by Ashley
* * *
Niggas sayin they outside
Send the addy … we gon slide
Air it out when we arrive
The song’s strong 808 drums resonated throughout the venue and the vibrations were felt with each thud. The energy in the building was electric. Charisma, also known as “Ris,” sat in the front row of the show with the long runway a few feet above the audience. It was the world-famous New York Fashion Week. One of the most sought-out urban designers held a star-studded private event. All of hip-hop’s finest and all the social media influencers were in attendance. Charisma was brown-skinned with flawless skin. His five-o’clock shadow beard was perfectly lined up on his face. Cartier frames sat on the brim of his nose and his neatly twisted braids were pulled back tightly. He wore the latest Louis Vuitton silk shirt, which was open and exposing his impeccable physique, as well as the waistband of his Versace underwear. A number of gold chains were around his neck and diamonds flooded his Medusa’s head charm. His Rolex sparkled in the light as the cameras flashed away, and the rumbles of chatter began to get louder and louder. Ris had been personally invited by the new designer. As Ris sat front row, his goons were scattered throughout the venue as they always were. Ris and his crew were like wolves because they traveled in packs at all times. Ris was the leader of the notorious crew called “Zoo,” a young pack of savages that had made a strong name for itself. As youngsters, they had been known to stick up everything moving in New York. Ris had smartened up and transitioned his crew from stick-up kids to party promoters. Ris had a dominant presence in the streets of New York and now with his new move to Miami, he was growing more powerful there as well. One wouldn’t guess he was a homosexual. However, Ris wore his sexuality differently than what society was used to. He had no feminine energy whatsoever. He was one hundred percent man, but his sexual preference was men. Ris was as rough as they came. The world had just made him cold on females and he didn’t have an interest in them. Ris was an alpha male with a deep, raspy voice and a calm about himself that instilled fear in his opposition. Ris was different …
“Yo, you got a call coming in,” Dirt said as she handed him the phone. Dirt was slim with short golden hair. She had golds in her mouth and seventy-five percent of her body was covered in tattoos. Her childlike face was the only part of her body not riddled with artwork. Her bright green eyes and high-yellow skin gave her a bizarre, weird look. She was so awkward looking that it was beautiful. She was also being courted by some of the biggest fashion agencies in the country. But that was the least of her concerns. She was having too much fun being a criminal with Ris. She was addicted to the rush of robbing … fuck the money; it was the criminality that she lusted for. She was one of one. She was also his best friend.
Ring!
Ring!
The phone continued to ring in Dirt’s hand and she looked down at the name. It was a good reason she had Ris’s phone. He never carried one because he hated to have the bulkiness of the device fucking up his Italian fitted clothing. Everything was always smooth and neat with him—from his appearance to the way he talked to the way he executed anything he did. No wrinkles. No flaws. The only thing he made an exception for was the gun he always kept discreetly tucked.
“Send ’em to voicemail,” Ris instructed nonchalantly as his eyes stayed focused on the runway and its models.
“It’s Ash,” Dirt said with a look of concern in her eyes, knowing what she meant to him. Almost instantly, Ris put all his attention on the phone screen, confirming his friend’s name on display. He had been worrying about her after the last time seeing her in Miami. Ris immediately grabbed his phone and walked toward the restroom where he could hear her over the loud music.
“Hello?” Ris said in his deep, raspy voice.
“Ris…”
“Where have you been? Are you okay?” Ris asked with genuine concern for his friend.
“Hey, yeah, I’m good. I had to leave Miami. Shit was getting too crazy,” Ashton said, explaining her unannounced disappearance.
“I’m just glad to hear your voice. I didn’t know what to think.”
“It’s a long story … but check this out. I need you to come see me,” Ashton said, clearly wanting to get straight to business.
“Say less. Where you at?”
“Houston,” she answered.
“Oh, so that’s where you disappeared to?”
“Yeah, had to shake Miami … long story. But I need you here. Something came up. You hear what I’m saying?”
“Yeah, loud and clear. I’ll be there in the morning. I’mma jump on a red eye and I’ll be calling you in the A.M.,” Ris said, immediately agreeing to come and see about his dear friend. There were no questions on his part. Ashton felt relieved on the other end of the phone knowing that if all else failed, she always had one killer on her team. Solid.
“Nah, I need you to drive, bro,” Ashton said, dismissing the option of traveling by air. Ris immediately knew what time it was. He had to drive there because he had to come with artillery.
“Copy. Be there in a few days. Call you when I’m a few hours out.” Ris smiled and ran his tongue across his perfect, pearly teeth. Nothing got him more excited than gunplay.
“See you soon,” Ashton said just before she disconnected the call.
Whenever Ashton called, he would come running. She was the only woman who could make him move like that. Ris didn’t play about her and he already knew something needed to be handled by the tone of her voice. Whatever it was … he would handle it.
Ris returned to his seat, but now he was disinterested in the runway before him. He wondered what Ashton had gotten herself into while in Houston. He knew he couldn’t ask over the phone, so he would be hitting the ground as soon as possible to get to them. He was willing to shake the whole city of Houston up on behalf of his love, Ashton.
Back at the office, Sutton watched Ashton sit her phone down.
“Ashton, who did you just call?” Sutton asked.
“Our problem solver,” Ashton replied with a smirk. She was bringing her sisters into her world, where she was comfortable dwelling.
* * *
Forty-eight hours later, just as promised, Ris was pulling up to the LaCroix Group’s offices. The sisters were all, once again, in Sutton’s executive suite. Honor was looking out of the window at two black Sprinter vans pulling into their parking lot. All the windows had smoked-out tint and the faint knocking of the speakers sent vibrations, making the office windows slightly rattle. Honor watched the sliding doors open. Immediately, men began to hop out and she noticed that they all looked fly. It looked like a rap video was about to happen. The only things she saw were designer threads, gold chains, and weed smoke flowing from the cars. As the wolves exited the vans, they began to shake out their legs and arms, stretching their limbs. The effects of the long drive obviously had everyone tight.
They all stood around as if they were waiting on something or someone; and after a few seconds, out came a tall, well-built man with two big braids neatly twisted to the back of his head. He wore black Ferragamo loafers, black slacks, and a black mock turtleneck. He looked like a model rather than a stone-cold killer.
“Oh Lord,” Honor said as she placed her hand on her chest and studied the specimen of a man stepping out of the van. Her heart fluttered. She hadn’t seen a man so beautiful in her entire life. His rugged face totally contradicted his stylish attire and it immediately turned her on.
“That must be Ris,” Ashton said while smiling, knowing the gravitational pull of her close friend. She walked over to the window to peek out and saw the circle of wolves talking among each other while Ris stood over to the side and straightened his clothes and fixed his collar. She smiled at his smoothness and effortless charm.
“Charisma,” she said under her breath.
“Sutton, Gadget … come look at this tall glass of water right here. Goddamn,” Honor said as she felt a tingle between her legs. The girls walked over
to the window to get a glimpse of what Honor was gushing about and they immediately understood where she was coming from. Once they reached the window, it was clear who Ris was out of the bunch without Ashton having to tell them. He looked like he’d stepped directly out of the pages of GQ. The big, black rose tattoo on his neck gave him thug vibes that were appealing to any woman with a pulse.
“Oh my…” Gadget said as she tilted her head to the side and crossed her arms.
“Y’all some hoes,” Sutton said playfully as she glanced out and shook her head. They all burst out laughing at her remark and watched as the crew entered the office.
All of Ris’s crew stayed in the lobby. Only Ris and Dirt came to Sutton’s office after the receptionist directed them there. They heard Ris walking down the hall, his chains swinging back and forth, making jangling sounds echo through the hallway. His hard-bottom loafers clicked on the floors, creating a movie-like entrance to the office. Dirt was two steps behind him wearing a distressed-denim outfit and oversized designer shades. She had no undershirt on, so her small breasts showed at some angles. She was definitely a fashionista like her big homie and it showed. They were dripping with swagger and had young energy that couldn’t be described as anything more than … fly.
“Hello, ladies,” Ris said as he stepped in the door and scanned the room. His confidence took over the office and Honor was mesmerized. She then understood the window view did him no justice. Up close, he was much more handsome, and she was lost for words. His six-foot-something frame made him loom over them and his perfect smile seemed to lighten up the room. His Cartier frames had a light tint to them, but they were still able to see his big pretty eyes and bushy eyebrows.
“Ris,” Ashton said as she lit up and approached him. He opened his arms and embraced her, slightly picking her off her feet.
“Hey, baby girl,” he said and hugged her tightly, rocking side to side. His shirt slightly rose, exposing the black Glock on his waist secured tightly by a black Ferragamo belt. He then slowly placed her back on her feet and looked around at the other women.
“These are my sisters,” Ashton said as she focused on her sisters who stood around the desk. “Sutton, Luna, and Honor,” she said, pointing to each of them individually. Ris calmly walked over to each lady and shook their hands, giving them all his undivided attention and eye contact as he shook each one of their hands. Honor was the last one he greeted, and she gave him bedroom eyes and giggled as he scooped her hand.
“I’m Ris. It’s a pleasure to meet you, beautiful,” he said smoothly as he ran his tongue across his top row of teeth and grinned. Honor immediately felt her pussy begin to get wet and it was obvious that she was flirting. As they shook hands, she ran her thumb over his knuckles and held on for an extended amount of time.
“Oh, you didn’t get the memo?” Ris said smoothly as he stared in Honor’s eyes. He looked back at Dirt and Ashton and they all began to laugh together, obviously sharing an inside joke.
“Memo?” Honor replied, not catching his drift.
“I like what you like,” Ris said as he gently pulled his hand back. Dirt and Ashton were having a good laugh as they waited for Honor to catch on.
“Wait, huh?” Honor asked.
“I’m gay, love,” Ris said confidently with his raspy tone.
“Get the fuck outta here. You’re shitting me,” Honor said as she stepped back, crossed her arms, smiled, and looked him up and down. She couldn’t believe this hunk of a thug was homosexual. Ashton smiled and stepped forward with her arm entangled with Dirt’s.
“Nope, Ris is on our team,” Ashton said playfully. She turned her attention on Dirt and introduced her. “This is Dirt.”
Dirt stepped forward and pulled off her big glasses, exposing her beautiful eyes. She gave them her gap-toothed smile and all their attention went on her openly displayed nipples, which were pierced. Her boldness was foreign to the sisters. They all shook hands and then Ashton invited her friends to sit down. Dirt stood by the door and Ris and the other girls all sat at the board table.
“Listen, my sister said that you could be of assistance to us,” Sutton said, cutting straight to the point as she sat directly across from Ris. He was hesitant before responding, not used to talking this openly about criminal activity. He looked at Ashton before he responded.
“She’s good. You can trust her,” Ashton assured him as she nodded her head in confirmation as she spoke.
“What do you need?” Ris asked as he focused his attention back on Sutton. She pulled out a file and placed it in front of him. Sutton opened it, exposing pictures of three gentlemen and their whole profiles. That’s when Gadget interjected.
“These are the entire rundowns on each person involved. This person to the far right,” she said as she pointed to the middle-aged Caucasian male pictured. It was a headshot of him in a Navy SEAL uniform, obviously while serving. She continued, “He died two days ago, by way of an explosion in the ocean. These other three are our targets. These are their home addresses, personality profiles, and social media direct messages,” she said, giving him candid access that he had never seen before.
“What the fuck? This crazy impressive,” Ris said as he looked closely and was shocked by the intel that they had.
“My sister Gadget is a beast,” Ashton added, giving praise to her tech-savvy genius of a sister.
“Gadget?” Ris asked confusedly, the name not sounding familiar.
“Oh yeah. That’s Luna … we call her Gadget sometimes,” Ashton explained.
“I see,” Ris replied.
Sutton stood and slowly paced the floor as she began to speak. “We have connections to these people and shit’s about to hit the fan. We need to cut the cord that connects us with them. We cannot let the authorities get to them before we do.”
“Say less. Give me a day or two to get the drop on them and it’ll be taken care of.” Ris smoothly closed the file and held it up. Almost on cue, Dirt walked over and grabbed the file and Ris stood and fixed his clothes.
“We will pay fifty per,” Sutton said as she walked over to her desk and grabbed the white envelope filled with money. She picked it up and gently patted it in her palm. “Half now and half after the job is complete,” she said.
“Nah, your money is no good. Ash is my family. This one is on me,” Ris said as he tapped his chest, causing his rings to bang against his gold chains, causing a clinking noise. Sutton looked at Ashton and playfully frowned as if she were highly impressed.
“Is that right?” she said with a grin. For the first time, she understood her little sister had connections that she was unaware of. She was charmed.
And just like that, Ris pecked Ashton on the cheek and swiftly exited. You could tell by the look in his eyes he was now locked in. He was there to handle business and his focus instantly shifted to those three people inside of the folders. They had work to do.
* * *
The sun was just rising, and birds were chirping. The morning dew was on the leaves and on top of the blades of grass. A modest, midsized home sat on a corner in a quiet neighborhood. It was a peaceful, serene sight from the outside. However, hell and total chaos were about to ensue inside.
Ris sat patiently on the floor of the front closet near the home’s entrance, waiting for the owner to return. Some would be uncomfortable in the small space, but Ris was used to it. He had laid in bushes for hours to get a job done. This one was no different. He was determined to tie up this loose end for Ashton.
He looked at his watch. It was almost showtime. He stood and comfortably leaned against the wall with his gun in hand, waiting for the last target to enter. He had been keeping a tail on the three men for the past three days and within that time, he had learned their patterns and discovered this man was a jogger. He ran every morning at 7:00 A.M. Ris had carefully timed his entry into the man’s home while he was temporarily away. Ris had paid the other two divers visits earlier that morning. Needless to say, they were no longer of thi
s world. Ris had been on a killing spree that day, knocking them off one by one. He couldn’t wait to take care of this last one so he could go back to New York and catch the last few days of Fashion Week. He decided to do this final hit solo because the target lived in a gated community and multiple people entering would have thrown up red flags. Ris was high on moving smartly, so he had left the wolves at the hotel.
Ris wore all black and a ski mask was rolled on top of his head. Even in crime, he made it look fashionable. His tight-fitting sweater and slacks were YSL and the slacks were by the same designer. It was accented by a gold belt buckle that showcased the company’s logo. Ris didn’t care if he was on a runway or a murder run, he would always be chic. It was a guilty pleasure/addiction, but it was also his signature.
Ris heard the doorknob turning and quickly tightened up. He gripped his gun hard, holding it up as he peered through the crack in the closet’s door. With his free hand, he rolled his ski mask down, hiding his face. Only his brown eyes and full lips showed through the openings. He slowed his breathing and remained still as he watched the man enter the home. As expected, the diver was in jogging attire and sweaty. Ris closed his eyes and said a prayer as he always did before a hit. The man began to lock the door behind him and that was when all hell broke loose.
Boom!
A loud thud sounded, and the diver flew back as the front door swung open. Two intruders forced their way in, guns high. Without hesitation, the first gunman put a bullet through the diver’s chest. The muffled sound of the gunshot meant a silencer. There was only a grunt from the diver as the bullet pierced his sternum. The two men moved swiftly to stand over the dying man gasping for air. Ris watched closely from the closet, trying not to make any noise. What the hell was going on? Here he was in the middle of a hit and he had stumbled into some other shit.
