A Hustler's Queen: Reloaded

Book 2: Hustler's Queen

by Saundra

Genres: Women's Fiction; Crime Fiction; Literary Fiction

Synopsis

In this explosive new novel from rising urban lit star Saundra, a good girl turned L.A. drug kingpin’s lady discovers lethal skills, mega success—and deadly secrets—she never banked on . . .
 
Forced to trade her college plans for dealing on the streets of L.A., Precious Cummings has a new priority: stay on top of the game and carry on her murdered lover’s kingpin legacy. With the empire growing under her watch, and her late father’s dry-cleaning business still booming, Precious sets her sights on owning more legit businesses. When an offer of a night club unexpectedly comes her way, Precious’s goals are set in motion overnight. Then suddenly, Miami and new territory calls . . .
 
Now with three legit businesses, the respect of one of the biggest suppliers in the U.S., and holding down the title as one of L.A.’s most powerful female drug dealers, Precious’s success seems endless. When her twin sister Promise encourages Precious to get her personal life back in gear, Precious just tightens down on her hustle—until a casualty and a kidnapping reveal shocking deceptions and betrayals. Soon, revenge takes form in the only way the game knows how . . .
 
Praise for Saundra and her novels
 
“Tough, smart characters . . . fast-moving drama.”
 —Booklist on Hustle Hard

“Saundra continues to flawlessly portray the dog-eat-dog code that Detroit goes by.”
—RT Book Reviews on Her Sweetest Revenge 3
 
“Saundra should be applauded. . . . Enthusiasts of the series will love revisiting Mya.”
—Library Journal on Her Sweetest Revenge 3


 

 

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Release date: August 31, 2021

Publisher: Dafina

Print pages: 228

Sample

The sun bouncing off DaVon’s pretty white teeth was everything to me. The rounding of his lips as they lifted his cheeks into that handsome warm smile sent tingly, bubbly chills up my spine. Both his strong hands, one on either side of my waist, eased around me. Suddenly my feet were off the ground and the wind beneath them. The fresh air, the smell of the daisies, was overwhelming. “I love you,” I whispered to him, looking down into his big, deep brown eyes.

“I love you too, Precious.” He smiled at me again. Unable to resist any longer, I lowered my face to meet his soft lips. Just as our lips touched, he swung me around. Our laughter filled the air as the wind soothed me, but the turns became faster and faster. Too fast. “Wait . . . DaVon . . . Baby, where are you?” I screamed his name but was only met with an echo. No longer outside in the sun, I was surrounded by devastating darkness.

“Where am I?” I screamed again. Cold and scared, I folded my arms tightly around myself as my eyes tried unsuccessfully to adjust to the darkness. I heard a drip, then another immediately followed.

“Precious.” I heard my name in the distance. It was DaVon’s voice. My eyes caught the beam of a far-off bright light. “Precious.” His voice again. My eyes again searched for him.

“Yes, baby. I’m here. I’m right here.” Finally, I could see a light in the distance. I realized I was inside an old warehouse or some kind of demolished building. “DaVon, DaVon.” I screamed his name over and over and started to run in the direction where I heard my name being called. “Tell me where you are. Please, baby, call my name again. Please, please!” I pleaded with him. “DaVon,” I shouted again. Then I saw the light. It was bright. Too bright.

Opening my eyes, I lay still as I made out the familiar sound of my ringing cell phone. And just like that I was waking up in my bed from yet another dream. Another delayed nightmare. I was alone. And DaVon was still gone away from me, forever. Sniffing back hurt, lost hope, and fear, I realized once again I had been crying in my dream, and the evidence was my face soaked with tears.

Pushing my Calvin Klein sheets off, I sat up in bed and reached for my cell phone, which refused to stop ringing. I noticed the number was one of Mob’s burner cell phone numbers. Since Clip had been murdered, Rob and Mob were the only members of the crew who were allowed access to me.

“Yeah.” I answered the phone, my tone a bit groggy. If I didn’t know business was at hand, I would not have answered. I was not in a talking mood.

As always, my tone spoke volumes. Mob got straight to the point. “Aye, shutdown was one hundred. Shit getting back to normal.” For that I breathed a soft sigh of relief. Police had been patrolling one of my block areas pretty tough. A few murders had taken place recently in the area, and election time was around the corner, so the district attorney wanted to send a message to make sure their presence was felt. Because of all the mayhem, I had no choice but to tighten ship, and Mob made sure to keep the peons in line. “And confirmation on the setup today?” That was code for meeting.

“Yep. We good.” I confirmed our meeting with the crew for later that day. With that I ended the call. I was still shaken from my dream and wished nothing more than to be able to lie in bed all day. But it was another day, and that meant business had to be handled. I hung one leg followed by the other over the side of my bed and stood. That was when my day started.

Turning on the shower, I stepped inside and allowed the warm water to run down my face. With my eyes shut tight, my thoughts slipped back to my dream. I could feel the sun on me, I could feel the wind as DaVon turned me. Then the damp, cold room reared its ugly head. Opening my eyes, I shuddered at the thought. Turning my back to the warm water in the shower, I allowed it to run down the crease of my back. I cleared my thoughts. I had to have my head on right when I exited my front door.

Downstairs I headed straight for the kitchen, “Good morning, Anna.” I greeted Anna as soon as I entered the kitchen. Anna was Maria’s sister who had moved up to LA from Arizona to help Susanna after Maria had died. Neither Maria’s nor Rebecca’s bodies had ever been found. And to spare Susanna the pain, I decided not to tell her about Quincy and Keisha’s bragging confession of their murders. When Anna had arrived in LA, she volunteered to take Maria’s old job, to which I had willingly agreed. And I was glad I did. I liked her right away, and she reminded me of Maria in so many ways.

“Good morning. I was wondering if you were sleeping in today. I whipped you up some breakfast steak tacos.”

“Mmm. And it smells delicious.” Anna was not hired to do any cooking but occasionally when she felt the urge or if I asked her to, she would cook. And she was good at it, just like Maria.

“I think I need to cook for you a bit more often. You turning into skin and bones.” Anna fussed at me. She was convinced I was losing weight, but I ate constantly and didn’t see any change in my weight.

“I’m fine. If I eat any more, I will be a cow.” I joked. I didn’t have a knack for eating healthy. I ate what I liked, which was mostly Mexican or stir fry, which I devoured like it was going out of style. And I didn’t take it easy on anything fried, or bread. I loved it all. That was one of the reasons why no matter how busy I got, I made the gym a priority.

“You eat the tacos and I’ll be convinced.”

“I promise I will. But in the meantime, I have to get going.” Grabbing a taco, I rushed out the front door with Anna yelling for me to take more with me.

A half hour later, I pulled into the parking lot of one of our spots that I used for meetings. I made it a habit never to use the same spot too often, and I was the only one who knew the actual meeting place. I never gave that information out until I was in traffic driving to the spot on the morning or day of the meeting, which meant they only had about half an hour to get there. And I only gave that info out to my right hand, who then distributed it to the crew members who were allowed to attend. That was one of the things I picked up from DaVon: Never get too comfortable using the same locations for anything. Comfort could never be afforded. Alertness, suspicion, and plain never trusting could be the saving grace to any hustler in the street.

Bringing my all-black Mercedes SUV to a halt, I checked the scene. There were a few whips outside that I noticed. Plies’s silver Beamer was on point, so I was sure he was already inside. Reaching across the seat, I retrieved my white Chanel crossbody purse and climbed out into the ninety-degree LA heat.

Inside I was greeted by Plies and Mob. “Hey, Precious, good to see you.” Plies stood to greet me.

“What’s good, Precious,” Mob chimed in right behind him.

“I’m good. This LA heat ain’t, though.”

“It never is.” Plies grinned and stood back on his legs. His iced-out diamond-studded chain almost blinded me as it moved with him. The thing was easily one hundred thousand and a bill. With no doubt Plies was a good-looking guy. Six feet tall, nice medium build, with chestnut skin. Word on the street was that the ladies were fighting over him. I could see why.

“Look, I’ma check on the supply while you two chop it up.” Mob had been holding me down until I figured out my new right-hand situation. He was in the building only as a precaution.

This meeting was the preamble to the meeting that was taking place later in the day with the crew. Today would be the day I would announce to everyone that Plies was my right hand. Plies was known in LA for doing a lot of business and putting in his share of work, not to mention being loyal. He had been Clip’s guy in the streets, and before Clip was killed and was planning to take over, he had made it clear that Plies was going to be his partner in crime. It only made sense for me to bring him in to hold me down. Mob had held me down no doubt. But even he could agree it took more to being a right hand than met the eye. But make no mistake: Mob was a major part of the crew and operation. And I didn’t take it lightly.

“I’m glad you could make it today. It’s time to get to work.” I got straight to the point. Time was of the essence.

“And I’m ready. I’m ready to get supply tripled on the blocks. Crew even tighter. And help you continue to build in the city.”

“That’s what I need to hear. I’m glad to bring you in. Clip had nothing but good things to say about you, and a lot of that is confirmed through the streets. So I know you gone be able to handle everything I’m about to throw your way.”

“Just run it down. I’m all ears.”

“We expanded a while back before Clip . . . expired . . .” I paused for a brief moment. I still struggled with saying he was killed or was dead. Just didn’t seem right. But at that moment I wanted to smack myself. Expired sounded like a horrible way to describe his state. I needed a drink. “We expanded,” I started over. “But more opportunity has presented itself and we just acquired three new territories. I have been filling those blocks with workers and distributing. The first two rounds of product have moved through fairly quickly, and we are on the reup.”

“Okay, that’s what’s up. If two rounds went through quickly, we should be able to triple in another week.”

“Exactly. So we on the move with no minute to waste. Later today at the meeting I’m making your position clear. It’s time to work.”

“So which nigga’s throat I’m gone have to cut first?”

I smiled at his inquiry. “Let’s hope none.” My crew was solid, and I never really had any problems out of them. But I too had wondered if new authority would be an issue. Reclaiming my serious tone again, I made my position clear. “Just rest assured we ain’t letting nothing or no one stand in our way. Bullshit is not on the table. Now Mob, who you are very familiar with, is going to be your right hand.”

“Yeah, me and Mob are acquainted through Clip. We good.”

I knew this as well. I was truly glad to bring Plies on and I had hopes that everything would be cool. Clip had never steered me wrong in the past. Clip was like DaVon’s baby brother, but in the game the word trust was nonexistent. Sadly, it was the ways of the street that made it so. But in some ways I had to say DaVon trusted Clip, so I held him in high regard. But Plies had to know this crew was not just about blocks, money, and power. It was about my love for DaVon, and that was something different.

“Listen, I understand the street lusts for money, respect, and power. If that is your motivation, this situation ain’t for you. Because I will only say this once. This business is special to me. The consequence for putting it in jeopardy is personal to me. . . . that means expiration.” There was no other way for me to put it. I would put a bullet in him myself, and that was a promise.

“I can respect that.” The look in his eyes seemed sincere. With that, I made my exit.

The short meeting I had with Plies was enough to get my taste buds going. That one taco I had managed to guzzle down for breakfast had long worn off. Thankfully, I had prior plans to meet with Promise at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. Casa Sanchez was located on Centinela, and they had some of the best Mexican food on the south side. I could remember my dad bringing me as a kid. As soon as I turned on Centinela the cuisine’s scents seemed to be floating down the block. The juices in my mouth instantly started to flow.

Inside, Promise was nowhere in sight, so I had the hostess seat me. The sooner I was sitting, the sooner I could at least order me a cocktail. No sooner had I ordered my drink than Promise approached the table.

“Tell me my eyes are playing tricks on me. There is no way you beat me here,” she teased me. I was normally running late and could never get her to understand it was for good reason. I always had something going on at all hours of the day. My time was never idle.

“Stranger things have happened. Besides, I’m starving and I need a drink. In fact, I just ordered a cocktail. And being the great sister that I am, I went ahead and put in an order for your cocktail as well,” I playfully bragged.

“Well, I thank you for that. I have been craving a drink since I woke up this morning.” Promise sat down, took off her Gucci sunglasses, and set them on the table. “I swear, it is so hot out there.”

“Say no more. I think I felt a sweat bead on me already this morning,” I added. The waitress approached the table with our drinks.

“Do you need a minute to look over the menu?” the young girl asked. She was wearing a huge grin on her face. She kept looking from Promise to me. I was sure our twin status amused her.

“No, I think we are ready.” I spoke up. I didn’t want to waste another minute getting our order in. I was hungry. We ordered some our favorites: chicken fajitas, salsa with queso dip. We loved to mix it together. The taste was indescribable.

“So can you tell me why you had me waiting?”

“You better stop it. Now you see what you put me through. How many tables and booths have I had to hold down?” She smiled mischievously at me.

“Oh, excuses.” I played at being mad. “This is how people act when they become a celebrity.”

“See, whatever, you got jokes.” Promise beamed. “Anywho, I’m glad you could make it today. I missed you something awful while I was away. Matter of fact, give me a hug.” Promise stood up and I followed. We embraced. I loved my sister so much, and I thanked God every day that she put in the effort and found me. For that I would always be grateful to her. The one thing I knew for sure: My sister loved me and I loved her. Nothing and no one could change that or come between us.

The waitress approached, pausing at the sight of us. “Never mind us.” I laughed. The waitress set our food down in front of us and asked if we were good before walking away. We dug in without hesitation.

“So how was the trip?” I asked while pulling the foil off my steaming hot corn tortillas. Promise had just made it back from Atlanta, where she had gone to check on some new hair products she was thinking about bringing into the salon.

“It went good. Actually, even better than I originally thought. The products were great, like I hoped for. Oh, and the wholesale and distribution price that we will get them at was even better. I already put in my first order, and they should arrive in a few weeks. I’m really excited. I can’t wait to use some of the new products on my clients.”

“I’m glad to hear that part went well. Buying product, and good quality product, can be difficult at times. And especially getting it at a good price.” I could remember Dad sometimes struggling to get some of the cleaning products he needed for the machines. For the most part, he had good trustworthy vendors. But there had been times that he claimed the products were watered down and overpriced. “So how was the city? I know you ain’t spending all your time doing business. Come on, spill the tea.”

“Girl, you know your sister, right? Atlanta is everything you hear about it, a straight party town. But, Precious, when I say they country . . . they are country. I had to ask a few people to repeat themselves. If I had not known better, I would have thought I was in a foreign country.” Promise laughed.

“For real.” I giggled. “Promise, you are crazy. But I have heard them talk before on TV. Plus, I had this girl in my class in high school who was from the South. She had that country accent.”

“Yeah, it was cute, though. Other than that, I had a blast. Oh, and they have that real soul food. I think I had the best fried catfish I ever tasted down there. We gone have to fly out there together sometimes just to party and eat. The town is lit. No exaggeration.”

“Aye, I’m with that. I can deal with the country as long as there ain’t no bugs. That is where I draw the line. The first time something bites me or flies up in my face or hair, I’m on the next flight out.” We both started laughing. “Wait, did you hit Magic City? I hear that’s the biggest party out there. Major tourist attraction.”

“Nope. And really, I wanted to, just didn’t have the time. I’m telling you there is just so much to do down there. You could never get bored. When we fly out there, though, that’s gone be at the top of our list. Magic City.”

“Bet. I can’t wait.” I sipped my margarita in anticipation of hitting up Atlanta.

“So, what did you do while I was away? Besides work,” Promise asked before biting into her fajita.

“Well, I won’t shock your world and confirm that was all I did. But really, besides that I spent a lot of time racking my brain trying to figure out this new business venture. And I can tell you nothing pops out at me. I don’t have a clue what it will be.” I placed both of my elbows on the table and rested my chin in the palm of my right hand, frustrated once again about what to do. I had to come up with something. I took in a deep breath and let it out. I couldn’t believe it was that complicated. “All I know is I need it to be legit. I must have something legit besides the dry cleaners so I can put this business degree that I invested my time and energy into to good use.” I took another much-needed sip of my margarita. With each taste it proved to get better. Either that or my ambition had jilted me in my time of need.

“Why don’t you open up a restaurant and sell fajitas, as much as we eat this shit.” We both laughed at her silliness. “I mean, we addicted to it. Why wouldn’t another fool be?”

“You silly as always. Actually, it’s not a bad idea, though, if you really think about it. I’m sure I’ll be the first one up in there every day eating up all the food. With me gobbling it all up, I’m just not sure how we would profit.” We both continued to giggle. “But nah, I’m cool on that. I have to think of something, though. And I would rather it be sooner than later.”

Promise gazed at me with concern. “Look, don’t stress about it, you will think of something . . . but until then, you can keep pouring your good ideas into the salon. Because business is great, and I have you to thank for a lot of it.”

“No doubt, I always want you to win. Tell you what, how about we celebrate the salon’s continued success with one more margarita before we get out of here?”

“You ain’t said nothing but a word.” Promise signaled the waitress just as she was about to pass our table.

I really wasn’t up for a meeting with the crew after lunch with Promise. My stomach was tight, and I was way too full. A quick nap would do me good. But those margaritas had mellowed me out and would do the trick to get me through. When you ran an empire and a business, there was not much time to sleep. The reality was people depended on me to eat, and I would make sure they did. No matter what.

Mob standing outside waiting on me was the first thing I noticed as I pulled into the spot. I wasted no time putting the truck in Park and hopping out. Getting this done in a timely matter was a must. “Guess you ready to get down to business.” I addressed Mob, who was clearly anxious to get the meeting started. Mob was never one to stand around idle; he thrived on staying busy. I liked that about him. One of the things I did not like and would not tolerate was a lazy crew member or slacker. And I made sure it was no secret.

“No doubt, everyone already inside. Heads up, though, my man Plies’s presence got everybody’s attention. Ain’t nobody asked, but I know they thinkin’ somethin’ up.” Mob twisted his lips up in a sarcastic motion. For a second I wondered if he was nervous. But I knew better. Men—they all. . .