Carl Weber's Kingpins

by C. N. Phillips

  “I’m gon’ go blow off all their heads, and that’s my word,” he said after Klax mentioned Kleigh’s bruised face.

  “And we will,” Klax told him. “But, first, we need a plan.”

  “Well, what can I do?” Bahli asked him. “Kleigh has been my girl since I can remember. If something happens to her, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

  “Something already happened to her,” Tron said. “The longer we wait, the more at risk she becomes.”

  “Nah, Kyan ain’t gon’ do nothing to her,” Klax said.

  “You don’t know him like I do.” Tron shook his head. “His heart is colder than any nigga I’ve ever met.”

  “That may be true, but he knows if he hurts her, then the deal is off.”

  “OK, so, then, what?” Adonis asked. “What’s the move?”

  “Yeah, G. What’s this shit you were talking on the phone?” Tron asked, furrowing his brow at Klax. “You said what Kyan wants is you. If that’s the case, why did he let you go?”

  “Kyan wants a meeting with the buyer, and I’m the only one who can set that up.”

  “The buyer as in . . .?”

  “Every hustler in New York’s connect to the connect,” Adonis spoke up.

  “Why you ain’t just set that up while he had you?” Tron asked. He watched Adonis and Klax exchange a look. “I’m obviously missing something. What is it?”

  “Klax is the buyer,” Adonis said, making Tron’s mouth drop slightly. “I just found out myself. Don’t look so shocked.”

  “And Kyan doesn’t know that, which gives me an advantage. Now, we need to figure out what to do with that advantage.”

  “Nah, we not about to fly by that like you ain’t just say what you said. You’re the buyer? That means you’re like the baby connect.”

  “Baby connect?” Klax made a face.

  “You know what I mean, nigga. This means, I was tryna kill the nigga I was tryna link with, because the nigga I was tryna link with after I killed you, was you! This shit is confusing, G.”

  “Don’t think too hard about it,” Adonis told him. “We need that brain power for the issues at hand. You can get Klax’s autograph later.”

  “Nigga, I’ll—”

  “Hello!” Bahli said and waved her hands in the air. “Stop ego clashing and let’s get back to it. My bitch needs to be back home where she belongs. Period. I’m not about to play with these niggas! So I need to know what y’all need me to do. Set a nigga up? Follow somebody? Shoot somebody? I ain’t never did it before, but I ain’t scared.”

  Something she said sparked Tron’s attention. Since he’d met Kleigh, Tron could honestly say he hadn’t looked at another woman as anything but that. As in, he didn’t even take in her features because, in his mind, nothing compared to Kleigh. But right then, he saw Bahli as the beautiful woman she was. So beautiful that any man could unknowingly fall into her trap.

  Any man like NuNu.

  “Aye,” Tron said, looking at Klax. “I have an idea.”

  “What you thinking?”

  “What do you say we hit them from the front and the back?”

  “Explain.”

  “You said that where they had you was where you think they were keeping Kleigh, right?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Then we just need to figure out where that’s at.”

  “How we gon’ do that? I told you that I had a bag over my head. I ain’t see shit.”

  “What’s every nigga’s kryptonite?” Tron asked.

  “Money,” Klax said.

  “No.”

  “Power?” Adonis tried.

  “No again.”

  “Pussy,” Bahli answered.

  “Exactly,” Tron said. “I know a gentlemen’s spot in Albany that our friend NuNu can’t seem to stay out of. A girl I used to know back in the day works there. She can help us plant an inside man . . . or woman.”

  All three men’s eyes fell on Bahli, and then she rolled hers.

  “So, y’all niggas deadass want me to be a stripper?”

  “We just need you to use that charm of yours and find out the location of where they’re holding Kleigh,” Klax said. “We ain’t gon’ ever be too far away from you.”

  “Now why would he tell me some top secret information like that?”

  “You’d be surprised what the allure of pussy can do,” Adonis said, and the two of them shared a look. “I mean, shit, look at me. You got me wide open over here, girl.”

  “Adonis, don’t gas me up. You know I like running on E.”

  “Nah, ain’t no gas, shorty. I’m pumping the brakes right now because I’m telling you the truth,” he said. “You got that kind of shit that will make a nigga shell out his soul. How do you think you got me in the first place?”

  “Got you?” she asked with a small smile.

  “Yeah,” Adonis smiled back. “But do you got me?”

  “You know I do,” Bahli said and sighed and shook her head, turning her attention to Tron. “But I got my girl more. Adonis told me about how you were playing my bitch at first. How do I know I can trust you?”

  “I wouldn’t be here if you couldn’t,” Tron told her. “And I wouldn’t be sitting here at this table attempting to help come up with a plan to bring her home either. I ain’t gon’ cap about my initial intentions, but it looks like fate knew what it was doing by letting me fall into her clutches. And now that I’m there, I’m not gon’ let her let me go. Or vice versa. God ain’t bless me with the presence of a woman like Kleigh to let a nigga like Kyan take her away from me so easily. So I’m gon’ get her back, even if that means going to war, guns blazing by myself.”

  “You love her?” Bahli asked curiously.

  “I’m falling,” Tron answered.

  “Mmm,” Bahli said, pursing her lips. “You lucky that I know for a fact that she’s falling for your cute ass too. All right, fuck it. What all I gotta do?”

  Chapter 18

  “Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do.”

  —Eddie Rickenbacker

  Bahli

  “Drip too hard, don’t stand too close. You gon’ fuck around and drown off this wave!” Lil Baby’s voice filled the packed gentlemen’s club, Rose Petals, and thousands of one-dollar bills fell from the sky and onto the stage. The woman on the pole was working for the money and moving her body like a pro. She wore a black thong teddy that showcased her thick backside and wide hips. Then a pair of six-inch, open-toe heels made her sit up in all of the right places as she worked the stage like it was the last performance she’d ever have. In truth, she hoped it was. Bahli whipped her hair over her shoulder and looked back at the large crowd around the stage, catcalling her. Quiet as kept, Bahli had danced a few times in her late teenage years. She had never been the type to ask for a handout even though her best friend was paid. Bahli was the type to go out and get it herself, by any means necessary. She knew she was there for a reason, but seeing all the money being thrown her way, she was for sure taking it all home with her.

  So far, she was the only girl that the crowd was going crazy for, but that was part of the scheme. Klax had paid all of the other dancers a pretty penny to be nothing short of mediocre that night. That way, Bahli could stand out. If he had known that she could work the pole like that, he would have saved his money.

  “Let’s give a round of applause for Honey Dip!” The DJ shouted into the microphone when the song was over.

  Bahli slid around on the floor of the stage sweeping her money into a big pile with her hands and arms. She purposely crawled seductively by a small group of men standing to the far right of the stage. NuNu probably thought she was coming his way because he had a handful of hundreds, but really, it was because she had finally spotted her mark. Standing there wearing Gucci from head to toe and rocking a fresh haircut, NuNu was all smiles. He was more handsome than his photo, with his smooth, chocolate skin and radiant white smile, but knowing who he really was made him as ugly as could be
. Still, when Bahli got close to him, she gave him her sexiest cat eyes.

  “Is that for me, baby boy?” she asked seductively talking about the money in his hand.

  “That depends on what you’re tryna do for it,” he said and let his eyes fall on her cleavage.

  “Is that right?”

  “You know that’s right, girl,” he said, licking his lips. “You were on fire up there. Let me get a private dance.”

  “I got you,” Bahli told him with a wink. “Let me go to the back and put my money up and meet me in room five, OK?”

  “Bet.”

  Moments later, Bahli’s heart was pounding as she made her way back to the dressing room with a large bag of money. She glanced behind her, and in the distance, she saw that NuNu wasted no time in heading up to the private room. Before she could turn her head front facing again, she felt someone grab her arm as she passed the bar. She was about to smack the daylights out of whoever it was, but when she saw that it was Adonis, she relaxed. He was sitting at the bar sipping a drink and blending in with the crowd. She felt a wave of relief, just knowing he was there.

  “You good?” he asked.

  “Yes, I’m fine,” she nodded. “That seemed too easy.”

  “Probably because it looks like you’ve done this before,” he said with a smirk. “‘Honey Dip’?”

  “That was my name back when I had to do what I had to do to get by,” she told him. “I haven’t always been the classy woman you’ve come to know and care about.”

  “Well, shit, I’ma need to have a meeting with Honey Dip after this,” he joked with a grin.

  “I hate you,” she said and cut her eyes at him.

  “No, you don’t,” he said with a wink.

  “Where’s Klax?”

  “Somewhere being a ghost. Go handle your business. Remember, get that location.”

  “I got it, I got it,” she said and handed him the bag of money. “I need that. Don’t lose it.”

  “You don’t need this when you got me,” Adonis said in all seriousness. “After this, I want to have a talk with you about some shit, but, yeah, you don’t need this. Money ain’t gon’ be an issue for you anymore.”

  “Boy, bye. You just got out of a serious relationship. You ain’t tryna bust no real moves with me,” Bahli said and rolled her eyes. “We just spent our first full day together, and you see how that ended—with me on a damn stripper pole.”

  “And that’s why I fuck with you. You ride for your people. That’s what I need around me. If Tron and Kleigh can be falling in love so fast, why can’t I try to move in that direction with you? And we been fucking around for way longer than them.”

  “You gotta show me that I’m more than just pussy to you, Adonis,” Bahli told him with her hand on her hip.

  “And I will. Whatever is in this bag of money,” he said and held it up, “I’ma match it times two and take you somewhere distant to spend it. But in the meantime, here; take this.”

  He handed her the drink in front of him, and she was thankful for something to take the edge off. When she went to put it to her lips, Adonis snatched it away with wide eyes. He glanced around to make sure no one had seen the exchange.

  “That ain’t for you, girl!” he exclaimed. “You ain’t never heard of ‘don’t drink on the job’? That’s for your friend up there. Tron said he likes cranberry and vodka, and, well, this shit right here has a little bit extra fizzle in it . . . If you know what I mean. Go on.”

  Bahli understood completely what he meant and was happy that she hadn’t even gotten a sip. She nodded her head and took the drink from him, more discreetly this time. When she turned around, he smacked her booty and put a couple of dollars on her garter for effect.

  She then continued the rest of the way to the dressing room, working her way through the crowd to freshen up before heading up to the private dance rooms. The hallway leading to the rooms was lit up by red lights, giving a real sultry vibe. Each room had different music coming from it as she passed, but when she got to room five, all she heard was silence. She took a breath before she twisted the knob and walked inside. Sure enough, NuNu was sitting patiently on a black leather futon with a stack of money beside him. The moment he saw her enter, he smiled big. His eyes were low, so she knew he was already lifted off something, and she hoped that meant he wouldn’t question the drink in her hand.

  “Here you go,” she said and handed it to him. “The bartender said this is one of your favorites.”

  “You tryna loosen me up so you can take all my money, huh?” he asked instantly taking a sip of the drink. He made a face, and Bahli’s heart stopped for a moment. “Aaah! They know I like my shit strong. That’s why I fuck with them. Turn on some music. I wanna feel that ass move on me.”

  Bahli let out the breath she was holding and went to the small MP3 player connected to the speaker on the side of the small room. She started to play some Cardi B, but he shook his head.

  “Nah, play something slow. You gon’ kill the vibe, shorty.”

  “I got you,” she said and instead, opted for some Jacquees.

  Slowly, she began to move her body to the singer’s voice as NuNu sipped his drink. She wished he would just down it, but since he didn’t, she bought herself as much time as possible. Turning so that he could get a good view of her rear end, she began twerking to the beat. She felt her thighs wiggle with her butt cheeks, and he threw a handful of hundreds at her. She couldn’t lie . . . When the money touched her skin, it made her want to shake what her mama gave her even harder. Bahli stood up and danced seductively toward him. When she was close enough, she rotated her hips in his face while stroking the top of his head sensually.

  “You think I’m sexy?”

  “Hell yeah,” he said.

  “While I’m dancing, I want you to imagine your dick deep inside my pussy, okay?”

  “A’ight,” he breathed, looking up at her with lustful and longing eyes.

  She sat down on his lap with her back facing him and grinded on his crotch. She felt his thickness through his pants and couldn’t help getting turned on. That was a part that Adonis didn’t need to know about. She enjoyed the feeling of NuNu’s hard penis rubbing against her clit through the thin fabric of her clothes, and she even let him fondle her a little bit.

  “You had a nigga’s dick on swole the whole time you were on that pole,” he whispered in her ear as she grinded on him. “I just had to have you.”

  “Is that right?” she purred. “Why is that?”

  “You’re the sexiest girl I’ve ever seen in this bitch. When did you start working here?”

  “I’m new,” she told him. “I just got in from out of town and needed some extra cash.”

  “Shit, you don’t even need to be doing all this, shorty. Let a real nigga take care of you,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. “If you were mine, you wouldn’t need for nothing.”

  “Uh-huh,” she said and tried not to gag from the powerful smell of liquor on his breath. “What kind of job you got where you think you can save me?”

  “I’m a hustler, baby,” NuNu told her and grabbed another handful of hundreds. He held them up and let them fall over her breasts and into her lap. “And there’s more where this came from.”

  “Mmm-hmm,” Bahli said. “That’s what you’re saying.”

  She felt herself starting to panic again. The song was almost over, and NuNu was still very much conscious. Not only that, but his hands kept inching to the place in between her legs. If he thought he was really going to get to sleep with her, he had another think coming.

  “That’s what I know,” he said and tightened his grip on her. “Now, all you have to do is give me a little sample, and I got you.”

  “I don’t think I have to do anything but dance.”

  When she tried to get up, NuNu pulled her back down on him.

  “Nah, I just threw some bands at that ass. I’m finna get some pussy,” he said, pulling the crotch part of her
teddy to the side and exposed her second set of lips. He had a grip so tight around her arms and upper body that she couldn’t move. “I knew this shit was gon’ be phat.”

  He squeezed it in his hand first and then forced two fingers inside of her. NuNu’s fingers thrust a few times before he pulled them out and brought them to his mouth.

  “Mmm, and it taste good too,” he said and tossed her on the futon.

  “No!” She tried to get up again, but that time in a drunken daze, he smacked her down.

  “Bitch, stay down. I said you’re about to give me some pussy.”

  She held her mouth and tasted blood from her busted bottom lip. That’s not how things were supposed to go. He was too strong, and she couldn’t overpower him even if she tried. The club was too loud, and she knew if she screamed, nobody would hear her anyway. NuNu stood over her and pulled down his pants, exposing his giant dick to her. Just as he was leaning down to have sex with her . . . He stumbled. Bahli watched him blink his eyes hard and try to shake off whatever feeling had overcome him, but he just stumbled again. She sat up and scooted to the far end of the futon as she watched the drugs finally begin to take effect on him. He fell to the ground, on his side, with his pants down, out like a light. Bahli used her heel to poke him to make sure he was really down for the count, and when he didn’t move, she hopped into action. She fixed her teddy and went to rummage in his pants pockets for his cell phone.

  “Bingo,” she said when she found it and began scrolling through his messages.

  It wasn’t hard to pinpoint which number belonged to Kyan since it was the only number NuNu had saved in his phone. She scrolled their message thread until she found what she was looking for. There was a text message from the morning that Kleigh had gotten taken that caught her attention.

  Kyan: You grab the girl?

  NuNu: Yea.

  Kyan: Wait for the drop spot.