by Ashley
“Uhmm,” she moaned in pleasure as she held his rising manhood close to her face, examining it. She was in love at first sight. She wrapped her lips around it, squeezed the base with one hand, and cupped his balls with the other. She quickly began to bop up and down his shaft, making slurping noises and humming as she gave him a performance he would never forget. Baron threw his head back in pleasure as he let Dahlia go to work. After a minute of oral sex, Dahlia began to get dizzy. She temporarily stopped and held her head back as her world began to spin. She put her hand on her head and frowned as she tried to figure out what was wrong with her. Baron slowly put his pole back in his pants and watched the scene unfold.
“What the fuck did you do to me?” Dahlia asked as she began to see stars.
“No, you did this to yourself,” Baron said as he stepped away.
Dahlia lay down on the floor to try to regain her focus. Her vision was blurred, and the only thing she saw was the restroom door being opened. A pair of stilettos approached her. It was Liberty. Liberty had outsmarted her and was now standing over her.
Baron reached into his waistband and gave Liberty his gun. He had given her specific instructions. Handle Dahlia, walk straight out, and he would have the car waiting out front for her. “Don’t mind the chaos or pandemonium. Just keep your cool and come straight out,” he’d instructed. He knew that the gun blast would cause a scene, but because of the nature of the event, no cameras were on site, so they just had to leave, and it would be done. He gently grabbed Liberty’s face and pecked her on the forehead. “Make it quick,” he said, just before he headed out.
Liberty pulled off her Mardi Gras mask and looked down at Dahlia, who was slightly disoriented. The Xanax pills that Liberty had just gotten from Abia worked like a charm. She had slipped ten crushed-up pills into Dahlia’s champagne, and Baron’s plan was flawless. He predicted everything that would happen, and it did to the tee. Liberty pointed the gun down at Dahlia and began to remember all of the heartache that she had put her through.
“I thought I would never see you again. I wanted you out of my life for good. You always find your way to me. I am tired of this. You hurt me to the core! My own flesh and blood,” Liberty said as anger took over her.
“Liberty?” Dahlia said as she looked up at her in confusion.
“Yeah, it’s me. This will be the last day you ever will be in my life. This has to stop,” Liberty said as she pressed the gun to the Dahlia’s temple. She got ready to pull the trigger.
Dahlia closed her eyes and prepared for the blast. But Liberty couldn’t do it. She was not an evil person, and she couldn’t bring herself to pull the trigger. It was totally uncharacteristic of Liberty. She realized that if she went through with her actions, it would make her no better than Dahlia.
This isn’t me, she thought as she lowered the gun and shook her head. She wasn’t a killer, nor did she have a desire to be.
“Karma is going to do you worse than I ever could,” Liberty said as she shook her head, disgusted. She headed to the door and heard Dahlia laugh.
“You should have killed me, bitch,” Dahlia said bravely as she smiled and giggled to herself.
Liberty took a long, hard looked at Dahlia and smiled. “May God bless you. Karma is real. Trust. Karma is definitely real.” Liberty walked out the door, leaving Dahlia alone in the restroom.
She did just as Baron instructed. She walked out the door, and as Baron promised, a car was waiting for her. Liberty never looked back; she never wanted to see Dahlia or her evil ways again. “I can’t let her ruin my life again. I’m going to let karma catch back up with her,” she whispered to herself.
* * *
Dahlia stumbled out of the back of the hotel, panting heavily, with her hand on her chest. She felt dizzy and could barely stand up straight. She felt nauseated, and she bent over, hurling vomit onto the pavement. She instantly began to feel better after relieving her body of the drug that she’d unknowingly ingested. Her heart pounded rapidly, and she knew that she had just danced with death. She knew that if that were any one of her other enemies, she would have a bullet in the back of her head. She was glad that it was Liberty, who didn’t have the heart to pull the trigger. An involuntary smile spread across her face as she stood up and fixed her dress. She vowed to kill Liberty at a later time. I’m going to murk that bitch, just for pointing a gun at me, she thought, just before she let out a chuckle.
She reached into her cleavage and pulled out her cell phone. She was about to call Jacob to instruct him to meet her in the back alley with their driver so she could leave. Her vision was slightly blurred as she tried to look at the numbers on the phone, so she squinted her eyes and began to push the buttons. That’s when she saw the headlights of a car coming down the alley. She noticed the black-tinted Escalade creeping. She smiled when she saw the car service’s name on the front plate.
Jacob must have already called the car, she thought as she began to walk toward it. The truck stopped right in front of her, and she heard the sound of the doors being unlocked. Dahlia climbed into the backseat and began to tell Jacob what had just happened. She didn’t even think to look at him—bad move. She looked at the driver and noticed that it wasn’t the same driver she had earlier. She then noticed that someone was in the passenger side in all black with a ski mask on. She tried to scream, but the person next to her muffled her. It wasn’t Jacob; in fact, it was a Caucasian man she had never seen in her life. The man placed a rag over her mouth, and Dahlia instantly realized that there was chloroform on it. She tried to fight back, but the man was extremely strong, and she was no competition. Dahlia began to black out, and within seconds, her whole world faded to black.
* * *
Baron headed to the airport and looked over at Liberty, who sat in the passenger seat. He understood the rules of the game and knew that he should have taken care of Dahlia. Liberty was no murderer, but he had to give her a chance to end her beef. He knew that she was playing with fire by not killing Dahlia. He had already made up his mind to handle it for her. He just wanted to make sure she was on the plane and safe. He had decided to kill Dahlia and go back into hiding across the border. He had no more business in the United States. He had found closure with his son through Liberty, and that was all he wanted. He had established more than enough connections for Liberty and had talked to old associates at the ball, and Liberty had an open line of credit for anything she needed. Baron pulled up to the airport and parked at the drop-off area.
“Go home, Liberty. I have a few things to take care here before I leave,” he said. “I will be giving you a call soon with some contacts for you and your guys. Everything is taken care of.”
Liberty nodded and leaned over to hug him. “Thank you. Thank you so much,” she said as she gripped him tightly.
“No, thank you. Thank you, daughter.” Baron unlocked their embrace and smiled at her.
Liberty returned the smile and got out of the car. Baron watched as she faded into the airport. He quickly threw the car into drive and headed back to the ball. He had to get back and find Dahlia.
Baron cruised through the L.A. streets in the rented Range Rover with his gun in his lap. He drove hastily en route back to the ball. Just as he was passing a crossway, a black truck pulled in front of him. Boom! He T-boned the other car. The loud sound of the collision echoed through the air. The two vehicles were the only ones on the road, and there were no witnesses in sight. Baron slammed on his brakes, causing his tires to burn rubber and leave skid marks on the pavement, but it was too late. His gun slid off his lap because of the sudden stop. Baron’s airbag exploded, temporarily stunning him as the white balloon struck him in the chest and face. He took a second to compose himself and checked to see if he was OK. He had not been injured; he just was a tad discombobulated.
“What the fuck?” Baron yelled. He had braked just in time, and if he hadn’t, he might have died. He breathed heavily and took a minute to calm himself. He stepped out of the car to mak
e sure the other driver was OK. Just as he stepped fully out of the car, three black vans pulled up out of nowhere, boxing him in. He was being ambushed. The sliding doors of the vans popped open, and goons dressed in all black with automatic assault rifles hopped out. He was overmatched. Baron put both of his hands up in defeat.
“Fuck!” he yelled, knowing that he was helpless. He instantly thought it was the feds, but he was wrong. There was nothing federal about the masked men, one of whom walked up to Baron and stuck a needle in his neck, injecting him with some type of serum. Immediately, Baron collapsed. The men quickly picked up his limp body and tossed him into the van.
EIGHTEEN
THE SOUNDS OF HEAVY BREATHING WERE THE only things to be heard in the room. Baron felt that he was bound to a chair and couldn’t move his limbs. He slowly came to and felt as if he had been heavily drugged. The sounds of other people chatting became more coherent as he came to. He heard different voices all asking where they were. It was complete chaos as everyone tried to figure out what was going on.
“Where the fuck am I?” a female voice asked.
“I can’t see anything! What’s going on?” said a man.
“Whoever is behind this! Untie me right now!” said a man with a heavy Spanish accent.
“Please, help!” someone screamed.
This only confused and scared Baron even more. There was something over his head, and he saw nothing. It was absolute darkness. He tried to analyze the situation. He spoke, and his low baritone caused everyone to temporarily shut up.
“Listen! We can’t figure this thing out if everyone is talking. So let’s all relax and talk this out,” Baron said calmly.
He tried once again to yank free from the chair, but it was to no avail. He came to grips with the fact that he wouldn’t be able to free himself.
He took a deep breath and then continued to speak. “I was driving, and I got ambushed. Guys in masks jumped out on me, and then I remember everything going black,” Baron said as everyone listened.
“That’s exactly what happened to me, Baron,” a female voice said as she also tried to release herself from the bondage.
Baron knew that the voice sounded familiar; he just couldn’t put his finger on who it was.
“It’s me, Anari,” the woman said. Anari Simpson. The woman who could make it snow, heavy in Miami and a member of the Supreme Clientele drug syndicate. Baron was at a loss for words. There was definitely a connection between them. Now they needed to find out who else was in room.
“My name is Carter . . . Carter Jones,” a man said. “The last thing I remember is waking up and seeing two masked men over me. I was in Spain, hiding. What the fuck is going on?”
“I’m Dahlia, and the last thing I remember . . .” Dahlia began to speak but was interrupted by the sound of a large door being opened.
Everyone froze, not knowing what to expect next. Some of the most controlling, powerful people were in that room, but ironically, none of them had control over what was about to occur. The sounds of shoes clicking on the floor echoed throughout the room. Every single soul in the room was on edge, and the anticipation was thick. It was as if they could hear one another’s heartbeats. The clicks got louder and louder, and eventually they stopped.
The pillowcase was pulled from Baron’s head, and the bright lights of the room amazed him. He looked around and saw that he was in a spacious room with marble floors. The artwork on the ceiling was elaborate, something like he had never seen before. The hand-painted ceilings were beautiful and high. Baron then looked at the huge, beautiful round oak table with a gloss that shone like no other. He sat at it, along with five other people who had pillowcases over their heads still. Baron was confused and amazed at the same time.
The man began to untie him, and Baron looked at the unfamiliar face and asked, “What’s going on?”
The man freed Baron and smiled. “Hello, Baron. Please stay calm, for I will explain what is going on.”
Baron rubbed his wrist and tried to relieve the discomfort in his joint from being tied up.
The tall, slender African American man began to untie the others, one by one. He was fair-skinned, with low-cut hair. He stood tall and had warm eyes.
“I apologize for having to bring you all here in this fashion, but it was the only way. Please do not be alarmed. I am not your enemy.” The man had a smooth, relaxing voice. He spoke loudly and clearly; most of all, he spoke with confidence.
Once he uncovered everyone, there was complete silence. Everyone looked around the gigantic room and admired the black and white checkered floors and stunning paintings on the walls and ceiling. It was something none of them had ever seen before. It was simply amazing.
They all wanted to say something, but no one did. All that was heard was the slim man’s voice and the sounds of everyone’s movements. The slim man walked to the head of the table.
“Every single one of you has been handpicked. Every single one of you was specifically selected to help me and my organization achieve our goal. All of you are considered to be the best at moving narcotics, and we felt that you could help us move a new product.” The man looked each one of the patrons in the eyes as he talked. He moved his hands elegantly as he spoke clearly. He grabbed everyone’s attention, and they were itching to find out what all of this was for. He was about to tell them. “If anyone wants to walk out the door, you have the right. A car will be waiting outside and will take you to a private jet. That private jet will take you anywhere you want to go, and you will never hear from my people or me again. The choice is yours.” He paused for a second and waited to see if anyone wanted to leave.
“Keep talking,” Anari said as she clasped her hands. She set them on the table and leaned forward, obviously very interested in what the charming man had to offer.
“I agree. I want to hear more about this,” Baron added.
Everyone seemed on the same page, so the man in front gave a slight grin and continued. “My organization is a society that works together to achieve a common goal. As African American men, we have seen others do this on a massive scale and control the country. It’s time to tip the scales and restore the order,” he said with conviction. He placed both of his hands behind his back and slowly began to circle the table.
“My organization has created a drug that gets you as high as cocaine, and after the drug fades, it relaxes you like heroin. It is taken orally, and get this: it’s not a health risk. There is no downside to the drug. It doesn’t affect your health or your organs, or burn cells in the brain. A natural drug that gives you the high that you desire. It also gives you the libido and desire of a twenty-one-year-old student on spring break. All in one pill. Of course, we could take this public, but once the USDA gets a hold of it, the generic knockoffs would be on the streets in literally weeks. This would crumble our market and destroy our purpose. There is an exotic plant in India called the rebe flower. This particular flower is the only strand in the world, and we are the only ones who have access to it.” The slim man stopped at the opposite end of the table.
“I want to take the time to introduce everyone here. To my left is Baron Montgomery. We’ve been looking for him for months now. He was one of the biggest drug distributors in the Midwest and is known for negotiations and business savvy.
“To the right of him is Carter Jones, head of the cartel of Miami. Son of the late Carter Diamond. He is young and aggressive and has the leadership qualities that the youth flock to.
“Next we have the one and only Anari Simpson. I have to be honest with you, I am impressed. She single-handedly entered the ranks of the elite and is believed to be worth more than a billion dollars . . . street money.”
“You betta believe it,” Anari confirmed as she looked down at her manicured French tips cockily. The whole room burst into laughter and lightened up.
“I told you, she’s a keeper,” the slim man said, smiling and giving her a wink.
“Next we have Dahlia. Our African
connect and our way to the five families in Africa. We want to use your connections to expand to your homeland.”
Dahlia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, not sold on the idea. “What can you do for me? Why do I need to help you? I’m doing just fine on my own. I have the African mob behind me. I am above this,” she said, letting her greed and power trip take over.
“Like I said before, this is optional, and we are not begging you to be a part of this thing of ours. It was just an invitation,” the slim man said calmly. “With all due respect, of course,” he added, not wanting to offend anyone.
Dahlia looked across the table and saw the man who had set her up to be killed, just twenty-four hours before. She shot him a look that was deadly. If looks could kill, Baron would have been dead right where he sat.
“I’ll pass. With respect, of course,” Dahlia said sarcastically, and she slowly stood up. She was already planning how she would kill Baron for attempting to set her up.
“Well, thank you for your time, Dahlia. Sorry to have inconvenienced you with the sudden abduction. I wish you nothing but the best. The door is just to your rear.” He politely waved his hand toward the exit door.
“I’ll see you around, Baron,” Dahlia said sarcastically as she looked at him with a menacing scowl. She then turned and headed out the door.
Baron knew she would be a problem, but he was more interested in what the man at the head of the table was proposing. He would handle Dahlia later. Baron liked what he was hearing and saw the bigger picture.
“Well, now that we have handled that, shall I continue?” the man asked. After getting nods from the group, he continued.
“Everyone, meet Millie,” he said as he pointed to one of the two ladies in the room. “We have been watching her for years. Her game is heroin, and she has established a great track record in moving street product. We need that. We want to put this drug into high society in America but also on the street level.
