Hardhearted

by Sherrod Tunstall

  His mind was filled with images of King, aka his love. He didn’t know why he was so obsessed with her. He couldn’t deny that she was sexy, a killer, and she had a fire for life that wouldn’t blow out.

  When he first met King as a young child, he thought she was a dirty street girl destined to be a common whore. But after Zeus and Lewa groomed and trained her for the game, she was now a sexy boss.

  He used to be mad at the Santiagos for leaving him with King, but after years of being with her, he fell in love with her.

  So many times, he tried to express his love to her, but King always shut him down. King teased him with her good punany, and that’s the only reason he stayed with her.

  But now, Blood was tired of playing games with her. He wanted King all for himself. He had decided in their future life together, if King were a good girl, Blood would occasionally allow another woman in their bed for a little fun. Just the thought of him, King, and another woman gave him a woody. That put a big smile on his face.

  But his horny thoughts were interrupted by a noise on his cell phone. Blood looked at the text.

  We’re here.

  He smiled. Right on time, he thought as he sent a text.

  Come in. It’s open.

  Blood was ready for business.

  The door opened, and three men came in the suite. Blood stood. “Gentlemen, welcome.” He then looked at the tall Sicilian man in a tight-fitting dark blue suit. “And, you, welcome to San José.”

  The men shook hands, greeting one another. Blood told them all to have a seat and offered them drinks and cigars. The men passed on the drinks.

  “Nope, let’s get to this business,” said the Sicilian in a serious tone.

  Everyone looked at the Sicilian crazy.

  “Okay, G, damn,” said Blood looking him up and down.

  “Just one question before we start.”

  “And what’s that?” asked the Sicilian as he took a cigar.

  “Where is B at? I thought he would be here to discuss our problem.”

  “Oh, B, couldn’t come. He had bigger fish to fry in the Midwest back in the States. But don’t worry. He isn’t backing down. He’s waited a long time to bring King down.”

  Then one of the other men who was at the table, the police chief of Costa Rica, cleared his throat. “So, Blood, what do you have for us to bring this bitch down for good?”

  “Yeah,” said the other man, who was the police chief’s assistant.

  “Okay, gentlemen, I got you all,” said Blood.

  “You better, Fernandez. The president has been all over my ass about bringing this bitch down for years.”

  “Yeah, and my boss just wants that little moolie whore the hell away from him with all her lies,” said the Sicilian.

  Blood laughed as he went into his briefcase, pulling out many documents, photographs, and video leakage of King’s guilt with the blurring of other people’s faces that she’s worked with to protect their business relationships.

  The men looked over all the evidence.

  “Perfect,” said the police chief.

  “Yeah,” said his assistant.

  The Sicilian nodded.

  “I say we bust the bitch right now!” yelled the police chief.

  “No! She deserves much better than that,” said Blood.

  The men looked at him with a “Why not?” look on their faces.

  “I’m in charge of this operation. And what I say goes, got it?” Blood smiled. “And if you burn me before this shit hits the fan, I have photos of you, Police Chief, with the best girls in the Palace I hooked you up with.”

  The cop had a lump in his throat that was hard to swallow. He was nervous as shit knowing the photos or whatever Blood had on him could damage his career.

  Blood smiled at him, knowing he had him. He looked over at the Sicilian. “Now, G, I know you and your boss are already going to work up a plan. If you do—” Blood went into his briefcase again, pulling out a picture and handed it to the Sicilian.

  The Sicilian looked at the picture and back at Blood. “Who is this?”

  Blood smiled at him. “That is Solomon Carter, aka Swag. He’s a fugitive and one of King’s upcoming soldiers.”

  Both the police chief and his assistant looked confused.

  “Oh, he’s one of those moolies that escaped the Brazilian prison,” said the Sicilian as he looked back at the picture. “But what does he have to do with bringing King down?”

  Blood laughed. “Glad you asked. He’ll be our star witness for taking King down. And it’ll keep King from suspecting all of us. Just keeping our hands clean.”

  “Well, Sherlock Holmes, how are me and B going to get this eggplant to testify against all King’s crimes?”

  “Now, G, you know these Americans will do anything, if persuaded right. So, you and B can figure all that out. Shit, you have all the information, so come up with a plan.”

  The Sicilian nodded. “We’ll keep that in mind.” Blood smiled. “Good. Let’s bring King and Swag down.” He looked at his watch. “Now, excuse me, gentlemen. I have another engagement to get to.” He stood up. “Have a great day, gentlemen, and wait for my signal in due time.”

  “Uh, Blood, one question comes to mind,” said the Sicilian.

  Blood looked at him. “What’s up, G?”

  “Why do you want to bring down King so badly? I thought you were her boy? Why destroy what she’s built? She’s so beautiful and young. What a waste.”

  Blood chuckled, having his own secret plan worked out in his head. “It’s personal. Just be ready when I call.” He walked out of the suite, ready to put his plan to action . . . getting rid of Swag and making King his at last.

  Chapter 34

  All Good Things Come to an End

  The last few days had been like heaven for Swag. He loved waking up in the morning, seeing his sons.

  He asked Li’l Swag how he and Namond got from St. Louis to Costa Rica, knowing little children his age can’t lie. Li’l Swag told him that the family was in Heman Park celebrating his mother’s graduation party and that she had a new boyfriend by the name of Garrett.

  Swag only knew one Garrett, and he was the disease of the fellas from getting Tyler locked up to going down on Brad’s former girl, Nichelle. Now he was dating the mother of his two boys.

  He wanted to throw something—anything—across the room but remained calm because of his son. All he told himself was that if he ever got out of this mess, he was going to handle that Garrett situation. But until then, he listened to Li’l Swag.

  His son told him some masked men in clown suits came by. And that everyone thought the clowns were for Li’l Swag and Zaria. Li’l Swag said that the clowns put on a show for them, and all of a sudden, smoke was everywhere. And before Li’l Swag knew it, he and Namond were with Blood or as Li’l Swag called him, Mr. Blood.

  Li’l Swag even told Swag that Blood fed them and entertained them, telling them he had a big surprise for them and Li’l Swag’s birthday.

  Swag asked Li’l Swag if he had been afraid when taken away from home and if Blood treated Namond and him right.

  Li’l Swag stood up and told Swag, “I’m a soldier. I ain’t neva scared. You taught me dat. And I missed my real daddy.”

  Li’l Swag went on to say Blood was cool.

  Swag laughed at the thought of his son, a soldier. Then Swag almost choked when Li’l Swag said he missed him. But he was glad his boys were there, no matter how they got there.

  While Li’l Swag and Namond were in San José, Swag spent as much quality time with his sons as he could, not knowing how long they would be there with him. Swag wished he had a camera to cherish these precious moments. He loved bathing them and taking them to the beach. He even enjoyed changing Namond’s diapers, despite the shitty smell. But even with the bit of happiness, Swag sensed hate always filled the air.

  Tyler couldn’t believe that King did that shit for Swag. Don’t get him wrong. Even though he hated Swag
to the core, he still loved his godsons with all his heart. But even though he loved them, Tyler wanted to do something to Swag to pay him back for the murder of Travis. When he was alone playing with Li’l Swag, he wanted to rape him and take his childhood from him, but he couldn’t go through with it. He just couldn’t take the innocence of a child. So after the first time seeing the kid, he kept to himself and stayed in his room with Santana.

  * * *

  One day while Swag was training, Madam Lourd was watching both of his children. Even with her illness, Madam Lourd still loved to see the joy of children. But that day, Li’l Swag broke away from Madam Lourd to explore the Palace. He finally made it down to Josie’s room, where she was practicing. She was happy to get a break from her training of being the future leader of the Leopard Clit. When she finished her dancing, she looked over and saw the boy. She loved children, and she hoped after her dance career died down, she’d have a child of her own. She played with him, and Li’l Swag warmed up to her. He asked her about her dancing and what she was doing. She showed him a few moves, and he tried them too. To Josie’s surprise, the little boy was very flexible. She went on to teach him some more dance moves. Not only did Josie want a successful dancing career and a family, but she also wanted to teach dance one day too.

  At the same time, Swag looked all around the Palace, losing his mind while trying to find Li’l Swag. He finally decided to check another place he knew that was forbidden, as far as King was concerned. But at that moment, he didn’t care what King thought because his baby boy was more important. When he opened up the door, he was amazed at what he saw.

  Li’l Swag and Josie were dancing. But it wasn’t any of that boring stuff that Josie danced to. She and Li’l Swag were dancing to “Every Little Step,” an old Bobby Brown song. Swag calmed down, and he smiled. Looking at his son and Josie caused a warm feeling to come over him that he hadn’t felt in years. He was glad that his son was so comfortable with Josie. The song was in the middle, and Swag went into the room, showing off some of his own dance moves. He had Bobby Brown moves too. Both Josie and Li’l Swag laughed when the song ended.

  Swag walked over to Li’l Swag and picked him up. He was grateful that he was in good hands.

  “Thank you for finding my son.”

  Josie laughed. “Actually, he found me. He’s a great dancer.”

  Swag laughed and put down his son. “Come on, man. Let’s leave Ms. Josie to her dancing.”

  “Oh, Daddy, I wanna dance some more. This lady is so much fun. Can I stay? Please.” Li’l Swag was cheesing.

  Josie giggled.

  Swag looked down at his son and was unable to resist his smile. “Okay, you can dance a little more while me and Ms. Josie have a little talk.”

  “Okay,” Li’l Swag said.

  Josie put on some more music for the child to enjoy. As he was dancing his little heart out, Swag and Josie sat in chairs. Josie’s hair was in a ponytail, and she wore a lyrical dress. He wanted to know if she was all right after not seeing her since her birthday.

  “So, are you okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

  Swag cleared his throat. “Well, I didn’t know you were a virgin at the time. I know that wasn’t the way you wanted to lose it. And—”

  “Look, Swag, what’s done is done, okay? Besides, if we didn’t do it, King would’ve had our necks. I’m trying to get away from here as soon as possible. King is an evil bitch. I didn’t see it until now. I just want to get enough money so I can go to Paris and forget this part of my life ever happened. Dance is my life, not being a femme fatale.”

  Swag was stunned that Josie wanted to get as far away from King as he did. But he also knew that she couldn’t pull this off by herself and would need some help.

  “Josie.”

  “Yeah, Swag.”

  “If you want, I was going to take Li’l Swag up to the beach tomorrow for some more fun. Would you like to join us?”

  Josie was stunned at his invitation. She knew Swag was playing with fire, and King would be pissed. King already thought Josie and Swag was a couple. And if she found out about the two of them being together, she’d have them killed.

  “Swag, I don’t think that’s a good idea. May—”

  “Look, come on, ma. Live a little bit and let’s hang out. You can dance on the beach.”

  “What about King?”

  “Fuck King! Just tell her you’re going to the mall or something.”

  Josie smiled.

  “Well, well, well. What’s going on here?”

  Swag and Josie turned their heads. Their hearts dropped as they saw King in the doorway. Even the music stopped.

  “I thought you were looking for the little boy,” King said to Swag.

  Swag laughed. “Oh, he was in here with Josi—I mean, Josephine. She was showing my son some dance moves.”

  King chuckled, not giving a shit about Li’l Swag. All she wanted was for Swag to get the hell out of this room and away from Josie. For some strange reason, King was so afraid they would try something behind her back. The way Swag looked at her daughter said everything. King never felt this way about a man since Zeus Santiago. In her mind, she’d lost one man. She wasn’t going to lose another one.

  “Solomon, let’s go. It’s almost time for dinner. I want everyone to be clean and dressed.”

  King pivoted and left the room.

  Swag and Josie looked at each other. Josie whispered, “Tomorrow.”

  Swag nodded.

  “Solomon!” King yelled from the hallway. She was ready to claw her nails at him if he didn’t come out of Josie’s room.

  “Coming,” he said.

  He took Josie’s hand and kissed it. After picking up Li’l Swag, he walked toward the door.

  “Bye, Ms. Josie.” Li’l Swag waved at her.

  She waved back, and after they were gone, she thought about her master plan to get away from King. Her plans changed as Swag entered her mind.

  * * *

  That evening after a wonderful meal, King was in her room watching her monitors and checking all the surroundings of her place. She saw that her girls and guys were taking care of their clients. She also checked in on her mother, who was with her latest young man. King shook her head, wishing that Ivy would just find a man her own age and act her age. Then King checked in on Tyler, who was bare-backing Santana and making him scream for God. They were even snorting cocaine in her place, which she hated. She was giving Tyler time to grieve over his brother, but starting tomorrow, she was going to start beating Tyler and Santana’s asses for bringing drugs into her palace.

  Then she checked in on Josie, who was getting ready for her evening jog. She smiled at her child, but she was pissed off at the interaction Josie and Swag had earlier that day. She played back the footage over and over again and tried to make out their conversation. The music that played was too loud to make out anything. King hated it when she didn’t know every little detail going on in her place. She observed how Swag and Josie looked at each other with so much passion. King couldn’t get over that Swag never looked at her like that. But then again, King didn’t want her hard heart to melt. She didn’t want a repeat of what happened between her and the Santiagos again. She couldn’t live with more heartbreak.

  King cleared her throat and tried to forget about Josie and Swag’s encounter from earlier. In her mind, Josie wouldn’t dare touch one of her mother’s side dishes. King then switched her screen over to Swag’s room. Swag was putting the baby in his crib and tucking Li’l Swag in the bed. So many setbacks, King thought.

  She hated competition, especially when it came to children and Josie. She thought that Swag was losing focus and fear, which all equaled King. She laughed because it was time to switch things up a bit. And as more thoughts came to mind, she reached for her cell phone to text someone. Once she finished, she laughed.

  * * *

  Swag was in his suite, tucking Li’l Swag in bed after
putting Namond in his crib. “Good night, Daddy,” Li’l Swag said.

  “Night, son.”

  Swag kissed his son’s forehead, then walked out of the room, only to be startled by Blood, who was only wearing boxer briefs, and Madam Lourd in her nightgown.

  “Blood and Madam Lourd, what’s up?”

  “King wants to see you right now in her room,” Blood said in a dry tone.

  “But, but who’s goin’ to watch the kids? I can’t leave—”

  “Forget all that! King wants to see you now!”

  Mama Lourd stepped up to Swag. “Don’t worry, my boy. I’ll look after the little darlings.” She patted him on his back. “Run along.”

  Swag didn’t want to keep King waiting. He headed out of the room, but not before he and Blood glared at each other.

  * * *

  Swag knocked on King’s door.

  “Come in!”

  He walked into her suite and closed the door behind him.

  “Please, sit in the living room and help yourself to a drink. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “Cool.” Swag poured himself a glass of whiskey and relaxed on the sofa. Just after a few sips of the whiskey, King walked out wearing a black lace nightie with her hair hanging down. She looked at the back of Swag’s head while holding a switchblade in her hand. She debated on slicing his neck open, but decided against it, knowing that her big master plan was already in play. She put the switchblade on the counter and walked over to him.

  “Good evening.” King sat down with a flirty smile on her face.

  Swag was excited to see her. Her sexiness always made him hard.

  “Hey, King. What’s up?”

  King crossed her legs. “Nothing much. Are you having a great time with your children?”

  Her words brought a big smile to Swag’s face. “Man, I’ve been having a blast with my boys. I never thought I would see them again. Seeing them was like Christmas, my birthday, and Thanksgiving, all in one. I thank you for all these precious moments.”

  And all good moments come to an end, King laughed wickedly.

  “What’s so funny?”

  King cleared her throat. “Nothing.” She uncrossed her legs and showed her puss to Swag. “Get on your knees, Solomon.”