The Black Kiss Of Death, page 1
part #1 of Montega Chronicles Series
© 2018 The Skyler Publishing Group
Revised Edition
Published by The Skyler Publishing Group
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Any unauthorized reprint or use of the material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage without express permission by the author or publisher. This is an original work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Contains explicit language & adult themes suitable for ages 16+ only.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my two daughters, Zahiyah and Zariya. There’s no crown on this earth that you don’t deserve. And, even though the sun sets and night falls, you two will forever shine in my eyes.
To all the people who are gone, but not forgotten: Brian, Mookie, Don, Tay, Putt, Aunt Stacy, Lonnie, Toya, Shaq, and my grand-pops, Richard Smith.
And, to all the females who continue to struggle in a man’s world, but still manage to keep their heads held high and succeed. This one’s for y’all.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Special Thanks
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Epilogue
About the Author
Join Skyler Publishing Group!
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Acknowledgments
Life is so precious in a world where death knocks on your front door, night and day. Therefore, I want to thank God first and foremost for giving me the awareness, will-power, and strength to wake up and face another day in the life of reality.
Next, I want to thank my AK (Shakita Banana) for staying by my side on those long, lonely nights when I was looking for a cure for a hustler with a death wish. You kept me safe in a concrete jungle when wolves were on the prowl searching for victims.
Shout out to Shabree Nicole White for giving birth to my two crown princesses, Zahiya and Zariya, and being strong enough to take care of them by herself while I sat behind hell’s gates waiting for an opening. Bree, you’re the best!
Special Thanks
Special thanks to Alexis Elena and Dominique Price. Another special thanks to the women who once, or still, have my best interest in life, starting with my grandmom, Mary Smith, to my mom and the CEO of Between Men and Wolves, Bernadette Prater, Tasha Washington, Katifah Bundy, Makeyda Jones, and Shabree White. If I failed to mention anyone else, it was because I couldn’t remember your last name. No hard feelings, though.
To my two little brothers, Marcus and Michael Prater, my Aunt Donna, and my cousin, Corinna.
Last, but not least, a special thanks goes out to Shaunta Jones, Deveryn Epps, and the rest of my family at Skyler Publishing Group. Thanks for your dedication, commitment, and belief in me. This book is the beginning of the hunt, so, for all you lost sheep out there, BEWARE OF THE WOLF!
“Every gangster has a story.
And, every story has a beginning.
This is our story.”
Kenny Montega
Prologue
“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty,” a voice said just before Diamond felt cold water splash up against her face and body.
As she painfully gasped for breath, her eyes opened to see that her arms were over her head and her wrists were duct-taped to the pipes hanging from the basement ceiling. She was also without her shoes and shirt. The only thing she had on was a pair of blue denim Alexander McQueen jeans and a black LaPerla bra.
As she looked over her shoulders, she saw Bain dangling upside-down, quiet, but alive. Before she could speak to him, the muscular African-American dressed in all black back smacked her to reality.
“That was for this,” he said, pointing to his broken nose and swollen black eyes.
Diamond looked at the rest of the men standing behind him and smirked with sarcasm. Some had bruised faces, others had bruised egos. Before she could say something that would surely get her killed, the door upstairs opened, and a darker man who looked like he ran with the Ape Gang appeared.
Defiantly, she stared the man with beady eyes down. He frowned and asked in a raspy voice, “What is your name?”
Diamond never flinched, nor did she respond. The man looked at his enforcer and gave him the signal while stepping back.
“With pleasure,” the man with the broken nose said, stepping up.
He struck her in the stomach with an uppercut, then in the side with a hook, ensuring that she had no air to breathe.
“Now, I will ask you again. What is your name?” the beady-eyed man said, louder than before.
When Diamond was finally able to inhale, she curled up her lip with disgust and spit dead in his eye. This time the beady-eyed man needed no help from his men. He returned Diamond’s remark with a hard slap to her face. Before she could cooperate, he punched her in the stomach. Embarrassed, he wiped what he could of the spit from his face and grabbed her by her long hair, pulling her head back.
“You think you’re big shit, bitch, huh? You think you can use those pretty lips of yours to get your way out of this? I’m here to let you know it’s over.”
“If I ever get out of here, I’m gonna kill you so quick your heart will still be trying to function with that tiny brain of yours.” Diamond threatened.
The man laughed as he looked at his soldiers, who were amused, as well. “When the boss gets here, the only one doing the killing will be me. Since I hear you like to kiss, you can kiss your pretty ass goodbye in a few minutes.”
As he released her hair, he struck her in the jaw again with his closed fist. His cell phone rang in his pocket. The man pulled it out and answered it. After speaking briefly, he closed the cell phone and looked at one of his men. “Go let the boss in,” he ordered.
Diamond could no longer hear the man talking. Her mind was somewhere else. She was dazed by the punch, but she still held her ground. She knew she was going to die, but there was no way that she would give anyone the satisfaction of seeing her beg for her life. She had remembered hearing a story about a man who once tried to kill her father. When he was captured and placed into the same sort of scenario as she was, he, too, held his ground to the very end. The next generation hadn’t changed one bit. In fact, it was worse. Diamond’s mind was in a daze, thinking about her life from the moment she was born, in search of where it all went wrong.
Chapter 1
27 YEARS AGO
SALIDEEN CARTER
Out in the wide fields of Cuba, a large Boeing 737 cargo jet touched down on the dirt strip and came to a complete stop near the tall grassland. As the back hatch began to open, a black limousine approached, followed by an entourage of armored SUVs and pickup trucks. These vehicles housed a small fleet of henchman, armed with fully automatic assault rifles. With them, was the Cuban drug lord, Diego Elcano. Together they approached the plane.
It was a bright, warm and windy day in Cuba; one of the best days Diego had seen in years. Out of the mouth of the jet stood a half-black, half-Saudi man who sported a thick, dark beard and curly hair. He wore white linen with cream, crocodile skin cowboy boots. Diego smiled as he extended his arms. “Salideen,” he greeted.
The short Cuban gave the young man a hug and a pat on the back. “So, what did you bring me today?” Diego asked as Salideen’s men began pulling the crates and cases out of the plane.
“Come, take a walk with me, Mr. Elcano. There’s something I would like to show you,” Salideen said, throwing his arms around the short Cuban’s shoulder and leading him over to the new supply. It was obvious from the man’s behavior that he and the Cuban had a good rapport with each other. No one normally would dare get that close to the boss.
Salideen opened the crate to expose the mini AKs inside. “These are AK-74s. They shoot at rapid fire, jus
Elcano was impressed by the lightweight machine gun. “Do you have ammunition?” he asked.
Salideen pulled out a fully loaded clip and handed it to Elcano. He stepped back and watched as the Cuban took out the empty clip and replaced it with the loaded one. He pulled back the lever and slid a bullet in the chamber. He looked at one of his men. Once the others saw who he was focusing on, they moved out of his way, leaving the lone man out in the open. Elcano aimed quickly and fired the powerful weapon, almost cutting the henchman in two.
“Beautiful,” he said, inspecting the smoking torch.
“I knew you would like it,” Salideen replied. “Now, over here is something much meaner.”
Salideen opened another crate to expose a giant machine gun that almost looked like an anti-aircraft gun. “This is the .50 caliber Gatling gun. It has a revolving eight-barrel gas compressor.”
Elcano’s eyes really looked hungry for blood now. “Do you have ammunition?” he asked.
All his henchmen nervously looked at each other then at their dead colleague on the ground.
“I’m afraid I didn’t bring any .50 caliber bullets with me, but I promise you I’ll send them, just as soon as I get to where I’m going,” Salideen assured him.
A big wave of relief came over the men after hearing that. Once the men were done conducting business, Elcano had the money loaded onto his plane. “So, tell me, my friend,” Elcano said, walking with Salideen, “how is everything going?”
“Pretty good, I guess. Right now, I’m on a big paper chase.”
Elcano chuckled. “Just like your father. If only you would settle down and marry my daughter. Think of the power we can obtain.”
“I know. But like I said before, Pearl is a beautiful young woman, and she deserves the best. I’m not that guy. I’ve still got a lot of growing up to do. And, faithfulness is something that is not on my list.”
Elcano nodded. “That’s why I respect you so much, my young friend.”
“What about Castor? His family has been in control over in Colombia for a long time. Now, he has inherited his family’s business. He would make a great ally,” Salideen suggested.
“Yeah, but for some reason, I don’t trust Colombians. Nonetheless, I believe this is the only choice I have.”
Just then, Salideen’s satellite phone rang. “Excuse me, Mr. Elcano, I have to take this,” Salideen said.
“By all means, I’ll just have my men load these things up on the truck.”
Sal answered the phone. “Hello?”
“When are you going to bring your butt home?” a sweet voice said on the other end.
“I didn’t know that I had a home in Philadelphia,” he replied.
“Don’t get smart.”
“Brenda, why do you have to be so demanding?”
“Because I miss you,” she whined.
Salideen smiled. “Well, if you miss me so much, why don’t you get on a flight to Vegas so we can spend some time together?”
“Vegas? Why can’t we spend some time here?” Brenda questioned.
“Because I’d rather have you in a hotel than -- ”
“Than the ghetto. You know what?” Brenda interrupted with an attitude.
“Come on, baby, don’t be so defensive. Look, come to Vegas. Please.”
“No,” Brenda snapped.
“I’ll buy you a new fur coat,” he bribed her.
There was silence over the phone for a few seconds before Brenda huffed, “When do you want me to leave?”
Salideen gave her the time and place, and then ended the call.
Once Elcano and his men grabbed all the merchandise, Salideen twirled his index finger in the air signaling for the pilot to start the engine.
“Let’s wrap it up!” he shouted to his men.
Within seconds, the engine of the plane came to life. Five minutes later, Salideen and his men were preparing for take off on a trip to Vegas.
Chapter 2
CHARLES WHITE
On the docks of Los Angeles, Charles White and his crew waited for the Russian Mafia to show with the two kilos of cocaine that they planned to purchase. It was a quiet night; a cloud of fog had blanked most of the area. Charles, who was only 19 at the time, checked his watch once more. In his hand was a briefcase. Ordinarily, $34,000 wasn’t much for a man with such a big appetite, but all the robberies, high-jacking, and extortion schemes that nearly got them all killed in the past had made him appreciate that kind of money.
When two cars pulled up, six Russians got out, along with their boss. He kept his distance because his wife was in the car. In fact, the fog was so thick, he was almost invisible.
“Do you have the money?” the Russian asked with one hand stuck inside his black, full-length, wool coat.
He was an up-and-coming lieutenant who went by the name of Zelinski. His demeanor was the same as Charle’s, perhaps even worse. As much as Zelinski didn’t care for blacks, he knew he had a job to do.
“Yeah, it’s right here,” Charles replied, holding up the briefcase.
Charles didn’t like Russians. To him, they were dangerous and sneaky. He dealt with them because no one else would. Everyone knew that Charles and his gang were cut-throats looking for a come-up. With fear came caution. The Russians, however, were the only ones tough enough to deal with him.
“Bring the money to me,” the Russian commanded.
Charles looked at his good friend, Sam, then at the Russians. Taking a deep breath, he approached the limousine where the men were. When he got there, one henchman checked him to see if he was armed. Finding nothing, they allowed him to proceed.
Zelinski,” Charles said, extending his hand.
The Russian mob boss didn’t return the gesture. “How much is in the briefcase?” Zelinski asked.
Charles didn’t let this discourage him. Instead, he smiled before placing the briefcase on the hood of the limousine and spinning the code to the lock. Once the briefcase clicked open, Charles raised the case to expose a chrome .45 Smith and Wesson. Zelinski’s eyes bulged when he saw the gun and no money. As Charles grabbed the gun inside, one of his men opened up on the Russians with an assault rifle and chopped them down like lumber.
Zelinski turned and tried to flee, but Charles put a chokehold on him from behind and placed the gun to his temple. “Where do you think you’re going fatso?” Charles said.
“What do you want?” Zelinski asked.
“For one, you can get the fuck in the limo,” Charles commanded as his crew approached with guns in hand. “Check the vehicle. Find the work so we can get out of here.”
His crew did just that. As Charles opened the door, the woman inside screamed, so he dipped into the back seat and smacked her with his gun. “Shut up, bitch, before I leave you stinking out here.”
“Do as he says,” Zelinski instructed.
Charles sat in the back seat with his gun on both of them.
