The Streets Have No King

by JaQuavis Coleman

  “Welcome to the Cartel,” Mecca said playfully and he put his hand on Basil’s shoulder and patted him. The two girls led Basil out of the VIP suite to the private suite next door. Basil could get used to this Miami living.

  Meanwhile Kane and Carter talked at the bar as they surveyed the intimate gathering.

  “Your guy saved my life yesterday,” Carter admitted, just before he took a swallow of the beer.

  “Yeah, Youngblood is very sharp. He’s been like that since a young boy,” Kane replied. “Just like his mom,” Kane added thinking about how Frenchie used to be. She had so much promise before the drugs.

  “Yeah, that’s a shame, what happened to Frenchie,” Carter said as he too thought about how Frenchie had been when they were younger. It was a distant memory but he remembered the good times. Carter quickly changed the subject and leaned in closer to Kane.

  “Ah, I want to thank you for delivering those monthly envelopes to T for me. Even when you got locked up, you made sure your people got that to her. That’s honorable,” Carter said. Kane nodded. Carter had a love child with T that only a few people knew about. His connections with the Cartel prevented him from bringing his son into the light. His empire would crumble if his secret got out. He got his hometown girl pregnant just before he moved to Miami and didn’t find out until years later, once his family was already established. As soon as Carter found out about his illegitimate son, he began sending money to him monthly and Kane was the pipeline that made it happen for him. Carter would be forever indebted to him for that.

  “I took the liberty of adding twenty more units onto your guy’s order. That’s on me. If it wasn’t for Basil’s sharpness, I might not be here right now,” Carter said in gratitude.

  “Yeah, Youngblood was on his A game. Them Haitian mu’fuckas had the drop on you,” Kane admitted.

  “True indeed. Keep him around. He’s going to be king one day. Might even take your spot,” Carter said jokingly just before he finished off his drink. Kane chuckled, but deep inside he knew there was some truth there. Basil was a different breed. He was destined to be large in the drug game. He was too clever not to be. Kane knew that he was the new, improved version of himself and instead of jealousy, he felt proud. He was creating an “untouchable” with Basil.

  * * *

  Meanwhile in the next room, Basil was getting his mind blown. He sat on the comfortable leather couch with his pants down around his ankles. His head was thrown back and his eyes were closed as the sounds of slurping echoed throughout the suite. Two girls were at his feet, while on their knees. Both of them were giving him fellatio as they tag-teamed his slightly curved, dark pole. The ebony woman sucked on his balls while the other girl worked on his erect tool. Basil glanced down and saw the big perky breasts of both women. The large pink areolas of Ginger combined with the deep-chocolate-colored ones that sat at the tip of Kim’s melons were a sight to see. They both had their dresses pulled down around their waists as they serviced Basil. Basil could get used to Miami. The city definitely embraced him. He continued to watch as the women tag-teamed him and he stood tall and firm as they began to moan loudly. He gently placed his hands on the backs of each of their heads as they slowly bobbed up and down. Tingles went up his spine as he felt an orgasm approaching. Basil clenched his ass cheeks and stiffened up his legs as his eyes began to roll back in his head. He had never experienced a sexual encounter like the one that was upon him. He had two of the most beautiful women that he had ever seen on their knees in front of him, blowing his mind.

  “Ooh shit,” Basil whispered as he began to pump, diving into Ginger’s mouth with each thrust. He felt himself beginning to climax and his body tensed up as he pulled his tool out of the girl’s mouth. He began to stroke himself and the two girls immediately got side by side and began to grope their breasts, giving him a place to release himself. Basil looked down and the sight alone sent him over the edge. He released himself on the two girls, and they gladly accepted everything he offered while moaning and touching each other. They began kissing one another, and Basil sat back and enjoyed the show while panting heavily from the exhilarating release he’d just experienced. “I love Miami,” he whispered to himself as he sunk deeper into the couch.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Keep your enemies far. Not close … but far.

  —KANE GARRETT

  Basil and Kane wasted no time when they returned home. With the free bricks on top of their original order, they were able to drop prices even more than expected. Kane coached Basil as the takeover began. The first thing was for Basil to establish a team, and he went to his man Lil Noah first. Lil Noah had a group of hungry young fellows that followed him around and Basil immediately upgraded all of their positions in the streets. He put them on heavy, and in return they would handle any street beef or problems if they should ever arise. Lil Noah was loving the new position of power that Basil had put him in. The streets were not ready for what Basil was about to do. He also put Viv onto his new operation and she acted as a mule for his shipments from the Cartel. He sent her down to Miami monthly in a U-Haul with furniture and she always returned with bricks hidden in them. It was a smooth operation and well thought out.

  “Corner the market and dominate. Why be a jack of all trades and a master of none?” Those were the words of Kane Garrett as he explained a popular technique in business. Instead of worrying about multiple markets and spreading your money into several investments, he taught that you should find your niche and dominate that particular arena. It made so much sense to Basil. So his first step was to take over his childhood neighborhood, which was the Regency projects.

  Two weeks in Basil had positioned his team and prepared a hostile takeover. Instead of going against the community, he embraced them. He hired various older women in the complex to cook the coke, weigh, and bag up the product. Kane had explained to him that most hustlers made the mistake of hiring the young, around-the-way girls to bag the dope up, but in reality they were the last people you should employ. He instructed him to hire the elders in the complex, because they were usually the ones who called the police on drug activity. If Basil included them in the hustle, they would be fools to tell the authorities on themselves. So that’s what Basil did. And that’s when Basil really began to understand Kane’s brilliance. He was a strategist and made him look at hustling from a business aspect.

  Basil approached the respected members of the complex with an offer to give them credit and put them in a position to touch some of the best coke that had ever touched the Midwest. He sold the fact that they would be able to get the best quality at the cheapest price and become a member of an elite squad. This meant a lot of things, but at the top of the list was the built-in army that served as protection. No one declined to get down. He spent the first two weeks just setting up shop before he released one single drug. Under Kane’s direction he was literally setting up a Wall Street for drugs. It was to be an open market, and if Basil controlled the whole projects and everyone worked for him, it would be harder for the feds to infiltrate.

  Through all of the preparation, Basil still stayed in school and on top of his studies. It was the last day of class and as usual Basil sat in the back, but there was a difference to him. Instead of his usual urban casual attire, Basil wore a suit and looked more like a broker than a hustler. He focused on Kane, who was in the front of the lecture hall.

  “Always remember: Keep your enemies far. Keep … your … enemies … far, not close. Life isn’t a Scarface movie. This is real life. This is business. In the corporate world, if you let a snake into your circle…,” he dramatically paused as he carefully looked around the room, “you can watch your whole empire crumble in the blink of an eye. Build a strong team around you and one built solely on integrity, hard work, and loyalty. That, my friend, is how you succeed.

  “With that I want to thank you all for spending these last few months with me. Business Philosophy 101 is officially over. Good luck, guys, and may each a
nd every single one of you assist with or lead a change in the world,” Kane said as he stood front and center, totally engaged with his students. It was at that moment the entire class stood up, giving Kane a standing ovation. The thunderous sounds of claps and whistles took over the spacious lecture hall. He was an enlightening, humble professor whom everyone seemed to love. Kane smiled and took in the love from his class. As the students filed out, he either hugged or shook hands with every student as they walked out. He took his time thanking each one for making his first teaching experience a good one. It was an epic experience for everyone involved.

  Basil was the last one to leave as usual and Kane smiled, seeing his guy looking like a million bucks. Fat Rat, who stood by the door as he did every class, closed the door once the last student left.

  “Congrats on completing the class,” Kane said as he extended his hand. Basil smiled and shook Kane’s hand. Kane pulled Basil in close and whispered in his ear, “Now the real class begins. It’s time to get rich. That shipment came in this morning.” Kane was smiling because he was beginning to get the hustler’s rush that he had been missing for seven years. He knew what time it was. It was time to get money. Basil nodded his head with a grin, knowing his time had finally come.

  “I want you to come over for dinner tonight. It’s time to celebrate,” Kane said as he grabbed his suit jacket off the back of the chair.

  “No doubt.”

  “Fat Rat will come pick you up this evening. Around seven,” Kane added.

  Just as Basil was about to respond, the door opened and in walked a young lady. She wore neatly twisted dreadlocks and a sundress that flowed freely at its hem. Basil looked at the woman and never saw skin so beautiful and smooth. He then realized that she was Kane’s daughter. She came in, hugged Fat Rat, and headed to her father. Basil couldn’t help but stare. He had seen her once before, at the welcome-home barbecue for Kane. Her full lips and cat-like eyes were stunning. She was gorgeous. He slid his hand into his pocket.

  “Hey, baby girl. What are you doing here?” Kane asked as he opened his arms. His daughter quickly fell into them.

  “I wanted to surprise you and take you out to lunch. Wanted to celebrate with you on completing your first semester,” the lady said in a soft, smooth voice.

  “You got a date,” Kane said as he smiled from ear from ear. Kane looked over at Basil, who was standing to the side, and realized that he never introduced them. He tried his best to shelter Moriah. He always kept his daughter and his street business completely separate.

  “Basil, I want you to meet someone,” Kane said as he unleashed his grasp on his daughter. He then held her hand and smiled at her. “This is Moriah. Moriah, this is Basil. He is one of my top students.”

  “Nice to meet you, Basil,” Moriah said as she extended her hand.

  “Likewise,” Basil said as he shook her hand. He noticed how soft her hand was and her nails were perfectly manicured.

  “Listen, sweetheart. Give me a few seconds to wrap up with him and I’ll be out in a few minutes,” Kane said just before he gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek.

  “No problem, Dad,” she said as she smiled. She looked at Basil and smiled too. “Nice to have met you, Basil.”

  Kane watched his daughter out and remained quiet until she completely exited. He then shot his attention back on Basil. “Don’t even think about it,” he said calmly as the smile quickly turned upside down and became a scowl. Basil, at that instant, knew that Kane meant business when it came to his daughter. He took a mental note and just nodded his head, letting Kane know he understood.

  “Understood,” Basil said as he put both hands up in surrender.

  Kane smiled and turned around to grab his jacket. He put it on and then checked his cuff links. “Fat Rat will send a car to come get you this evening. You know how to play chess?” Kane asked as he closed his briefcase.

  “Nah, I never played.”

  “Learn to play. It’ll help you in everyday life. Trust me,” Kane said as he buckled the clamps and pulled his briefcase off the desk. He shrugged his shoulders to make sure his jacket fit right and headed to the exit. “See you this evening. Take a look behind the desk before you leave. Return my luggage I let you borrow,” he said without even looking back. Fat Rat opened the door for him and they disappeared into the hallway. Basil frowned, as he didn’t understand. He walked around the desk and saw two duffle bags sitting on the floor behind the desk, tucked away. He bent down and unzipped the first bag. When he looked into the bag his heart dropped. He saw so much white his eyes hurt. So many neatly plastic wrapped bricks were in front of him. Bricks that were going close to forty thousand apiece on the street. It was almost too overwhelming for Basil. Kane had graduated him into the big leagues and he had officially been plugged with the Cartel family. It was time to get rich. Basil felt a rush that no drug could ever provide. He got the rush that a hustler’s ambition provided. It was his time.

  He scooped up the two heavy bags, one in each hand, and headed out. He was about to flood the streets, particularly his own projects. He was finally plugged and he would not let the opportunity go to waste. Basil was out to get rich and he wasn’t letting anything get in his way.

  CHAPTER TEN

  You’re only as strong as your team.

  —KANE GARRETT

  Kane watched as his daughter cooked and slowly snaked her neck from side to side while she enjoyed the sounds of Sade. It made him smile, because he saw her mother in her so much. What a great woman Moriah had turned out to be. She was twelve when he went into prison, so he missed so much of her life, which pained him. The fact that her mother had died while he was incarcerated really saddened him. The doctors said she had a weak heart and died because of heart complications, but everyone knew the real reason of her death. She died from a broken heart. No science could explain that theory but deep inside Kane knew what the truth was. He abandoned them and his lifestyle got in the way of their happiness.

  Kane was in the den playing chess all alone. He was taking turns making moves against himself. Kane paused briefly and looked up. He glanced over and watched Mo from afar, jamming to the tunes. He smiled as he crept up on her. He stepped into the kitchen and smoothly crossed his arms and cleared his throat, letting her know he was there.

  “Hey, Daddy,” she said without even turning from the stove.

  “Hey, baby girl. You got it smelling good in here tonight. What’s on the menu?” he said as he leaned against the counter.

  “Just a Venezuelan dish Mama taught me. You are going to love it.”

  “I’m sure I am, baby girl,” Kane said as he admired his daughter. “Your ma would be proud of you. The things you are doing at the Hurley Children’s Clinic are amazing. Those kids really gravitate to you,” Kane said proudly.

  “Yeah, those are my babies up there. Seeing them be so strong, it makes me strong, ya know? I really appreciate life more after seeing how hard they have it at such an early age,” Moriah said as she wiped her hands on the towel and turned to face her father.

  “You never cease to amaze me,” Kane said, in awe of the woman she was. Moriah volunteered at the medical center that cared for and housed terminally ill children, and it had become her life. It warmed his heart because her mother had volunteered at the same hospital and had a big heart as well. Kane knew exactly where Moriah got her kind heart from. She had it honest. Just as Kane was about to speak again, the doorbell rang.

  “That must be our guests,” Kane said. “Go get that while I go get freshened up for dinner, sweetheart.” He kissed Moriah on her forehead.

  “Sure thing, Daddy,” she answered with a grin.

  * * *

  Basil stood at the front door next to Fat Rat and waited. Basil was amazed by this brick mansion that sat on a hill. It was about an hour from the city and tucked away; the country setting had a welcoming feel. The ranch-style house was gorgeous, by far the most impressive residence he had ever been to, and he’d seen only
the outside. The fifteen-thousand-square-foot palace instantly motivated Basil. I want some shit like this, he thought as he looked around in awe. The door slowly opened and Basil locked eyes with Moriah. Their eyes seemed to stick to each other. Basil admired her smooth skin and her long dreads, which flowed to the middle of her back.

  “Hello. Welcome. Step in,” she said as she smiled beautifully. She moved to the side, giving them a path to enter. “Hey, Uncle Rat,” she said as Fat Rat walked by first. Basil walked by and Moriah smiled as she smelled his clean-smelling cologne. She closed the door and led them to the spacious den, where a chess board sat on the coffee table. Basil admired the cream and black marble floors and the tall ceilings. A masterpiece of a chandelier hung from the ceiling and lit up the entire space. Basil looked up in admiration at the crystal monument that hovered over his head. The long corridor leading to the back had stunning artwork lining the walls. Everything from original Jean-Michel Basquiats pieces to originals from the Dean’s collection decorated the lavish spot. Cultured pieces, rich with soul and flavor. This home was one of the most immaculate things Basil had ever seen. It looked more like an art gallery than a house.

  “Can I get you two anything to drink?” Moriah asked kindly.

  “I’ll take a scotch,” Fat Rat said as he took his seat.

  “I’m good,” Basil replied in a low tone.

  Basil also took a seat and sunk into the large leather sofa. Basil sat back and admired the cozy setting that Kane’s home provided. He then watched as Moriah walked to the mini-bar that sat in the corner of the den and grabbed a bottle of scotch. As she poured a glass of the scotch for Fat Rat, Basil admired her from afar. Although she had on a sundress, Basil could still see her curves and plumpness. Her skin was so shiny and flawless. Just as he took his eyes off of Moriah, he saw Kane coming into the room, rolling up the sleeves on his dress shirt.