“No, no, Doctor. Not Madam Lourd. Not Madam Lourd!” Ivy shouted and moved away from Blood. She ran up to Dr. Garcia. “There has to be something you and your team can do. Like my daughter said, we can pay for the best doctors in the world. You have to keep her alive. Please!” The last thing Ivy wanted to do was lose the one woman who was a real mother to her. In her eyes, Madam Lourd was the glue that kept the Palace together. “Please!”
“Ms. Ivy, I’m sorry for the pain you and your family are going through. But it’s out of our hands. The only thing we can do is make Ms. Lourd as comfortable as we can.”
Ivy broke down, and Blood rushed to her side again. He looked at King, who still had no emotion on her face. He wished it were King that he was holding, not Ivy’s cougar ass. But he didn’t have much to worry about, knowing that once his plan was carried out, King would be eating out of the palm of his hand. His focus went back to Ivy.
“Shh, Ivy, it’ll be fine. Come out of the room for a while.” He looked at King. “I got her.”
King nodded and watched as Blood and Ivy left the room. That left her, Madam Lourd, and Dr. Garcia alone.
“So there’s nothing that can be done, Doctor? Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Okay.” King reached into her Gucci purse and pulled out $20,000. “Make sure she is very comfortable and redo this room within the next twenty-four hours. I want the room styled in old Hollywood, glam mixed with chic.” She gave the doctor the money.
Dr. Garcia nodded.
“And one more thing, Doctor. I want her talking in a few days. Is that clear?”
“Ms.—”
Without warning, King took her long nails and scratched him on his right cheek.
Dr. Garcia held his face and looked at her as if she were crazy.
“Is . . . that . . . clear?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” King looked at Madam Lourd, then back at the doctor. “Talk to you soon, Doctor.” After that, she left the room.
She walked over to the waiting room and saw that Ivy had calmed down. So had Blood. They both stood up.
“You okay, King?” Blood asked.
“Yeah, I’m good. I’m ready to go home.”
“Me too,” Ivy said, still shocked and tired.
King flicked her hair back. “Okay, but first I have to go to the restroom.”
She walked off and went into one of the private restrooms, making sure the door was locked. She looked at herself in the mirror. Visions of Madam Lourd flooded her mind . . . All good memories of Madam Lourd teaching her everything and loving her unconditionally. Now, part of the love she had next to the Santiagos was dying, and it was one thing she couldn’t fix. After thinking of today’s events, tears rushed to King’s eyes, and she broke down crying. She fell to one knee and felt as if her world were crumbling in front of her. She hated feeling weak, but at this point, she didn’t give a damn. Madam Lourd. Queen Mother . . .
Chapter 42
Timing
For the next few days, things around the Palace were crazy. King, Ivy, and Blood spent a lot of time at the hospital every day, making it their second home. They wanted Madam Lourd’s last few days on this earth to be as pleasant as possible. No one in the Palace could believe what was happening to Madam Lourd. She was like a surrogate grandmother and aunt to all the escorts in the Palace. They all prayed that she’d get better quickly. And even without King’s presence, the escorts continued to work on their clients in honor of Madam Lourd.
With King being more at the hospital and not taking care of her affairs, she had Blood handle her business, which he did with pleasure. It gave Blood, Blood’s business partners, and Santana time to organize their plans to bring down King, once and for all. He even loved the state she was in over Madam Lourd. Though King didn’t show it, he knew she was going to flip out over Madam Lourd’s death. And she would run into his arms, and he would be her Superman.
Not only were Blood and Santana plotting against King, but also it gave Swag and Josie time to formulate their plan to escape. They spent days planning every little detail down to the day they intended to run, how they would arrange it, and discussed what they would do for money. Josie had that all handled.
With King gone, she had stolen some of Madam Lourd’s jewelry, King’s jewelry, and Josie took some of hers that had been gifted to her. She even had some of King’s bank account numbers. In one of the accounts, she found $50 million. She created a new bank account under a fake name in Paris, France, and had the money transferred over there. Swag couldn’t believe that Josie was so sheisty, but then again, he could believe it by her being around King for so many years. So, of course, Josie was going to pick up a few tricks from the crime trade.
Without King guarding them, Swag and Josie got to know each other even better. They’d spent many breakfasts and dinners alone, enjoying each other’s company and getting closer by the day. Everyone seemed to go their separate ways. Even Santana and Tyler hadn’t been seen in days. It worried Swag that everything seemed to be going so smoothly, but he still kept a positive mind, believing that he and Josie would have their happily ever after.
Chapter 43
More Changes Are Coming
Swag and Josie were in his room, a place they’d been all day since King was at the hospital with Madam Lourd. They could also relax and sneak a kiss without King knowing.
They talked as they listened to music and played gin rummy. They discussed their plan to leave within twenty-four hours. Josie had everything set up from the airplane tickets to their fake passports, and the stolen goods she had hidden in her dance studio, along with her cat. She was scared shitless and didn’t know what the outcome would be. Nevertheless, she was excited that she was going to the place her grandmother and mother had wanted to go for many years. She was glad to say she was the next generation that was going to Europe to be a star. Swag looked over at Josie and could tell her mind was in another place. He couldn’t blame her because they both were about to escape this nightmare.
“Ma, you good?” Swag asked.
Josie snapped out of her trance and looked at him. “Yes, Swag. I’m just excited and nervous that I’m finally leaving this beautiful nightmare and that I’m finally going to be living my own life. No more blood, pain, drama, or King.”
Swag felt her on that one. “True.”
He put his hand on her thigh. Josie loved Swag’s soft, tender touch. She loved her idol, Josephine Baker, but she knew she wasn’t bisexual. Even after the night with Swag and King, she wasn’t into chicks. Josie was strictly dickly and loved the touch of a man. She started to get turned on by Swag’s touch and shot him a seductive smile.
Swag chuckled. “What’s that smile about, baby girl?”
She leaned in to kiss him and put her hand on his jock. Swag was all for it. Josie turned him on, and he was ready for a do-over.
“Swag, this is our last night in this house. I want to make the most of it.”
“How’s that?”
“I want you to make love to me. Right here and right now.”
Swag swallowed the lump in his throat. “Now?”
“Yes. I want you to make love to me now. I ain’t on no lesbian shit like on my birthday. I’m strictly for the beef. I want you not to fuck me, but make love to me. Make me feel good.”
Swag was in a loop because he hadn’t made love to a woman since Zaria—when they were on good terms. All he’d done to females was screw them and got out. The other worry was his suite was next to King’s and across from Blood’s room. Either one or both could catch them in action and kill them. He brushed off his worries and said, “Fuck it.”
It was their last night in San José, Costa Rica, and what better parting gift to give King and Blood than the smell of their lovemaking. They kissed, fell back on the bed, and were ready to get it in.
If Josie and Swag only knew that Blood was outside in an unmarked car, watching all the footage, giggling, waiting for th
e shit to hit the fan—and was ready for his game plan to begin.
* * *
At the hospital, Madam Lourd was in the final moments of her life. The tubes were out of her mouth. She opened her eyes, looked over at Ivy and King, and tried to stay awake. But at this point, she was tired of suffering and wanted it all to end. Her eyes shifted around the room that was almost identical to her apartment back in the Palace. King could tell Madam Lourd was happy. She looked at King, held out her hand, and painfully cleared her throat.
King rushed over and took her hand. “Do you need your doctor?”
“No, no, child. I just want to look at you for one last time.” Madam Lourd touched the side of her smooth face.
To King, her hands felt like icicles. But she was going to make the best of every moment she spent with her grandmother. “Madam?”
“Yes.”
A tear rolled down her face—something she always tried to hold back since she was a kid. King turned her head, but Madam Lourd turned her face and made her look at her.
“It’s okay. Let them flow. This is the most beautiful I’ve seen you in a long time.” Madam Lourd didn’t see her as King, but as the child she once was.
“I love you, Grandma, or should I say, Mother? Because that’s what you were.”
Madam Lourd chuckled. “I love you too, child. Be careful and stay hardhearted.”
King closed her eyes and let the tears come down. She felt Madam Lourd’s hand fall. The machine’s lifeline was flat. Madam Lourd was no longer part of this world. And out of nowhere, King’s screams filled the room. It woke up Ivy and the entire floor.
Ivy rushed over to Madam Lourd’s bed and couldn’t believe her mother and mentor was dead and gone. Ivy, along with her child, screamed and cried hysterically until the doctor rushed in.
* * *
After almost two hours of screaming, crying, and hugging, King and Ivy got themselves together and left the hospital. They took the car back to the Palace, but not with their greatest treasure. King needed to take a nap and a Xanax. She tried to call Blood, but he wasn’t picking up. She even tried calling Santana, but he didn’t pick up either. She figured he was somewhere sucking off Tyler. Still, she couldn’t believe this shit. The main person she needed the most had gone ghost on her. She didn’t want to look like a punk when she went back to the Palace, so she wiped away all the tears and tried to fix her makeup.
While on the ride to the Palace, Ivy’s cell phone rang. King looked at her, hoping it was Blood or Santana.
“Hello,” Ivy said with a concerned look on her face. “Yeah, uh, okay. See you soon.” She hung up and put her phone back in her bag.
King looked at her mother with suspicion. “Who was that? Blood or Santana?”
Ivy was a nervous wreck. Not only did she have to deal with the loss of Madam Lourd, but also her crazy-ass daughter and the call. She was rattled, but she remained calm.
“That was one of my little toys who’s in town and wants to meet up. To be honest, after all of this, my kitty kat needs some relief today.”
King winced and looked at her with disgust. She thought that after Madam Lourd’s death, Ivy would start acting like the real mother she needed. To King, her mother was always going to be 16 in her mind and chasing after the youth she was never going to reclaim again.
When they finally reached the Palace, the driver opened the door for them. King got out and looked back at her mother. “Are you coming, Ivy?”
Ivy cleared her throat and was nervous as shit. “No, I’m going to go to the mall and get me a nice outfit. Maybe even get my face beat. I’ll be back soon.”
King just shook her head and sighed. “Okay, have a good time.”
Ivy chuckled. “I always do. I love you, King.”
King’s facial expression changed. It was the first time in years that she’d heard her mother say those words. But being the emotionally unavailable chick that King was, she turned and headed to the door.
Ivy looked at the driver who closed the door. She whispered, “Goodbye, my child.”
As the car sped away, Cleo opened the door for King.
“Thank you, Cleo,” King said.
He could tell by the look on her face that Madam Lourd was gone. A tear slid down his face. King patted him on his back before going inside. Things inside looked as if it were business as usual in the Palace. Her girls and guys were fulfilling their clients’ wildest fantasies. Watching all this eroticism was getting King turned on and almost making her forget about the passing of Madam Lourd. King was moist between the legs, especially after she saw one of her celebrity clients, a basketball icon with a few businesses under his belt, getting dicked down by a transgender escort. King smiled for two reasons. One, thinking if only the media knew about this American sports hero, and two, this scene was totally turning her on. King looked at the transwoman’s penis and needed some dick. She needed some type of relief, after what she’d been through the last few days. She wanted Swag inside of her. He was the closest she was going to get to Zeus Santiago, so she got on the elevator to get her future man.
* * *
“Aaah, yes, yessss, Swag,” Josie crooned as Swag was inside of her. He took his time with Josie and didn’t want to go porn star on her like he’d done on her birthday. He wanted to feel her on a physical and mental level. As they made love, they felt like one. They were wrapped in each other’s arms with sweat raining down their bodies.
* * *
As soon as she got off the elevator, King smelled a funky scent. She looked at Blood’s and Swag’s doors, wondering which one of them was having sex. She figured it was Blood. After all, it couldn’t have been Swag. Just to be sure, though, she went into her room and looked at the monitor. There was no sign of Blood in his room, so she turned on the one in Swag’s room. What she saw put a sour taste in her mouth. At first, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but the realization came when she saw Swag and Josie in the room next to her making love. King’s heart stopped beating for a moment. She was enraged and couldn’t stop gritting her teeth. She pounded her fist on the table as her thoughts flew all over the place.
Those bitches. All the lies and the deceit. I knew it! I knew it! They waited for me to leave to make their move. King’s face appeared distorted, she was so mad. Why does he even want her? He could’ve had me! Someone sexy and powerful. That little bitch, Josie. I took her out of Haiti and gave her the life of a princess. And this is how she repays me? To think I was going to give this little backstabbing bitch my empire. I should’ve brought her up and made her a slut like she is.
King’s thoughts were everywhere. She had been through too much today, and this betrayal was the last straw. Now, all her plans with Swag had gone to shit. At first, King wanted a good dick down, but now, all she wanted was the taste of her favorite treat: blood. King wanted to cut, slice, and stab them both. She wanted to eat their organs and swim in their blood to absorb their energy. She snatched her drawer open and pulled out her gold gun and old switchblade.
“Somebody’s about to die,” she said, storming out of the room. She was ready to create a massacre that the Palace would never forget. “No one fucks with the king—ever!”
* * *
After their lovemaking session and not aware of what was coming their way, Swag and Josie held each other’s sweaty bodies. They were relieved, and their emotions were everywhere. Swag felt like a teenager again who had just lost his virginity to his sweetheart. Even Josie felt like she’d lost her virginity again, but this time, the right way. She felt so connected to Swag, more than ever. And she was even happier than ever that she was running away with him to Paris. They looked into each other’s eyes and smiled.
“I love you, Josie,” Swag said, kissing the tip of her nose.
Josie got bright-eyed and giggled. “I—”
Her words were cut off when a gun went off. Both of them jumped up with huge eyes. They saw King standing in front of them with the golden gun poin
ted at the ceiling.
King’s eyes stayed glued on them. They couldn’t believe they didn’t hear her coming. She’d sneaked in on them like the leopard she was. She put on her Miss America smile and questioned Josie.
“Didn’t I always tell you it’s better to be feared than loved, my child?”
Josie’s heart was beating fast. She was speechless, so Swag cleared his throat and answered for her.
“King, baby, this ain’t what it looks like.” He tried to work his charm on her as he got out of the bed. But before he could make another move, King pointed her gun at him.
“Get your ass back in the bed.” She pointed the gun at the wall next to him and shot a hole in it. Swag hurried back in the bed and kept his mouth shut.
King paced the room without taking her eyes off them. She wanted to vomit at the sight of these lovebirds.
“You lying, sick muthafuckas. After all I’ve done for both of you, this is how I’m repaid? Fucking behind my back, even after I told you two to stay away from each other.”
“Ma, I mean, King, we’re not toys you can play with and put back on the shelf. We’re people, and we do what we want!” Josie shouted and stood up to King for the first time.
King mean mugged her while waving the gun around. “So, it’s King now, is it? Not the mother that loved and raised you like you were my own?” King pointed the gun at Josie, but she ducked. “Another thing, you little bitch. You’re whatever the fuck I want you to be. And what I want you to be now is dead.”
King cocked her gun, but with quick thinking, Swag took one of the pillows and threw it at her. She dropped the gun. It went off and put a hole in the closet.
“Run, Josie! Run!” Swag yelled.
Josie snatched the covers off and ran toward the door. King stopped her with a switchblade in her hand. King wanted to slice up Josie’s pretty little face. She waved the switchblade around, toying with her.
“Come on, you little bitch.”
“Fuck you!” Josie stood her ground, but she was still scared.
Hardhearted Page 27
