Blood Ties

by Shaun Sinclair

Genres: Suspense; African American Women's Fiction; Contemporary Romance

Synopsis

Strong, loving father. Hard-working loyal son. They are the best hit men in the business. But one woman's revenge will put the ultimate target on their backs . . .

Trained to be a Special Forces killer, Leader came back from his tours of duty broke—and near-broken. So when the streets came calling, he rose from ruthless hood enforcer to a powerful international cartel's most feared "cleaner." And when tragedy hit home, his sensitive son, Justus, turned out to be a natural assassin—and unshakably loyal to his father. Together they are an unstoppable team who leave no trace behind. . . . Until a mysterious woman from nowhere begins working Leader's deep-hidden weaknesses.

Slowly, she's exploding all his secrets—and turning Justus' devotion into a weapon. Now with father and son gunning for each other, survival is down to sheer killer instinct, nothing left to lose—and shattering betrayal only family can deliver . . .

Release date: January 29, 2019

Publisher: Kensington Books

Print pages: 320

Sample

“Jus, come on son! We’re gonna be late!” The voice echoed throughout the house taking Justus out of his trance. Justus was having a hard time deciding between the blue Levi’s or the black True Religion jeans to wear to his cousin’s party. He quickly chose the Levi’s and met his father in the basement.

“Wassup Pop?” Justus greeted his father as he entered the basement.

“What I tell you about calling me that? I ain’t no old man.”

“A’ight, a’ight,” Justus conceded, throwing up his hands in mock defense. His father was quicker.

Leader parried left, then swept Justus off his feet where he lay on the ground defeated.

“You’re getting there, but you’re not ready yet,” his father scolded. “Now go get the car so we can ride out.”

As they entered the garage, Leader stood by the passenger door of his cherished ’79 Eldorado, surprising Justus. Leader never let anyone drive his precious Cadillac. Not even his wife. He tossed Justus the keys and Justus started the car with a smirk, thoroughly pleased that his father finally trusted him. He pulled the car out of the garage very carefully and eased into the street headed for Topeka Heights.

As they drifted down the highway, his father took the time to enlighten Justus to a few things.

“Jus, listen, I want to make sure you keep a close eye on things while I’m gone. Look after your mom and li’l sister,” Leader instructed Justus. “Your sister’s big for her age, and these little R. Kelly’s running around here gon’ make somebody hurt ’em. So, you keep an eye out. A’ight?”

“Yes sir.”

“You can stop the ‘yes sir’ shit now. You a man now. You turning eighteen in a few months.”

“Yes—I mean—a’ight.”

Leader turned on the radio and the sounds from Scarface’s The Fix album filled the car. Justus was not shocked at all. He knew his father loved that raw gangsta music. Tupac, Geto Boys, Kool G. Rap. All the real music got repeated burn when Leader was in the ’Lac.

After nodding his head a few times, Leader turned the music down to address Justus some more, “Hey you still not worried about getting kicked off the team, are you?”

Justus shook his head.

“Good. Don’t worry about it. It’s good that you held on to your principles. The world needs more principled men.”

Leader was referring to Justus not being allowed to play in his high school basketball championship game. He was suspended indefinitely for refusing to stand for the national anthem. In the past, when the national anthem was performed, he had found a convenient way to excuse himself. Unfortunately, in the game before the championship game the bathroom was full so he had no such luck. Unable to leave, he chose to remain seated amidst a gym full of people, sticking out like a grade-school erection. After much prodding from his coaches, Justus remained defiant. In a city like Fayetteville, home of Fort Bragg—home of the 82nd Airborne Division— refusing to stand for the national anthem was blasphemous. When Justus took the court to play ball, the crowd let their disapproval be known by salting the court with debris. Coach decided it would be best if Justus sat the game out, hence causing him to miss the most important game of his life. Justus, being a senior, would never get a chance to lace up for the hardwood and scorch a team for 21 and 10 again. Justus appeared unfazed, but only Leader, who sat in the audience observing the whole incident like an owl, knew the true extent of Justus’s pain. Inwardly, Leader smiled. The incident could only be a catalyst to Justus becoming the person Leader was already training him to be.

Leader continued with the conversation. “When you graduate in a few weeks—”

“Six.”

“Okay. In six weeks, you won’t have to worry about any of that shit, because you’ll be working with me in the family business.”

Justus noted Leader was using profanity, which was something he seldom did in the presence of others. Leader was very articulate and extremely intelligent. Only a few people knew how gully he truly was. Justus was one of those people.

“Pop, what is our family business?” Justus asked, as he continued to smoothly maneuver the ’Lac down the highway.

Justus never knew exactly what his father did for a living. All he knew was his father’s title on his business card read: John Moore, Security Consultant. Justus did know his father’s job required him going out of town a lot. He also knew his father was well respected in the streets due to his reputation from back in the day. Again, Justus had no idea what exactly his father was known for. What he did know was that it wasn’t drugs. Leader despised the fact that drug dealers got all the props.

“You’ll see soon enough,” Leader assured him, to which Justus chuckled. “What’s so funny, son?”

“You. You remind me of Tommy on Martin. He always talking about his job, but nobody knew where he worked at. So, the joke was that he didn’t have one.”

Leader mulled this over for a second, then responded, “Oh, it’s a job alright. Fact, it’s more than a job; it’s an adventure!” he joked.

“I won’t have to cut my beard off, will I?” Justus asked, stroking his peach fuzz.

“Maybe. Why?”

“ ’Cause I notice every time you go out of town on business you cut off all your hair and trim your eyebrows.”

This was true, of course. In fact, Leader trimmed the hair from his entire body. Ass crack and all. His eyebrows, he would shave completely off, then sketch new ones. He especially cut the hairs in his nose. This was an occupational precaution.

“Yeah, I know,” Leader admitted, then added, “You’re pretty observant.”

Justus laughed. “It’s obvious! You be looking like a black Mr. Clean!”

Leader nudged him. “Shut up. Laugh now, get laughed at later,” Leader warned, before turning the music back up. Justus settled into a more comfortable position and drove on to their destination.

Topeka Heights was one of the many neighborhoods in Fayetteville that caused the city to be known as Fayettenam. The residents of Topeka Heights reveled in their status. To them, ghetto wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Ghetto produced strength. Ghetto produced camaraderie. After all, everyone knew that within the confines of the ghetto were some of the richest people. Some rich in heart, others in spirit. Some in actual monetary wealth. The latter were the people who were savvy and ambitious enough to hustle hope into something tangible. People like Terry “Pug” Daniels, Justus’s maternal cousin.

Pug was just returning home from a three-year state bid. At just twenty-two, Pug was a major player in Fayettenam’s comparatively small heroin trade. Prior to his incarceration at the age of nineteen, Pug had a few dope spots sprinkled all over the city. Pug was a dropout to the nth degree, leaving junior high at thirteen to provide for his sick mother, whose main ailment was being broke. He started out selling weed, then made the natural transition up the ladder to crack cocaine. However, through trial and error, he later found that nothing sold like that “P-Funk,” as heroin was called in the streets. An old-head from the neighboring city of Lumberton, plugged Pug in with a sweet connect, and Pug never looked back. Riches and street fame came, followed by the requisite hate that bred drama.

One night while returning from the movies with his girl, some young enterprising jack-boys attempted to rob him. Pug, no stranger to gunplay, blazed one of them quicker than a California forest fire. He fled the scene in his girlfriend’s Audi, but was captured by authorities a few days later. Turned out, one of the jack-boys moonlit as a rat. Pug dropped ten racks on a lawyer and managed to finagle a three-year plea for weapons possession. Now he was home to reclaim the streets that embraced him.

When Justus wheeled the Eldorado into the courtyard amidst a rambunctious crowd, all eyes were on him. He was smiling from ear to ear, happy to be seen whipping his father around. He quickly found a vacant spot and he and his father exited the vehicle. They walked side-by-side up to the apartment where everyone was gathered out front enjoying the sounds that emanated from inside. While Leader dipped inside to find his wife, Justus lingered outside to mingle with the crowd.

“What up, Jus?” Some of the older dudes greeted Justus. Most of them were Pug’s partners. Justus was five years younger than Pug, but no one seemed to care because ever since Justus was able to walk, he hung with Pug. Pug was the big brother Justus never had, and everyone who was anyone knew it. Besides, with Justus standing a stout six-feet tall, no one paid attention to the age disparity. Justus was one of their own as far as they were concerned.

“Chillin’,” Justus responded coolly. “What’s the bidness?”

“Ain’t shit,” replied Kenny. “Wanna hit the blunt?” He offered Justus the burning blunt.

“Hell naw. You know I don’t smoke!” Justus reminded him.

“Ha-ha, I know. Your pops’ll kick your ass. I was just fucking wit’ cha. A, ah, pardon self, I need to holla at this broad real quick.” Kenny passed the blunt to a comrade, then ran off across the courtyard to meet a thick, chocolate sista carrying a baby in her arms.

Justus took survey of the courtyard, observing all the goings-on. Five different smoke ciphers. Beautiful women, so jaded they didn’t realize their worth. Numerous young hustlers still trying to grind during the festivities. A part of him envied them. A part of him pitied them.

Justus noticed that Pug was still a no-show so he asked the crew about his whereabouts.

“He’ll be here soon,” answered Rico, Pug’s right-hand man. “You know he like to make an entrance. Him and Jackie ’posed to go shopping ’fo they come here.”

Just then, Pug’s Suburban crept into the neighborhood. “There he go right there,” A short, pudgy dude named Greg stated. The truck didn’t come to where the crowd was assembled. Instead, it bent the corner toward the adjacent complex. It was evident he didn’t leave the neighborhood because the steady thump from the Digital Design subwoofers rumbled from a block over. As soon as the truck was out of sight, conversation resumed.

“Aye dawg, you know Nikki moving out the hood, right?” Rico informed everyone.

“Word?” Justus piped up a little too eagerly.

“Yep. She got kicked out when ole’ boy got caught up in there with that dope on ’im,” Rico explained. “Housing Authority people say she gotta go ’cause she had a convicted felon with dope up in her spot.”

“Damn, that’s fucked up,” Justus whispered, unable to disguise his disappointment.

“Don’t matter though,” Rico stated matter-of-factly. “She already got a place ’cross town off Cliffdale road. Plushed out too. Bitch on da lake an’ shit,” Rico let them know. He stayed up on the happenings.

“Damn, she making money like that at that hospital? I thought she was a dietician or something?” Greg wondered.

Rico answered, “I believe her dad got it for her. Since she not fucking with ole’ boy no more, I guess he gon’ take care of her. Either that or he don’t want to see his daughter out in the street,” he reasoned. All Justus heard was one thing.

“When she stopped messing with that dude?” Justus asked.

“Sheeit, nigga, when he got her spot ran up in! You know Nikki don’t play that shit!”

“So when she moving?” Rico asked, looking at his phone. “That might be where Pug and Jackie went at.”

“Her and dude broke up?” Justus insisted.

“Aye nigga, you can stop dreaming. You too young for Nikki, and you don’t pump, so your pockets too short.”

Before Justus could respond to Rico’s character assassination, he was snatched up into a yoke from behind. A sharp blade appeared under his neck.

“Money or your life?!” The voice offered. Justus noticed everyone remained cool, so he figured it could only be one person.

“Pug, stop playing, cousin.”

Pug released him. “Ah nigga, you still too cool to be scared, huh? I thought you was gonna try some of that Bruce Lee shit.” Pug laughed, then hugged Justus. “What’s the bidness, li’l cuz?!”

“Chillin’ big nigga,” Justus assured him. Outside of Leader, Pug was the only person Justus truly admired, so he wanted to be seen in the best light in his eyes.

Justus was released from Pug’s tight embrace long enough for the elder cousin to size the young one up.

“Damn, li’l nigga, your ass is getting big!” Pug commented after noticing the few inches Justus had grown since he had been gone. “I gotta watch you. You might try me one day. You working on that temper or what?”

“Yeah.” Justus nodded unconvincingly.

“A’ight, you betta tighten up,” Pug warned. “Let’s go inside. You uncouth Negroes stay y’all asses out here,” Pug remarked to his gang. He wrapped his arm around Justus’s shoulder and the two went inside.

The front room of Gloria’s house was immaculate by any standard. Pug made it a rule to keep his mother laced. Gloria resided in the projects, but she wasn’t just anybody, she was the queen bee! A ghetto superstar. Her son was the hood general so that automatically gave her rank by proxy. Gloria’s home reflected her status. Her living room was decorated with bone-white leather furniture and gold carpet. The lamps at each end of the sofa were made of pure gold and glass. No plastic was to be found on the sofas. People simply knew, don’t fuck up Gloria’s shit!

The kitchen was done in the traditional fashion of the PJs. White floors. Cheap wooden countertops and a glass table, which was being slammed with cards from an ongoing Spades game. It seemed like a trophy and cash prize was being awarded by all the trash being talked, when Pug and Justus entered the room.

“What’s the bidness?!” Pug yelled when he burst into the room.

“Heeeeey baybee!” Gloria jumped to hug her son. “You finally made it home.” She kissed Pug on his strong jaw, but the salutations were brief, as Gloria didn’t miss a beat telling Pug what was on her mind. “Now I hope you stay home. I swear these gotdamn kids are driving me crazy! That woman of yours keep dropping them bad-ass boys off every day, talkin ’bout she going to school. And them little fuckers? I swear, they be running up here and running up there and running every gotdamn where! Chile, I’m so glad you home, I don’t know what to do! I just—”

“Gloria!”

The room went silent at the sound of the familiar voice. All eyes darted to the door to see Leader swagger into the room with his smooth, confident stride. “Chill out, Glo. Let the boy enjoy his first day home.” Gloria started to protest, but when she saw the telling glaze in Leader’s opaque eyes, she quickly relented.

“Come here, gangsta.” Leader spread his arms for Pug. Pug was probably the only person in the family who knew that Leader’s really gangsta. Exponentially. Everyone else thought Leader’s crime days were behind him, alongside his days as a Green Beret. To the uninitiated, Leader was a good businessman who gifted to his wife a thriving real estate business, just so he could start a security consulting firm, which took off immediately. To Pug, Leader was a whole different animal—literally and figuratively.

“What’s up, Unc?” Pug proudly asked.

“You the man,” Leader told him, beaming with pride. They didn’t make them like Pug anymore. He was a throwback to Leader’s days in the trenches. Leader beckoned Pug outside. “Let me speak with you a second. Excuse us.” Leader and Pug distanced themselves from everyone.

While Leader and Pug conversed, Justus stuffed his face with chicken and potato salad. By the time he was done, Leader was calling him in the corner with him and Pug.

“Why your husband always so secretive?” Gloria asked Glenda, Justus’s mom, not realizing she was whispering herself. Her liquor was clearly taking its effect.

“Girl, you know how he is about his son.”

“His son? Hmp.”

“Now, Glo, don’t start.”

“You haven’t seen me get started,” Gloria promised.

“Well don’t.”

When Justus met with Leader and Pug they were finishing their conversation. “Jus, meet me over at Nikki’s in a few minutes so we can help her move.” Pug commanded. “Don’t be long, ’cause I gotta get at you about something else too. A’ight?’

Justus nodded. Pug gave Leader a knowing look then exited, leaving Leader alone with Justus. “What’s up, Dad?” Justus wondered.

“I’ve been checking you out a lot lately, man. And it seem like you fascinated with that drug shit.” Leader’s tone was dead serious. “Don’t lose focus, son. That shit don’t last. It’s just a hustle, and a hustle is just that. A hustle! It ain’t meant to last long. I got the perfect spot for you with me. Best thing is, you’ve been training for it all your life.

“I have?” Justus asked, unsure of what Leader was implying.

Leader patted him on his head. “I made sure of it. So, while I’m gone keep your nose clean and look after your mother and sister. When I come back, we’ll get down to the details. Alright?”

Justus nodded. He wasn’t slow by any standard, but Leader’s comments had him baffled. He didn’t recall Leader “training” him for anything.

“Now, go get with Pug. If I don’t see you before I leave remember what I said. You got some money?”

“A little.”

“What you call a little?”

“’Bout twenty dollars.”

Leader sucked his teeth. “That ain’t no money. I thought I always told you to keep some money in your pocket.”

“That is money,” Justus insisted.

“For a boy! You’re a man now.”

“I know. That’s why I ain’t want to ask you for no money.”

“Well, I applaud your independence, but don’t be stupid. You’re one of the few youngsters that can take advantage of asking their father for money. So, do it.” To illustrate his point, Leader dipped deep into his pocket and gave Justus a wad of cash. “You’ll know when it’s time to make your money. Plus, you can’t get a woman like Nikki if you go around her broke.

Justus smiled. His father knew the object of his childhood crush. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Don’t worry ’bout it. Just keep doing the right thing.”

“And what’s that?” Justus challenged.

When Leader answered, his tone was colder than Justus had ever heard it. Looking at Justus directly in the eyes, he told him, “Whatever I tell you to do. Now go see Pug.”

As Justus crossed the courtyard, he could see Pug’s Suburban from a mile away. The chrome crash bars glinted underneath the street lamps like diamonds. The truck sat off by itself at the edge of the parking lot. Apparently, someone was inside, because the music was on ever so slightly. Sounded like a Trey Songz CD, no doubt. Probably Jackie and Pug cuddling, thought Justus. Remembering what Pug did to him earlier, Justus decided to get him back.

Justus crept up on the rear side of the Suburban, but didn’t see anyone inside. When he slipped around back of the truck and peered around, his breath got caught in is throat. Pug had Jackie bent over at the front of his truck, pounding her from the back! Jackie’s pleated skirt was thrown recklessly over her back, while she alternated rocking back on the heels of her knee-high boots and grabbing the crash bars attached to the front of the truck.

Justus, caught in the moment, openly lusted. How could he look away when Jackie’s glorious ass was exposed for all to see?

Pug sensed someone watching and opened his eyes long enough to see Justus watching them from the back of the truck. Instead of him getting vexed about it, he winked at Justus then held his index finger up signaling for Justus to wait a minute. Before Justus left, Pug cracked a smile, then gave Jackie two hard thrusts for good measure. Jackie moaned loudly, causing Justus to run away from the scene before the temptation to stroke himself overwhelmed him.

While Leader entertained his family, he was oblivious to someone watching his every move from a parked car tucked away in the cut. As Leader spoke t. . .