanted to go home. Her fearful days were over. Blink was dead and Cass didn’t know she was involved, so she had nothing to run from anymore. When she thought about it like that, she felt a sense of liberation.
Cass insisted he would drop her off at home. He walked her to his Range Rover and, like a gentleman, he opened the door for her. After she got in, he entered the driver’s side and cranked the engine. Draya let out a big sigh of relief as she threw her head back on the headrest.
“I’m so sorry about your uncle,” Draya said, meaning every word sincerely.
Cass rubbed her hair and whispered, “It’s okay. Just sit back, let me take you home.”
It’s finally over . . . it’s finally over, Draya thought as she closed her eyes.
Cass grabbed a CD from his armrest and popped it in. Draya expected to hear music, but an image popped up on his in-dash television screen instead.
“Check out this movie,” Cass said calmly.
Draya looked down at the screen and began to breathe heavily. It was the surveillance tape of the botched robbery. She watched herself in action: Mrs. Harris appeared on the screen and her body dropped after Blink let off a couple rounds. Seconds later, Mr. Harris appeared and his murder replayed. Draya’s body froze in fear; she put her hand over her mouth and the tears began to flow—tears of guilt and agony.
Just when Draya took her eyes off the screen and looked over at Cass, a man emerged from the backseat and threw a rope around her neck. It was Gee, Cass’s right-hand man. He pulled the rope tightly while Draya kicked and clawed, but it didn’t matter. Cass had a menacing stare on his face as he watched Draya struggle for her life, trying to slip her fingers between the rope and her neck. Her entire airflow was blocked. Her eyes were as big as golf balls when she looked into Cass’s eyes.
“My man found this in your brother’s pocket before he killed him. It told the whole story—you set my uncle up,” Cass said as hate filled his heart and a devilish scowl appeared on his face. He watched Draya clawing at him, then slapped her hand away while Gee pulled and pulled with all his might with his feet on the back of the seat. “I have been waiting for Blink to lead me to you for years. I wanted to kill y’all together. It was a debt to pay. Now you’re paying it . . . in blood.”
Tears rolled down Draya’s face as blood clots began to form in the whites of her eyes. Her lips turned purplish and she felt her life slipping away. Cass turned around now—he could no longer take watching it. However, he knew it had to be done. What had gone on in that infamous white house was cold-blooded and he had to avenge the death of the only man who ever showed him love unconditionally.
“You did this to you,” he whispered, looking straight ahead and clenching the muscles in his jaw.
As the last word came out of his mouth, Draya’s jerking movements ceased. It was quiet inside the car and the only thing he could hear was Gee’s deep breathing. Gee kept pulling for several seconds after she stopped struggling, just to make sure the job was done. When he slowly unleashed his grip Draya’s body slumped forward in the passenger seat, her lifeless eyes staring into space.
She would feel no more pain. She was now in a space where she no longer had to live in fear. She could finally reunite with her brother. Karma had finally come back for Draya. The world has a strange way of making things even in life. You just can’t outrun karma. Every action has a reaction and no bad deed goes unpunished.
Until next time . . .
The End
JAQUAVIS COLEMAN, the New York Times best-selling author of Dopeman’s Trilogy, first burst onto the scene at the age of eighteen and quickly became a nationwide literary phenomenon. He and his wife Ashley Antoinette have coauthored numerous “street fiction” classics. With the birth of the Cartel series, the “Ashley and JaQuavis” brand took off. In 2013, twenty-seven-year-old Coleman was honored by Ebony magazine as being one of the Top 100 most influential African Americans in the country.
Availble soon from Official Writer's League
BLACK WALL STREET, by JaQuavis Coleman
Kane Garrett was nationally known for his multimillion-dollar drug enterprise throughout the early 2000s. After seven years of prison for tax evasion, he is out and back on the streets.
While in prison, Kane got a masters degree in business and is now a sought-after college professor. Every dope boy, journalist, and hustler is lining up for his legendary class to pick the brain of this infamous overlord. Kane breaks down business lessons as if they were the drug game.
This is where Kane meets a young man by the name of Basil, an upcoming mastermind who is a college student by day, but a heavy heroin peddler by night. Kane takes Basil under his wing and grooms him to be the biggest, smartest drug trafficker the state has ever seen. Together they create Black Wall Street, an apartment complex turned into an open market for drugs.
Everything is running smooth until Basil is introduced to Moriah, Kane’s only daughter. That’s when lines get crossed and what once was a union becomes a deadly rivalry. Kidnapping, murder, trickery, and love are all part of this street thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. Open the lesson and walk onto Black Wall Street: the greatest street tale ever told.
www.ashleyjaquavis.com
H.N.I.C. by Albert "Prodigy" Johson
with Steven Savile
Prodigy, from the legendary hip-hop group Mobb Deep, launches Akashic’s new Infamous Books imprint with a story of loyalty, vengeance, and greed.
“After reading this can’t-take-my-eyes-from-the-pages hardened street novella, I’m thinking less is much more. The authors’ writing rarely misses a beat with characters caught in a violent criminal world with no escape. The work is a breath of fresh air from lengthy, trying-too-hard-to-shock street lit and is an excellent choice for all metropolitan collections.” —Library Journal (starred review, Pick of the Month)
“The urban setting is unnamed but familiar in this brief, bloody tale of wasted lives lived short and hard.” —Publishers Weekly
“Simultaneously a fast-paced crime drama and an engrossing, unsentimental moral tale, H.N.I.C. peers into the dark heart that underpins the codes of loyalty and friendship, betrayal and vengeance.” —Brooklyn Daily Eagle
“In a genre that too often places incorrect ebonics in the mouths of black characters and fails to cross the empathy gap to get into their heads, Savile and Prodigy arrive at a seamless voice that is a refreshing take on crime fiction tropes . . . if tone and texture are what you’re looking for in your hardcore literature . . . H.N.I.C. delivers the goods.” —Okayplayer
“H.N.I.C. is written by Prodigy himself and shows the extent to which good rappers can make good storytellers.” —Brooklyn Based
“If you don’t have this novella in your library collection already, please be on the lookout for this 2013 release, H.N.I.C., penned by Hip Hop artist Prodigy of the group, Mobb Deep.” —StreetLiterature.com
“The strength of this novella, in addition to its straightforward prose and rapid pacing, rests on the universal theme at its center: loyalty. Loyalty and the bullshit our friends put us through . . . Like any good work of crime, H.N.I.C. is gr
ounded in such common experiences and, like any good work of crime, it speaks to all of us, despite the fact that very few of us can bypass an alarm system through some computer trickery.” —Nerds of a Feather, Flock Together
“It tells the…urban tale of deceit, greed and questioned loyalty with just enough drama to keep you turning the pages.” —Literary Jewels
“A brutal and quick read . . . custom-made for the big screen.” —Charles Tatum’s Review Archive
“You can tell that a true lyricist created this gritty tale about greed, betrayal, and street romance. The wordplay is dead on. Combine that with the details that give the freshness of immediate experience and you are no longer reading the story, you are suddenly a character in it. This is what good writing does—it puts you right there in the middle of the action. Excellent read. Salute!” —Miasha, best-selling author of Secret Society
“Prodigy is a proven storyteller and his skills spill over into the literature game effortlessly. This is a five-star read.” —JaQuavis Coleman, best-selling coauthor of the Cartel series
“H.N.I.C. is a quick yet engaging read that kept me flipping the pages to see what would happen next.” —K’wan, best-selling author of Animal
Pappy tries to break out of the game before the head of his crew, Black, gets them all killed. Against his better judgment Pappy agrees to do one last job, but only because it’s the price of his freedom. He knows Black can’t be trusted. He knows his “brother” would rather see him dead than let him walk away. Yet he still agrees to do the job because Black isn’t the only one who can’t be trusted. Sometimes you have to kill for what you want.
Further developing the stark realism and uncompromising streetwise narratives of his lyrics, H.N.I.C. cements Prodigy’s position as one of the foremost chroniclers of contemporary urban life. Simultaneously a fast-paced crime drama and an engrossing, unsentimental moral tale, H.N.I.C. peers into the dark heart that underpins the codes of loyalty and friendship, betrayal and vengeance.
With H.N.I.C., Prodigy inaugurates Infamous Books, a revolutionary partnership that pairs the Infamous Records brand with Brooklyn-based independent publisher Akashic Books. Infamous Books’ mission is to connect readers worldwide to crime fiction and street lit authors both familiar and new.
ALBERT “PRODIGY” JOHNSON, as one half of the hip-hop phenomenon Mobb Deep, has sold millions of albums and recorded with the elite of hip-hop, R&B, and rock. Prodigy is the founder and curator of Infamous Books, and is the author of the memoir My Infamous Life and coauthor, with Steven Savile, of H.N.I.C. and Ritual (forthcoming). He lives in Queens, New York.
STEVEN SAVILE, a multiple finalist for the British Fantasy Award, has written for Doctor Who, Torchwood, Primeval, Stargate, Warhammer, Sláine, Fireborn, Pathfinder, and other popular game and comic series. He wrote the story for the international best-selling computer game Battlefield 3, which sold over five million copies in its week of release, and served as head writer for the popular online children’s game Spineworld. He is coauthor, with Albert “Prodigy” Johnson, of H.N.I.C. and Ritual.
H.N.I.C. is available in hardcover and paperback from our website and in bookstores everywhere. The e-book edition is available wherever e-books are sold.
Swing by Miasha
An erotic drama about four sexy couples and one swingers’ club where their fantasies and nightmares collide.
“This newest offering from Miasha packs quite a punch . . . This erotic thriller keeps the drama and the sex coming from start to finish.” —Library Journal
“Miasha is a writer to watch.” —Publishers Weekly
“Miasha writes with the fatal stroke of a butcher knife.”—Omar Tyree, author of Insanity
“She’s the crème de la crème.”—Vickie M. Stringer, author of Dirty Red
“Miasha writes with fire.” —Crystal Lacey Winslow, author of Life, Love & Loneliness
Lyssa and Jacob, owners of the swingers’ club Puss and Boots, have been living an active swingers lifestyle ever since their two children moved out of the house. Every couple months they hire a “live-in,” a girl who in exchange for room, board, and a paycheck provides sex on demand.
Danielle and Stewart met each other at a swingers’ club eight years ago. They fell in love and married, soon becoming regulars at Puss and Boots before obtaining their own private room in the club.
JuJu and Ferrari are the epitome of opposites attract. She’s fifty, he’s thirty. She is wild and outgoing and he is reserved and laid-back. She’s a millionaire former model; he’s a college dropout wannabe model. They’ve been going to Puss and Boots since the club opened two years ago.
Tori and Kevin always talked about experimenting with threesomes and group sex but never made time to act on their thoughts and wishes. Well, it’s Kevin’s thirtieth birthday, and what better gift than a surprise visit to Puss and Boots?
Swing is the story of the treacherous and steamy collisions in the lives of these four couples. Roped with sultry scandals and lustful lies, this novella will propel readers to their highest highs and drop them to their lowest lows.
MIASHA is the author of several best-selling novels, including Secret Society and Diary of a Mistress. Her books have received rave reviews in national media such as BET, CBS, CN8, The Wendy Williams Experience, Essence, Vibe, Jet, and Elle. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and two sons.
Swing is available in hardcover and paperback from our website and in bookstores everywhere. The e-book edition is available wherever e-books are sold.
Black Lotus by K'Wan
Finding the Black Lotus murderer is Detective Wolf’s chance to avoid an Internal Affairs investigation. That’s when things get personal.
“[A] heart-thumping thriller . . . K’wan does a masterful job of keeping readers on their toes right up to the very last page.” —Publishers Weekly
“One of hip-hop fiction’s hottest authors.” —King
“K’wan steadily builds to a frantic, movie-worthy climax.”—Entertainment Weekly
“The legacies of Iceberg Slim and Donald Goines are forever preserved.”—Upscale
Detective James Wolf earned the nickname Lone Wolf from his inability to work with a partner. He’s a hard cop who doesn’t mind bending the rules to the point of breaking them to make a case, which is why Internal Affairs is digging in his backyard, looking for buried bones. People are starting to wonder: Which side of the law is the Lone Wolf really hunting for? His career hanging on by a thread, he needs a major show of good faith to keep employed and out of prison. That’s when he gets the call.
From the moment he arrives at the crime scene, Detective Wolf knows that he’s in over his head. He’s a narcotics detective, called in to consult on a homicide, but this is no ordinary homicide—a priest was butchered and left for dead inside his own church, with the promise of more bodies to follow. The only lead is the killer’s calling card: a black lotus flower left at the crime scene. Detective Wolf now has the opportunity to quietly track and stop the Black Lotus before the next victim is claimed, in exchange for wiping his service record clean.
Accepting this case started as Detective Wolf’s attempt to get Internal Affairs off his back. But when his hunt for the Black Lotus leads him to a cold case from his past, it becomes personal.
K’WAN is a best-selling, award-winning author of over a dozen titles, including The Fix, Gangsta, Road Dawgz, Street Dreams, Hoodlum, Hood Rat, Section 8, Animal, and Animal II. He has been featured in Vibe, King, Entertainment Weekly, and Time magazine. K’wan was the recipient of the 2012 and 2013 Street Lit Book Award Medals (SLBAM) in adult fiction for Eviction Notice and Animal. His credits also include featured commentary in the documentary Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp (produced by Ice-T) as well as a recurring role as an analyst on TV One’s Celebrity Crime Files. K’wan currently resides in New Jersey where he is working on his next novel.
Black Lotus is available in hardcover and paperback from our website and
in bookstores everywhere. The e-book edition is available wherever e-books are sold.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, including mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the publisher.
Published by Akashic Books
©2014 by JaQuavis Coleman
Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1-61775-261-2
Hardcover ISBN-13: 978-1-61775-262-9
eISBN: 9781617752889
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013956780
First printing
Akashic Books
Twitter: @AkashicBooks
Facebook: AkashicBooks
[email protected]
www.akashicbooks.com
About Akashic & Infamous Books
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Akashic Books is an award-winning independent company dedicated to publishing urban literary fiction and political nonfiction by authors who are either ignored by the mainstream, or who have no interest in working within the ever-consolidating ranks of the major corporate publishers. Akashic Books hosts additional imprints, including the Akashic Noir Series, the Akashic Drug Chronicles Series, the Akashic Urban Surreal Series, Punk Planet Books, Dennis Cooper's Little House on the Bowery Series, Open Lens, Chris Abani's Black Goat Poetry Series, and AkashiClassics: Renegade Reprint Series, Kaylie Jones Books, and Infamous Books.
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