Chapter 21

Due to heavy traffic, it took Kola a day and a half to arrive in Miami, her longest drive ever. New York was so far behind her; she felt secure once she crossed into the city limits of Miami.

The hot, humid city, the sun flaring above, lit up Kola’s eyes. It was like a mini New York for her, but it was so much warmer and exotic. The traffic on the Dolphin Expressway reminded her of the FDR. She couldn’t wait to explore every part of Miami.

Kola knew she had to get situated with her cousin and her peoples fast. With a hundred and fifty thousand dollars in the car trunk, cruising in a stylish black Audi with New York plates, she knew she was a magnet for attention. She felt fortunate to not get pulled over during the trip down.

Kola cruised through the city, peering from a distance at the towering skyline. The sun was slowly setting behind the horizon, with the night consuming the day, and it was almost time for everyone to come out and play. Kola knew that Miami was famous for its beaches, clubs, nightlife, and glamour.

She got on her phone and dialed Nikki, her cousin, who she hadn’t seen in five years. She had forewarned her cousin of her arrival, so Nikki was anticipating her arrival.

****

Nikki and Kola were like two peas in a pod. They loved the same things— making money, niggas, and being the flyest bitches wherever they went.

Nikki was three years older than Kola. She had made Miami her home after the trouble she’d caused in Harlem. She’d caught a drug charge and did two years in federal prison. When she got out, Harlem became a bore to her. She felt it was time for a change in scenery and business. Since her departure, she’d never bothered to return north.

Nikki was Kola’s mentor while growing up. She’d introduced Kola to the street life when she was fourteen, linking her up with Mike-Mike and Cross’ crew. Whatever Nikki did, Kola loved to follow. When Nikki left New York in search of bigger and better things, Kola followed in her cousin’s footsteps and became that bitch not to fuck with in Harlem. The two rarely kept in contact, but Kola had made it her priority to locate her favorite cousin and put her on to what had been happening in Harlem.

****

Kola drove west on the Dolphin Expressway and exited into a neighborhood called West Little Havana. The sun had finally set, and the sky was littered with stars. She moved through the Cuban neighborhood searching for the address her cousin had texted her. Kola took in the one-story homes with stucco rooftops and the palm trees that lined the streets. It was a total contrast from the streets of Harlem. She knew she stood out among the many Cuban people that flooded the area, but they only glanced at her when she drove by them.

Kola turned onto her cousin’s quiet, no-traffic street, close to a park. She pulled up in front of a bright orange, one-level home with shrubbery fencing, tall palm trees in the front yard, and a silver BMW parked in the driveway. Kola parked and stepped out onto the street, her Jimmy Choo’s hitting the rocky pavement. She was tired and hungry, but excited to see Nikki after so many years.

She strutted toward the front entrance, walked onto the small porch, and knocked loudly. The house looked quiet and empty. Kola didn’t see any lights or hear anything, but she assumed her cousin was home because of the flashy car parked in the driveway. She waited for a moment, but there was no answer.

She knocked again and waited. When no one answered, Kola sighed with frustration. “Where is this bitch?” she uttered to herself. She stepped off the porch and peered around the house. Everything looked empty and calm.

Kola began to wonder if she was at the right address. She exited the yard and looked around. The block was quiet like a cemetery. She reached into her purse and pulled out a pack of Newports. She lit up a cigarette, took a deep drag, and then exhaled.

Kola pulled out her cell phone and dialed Nikki’s number. It rang a few times before she picked up.

“Hello?”

“Bitch, where you at?” Kola said lightheartedly. “I think I’m at the right address.”

“Oh shit! Hey, Kola. You’re early. I had to bounce for a minute, handle some business. I’ll be there in like ten minutes.”

“OK. I’m here.”

Kola hung up and decided to sit in her car to wait. She took a few more pulls from the cigarette and flung it out the window.

As she sat back, she thought about everything that had transpired over the past week. Her mistakes and unawareness had forced her to leave Harlem in a hurry. Eduardo had constantly been on her mind, but she tried to push the worry to the back of her mind.

No one knew she was in Miami. It was her secret. No one but Apple and her mother even knew about their cousin being in Miami. She felt somewhat safe in South Florida. She wanted to recoup her sanity and business, and come up someplace different. Harlem was still her heart—her home, and she would always have love for it, but with Chico, Cross, Eduardo, Two-Face, and so many others betraying and hunting her, she would be a fool to stay. Sometimes it was better to run and live to fight another day.

Kola waited for her cousin for fifteen minutes. She had a lot of time on her hands and did a lot of thinking. Love had fucked her, so while in Miami, she decided she had no time for love. It would only be about business and her come-up.

Kola heard Rick Ross’ “Hustlin’” blaring from up the block. She turned to see a truck coming her way; a luxurious black Escalade EXT with dark tints and sitting on 22-inch chrome rims. It stopped right next to her Audi.

The young, thuggish driver peered at Kola then turned to the passenger and asked, “That’s your cousin?”

“Yeah.”

“Damn! She’s fuckin’ cute!”

“Stop drooling, Rash.”

Nikki stepped out of the truck and strutted around it to greet Kola. She was curvy and beautiful, and looked stunning in a yellow, ruffled-hem mini dress with a low-cut front, open back, and circle-ring detail. She had a long, black weave with blonde streaks and hypnotic dark eyes.

Kola quickly stepped out of her car and ran over to greet her cousin. “Nikki!” she screamed.

“Kola!” Nikki screamed back.

The cousins embraced each other lovingly. It had been a long time.

“Damn! That’s sweet. Can I get in between that?”

Nikki turned to Rash. “Rash, get the fuck outta here, wit’ your perverted self!”

Rash smiled. “I’ll catch you around, Nikki, and you too, cousin.” He then drove slowly away.

Kola and Nikki continued on with their moment, both excited to see each other.

“Damn, bitch! You lookin’ good,” Nikki said.

“You should talk, workin’ them hips like you dancing on the pole.”

“Shit, this is Miami. We do everything down here to get money. Come inside. See how a bitch lives.”

Kola followed behind Nikki and entered the one-level home. When Kola stepped inside, she was taken aback by the décor. The home boasted high, textured stucco walls with terrazzo flooring and high ceilings—large bedrooms, and two bathrooms. The living room was decorated with top grain leather furniture, an elaborate aquarium, and a few framed pictures of Nikki scattered throughout. There was also a 60-inch LED TV with a surround sound stereo system.

“Damn, bitch! I like how you living. I see you queen bee down here.”

“I do a’ight.” Nikki smiled. “You thirsty?”

“Yeah.”

Nikki walked into the kitchen and came back out with two cold Corona beers. She passed one to Kola and started downing the other. Kola sat back on the plush furniture and relaxed for a moment.

“So what brings you down here to Miami, little cousin?”

“Business . . . and I had to get away from the bullshit goin’ on in Harlem.”

“I hear you. Where’s your twin?”

“She be around,” Kola replied matter-of-factly.

“Damn, I missed y’all. How’s Aunt Denise?”

“She a’ight.”

“I see you styling now. I heard a little about you gettin’ money in New York. And, looking at you, the truth speaks for itself.”

Kola took a sip from her beer. She didn’t want to speak about her family. She’d come to Miami for a reason. She needed a new connect and hoped her cousin had the influence in Miami.

“When you got a minute, Nikki, I need to talk some business wit’ you.”

“You know a bitch is always about her paper. Shit, you see the way I live. A bitch always gotta keep her ends up.”

Kola nodded.

“I know you smoke,” Nikki said.

“What you blowing?”

Nikki went into her bedroom and came back out with a swelled Ziploc full with weed. She dangled it in front of Kola. “This that straight Miami ‘island lady,’ AKA ‘ganja dwarf.’ Get a bitch twisted in no time.”

“I like that.” Kola smiled. “Start rolling that shit.”

Nikki grabbed two Backwoods from the kitchen countertop and started prepping to smoke, splitting open the two cigars on her costly glass coffee table, and disposing of the guts.

Kola kicked off her shoes and lounged around with her older cousin. Each had her own blunt to smoke. They talked, joked and laughed, and reminisced about growing up in Harlem.

“You gonna love it down here, Kola. I mean, niggas get money down here, and they ain’t cheap wit’ it like niggas in New York. When I take your ass to South Beach, you gonna see that muthafuckin street lined up with nothing but Bentleys, Ferraris, Beamers, Benzes, Porsches, and all types of shit. Shit, a bitch like me comes every time I walk down that bitch.”

Kola laughed. “That’s what I need to hear.”

Nikki took a long pull from the burning weed. She then sat back in her chair and looked at her cousin. “So, you trying to get money down here?”

“Of course.”

“My little cousin came up. So what’s the story? What you working with?”

Kola took a pull from the weed and coughed slightly. It was some potent shit. “I fucked up in New York, Nikki; really fucked up.”

“What you mean?”

“I got caught up wit’ Cross. We started fuckin’ around wit’ each other, but it ended badly. He did me dirty, Nikki.”

“You were fuckin’ wit’ Cross?”

Kola nodded. “Yeah, we linked up. He had my heart. But when I started doing transactions wit’ his connect, Cross started hatin’. Eduardo had a thang for me, and I almost got caught up wit’ him–but I didn’t go there. Business was lovely until Cross did some foul shit and now things for me are teetering between life and death, Nikki. Cross has put my life in danger and never tapped a bitch on the shoulder to warn me.” Kola fought back tears as the gravity of the situation spewed from out of her mouth. “Do you have any idea what will happen to me if Eduardo and his crew gets their hands on me?”

Kola went on to explain everything that had happened to her in the past months. She told Nikki about the war with Chico, flirting with Eduardo, the killings, the sex clubs, Two-Face, Candace, and Nichols’ murder.

The only thing Kola left out was her feud with Apple. She knew Nikki had love for the both of them and would want to add her two cents.

“Damn, bitch! You were banking like that?”

“I was doin’ it big, Nikki, and then fucked it up. I need to re-group and make things right again.”

“Well, you came to the right city. It’s money down here, Kola. It ain’t no nickel-and-dime shit in Miami. You either come down here big with some long paper or an extreme hustle, or you don’t come at all.”

“I got a hundred and fifty thousand dollars and two bricks stashed in my trunk right now.”

“What?”

“New York is too hot for me, so I need to lay low, get my shit right and find me a new connect down here.”

“You have all that money stashed in your car right now?” Nikki asked, looking at her in awe.

“I wasn’t leaving all that in New York. I came down here to grind and network. I know I came to the right bitch to help me get started back on my feet again.”

“Shit, you definitely came to the right bitch. I got peoples in this city, and with what you bringing to the table? Shit, we can definitely make it happen.”

It was what Kola wanted to hear. She took another pull of the “island lady” and felt the euphoric high seeping through her system.

“Fuck that! Tonight, we party, Kola, and I’ll introduce you to some peoples of mines. Shit, you and me, we can run this fuckin’ city. I definitely got your back. You under my wing, and ain’t shit gonna happen to you while you in Miami. We about to fuckin’ make it happen.”

****

It was a quarter to eleven when the cousins strutted out of the house and got into Nikki’s silver convertible M3 BMW. They were dressed strikingly with Nikki still wearing her yellow, ruffled-hem mini dress, and Kola in a black satin dress that hugged her curves.

Nikki started the car, and the engine hummed to life. She smiled at Kola, threw the top back, and said, “In Miami, you always gotta do it with a convertible, so muthafuckas can see you stunt.”

“I’ll have mines soon,” Kola said.

Nikki backed out of the yard and drove toward South Beach for a night of fun and business. She did eighty miles per hour on the Dolphin Expressway. She was a speed demon, racing from lane to lane, flying by cars. She made it into South Beach in no time. She cruised down Ocean Drive, where the girls became the core of attention for a few guys lingering on the drive.

Kola looked around in wonderment at the scene. Ocean Drive was a busy and illuminated street, and the epicenter of cool. It ran right along with the Atlantic Ocean, with sandy beaches on one side of the street and high-end trendy bars, cars, restaurants, and hotels on the other. The people dressed classy and looked posh, with the thugs, greasers, posers, pretty boys, hoochies, and gang-bangers mixing into the scenery. It was an assortment of characters.

Nikki stopped in front of a club called The Twelve Lounge on Ocean, where there was a long line to get inside and a crowd loitered outside. Kola and Nikki stepped out of the convertible, and Nikki passed her keys to a valet. Nikki then sashayed toward the front entrance with no intentions of waiting on the long line, Kola following behind.

She walked toward the two bouncers standing out front, slipped one of the men a C-note, and smiled. He unhooked the velvet rope, and she and Kola passed through and skated into the club.

They moved through the club, pushing their way past the crowded dance floor, and walked up the stairs onto an elevated section overlooking the crowd below. They entered the VIP section, where mostly thugs, ballers, and shot callers were popping bottles, smoking cigars, and flirting with the beautiful women surrounding them. Kola was used to that scene. It was the same look in a different city.

Nikki glanced around and walked toward a man seated in the middle of it all. He was clutching a bottle of Moët, laughing with his peers. The man was colossal, wearing a crisp Calvin Klein white tee and black Prada jeans—six feet of portly tattooed excess. His drooping pecs flexed, and dark shades covered his menacing eyes. He had a diamond grill and a long, diamond chain. His distinctive voice boomed throughout the room.

The alpha male of the mob looked up and noticed Nikki and her cousin. He smiled and shouted, “There go my baby right there,” and motioned for Nikki to come over.

The mob around him parted and made way for Nikki to pass through with Kola. Nikki hugged him tight, indicating respect and love for him. She then introduced Kola to the man.

“Kola, this is OMG, and this is my cousin, Kola.”

OMG stood up, took Kola’s small hand into his massive grip, and gently shook it. He stared at her with a slight grin. “I see beautiful women runs in the family.”

OMG towered over the ladies by half a foot. Kola was impressed by his stature. She gazed at him for a moment and then took a seat next to him, while Nikki took a seat on his other side.

OMG placed his arms around the cousins. “Whatever y’all ladies want, do you. We’re celebrating tonight.”

Kola poured herself a shot of Patrón and took it to the head.

OMG was impressed. Kola didn’t have a hard time fitting in with the crowd. She was eye-candy for the fellows, but witty and ruthless like a thug. OMG instantly took a liking to her. He started to make conversation with her and admired her New York accent.

But Kola was scarce with information. Though Nikki had vouched for the man, she didn’t know him, and she was hesitant to tell him about her world.

****

OMG was one of Miami’s most notorious in the underworld. He moved drugs, guns, and even women. Miami was his personal playground, and his name was infamous, from the poor, gritty pork ’n’ beans section to the glamorous streets of South Beach. Sometimes, he was all smiles and laughs, but he had a dark side, and many had suffered from his deathly anger.

Nikki used to dance naked at one of his clubs, networking with a string of high- end players and socializing with them. Over the years, she’d befriended OMG, even having a brief sexual affair with him, and then later on she went into business with him.

During her time in Miami, Nikki had gotten to know OMG’s world—it was prosperous and dangerous at the same time. She was one of the few he trusted. She sold drugs for him, handled business dealings, turned tricks, and even killed a man for him. But she wanted to start her own franchise and break free from his organization, and she saw Kola as the perfect opportunity. Her little cousin was a blessing from above.

****

OMG was somewhat smitten by Kola. He would constantly eye her, admiring her plump backside, curvy figure and the way she handled herself among his thugs.

Nikki leaned into OMG’s ear and said, “When you get the chance, baby, I need to talk to you. It’s about some business I want to pull your coat to.”

“Not tonight, Nikki, no business tonight. Tonight, I’m trying to get drunk and fuck my brains out. Besides, you know I don’t fuckin’ discuss business in public.”

“I’m sorry, baby. So when is a good time?”

OMG downed a cup of Hennessy. “Tomorrow, at my place.”

Nikki nodded. “I’ll be there.”

“Bring your cousin too.”

“I plan to.” Nikki smiled at Kola, then winked.

The ladies closed the night out in VIP with OMG and his goons.

****

The next day, Nikki navigated her BMW farther south of Miami, toward Coral Gables, an impressive Miami suburb and gated community with soaring palm trees and posh homes.

She pulled up to a 4,000-square-foot mini mansion that stood on one acre of land, its driveway encircling a white porcelain fountain. The place sat far away from the quiet Mercedes- and Jaguar-lined street, and it was enclosed by sprawling manicured lawns, towering palm trees, shrubberies, and plants. Its rear exterior had a wraparound deck and large glass-enclosed patio. The scenic backyard boasted an in-ground swimming pool, basketball court, three-car garage, and a breathtaking view of the lake from a distance. The homes on either side of OMG’s exclusive residence were spread at a more than respectable distance.

Nikki and Kola stepped out of the car looking nice; both ladies in tight shorts, white Nikes, and casual tops. They walked toward the front entrance with confidence and rang the bell.

One of OMG’s young goons answered the door. He smiled at the ladies and eyed them from head to toe. “Whaddup sexy and sexy!”

“Where’s OMG?” Nikki asked, ignoring his statement.

“He’s in the back, by the pool. But I’m sayin, what’s good with yo’ cousin, Nikki? She single?”

“You’re not her type.”

They moved past the young hoodlum and entered the house. Nikki had been there dozens of times and knew her way toward the pool.

Kola observed the décor inside and admired how OMG was living in Miami—countless skylights, volume ceiling, sunroom, and floor-to-ceiling windows.

The girls stepped into the backyard and saw OMG seated on the patio in the swanky lawn furniture. He was shirtless, exposing the many tattoos that decorated his upper torso. A long canary yellow diamond chain and a colossal diamond crown pendant dangled from his thick neck. OMG puffed on a cigar while seated next to one of his female admirers, who was scantily clad in a bikini.

“Ladies,” he called out. “Y’all are definitely looking fine. Glad you could make it.”

“It’s always a pleasure stopping by, especially when it concerns getting money,” Nikki said.

“So true.”

OMG removed his shades and placed them on the table in front of him. He peered at Nikki, and then at Kola, his attention lasting longer on her long and well-defined legs.

Kola knew his look all too well. Her beauty was a gift and a curse.

“You know you’re a beautiful woman, Kola.”

“Thank you.”

OMG turned his attention to the bikini-clad groupie and said, “Go inside for minute. I need to talk business out here.”

The young girl looked reluctant. She stood up and brushed by Kola, cutting her eyes at her.

Kola only tossed her eyes toward the sky, knowing the young bitch was far from her level. She could easily wipe the floor with her, but she was there on business, not to get into a catfight.

“Have a seat, ladies,” OMG said.

Kola and Nikki sat opposite him, a small table with a few drinks on it between them.

OMG sat back. “So what’s this business you need to discuss with me, Nikki?”

“We’ve known each other for a long time, OMG. And you know, over the years, I made a lot of money for you.”

OMG nodded. “Indeed.”

“I got nothing but love and respect for you, but I’m not getting any younger. I need some stability right now, OMG. I need to branch off, start my own thang.”

“In Miami?”

“I’m not trying to step on any toes out here. As you know, ATL is wide open right now since that big drug bust a month ago, along with a few areas of the South. And further north, there’s Fort Lauderdale. That area is wide open for business. And my cousin Kola is from New York. She’s doing it big up there. We just need a connect.”

OMG stared at the girls for a moment. “It’s expensive out there, Nikki.”

“You know me, OMG. I got expensive taste, and only fuck with the best. So it makes sense we only want to fuck with you.”

OMG took another pull of his cigar, pondering the proposal. He knew Nikki was well known and had business savvy. His only gripe was, he didn’t know Kola at all. He was wise enough to know trouble could come in any form—even in a young, beautiful woman.

“I can vouch for you, Nikki, but your cousin, she’s a new face. You know how I feel about a new face in my organization.”

“She’s cool peoples, OMG. I can vouch for her.”

OMG’s eyes rested on Kola, whose stare never veered from him.

“What? I need to prove myself to you or somethin’?”

“You could be police.”

“OMG, you think I would be stupid enough to bring a cop in here? You think I’m a snitch?” Nikki asked.

“Like I said, I know you, but I don’t know her,” he repeated firmly.

“So what do I have to do to gain your trust in me?” Kola asked. “And I’m not fuckin’ you.”

OMG chuckled. “I get plenty of pussy, little girl. The slit between your legs is nothing new, or anything to bargain with. I would take it if I wanted to. But I do like your assertiveness, and your eyes sing a rough tune. I’ll tell you what. You do a favor for me, and I’ll return the favor.”

“I’m listening,” Kola said.

“I’m having a problem with an individual in this city . . . a lingering problem that’s becoming a fuckin’ thorn in my ass. I need that problem to disappear. You make it happen for me, and then we’re in business. You have my word on that.”

Kola replied, “Cool. Consider it done.”

“A friend of mines will fill you in with all the details necessary,” OMG added. “Now y’all can go.”

The ladies stood up and walked toward the front entrance.

The young hooligan continued to flirt with Kola during their exit, persistent with his approach. They ignored him a second time.

Before Nikki drove off, she looked at Kola. “You sure you’re ready to do this?”

“Look, Nikki, I didn’t come down here to fuckin’ fail, so if I gotta snatch a nigga’s life so I can get this connect goin’ and get paid, then so be it. It won’t be the first life I took.”

Nikki smiled. “We are definitely family.”