King smiled at him, telling him that she didn’t know what he was talking about. She felt extremely confident. Her legal team was good at cleaning shit up.
All King wanted the judge to say for the eighth time was, “Not guilty for lack of evidence.”
“Oh, really?” said the prosecutor as he went into his briefcase and pulled out a DVD. He presented it to the court.
“You all are so busy looking at Ms. Costello’s beauty, not noticing under all that CoverGirl makeup, she’s a monster. I have evidence to prove it.”
He put the DVD in and let it play for the entire court to see and hear. On the screen, Swag popped up. King frowned, but at the same time, she was kind of turned on seeing him in prison garb.
Swag talked about the time he’d spent with King. He told them how Paco helped him and his friends break out of the Brazil prison. How King brought them to San José, He continued to sing like a bird talking about all her past crimes and murders. Swag’s last sentence was that King was an evil bitch. The prosecutor turned off the TV.
King was pissed, but at the same time, not worried. The prosecutor looked at King, who had a straight face.
“So, Ms. Costello, what do you have to say to that?”
King smiled. “It’s my word against his.”
The prosecutor went to his briefcase and pulled out photos and played more video recordings of her murdering ways throughout the years until recently. He presented all information to the court.
King was speechless, not believing this was happening to her.
“Now, this is you, am I right, Ms. Costello?”
“Yes,” King said softly.
“What was that?”
“Yes!”
“I have no further questions.”
The prosecutor looked at King’s attorney. “Your witness.”
King knew she was fucked.
* * *
It took the jury almost half the day to deliberate, but the next day, they rendered their decision. King kept telling herself that it was an open-and-shut case. And even if she had to go to jail, she’d only be in there for ninety days. The jury, however, found her guilty of multiple murders, drugs, kidnapping, and harboring fugitives. She was sentenced to thirty years to life in a maximum-security prison in Costa Rica. King stood tall, but on the inside, she was broken. The only thing she valued the most was her freedom, and now it was taken from her.
She got herself together as she was being escorted out of the courtroom. Reporters continued to ask her questions, but she ignored them all. The only thing on her mind was getting revenge on the people who had fucked her over. She wanted Swag’s head on a silver and diamond platter. If it weren’t for him being a snitch bitch, King would’ve walked. Then she thought about Josie, and that pissed her off even more. A smile came on her face as she got into the limousine. She used her attorney’s phone and dialed one person she knew would have her back.
Within moments, a female voice picked up. “Hello, girl.”
“So, do you still wanna be even more famous than Superhead?”
“Of course.”
“Good. Release the cheese and blow up Hollywood, Desiree.”
“Anything for you, lover.”
If King had to go behind bars, she might as well fuck up shit until she got back her freedom.
Chapter 46
Scandal
Weeks after the trial of King, her girl, Desiree, did what she was asked. Desiree released every last video she’d kept hidden for King. She sold them for high prices on celebrity blogs like Hollywood Unlocked, Perez Hilton, Bossip, and even Pornhub. The videos showed every famous person that came to the Palace—from actors to the religious leaders. Hollywood was going crazy and paid their staff double overtime to make the shit go away. Many denied everything from going to the Palace to their true sexuality.
Desiree had pictures that magazines wanted, but she turned them all down. A big publishing house in New York gave her an offer she couldn’t refuse. They offered her a $100-million, two-book deal with a $60-million advance, to write a tell-all book about her life at the Palace and the high-profile men with whom she’d slept. When the media confronted King about the matters, all she said was “no comment.” To her, if she were going down, she was going to take a bunch of motherfuckers with her.
Chapter 47
Smile
Weeks later, with all the media about King’s trial, the Hollywood world went into a frenzy. Desiree’s tell-all book was in the works, and Swag’s trial finally came. As promised by Bruno and the city of Costa Rica for ratting out King, Brazil sentenced Swag to five years. He would be up for parole in two. The negative press called him a snitch, and rappers came up with rhymes saying it was messed up to rat out a powerful woman like King.
Even with all of the shit that was going on with him, he tried to make the best out of a bad situation. As Bruno promised, Swag had round-the-clock protection and his own private cell with a TV so that he could keep up with the outside world. At night, he thought about the wild ride he’d been on. He thought about what could’ve been with Josie. He wondered if she ever made it to Paris, or if she were still dancing. He just hoped wherever she was, she was happy. Also, there were days he felt so lonely. He missed his sons and his only real family . . . Brad, Tyler, Travis, and Stan.
* * *
One day, while Swag was watching TV in his cell, he’d been flipping channels until he flipped over to CNN, where a story caught his attention.
“Hello, I’m Della Ryan, and I’m in Puntarenas Province in Chacarita, Costa Rica, where a terrorist attack took place in La Reforma Prison. Many died, including the notorious crime lady, King Kia Costello. The cold-blooded femme fatale was burned to death in her cell with all her teeth, toes, and fingers missing. The Costa Rican authorities don’t know if this was something aimed at another terrorist or Costello. We’ll have an update in a moment.”
Swag turned off the television and couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. “King?” King is dead? Damn, King is dead. Swag leaped out of his bed and jumped for joy. “Aah! The bitch is dead!”
He started to dance, even did some old dances like the Harlem Shake. He was so loud the guard came by and banged his baton stick on the cell door. Startled, Swag turned around to face him.
“Hey! Where the hell you think you at?” said the guard. “No club for you for a few more years. Go to bed. It’s almost time for lights out!”
The guard walked away from his cell. Swag smiled and sat on his bed. Fuck a club, he thought. He had better things to do with his life.
Swag was happy that his real living nightmare had died and gone to hell. In his mind, he was going to turn up all night long. As the lights went off, he closed his eyes and smiled, knowing pleasant dreams were coming.
Chapter 48
Swagger Meets Swagger
It had been two months since King’s death and the attack on the prison. It was still being investigated, and the motives were still unclear. It got to the point where Swag was even questioned about the whole ordeal. Also, the terrorist attack was a good thing for Desiree, who was now going by Desiree St. Clair. Sales were rising on her upcoming book, Foreign Fruit of an Island Girl. The book was due out in a few months, and everyone was anticipating a juicy read. It was going to sell more than the Vixen series, and Desiree was milking the wealth.
* * *
Meanwhile, back in his prison, Swag was hitting his punching bag while trying to stay healthy. There was nothing else for him to do in his private cell. His days were spent eating, watching TV, and working out to keep his body and mind right. He used the punching bag, did push-ups, and sit-ups. He even put in his mind that when he got out of prison and back on US soil, he was going back to school. Not to only get his GED but also to learn to be a fitness trainer. Being in the cell all day, he loved working out and staying fit. He hoped that he could share some of his knowledge with other people. He even had his mind on opening a gym.
As he was p
unching the bag, he thought of his beloved Josie. He wanted to know how she was or if she heard that King was dead. He hoped she was living her Josephine Baker dream in Paris. His mind switched to Blood and Tyler. Now, he punched the bag harder. He was so focused that he didn’t hear his cell door opening.
“Okay, Carter, let’s go!”
Sweat dripped down his body, and he was only wearing shorts. He didn’t know what the guard meant, and he didn’t move.
“I said, let’s go!”
Swag’s brows rose. “What’s going on?”
“You a free man. Someone paid to get you out of here. I think that’s crazy as cat shit, but I don’t run nothing around here.”
Swag froze and thought about the words, “You a free man.” To him, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He assumed Bruno was behind the payment, but at that moment, he didn’t care. His mind was all over the place as he thought about his newfound freedom and life.
“Are you coming, or do you wanna stay here?”
Swag rushed out of the cell, took a quick, hot shower, and waited for the guard to tell him his next move. Within the hour, the guard was back. He gave Swag a bag.
“Get dressed!” shouted the guard. Then he walked out.
Swag looked inside the bag and saw there was a white Gucci shirt, jeans from True Religion, fresh socks, fresh underwear, an STL baseball cap, and a pair of the latest Jordans. Also in the package was a platinum watch and chain with diamonds. Swag was shocked. He couldn’t believe Bruno had gone all out for him like this.
After Swag put on the clothes and jewelry, he looked at himself in the mirror. He was starting to feel like the pretty boy from the Lou again. But this time, a do-better pretty boy. He even thought about going under his government name, but he looked at his reflection again and decided to go under Swag and continue to sport his swagger. Once he finished admiring himself, two guards escorted him outside. It was a beautiful, sunny day in Rio, and he stood for a moment to let the sun hit his face and breathe in the fresh air. It smelled like sweet honey mixed with gasoline.
He looked around at his surroundings and spotted a taxi. The thing that almost took his breath away was a sexy, brown-skinned chick leaning against the cab. She wore big Fendi shades to cover her eyes, and her hair was cut into a short pixie cut with purple highlights. The tight khaki jumpsuit hugged her curves, and black Prada suede sandals were on her feet. She looked at Swag with a big smile that could brighten up any room. Swag smiled, knowing it was Josie. His heart almost stopped. He couldn’t believe that she was the one who’d paid to get him out. In his mind, Swag thought Josie had forgotten all about him. He thought she was living her best life with the money they stole from King. Swag walked up to her with the biggest smile on his face and held his arms out.
“Come here,” he said.
“No. You come here,” Josie replied.
Swag rushed over to her, hugged her, picked her up, and kissed her. He spun her around and felt like he was in one of those romance novels his nana used to read all the time. He smelled Josie’s scent, White Diamonds perfume.
“Thank you for helping me get out. How did you do it?” He put her down.
Josie laughed. “I have connections too, and I worked my magic on some very high-profile people. I didn’t want you to be in there a minute longer. They didn’t either, and I couldn’t leave you in that roach motel to rot in for years.”
“True.”
They both laughed.
“So, where do you wanna go?” Josie asked.
Swag thought for a moment. “I wanna go to St. Louis to be with my sons. I really miss them.”
“We can go anywhere you like.”
They kissed again and celebrated their reunion.
“Let’s go,” Josie said, opening the door for him.
As the cab was driving down the streets of downtown Rio, so many memories flooded Swag’s mind. He thought of the good times when all the fellas arrived in Brazil, to the nightmare which led to Stan being killed. Not wanting to show his emotions, Swag cleared his thoughts. He and Josie talked about what she’d been up to. She told him that when she arrived in Paris, she toured the city and visited the famous sites and home that belonged to Josephine Baker. She even got a small apartment in downtown Paris. She took up dancing again, and in a few weeks, she had an audition for one of Paris’s finest dance academies. She hoped she’d be performing on a stage soon.
The couple cuddled in each other’s arms. They saw nothing but a great future ahead. They were caught in a big traffic jam, but they didn’t care. They enjoyed their time together and couldn’t stop talking about what they’d been up to.
People, however, were going crazy in the street. The cab driver swerved so he wouldn’t hit a car that had pulled in front of him. Out of nowhere, a bullet came through the window and went straight through the driver’s head. His brains splattered on the windshield, and some of it landed on Josie and Swag. Josie screamed hysterically.
Swag took her hand and tried to get out of the cab. It was too late, though. Four masked men stood outside the cab with machine guns pointed at them.
One of the men yelled, “Don’t you fucking move, or you’ll join the cab driver in hell!”
Swag was in disbelief. His heart raced fast. In his mind, he thought this shit was over, but he was way off. One of the men pulled the dead driver out of the cab and took his place. Two other men got in the back with Swag and Josie, crushing them.
Swag looked at the man who pointed his gun at him. “Who are you? What do you want?”
Swag’s question went unanswered. The man shot him with a tranquilizer and knocked him out. Josie screamed at the top of her lungs. She thought Swag was dead, and she attempted to get out of the car. No such luck. The other masked man took her arm and poked it with a needle. She was out too.
Within seventy-two hours, they woke up to a new nightmare.
Chapter 49
Motherland
Swag finally woke up, feeling like he was in a sweatbox. He was hungry, and he smelled like shit. After gaining his composure, he realized he was in a room that looked like a dungeon with dimmed lighting. He also saw that his hands were chained, and his body was dangling. He tried to wiggle himself out of the chains, but couldn’t. He looked around and saw that he wasn’t alone. Josie was tied up on a bed. He then turned around and saw Santana and Tyler. Their hands were chained up next to him.
“What . . . What the hell is this?” Swag questioned.
“How the hell should I know?” Tyler was still trying to get loose.
“Ewww, shit, this place is hot and nasty,” Santana whined, thinking he was too pretty for this shit.
“Swag, help meeee!” Josie screamed.
He saw that she was only in her bra and panties. “I’m trying, baby, but where in the hell are we?”
“Welcome to Africa!” a man with a deep, sexy voice said. He had a thick Spanish accent.
Everyone looked around and tried to figure out whose voice that was and where it was coming from.
“Who are you?” Swag shouted. “What do you want from us?”
A bright light came on that almost blinded everyone in the room. Swag did a double-take as he saw the big man with dark shades covering his eyes. Everyone else saw him too. They realized it was Blood. He laughed and removed his shades.
“What up, bitches?” he shouted.
Swag couldn’t believe it. “Blood, what the hell is this?”
“Shhhh. Please have respect for the royal family.”
Everyone appeared confused. They saw a handsome Cuban man and a stunning chocolate woman dressed to the nines in all white. The couple looked like they could’ve been in People magazine for Hollywood’s hottest couple. Blood cleared his throat.
“Let me introduce you all to the original bosses and ringleaders who really run shit. Mr. Zeus and Mrs. Lewa Santiago.”
They smiled at everyone and sat in chairs that looked like thrones. Everyone f
elt like they were in a hellish version of The Twilight Zone.
“Blake! Blake! Blake! What is this? What the hell is going on?” Santana felt betrayed by his partner.
Blood laughed and put his finger over his lips. “Shh. Santana, you will also address my wife first.”
Everyone turned and looked at his wife. Things went from boiling hot to cold as ice when they saw the last person they wanted to see—King.
She fiercely strutted in the room and looked at her latest victims, chained. Her long, blond hair was full of thick curls, her makeup was flawless, and she wore a vintage Christian Dior sequined feather dress and black Dior heels.
“It can’t be,” Tyler said with his mouth wide open.
“What? No! You’re dead!” Santana hollered.
King laughed and looked at them like the feline she was. “What’s the matter, bitches? Cat got your tongues?”
“I can’t believe you’re alive.” Swag thought this was a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from.
King snapped her fingers in the air. “Well, believe it, baby. It’s me, in the flesh.”
“What the hell is this, Swag?” asked another female voice.
Swag’s attention turned to the other person.
“Oh, I forgot about our special guest,” King said. “Bring her closer, boys.”
Two big bodyguards brought in Zaria. Her face was puffy from all the crying she’d done. Like Josie, she wore only a bra and panties. Zaria was trying to get out of the guards’ grip but couldn’t.
“Where am I?” she shouted and kicked one of the guards. “Where are my sons?”
Swag was shocked to see his ex here. He didn’t know the purpose of all of this. When Zaria mentioned the boys, he was furious. He looked over at King.
“Bitch, where the fuck are my kids?”
King laughed at his remark. Blood, on the other hand, walked over to him and punched the dog shit out of him. He had wanted to fuck Swag’s pretty ass up, especially for making his woman lose her way. He continued to punch Swag in his stomach and made him vomit.
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