“Okay.” Luke straightens himself back up and smoothly walks up to Bryan, “Hey Bry, you will never believe what happened to me last night. I got a call from my ex-girlfriend, Deanna, and she said she wanted to get back together. I haven’t seen this bitch in years, and she calls and wants to get back together. Can you believe that? I thought what the fuck is wrong with this bitch, but then I remembered she did have big tits, some great legs, and an ass I could fuck all night, so I thought … maybe. But then I thought …” He continues while I approach Harvey straight on and wait for him to look up. All I have to do is exchange the keys, simple … concentrate … focus … breathe … “So I said, Deanna, you know it would be great to see you again baby, but I am not as young as I used to be. And she said I know and that’s okay. I mean that is incredible right? So I said, but, baby, I am kind of losing my hair now, and she said that’s okay. I will love you even if you go bald. I mean what a fucking great woman right? So I said, well, baby, to be honest, I have kind of put on a few pounds since you saw me last, and she said, that’s okay. I have put on a little weight too. So I said, fuck off, bitch!” Luke laughs hard jumping around with his usual enthusiasm as Bryan shakes his head fighting a smile of his own.
“You’re an idiot,” Bryan said.
Luke continues to laugh as Harvey grunts. “Norton, shut the fuck up! You’re getting on my damn nerves,” Harvey says, puffing on his cigar and looking up at me with crunched eyebrows, “and what the fuck are you doing, Jayzon?”
“Nothing sir, just standing here,” I say straightening my smile.
“Open the fucking door for me!” he says, puffing smoke in my face. “Just standing here, morons, all of them,” he mumbles. “Wait her idiots.” Luke eyes me carefully, but before I can say anything, Harvey storms out with his flaming red face and screaming at all of us. I don’t think he even realizes what he is saying. I probably wouldn’t even understand him if I didn’t know already. We all stare at him in confusion just angering him more. “You idiots!” Harvey holds his fists up in the air, staring at his guards standing around the area, before kicking the door, bashing his fists down into his car, “Shoot those fucks up there!” He yells at us. “Don’t just stand there you idiots, someone stole everything! Find them now!” As we all stand around staring at him, I see Ryan driving out of the facility with the large furniture truck containing Harvey’s cash.
Harvey is driven back home, while Luke and I are ordered to figure out who stole his money. We stare at the empty unit eating Twizzlers when Elijah walks up behind us.
“What do you guys doing?” he asks.
“Trying to figure out who stole Harvey’s money,” I say.
“How’s that going?”
“Pretty good. I think we are nearly on to something,” I say, handing him a Twizzler. “How about you, what are you doing here?”
“I was told to check through this mess and see if there is anything left, but since I did that this morning after we stole all his money, I guess I have some free time. You guys want to go get a drink?” We nod and leave the empty unit with wide smiles. “You know, Nicky, he really should launder money the old fashion way and not keep it all stored up and hidden like that. It makes it easy for someone to steal his key and just come along and take it all. How much you say he lost?”
“I would say enough to build our own enterprises and never work for that dickhead again.”
~
We each stash our money in safe places of our own while we slowly launder it clean. I move mine into several different areas, making sure to not duplicate Harvey’s stupidity. For now, we stay on with Harvey as if nothing is different, and we plan to stay that way until we can have enough power to intimidate him to stay clear of us. Harvey has been suspicious, but can find no reason to believe I or anyone of us had anything to do with his missing money.
We continue to seek out information leading to the supposed culprits, coming up with evidence that my brother, Connor, had something to do with it, at least that is what we tell Harvey. We point the finger at a whore Harvey had over one night and never saw again. She worked for Connor and must have helped him get the key somehow. We never bother to tell him she overdosed on heroin the day after he slept with her. His suspicion of my brother only intensifies when he runs into my brother at his usual eating spot. Harvey watches my brother, who is pretending not to watch me. Luke and I both found it to be quite comical, and neither of us hesitates to add comments to the tense situation.
“What’s he looking at?” Harvey snarls.
“I think he is trying to see if you noticed his new watch. Wow, and is his wife wearing a new ring too? I knew he got that new car, but he is really showing off today,” I say, as Harvey sits back in his seat with a grunt. “I have never liked that guy. He actually tried to recruit me.”
“He did?” Harvey asks.
“Oh yeah, he has been after Nick forever. Connor has gone out of his way to tell Nick they have a special kinship, even considers Nick his brother he said. The man is delusional. I guess he took it as a huge slap in the face when Nick turned him down to work for you,” Luke says.
Harvey smiles and manages to enjoy his meal again, and for some reason, he decides to move me to a new position, one in which I am able to be more of a part of his dealings and meetings with his associates. The opportunity also allows for me to have more free time, so I accept the opportunity, and use my off time to take advantage of exploring my own needs.
Chapter 25
~Nick~
She walks alone and is not deterred in the least by the boys harassing her. I watch everything and everyone around her. The moment I feel she is in trouble, I am ready to move, but that moment never arrives. Her nose is always in those books as if she refuses to live in her own reality, but in some world she has created in order to escape. I have to know why. Sliding into a seat nearby, I watch casually as some boys approach her with obvious intentions. They take her book, they kick her. They do everything they can to provoke her into tears, but she never budges. She never engages them at all until they lean in to grope her, then and only then, does she move towards them. A flip of her hand and she penetrates the oncoming hand with her fork and spears it into the seat beside her. The boy’s scream encourages his friends to move, but they don’t get far. She has her hands full, and I make sure she gets no other trouble from anyone else. It’s enjoyable watching her. She argues with the boy before her sister has him kicked out, and then she argues with her. She never backs down, she never is shaken, and she never bothers to look my way before she returns to her book.
“You came back?” Braylin asks me.
“I did.” Leaning towards her, I take her hand and smile, “And I promise it wasn’t because I liked the food.” Braylin smiles wide. Taking out her notepad, she writes her number down and hands it to me with a sexy lean into me. She says nothing as she walks away. She simply turns so I can watch her firm ass walking away from me. It brings a smile to my face, but someone else is not so happy. It’s the first time I think she has actually looked up from her book. The moment is short lived though, she immediately retreats back to the pages in her book. I start to say something, but I am halted by her hand reaching out, grabbing her condiment bin, and pushing it to the edge of the table towards me. No need to ask her for anything, I suppose, but damn I have a lot of questions. I fight my smile and my laughter, the girl is absolutely … amazing.
~
Harvey has invited me into his small network of trust. I begin making deals on my own and even arrangements for my own needs, but I still report good news back to Harvey. He still believes my brother stole his money, but when I take it upon myself to arrange an interception of one Connor’s shipments, Harvey becomes enraged. I have no idea why until he calls me in to see him. Like a child, I stand in front of him as he yells at the top of his blackened lungs, demanding me to tell him who is in charge and who makes the decisions around here. I have trouble seeing the problem, which only angers Harvey mor
e. It was the smart thing to do I insist, and I can’t have my hands tied waiting for him to okay everything I do, or we will miss opportunities. My entrepreneurial mind only continues to make things worse between Harvey and me until he finally decides I need to be reminded who is in charge. I had assumed I was beyond his demeaning tactics, but something provokes him to call me out in front of his associates. Maybe he wants to prove himself in front of some possible doubting associates, maybe he is drunk and wants to have some fun at my expense, or maybe he just doesn’t trust me as much as I thought. Then again, maybe it’s because Elijah left and started his own business. Harvey never warmed back up to Elijah, and when he needed someone to take the fall for one of his many bad ideas, he offered up Elijah to the police, only Elijah decided not to do as told and denied knowing anything, and put Harvey back in the hot-seat. Elijah hired an attorney, and escaped to his own safe haven before Harvey could have him killed. Harvey has had to scramble to remove himself from the police’s focus and ends up losing even more money to pay off some officials to help him out. His grumpy mood increases as the days go by and so does mine. I can’t take much more of his bullshit, I have to get away from him soon.
~
I stand at Harvey’s side trying not to suck in anymore of his toxic smoke into my lungs than necessary while I wait impatiently for the night to be over. “Jayzon, entertain us.” Harvey suddenly demands. I ignore him. “Jayzon, dance!” he says taking out a gun and shooting at my feet, laughing hysterically when I jump. A few more times and my blood reaches its boiling point, my raging point. I haven’t lost control in a long time, but he has pushed me too far. I don’t even recognize it until the whole room steps backwards, and I look down to find my hands wrapped around his throat. Instantly, I have guns from every direction pointed at my head. Harvey swallows hard. “Leave, you are not needed anymore tonight.”
My mind is still racing and heated when I leave, so I hit the nearest bar trying to calm my nerves with alcohol, but it doesn’t work. “Hi,” a young blond says sliding in next to me. I try to ignore her, but she is determined to get my attention. “What, are you shy? I can cure you of that,” she says with an innocent laugh, but I continue to ignore her. Huffing, she slams her drink down and fully turns to me, “Or maybe you just don’t think you could satisfy me.”
I turn to her instantly and look her over. “I can fuck you so hard that every time you think of me, you will come all over your panties, but I am not sure you can handle that.” She tries to huff, but I stand up to her. With a downward gaze, I lean down and graze her lips softly. “Come with me, if you are interested in me proving it to you.”
I take the girl back to Luke’s where I have continued to stay while I build my own place. Before she has a chance to judge the place, I turn her to me and suck on her lips. I bring her ass in closer and let her feel my dick hardening while raising her expectations. Her moan is a clear sign to move forward. Her eyes look feebly up at me while I stare strongly down into hers, bringing her to her knees.
Deep into her mouth, my dick grows and hardens perfectly. I pull her off the ground and listen to her gasps as I pull her clothes off and suck her breasts into my mouth. My want becomes unbearable. Gazing down at her, she lies back into the bed breathless, I spread her legs out in front of me. I feel her wetness with my fingers and remind myself how bad that I need this. As I push deep into her, her head falls back instantly, and she grips me tighter begging me for more. My frustrations for the entire day run through my head with each thrust I make into her. Then something else takes me over - my rage. This nameless woman lies out in front of me with her breasts bouncing freely, her moans filling the room around me. Taking a fist full of her hair I pull her in close and demand, “Come hard on my dick.” The moment the words leave my mouth, she does as I ask, and I am able to finish, satisfied and back under control.
I put my pants back on and leave the girl passed out in Luke’s bed. His expression when I leave his room is that of confusion and frustration. “Rough day, Nick?”
“You could say that. I think we need to move now. I am tired of simply stealing from him, I want to be done with him.” Luke immediately shivers.
“Do we have to do it tonight?” he asks, avoiding looking my way.
“No. It can wait until tomorrow. You don’t mind if I borrow your room for the night, do you? I haven’t finished with her yet.” I don’t give him a chance to answer before I return to the sleeping girl and wake her for my own pleasure.
~
I am requested by Harvey first thing in the morning. No surprise, and I intend to watch my back every step of the way. Men surround me, including Luke, the moment I step out of the car. They don’t have to guide me, I know where I am going. Harvey greets me by moving his cigar from the center of his mouth, to the side, with his usual you’re finished grunt.
“Sit,” he says bluntly. “I have always known you’re smart, Jayzon, but your desires and motivations are puzzling, and that scares me. I don’t feel your dedication to me as much as I think there should be, considering all I have done for you and taught you. I would have thought you would be willing to do whatever I asked without question and do everything you can to please me.”
“I don’t enjoy being treated like a puppet. I told you I can be of better value, than a simple guard to your whores and the person that displaces your bodies.” Leaning forward I force him to sit back. “I can either be your partner or your enemy, Harvey, I suggest the latter is not favorable to you.”
“Damn you! How dare you speak to me as if you are my equal. You are nothing, Jayzon. You have nothing, and without me you will never have anything. Unless you get down on your knees right now and beg for my forgiveness, we are done, and you are no longer going to have my protection from Connor.”
I laugh harshly at him while Luke becomes uncomfortable with the escalating emotion within the room. Taking notice of the nearest gun to me, I begin to speak freely. “Connor is not scared of you, that much is clear. He stole your money easily, yet you chastise me like a child when I repay the favor. You’re scared of him. You can’t protect me from him. I protect me from him. The only chance I have against Connor is running my own game.”
“Il l’a assassiné!” Harvey yells in French, but before the last syllable leaves his mouth, I am up and dashing for the gun of the moron standing next to me. Harvey dives behind his desk and one of his other guards before I can shoot him. I shoot his guard while Luke surprises the other two in the room. The two of us take off out the door. “Jayzon!” Harvey yells firing his gun from behind us. We dive into one of Harvey’s cars, and Luke drives us away before we are killed by Harvey’s oncoming army of guards.
Grimacing, I feel my side and come up with a handful blood. “Luke, we need to make a stop before we go anywhere else.” He looks over at me and his eyes go wide. I have him take me to my sister without telling him who she is. Luke simply believes she is a girlfriend of mine. Lena has yet to become a doctor, but she is close enough for me, and the only one I can trust.
“Dumbass! What do you want me to do? You should go to the hospital, Nick.” she yells at me while she scrambles to make some sort of space for me in her tiny apartment.
“Are you going to argue with me and let me bleed to death, or are you going to help me?” Lena continues to curse me while she helps me. The good news is the bullet went right through my side, but my sister’s sewing skills need more work. Thankfully my growing tattoo camouflages her student work. Lena fits me with a tight wrap to my side, but never ceases to hide her frustration with me.
“Now what are you going to do? He is going to come after you now and kill you,” Lena says with tears forming in her eyes.
“Don’t cry, Le, I will be fine. I have a plan.”
“Oh yeah, what is that?”
Smiling, I kiss her cheek. “Don’t worry. I am going to become bigger than him. He won’t want to come anywhere near me, Ma soeur.” I call her in French. She suddenly looks up at me i
n shock. Harvey’s French newspapers weren’t a complete waste of my time. “Now you concentrate on finishing school. With that new scholarship you just got, you shouldn’t have to worry about anything else.” She smiles, but then slowly looks up at me.
“How did you know about my scholarship, Nick?” she asks.
“I told you not to worry. I already have a plan in place.” Luke and I hide out at Elijah’s new place for a few days until my own house is completed. We agree to work together for a little longer to build up new territories and divide them equally between us. Luke wants no part of being on his own. He prefers to work with me and not have to deal with making the decisions. I think nothing about it, but Elijah remarks as if it is no surprise to him. I ignore his comments, and we proceed with our plans.
Chapter 26
~Nick~
The next few weeks Elijah, Luke, and I spend our days building our enterprises while hiding from Harvey. It is not ideal, but we are free to do as we please. We start to feel good about our growth until we meet Hugh Bonnie, a fast talking machine that is more energetic than twelve Lukes put together. He has managed to gain a hold on some key businesses that I want. However Bonnie is not our problem, his guard is Dwayne Dobbins, the biggest man I have ever seen. The three of us eye him from across the street as we eat our lunch.
“What do you think he eats? Like whole cows at a time or something?” Elijah asks.
“Let’s follow him and find out. Maybe we can sway him to help us,” I say optimistically.
“Okay, fine, but just make sure he sways in your direction,” Elijah jokes.
Dwayne rarely speaks, and his life outside of work is fairly simple. There is little routine that we can force our way into to meet our new, expectant new friend. I eventually become impatient and decide to force him to listen to us. We wait for the right time, and I run up to him, and blatantly take his wallet. After he starts chasing me, I run into the nearby alley into which he follows. “Dwayne, I am happy to give this back to you, but I would like for you to listen to me first,” I say, backing up as he comes forward. His only response is a groan of displeasure, and I assume from its tone that he is not in agreement to my terms. I glance towards Luke and Elijah as they follow behind him and motion for them to do something.