The Black Kiss Of Death, page 2
part #1 of Montega Chronicles Series
“You’re a dead man. You do know that, don’t you?” Zelinski said calmly.
“I’m the one holding the gun here,” Charles replied.
Just then, a female opened the door. “There’s no money in the trunk, and the driver doesn’t know where it is, either. Should we kill him?”
“No, Bonnie. Tell him to take us back to the mansion.”
“What?” Zelinski said.
“That’s right. We’re taking you to your crib. We know you got something in the safe. You didn’t bring coke, so I’m guessing you guys were gonna rob me. Ain’t that how it goes?” Charles explained.
Part of his suspension was true, only Zelinski didn’t get the green light from the higher up to rob Charles. He got the green light to kill him. Charles had been doing dirt to folks for a long time. His thirst for money was everlasting and his care for consequence was at a minimum. The Russians figured that they would kill two birds with one stone by murdering Charles and making a little money while they did it. Now that their plan backfired, their future was at risk.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Zelinski fussed.
“Oh, I think you know exactly what I’m talking about,” Charles replied.
Zelinski cursed himself for underestimating Charles. He thought it would be fast. But now, he was paying for it dearly.
The limousine pulled off, with Charles’ crew following in the other vehicles, posing as Russians. They entered the gates of the mansion and pulled up to the front, where two men were waiting. As soon as they opened the door, Charles dropped them both with two bullets to the head.
“Let’s go,” he said, before pulling Zelinski out of the car.
The mansion looked a lot like the place where Tony Montana killed his right-hand man in Scarface when he found out that he was screwing his sister.
“Honey, what’s going on?” Zelinski’s wife asked as she approached with a confused look on her face.”
“It’s a robbery,” Bonnie said, snatching her up and putting a gun to her head.
“Oh-my-god! Unhand me!”
Bonnie pushed Zelinski’s wife forward with the gun still to the back of her head. Charles and his crew followed them inside the house where two guards were posted. Without hesitation two shots were fired, killing them dead. Zelinski’s wife cried hysterically. It was the first time she saw death, and it wasn’t pretty.
“Take me to the safe,” Charles demanded, pointing his gun at the Russian lieutenant’s head.
“I’m not taking you anywhere.”
Charles pulled back the hammer of his pistol. “Wait, please don’t kill me,” Zelinski’s wife pleaded, stepping forward. “It’s in the back.”
Charles nodded at Zelinski and smiled devilishly. He gave his crew the signal to escort them down the gallery while he followed. When they got into the cigar room, Zelinski’s wife showed him the safe hidden behind the bar counter.
“Open it,” Charles said with hungry eyes.
“I don’t know the combination,” she said.
Charles nodded to Zelinski. “You open it,” he said, pointing his gun back at Zelinski.
“Fuck you. I’d rather die than give you shit.”
“Ah, so you welcome death and don’t fear it. That’s really stupid, especially for the people you love.”
Boom!
In a flash, Charles shot Zelinski’s wife in the abdomen. The loud noise caused the Russian mob lieutenant to jump. When he saw his wife collapse to the floor, he rushed to her side. Charles aimed at her head to end her suffering.
“Goodnight, my love,” he said.
“No!” Zelinski shouted. “I’ll tell you.”
After getting the code, Charles opened the safe. Inside were stacks and stacks of hundred-dollar bills. They stuffed them into the empty briefcase, along with a small plastic bag. Also inside the safe was a small, black sack with a reddish-orange diamond inside. Jackpot, Charles thought as he came from behind the counter and aimed his pistol at Zelinski.
“Your service is very much appreciated. Now you can die.”
Before he could shoot, a hail of bullets came through the window, splintering the liquor bottles on the shelf.
Charles and his crew got low and fired back at the shooters trying to swoop in through the window. “Chuck, we gotta go!” Sam said, as he fired his two Colt .45s at the Russians.
Charles glanced at Zelinski and regretted having to flee without killing him. Bullets whizzed by his head. He shot it out with the Russians, all the way to the limousine. Charles turned around as three Russians took cover behind the pillars out in front of the entrance with their fully automatic weapons.
“Chuck, get in the car !” Two-Gun Sam shouted as Bonnie started the engine.
Charles fired two more times but missed before jumping in. Two-Gun Sam followed. They peeled off while firing at the Russians running out of the mansion.
As the car sped away, inside the mansion, Zelinski held his wife in his arms as she gasped for breath. Just then, his son and daughter walked in and watched their mother die in their father’s arms. The moment Zelinski lost his wife, he lost all sanity. Charles White had made a very dangerous enemy.
That night, Charles and his crew counted up $530,000 and divided it amongst each other.
“I know that Russian had more money than this,” Charles said, sounding a bit disappointed.
“Are you kidding me? This is more than enough to start our business. Besides, we had to get outta there,” Bonnie stated.
“Always remember something, Bonnie. When you settle for thousands, there’s always a chance you’ll meet the bottom again. You achieve millions, and now you can walk on your own two feet. But if you think in billions, then you can run things. And that’s what my plan is. To run this whole city,” Charles proclaimed.
“So what’s your plan?” Sam asked.
“Well, first, I gotta go to Vegas and wash half of the money,” Charles explained. “The other half we’ll use to find a connect. As far as the diamond, I’ll sell it to the highest bidder. You guys just sit tight and wait until I return.”
With that said, Charles rounded up half of the money and headed out the door.
Chapter 3
CHARLES WHITE
When Charles got to Vegas, he stayed at the MGM hotel. He won chips up and down the Vegas strip before cashing in a few hours later. When he hit the lobby, he noticed a pretty, brown-skinned female with a nice figure and short hair. Intrigued, Charles went up to introduce himself.
“Excuse me,” he said, causing her to turn. “Have we met?”
“Not unless you’re from Philadelphia,” a stocky, light-skinned guy said out of nowhere before putting his arms around his woman.
“Oh, I apologize. You two are together?” Charles clenched his teeth.
“It’s okay, my friend. No need to apologize,” the man said.
How the fuck did he get a black girl so fine? He must have some money, Charles thought.
“Hey, can I offer to buy you two a drink?” Charles offered, thinking quick on his feet.
The man looked at his wife, who smiled, then looked back at Charles and said, “Sure, why not? By the way, the name is Salideen, but you can call me Sal. And this here is my wife, Brenda.”
Charles shook Sal’s hand, then the lovely Brenda’s, who looked to be no older than 17. After a few shots of Hennessy, Charles and Sal learned a lot about one another. From there, they began to meet up every night and have drinks together. As they sat at the bar, they engaged in small talk until Brenda grew restless.
“I’m gonna try the slot machines,” she said, getting up from her stool.
She stood and glanced at Charles before strutting away. Both Charles and Sal watched as she walked the floor like she owned the place. “I can’t get enough of that girl,” Sal said in a daze. “Tell me something, Charles, what really brings you to Vegas, other than gambling?”
“Nothing, just doing a little sightseeing,” Charles lied.
“Is that why you’re cashing chips in at every hotel you go to?” Sal said, causing Charles to do a double-take.
“You’re not the only one washing money, you know. I’ve seen you at two other hotels while I was busy doing the same thing. I’m an arms dealer, Charles.”
“What kind of arms?” Charles asked.
“Anything I can get my hands on. Mainly fully automatic weapons. They’re the big sellers. In fact, I’ve got a big sale going on that’s gonna force me to be out of the country for a while. But, if you need something, here’s my pager number. Be sure to give me a call.”
“Actually, I need a connect on something much different.”
“Cocaine?” Sal guessed. Bingo. “How much are you looking to spend?”
Charles whispered the number in Sal’s ear. Sal shook his head. “My people can handle that, but you have to find a way to smuggle it into the country. You see, it’s coming from Afghanistan.”
“I don’t have a way to get it in the country,” Charles confessed.
Sal thought about it, then said, “Let me sleep on this, and I’ll get back to you in the morning.”
Charles nodded and watched as Sal got up. He looked tired. When Sal kissed his wife on the cheek and let her know that he was going up to bed, Charles got up and approached her.
Once Sal was out of sight, Charles took a seat beside Brenda. “You having fun losing your money?” he asked.
“It beats being cramped up in that crappy hotel suite all day. Besides, it’s not my money I’m losing,” Brenda replied.
“Hey, that’s no way to thank your man. I’m sure he did all this to impress you.”
Brenda smiled. “You must not know my man. He’s washing his money. The only reason I came along is because he promised to buy me a new fur coat. Other than that, I would be back in Philly.”
“Is that so?” Charles asked smoothly.
Brenda looked at him and replied seductively, “Yeah.”
She couldn’t escape his handsome features: brown-skinned, carefully styled hair, brown eyes, and thick lips. His muscular build had Brenda wondering what he had under the hood.
“Let me ask you a question. Are you a woman who takes chances?” Charles asked.
“I guess you can say that. Why do you ask?”
“Because I want to take a chance with you tonight,” Charles said, extending his hand.
Brenda looked at it for a second. She knew that she shouldn’t entertain the thought. Her man was upstairs, getting ready for bed, and here she was, flirting with this man. But she couldn’t resist taking his hand. Charles led her up to his suite, removed her dress and laid her on the queen-size bed. Before he entered her, she stopped him.
“Put on a condom first,” she gasped passionately.
Charles pulled out a Trojan condom and poked a hole in it with his finger. He needed to feel the real thing, and a condom would only ruin it. He put the condom on in front of her, then entered her. Rocking back and forth until the condom popped, he gasped as he felt her wet, tight walls. He stroked her inner thighs until she climaxed. The sex was so good. Brenda had absolutely no regrets until Charles shot his load inside of her.
“What happened?” she asked as Charles looked down at his wet, exposed dick that had punctured the condom.
“The condom must have popped,” Charles said, trying to sound concerned.
Brenda appeared to be a bit worried, but didn’t say anything else about it.
A week later, Sal put Brenda on a plane back to Philly while he and Charles took a flight to Miami. On the plane, the two sat in first class. Sal explained to him what was going on.
“I’ve got somebody I want you to meet. His name is Verningo Castor. He’s a big drug lord from Colombia. He’s around my age and is the head of the Los Ra Strojos.”
“What’s Los Ra Strojos?” Charles asked.
“They’re probably the largest cartel in Colombia. They’re big, Charles. Believe me when I tell you.”
Charles mulled this over as the plane landed at Miami International Airport. A white limousine awaited them to take them to a beautiful mansion in Golden Beach. Charles was impressed. The place was twice as big as the one the Russian mob boss had. Castor’s mansion took up 32,000 square feet of green grass, surrounded by palm trees and golden sand. It was designed based on the 18th century English manor homes. Charles looked in wonder at the traditional red brick and white stone design as he climbed the left side of the limestone steps up to the front door.
Once they were escorted inside, Sal was greeted by a handsome Colombian who looked to be in his early 20s.
“Sal, it’s good to see you again,” Verningo Castor said, shaking his hand.
“You, too, Castor. I would like you to meet my friend, Charles White. Charles, this is the man who can make all your dreams come true,” Sal said.
Castor chuckled modestly. “Come, Charles. Take a walk with me for a second.”
Charles stood, and walked side by side with the Colombian, who was about his height. Castor laced his hands behind his back. “Sal tells me that you’re looking to buy some cocaine. This true?”
Charles nodded, “Absolutely.”
“And how much are you looking to spend?”
“$250,000,” Charles replied.
Castor nodded his head. “And do you have the money with you?”
“Nah, it’s in a safe location back home. If all goes well, I’ll have my people send it to you.”
Castor smiled. “Okay, Mr. White. I like your style. But before I can trust you, I have to have my people run a background check. There’s a lot of undercover police running around, trying to catch big fish. One can never be too sure these days.”
“That’s understandable,” Charles said.
“I’m gonna have to ask you to stay here with me for a few days until the process is over.”
Charles looked at Sal. “That won’t be a problem.”
“Good, I have a room prepared for you,” Castor said before having one of his maids escort him to the room.
Sal checked his watch. “Well, that’s it for me. I’ve got a flight to catch out of the country.”
“Big deal?” Castor asked.
“Very big,” Sal said before heading out.
Charles stood at the window of his suite and looked out at the ocean. Even though he was now a hostage until his background came back, he wasn’t at all nervous or worried. Soon he would have the drugs he needed to take over LA. This was the moment he had been waiting for, and there was nothing that would get in his way. At least, that’s what he thought.
That night, when Charles came down to the dining room, he was surprised to see that Castor had guests. At the table were an older Cuban man with his beautiful teenage daughter seated beside him. She had to be no older than 17, Charles thought as he came into the room.
“Mr. White, your food is in the kitchen. You can take it up if you want.”
Charles nodded and stole a glance at the most exotic beauty he had ever seen before going to get his plate.
Later on that night, as he lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling, he heard some sniffles coming from out on the terrace. Curious, he got up to investigate. He was surprised to see the young girl from the dining room standing on the terrace beside his, crying, with her face in her palms.
Charles climbed over the terrace and onto hers.
“Are you okay?” he asked, standing by the railing.
The girl looked up and was surprised to see him standing there. She shook her head no.
“What’s wrong?”
When she didn’t respond, he slowly approached her. She took a step back. “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you,” Charles reassured her, backing her to the end of the rail.
The girl looked up at the tall man in amazement. Her eyes were beautiful. Charles wiped her tears from her cheek with his thumb and said, “I’m Charles. What’s your name?”
“Pearl,” she responded with perfect English.
“Pearl. That’s a beautiful name. Are you from Colombia?”
“No, my father’s Cuban. I used to live in Canada with my mother until she was killed.
“Damn,” Charles said as he leaned back on the railing. “I’m sorry to hear that. Is that why you’re crying?”
“No. It’s my father. He thinks he can run my life now that my mother is dead.”
“Well, maybe your father just wants what’s best for you. Did you ever think about that?” Charles asked.
“Yeah, right,” she said. “My father only wants what can make him more money. He doesn’t love me. He loves his wealth.”
Charles admired this goddess. She was everything he dreamed of in a woman. Long hair, smooth, vanilla skin, and a great body. Within hours, they got lost in conversation about kids and other things that took Pearl’s mind off her problems. After a while, Pearl felt at ease around this stranger. Charles was an adventurous man who loved to travel. This sparked her interest.
They sat out on the balcony all night until an unwanted shower of rain appeared.
“Where did this come from?” Charles asked.
“I don’t know,” Pearl said as her clothes began to get wet.
“Well, guess that’s the end of our night. It was nice meeting you, Pearl,” Charles said, extending his hand.
“You too, Charles,” Pearl replied as she let him kiss the back of her hand.
As Charles turned to leave, Pearl stopped him. “Charles.”
When he turned around, she said, “Is it possible that a man can lay with a woman and just hold her all night without any sexual relations?”
Charles smiled. “Of course, it’s possible.”
“Well, then, can you stay with me tonight?”
Charles nodded, following her back into the room. Even though it was possible that a man could sleep with a woman without having intercourse with her, that wouldn’t be the plan tonight. Little did Charles know that not only was he gonna take Pearl’s virginity, he was also about to break something far bigger.
Two days later, the word came back about Charles being on good terms and Verningo Castor sent out the shipment, which was 25 keys of Colombian cocaine. Castor only charged him $10,000 a key.
