by Dee Garcia
I almost rolled my eyes. Was he for real? Did he not realize he sounded like a ginormous pussy?
“So, am I supposed to be afraid of her or some shit?” I laughed, swiveling toward him with glass in hand, my palm flush to the polished wood. “How bad can she be? She’s a female for fucks sake.”
“A female with a lot of man power. Really, just power in general. Lux is not an easy broad to subdue and she doesn’t scare easily. She’s smart, too, always five steps ahead. Bringing her to her knees is going to take an impenetrable plan and precise tactics.”
Precise tactics my dick. He’s scared of her.
Pathetic.
“Wanna know what I think?” I asked, pushing off toward him. “I think you have this girl on some non-existent, deranged pedestal. She’s a female, Kane—a fe-male. Take what’s yours and be done with it. What’s the worst she could do?”
Vic chuckled, his shoulders bobbing around as if I were the one talking crazy.
“This bitch could start the motherfucking apocalypse. Trust me, Rome. She’s not someone you wanna pick a fight with.”
“Ohhhh, she sounds so scawyyy,” I joked.
It really was a joke though. The relentless and ruthless Vic Kane was afraid of a chick. Quite priceless, if you asked me.
Maybe a little ironic, too.
“You see, this,” he motioned toward me, as appeased as ever. “This, is exactly why I need you. My warning means absolutely nothing to you. If anything, it’s luring you right into my plan. Now that you know who she is, you’re interested as hell to find out more about her, am I right?”
Yes…
But I wasn’t going to admit that. I’d fallen deep enough into his clutches as it is. While he regarded me curiously, awaiting my answer, I dropped down into the nearest seat and took another sip of my drink, my mind racing in a dozen different directions.
Who was this infamous Lux Mercier and what kind of damage had she done on Vic? He could bullshit me all wanted but I knew his motives weren’t just strictly business; they were personal above all else. I could feel it, smell it oozing off him.
But he didn’t need to know of my sixth sense. I’d keep that little morsel of intel to myself. Could come in handy later on down the line should this entire scheme crumble to the ground.
“Exactly,” he concluded, clapping his hands together. “So now my question is, are you in…or out?”
A smile slithered across his face as I contemplated my answer. Running the tips of my fingers along my stubble-dusted jaw, I watched him sharply, noting the nefarious glimmer in his eyes. What looked like hope with a hint of coercion, too. The man was hanging by a thread, pleading with satan himself that’d I’d firmly agree this time around so he could lock me in and throw away the key.
Did I really want to do this?
Was it really worth it?
For starters, I’d be putting myself in the shadowy spotlight of malfeasance yet again, and that presented a problem for me. Could attract a certain breed I had no intention of interacting with ever again.
“Does your previous offer still stand?” I blurted, ‘cause if it didn’t, I was out. I wouldn’t be doing this shit for free, not when so much was at stake.
“Absolutely. I don’t mind sharing with someone who’s going to help make this possible,” he affirmed.
And if he didn’t, I’d kill him. Simple.
“Then you’ve got yourself a deal, Kane.” Holding a hand out, I rose to full height. “But I want proof you’ll hold true to your word. I need a nice place to stay and my own personal form of transportation by the end of the week. Otherwise, I’m afraid I can’t help.”
Didn’t hurt to state my terms and remind him I wasn’t his bitch. He wanted my help? Then we were doing this shit my way.
Vic nodded, grinning from ear to ear as we shook hands. “We can make that happen. C’mon, let’s go meet the boys at Brickhouse and I’ll brief you all on the Queen of Miami. We have moves to make soon.”
“She won’t be the Queen much longer”—I straightened my jacket—“We’ll see what happens once Roman King turns her world upside down.”
Later on that evening, after a few Corona’s and a lucrative plan laid out for me in great detail, I finally made it back to my suite at The Colony. Weeknight or not, South Beach was thrumming with life, making it nearly impossible for me to drift off. The walls vibrated from the volume of the music and all the commotion outside as I laid there on the plush bed, staring at the tray ceiling above me in sick anticipation.
My entire body buzzed like a live wire at the many ideas racing to the forefront of my mind. The smell of a challenge hung thick in the air, exciting me more than it should’ve. Apparently, Miss Mercier was quite the busy woman; a true hustler focused on her money. Black Widow was her baby, a make-up company she’d launched on whim a little over a year ago. It did well enough that it served perfectly as a cover up operation for her drug ring, too, the drug ring that provided her the money to fund Black Widow.
Oh, but that’s not all.
Oh no.
She was also co-owner of some highly popular dance studio in the city.
The Queen seemed to be more of a jack of all trades, and I was thoroughly intrigued. Was beyond eager to meet this vindictive little pigeon…and turn her life into a living hell.
She deserved it, from what Vic shared with me.
Initially, I wasn’t too fond of what all his strategy entailed, but the more he elaborated and the more I thought on it, the more I realized I’d do anything in my power to make it work.
Vic wanted me on the front lines, the leading pawn meant to hop across the chess board and dethrone the Queen.
And honestly, I was perfectly okay with that.
I’d done it once and I’d do it again.
Not just for Vic and all he’d promised me, but for those who’d been silenced and banished, too.
This woman had ruled over Miami for a minute too long, backstabbing and incinerating anyone who stood in her path along the way.
But not for much longer.
Lux Mercier was about to learn the value of loyalty and respect. And if she didn’t, I wouldn’t hesitate making a mockery of her for all the world to see before sucking the life from her veins.
♫ Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Lorde ♫
“That’s gonna look sick as fuck,” Stryker mused, a devious smirk flitting across his handsome face as he eyed my bare chest.
Well, almost bare chest. Aside from the black tape laid over my nipples in an X, everything else was on display. Not that there was much to see, really. I wasn’t a part of the big ol’ titty committee.
Swatting his arm with a playful hand, I rolled my eyes and sat up right in my seat. “Move out the way! Let me see, dammit!”
“Okay, okay, geez,” he laughed, rolling away on his stool to allow me a look in the mirror.
Even from my vantage point, I found myself gasping, scrambling onto my feet to get a closer look. The design we’d discussed several weeks back literally had nothing on the masterpiece Stryker ended up recreating.
The focal point was the raven laid out on my sternum, its beak parted as though it were croaking its call, wings splayed out amongst two roses on either side. Beneath it, a crown sat surrounded by rose leaves that swept up the sides to tie the entire design together.
It was perfect, and gorgeous, and just—
“It’s you,” Stryker mused, reading my mind. “Flows well with the rest of your ink.”
I might’ve been biased, but he was right. Everything just meshed well, and it wasn’t even permanent yet.
With one last look in the mirror, I melted into the cool leather, regarding my friend with nothing but excitement. You’d think after all the tattoos already adorning my body that I’d be used to this, but each and every piece was a new adventure. A new rush.
It never got old.
“Ready?” he asked, slowly reclining my chair as far possible.
“
As always. Let’s do this.”
That familiar, comforting buzz met my ears not ten seconds later. I took a deep breath and shut my eyes, allowing Stryker to work without the stress of my stare. Feeling the needles puncture my skin was instantly therapeutic. The world around me, and all the problems within it gave away to the recesses of my mind, allowing me to fully relax under Stryker’s hand.
“Sooo… How’s Suki?” he quipped after a beat.
The grin in his voice was palpable, and for that, I smirked. He had absolutely no shame in his game, at least not when it came to Suki. The man had been pining after her probably as long as she’d been pining after him. Why they weren’t together yet, I had not a clue.
“She’s good—up to her neck in new students at the studio,” I replied, stifling down a laugh at the reaction I knew was coming.
Stryker groaned, louder than intended. “That girl has some serious moves. Doesn’t surprise me Vybe is thriving.”
Moves she wants to put on you.
“You should come one Friday night. It’s kind of like a weekly showcase for all the advanced routines. By midnight, though, it’s basically another club; drinks, black lights, good music. You get the picture, right?”
“Cover charge?”
“Newbs only,” I conceded. “If you come with me, though, you’re good. Plus, Suki would never charge you anyway, and I know she’d be happy to see you.”
Like a broken record, the buzz of Stryker’s machine stopped as he went completely rigid beside me, and once again, I had to reign myself in from bursting into a fit of laughter.
Intrigued blue eyes bore into me the moment I cracked open my eyelids. “Did she say that?” he questioned.
“No, but—”
Ping!
The abrupt chime of my phone halted the admission right on the tip of my tongue. Without prompting, Stryker reached over his station and passed it to me, studying me with a curious brow. I hoped it was Suki, just to see what his reaction would be, but it wasn’t. It was Vic, and the text message illuminating my screen shot up all types of red flags I couldn’t ignore.
Vic: We’ve got a problem…
Of course we do.
Everything with him was a damn problem these days.
I sighed in frustration and typed out a quick response.
Me: Which would be???
Vic: Word on the street is there’s a new guy sniffing around. He wants in apparently.
Me: And you heard this where?
Vic: Ramos.
Me: One minute. Answer.
“I’ve gotta take this,” I said to Stryker after sending my last reply. “Come with me outside.”
“You smokin?” he asked as he set his machine down and ripped off his gloves.
“I’ll pass this time. I just need someone to keep me from going nuclear on Vic.”
Stryker laughed despite my unappeased expression, shaking his head sardonically. He knew about Vic all too well. Didn’t care for him too much either. “C’mon, let’s go out the side. Quieter than out front,” he suggested, showing me out into the dimly lit narrow corridor.
We trailed it’s short length in silence, pushing out through the emergency exit to the humid alley way on the other side. Even tucked away back here, the vim and vigor from Ocean Drive carried over, a hint of Bad Bunny’s latest track, too, and the pungent scent of ocean water.
Stryker immediately pulled out a pack and sparked up a smoke as I tapped on Vic’s name in my recents and laid my back to coral stucco of the building. Not a full ring later, our call was connected.
“Boss lady...” he answered candidly.
I rolled my eyes. Now was not the time for his games. “Cut the shit, Kane. Who is this asshole?”
“Ramos doesn’t know all the details. He overheard his boys discussing it a few days ago. All they know is he’s from New York and he wants a cut of the territory.”
“Well, that’s obviously not happening. You sure that’s all Hector knows?” I pressed, tamping down the spike in my temper.
“Why don’t you listen for yourself? One sec, lemme put you on speaker.”
The softest shuffling scraped through the line, followed by what sounded like some electrical current and Hector’s pained growls.
“Go on, tell her what you told me,” Vic gritted out above the ruckus.
Hector’s cries only grew louder, as did the voltage, prickling almost every hair on my body at attention. I ground my teeth together. The static was like nails on a chalkboard, licking up my body in burning waves.
I said kill him, not play with him.
“Enough!” I barked, snapping Stryker’s head to where as I stood as he blew out a cloud of smoke.
Everything on the other side of the phone went silent, too.
“Tell her!” Vic demanded.
Thud.
Then a whimper.
That whimper said it all; he’d pistol whipped him, I could tell. Knew the sound. Would never forget that damn sound. I clenched my eyes together and tightened my grip on the phone as Vic bashed him a second time.
“No se nada!” Ramos screamed in distress. “I don’t know anything!”
He wasn’t lying. The agony in his voice was beyond genuine, an exhausted cry for help. Those who had something hide always put up a fight. Weakness shows your true colors.
“Take his word, Vic—he’s not fibbing. Do what you need to do and be done with it. Enough with the theatrics,” I hissed, my voice so deathly low, even Stryker shifted on his feet before me as he flicked his cigarette to the asphalt. “And when you’re done, start asking questions. Lots of questions. I want to know who this phantom tosser is by Monday.”
“I don’t know if that’s doable, Lux. I’m gonna need more than—”
“Make. It. Doable, Kane. Answers, Monday. Goodbye.”
Click.
Shoving the phone into my pocket, I all but growled in exasperation, pushing off the brickwork behind me. My hands snaked into my hair, tugging at the roots.
What the hell was happening to my city?
First Ramos, now this newbie from Yonkers. Didn’t anyone around here have fucking manners anymore?
“I’m not even gonna ask,” Stryker began, holding his hands up surrender. “Need me to have Deja book you in next week? I can move some shit around.”
“Fuck that,” I waved him off, “I came here to get tatted. I’m not walking out until it’s done. Vic can handle this shit show. It’s a joke anyway.”
Little did I know that, not only was the joke on me, it was only just getting started…
♫ I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead - Set It Off ♫
These poor, simple fools.
I smiled triumphantly, tucking my phone into the inner breast pocket of my suit jacket. This shit was turning out to be far more simple than I initially anticipated. It was laughable really; I had Roman eating out of the palm of my hand and Lux hanging on my every word. If things kept up at this speed, I’d be lounging in my throne with Lux on a leash between my legs in a just few months time.
“There, you called the little puta. Are we done now?” Ramos barked, his voice raspy and debilitated.
Dropping my gaze to where he kneeled before me, I could just make out his swollen, bloodied face in the dim lighting. My lips quirked ever so slightly.
He thought we were done.
Delusional imbecile.
The only thing to be done here was him, hence his immobility, arms suspended by shackles on the mildew-infested tiles behind him.
I bounced my gaze to Rome who was just about a foot away from him, his knowing stare already waiting. Nothing but a mere look passed between us and Hector began wailing again, his face contorted in agony as he convulsed from the electrical currents zipping through his bindings.
Roman had the power source hidden away safely in his pocket. He was going rather easy on the drug runner now, the smallest of sparks bursting from the metal cuffs, but all it took was a simple turn of the dial and he’d be
barbequed from the inside out.
As satisfying as it was to hear his stuttered pleas, though, they fell on deaf ears time and time again. I had somewhere to be, namely in Willow’s bed. New little piece of ass I’d acquired as of late. She could suck the fucking life out of me and her cunt wasn’t too bad either. A little used but, weren’t most pussies these days?
Thirsty hoes.
Another quick exchange between Rome and I, and everything ceased.
Ramos fell dead silent. His upper-body sagged over, suspended in the air, breathing ragged and unsteady. The man couldn’t pick his head up, bobbing around feebly as he swallowed mouthfuls of air into his weeping lungs.
Pity. His imminent death would’ve be so much more satisfying if he wasn’t so exhausted.
Sinking onto the balls of my Oxford’s, I waited in silence until his exhausted, weary gaze met mine.
“Please, spare me,” it begged. “Not again.”
Still, I didn’t utter a word. I simply studied him; the lingering fear of death in his eyes, how his chest heaved faster upon each breath, the thick droplets of blood and sweat that dripped from his forehead onto the grimy shower floors beneath us.
“I would say you need a lesson in respect, Hector, but lessons are for those given another chance to live,” I finally advised, relishing the moment realization flashed in his brown eyes.
“I did what you asked, man!” he spat. “I did everything!”
“You did, yes,” I agreed. “But you also tried to move in on Lux last year. How am I to know you won’t do the same to me a few months down the line? It would be grand mistake for you or anyone else who dares cross me, I can promise you that, but I prefer not to get my hands dirty unless it’s on my own terms.”
Ramos laughed, weakly, but I caught it, and it infuriated me. Mockery wasn’t something I took lightly.
And yet, I wanted to hear what he had to say, gritting down on my jaw to leave the ball bouncing in his court. Frail or not, he saw the challenge, accepted it like the idiot he was.
