2. Dominic Royal
I slid into Brickell in the Maybach, ridin' low and lookin’ like money with murder in my eyes. The city was glowing around me so were the glass towers, and neon signs. Miami always had a vibrant beat, and tonight was beatin’ like somethin’ was fasho ‘bout to break, I felt it. My phone buzzed once with a text message that read: Lobby. She’s coming down.
I flicked the ashes from my blunt out the cracked window, with my eyes fixated on the mirrored entrance of the high-rise. Wasn’t no guards I trusted, just a bunch of rent-a-cops with fake ass badges and no real training. Just fuckin’ soft and already paid off.
“Tone,” I said, without lookin’ back. “Peep that Escalade sittin’ across the street tinted up like they hidin’ bodies.”
Tone already clocked it. “Ain’t moved since we parked. Ain’t smoked no cigs, no nothin’, that’s a stakeout, fam.”
“Ready?” I asked unfazed.
He popped the clip out, checked it, and then slid it back in with a click. “Always.”
I adjusted my chain and stepped out the whip. My Cuban link chain was heavy on my chest. I wore a black tee, Balmain jeans, and clean black Timbs. My watch was glistenin’. My Glock was gripped and tucked behind my hip as I walked like I owned the block because I did. As I reach the front of the building, the doors parted like they knew who I was… and there she was... Victoria fuckin’ Blanca. The Cartel princess with the bloodline of royalty. Just trouble in fuckin’ heels.
She strutted out like she’d just walked off the cover of a Vogue magazine if Vogue featured women who grew up around gunfire and shit. Her heels hit the marble floor like drums. Gold hoops graced her ears, her hair was slicked back into a ponytail, and her face was beat to the Gods; her perfect heart shaped lips were painted crimson. She instantly spotted me, and we locked eyes without hesitation. It was that same entitled gaze I’d seen from too many muhfuckas born into power.
“You Dominic Royal?” she asked like she was halfway bored and unimpressed.
I knew she knew who the fuck I was, but I kept a hard, unreadable look on my face, and slightly tilted my head. “Yeah, you must be the one I gotta keep from gettin’ her head blown off.”
She rolled her eyes and adjusted her purse. “That’s cute, and I don’t need protection. I just need transportation. Don’t talk, and don’t ask questions.”
I took one step closer feeling the energy shift. The people around us were extremely quiet as everyone locked into their own world minding their business. “You listenin’ real close?” I said in a low deep voice full of warning lingering. “This ain’t no luxury escort gig. This city ain’t safe for you. You on borrowed time the moment your pretty lil heels hit that jet bridge. You might be El Blanca’s niece, but out here you ain’t shit; being his niece don’t mean shit. In Miami?I’m God . ”
She crossed her arms across her chest with a smirk. “Then act like it and drive, God.”
BLAP! BLAP! BLAP!
Before I could respond, gunfire ripped through the block. My instincts immediately kicked in. I grabbed her, shoving her behind the nearest marble pillar. “Stay down!” I barked, already drawing my Glock. Across the street, the Escalade that was previously dead, all of a sudden exploded with motion. Two masked hittas’ hopped out strapped and movin’ fast. They weren’t amateurs either. I dropped the first one with no hesitation. “Tone! Flank left!” I shouted.
The second one ducked behind the SUV, firing wild. The bullets ricocheted off the pavement and slammed into a parked Civic. People were screaming and scattering. The Miami chaos was in full force now. Victoria crouched low behind the pillar, breathing heavy but her eyes were locked in. She was scared, but not frozen and that was important. Tone cut wide and popped the second hitta in the shoulder. He stumbled back just enough for me to finish him off putting one clean in the chest and one in the head. Suddenly everything fell silent. The bodies hit the concrete as smoke lingered in the air. Victoria slowly stood up brushing dust off her tight ass jeans.
“You still don’t need protection?” I asked, walking up with my adrenaline pumpin’ hot. This the shit I be talkin’ ‘bout dealin’ with fuckin’ women. If I didn’t want to deal with a war with El Blanca, I shouldn’t let a hot one graze her ass since she thought she was tough.
“I didn’t think I needed protection!” she snapped. “How the hell did anyone even know I was here?!” I could see the confusion and fear in her eyes although she tried to hide it.
I didn’t bother to answer. Instead, I just grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her toward the Maybach.
She tried to resists for about half a second. “You don’t get to man handle me…”
“Fuck you mean? I do when bullets flyin’, now move!” I shoved her privileged ass into the backseat and slammed the door before walking off to one of the burning vans. Tone yelled out of the window asking me where the fuck I was going but I ignored him. If muhfuckas were gon’ be shootin’ at me and shit, I needed to know they were dead. He knew how I got down and he also knew what else to do. Watch my fuckin’ back.
Brickell was supposed to be pretty with flashy lights, muhfuckas talkin’ money, and palm trees swaying like shit was sweet. Not right now though, because at this moment, it smelled like blood, hot metal, and a stupid muhfucka losin’ his life. I stood over dude watching him drown in his own blood. The Glock in my hand was heavy and my adrenaline was pumping like a drum.
From a distance, I could see one was already dead, but the one right in front of me, he was still masked up, but that ain’t hide the fear pouring out his body. I could smell it as he crawled and scratched at the concrete like he could outrun death if he moved fast enough. He rolled over on his back, as his chest heaved up and down while trying to speak but all that came out was a wet gurgle. I stared down at him feeling the edge of my lip twitch as a sly smile appeared.
“You picked the wrong fuckin’ King to play with.” I raised the Glock and squeezed without a second thought.
That chest shot folded his ass up like a rag doll as his body began twitchin’, and his mouth still tried to form words that he wouldn’t be able to finish ‘cause I’d just made sure of that. I stepped closer, lettin’ my Timbs scrape the concrete slow. I looked him dead in his eyes right through that black mask.
“Nah, ain't no prayin’ yo’ way up outta this one my boy.” I hissed pullin’ the trigger again. Boom!
I shot him right between the eyes watchin’ his body jerk one last time like a lil bitch. The crimson red blood splattered across the sidewalk. I stood over his body, watching him twitch out them last death spasms, without feeling shit at all…. no mercy. I hawked up and spit right on his face, lettin' the disrespect sink deeper than the bullet wounds while sending a direct message. “Pussy ass nigga," I said under my breath.
I tucked the Glock back in my waistband and straightened my hoodie, my heart was still beating slow and steady, like the ruthless muhfucka they all knew me to be. I ain’t look back to see if anybody saw. I just walked off into the night, knowing Miami was gon’ remember what happens when you crossedDominic Royal. I didn’t leave no room for second chances… nah, I finished shit.
After I jumped back in the Maybach beside Victoria, Tone was already peelin’ off before I could slam the door good, glidin’ smooth down the block while shit was left burning behind us. The bullet holes in the trunk, along with shattered glass raining down followed us as well.
“You good?” I finally asked her.
She acted like she didn’t want to answer at first. Her hands were visibly shaking, but her face was stone cold, and I saw right through that shit. “I’m fine,” she mumbled. Then she chuckled. “You shoot good... for a driver.”
“Keep talkin’ like that, you gon’ find out what else I do good.” I replied without givin’ it much thought. I wanted to stuff this bitch in the trunk and park this muhfucka at the Port Everglades. She already had us dodgin’ bullets and shit.
Her eyes met mine. “You enjoy this shit, don’t you?”
I slightly cocked my head. “Nah, Ilivethis shit.”
The whip fell silent as the Maybach hummed low through the streets. “Who were they?” she finally asked.
“El Dorado,” I replied. “Or somebody tryna earn stripes using their name. Either way, you got a price tag on yo’ head, baby girl. This ain’t the fuckin’ spa, this is war.” I informed her. The last time Miami had a war the Davinchi sisters from the Davinchi Cartel were tearin’ shit up.
She slowly nodded her head realizing this wasn’t just a threat, she was on a fuckin’ countdown, and she’d just become the most valuable, and most dangerous asset in Miami. The Maybach cruised through the underground garage; the bullet holes were fresh like new scars. The concrete surroundin’ us was cool and silent, and much different than the bullshit scenery we’d just left behind. Victoria didn’t speak the whole ride… good. She just sat in the backseat with her arms crossed tight over her chest, and her legs tucked under her. Tone parked in my private space and turned the engine off with a flick like we were just comin' back from brunch, instead of duckin’ death.
“You gon’ let her in yo’ main spot?” he asked, with an eyebrow raised.
“Temporarily,” I said. “Until I figure this shit out.”
He just nodded, chewing a toothpick, with the .45 still in his lap. “Betta hope she don’t snore.”
I didn’t laugh ‘cause my mind was movin’ too fast. We stepped into the private elevator that led straight into my penthouse. We didn’t need no keycard, no buttons, or no scans. Security was so tight around this muhfucka it made a prison jealous. The doors slid open exposing the panoramic view of Miami’s midnight skyline all lit up like the city refused to sleep. The penthouse had black marble floors, matte gold fixtures, and art that cost more than most folks’ cribs did.
Victoria stepped in and paused at first before her heels clicked against the marble as she took it all in. The space was modern, but beautiful, yet it was cold a lot like me. “Nice,” she said with a hint of sarcasm. “Looks like Batman lives here.”
“Nah, this better, that nigga Batman is broke.”
She dropped her bag on the island and turned to face me, with her arms folded. I could see she was about to get on my fuckin’ nerves with this spoiled shit. “So… you gonna talk to me now? Or you only communicate when people start shooting again?”
I leaned against the counter and glared into her eyes with a stone-cold look. “Right now, all you need to know is you safe.”
“That ain’t enough,” she said, steppin’ forward. “People don’t try to assassinate me in broad daylight because ofnothing. Why did my uncle send me here in the first place? What the fuck is going on? Who were they? How did they know where I was?”
“Victoria…”
“No!” Her voice elevated. “If I’m in danger, I deserve the truth Dom.”
I looked at her sexy, feisty, spoiled ass. The look on her face was a mixture of fire and ice. Her eyes were hardened because she had no choice, but they were still wide enough to see that she wasn’t as hard as she was pretending to be. “You don’t want the truth,” I finally said. “Because the truth’ll get you killed faster than a fuckin’ bullet. Make ya’self at home.”
Tone flopped onto the leather sectional with a sigh, kickin’ his feet up and flippin’ through my channels like this was just another Tuesday night. “I like her,” he said, poppin’ open a Heineken. “She feisty and got that ‘talk-back-even-when-bullets-flyin’ energy. Type shit I like.”
“Tone,” I growled in a low tone.
He shrugged. “What? I’m just sayin’.”
Victoria shot him a look, then looked back at me. “So that’s it? No real answers? Just make yourself at home and pretend like I didn’t just almost die?”
I nodded toward the hallway dismissin’ her again. My world didn’t stop just because she was here, and she needed to know that. The fuck did she think this was? “Third door on the right. It’s a private bathroom and a walk-in closet. You’ll be alright.”
She stared at me for another long second, with her jaws clenching, and then snatched her bag and stomped off down the hall. As soon as she disappeared, my Tracfone started buzzin’. I had a feeling it was Carmen, and it was. I stepped out onto the balcony as the glass door shut out the sound of the TV behind me. The humid air kissed my face smellin’ like salt and storm.
“Carmen,” I answered.
“You good?” Carmen’s voice came through soundin’ all soft, and smooth, with just enough warmth to soften any man.
“Yeah. I got a situation though.” I said already knowin’ that no matter the situation, Carmen was gon’ have my back even if she felt a way about it.
“Yeah, I figured,” she said. “The news says a shootout in Brickell. I’m guessing that wasn’t a coincidence?”
“Nope.”
“Victoria?” She quizzed.
“Yup.”
There was a long silence as I tried to read her through the phone. I had to control my feelings when it came to Carmen, and I needed her to do the same. There was a long silence before she spoke again. “She okay?”
“For now, she’s here stayin’ at the main penthouse.”
“Oh…”
It was more to where that ‘oh’ came from and I felt that shit. I sighed while rubbing my temples. “It’s temporary Carmen.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
I don’t know who she thought she was foolin’, cause I knew her like I knew every vein on my dick. “You didn’t have to.”
“I get it, Dom,” she replied. “El Blanca asked and that ain’t something you turn down. But just know,” she continued, “I ain’t stupid, and I ain’t blind. You got a fine little thing in your space, and in your bed sheets, so if you cross that line, shit gets complicated.”
“She ain’t in my bed,” I snapped, and maybe even too fast.
Carmen laughed, but it was a little sarcasm behind it. “You need anything from me?” She asked instead of pushing the issue although deep down inside I knew her feelings were hurt. After-all, she was my wife and there would never be another, but business came before feelings.
“Yeah, hold it down at the club if O’Shynn needs you and keep your ear to the streets. Let me know if you hear El Dorado names pop up.”
“It’s done,” she replied before once again hanging up. Carmen ended the call with no ‘I love you,’ or no goodnight and not that she said it often, but this time was different because she was hurt, but she’d never say it. Maybe I needed to pay her ass a visit at the club tonight. I exhaled and walked back inside. Muhfuckas loved to say they knew Dom, but didn’t even know what all came with being a dude like me. This shit wasn’t for the weak.
Tone looked up from the couch. “How mad is she?”
“Silent mad. You know how she is.”
“Whew.” He winced. “That’s the worst kind. That’s ‘boil the hot water and key a nigga’s car type of mad. What you gon’ do if Carmen say fuck it and get another man? You know, a splackavellie and shit.”
“A what?” I frowned.
“You know, somebody she can call when her man ain’t treating her right, he can do it all night type shit.”
I had never fucked Carmen and tried to stay away from it. I rather fuck a million hoes before I fucked her because she was the only one who could probably really have my heart and that’s ‘cause I knew she loved Dominic; she didn’t give a fuck ‘bout ‘The Miami King’. I felt my jaws tightenin’, but before I could respond, there was a ding and if somebody was coming up in the penthouse, it’s because they had previous clearance.
I checked the security cameras just as the private elevator opened. In stepped a walkin’ billboard for a ‘thug with money’, wild ass Dominique.
My lil brother was fresh off the jet from L.A., lookin’ like a rap video thug. He was tall and lean, but strong with muscles in all the right places, with a neck full of tattoos peeking out from a thousand-dollar sweatsuit. Two thick gold chains were dripped around his neck, he wore a diamond watch, and a pair of Cartier shades although it was night.
“Yoooo,” he said, steppin’ in with a wide grin. “What’s good, slime? You got a whole fuckin’ drama series goin’ on and didn’t tell me?”
I pulled him in for a quick dap-up and a hug. “Just got wild, bro.”
“Tone,” he nodded in his direction acknowledging him.
“Dique.” Tone spoke back.
He dropped his Louis bag at the door, then spotted Victoria walkin’ down the hallway. “That’s her?” he asked, tilting his head toward where Victoria disappeared.
“Yeah.” I answered already knowin’ where he was goin’ with this shit. Dique and his dick had issues. I ain’t sayin’ he couldn’t fuck, cause I mean, that’s what it’s made for… the issue was it was ‘who’ he was fuckin’. Dique loved the hood girls straight up, and that wasn’t an issue cause I had some hood bitches I fucked with on the low but at least they had somethin’ goin’ on and knew they place. I had to be careful out here which is why I was selective but not Dique’s muhfuckin’ ass.
He whistled. “She fine-fine. Like, make a man reconsider his choices fine. A dangerous fine.”
“Don’t even start. That shit is the forbidden fruit.” I warned.
He grinned. “Nah, I’ma chill. I just wanna know if she single… and if you care.”
I gave him a look that shut him down instantly. That was the kind of shit I ain’t have time for. Fuck around and be at war with El Blanca behind some spoiled pussy.
He threw his hands up. “Aight, aight. Damn, just askin’, don’t shoot the messenger.” He dropped onto the couch next to Tone and stretched out. “But yo,” he said with his eyes suddenly serious. “It’s some tension’s brewin’ in Watts. Vallejo crew been makin’ noise tryna cut in on our routes. I got word from Mondo that they’re testin’ us. We might need to apply pressure.”
Tone nodded. “I say we send a reminder.”
Dominique smirked. “Already got my hittas’ on alert.” Then he sighed and leaned back. “Also, you knowKeondra. Chick from the city with the wild laugh and bowlegs?”
I frowned. “What now?” Bitch always had some drama.
“She knows I’m in town. She called talkin’ about how we got unfinished business. Talkin’ about she got my kid. I don’t evenrememberthe night she claimin’. Like… was I there? WasIdrunk or did she dream that shit?”
Tone cackled. “You better start wearin’ a fake name out there.”
Dominique shook his head. “And thenJasminefrom Lauderdale… I saw her on the way out here and she was about to fly out here too comin’ back home, nowshetryna pull up. That bitch a nut.”
“You makin’ enemies outta bed sheets,” I muttered.
“All yo’ hoes should just become sister wives,” Tone said.
“Man, fuck y’all,” Dominique replied, but he laughed too and for a minute, shit felt kinda light, like how it was before the cartel calls and before the shootouts, but it wouldn’t last because Victoria was still here, and I had a feelin’ her presence was gon’ shake shit up. We took about an hour to catch up and send an encrypted message to the Royal Cartel callin’ an emergency meeting tomorrow and advising everyone to stay on high alert before headin’ to the club to catch up with O’Shynn.