Ghost pushed the Rolls Royce through Central New Jersey with no regard for the posted speed limit. When he bent the corner of Raritan Road, he made sure to cut it extra sharp, causing the older couple in the back to slide from one side to the other. Sparing a quick glance in the rearview mirror, he silently chuckled at the looks on both of their faces. From the way his mother, Maureen, was clinging to her seatbelt, he knew that she was nervous, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of saying so. His father, Chance, on the other hand looked like a powder keg waiting to explode. In the passenger seat, his sister, Lolli, did a poor job of hiding her amusement. She knew what Ghost was doing and why he was doing it.
“Ghost, why don’t you slow down? This ride costs more than some of the houses out here and you’re driving it like a hooptie!” Chance finally snapped.
“Sorry, Daddy. I was just making sure we weren’t late. I know how important it is for us to stay in favor with the prince,” Ghost replied sarcastically.
Seeing anger flash across her husband’s face at his eldest son’s defiance, Maureen interjected before the situation got worse. “Junior,” was all that she needed to say, and just like that, the tension between the two men was drained away and Ghost eased his foot off the pedal. Maureen had always had that effect on all of her boys, including her husband. Chance King might’ve been the head of their family, but Maureen was the law that governed them.
The next mile or so of winding New Jersey roads were spent with Lolli and her mother making small talk, but the men were relatively silent. Chance could tell from the tightening of his son’s jaw that he was still holding onto his anger. He leaned forward and flicked Ghost’s ear like he used to do when he was a child. “I know you ain’t sitting up there salty because I asked you to fill in for Joe and drive us today?”
“Nah, I’m good, dad,” Ghost said without taking his eyes off the road.
“You come from me, so you can’t lie to me, C.J.” Ghost cut his eyes at his father. “You know I hate it when you call me that.”
“Why? I named you after me, Chancellor King Junior, and you should wear it with pride,” Chance told him.
“I do, Daddy, and I didn’t mean no disrespect by it. It’s not the fact that I gotta play driver, instead of sitting to your right where I belong. I’m cool with that. It’s everything else about this little outing that’s got me irked. Why the hell do we have to come all the way out here to kiss the back of this nigga’s hand like we ain’t royalty too?” Ghost fumed.
“First, let’s get something straight, son. We have been Kings of Five-Points in name and power for over one hundred years. From great granddaddy on down, we were born gangsters and have never, nor will we ever, kiss the hand of another muthafucka. This trip isn’t about a pissing contest, but a gesture of good faith. Our two families have been doing business together for decades and it’d have been looked upon poorly for us not to show up in person to deliver our congratulations.”
Ghost snorted. “And when was the last time they been south of Lafayette? Listen, Daddy, I get what you’re trying to say. This is a respect thing, and I get it. I had no problems with it when the old man was running things. I was even cool when it looked like the eldest boy was in charge, because he had earned his stripes in the streets, but what has this kid done to earn the respect of a real gangster?”
“Stepped up and kept his father’s legacy intact when his number was called!” Maureen interjected, tiring of Ghost’s belligerence. “Son, regardless of how anyone feels about the present state of things, there isn’t much any of us can do to change it, at least not presently. Politics are a part of the game. Now if spending an hour or so of your time to help solidify this new relationship is too much to ask of you, then you can drop us off and come back to pick us up when we’re ready to leave. If not, stand as your father’s strong right hand like I raised you to be and stop crying like a damn girl!”
*
“Damn, look at all these cars!” Belle squealed with her face pressed against the glass of the Range Rover she was riding in. She was a petite young thing with rich brown skin and large doe eyes. There were luxury cars and limos stretching nearly an entire block, all waiting to be granted access to the same place. Several valets scrambled back and forth trying to accommodate the guests and their cars, but they were having a rough time of it with all the traffic.
“Gotta be at least a dozen of them, at least that I can see.” Brianna adjusted her glasses, taking a quick mental count of the vehicles. She was a light-skinned, unassuming girl with zero fashion sense, but the mind of a genius. This is how she got the nickname Brain.
“And we’re stuck at the back of this shit,” Natalia huffed, flashing traces of the accent she had been trying to shake since arriving in the United States two years prior. She was a Nordic-looking blonde with cold blue eyes and thick pouty lips. For as beautiful Natalia might’ve been, she was also incredibly dangerous. Before coming to stay with Ruby, she had been an orphan on the streets of Belarus. Those days in Russia were dark ones and Natalia was forced to do some things she wasn’t proud of in the name of survival.
“Language!” Ruby snapped from the backseat, tapping her cane on the floor of the truck for emphasis. She was swathed in the shadows of the vehicle, face hidden under a large church hat and eyes masked by sunglasses. Ruby had been so quiet that the girls had almost forgotten she was with them. That’s how the old woman was, rarely seen but she was always heard when it mattered.
“Sorry, Ms. Ruby,” Natalia said, sounding like a child who had just been scolded.
Belle cupped her hand over her mouth to try and hide her snicker. Natalia was always picking on her so she got a kick out of Ms. Ruby humbling the white girl.
“And you,” Ruby whacked the back of the driver seat to get Belle’s attention, “When we get inside, you be sure to keep those sticky fingers to yourself. I don’t want you embarrassing us in front of our hosts. Do you understand me, Lulabelle?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Belle seemed to curl in on herself. “Dag, why y’all always act like I steal stuff wherever I go?” she pouted.
“Because you do!” Natalia slipped in.
Belle and Natalia went back and forth, with Brain trying to defuse the situation to no avail.
Ruby sat in the back shaking her head in disappointment while the girls bickered. Belle had Natalia so mad that her face had turned as red as a tomato. From the frightened look in Brain’s eyes, she probably thought Natalia was about to hit Belle, but Ruby knew better. In Ms. Ruby’s house, most offenses could be forgiven, but harming each other would get you exiled or worse. Ruby instilled a sense of sisterhood into all the young women who came under her wing. No matter what race or background you came from, all were family in her house.
Of her three charges riding with Ruby, Belle had been with them the shortest time. She had a knack for rubbing most of the girls the wrong way, but got under Natalia’s skin the most; probably because of the circumstances under which Belle had come to them.
Belle had made the mistake of picking the home Ms. Ruby and the girls stayed in to burglarize. Natalia had been on guard duty that night and didn’t even notice the little girl slip into the house. Had it not been for Brain’s weak bladder ruining the heist, Belle would’ve made off with all Ms. Ruby’s good jewelry and half the silverware. Natalia wanted to bury Belle in the backyard, but Ms. Ruby had something else in mind. Anyone skilled enough to get past the blue-eyed wolf would make a welcome addition to their little family of misfits. So, against Natalia’s protests, Ruby welcomed Belle into her home for wayward girls. Belle would one day go on to become a master burglar… if she didn’t manage to get herself killed first.
Ruby spotted a handsome man wearing a black suit and ear-piece making his way towards their vehicle. He had rich chocolate skin and curly black hair that was freshly cut and blended into his smooth black beard. To women who laid eyes on him, he looked downright edible, but Ms. Ruby recognized the killer glint in his eyes. “Moment of truth,” she tapped her cane on the floorboard. “Be sure to mind your manners and don’t speak unless spoken to. Most importantly, remember who you represent,” she warned, adjusting her big hat.
“Invitations?” The man in the black suit requested in an easy tone. This was Brutus; he handled security for the property. He was as dangerous as he was easy on the eyes.
Ruby removed a laminated card from her purse and handed it to him. He eyeballed it for a few seconds before pulling what looked like a supermarket price-checker from his jacket. He scanned the card, and only when the LED light flashed green did he motion for the other valets to come open the doors. He reserved the pleasure of helping Ruby out of the car for himself. Ruby remained poised, while the other girls looked over the property, starstruck. Even the normally stoic Natalia seemed impressed, but it was Belle who put into words what they were all thinking.
“Holy shit!”
Brutus smirked. It wasn’t the first time he had seen that response when people visited for the first time, but no matter how many times he saw it, his heart always filled with pride knowing that he was the guardian.
After letting Ms. Ruby and her girls bask in it for a few seconds, Brutus spoke up. “Welcome, honored guests, to the Clark Estate.”