“Nah! Chill! Chill!” Reason shouted as he restrained his best friend. Nahvid suddenly had the strength of ten men and Reason found it hard to keep him at bay. He stumbled, wrestling Nahvid into the hallway as Nita scrambled to her smoking buddy.
Reason closed the room door and watched Nahvid lose control. “I’m done with her, fam! I’m done. The bitch smoking this shit in my house after everything I do to help her!”
“You need to calm down, Nah. For real! You did some real silly shit in there, Nah. The nigga don’t look like he’s breathing. We’ve got to think,” Reason said.
At that moment Nita’s naked body came rushing out of the room as she attacked Nahvid. “You killed him! You didn’t have to kill him!”
Nahvid couldn’t stand to hear his own mother taking up for the man who had ruined all of his hard work. He had stayed in day and night trying to keep her on the up and up. Before he knew it he hauled off and slapped her. The hit sent her crashing to the ground, causing her to hit her head on the corner of the wall. Blood gushed from an open wound above her eye and it swelled instantly.
DING DONG!
KNOCK!
KNOCK!
KNOCK!
Everyone froze as the doorbell rang out followed by hard knocks. Nahvid already knew by the pattern of the pounding that it was the police.
Reason shot to the window and when he saw the flashing lights of a squad car he turned around in fear.
“It’s the fucking cops,” he whispered.
Nahvid knew it didn’t look good for him. There was blood on his clothes ... his hands ... a dead body lying in the middle of his guest room floor.
Nahvid looked his mother in the eye with a hatred and disappointment that broke her heart before he turned and walked down the steps. In a daze he opened the front door. The police immediately pulled their weapons once they saw his bloodied shirt and hands.
Nahvid opened his mouth to admit his crime when his naked mother came to his side crying hysterically.
“Thank God! He raped me ... the man upstairs raped me and my son ... he came home ... there was a fight ... he tried to kill me ... but my son ... Oh God ... my son saved my life!” Nita cried. She heaved and sobbed so convincingly that Nahvid thought for a brief moment that her story was based on truth.
When he finally found his voice he spoke. “We fought ... He’s upstairs. I don’t think he’s breathing.”
The police captured Nahvid’s wrists in handcuffs and stuffed him in the back of the car.
“I’m on it, Nah!” Reason yelled after him. “The lawyer’s on speed dial!”
Nahvid snapped out of the bad memory as he shook his head. He had barely escaped a life sentence in prison. He had done five years after the charges had been reduced down to involuntary manslaughter. Acting off of emotion had fucked him up once before. He had lost everything and had to rebuild his empire up from the ground upon his release. His entire world had crumbled behind one irrational choice. He refused to make the same mistake twice.
There was no point in having regrets now. When Raegan betrayed him she had put her own execution order in. Her ill intent had led to her own demise and although it would take Nahvid a long time to get over her he knew that he eventually would. Raegan was a memory and now he had to refocus on the game before it swallowed him whole.
Chapter Twenty-seven
As Raegan sat in the corner of the basement, her back against the wet, concrete wall she wished that Reason had killed her. Not knowing what he had in store for her was eating her alive and as she stared through the pitch black of the basement, hopelessness set in. The sound of Reason’s return caused her to shudder and terror gripped her so tightly that she could barely breathe. Staring death in the face made her realize that the life she had been living was not worth the consequences it carried. She didn’t want to die. There was still so much that she hadn’t done; too many places she hadn’t seen; so many people she hadn’t loved right. Raegan was filled with regret. Light illuminated the basement and she closed her eyes while covering her ears, not wanting to know what was to come.
“Bitch, get the fuck up,” Reason said through clenched teeth, pulling her to her feet and shoving her onto an old, tattered couch.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“I want you to tell me where your boy keeps the bricks,” Reason stated.
Raegan frowned in confusion, but she couldn’t say that she was surprised. She had always sensed that Reason was a snake. He was filled with envy toward her man. There was no honor among thieves and now he wanted Raegan to cross Nahvid, something that she just couldn’t do.
Her silence caused him to chuckle. “You killed his mother; now you wanna play like you loyal. I’ma give you a choice. You either show me where the work at or I’ma have fun killing you slow.”
Fear had never pulsed so strongly through her body, but she refused to bring any more harm to Nahvid.
Seeing her strong resolve enraged Reason. He slapped her, using all of his strength, immediately bursting her lip. His handprint embedded in red upon her face as he pounced on her. Reason didn’t give two fucks that she was a woman. He manhandled her, punching her so hard that he broke her nose.
“Aghhh!” she screamed. The sound of her bone cracking and the taste of the blood fountain spewing from her nose was torture. “Please stop!”
“Where’s the bricks?” he asked again, standing up heaving in frustration and exertion.
“I don’t know!” she yelled, clearly lying. They both knew that Nahvid had been a little bit too trusting of her. Reason knew that she knew where he kept his work and he came prepared to squeeze the information or the life out of Raegan ... whichever came first.
“Okay, bitch ... you want to play stupid,” he said as he nodded his head and went to the top of the stairs to retrieve a bag of tools. “Let’s see if this will help you remember.” He removed duct tape and rope from the bag and snatched her up by the hair.
“No!” she protested as she squirmed and fought against him, but he easily overpowered her. She used everything she had, letting fists and feet fly, biting, twisting, turning, but nothing worked. Eventually he had her bound and was pulling his infamous torture tools out of his goodie bag.
“You know I see what he saw in you, Raegan ... I do. You’re a pretty mu’fucka,” he said as he grabbed a cigarette and lit it. He took a toke and leaned directly in her face as he blew the smoke out in her face. “It’s kind of a shame that you won’t be so pretty after this,” he said. Reason put the cigarette out on her face, burning a small circular hole right on her forehead. Raegan whined painfully as she bucked in the chair, but Reason held her still as he lit the cigarette numerous times, using her face to snuff out the amber glow. When he was done with her face he spread her legs and put matching burns on the pink flesh of her vagina. He was like a surgeon in his torture chamber and he didn’t even flinch as he pulled out her fingernails with a pair of rusty pliers one by one.
“Agh!”
“You can stop this at anytime. All you have to do is tell me what I want to know,” he said calmly. He was sadistic with it as he watched her pass in and out of consciousness. Seeing her in so much agony made his dick hard. He was so close to taking over the streets of D.C. and there was no way he was letting a conniving bitch like Raegan stop him. “Where the bricks at?”
“I don’t know! Please, Reason! I would tell you anything to stop this, but I really don’t know,” she wailed, snot and blood mixing and dripping down her face. Raegan was feigning ignorance because she needed Nahvid in a position of power. As long as he was number one then her son might have a chance, but she knew for sure that Reason would kill her baby without a second thought. Raegan didn’t want to see harm come to Nahvid or her child. She would die first.
Reason kicked her chair over causing her head to hit the cement with a loud thud. White light shot through her mind and it felt like a lightning bolt was tearing her brain apart. Reason pulled out the wooden handle
from a plunger and shoved it up her anus.
“Aghh! Reason, please please please!” she yelled. “Help! Somebody help me... .” she sobbed.
“Bitch, tell me!” he shouted.
Reason had done his fair share of torturing niggas and none had ever lasted as long as Raegan had. He was sweating profusely and exhausted as he cut her from the chair. He hoisted her bound hands up onto a metal hook hanging her up like a piece of meat as he grabbed a steel pole. Using her for batting practice he beat her almost to death, swinging full force, cracking ribs, breaking bones ... whatever he could think to do to inflict pain he did and she still didn’t break. He had no idea how strong a mother’s love was. She wasn’t taking this beating for Nahvid. She was taking it for her son, the one person she would die for. She was past the point of tears. Raegan could barely breathe her body hurt so badly. Her lungs felt as if they didn’t work anymore as she gasped desperately for air.
Reason wiped his brow as he stared coldly at Raegan, who hung limply from the ceiling. “Okay, bitch, you don’t want to tell me. I’ma show you hell on earth,” Reason said. He poured gasoline on a filthy rag and stuffed it in her mouth like a gag. She was in too much pain to even protest, but when she smelled the rancid scent of gasoline in her nose her eyes bulged in horror.
He’s going to burn me alive, she thought as she began to kick her feet.
“Hmm! Hmmm!” she shouted as she watched him flick a lighter and bring it close to the soaked rag. “Hmmmmmm! Hmmmmm!”
“What’s that? You want to talk now? You got something to tell me?” he asked.
He removed the rag from her mouth and looked her square in the face.
“Where does Nah keep the bricks?” he asked. Raegan saw nothing but evil in Reason’s face. He was the devil and there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he would watch her burn slow. There was only so much she could take before she broke.
“The storage unit ... It’s in a storage unit right outside the city,” she grunted. “Please just stop it. I gave you what you wanted.”
It was the last thing she said before she saw black.
Gucci gagged, coughed, fought, and spit as she tried to stop the water from going down her throat. She couldn’t breathe and she jerked like a fish out of water as she fought against the police officers as they had their way with her. A thin cloth lay over her face as one man held her feet and another held her arms down, while she lay flat on a wooden interrogation table. A third cop poured water directly over her face. The waterboarding form of torture was drowning Gucci on dry land and after hours of holding strong she couldn’t take it anymore. The man removed the rag from Gucci’s face and watched sternly as she choked furiously. The federal officers didn’t care that they were using illegal interrogation practices. A good cop had been lost and they were determined to not only punish Gucci but to get information out of her that would lead to the arrest of her accomplices. Just as they were about to start the process again, Gucci screamed out.
“Wait! I can’t take anymore. I’ll talk,” she screamed, while still gasping for air.
“Who are the other two women?” the man above her head asked.
Gucci’s heart ached because she never pictured herself turning on her girls. She was far from a snitch, but what they were putting her through was unbearable. Gucci had held out for hours and she had to ask herself if Raegan or Chanel would have held out even that long. Her mind raced as she put the pieces of her story in place. She opened her mouth to speak and lowered her head as she told them what she knew... .
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chanel was shaking from paranoia and fatigue by the time she made it to Faugner’s doorstep and she rang the bell as nervous butterflies filled her stomach. It had been so long since she had seen him. She had no clue how he would receive the unexpected visit. The door was opened by an older gentleman who wore a butler’s uniform. He frowned when he saw Chanel. Her appearance was less than satisfactory. She had been driving for days and had no time for cosmetics or even a shower. She looked like she had rolled in off the streets, as if she didn’t even deserve to drive down the prestigious block.
“May I help you?” he asked.
“I’m here for Faugner Scott. Please tell him Chanel would like to speak with him. I’m an old friend,” she explained.
The butler escorted her inside and Chanel was in awe at how beautiful the house was. Faugner had always come from money, but it seemed as though he was doing exceptionally well these days. Everything about the house screamed wealth. From the invisible staircase leading upstairs, to the imported Austrian tiled floor. The finishes were so elegant and extravagant that she knew that they had been professionally appointed. Chanel was so busy looking around that her head was in the clouds when Faugner entered the room.
Faugner Scott stood in the entryway to the great room admiring Chanel. So much time had passed, but the way that he felt for her hadn’t changed. She was such a grown woman now ... such a lady. Despite the fact that she looked worn from travel, the way that she held her shoulders back in perfect posture, and the way that she stood one foot behind the other in a pageant pose were all things that he had taught her. Class. She was gorgeous and Faugner had to clear his throat before she even knew that he was behind her.
“It must be my lucky day for I am blessed with the presence of a queen,” he complimented with a charming smile as he stood with one hand in his Ferragamo slacks.
“Faugner,” she crooned as she ran to him. He welcomed her with open arms just as she had hoped and his embrace felt so safe that she finally felt secure enough to break down.
“Shhh! It’s okay! Let it out,” he whispered as he caressed her head while he allowed her to pour all of the sadness into him. He didn’t know what had caused her to run to him after so many years of staying away but he was glad that she had come. He had thought of her often. After leaving his D.C. firm to a promising young lawyer he relocated to Florida to begin more lucrative business ventures.
“I’m in trouble, Faugner. I need your help!” she wailed as she looked up at him desperately. He cradled her face between his hands and wiped her tears away with his thumbs.
“Why don’t we let Jennings make us some tea and we’ll discuss it on the veranda,” Faugner said soothingly as he nodded for his butler to give them some privacy. He escorted her out of a set of French doors that gave way to a gorgeously landscaped estate. The home was magnificent with its own swimming pool, sauna, and tennis courts. They sat under the covered deck as Faugner looked at Chanel with stars in his eyes. Before he was looking at her through a guilty lens because of the baggage that he carried from his marriage to her mother and the fact that she was underage, but now as he looked he could see clearly. He could see a woman who was more beautiful than an evening sunset. He sat and listened to her speak of the things that she had done and the crimes that she had committed. As she spoke he came up with legal game plans in his mind on how to get her out of trouble. There was no way that he was losing her to the system when she had just reappeared in his life. Chanel spoke with regret in her tone, uninterrupted as she tried to convince him to help her out of the bind. Little did she know, the moment she stepped across his threshold she had him as an ally, but he listened anyway. He knew that she needed to get these things off her chest.
When she was done she looked at him with a mixture of concern and hope. “Will you help me?” she asked.
Faugner nodded his head and took her hand in his. “Of course I will. I don’t want you to worry yourself over this, Chanel. I will fix it. I don’t know why you didn’t come to me when you were in trouble, before you ever started robbing banks or stash houses and everything else. You know if you needed anything I would have provided it,” he said.
“I didn’t want to face my past. I’ve felt guilty about what we did for a long time. I haven’t spoken to my mother in years. I don’t even know where she is. Loving you I lost myself. I was just trying to find myself, Faugner, and now I feel like I’m
even more screwed up,” she admitted. “And my friends ... God, I’m the one who messed everything up by getting greedy. One of them is in custody and I haven’t even heard from Raegan ...”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Just let me make a few calls so that I can wrap my head around the legal side of things. You’re welcome to anything in this home. And Jennings will provide you with anything you ask for.”
“Thank you,” Chanel said, genuinely grateful.
“Always, love,” he replied before disappearing inside.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Reason dragged Raegan inside of the storage unit roughly. She could barely stand she was so badly beaten, but he wanted to make sure she had told him the correct location. “If you’re lying, I’m not playing any more games with you. I’m gonna dead your ass right here and then I’m going over to Nahvid’s and murking your kid. You understand?” he asked.
Raegan nodded. “This is it.”
She let him inside and he dragged her behind him as he made his way to the boxes she had described. Just looking around he could tell that she wasn’t lying. He had hit the jackpot. This was a gangster’s paradise. Everything he would need to enforce the streets was conveniently tucked away inside. He went to the plush leather couch that was stored inside and pulled out a pocketknife to split the cushions. He cut into raw cocaine as he punctured one of the many kilos that were hidden inside. He practically salivated over all of the coke. Right now he was only getting 30 percent while Nahvid was taking home the big dough. Reason was eating, but Nahvid was sitting back getting rich. It was time for the tables to turn. Nahvid had too much love in D.C. It didn’t matter what hood niggas were from, Nah had goons from every borough. In order for them to jump ship and hustle under Reason’s regime, Nahvid had to go. He didn’t want to have to murk his mans, but it was a part of the game. Every hustler’s reign eventually had to end and it was time for Nah to be removed from his position of power. A new era was about arrive. Reason turned toward Raegan and pulled out his pistol.
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