The Last Kings

by C. N. Phillips

  “I had to bring something big in, since I’m going to be gone for a minute,” she told him.

  “Where you going? Atlanta again?” Tyler asked knowingly.

  Mocha nodded her head.

  “Yea, I’ve just been feeling a little homesick that’s all,” she lied through her teeth.

  Tyler, however, didn’t catch her lie; instead, he closed the folder in his hands, letting her know that as soon as Ray made it in, he would have him handle that.

  “Cool, stay up,” she said and prepared to make her departure. She raised her arm that had The Last Kings brand that only she, Tyler, Ray, and Sadie had. Tyler raised the same arm in farewell, and with that, Mocha exited the basement.

  She checked her watch as soon as she was back in her new BMW and saw she only had four hours until her flight to Atlanta.

  “Fuck!” she said aloud, not wanting to miss the only connection she had to her love.

  She hadn’t told anyone the real reason why she’d been taking so many trips to Atlanta. She couldn’t tell Sadie. She wouldn’t understand why she hadn’t told her about him after all the time that had passed. Mocha had been seeing him ever since her field trip to an Atlanta college campus when the two were still in college. She smiled as she reflected on her first meeting with Khiron . . .

  “This club is wack!” Mocha whined to Jaylin who was supposed to be showing her a good time and not boring her.

  Mocha was from Atlanta so she knew something had to be wrong if the club wasn’t popping.

  “That’s because the party isn’t here yet; now chill and enjoy this drink that old nigga bought for you!” Jaylin said, laughing, acknowledging the drink in front of Mocha. The man who sent it tipped his hat at them, and the two of them fell into a fit of giggles.

  Jaylin was cool people and upon their first greeting in the dorm room she and Mocha shared, Mocha knew she could fuck with her all day. She was two years older than Mocha and quickly took her under her wing. Like Mocha, Jaylin was known to turn heads. Her chocolate skin, natural curls, and wide hips made it hard to miss her. When she walked by, all eyes were on her ass and drool was likely to hit the floor. She had the looks of a model standing at five foot seven; she was probably the baddest bitch on her campus.

  She scoped Mocha out based off of her looks and decided that she’d never seen a woman more beautiful, not even herself. She knew with her by her side, they’d have drinks flowing their way all night. Mocha took Jaylin’s advice and chilled, realizing that at midnight it was still early for the club. After a few more drinks, Jaylin pulled Mocha out on the dance floor, and it seemed as if they were the stars of the night. They moved their bodies to the sound of the hottest hip-hop tracks hooked up by the DJ, and they heard several whistles.

  “Them bitches getting it!” they heard a few females call out.

  “Ayye! Get it, bitch!” Jaylin said to Mocha as she shook her ass.

  Both girls had decided to go with minidresses. However, Jaylin’s was a black tube top and Mocha’s was teal with sleeves and a lace cutout on the back. The heels she chose to wear made her ass sit up just right in her dress, causing it to shake viciously whenever she twerked. Mocha was enjoying herself so thoroughly she didn’t even witness the entourage of twenty niggas enter the club. Her hands were in the air, and she had just started to get it to Ciara’s voice coming out of the speakers when she felt a hand on the small of her back. She turned around to slap whoever had fucked up her groove but stopped when she realized she was staring into the sexiest pair of hazel eyes she’d ever seen. She caught herself quickly though before the nigga could see her get all googly-eyed and shit.

  “Excuse you,” she said and rolled her eyes rudely.

  “Naw, excuse you, ma,” he smiled cockily down at her from his six foot two build. “You in my city dancing like you ain’t got no man, so I thought I’d fix that problem.”

  Mocha had to admit, dude was sexy as shit! Although she usually went for the chocolate guys, she had to admit he was one of the sexiest men she’d ever seen in her life. He had to be mixed with something, she could tell by the curls that were neatly on top of his head. When he smiled, she could see two deep dimples and a perfect white smile. She gave him a once-over and decided that if it weren’t for his cocky-ass attitude, he might have been worth her time. He was dressed in a True Religion fit with a pair of the newest Js out. About one hundred thousand dollars’ worth of diamonds rested on his wrist.

  “Naw,” Mocha said peeping his game, “I think you have me confused with one of these sloppy females in this bitch.”

  Mocha knew by the thirsty stares the women in the club were giving, the man standing before her must be a hot commodity in Atlanta. She didn’t even notice the two goons he had standing behind him as he talked to her. She didn’t care though. No matter how big he was, he looked like the type who thought he could have whatever he wanted, and Mocha refused to be one of those obtainable items. She turned back to Jaylin who had stopped dancing and was looking shocked at Mocha. She couldn’t believe she was dissing a boss like the one who stood before her.

  “My feet are a little tired,” she told Jaylin. “You wanna go take a seat?”

  She nodded, but before she even answered, Mocha was walking past her through the overly crowded dance floor. Mocha added an extra swish in her step, just in case eyes were watching all the way to a vacant table.

  “Mocha!” Jaylin exclaimed as soon as she caught up. “What the fuck, girl? Do you know who that is?”

  “Clearly a hustler,” Mocha waved her hand in the air. “That nigga looks like he’s used to just coming to any club and picking his victim. Fuck that.”

  “Bitch, so the fuck what? That’s Khiron, girl! That nigga is a walking bank. Since his daddy got popped awhile back, he’s been on. Running the city like a fuckin’ boss since age nineteen,” Jaylin said giving Mocha the spill on Khiron while Mocha tried not to trail his every move in the club. “And let me be the first to tell you, I ain’t never seen that fine muhfucka approach a bitch at a club.”

  She emphasized the word “never” to let Mocha know she’d made a big mistake by ignoring Khiron’s advances. Mocha just rolled her eyes at her.

  “Bitch, I don’t give a fuck. I’m only here for a fuckin’ weekend, and then back to Detroit I go!” Mocha tried to sound uninterested, but in all honesty, what she’d just heard sparked her attention.

  Mocha studied Khiron from where she sat, and whenever they were close to connecting eyes, she shifted her gaze. It was going quite well . . . until he tricked her by doing a double take. For ten seconds, they stared at each other from across the club through a small window that the mass number of bodies provided.

  “You feeling him,” Jaylin told her when she stood up to dance with a guy who’d grabbed her hand. “Once-in-a-lifetime chances are only once in a lifetime. Make your move!”

  Mocha sighed when her newfound friend was whisked away on the dance floor.

  “Fuck it,” she said under her breath and a flash of Antwan back home came to mind. “That nigga is probably fuckin’ some hood rat right now anyway.”

  Mocha stood up and slowly made her way to where Khiron sat in the VIP section of the club. As soon as she got a little too close for comfort, one of his goons stopped her with a hard hand to her chest.

  “Aye, chill, she’s coo people,” Khiron said to the man and waved me over to sit on the couch next to him.

  “I think we got off on the wrong foot,” Mocha flashed her sexiest smile at him.

  Might as well go for the dick, she thought to herself as she watched him wet his lips with his tongue. This nigga is sexy as fuck!

  “Naw, I feel you, ma, and I actually respect you more for saying fuck me the first time,” he said pouring her a drink.

  “I’m only nineteen,” Mocha told him truthfully. “I don’t drink. But if you have some kush I’ll surely blow some with you.”

  Khiron was shocked to find out her age, especially since she had the body of
a grown woman, but he was pleased to hear her honesty.

  “A’ight, ma,” he chuckled a bit. “Maybe later, but right now, let the music fade to the back of our minds and get to know each other a little better first.”

  They sat in the corner of the club talking for the rest of the time they were there. Mocha was so comfortable with him, it felt as if she was talking to someone she’d known her whole life. The conversation between them flowed aimlessly, and it came to light that they had many things in common. Before the night was over, they’d blown two blunts, and he’d even gotten her to take a shot of tequila. When it was time to leave and everybody was heading to the door, Khiron grabbed Mocha by her hand. By talking to her, he knew she’d be gone the next day to go home to Detroit, and he felt that he had to spend the night with her. Not even to get in her panties; he just wanted to spend some more time with her.

  “Come home with me tonight, ma,” he said in sincerity.

  “The fuck I look like?” Mocha asked, a little offended, even though she’d wanted to jump his bones since she saw him. She still didn’t want to come off as an easy ho. “A fucking one-nighter?”

  Khiron shook his head.

  “Naw, ma, nothing like that. I just enjoy your company, that’s all. We ain’t gotta do nothing like that if you don’t want to.” He pulled her close to him so that their lips were barely touching. “Just say yes, shorty . . . please? I’ll make sure you get back to the dorms safely in the morning. Just stay the night with me.”

  Mocha melted in his arms, and the look in her eyes gave him his answer. She couldn’t say no, because in all honesty, she didn’t want to. She found Jaylin in the parking lot of the club and told her she’d get a ride back to the room in the morning. Jaylin gave Mocha a knowing look.

  “Be careful, niggas like Khiron are only good for one night. I saw y’all gettin’ friendly over there. Don’t call yourself falling for a nigga like that. It’s never a good thing,” Jaylin warned.

  Mocha nodded her head like she was really listening. The only thing on her mind was the night she had ahead of her with a man that she had just met. Mocha went on to have the night of her life, and ever since, was hooked on Khiron.

  Mocha snapped back to reality as she whipped her car as fast as she could toward the airport. Her bags were already in her trunk; they’d been packed for days.

  I’m on my way, baby, she said, smiling at the thought of being reunited with the love of her life.

  * * *

  “Please, Khiron!” the voice of a man screamed for mercy, but no one could hear him.

  Khiron stood over a man who was bound tightly to a chair with a box of matches in his hand. He’d already poured gasoline around the chair, and with one match, the man’s body would go up in flames. The victim in the seat was someone Khiron had to dispose of. He knew too much and was planning to go to the FBI with information about the drug operation Khiron was running in Atlanta. After Khiron’s dad got pegged because a little bitch snitched on him to the Italians, there was nothing he couldn’t stand more. Snitches made the earth stink in his eyes, and the world needed to be rid of them if anyone expected to make any money.

  “You were going to testify against me, my nigga? Put all my work into the dirt, huh?” Khiron laughed at the petrified expression on the man’s face. Any hope for mercy was long gone. “Nigga, by the time this fire is out, there won’t be a body to put in the dirt.”

  “Man, I’m sorry! I got a kid and a wife, man.” He began to sob like a little girl, and Khiron looked at him disgustedly.

  I know this pussy-ass nigga ain’t start crying, Khiron thought, shaking his head. Hell naw, and this nigga was down with my shit? I’ma have to do a sweep of my own team soon.

  “Yea, I know you got a shorty and a little son,” Khiron acknowledged the man’s family. “And as soon as I’m done here, both of them muhfuckas going to have lead in their fuckin’ skulls! You were going to snitch on me? I’m a fuckin’ boss, and you? You a bitch, and dogs get put to sleep!”

  Without hesitation, Khiron lit a match and threw it on the ground by the chair. The man gave a horrendous scream as he erupted in flames, fighting against the ropes that bound him to the chair. There was no hope for him. He had no other choice but to sit there and die a horrible death. Khiron watched, satisfied that he’d finally made his mark. He’d gotten to J. Will just before the feds put him into protective custody. Khiron had ears all over the city, and once he heard that J. Will was planning on singing to the cops, he snatched him up and tortured him in the middle of nowhere, until he told him that he was, in fact, planning to testify and putting him away for good. The feds had been hot on Khiron after he caught a body outside of a local strip club. It was a rookie move, but the nigga stepped, and Khiron made him fall. The feds couldn’t link the body to him because no one would testify, and one of his goons disposed of the murder weapon within minutes of the crime. Khiron felt his cell phone vibrate on his hip. He smiled slightly seeing it was from his own shorty.

  Hey, baby! I’m here, and I’m wearing that color you like.

  Khiron grinned, knowing Mocha was probably laid out butt-ass naked in his bed because the color he liked was her mocha skin tone. He’d waited a month to get a taste of that, and he wasn’t going to let a bitch-ass snitch waste any more of his time.

  Handlin’ some business, ma. I’ma be there as soon as I’m done. I love you.

  He placed his phone back on his hip after sending his message and spit into the literally screaming fire. Then he went and got in his black Range Rover that was parked in the grass, taking one last look at the fire.

  “Burn, bitch,” he said and drove in the direction toward home where his lady was waiting for him.

  Chapter 13

  Ray walked through the silent halls of his estate toward Sadie’s wing. After Coopa sent his goons to his last home, he took every precaution to ensure that nothing like that would ever happen again. He had his 80,000 square foot home built quickly and in secret. His home was unlisted in any phone book or GPS. The only way to get there was to know exactly where it was. As a boy growing up, he went on many adventures that took him far from home. The land Ray purchased to build his home was discovered during one of those adventures. It was surrounded by nothing but trees and a large, beautiful pond. The home was ducked off and out of the way of mankind, but still, as a safety precaution, he had cameras on the outside of the house and large gates around it. Ray also had two of his hired hands at the front of the gate every hour of the day. He knew that he would be gone often on business and wanted to be certain that Mocha and Sadie would be well taken care of while he was away.

  Ray had housekeepers to help out and keep things orderly around the place. They had their own rooms and free reign of the home, everywhere except their bedrooms and his office. Mocha and Sadie each had their own wing in the house, but when they were both home, you could always find them together. Currently, however, Mocha was gone on a trip to Atlanta and had been gone for a little over a week. He’d checked up on it and found that she had business there and was bringing home big sums of money. He respected her grind and trusted her even more for bringing the money to their business instead of being snake about it.

  Ray knocked lightly on Sadie’s tall double doors once he arrived.

  “Come in!” her voice called on the other side.

  He entered a room fit for a queen and quickly spotted her sitting in her window seat. Sadie’s room was like a large suite, kitchen and all. If she never wanted to leave it, she didn’t have to. When his house was being built, Ray had special import and modification requirements. He wanted Sadie to feel like a bag of money whenever she went to bed and woke up. The room was draped in nothing but Versace. Without including the sixty-five-inch TV that hung on her wall, her king-sized bed and other furniture, or the two closets filled with designer clothes and shoes, he was standing in a $500,000 room.

  “Hey,” Sadie smiled up at him, wearing nothing but a T-shirt and a pair of s
kinny jeans.

  Ray knelt and sat down by her feet. He studied her face and couldn’t believe how much she’d grown up. Her beauty was breathtaking, and he was glad that she was focused on making money and not on any niggas. A year before, she was a college student and like his kid sister. Now, sitting before him, Ray could see the difference. A major difference, and he knew why. She’d taken a life . . . a few lives, actually. Ray noticed that the innocent blind-to-the-world look was gone from her eyes, only to be replaced with a look of hunger and anticipation. He couldn’t see her as his little cousin anymore. At the age of twenty-one, she was a grown woman and clearly knew how to handle herself.

  Sadie flipped her work faster than anyone he’d ever seen. Although he taught her a few things, Sadie already knew the game like the back of her hand. Ray was feeling a little guilty. As the new boss of the city, all of attention and energy had been on moving product in and out of the city, and he hadn’t had any time to spend with Sadie. They all had been staying together, but if it wasn’t about business, they barely said two things to each other. Sitting there in front of her, he took his time with his words.

  “We making money out here, fam,” Ray said, turning to look at Sadie’s gorgeous view of the pond. The sun’s rays made it look blue, like the ocean. “The Last Kings . . . us.”

  Sadie smiled a small smile.

  “The last of a dying breed,” she spoke, softly turning her head away from the window ever so slightly. Her long, silky hair fell in front of her eye.

  Ray reached and pushed it behind her ear and nodded. The smile he wore on his face wasn’t happy; it was a sad one.

  “I never wanted this life for you, Say. You were supposed to stay in school. Be a doctor or some shit, not this.” He shook his head and leaned back once more. “But the fact remains that you got something that none of these niggas got when it comes to this game. You got the heart of a hustler.”