Hardhearted

by Sherrod Tunstall

  “Blood! That’s enough!” King shouted.

  He stopped and looked at the weak piece of shit in front of him. “Bitch!” he spat.

  Swag coughed and gasped for air. Josie and Zaria cried at the sight of what was going on. King hated weak females. She shook her head and went over to Zaria to slap her. “Shut up, bitch!”

  Zaria muffled her cries. She was frightened as hell. “What is this?” she asked. “What did I do to deserve this shit?”

  King laughed and rubbed Zaria’s cheek, who turned her head, but King gripped her head, forcing her to look at her.

  “Such a pretty little brown girl. You had so much promise. At first, I was going to spare you. I was going to make you one of my newest escorts, but that’s not going to be possible. Because every time I would look at you, it would remind me of your bitch of a baby daddy.”

  Zaria breathed deeply as she looked at King, then back at Swag. “Do something! Help me, please!”

  King shook her head. “What a waste.” She pulled out her switchblade and sliced Zaria’s throat.

  “Noooo!” Swag cried out. He felt helpless that he couldn’t save the mother of his children.

  The guards let Zaria fall. She hit the floor, and her blood flowed on the concrete.

  Swag cried out with fire in his eyes. He looked like a raging bull. “Why the fuck you kill Zaria? My kids’ mother! Why? She didn’t have shit to do with this.”

  King licked Zaria’s blood off the switchblade. Everybody was grossed out, even Blood.

  “Mmm, good,” she said. “I had to kill her because she was someone you loved. I made a promise that I was going to destroy everything you cared about.”

  Those words scared the shit out of Swag. There was no telling what she’d done with his sons. “Where are my sons? What have you done with them?”

  Tears streamed down his face. King didn’t respond. She loved torturing him, and seeing the sorrow on all of their faces made her feel good.

  Swag lifted his head. “Please, tell me. Where are my sons you—”

  Before Swag could finish his sentence, Zeus spoke up. “Don’t worry about your boys. They will live a wonderful life. And in time, they will call me father.”

  Swag was dead-ass shocked. He didn’t know who this Al Pacino, Scarface wannabe fool thought he was, but he wasn’t having this shit. No one was taking his sons away from him.

  “What the fuck are you talking about, you fake-ass mobster?”

  Blood pulled out a Taser and shot bolts of electricity through Swag’s body.

  “Have some respect for the original king!” he shouted.

  “Blake, my friend, it’s cool.” Zeus got up and patted him on his back. “I got this.”

  Blood stepped back, and Zeus looked at Swag, smiling.

  Swag was direct with Zeus. “You ain’t taking my sons away from me. If you fuck with them in any way, you’re—”

  Zeus cut him off with laughter. “Your sons are Mrs. Santiago’s and my sons now.” He waved for Lewa to come over. She stood next to her husband. Zeus kissed her and looked back at Swag. “You better be lucky that King spared your children. She planned to sell the oldest boy into slavery in East Africa, and for the baby, she wanted to boil him alive in oil. So, you should be thanking Mrs. Santiago, who loves children.” Zeus looked at his wife. “And whatever Mrs. Santiago wants, she gets.” He kissed her again.

  King looked at Zeus and Lewa. She gave them the side-eye for not letting her have her way with Swag’s children. But she had to respect the ones responsible for her freedom. So she remained silent . . . for now.

  “Mr. Carter, I always wanted a big family,” Lewa said in a calm voice. “When I saw your beautiful sons, I wanted them. So Mr. Santiago and I are their parents now. You and that baby mama are about to be worm and rat food.”

  Swag wiggled around like a fish and tried to get loose again. He wanted to slap the shit out her. She looked at Zeus.

  “Darling, I’m tired. I want to be with our sons.”

  “As you wish, Mrs. Santiago.” Zeus faced King and Blood. “King! Blood! Come here.”

  The two immediately came their way.

  “Mrs. Santiago and I are about to leave. Have fun with your guests.”

  Lewa kissed King and Blood on their cheeks. Zeus kissed King, and that made her heart melt. He patted Blood on his shoulder. “Congrats, man.” He also whispered in his ear. “If you need any more help, just call us.”

  Blood nodded. King could read lips, and his words put a sly smile on her face. She knew Blood had some kind of contact info on the Santiagos. She planned to find them and meet them again soon.

  Once the Santiagos were gone, King and Blood focused on their guests of honor.

  “Back to business, ladies and gentlemen.” King looked down at Zaria’s lifeless body. “Or should I say, lady.” She looked at Santana, who had just pissed in his pants.

  She shook her head at her half brother.

  “Damn, half of my bone and flesh,” she said. “I cannot believe you would do some fucked-up shit like this to me. But then again, I can.” She paced back and forth while keeping her eyes on Santana. “You’re just as crooked as your father.”

  Santana’s eyes widened. “My father?”

  “Hmm,” King grabbed his face and whispered, “And here’s my little secret. I. Killed. Your. Father.”

  Santana had finally learned the truth about his dad. He was furious. He tried to break out of the chains and wanted to attack King. She knew he wasn’t going to get free. It was a weight lifted off her shoulders that she’d finally told him the truth. Ivy was trying to protect him all these years.

  Santana breathed heavily, still in disbelief. All his life, he had put in his head that his father had run off, thanks to King. He tried to process that his father was murdered at the hands of his own sister. To him, that was on a whole other level.

  “You wicked, evil bitch!” Santana shouted. “I—”

  Before Santana could get another word in, King scratched his face with her long nails. Santana’s head was to the side, but she pulled it toward her.

  “Don’t forget that this ‘evil bitch’ was the one who gave you a life of luxury, mainly because of Ivy. You were living like the fresh gay prince of San José at my expense!” King was silent for a moment. “How could you do this to me? Why?”

  Santana twisted his face up. “I just wanted a little bit more than the fake-ass crumbs you gave me.” He looked over at Blood, who maintained a straight face. He then looked back at King. “And another thing, why isn’t that bastard Blood chained up with the rest of us? He was the main one who set your dumb ass up anyway. All I wanted was the Palace and the money. He was the one who set you up with the drugs and the kidnapping charges. He also was the one who contacted your father to talk Swag into a confession.”

  “And like the bitch he is, he took it!” Tyler added.

  Swag couldn’t believe that at a time like this, Tyler was still hating. King shook her head.

  “You are such a liar, Santana. Why are you so disrespectful to my hubby?”

  “King! King!” Tyler shouted.

  King shifted her eyes to him. “What, faggot?”

  “King, your brother is telling you the truth. Blood did set you up. A few months back, he and Santana met in a gay bar to discuss bringing you down. Mainly Blood. I have nothing to lose, so it’s time to tell the truth!”

  “Amen to that. I told you, sis,” Santana said sarcastically.

  “Who’s the snitch bitch now?” Swag said, looking over at Tyler.

  “Fuck you, bitch! Again, it’s your fault I’m in this shit!”

  King watched them argue like two old ladies. And as they continued, she shouted, “Shut up!”

  Silence filled the room, and all eyes were on her.

  King strutted over to Tyler. “You, boy, you, I liked. You could do some hair. And you could’ve had a future, but you chose to be a fudge backer with the enemy.” King looked over at San
tana. “Santana, have you ever had a broken heart?”

  Santana pursed his lips. “What?”

  Without warning, King took her switchblade and stabbed Tyler deep in his chest.

  “Aaaah!” Tyler shouted as blood dripped from his mouth.

  “Nooo!” Santana dropped his head and cried. He couldn’t bear to watch the one person he loved besides his mother die.

  As Tyler’s life was fading, he saw his whole life flash before his eyes. With the last bit of life he had in him, he looked over at Swag with tears leaking down. He didn’t want to leave this earth before speaking his last words to Swag.

  “Swag, I forgive . . . love—”

  Tyler’s eyes closed. He was no longer in this world. The word “love” was a shocker to Swag. He didn’t expect Tyler to utter those last words to him. It showed that Tyler still valued their friendship and loved him like a brother. Swag was speechless.

  Santana, however, continued to cry like a baby. He thought about the lavish life they were living back in Jamaica while all the scandal was happening in Costa Rica. He gave Tyler so much, from clothes to all the cocaine he wanted. Santana lifted his head and looked at Tyler’s dead body, hanging. King pulled the switchblade from Tyler’s chest and licked his blood. “Salty but tasty.”

  She walked over to Santana and held the switchblade up to his face with Tyler’s blood on it. He looked at her fearless.

  “What are you waiting for? Go ahead and kill me!”

  King lowered the switchblade and laughed sinisterly. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Death is too easy for you, dickhead! I want you to suffer, and you still owe me a debt. Plus, now that your loverboy is gone, the debt just doubled.”

  “What are you going to do to me? And what about Mother? Can I at least say goodbye?”

  “Don’t worry about Ivy. I’ll continue to send monthly allowances to her in Miami. And you better pray she lives for a long time. ’Cause when that bitch dies, you die!”

  Santana continued to cry, not knowing where his future was headed.

  King needed some different scenery, so she walked over to Josie, who was shaken and in disbelief.

  So many thoughts went through Josie’s head. How did she find me? How did she survive the fire in prison? She thought about getting Swag from prison and regretted doing that. She thought about how happy she had been in Paris.

  King sat on the side of the bed and looked at her. “And you, my child. I raised you, fed you, and paid for the best dancing trainers in the world to get your craft just right.”

  She rubbed Josie’s sweaty head, but she turned it, not wanting King to touch any part of her. That angered King. She had hoped to work out something with Josie, but she knew in her gut that was a lie. She no longer saw Josie as her child and future heiress to her empire. All she saw now was a thieving gutter rat. Her plans for her were to fuck her face up and break her legs so she could never dance again. But Josie was way too valuable, and her talents could be used in other ways. “You owe me a debt too, bitch! But first.” King snapped her fingers. “Come in.”

  PJ Hernandez entered the room dressed in his best suit with two bodyguards and Manny. King looked at Josie.

  “Luckily for you, PJ paid your debt. But unfortunately, you’re his property now.”

  Josie looked away and swallowed hard. Swag couldn’t believe it, and he was as helpless as ever.

  King clapped her hands to make sure she had Swag’s attention. “Congrats! I sold your bitch to PJ. Welcome to the world of sex trafficking.”

  “No!” Josie cried. “No, Swag, please, help me!” Josie tried to shake herself off the bed.

  “Leave her alone! Take me instead! Let her go!” Swag hollered.

  “Nigger! I don’t want you!” PJ barked.

  King hollered back at Swag. “Oh, don’t worry. I have big plans for your ass. Just be sure to look at your whore for one last time before she gets used up.”

  PJ laughed. Manny gave King a suitcase with $50 million inside. She took it and was ready to hand Josie over to PJ.

  “You cost me a lot,” PJ said to Josie. “So, that means you’re going to be my big moneymaker in my new location.”

  Josie shook her head. “No! No! No!”

  “Yes, you will.” PJ looked at his guards. “Shoot her up with some heroin, and let’s be out.” He looked back at King. “Thank you for considering my offer, King. Josephine, I mean, Cattleya, now, will fit right in.”

  The men poisoned Josie’s body with heroin and welcomed her to the world of sex and drug addiction.

  Swag hated to be helpless. He still tried to get out of the chains, with no luck.

  “Leave her alone! You muthafuckas better hope I never get loose! I’ma kill everybody! Watch!”

  King laughed so hard that she almost peed on herself. She couldn’t believe he was so broken up over Josie, and it angered her even more.

  PJ planned to take Josie to his new location in California. With all the sex she’d had with Swag, he now considered her damaged goods. King thought about the new fucked life Josie would be living. She glanced at her one last time and wished her well.

  Now that Josie was gone, she turned her attention back to Swag. “I even thought about killing you too, Sol, I mean, Swag, but like Santana, death would be too easy for you.”

  “What you goin’ to do to me? Send me to military school, bitch?” Swag chuckled. He didn’t give a shit anymore.

  King shook her head. If only he hadn’t betrayed her, Swag would’ve been on her arm instead of her rock, Blood.

  “No, motherfucker! First thing is you’re a snitch, and snitches always get stitches. And second, I’m going to send a message to Bruno Bello for even thinking he could keep me down.”

  King stepped back to look at her surroundings. One dead woman on the ground, one dead man hanging, Santana whose mind was just gone, and Josie, who’d turned into a zombie, was being whisked away with PJ.

  “Blood!” King shouted while looking at him.

  He walked up and eased his arm around her waist. “Yes, my love?”

  “I’m ready to go. Let’s go home!”

  Blood smiled. “As you wish.”

  They kissed passionately.

  Swag rolled his eyes and closed them.

  Santana still was at a loss for words. He couldn’t believe Blood had fed him to the wolves.

  King and Blood held each other’s hands as they exited the building. All they heard behind them were screams of pain and misery. They got inside a white limo, and the driver took off.

  King fell back on the seat, crossed her legs, and looked at Blood. “I can’t believe that shit! Revenge is so sweet.”

  Blood laughed. “Did you love your wedding present?”

  “I loved it. Thank you again.”

  “Now, remember our deal. You stay cool, and I’ll take over the operation. Just relax and let your man take care of you—your hero.”

  King didn’t like to sit back. She was used to being the one who ruled shit. But she did owe Blood, so she gave in.

  “I promise. And thank you.”

  She kissed him on his cheek. Blood loved that he had King all to himself. She sat there thinking about the wild ride she’d been on for almost a year. And after she got revenge on her enemies, she felt more powerful than ever. Even though she was dead to the world, she felt like a phoenix who rose from the ashes. She closed her eyes and reminisced about the moments that led her from getting out of jail time to being a phoenix.

  Chapter 50

  Rise of a Phoenix

  After King’s big trial and her life sentence behind the prison walls, she asked her lawyers to appeal, but they told her it would be too risky. All they could tell her was that she was a boss and to create a new empire in prison.

  King took it to heart and started to make many requests before entering the prison. First, with all the drama in her life, she finally had a private service for Madam Lourd. She had her attorney spread her ashes around the Pala
ce so that her essence would always be around. Also, in prison, she wanted a private cell. Even though the Feds froze some of her accounts, she still had secret accounts. Neither Blood nor Ivy knew about them because they were under different names. She figured if she had to spend the rest of her days in a hellhole, it was going to be a classy one.

  She didn’t have to eat the nasty food the prison served, either. She continued to eat like the king she was. She even got to take private showers anytime, had private yard time, and used the lounge room on her own to look at what was going on in the world. While in prison, she gained respect from the inmates who asked her to be part of their gangs or lead them, but she declined. She didn’t even mind wearing the light brown prison jumpsuit. It made the guards wonder how she could make it look so expensive. She’d kept her hair in a French roll that was braided back.

  While in prison, she spent most of her days working out because she had to keep her body right at all times. She read magazines like her personal favorite, Vogue. That was how she found the article about Desiree, now going under Desiree St. Clair, talking about the scandal at the Palace and more about her upcoming book. King also read People magazine. She read about all the famous people’s lives she’d fucked up, thanks to Desiree. Some celebrities were ignoring it, still trying to save their good names, while others were getting divorced. King loved the article more than the show Love & Hip-Hop .

  With all her free time, she still thought about getting revenge on those who did her wrong. She couldn’t get over how Swag and Josie fucked her over royally. King couldn’t believe they took her kindness and hospitality for weakness. If anyone should’ve been loyal to her, it should have been Josie. She gave Josie more than she gave herself at times. King couldn’t believe she was going to give the Leopard Clit to her deceitful ass. And Swag, she thought he would be eating out of the palm of her hand. She was always the type of woman that got what she wanted. King was so blinded by Swag’s good looks and smooth attitude that she didn’t see that he didn’t want anything to do with her. King couldn’t understand why she’d fallen so hard for a man. She knew damn well that wasn’t her style. She was the type that took control and sent her play toys on their merry way. She hadn’t felt that way about someone since the Santiagos.