The Black Kiss Of Death, page 6
part #1 of Montega Chronicles Series
When she walked back into the living room, her eyes got as wide as saucers when she saw the blood pouring out from the boy’s head.
“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” she screamed.
Charles rushed down the steps, dressed in only his jeans, along with Brenda, who only had on a T-shirt.
When he saw the little boy lying still on the carpet, he tapped Brenda. “Call an ambulance, quick!” he shouted as he rushed to help.
“Diamond, what happened?” Mr. White shouted.
“I…I don’t know. We…We were playing, and he just was laying here. Daddy, please don’t let him die. He’s my friend,” Diamond begged as she watched her father work on the boy.
Once the ambulance arrived and the boy got placed on a stretcher, they headed out the door. “You need me to go with you to the hospital?” Charles asked.
“No, your daughter has been through enough for today. It’s funny how kids are. Here they’ve only known each other for a few hours, and she’s having a fit. Why don’t you take her home? I’ll call you when I know more about my son,” Brenda replied.
Diamond watched as her first boyfriend was placed in the back of the ambulance and driven away. Tears trickled down her pretty face because deep in her heart she knew she would never see him again.
After a few hours in the hospital, Butter finally awoke in a strange place. Brenda rushed to his side, thankful that her son had revived.
“Ma…Mom,” he mumbled as she stood over him.
“Hey, baby, mommy’s right here,” Brenda assured him.
“What happened?” he asked.
“You fell and bumped your head. The doctor said that you had to get stitches on your forehead.”
Butter frowned. “How did I fall?”
Brenda thought that it might be best not to give him the details. Smiling, she said, “It doesn’t matter, Butter. As long as you’re alright, everything is fine.”
Butter looked away from his mom for a second as something came to mind. “Mom, can you stop calling me Butter? I like the name Montega better,” he said.
Brenda stared at her son. “Montega? Where did you learn that?”
Butter shrugged his shoulders. “I…I don’t remember. I guess I just made it up. From now on, that’s what I want to be called. Montega.”
Chapter 15
GROWN AND SEXY
10 YEARS LATER
“Diamond, would you hurry the hell up, girl. I want to make it to the Doughnut Hole before it gets crowded,” Mercedes complained as she anxiously waited for her best friend by the door of the classroom.
Diamond quickly finished the make-up test that she missed last Friday. She had never missed or failed a test ever, and she wasn’t about to start now.
For 11 years, including a skipped grade, Diamond had gotten straight A’s in school, which was why she could get into almost any college in the country. Finishing her test, she handed it to her teacher and strutted out of the classroom in a pair of tight, dark-blue Dior hipsters, a Prada blouse and black Giuseppe pumps to match her pocket book and Chrome Heart shades. Not only was she one of the smartest students in her high school, she was one of the prettiest. She was gorgeous from the moment her mother gave birth to her. Now, at 16, standing 5’5”, and weighing 134 pounds, she was the epitome of the word alluring. She had curves in all the right places a 32D bust, a 24-inch waist, 39-inch hourglass hips and an apple-shaped ass that had all eyes on her whenever she walked by.
Her light, vanilla complexion could have been mistaken for tan in the summer and her long, silky, dark-brown hair was layered with streaks of sandy blond as it cascaded down to the small of her back, framing her beautiful, heart-shaped face. Like a diamond, she was flawless. No other girl in school could touch her style in any way, shape or form, because she carried herself with rare class and composure.
Once the two girls exited the school, as always, the eyes followed them. High school dismissal was always the shit. It was where ballers and players got a chance to kick it and hopefully try to scoop up a tender dime piece. JR was one of those ballers. He was a big drug dealer from the south side of LA. He was dark-skinned, tall, with wavy hair, a clean-cut face, a basketball player’s physique, and a demeanor so cool he didn’t seem like he was from the West Coast.
As the two mixed-breed females walked to the parking lot, where everyone was posted up in front of their low-riders and old-school Chevy’s, JR’s attention was arrested by the fine shorty who was walking with her girlfriend. The two girls oozed with confidence in every step they took.
Looking over at his homie, Calico, JR asked, “Yo, Cali, you see that?”
“See what? Oh, them bitches. They some high-class hoes. Fuck them. Now these bitches over here, they some old freaks,” Calico said, pointing to a bunch of ‘hood rats.
“Nigga, that’s all ya fat ass look for in a bitch. If she ain’t a freak, you ain’t interested,” JR grunted, leaving him.
“JR, where you goin’, Loc?” Calico asked, but JR didn’t respond.
It was no secret that JR was a lady’s man. As he tried to catch up with the two foxy females, other women were eyeballing him. As Diamond and Mercedes approached their car, JR caught up with them.
“Hold up, pretty,” he said. The two girls wheeled around.
Seeing the sun glint off his diamond link gold chain dangling from his neck, Mercedes smiled, already liking what she saw. Diamond, however, wasn’t impressed.
“Can I help you?” she asked, eyeing him with suspicion.
JR looked her up and down and licked his lips. “For real, for real, you shouldn’t walk so fast. Opportunity might pass you by and you might miss it. I ain’t tryna waste ya time, baby. It’s the first time I seen someone as fine as you around here, so you might have to bear with me. My name is Antwone, but everyone calls me JR. You look like you’re in a rush, so why don’t we exchange numbers and kick it later? That is, if you don’t have a man already.”
A small grin crept onto Diamond’s face. Yeah, he was cute, but kicking it wasn’t something she had time for.
Before she could offer a lie, Mercedes spoke for her. “No, she doesn’t have a boyfriend. She sure needs one.”
Diamond clenched her pearl-white teeth and shot her girlfriend a look of evil, then glared back at Mr. Handsome.
“Look…” she said while searching for a way to turn him down. “I’m gonna keep it real with you. I really don’t have time for kicking it. I got a lot going on for me and I can’t risk messing up my future. So, if it’s destined for us to meet again under different circumstances, maybe I’ll reconsider, JR.”
JR looked shocked. Didn’t she know who he was? It was obvious that Mercedes knew, but this one was definitely a tough challenge. He gave it one last shot. “Well, at least let me give you and your girlfriend a ride to where y’all gotta go.”
Diamond flashed a wry smile at her girl. “Thanks, but I have a ride,” she replied politely, opening the door of her burgundy S500 Mercedes Benz.
The smile on JR’s face was priceless. As salty as he felt, he played it cool. He was in love and couldn’t deny it. As Diamond started up the engine, queuing Ice Cube’s, Today was a Good Day, Calico walked up on his homie to see the girls pull off.
“Damn, Cuz, you was right. That bitch is fine.” he pointed towards the Benz. “Who you think lacin’ her like that?”
JR felt like he had been touched by an angel. “I don’t know, man, but I need her in my life.”
Sitting across the street, watching him get into his silver Shelby GT 500, a South African drug dealer named Tanetche sat in the passenger’s seat, next to the driver. “Is that the man responsible for stealing my diamonds?”
“Yes, boss. It was him. You want us to get out and tighten his ass up, right now?” Tanetche’s soldier asked from the back seat.
“No, it wouldn’t be a good idea to cause a scene like that in front of a school, but keep a close eye on him. He might have shooters around. One thing’s for sure, you steal from me, you die. There’s no other option.
Chapter 16
CAUGHT SLIPPIN’
After leaving the Doughnut Hole, Diamond drove to one of her brother’s hangouts in the projects on the Southside. After high school, Clyde went right back to the streets with his foster cousin, Justin, and his home boys, Chavo, Shug, Tommygun, Polo, Reese Chubs, and Cheeko Raw. Together, they had the whole Southside jumping. Thanks to his father’s muscle, he was the only cocaine supplier whose work wasn’t stepped on.
Charles had instilled the game in his son at a young age. Now that Clyde was a man, looking like the spitting image of his father, he finally had a small piece of the family business and a team that rode harder than the LAPD. At the age of 21, he was well-respected throughout the ‘hood. But, with respect came envy.
The two stuck out like zebras in a lion’s den as they walked through the urban community that was full of gang violence, drug dealing, and prostitution. Besides the sound of loud music from the car systems and police sirens riding by every now and then, there was a musical vibration coming from inside the projects.
When Diamond and Mercedes arrived at the projects, one of the larger townhouses was staging a gangsta party. Females danced around in skimpy skirts, liquor got poured, weed got smoked, and music was thumping.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Ms. Harvard,” Polo said from a sofa where two chicks were lounging.
Polo was a fly-ass cat from NYC. He got the name because that’s all he sported. He wore nothing without the man on the horse on it, not even his drawers and socks. Diamond stuck her tongue out playfully and headed for the kitchen, where Clyde, Shug, Tommygun, and Cheeko were playing cards with a pile of money in the middle of the table and a bowl of weed on the side.
Surrounding the guys were a few nice-looking females, most of whom were Spanish and dressed in skimpy, trashy outfits. They watched the guys pull out wads of hundred dollar bills until Diamond and Mercedes entered.
“You call this taking care of business? And what is that smell? This place smells like a skunk’s been in here,” Diamond said, holding her nose.
“Look, bitch, I own these projects. I can do what the fuck I want in ’em. You don’t like it, you know where the door is,” Clyde snapped as he gave Mercedes a wink to make her blush.
Mercedes had a huge crush on her best friend’s brother. Clyde knew this and ran with it. He enjoyed toying around with the sexy young redbone, knowing that, one day, he would put dick up in her. He was getting so much pussy out on the streets, making Mercedes wait was more amusing than tempting. Mercedes smiled as she fluttered her eyes at the light-brown thug who resembled Chris Brown. Clyde was 6’1” and weighed 215 pounds, all of it rock-solid. He was blessed with his father’s handsome features, along with the dimples and the arrogance of his mother.
“What are you doing all the way on the other side of LA, anyway?”
Clyde joked sarcastically. “You do know little girls like you who drive 500 Benzes get snatched up every day, don’t you?”
“I look forward to that day,” Diamond answered as she poured herself some orange juice.
“Did you make up the test?”
“Damn straight.”
‘Good. With your scores, you can get into any college in the country. You know, we need you to handle Pop’s legal investments,” Clyde said with a smile.
Suddenly, she spat the juice all over the floor and frowned. The guys busted out laughing. “What the fuck was that?” she asked with disgust while wiping her mouth.
“Gin and orange juice,” Justin said, cracking up. “And I thought she was smart.”
Diamond looked at the knife that was on the counter, then back at her brother’s fake cousin by the overhead cabinet, who was still cracking up. With lightning speed, she picked up the knife by its blade and sent it soaring through the air in his direction. The loud thump that landed next to Justin’s head silenced the whole kitchen. The only one laughing was now Diamond as she witnessed Justin curled up in a ball from the sound.
“And I thought you were a gangsta,” she said sarcastically.
When Justin finally looked up to see the knife wedged in the cabinet, he shot his own daggers back at Diamond in a cold stare. She had punked him in front of everyone, including one of the girls he had his eye on.
Clyde shook his head as he played his hand. “You still fuckin’ with that martial arts bullshit? That shit don’t work for real, so don’t think you can actually throw a knife at someone and make him go down. That shit only happens on the other side of town, in Hollywood.”
“Hey, Clyde, if you think you can do better, try me,” Diamond challenged.
“Wait a minute, you callin’ me out?” he asked, as if it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard.
Diamond squinted at him. “Let me ask you a question, since you like jokes. I know you like to hang out in the ‘hood and all, trying to be something you’re not, but don’t you think you could get a better spot to have your little whore parties?”
The women in the room looked at Diamond and rolled their eyes. “If I were your enemy, then you’d have something to pray on,” she warned.
Clyde shook his head.
“I wish you’d just get the fuck out,” Justin snarled.
“Mercedes, you ready? We’re gonna be late if we stay in this shithole any longer,” Diamond said, checking her watch.
“Where y’all goin’?” Tommy Guns asked.
“We got a date.”
“Hold up. Not my little sister,” Tommy said. “A date with who? And where? I’ll get somebody to check him out.”
Tommy Guns always played the big brother role with Diamond. He knew that Clyde really didn’t give a shit about what happened to his sister, so he was always overprotective.
“C’mon, Tommy, don’t pour gasoline on her fire. That’s what she wants. The only date she ever goes on is to the shooting range with that piece a shit Smith and Wesson .9 mm she has in her bag,” Clyde stated with a chuckle. “What she needs to do is get her weight up. I don’t even know why she carries that shit. She ain’t gonna use it.”
“You keep thinking that, asshole. You’ll be the first on my list,” she warned before making her exit.
Clyde continued to chuckle as he refocused on the poker game. As Diamond slammed the door, Tommy’s cell phone rang. He answered it and his eyes got wide. He hung up and said, “That nigga Ronny and them Crips done shot up our strip. Five of our pushers got smoked. We need to move out on this nigga. If he doesn’t wanna deal with us because we serve the Bloods, then fuck ’em. Shit, it’s bad enough them Ape Gang marks are tryin’ us. Now this.”
“Clyde, he’s right. I think it’s time we make a statement. The last thing we need is for someone to think we soft,” Justin advised.
“Well, we gonna need some riders that ain’t from ‘round here to help us out. I got a plan,” Clyde said, throwing his hand in.
“Yo, I got a couple thoroughbreds in Philly that move out without question. I’ll give 'em a call and have ’em fly over here,” Shug suggested.
“Alright, Cuz. Strap up, then. This weekend, we definitely gotta make a statement. Don’t swim with the sharks.”
Chapter 17
BODY SNATCHERS
On the other side of Los Angeles, Charles and his Great White committee were seated behind a table in the White mansion’s situation room, discussing their next move. As Bonnie checked her watch, she excused herself from the meeting.
“Where are you off to?” Charles asked.
“Oh, I gotta get to the range. My students are probably already there, waiting.”
Charles nodded with a satisfied smile, knowing just who her students were. Ever since Diamond was a little girl, all she ever wanted to do was play with guns. So, as soon as she turned 16, Charles asked Bonnie to teach her how to shoot. Diamond was excited because she finally had the chance to fulfill her dream. And, because she had Bonnie as a teacher, she was more motivated. Diamond looked up to Bonnie. The stories about Bonnie gave her confidence. She remembered sneaking out of her room at night, when she was too young, to be nosy in the doorway of the situation room. Although her mother couldn’t understand why she adored all this, Charles could. He knew that their blood ran deep, and when the time was right, his daughter would have to prove herself.
After leaving the estate, Bonnie drove to the range in East Los Angeles. She was so into her Mary J. Blige CD, she didn’t realize she was being followed. Three cars behind, in a Lincoln town car, four Russians watched Bonnie’s Jaguar. Underboss Pete Pachuskin sat on the back seat, calling the shots. His cousin, Rob, drove while the hit man, Mad Max, sat on the passenger’s side, holding a 12-gauge, sawed-off shotgun. Also in the back seat, next to the Underboss, was a fat Russian who snored. Fatso.
Although he was slow and fat, Fatso was nothing to mess with. Pete kept these three by his side because they were loyal and ruthless. Even though the war against the White Family had been lost, Zelinski never forgot what Verningo Castor told him. And now, after the meeting in Colombia, it was time to execute their plan.
When Bonnie pulled up to the block, she parked four cars away from the entrance. Seeing Diamond’s burgundy Benz parked a car away, Bonnie knew Diamond and her best friend were waiting. Diamond had become a skilled shooter at age 16, thanks to her teacher.
Bonnie got out of her car and popped the trunk to grab her bags.
While raising it, she heard footsteps approaching from behind. She quickly spun around to see who it was.
Whop!
She was clobbered with the butt of Mad Max’s sawed-off. Before she hit the ground, Fatso caught her, then carried her to the trunk of their Buick and threw her inside.
“See, I told you the bitch would be easy,” Mad Max bragged, slamming the trunk shut.
