Page 4 of Hooked On A California Kingpin

“What does that have to do with me, Abuela?”

“Toda! (Everything!)” squinting her eyes and raising her voice meant that this whole conversation was going to go left. I was getting it out of the mud. I had my own supplier and soon I would be able to do distribution once she stopped being stubborn and let me cop all my shit from her.

“Ju think, the way you move is smart?” She tapped her forehead with her index finger. “Killing a man, with no men? Trusting an ex-enemy like Xavier to clean ju mess?” My stomach tightened and started to twist. I have never known Xavier to be an enemy. In my eyes he was solid.

“Si mijo, nothing concerning my blood gets past me. I’ve been watching you very closely. I must say, I’m not impressed.” She tooted that thick nose of hers heavenward and shook her head.

“Where is Xavier?” I tried to keep my voice calm. At all times I tried my hardest to remain respectful. This was my Abuela, but if she killed Xavier then that would be fucked up on my end. Xavier was the only clean-up person I knew who had a crew that could make things happen at the snap of my fingers. Not only that, I paid him well.

“In di river with the pigs that you had on your low budget payroll. Xavier was using all evidence and giving it over to di sergeant. The money ju sent, is back in your account.”

“So now, I guess… I owe you?” I sighed ready for her to hit me with the bullshit.

“Mijo… you have owed me since the day, ju was born. You have the rest of this week to get your affairs in order. Empress will run things until ju return.” She finally broke the intense stare down and smiled wide at me. The smile pained me because it mirrored my father’s wide smile.

“Return from where?” I raised my arched brow.

“Mexico, there you will be groomed by me and a couple of others. Your organization here is falling apart. You are borderline broke. Ju are a Martinez. A petty savings like yours is shameful.” She cleared her throat then looked out the window. I could see that we were pulling into my private condo compound. “Look at me, Sovereign… Si, you will live up to ju name. Make me proud and your Papa. I have so much dolares that I’m ready to walk away and turn all my contacts and connections over to ju. All di power, all di muscle will be in your possession. Di policia, will never look ju way.” She smiled again.

“What is the catch, Abuela?” This was the part I knew I wouldn’t like.

“Casamiento (Marriage).”

Chapter Two

INFERNO

Malice Ashonti Ruiz

Heavy chatter could be heard loud and clear as I walked down the long hallway. To my right side was my henchman, to the left was my right hand. My jaw flexed as anger soared through me like an eagle in the sky searching for his prey. The closer I got to my fathers meeting room, the more anxious I got to break a nigga fuckin’ neck. Niggas got real comfortable around here since my old man wasn’t up and moving around like he normally would. I came down to Mexico because my father sent for me. My father and I were business partners, but above all, he was still my father.

“Try to go in there with an open mind Inferno. You can’t walk up in there killing niggas like you do back home.” Killa stopped me in my tracks, little did he know, nothing he said could possibly stop me from what I was about to go in this meeting room and do. “Speaking of back home, we still got a little situation. We will speak on that when we back on the jet.” I shook my head no. Taking a deep pull from my blunt, I inhaled deeply and held my breath for a couple of seconds to long before releasing the rest.

“We talk about it here. I don’t know when we leaving. A lot of shit needs to be put in order. You know my bitch ass siblings ain’t gone see to things running smooth for my old man.” That was the truth, the only reason why I even fucked with one of my brothers and kept him alive was for the sake of my father and his third wife. My father had a total of six wives, my mother included. My mom was still married but separated from my father when I was fifteen, she took me to Cali and tried to give me a better life. Her struggling and running from my father didn’t help with that. I still ended up in the streets. With a father like mine, he saw to it that I had all the tools I needed. He kept his distance to a certain extent for my mom’s sake.

In his mind she would come back home one day but I knew that wouldn’t happen ever again. My mom was a strong black woman and stood firm on whatever or however she felt. She was fierce and believed on standing on her own two feet not letting anybody control or manipulate her. She claimed she once played a fool out of love but that ended when my father kept breaking her heart.

“That situation should have been handled before we got here, Killa. I told you to end whoever stepped in my way. Being that you didn’t we will speak upon that later when we get off of this fuckin’ compound.” I picked my feet up and Killa along with Big B followed closely behind me.

I could just smell the lighter fluid and matches. The tips of my numb discolored fingertips were ready to strike a match and watch a muthafucka writhe in pain until they took their last breath. It was a big fuckin’ thing to slack off, then fuck off in my father’s multi million-dollar operation. Now, it was a kick to a man’s nutsack and a nasty spit to the face, to turn around and act like the Ruiz cartel was ran by a pussy.

My father was the toughest of the tough, a fair but lethal man. I came here to get things in line whether he wanted me to or not. I was a Ruiz, and that shit was a reflection of me.

“Hola Papi.” I took a couple of steps back to allow six inches of space. Tilting my head slightly to the side, I shook my head no. That was a fair enough warning. To a regular broke nigga, the sight of Callista would’ve had a nigga crazy. To me, she was nothing but a reminder on why I could only use these hoes for nothing more than catching my nutritionist nut.

Instead of taking heed to my warning, she stepped even closer. Maybe it was my ugly ass bluish, greenish eyes that had this bitch acting stupid. She attempted to touch me, and I grabbed her up by her throat. My sharp pinky nail penetrated her neck drawing blood. Whimpering only made the shit worse, she squirmed as I eyed her like the venereal disease, she gave me when I was twenty. The only thing that kept her breathing after that day was my father’s close-knit relationship with her father.

“Chill, Inferno.” Killa’s face could be seen through my peripheral. Keeping a firm grip on her neck, I eyed him for a couple of seconds before I decided to speak.

“You taking the wrong chances today, Kill. That’s a strike, don’t make it to fuckin’ three. You know I get amnesia quick and forget who a muthafucka is.” That was the truth. I loved Killa to death, did time with the nigga in jail, and he held me down until my father had his cartel men break me out of that bitch with no traces of me ever even being there. I took Killa with me because he saved me from an attack that could have ended my life. In my eyes, everybody needed to learn and abide by whatever position I gave them in my life.

“Malice, pleaseeee.” Her watery eyes didn’t move me at all.

“Callista? What is the number one rule when you and I cross paths?” Her pale face was now red, I shook her a little until her silk-curly hair fell onto her face.

“Act like you’re a ghost.” She murmured sadly.

I nodded my head curtly at her dumb ass.