Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 112755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
“Don’t be crass and petty, Mel!”
The two women were goading one another, laughing and teasing each other relentlessly.
“Baby, if I stay petty, I ain’t got to get petty, so put that in your coochie and smoke it! Tryna sit here and embarrass me in front of Desiree… Somebody hand me a mothafuckin’ cracker off that damn thing fo’e I pass out from heat exhaustion on this here steam pot! Ain’t no crab legs or drawn butter to go with it, so I won’t be back! One star. Thumbs down! Would not recommend!”
They were all howling again, their laughter like thunder, and Desiree appreciated every moment so very much…
Legend adjusted his Rolex watch, a Christmas present from Caspian the previous year. He sat in his black leather seat on the private jet, headed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, sipping a glass of vintage red wine and smoking his cigar. It was a six-hour flight. He hated having to lie to his fiancée, but it was necessary.
He was who he was.
It was what it was.
And now, it would be what it would be.
He’d spent eons researching, spending thousands of dollars to obtain what he needed, and countless hours, days, months, and years planning this trip of a lifetime. Nothing and no one was going to derail it. He pulled out his handwritten itinerary and read it, making sure he followed everything to the letter.
The jet he rode in was untraceable. There were no aviation records of its comings and goings, just as he’d arranged. He had a phony I.D. from Ortiz, carried only cash, no credit cards, and two different burner phones, which would be destroyed once he completed his excursion. His room and board had been taken care of well in advance using the phony identification, and paid in cash, as well as all of the accoutrements he’d requested. When he met his uncle in prison, things changed fast. Uncle Ortiz found out that Legend had been incarcerated in the same penitentiary he was serving time in, and though Legend didn’t know Ortiz, the man definitely knew of him.
The man actually decided to meet with him all of those years ago, and he promptly introduced himself, explaining that he was his father’s brother. Same daddy, different mamas. Daddy had never said much about him, but his name had crossed his lips a time or two. Ortiz had fled to Kentucky after getting into a bit of trouble in Puerto Rico, then got into a bit of trouble in Kentucky, too. Notwithstanding, Ortiz made it clear what his interests in him were. Legend was family, and he always wanted to grow the family business, especially after learning of Legend’s thirst for knowledge and power in the drug trade. At that time, Legend was an up and comer.
Legend, however, had no desire to work for anyone, and scoffed at the idea of answering to others. He’d always wanted to be his own boss. Besides, knowing what Ortiz was into, he wasn’t quite ready to jump that far into the hole, anyway. People had killed their own parents when it came to cocaine deals gone bad, let alone an uncle offing a nephew if things got too hot. Ortiz was to never be his superior, but he was a damn good source for information, and helpful when it came to his “final” arrangements. Legend didn’t explain why he wanted the three men taken out, but he made it crystal clear that he wanted to do it himself. Hands-on.
Ortiz never asked why. He merely offered his resources and connections, understanding that whatever was going on was personal. The man made it no secret that he wanted to make a buck on it, while helping blood, familia, at the same time. It took a long while for Legend to get the necessary funds, but time didn’t matter. He’d breathed, eaten and slept with this gnawing need for vengeance ever since he’d been a child. The only way to feed the ravenous monster within was to give it the old, fermented blood of the past, so he could walk freely into his future.
Legend folded the paper and slipped it into his black jacket pocket. Closing his eyes, he slept for the remainder of the trip. After all, he’d need his strength.
When he finally arrived on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, the pilot escorted him off the jet, and a car with a driver was waiting for him. A few words were exchanged as he got in the back of the vehicle. A simple greeting, confirmation of his destination, and the offering of a beverage was the extent of it. He sat in the back of the black Town Car, listening to Greentea Peng’s, ‘Look To Him.’ About twenty-five minutes later, he arrived at a small resort, with private villas. As soon as he walked in, two men greeted him in Spanish, calling him by his alias. He checked in under his pseudonym, then promptly went to his lodgings—a beautiful, opulent private villa with a pool. He walked inside to find the place was decked out in black, white, and gold marble.