A Deadly Encounter
Published by KR Bankston at Smashwords
Copyright © 2008 KR Bankston
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Acknowledgements
Because there is none other worthy of this high honor, I give all thanks and praises unto Almighty God, without whom my destiny would never have been revealed or fulfilled. Thank you for the gift, the talent, the covering, the protection and the love. Without you I am nothing and I acknowledge you.
To my loving husband, thank you baby for telling me to “sit down and write something” (smile). Thank you for putting up with my moods, for dealing with my issues, for encouraging me, for supporting me, for holding me and protecting me, sometimes from myself. You are my heart and I love you dearly.
Big Dee Dee, my road dawg, my partner in crime, one of my best friends. Thank you for being who you are, a wonderful daughter, and a never ending source of joy. Thanks for all the goofy songs, crazy dances and strange facts you kept supplying me with. Thanks for being my second set of eyes, for always being honest with me and never letting me give up. You are my spirit, and long after I’m gone, in you I’ll ever exist.
A very special thank you Mr. E. Lynn Harris. Thank you for taking the time to answer all my questions and emails. For giving me sound wisdom and advice, for encouragement when I felt like giving up. Continue to keep the beautiful aura you have surrounding you. I’m still very much an avid fan!
For my all my girlz who’ve had my back and pushed me forward, Thanks! Joni, my BFF, Cathy, my friend and e-mail partner in crime (smile), Nikki, my drum major of inspiration, The FishBowl crew, my personal cheering squad!
Thank you to NYCita and Urbanizd Skillz, for making all my joints unique and special. I really appreciate all of you.
Thank you to the fans, past, present and future for taking the time to read my novels and support my effort. I am eternally grateful and give you all the highest kudos realizing without you, the effort would be in vain.
Lastly, of course this wouldn’t be complete without an acknowledgement to all the haters and naysayers. Thanks for all the whispering, for all the snickering when you heard me say I would be published one day. For all the negativity you spouted about the project and its success. You all fueled my fire and made yourselves my ladder and I thanked you with each step. Keep on hatin’ and keeping on snickering, I still need more height on this ladder of success that I’m climbing.
A Deadly Encounter
By K.R. Bankston
For you Big Daddy,
the sun that brightens my way,
and for you Miss Finesse,
the ocean that calms my spirit.
1
Today was busy like any other day at Le Bistro, the trendy upscale restaurant that opened a couple months ago. Adrian was pleased with the pace, which meant more tips that he could really use. Le Bistro featured an appetizing array of American, Italian, and Mediterranean cuisine. It was a favorite meeting spot for a few of the major power brokers, minor celebrities, and those who had money, or wanted to rub elbows, with those that did.
“Who is that?” Dezi one of Adrian’s customer’s asked, glancing at the woman sitting with her friend as Adrian poured his iced tea.
“That’s Taea and Kayla. They’re regulars,” Adrian answered, glancing toward the table where the ladies sat.
“Hmm, Kayla is a very sexy lady,” Dezi replied, also looking their way taking in the woman’s flawless complexion and wavy black hair.
He and his partner, Eric Greene aka Dirty, were enjoying a casual lunch at the eatery.
“Yes, they’re real cool ladies,” Adrian said.
Dezi Gianni, aka Devastator, could simply be described as a work of art. He stood a formidable 6’2” with a muscular build. He was an immaculate meld of Italian and black, with a sparkling smile that dipped into dimples as deep as pools. He was also the head of the most vicious crime cartel in the state. Unfortunately for Adrian, he wasn’t interested in him at all. Pity, he thought, he would have loved to be this man’s special friend.
Adrian sighed to himself, as he went to the kitchen to pick up Devastator’s order.
“I guess if I had to lose his attention to someone, I’m happy at least that it was to Kayla,” he muttered under his breath.
*****
“Hey heffas!” Adrian exclaimed playfully, to the two beautiful black women seated in front of him.
“Who you calling heffa, heffa?” they both asked simultaneously, laughing out loud.
This was typical of Taea and Kayla, two of his favorite customers. They were always nice to him, not making rude comments about him, like some of his other customers did when they thought he was out of earshot, and they always left him a great tip.
“There are a couple of big ballers checking ya’ll out from one of the VIP tables,” Adrian said casually, looking back over his shoulder.
“Oh, really? And how big of a baller would they be?” said LaTaea Shontrell Everett, the more outgoing of the two.
Taea wasn’t afraid to ask questions or speak her mind, no matter the subject. With a creamy, chocolate complexion, she sported a short-coifed style. She carried herself with pride, dignity, grace and plenty of attitude, but she wasn’t mean like some sisters could be. She had the perfect hourglass figure.
Mikayla L’Nae DeWitt, the quieter one, was an exquisite combination of Hawaiian and black. She had beautiful long, black tresses that complemented her caramel complexion, and big, sparkling light brown eyes. The successful businesswoman of the two, Kayla was an independent broker who had her own capital. She had a petite frame with everything in the right place. She was sweet as can be, maybe too much for her own good sometimes.
The both made Adrian’s day every time they came in. “Well, they got it going on, I can tell you that,” he said smoothly to Taea, still wishing it was him they were looking at instead.
“What exactly does that mean? They own something?” Taea snapped back, in a way that only she could.
“Yeah, they own a whole lot of stuff, and stackin’ plenty of paper,” Adrian answered her laughing.
“They ugly?” Taea fired again.
“Oh my God, Taea, you are so crazy!” Kayla said, almost spewing her iced tea across the table, laughing at her friend’s question.
Taea gave her a look that said what?
“They both sexy as hell and, to be honest, I wish one of them would holla at me! Shoot!” Adrian replied almost petulantly. “But I’ma be real with ya’ll, they dangerous.”
*****
“Where the hell is that damn slow-ass waiter?” Dirty complained.
He was second in command for the deadly cartel, referred to as The Clique. He earned his nickname from his days on the street, when he would do anything to get by, undeterred by consequence. A little rough around the edges, Dirty was the opposite of Dezi. He was slimmer with a darker complexion.
“I need some more to drink and I want dessert,” he continued, getting more impatient. This muthafucker is working on getting hurt, Dirty thought.
“Relax, he’s down there with the ladies,” Devastator replied.
Dezi had been in the game since he was a youngster, hanging around the drug dons and mafia bosses of his old New York neighborhood. He’d left New York when he was19, building quite an impressive empire in his short seven-year reign here in his new home.
He earned his nickname from several women who got their hearts broken after falling for his smile. He was also a cold-blooded killer who had devastated many families over the years. Devastator always liked to kill three or more at a time, it mattered not which gender. He took pleasure in seeing the fear and pain of his victims as they watched their friends and loved ones die. Men or women, they were all the same to him. However, he drew the line with children because he had a conscience. At least, that’s what he told himself to keep himself sane.
Devastator sat back and studied the object of his attention. She was totally captivating to him.
“I’ve got to get to know her a lot better,” Devastator chuckled, as he sipped his tea, and looked her over again from head to toe. He was thinking how easy it would be to carry her around the room while he was having sex with her.
*****
“Girl, can you get a good look at them?” Taea asked Kayla, who was facing the VIP table.
She wanted to make sure they were at least pleasant to look at. The last time they had gone on a blind date, the guys looked like a pair of gorillas. Not a nice memory at all, Taea thought and chuckled.
“No, not really,” Kayla replied as she tried to casually look up at the table and see the occupants. “All I can see is like a basic outline; they both look like they’re fine as hell, but looks can be deceiving.”
They both laughed, thinking of the blunders and total losers they’d said that about before. Taea and Kayla might have appeared to be two of the least likely people to be best friends. But they clicked and were like sisters, despite their differences.
Taea was all the family Kayla had. With her mother’s side denying she exists and her father’s thinking she had First National Bank stamped on her forehead, Taea was the only person who treated her well. She didn’t ask for anything, and was always straight with her, even when it hurt.
Kayla was very leery of men when it came to romance. Put her in a boardroom or on the trade floor, and she was on. Love was something that always left her hurt, broken and alone. She’d just gotten out of a relationship a year ago that left her drained and guarded.
Kayla loved Chris with all her heart, thinking he was truly the one, even giving him her virginity. He was a broker like she was, ambitious and on top of his game. Good looking, athletic, cultured, kind, and faithful. Well at least, Kayla thought he was faithful, until she caught him in bed with his office assistant. She thought she would never get past the pain and want to live again. She’d felt so stupid, but Taea was right there. She’d helped her cuss Chris out, berate him, and bleach his clothes. This made her laugh out loud and Taea looked at her like she was crazy.
“What in the hell is you laughing about girl?” Taea asked.
Kayla told her about the bleach incident and they both broke into long gales of laughter all over again. She often wondered what she would do without Taea being there for her. It sent a chill down her spine. It was a question Kayla didn’t want to ever have to answer.
“Anyway, if you’re through strolling down memory lane,” Taea interrupted her thoughts again, “Do you want to tell Adrian to ask them what they wanna do?”
Kayla thought a moment, admitting to herself and Taea, that she was curious.
“You should be, hell, you ain’t had none in how long now?” Taea teased, laughing at her friend.
“Oh shut up, will you? Good grief!” Kayla laughed. But she was right, which made it even funnier.
“OK, when he comes back, we’ll tell him to go see what’s up,” Kayla said.
*****
“Sorry about the delay ladies.” Adrian said, as he put Taea and Kayla’s orders before them.
“You know its cool Adrian,” Kayla responded with a smile. “You all right? You look kinda upset,” she asked gently.
His usual warm smile had been replaced with a cold, deep scowl.
“Who ass we need to kick?” Taea chimed in.
Adrian smiled then and told them he was fine, just some personal stuff he was dealing with, thinking back to the phone call he’d just received from his lover.
“You can always talk to us if you need to Adrian. We’re not just your customers; we want to be your friends too,” Kayla said.
Adrian looked at her and then at Taea.
“Thanks, I will keep that in mind,” he told them.
“Now, what you two heffas want me to do about the ballers?” Adrian asked, trying desperately to lighten the mood and change his thoughts.
“Ask them what they wanna do,” Taea instructed him, giving him a look that said: you know what to do.
“All right then girl, I am on my way,” he responded, and left for the VIP table
*****
“Well damn, it’s about time,” Dirty growled, thoroughly pissed now and ready to really inflict some bodily harm on Adrian.
“Bring me some more fucking lemonade, and I want a strawberry shortcake,” he ordered in a no nonsense tone.
“I’d like a tea refill myself man, and what about the ladies?” Devastator said pleasantly.
Adrian turned to him then, God, he thought to himself, Why couldn’t the other one be like him? Hell, at least he’s still civil.
“They asked what y'all wanna do,” Adrian said addressing Devastator, totally ignoring the still fuming Dirty, not wanting to piss him off more by looking the wrong way. Devastator flashed that million-dollar smile and Adrian wanted to melt into those pools in his cheeks.
“Tell them we want to go to The Industry,” he replied without missing a beat.
The Industry was one of three clubs that was owned and run by The Clique. It was the most trendy and upscale of the three, with all the professional, celebrity, and athletic crowd making it their place to enjoy the party.
“Tell them to be there at 10:00. We’ll leave their names at the door and they’ll be escorted to VIP, where we’ll be,” Devastator finished, his mind already working hours ahead.
Adrian nodded, thanked them for their dessert orders and left to complete his mission.
“So what you want with this one?” Dirty asked. “You usually just pick up one from the club, do your thing and move on. So what’s up with this one?”
Devastator paused for a minute thinking to himself before responding to his friend. That was one helluva good question Dirty just asked. There was just something about her. He couldn’t put his finger on it exactly, but it was there. He wanted to do more than just hit it. He actually wanted to get to know her.
“I’m not sure yet,” Devastator replied. “Something’s just different about her.”
Dirty thought about that.
“Well, her friend is cute enough, and got a nice body,” Dirty replied. “Hell, I’d do her, so it won’t be a total loss of the evening.” He laughed thinking of the fun he was going to have later that evening.
It never occurred to him that he might not get lucky. He was Dirty. Either they gave it, or he took it, but either way, he got it.
*****
“OK, here’s the deal,” Adrian was saying when he returned to their table to talk to them about the plans for the evening. “They want to go to The Industry. They want ya’ll to meet them there at 10:00, they’re going to leave your names at the door.”
“And then what?” Taea asked suspiciously. She wasn’t going to spend an evening at The Industry being stood up or left on the dance floor.
“They are having you escorted to VIP, where they’ll meet you,” Adrian said. “But remember what I told you earlier and be careful,” he looked at them hard.
Kayla wasn’t really keen on this whole date thing, especially after Adrian filled them in on who these guys were. This was unfamiliar territory for her, and Kayla really didn’t like being out of her element. But she would go because Taea would want to go; they were inseparable. “Well, ain’t much they can do to us at a public club,” Taea countered, knowing Kayla was internalizing it. “We just wanna talk to them and see what’s really up. So tell ‘em it’s all good.” She looked at Kayla.
“Hey, Adrian, why don’t you come down to the club, too?” Kayla asked him. “We could actually hang out, and get to know you outside of work.”
Adrian thought about what his evening was undoubtedly going to be like after his earlier phone conversation, and told her he’d keep it in mind.
“That’s cool,” Kayla replied, a little disappointed.
“Yeah, we’ll be looking out for you heffa!” Taea giggled to him.
Adrian laughed himself. He took their checks and his tip, which was good as usual, and told them goodbye, as he went to the VIP table to let them know the evening was a go.
*****
“Was everything all right?” Adrian asked, again looking directly at Devastator, not sure of Dirty's mood.
“Yeah, everything was straight,” Devastator replied, flashing that million dollar smile.
He has got to be the most cultured killer I’ve ever seen. Everything about this man suggests class, finesse, even Wall Street; not the drugs, guns, prostitution, gambling and murder, which he knew was exactly what Devastator did, Adrian thought.
“What was the verdict from the ladies?” he asked, snapping Adrian out of his thoughts.
“They said it was all good and they would be there,” he replied smiling.
This again elicited a smile from Devastator as well as a hundred-dollar tip with his check.
“Thanks man,” Devastator said to Adrian, and patted him on the back as he got up to leave.
Dirty simply growled, “Speed your ass up next time!” at him, mashed the check and money into his hand, and left.
Adrian was pleasantly surprised, however, when he opened the folded mess, to find Dirty had also left him a hundred-dollar tip. Yes, he mused, it had been a good lunch rush today.
*****
“So what’s the plan for tonight?” Dirty asked Devastator as they drove away from the restaurant.
They were flossing the Porsche 911 Turbo S today, black with the spoiler, 19-inch chrome wheels, black tint with the windows up, but they had the top down today. They enjoyed all the looks from women as they drove by or stopped at lights.
“Well let’s see what they’re about first,” Devastator replied. “Then we’ll go from there. If they’re just chicken heads or gold diggers, hell we know what to do.”
Dirty joined him laughing, Yeah. Fuck 'em and dump 'em.
“I like the looks of the lil' chocolate one. What’s her name again?” Dirty asked.
“Taea, I think is what old boy said,” Devastator replied.
“That’s a nice enough name. I’ll just call her Tee though, that way I can’t mess up,” Dirty laughed again.
Normally he didn’t care what their names were. They were just sex to him, but Devastator told him they had to be gentlemen tonight.
Dirty didn’t really get it, but Devastator was his friend and he’d done a lot for him over the years. They were tight and he’d never wronged him, so if he wanted this one thing from him, no problem. He would play this little game. Hell it might even turn out to be fun, Dirty thought.
2
Dirty and Dezi had some business to attend to before meeting up with the ladies later in the evening, as they pulled into the parking lot of their private office plaza and entered the building headed up to the top floor. From the casual observer’s point of view, this meeting would look just like any board meeting in any boardroom in America. But make no mistake, the men seated around this table were as deadly as they were intriguing. Devastator was almost ready to call the men to order to tackle that day’s agenda. Dirty was seated to his immediate right, and Monster, his top enforcer and bodyguard, sat to his left. The others were masters of various specialties: prostitution, drugs, money laundering, guns and gambling.
The cartel had no real holdings, but the dummy corporations Devastator created and legally established to launder money from the illegal activities had multimillion-dollar holdings and investments. Both Devastator and Dirty kept their own individual holdings in several off shore accounts making them both millionaires several times over. However, that was their money and they weren’t going to reveal that to any of the Clique members.
The agenda included some house cleaning. There was a hole in the operation. Revenue had been coming up short and locations had been raided. Devastator suspected a leak and told Monster to check it out. The culprit, Bone, had done a fairly decent job of covering himself until he made a fatal mistake of confiding in a woman. This particular woman, Honey, was one in his stable of hookers. She loved and worshipped Devastator, being faithful for years. She had come to him and laid out his whole plan. Then Monster had been sent to check it out, and found it was Bone as Honey had said.
Bone had aspirations of grandeur of taking over The Clique, thinking he was better suited for the job than Devastator because he had been in the game longer. He’d been tipping off the police to locations to raid in exchange for protection of his growing investment. Bone was double dealing with Devastator's suppliers, cutting side deals for himself, thus weakening the flow to the street. He’d even put his own stable of girls on the street to compete with the ones already established by The Clique. Now, having received the report, Devastator knew he had to do what was necessary.
“Gentlemen, lets begin,” began Devastator as he called the men to order. “The first orders of business I want to address are the fluctuations in revenue we’ve been experiencing.”
Dirty was just ready to do the deed, as patience was not his strong suite. He knew about Bone, and he knew what they were going to do. Why do we always have to go around the maypole with this shit, he thought. Dirty loved that Devastator made them money and got them respect, but he often wondered why everything had to be such a long drawn out process with him. Devastator loved the dramatic as much as he loved the bloodshed, unlike Dirty who simply gave it to his victim’s straight, no chaser. Devastator enjoyed the thrill of tormenting his victims and took every opportunity to do just that.
Devastator was still talking. Sounding like the CEO of a Wall Street company, Dirty thought and chuckled lightly.
When he saw Monster begin to move slowly and methodically from his position at the door, Dirty knew it was almost show time and could hardly contain his excitement.
“We have found the source of the problem and have come up with a viable solution to vastly improve it,” Devastator concluded.
As soon as the words left his lips, a single gunshot rang out from Monster’s gun. The .357 Magnum ripped through Bone’s skull, spraying blood and tissue on the members sitting closest to him. Before even realizing he’d been shot, he was dead.
“And that, gentlemen, will end our revenue shortage,” Devastator continued calmly to the horrified men still remaining at the table.
The two unfortunate men, who’d been sprayed, were busy trying to clean themselves off.
Dirty clapped his hands and gleefully said, “Next order of business?”
The men were speechless. They all knew Devastator was nothing to play with and that he had a serious reputation, but they truly had no comprehension of the depth of evil he was capable of. Devastator delegated this kill to Monster, leaving the body for the remainder of the meeting as a reminder to those who may have aspirations they hadn’t shared with him. He and Dirty were in charge and they weren’t looking for any more partners. The meeting lasted another 45 minutes, covering all the tasks they were undertaking for the month. After he was finished talking, Devastator asked for any questions.
Receiving none, he said simply, “Meeting adjourned,” and told Monster to take out the trash lying on his boardroom table.
*****
“Man that was excellent,” Dirty laughed as they traveled on the expressway heading to see a dealer. “Did you see the looks on their fucking faces,”
Dirty was almost beside himself now, laughing so hard that tears were beginning to run down his cheeks. Devastator had to admit he’d enjoyed the show. He always loved it when the plan was right and carried out correctly. That one had been done to perfection.
Now, he was concentrating on the task he and Dirty were on their way to. One of the street-level distributors ripped off the Clique for five thousand dollars. Not a lot of money, actually pocket change for him and Dirty. Devastator supposed some would even wonder why they would personally handle the punishment, given the seeming insignificance of the amount.
He sighed lightly thinking these were the same people who would think nothing of killing someone over a color worn, or a city block they never had or would own. Devastator was a business man, and for any form of mercy or weakness to be shown to someone who’d wronged him, would signal the beginning of the end of everything he’d ever built. It was the principle they were concerned with, and others trying to follow suite. For Devastator, principal was one thing worth killing over.
“What time is this fool supposed to be home?” Devastator asked Dirty, whose laughter had subsided to an occasional chuckle.
“Supposed to be there around 6:00,” Dirty replied. “That’s what Red told me.”
Red was a crackhead, but he was generally accurate in the information he gave Dirty and Devastator about anyone they were inquiring about.
“All right good, that gives us time to get in and set up,” Devastator replied, thinking ahead.
Here we go again, Dirty thought. They were going to kill this guy. Devastator wanted to kill not just him but his whole family, except the kids of course, which didn’t bother Dirty at all. He just hated once again, the theatrics of it all. They arrived at the dealer’s house. No one was home, just as Red told them. They eased around to the back door of the small, modest ranch home, picked the lock and entered the house.
It was a pleasant house for someone making minimum wage at a job. It was furnished nicely with high-end pieces. Way more than this fucker could afford. Probably did it with the money he stole from us, Devastator thought as he looked around.
The house was neat and clean. Family photos lined the mantle above the fireplace. Devastator stepped up to look at them and saw they had three kids, two little ones and a teenage daughter. The mother was a fairly attractive woman, he thought. He chuckled to himself, knowing that Dirty would do her.
Devastator made his way through each room. The master room was theirs he knew. It was neat, bed made and furnished in simple earth tones. The next room was the kids’ room he surmised, finding lots of stuffed animals and Tonka trucks. The last room was the teenager’s. Devastator found posters, CDs, and of course clothes thrown everywhere. This was the messiest room in the house. He chuckled again, thinking he would never allow his teenager to keep their room this messy. There he went again, thinking about shit that didn’t exist. He couldn’t help it, often wondering if he would ever have kids or a semi normal life doing what he did. Now, wasn’t the time to think about that, Devastator thought as he cleared his head and refocused on the task at hand.
After he made sure the house was empty, he began to set up for the evening’s pleasure. He’d brought some of his favorite toys: the straight edge razor, 9 mm chrome pistol, .380 magnum pistol and his brass knuckles. Devastator sat down in the kitchen at the table, propped his feet on it and popped open one of the beers he’d found in the refrigerator and waited. Dirty hated this part. He hated waiting on them to come home, but Devastator loved that element of surprise thing. He loved the look on their faces when they walked in and found them waiting for them. Sometimes, Dirty had to admit he really liked it, too. He just hated the waiting part.
This time he’d brought some chronic. He rolled a fat one and smoked. That would keep him mellow and the target should be home in a few minutes anyway. Then they would have some real fun. Dirty knew the wife and the teenage daughter were good looking. He was horny and he would have him a little fun before Devastator killed them.
Dirty already knew his role here was simply support and having his friend’s back. He knew Devastator loved killing them in groups. It was the one hang up he had. We all got our little quirks, so what the hell, he thought.
Dirty heard the car pull up and looked at Devastator who had that little smile playing on his face. Dirty knew it was show time. They both kept quiet, listening intently. Devastator heard at least five voices that he could pick out, two of them kids. He would get rid of them first, Devastator thought to himself, pulling the mask down over his face. Dirty did the same. The lock clicked and the door opened, the kids running in first, as the adults followed.
As soon as he heard the door close and the lock click, Dirty stepped out of the shadows, glock drawn and hammer pulled back. The woman saw him first and screamed, catching everyone else’s attention and Dirty pointed the gun right at her. She stopped screaming. Devastator grabbed the first kid, who looked about six or seven, and held the chloroform to his nose. He struggled for a minute or two and was out. He repeated the same with the other kid who was about five. Devastator took the kids, one under each arm, and put them in a bedroom, closing the door behind him and propping a chair against it. He walked back into the living room where Dirty had all the victims seated and took off his mask.
The look on the dealers face was priceless. He gasped and immediately began to explain, plead, and beg. Devastator was genuinely amused and laughed. It never failed that they always did this when he showed up. He couldn’t understand it. Why didn’t they just do the right thing in the first place and avoid his visit. Didn’t they know that once he came there was no more space to negotiate?
“What’s shaking man?” Devastator asked the dealer nonchalantly.
Dirty who’d removed his mask by this time, was smoking a cigarette, eyeing the wife and daughter of the dealer.
“N-N-N-Nothing,” the dealer stammered “Man, I was gonna bring yo’ money tonight, I swear it.”
Devastator shot the dealer a no nonsense look. He fell silent for a minute, then began talking again.
“Man I know you gonna kill me, but please let my family go man,” he was crying now. “They ain’t do nothing. I did this man, me.”
That’s when Dirty saw it, and no matter how long he’d been with Devastator it still made him cringe. Devastator’s eyes went flat and cold, his nostrils flared, his voice became low and hard.
He spoke directly to the dealer.
“I’m going to kill everybody in this fucking room, but I’ma save your thieving ass for last. I want you to live long enough to see me kill everything you love,” Devastator told him matter-of-factly.
“I’ma let Dirty here do your wife in front of you. I’m going to make your daughter suck my dick. Then I’ma let Dirty, do her too while you see her cry and scream,” he continued, feeling colder and meaner by the moment.
“Then I’ma beat on your woman for a while, fuck her up real good. Then I’ma kill them, one by one, slowly, and for me, enjoyably, while you watch. The last memory you have, will be of them looking into your cheating, stealing, lying eyes, asking you why you killed them.” Devastator finished up, still looking him in the eye. The dealer was truly inconsolable at this point.
“Man, please, please man!” he cried almost screaming. “Let them go, they ain’t steal yo shit! I did it man! Punish me!”
Devastator looked at the dealer again, but Dirty knew he wasn’t seeing him. Wherever his friend’s mind was right now, it wasn’t in this room.
3
Dezi’s mind was vividly recalling for him images of his first kill, and his mafia mentors Anthony Calucci and Dominic Trapoli.
“Get yer ass ova there and sit down!” Anthony had told the quaking man and his family.
Anthony was Dezi’s hero. He was the biggest guy he had ever seen and tough as nails.
“I’ma teach your ass to steal from the family!” he bellowed to the man again.
Anthony was the enforcer for the D’Gassi family, one of the toughest mafia families in New York. He’d brought Dezi along on this hit to teach him to be a man and groom him for the business. Dezi was 14 years old. With horror and fascination, Dezi watched Anthony and his partner Dominic torture the man and his wife for at least an hour. There seemed no limit to the torment they would inflict. The couple had a teenage daughter who’d held Dezi’s attention the entire time Anthony and Domi were torturing her folks.
“Hey kid, you ever been wit a girl before?” Anthony said after noticing Dezi’s fascination.
Embarrassed, Dezi shook his head no. Anthony laughed again and spoke.
“Hey kid, don’t be ashamed, we all hadda start somewheres,” he said. Anthony looked at the girl hard ordering her to strip and lay on the couch. Anthony looked at Dezi again.
“Go ahead kid, give it to her!” Anthony told him.
Domi laughed and joined in.
“Yeah, do what comes natural, kid!” and threw him a condom. They both were laughing hard. Part of Dezi wanted to be nice to her, to stroke her hair and tell her he wouldn’t hurt her, but he remembered this particular girl. She was one of the ones who’d teased him mercilessly about being a mutt because of his black heritage. She’d taken great pleasure in humiliating him. Dezi would never forget that day or her. The more he thought about her taunting the angrier he became. Dezi put on the condom and plunged inside her, thrusting as hard as he could. Dezi wanted her to hurt like he had that day on the street. He heard Anthony and Domi in the background egging him on.
Dezi didn’t know how long it’d lasted, he just remembered feeling an incredible rush as he came. When he was finished, he got up and spit on her. She was nothing to him, and Dezi hated her for how she had made him feel when she taunted him. She was crying almost hysterically and getting on his nerves.
Anthony and Domi handed him a gun, told him if he was done with the bitch, shoot her. Dezi knew this was the test. If he did this he would be in, but if he did this there was no turning back. He was a killer for the rest of his life. That pondering lasted maybe 10 seconds before he shot her in the chest. There you go, you miserable full-blooded Italian bitch, Dezi thought when he shot her.
“Damn it, kid! You’se a natural!” Anthony was patting him on the back and Domi was there, grinning at him like a proud parent.
“I like that, no hesitation. You gonna go places Dezi!” Domi congratulated him.
He still didn’t know why to this day, but Dezi turned around and killed both the mother and the father. Then again maybe he did. They were the parents of the bitch and had allowed her to taunt and hurt him. They also reminded him of the absence of his own runaway parents with their existence. “Now, that shit is worth you having a drink!” they both laughed and patted him on the back again. “You is a fucking natural!” they both exclaimed again, still laughing.
The dealers sobbing broke his thought and brought him rudely back to the present and the immediate task at hand.
“Stop fucking begging and crying like a bitch,” Devastator said to the dealer. The man managed to control himself to small quiet sobs. Devastator looked up at Dirty.
“Yo’ dick hard yet or what?” he asked laughing.
“Hell yeah! I thought you would never ask!” Dirty replied laughing and reaching for the dealer’s wife.
Terror filled her heart and she began to scream.
“Stop it! No! Leave me alone!” the woman pleaded.
Dirty just laughed, slapped her a couple times and enjoyed ripping her clothes off more.
The teenager was looking at Devastator who was laughing and drinking a beer while his friend was attacking her mother. What scared her even more than the violence happening to her mother was this man's coldness. He had the most beautiful gray eyes but they were void of any emotion. This man was deadly. She wanted to make him like her enough to not kill her. She would do what he wanted, and do a good job, then maybe suggest he put her out on the street or something. Did she want to be a hooker? Hell no, she thought but she didn’t want to be dead either.
Devastator felt the girl’s eyes on him. He looked at her. She was cute for a little girl. He guessed she was about 16. She hadn’t flinched when he said something about her giving him head, confirming his assumption she wasn’t a virgin. She was regarding him with an all too familiar look of fear. Devastator looked her over and decided that if she did a good enough job on him, maybe he wouldn’t kill her. He could always use fresh meat on the street.
He turned his attention back to Dirty who had gotten the woman’s clothes off and was cruelly attacking her. Devastator laughed heartily as the woman screamed from Dirty’s rough assault on her. He turned his attention to other pressing matters as he walked over to the dealer who had his eyes closed and was crying again.
“Open your eyes bitch!” Devastator barked at the man.
The dealer opened his eyes then, but only to look at Devastator.
“Don’t look at me,” he told him calmly. “Look at what you did to your wife.”
The dealer looked over at his disconsolate wife whose questioning eyes pierced him to the core causing the dealer to cry harder.
“Man, stop all that fucking crying!” Devastator yelled at him “You’re beginning to really piss me the hell off!”
Dirty, who was finished with the woman at this point and pulling his pants back up, looked over at his friend because of the alarm this last sentence had set off. Even the teenager jumped. He was angry and she had the feeling none of them wanted to see how angry this man could get.
Dirty walked over to the dealer and slapped him hard across the face.
“Shut yo’ ass up man!” Dirty growled at him in a no nonsense tone.
The dealer grew quiet again and Devastator began to relax and get in his rhythm again, his mind returning from a vivid memory of his own abusive past. That shit was too close, Dirty thought.
“So man, you ready to get that head?” Dirty asked, trying to bring Devastator all the way back to where they were now.
“Yeah I believe I may be ready at that,” Devastator chuckled. “Come on girl, let’s see what you working with. Maybe you can save yours and your pitiful family’s lives, hey daddy!” he yelled at the dealer still chuckling. “Keep your eye on the bobbing head!”
Devastator took a condom out of his pocket, and put that on top of the plastic wrap he’d spread across his lap. He was always extra careful. He eyed the teenager calmly and evenly before speaking.
“Now, if anything in your mind is thinking about biting my dick, my friend will plant a slug in your skull before you can clamp your jaws good.”
She was terrified and simply nodded. She had no intentions of biting him. She was trying to save her life, and she had already seen enough to know he was indeed crazy. She came over to him and began.
She’s actually pretty good at what she does. She wasn’t a pro yet but she had potential, Devastator thought. He lasted a long time before finally coming.
Afterward, Devastator showed no emotion. She was scared, even though she knew he’d come. He’d even made her clean him up afterward, but he hadn’t cried out or moaned when he came. He just pushed her away for a minute, later telling her to come clean him off. Now, he was looking at her like a bug under a glass, making her nervous as hell. She hoped she’d done a good enough job to save her life.
“How long you been fucking?” Devastator asked her finally.
He’s to the point isn’t he? she thought before admitting she’d been having sex for the last couple of years. She saw her father lower his head. He hadn’t known that, neither had her mother, who began to cry again softly. She saw him exchange a look with his partner, then turn his attention back to her.
“You like to fuck?” Devastator asked her again flatly.
She bit her lip to keep from crying. She’d already seen his reaction to that emotion.
“Yes, I like it,” she said with her eyes on the floor.
He and Dirty laughed.
“What would you do to save your life here today?” Devastator asked, looking at her.
That’s a no-brainer she thought.
“Whatever you tell me to do,” she said with out hesitation.
Devastator smiled. He already knew that. They all say the same thing when he has asked. He was still undecided and needed something to do while he thought more. Finally he got up, put on the brass knuckles and went to work on the dealer’s wife.
*****
Dirty sat back, marveling at his friend’s handiwork. Devastator loved beating on people and the muthafucker was good at it. The woman screamed a lot in the beginning, but now whimpered like a whipped dog. Devastator worked her over pretty well, closing one of her eyes and opening cuts on her face and arms. He hit her so hard in the kidneys she’d pissed herself. The dealer had been begging and pleading with him to stop hurting her, which only made Devastator laugh and hit her even harder and longer. When he was finally spent beating the woman, he sat down, took another swig of his beer and looked at the weapons on the table. He would kill her now Dirty knew. That was his style. This time Devastator did something that surprised even Dirty.
“Yo man, hand me the salt outta the kitchen,” Devastator told Dirty.
“What the?” Dirty said.
Still, he got up and went to get what Dezi asked for. He gave the salt to Devastator who poured a generous amount in his hand, walked over to the woman and began to rub it into the open wounds on her.
He was feeling extremely hateful this afternoon, the knowledge given by the teenager fueling his rage and triggering even more memories of his own pain sprinkled childhood. She began to scream again in agony from the burning of the salt on her open flesh. Devastator stood back and laughed. He was really enjoying the woman’s pain as it helped mask some of his own.
Dirty, who was a little thrown at first, laughed too.
Devastator looked at the teenager who had tears in her eyes as she watched her mother, but wouldn’t let them fall. Devastator walked over to the kitchen table and retrieved the straight razor. He walked over to the dealer, who looked up at him, grateful, thinking he was going to put him out of this misery by killing him. Devastator read the man’s look and smiled.
“No playa, this ain’t for you,” his tone colder than ice. “I made you a promise at the beginning of this and I fully intend to keep it.” The dealers face fell as he was close to crying again, but the look on Devastator’s face made him hold back any water he may have wanted to release.
“Please man, I’m beggin’,” the dealer pleaded as he watched Devastator slowly walk toward his now semiconscious wife.
“No man, please!” he kept crying out. “I know I messed up, but it was my mess up man, please! She needs to take care of our kids! Please!” The dealer tried appeal to Devastator’s sense of family. Dirty knew the man was wasting his breath. Devastator didn’t kill little kids, but anyone else was fair game, and now he had that look in his eye. It was time for the plan to come together.
Devastator looked at the semiconscious woman lying on the floor in front of him. Another bitch, he thought, angry at the woman for being with such a weak fucker as the dealer. Angry because she had been such a terrible mother, unaware her daughter had been getting dicked down for two years now. Angry because she reminded him of every other weak woman he'd ever know, including his own mother. Devastator felt nothing but pure hate as he lifted her by her hair and slowly, methodically, slit her throat.
The dealer cried out, even the girl let out a small scream of horror, as the blood gushed from the open wound and the woman vainly tried to still the flow by putting her hands around her neck.
“There you go bitch,” he said under his breath, walking away from the gurgling woman and satisfied with the judgment he'd meted out. “This is your reward for choosing the wrong fucker to lie down with.”
Devastator walked back to the table and picked up the 9 mm, returned to the woman and fired two shots at point blank range into her. The teenager covered her mouth with her hand. Devastator wasn’t sure if it was to keep from screaming or puking.
The dealer was beside himself at this point, all fear gone, seeing his wife brutally killed in front of him, jumped from the chair and tried to grab Devastator. Dirty was on him before he got halfway to Devastator. This made them both laugh heartily.
“Oh, so you a Billy Bad-ass now huh punk,” Dirty asked as he hit the man hard in the midsection, knocking the air out of him. The dealer collapsed back into the chair.
“Hey man, c’mon lets finish this shit. We gotta be at the club, remember?” Dirty reminded his friend, looking at his watch. It was already after 8:00 PM.
They had been at this damn house for the last two hours; and while he’d enjoyed fucking the dealer’s wife, Dirty was ready to get his party on.
“You’re right, I almost forgot about it, I was enjoying myself so much,” Devastator replied, laughing softly as Dirty chuckled.
This fool does enjoy killing muthafuckers, Dirty thought again.
Finally Devastator looked at the dealer and said nothing, walked over to him, placed the gun in his mouth and blew his brains out the other side.
“So, what’s the verdict on her?” he asked Dirty, nodding toward the girl.
Dirty didn’t think they needed anyone else on the stroll, and he honestly didn’t want to be bothered with having to give her the horse, then take her over to Big D, the resident pimp for The Clique, way too much time and energy. He was ready to go get lit and have some fun. Still they could always use the money, so taking a deep breath, Dirty turned to the girl, and told her to get up. She hurriedly obeyed his command, going inside the room with her siblings, hearing Dirty secure the door once more.
They gathered their toys, checked on the kids in the room. They picked up their masks, took the kids from the room and laid them outside on the grass in the backyard.
The teenager they kept close at hand while they returned to the house taking the bottle of liquor from the cabinet, pouring it on the furniture and setting the place ablaze. Then they left.
*****
“Man that was a good score,” Dirty said as they drove down the expressway toward Big D and the house where the girls were kept.
They dropped the teenager off to Big D with one final warning and gave Big D a look that explained everything he needed to know.
Then they headed to Devastator’s mansion where they would shower and change for the club.
“Yeah, truly satisfying,” Devastator replied, his eyes closed enjoying the replay in his mind. “And since I’ve gotten off already, I can be good and patient with Miss Kayla this evening.”
He smiled again when he thought about her. This one was going to be special. He could feel it.
“You remember to be a gentleman this evening,” Devastator said, throwing a look in Dirty’s direction.
“I told you man, church behavior,” Dirty replied, his hand in the air as a solemn oath. They both burst into laughter as they jumped onto the interstate. It was 9:08 PM. They’d cut it close, but it’d been well worth it Devastator thought to himself as Dirty pushed the Porsche to 95 mph and they sped toward the house.
4
“I look good as hell!” Dirty exclaimed, checking out his reflection in the full-length mirror.
He was wearing an Oleg Cassini suit, long coat of course, in his favorite color: black. He wore the matching accessories with a Rolex on one wrist and draped in ice on his fingers, neck and ears. He carried his pocket change, about five grand, in his money clip in his pocket.
Dirty’s mind wandered as he looked into the mirror and he recalled the early days of his and Devastator’s friendship.
They were running dope and numbers for Cobra, who was the top gang boss during that time and was known for not treating his people well. For many, he was the only source of employment, so they tolerated it.
Back then they had different street names, Devastator was Italy and he Dirty was Ghetto. Cobra wasn’t the most creative hustler, so these were the best names he could come up with.
Italy was complaining about working for Cobra one evening as they smoked weed. He’d come up with a plan to liberate them from Cobra’s tyranny and set them up on their own. Ghetto chuckled slightly asking Italy how they were going to pull it off, to which the man had instantly supplied an answer.
Ghetto looked at his new friend like he was an alien. Italy had to be seriously high. He was talking about killing the top gang banger and he was calm and serious about it. Ghetto listened to Italy’s plan and even though he didn’t think it would work, he went along with it. There was something about Italy that made you take what he said seriously.
Three weeks to the day of their conversation, Ghetto and Italy rolled up on Cobra in the middle of a drug deal. Cobra of course had been astounded by their brashness as they held him and the rest of his runners at gunpoint. Ghetto and Cobra began exchanging words, with Cobra reminding Ghetto how he rescued him from the streets after his mother threw him out. Cobra had taken great pleasure in telling all those listening how stupid he thought Ghetto was and how he was nothing and would always be nothing.
Just as Ghetto was getting ready to unload the AK’s clip into Cobra, he heard a boom. He saw Cobra’s head explode and his body crumple to the ground. Italy was standing there, calmly holding the still smoking 12-gauge.
From that day forward, they were partners and most of all friends. Italy never brought up that incident ever again and Ghetto tried to wipe it from his memory.
Six years later, things were still cool between him and Devastator. They’d picked up Monster right after Devastator had taken Cobra’s punk ass out.
Devastator was a unique brutha, too, Dirty thought. He kept his promises and his word was actually as good as money. Dirty had been done in by a lot of people in his life, but Devastator was the one who proved some people really are who they say they are.
Devastator was truly family to him and Dirty knew he felt the same way. He was worried about this new girl though. He’d only seen Devastator that interested in a girl once before and that didn’t work out well at all, to put it mildly. Just go out and enjoy the evening, Dirty told himself. Hell, he ain’t even talked to the girl yet. He may not even like her. As hard as he tried, Dirty couldn’t shake the feeling that this evening and Devastator meeting Kayla was going to be the beginning of the end for him.
*****
“So what are you wearing girl?” Kayla was asking her best friend for the third time.
Taea had changed outfits at least four times since Kayla arrived home from work.
“Girl, I gots to look good, cause if he straight, I might have to keep him for a minute,” Taea responded laughing. “I know you got your own cash Miss Thang, but some of us still need that big baller.”
Kayla wasn’t offended because she knew Taea didn’t mean any harm. It was how they communicated. There was no jealousy between them. She would give Taea the shirt off her back and Taea knew it.
“So are you wearing the blue number I told you to?” Taea asked Kayla bringing her out of her deep thought.
“Yes, but I need to get to the mall,” Kayla answered giving her friend the, I’m- waiting-on-you look. “I need shoes to go with it.”
“Well, why didn’t you say so? Let’s go girl!” Taea called out grabbing her purse. “I’ll just buy me a new outfit!” She laughed as they headed to the door.
*****
They had been through four stores and Taea still hadn’t found anything she liked. It was already 8:30 and they needed to go home, shower, do hair and make up, and be at the club no later than 10:15. Finally, Taea found something in 3-5-7 that she liked. They bought the skin tight, black leather, halter mini-dress and left. They swung through Sven’s and picked up some fierce black pumps to go with it. Kayla already had her strappy blue sandals. Now they were finally ready to go. They made it to the house they shared by nine.
They didn’t become roommates out of financial necessity. Each of them could easily afford their own place. They lived together because they genuinely enjoyed each other’s company and loved each other like sisters.
Kayla still didn’t know how they had done it, but they were showered, dressed, made up and out the door by 9:45. They were speeding down the expressway in Kayla’s silver Mercedes coupe. She loved this car. It was quick and Kayla had a secret love of speed.
It was totally customized, with 18” wheels and the body kit Kayla had designed exclusively for it. The sound system boomed rather nicely and elicited stares and remarks everywhere they drove it.
Taea called it the man magnet. She liked that though because Taea loved guys. Kayla on the other hand was pretty content to just being left alone, although that seldom happened. She truly hoped this guy was not of the typical sleaze pool variety she was always being approached by. Kayla already knew he was dangerous, but according to Adrian, he was drop dead gorgeous.
“What are you so deeply in thought about Miss Thang?” Taea asked snapping her fingers in front of Kayla.
She laughed a little. “Sorry girl, just a little uptight about these guys and the stuff Adrian told us about them.”
Taea looked at her squarely.
“Look, we are going to meet these guys in a very public place, we don’t hafta ever see them again if we don’t want to. I promise not to leave you alone, and I know you got my back, too. Maybe they are gangstas or whatever, but they may treat us like queens, and if that life don’t spill over into the romance, it’s just like any other job a brother may have. Besides, Adrian just wants him for himself,” Taea said and started to laugh.
That was the one thing about Taea, she could always make you see the logic in any situation, whether it was there or not, Kayla laughed to herself. She decided to relax and see exactly what this guy was about. She secretly hoped he was a yes instead of her usual no. Kayla was lonely and she wanted a man in her life.