Suave looked at her, shook his head, and took another drag on the joint.
“Suave, can I please get some money for the rent?” Darlene stared at him. “The light and water bills are also due.”
Suave stood to his feet. He leaned over and stubbed out the joint in an overflowing ashtray that sat on the coffee table. “Follow me outside.” He walked out with Darlene behind him toward his truck. He pressed his key fob and opened the doors, then reached into the glove compartment and took out two padded envelopes.
“Here, this should take care of it.” Suave handed Darlene an envelope filled with money. As Darlene knew, Suave would make sure his daughter had a roof over her head, food to eat, and all the basic necessities required. “I’ll catch you later.”
“So, are you going over there after what she did?” Darlene asked as Suave headed toward Charlene’s house.
Suave paused and glared at her. “Shut up! Go inside and go take care of your business.” He pointed toward Darlene’s house. “I’ve had enough of your foolishness for one day.”
Suave watched Darlene stormed through her gate, into her house, slamming the door shut. He took a deep breath before he strolled up to Charlene’s door. It opened as soon as he reached it with Charlene smiling innocently at him. She had on a pair of tight jeans and a small, low cut tank top. Her long hair was hanging straight down her back, her lips were glossed, and her beautiful, lined eyes held seduction. Except for a small bump on her forehead, the scratches were covered up by flawless makeup.
Charlene had been peeping through the front window and saw the exchange between Suave and Darlene. “Serves that heifer right,” she had whispered under her breath with a satisfied grin.
“Here.” Suave handed Charlene the other envelope filled with money. “I’ll call Janelle and Alissa later. I’m out.” With that, he strolled out to his truck, clicked it open, then hopped inside and drove off.
It was getting dark outside as night rolled in. Suave was feeling hungry and tired—physically and mentally. He needed some rest. But he was about to find out that wouldn’t be happening anytime soon. His stress level was about to skyrocket to a whole ’nother level.
Chapter Four
Suave’s personal cell phone on the passenger seat began ringing. He reached for the phone and glanced at it before focusing his attention back on the road. It was Barbara, one of his baby mommas. He sucked his teeth and threw the phone back on the seat. He’d had enough baby momma drama for one day.
Immediately, his business cell phone, which was also on the seat, rang. He had a phone for business and another for personal use. He answered that phone.
“Yo, Cobra, what’s up, bro?” Suave greeted his top lieutenant and good friend.
“You tell me, Boss,” Josh Blank, a.k.a. Cobra, replied. “I’ve been calling and paging you all day but can’t hear a word from you.”
Suave had indeed neglected business this day. He had men working for him all over Jamaica and knew they had things under control, but he was still the boss. “My bad, partner. I got caught up in some personal stuff.”
Cobra didn’t have to ask what that was. He had been rolling with Suave for many years and knew of his drama-filled life. “I need to see you as soon as possible. My finger got burned with the lighter.”
Tires screeched as Suave cut around a minibus to pull over to the side of the road. “What! How bad did you get burned?” he screamed into the phone.
“Bad enough that I need medical attention,” Cobra continued to speak in their code. “Like right now.”
Suave pounded his fists on the steering wheel, shouting expletives. Cobra just informed him that they got robbed again. This was the third time in less than a month. Just last week, one of Suave’s runners was held at gunpoint, robbed of a large quantity of marijuana and cocaine and thousands of dollars. The teenager was beaten almost to a pulp, and a letter to Suave was left on his battered body, saying, There is only room for one.
“You and Daddy Lizard meet me at the hut in thirty.” Suave clicked off the phone and threw it down on the seat. He took deep breaths as he stared off into the distance, his mind racing. Someone was out to get him. This wasn’t anything unusual or unexpected, but the method was new. Robbing Suave’s workers and beating them down was total disrespect. Who would be so brazen to do something like that?
He took a deep breath before he put the truck in drive. Glancing up and down the busy street, he then eased into traffic. He was pissed.
Suave raced toward the “hut,” speeding through red lights, cutting off vehicles left and right. He climbed the hill of the prestigious neighborhood of Belgrade Heights, St. Andrew, and drove up in front of a beautiful mini-mansion. Once he pressed the garage door button above the sun visor, Suave drove in and parked in one of the four parking spots. He pressed the garage button again to close it, grabbed his phones, and walked into the house.
The hut was nestled in a corner of one of the most attractive, tree-lined streets in the area. The light-filled home emanated charm and appeal, with its five bedrooms overlooking the beautifully landscaped tropical yard. The four bathrooms were fully renovated with a water heater system, and the huge living room with its floor-to-ceiling windows was elegantly furnished with expensive furniture and paintings. The kitchen had custom cabinetry and top-of-the-line appliances, while a carved extendable dining table sat on a large, rich oriental rug in the dining room, with a huge chandelier hanging above.
This was Suave’s safe haven away from
