Carl Weber's Kingpins: Greensboro

by DeKane

Genres: African American Urban

Synopsis

Take a ride with the Love Family as the saga unfolds.

After the death of their young brother, the Love Siblings are forced to come together to bury their family member. Behind the pain of their loss is deceit and a course of events that may be detrimental to them all. Will they find solace in their crisis, or will they cease to exist? This novel is filled with suspense, betrayal, loyalty, and a love that was built out of chaos.
 

Release date: March 25, 2025

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 288

Sample

The Next Day, Sunday Morning, 5:30

“Good morning, ma’am. Would you like something to drink or maybe something to read?” the tall Mexican stewardess asked Kendra as she settled down in her seat.

“Yes, a bottle of water will be fine for right now, thanks.”

“Here you go, ma’am. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask. I hope you enjoy your flight with us today.”

“I’m sure I will,” Kendra replied as she placed her headphones on.

“Good morning, this is your captain speaking, and I would like to welcome you all aboard Flight 796, destination Greensboro, North Carolina. Please buckle up and turn any electronic devices off as we prepare for takeoff.”

After the captain gave out his instructions for the flight, Kendra sat back, closed her eyes, and relaxed as the plane took off. She hated having to return to her home. She had worked so hard to distance herself from them. She hoped that she could go in, handle her business, and slip away again. She knew her brothers were going to make it hard for her.

Her mind was filled with so many perturbed feelings about going home. She had created a wonderful life in Texas, and she wasn’t going to lose everything that she had built on her own. But she also wasn’t going to leave North Carolina without finding out who had killed her brother and why!

She closed her eyes, and as the plane took off, her mind wandered.

It was a Friday morning, and Kendra was awakened by the shrill of her phone. She looked at the time on it, shook her head, and groaned. “What in the hell? Yes?” she answered.

“Sis, please call Mom and ask her if I can come stay with you. I can’t take this shit any longer. I don’t have a good feeling about shit!” her little brother, Tyrone, whispered quickly into the receiver.

Kendra sat up, wiped her eyes, and snatched her bonnet off. “What’s going on? Do I need to make a trip there? Because I will!”

“Sis, I just need to get away. Pops is trying my last damn nerves. He wants me to become something I’m not, and Sean is sucking up so fucking bad trying to take Brent’s spot that he ain’t thinking straight! I just can’t take it! Please, sis!”

“I got you! I will call her as soon as I think she is up. Listen, try to get some sleep. I will call you right after I talk to her.”

“All right,” he replied before hanging up.

Kendra looked at her clock once again. “Four thirty. Let me get some more sleep before I have to call this woman!” She lay back down and tossed and turned.

Later that morning, after Kendra woke up again, she called and spoke with her mother about Tyrone coming to stay with her for a while. Her mother agreed after Kendra pleaded with her for a few minutes. Her mother told her that she would let him visit with her, but only after school let out for the summer in June. She made Kendra promise to take care of Tyrone while he was with her, and Kendra assured her that she would.

After she had gotten off the phone with her mother, she called Tyrone to let him know their mother’s decision. He thanked her repeatedly, commenting that he hoped the time would pass quickly.

When she hung up with him, she got up out of her bed, walked to the kitchen, and put on a pot of coffee. While the coffee was brewing, she took a quick shower, brushed her teeth, and put on her favorite sundress. She put her bedroom slippers back on and walked into the kitchen area. She grabbed a bagel and put it in the toaster. She wasn’t hungry, but she had to put something on her stomach. Otherwise, she’d get sick. She poured a huge cup of coffee, putting hazelnut creamer and light sugar in it for a sweeter taste. After she ate her bagel, she took her cup of coffee out on the patio and sighed as she took in the beauty of the city. She loved living in Texas, but she hated being so far away from her brother, especially when he needed her.

She grew up a problem child and was sent away after she committed a crime that her father deemed unnecessary. She laughed at the irony of it all because her father was the leader of one of the most ruthless gangs in Canada.

She learned about the family business by mistake when she was only 8 years old. That mistake proved to be her awakening.

As she drifted further in thought, she remembered that day like it was yesterday.

“Arrggg!” sounded from the back of the Love family estate.

It was only eight o’clock in the morning, and Kendra, always being a curious child, jumped up out of her princess bed and sprinted to the window to see what was going on.

She squinted as she tried to see what her brothers were doing. Her father walked out of the storage building he always kept locked, and then he went back in carrying something shiny, long, and black or silver. Kendra ran to put her shoes and robe on, then snuck past her nanny, Ms. Kane, who was cleaning her father’s office. Once she got downstairs, she opened the door quietly and ran down to the shed. She peeped into the small opening around the window, catching a glimpse of a man tied to a chair, and he was bleeding. Her brother, who was 17 at the time, was smashing the man in the face with a shovel. His head snapped back, and instead of Kendra looking away, she was in awe of what they were going to do to the man next. Just as she was getting into the scene, someone grabbed her arm.

“What are you doing out here? Come on here before your father finds out you are out here!”

Kendra jerked away from Ms. Kane, glaring at her with a sinister look, and took off running back to the house.

Ms. Kane followed her in and finished cleaning while Kendra stood at the back door waiting for her father to come back inside. Suddenly, she heard a loud bang. She jumped, but she refused to move from her spot. When her father finally walked in, Kendra approached him, looking more behind him than at him. “Daddy, I heard someone crying. Can I see what’s going on?”

“Kendra, go back to your room now and forget what you think you heard!”

“But, Daddy!” she protested.

“Now!” he growled.

Kendra looked at him with defiance, but eventually, she turned and stomped up the stairs.

Ms. Kane stood at the top of the stairs with a smirk on her face, which infuriated Kendra even more.

Kendra sat on her bed, but again curiosity got the best of her. She walked to her father’s room and stood in the doorway. “Daddy, how come Sean and Brent get to see and I don’t? It’s not fair!”

“Girl, if you don’t get out of here . . . I said what I said, and I mean it. Forget what you saw and heard.”

“You’re mean!” Kendra cried, folding her arms across her chest.

“Young lady, if you don’t . . .” he thundered, grabbing for his belt.

Kendra took off running to her room, slamming the door behind her.

She refused to come out when told to come down to eat breakfast. Later that day, her brothers and father disappeared, once again leaving Kendra alone with Ms. Kane.

When she walked out of her room, she went over and stood at the window, looking for her father’s truck. When she realized it was gone, she walked through to the kitchen to fix a sandwich.

In passing, she saw Ms. Kane standing at the top of the stairs on a two-step ladder, cleaning the chandeliers. Kendra hummed as she skipped to the kitchen. She fixed a bologna sandwich and raced back up the stairs, bumping into the stepladder, which tilted, causing Ms. Kane to fall over the banister. Kendra stared at her body sprawled on the floor and smiled as she bit into her sandwich.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, still smiling.

As she sat down at the top of the stairs, she finished her sandwich and waited for her father to walk back in.

After what seemed like hours, she heard her father’s truck pulling back up, crackling the gravel on the dirt road that led to their home.

When he walked in, followed by Brent and Sean, he gasped at the scene. When he looked up at the steps, he whispered through clenched teeth, “What did you do?”

“Nothing! She fell! Daddy, I’m thirsty,” Kendra replied as she skipped down the stairs.

Sean laughed, only to get a harsh look from their father.

“Call 911!” he ordered. “Brent, take Kendra to my room and keep her there until I ask you to bring her down. Dammit, I don’t need the police here checking for shit. Sean, don’t call nobody. We will handle this shit how we handle everything else.”

Kendra sat down at the bottom of the steps looking innocent, but her father knew better.

Hours later, after disposing of Ms. Kane’s body, Kendra’s father and her two brothers huddled in the office. Kendra stood at the door and listened to her father and brothers discussing what to do with her. Brent was the only one who was opposed to her going to boarding school, but in the end, she was shipped off.

Kendra snapped back to the present and shook off the thoughts from her past. She began to prepare herself for what was to come. She wasn’t sure if Wake County was ready for the storm that was brewing. Blood was going to be shed!

“Damn, my brother is gone!” She began to sob.

A few hours later, the airplane landed on the strip of the Piedmont Triad International Airport. Kendra shook her head again, as she was very distraught and miserable. The only good thing about being back in North Carolina at that point was seeing Taye. Taye was her best friend, and she hadn’t seen her in years.

After she got off the plane and gathered her bags from baggage claim, she walked outside.

“Hell fucking yeah!” she heard her friend scream. “Here, let me help you with your bags.”

“Hey, Taye! You look just as weird as you did the day I left!” Kendra laughed.

Taye’s hair was in a curly Afro, and she was dressed in a long red skirt with purple leggings, a red and purple shirt, and a pair of black boots. Her colors were always grunge in Kendra’s opinion.

“Hey, you know me. I follow and create my own style,” Taye admitted.

“Yes, we have to catch up before I go back home,” Kendra suggested.

“I’m so sorry about Dre, Kendra. I heard about it once we got off the phone last night,” Taye told her.

“It’s a lot to process, and I thank you. Let’s get to the house,” Kendra murmured, not wanting to talk about her brother’s death. She hadn’t absorbed the fact that he was gone. They left the airport without delay.

En route, Kendra’s phone beeped, and she had three more messages from Bridget. She called her back after listening to the inaudible messages.

“What’s up, Bridget?”

Bridget was sobbing. “Something happened to Tyrone last night.”

“How do you know?” Kendra asked, frowning.

“We were on the phone. Please tell me that you’ve heard from him.”

Kendra began to cry, which gave Bridget her answer.

“Nooooooo!”

The scream that erupted from Bridget’s mouth sent shivers down Kendra’s back. She hadn’t even considered Bridget’s feelings. She and Tyrone had become close.

“Bridget, pack a few clothes and catch a flight. I will send you everything you need to get here, and I will have someone pick you up when you land.”

“Okay,” she replied, then hung up.

Kendra could hear the pain in her voice as she disconnected the call.

Brent

Sunday Morning, 10:00

Brent pulled up to the intersection of Kerr Chapel Road and Old Stoney Creek Mountain Road and sat at the crossroads contemplating what he was going to do about his family dilemma. He hadn’t been home in years and was wondering why his brother had been killed. He was sure it had something to do with Sean’s bullshit. He pulled off from the intersection, and five minutes later, he was pulling into the gated home that his family owned. The grounds were still well kept. As he traveled down the gravel driveway, he took in the view.

“Looks like they got more cows,” he whispered to himself.

“What did you say, babe?” his companion asked.

“Oh, nothing. We’re here,” he announced.

She sat up and took in the scenery. “You grew up here?”

“Yes, me and my two brothers and sister,” he replied.

“Why don’t you ever talk about your family?”

“There ain’t much to talk about,” he answered, shrugging his shoulders.

“Are those the only siblings you have?” she said, continuing to pry.

“I have another brother and one other sister. They stayed with our father when he and my mother called it quits. Listen, I don’t want to relive my family drama right now.”

Lisa turned her head and decided not to press the issue. She felt like she was traveling down a road in a movie scene. Everything was beautifully laid out. She saw chickens, horses, cows, goats, and even a llama. As they approached the house, Lisa’s eyes grew wide with excitement. The house was three stories high, and it was wide.

“How many square feet would you say this house is?” Lisa asked.

“About seventy-five hundred. Trust me, it wasn’t all that to grow up in,” Brent replied as he pulled up to the house and parked.

He got out and walked around to open Lisa’s door. He grabbed her hand and helped her out. He walked into the house and called out for Rosa, the maid. When she appeared, he instructed her to get a few hands and get their bags out of the car. He then asked where his stepfather was.

“He is in the study, where he has spent most of his time since Tyrone’s murder,” she answered.

“And where is Sean?” he asked.

“He took one of the horses out early this morning,” she replied.

“Okay, I’m going to see if he is at the stables. I will be back in a few minutes,” he told her and walked out of the house after ensuring that Lisa was settling in okay.

Sean

Sean galloped up the gravel driveway and laughed as he saw Brent walking out on the porch with Lisa. He already knew that their father was going to flip out. Why would he bring that bitch to their house when they were going through what they were going through? He nudged the horse’s side as he rode past the house to the stables.

Once he slowed his horse to a halt, he jumped off, brushed his jeans off, then led the horse into the stall and gave him some water. He wasn’t in a rush to see Brent, but evidently, Brent was ready to see him. Sean surmised this as his brother walked briskly to the stables. As soon as Brent walked in, Sean greeted him with a half hug.

“When did you get here?” Sean asked.

“I got in earlier this morning. Listen, I’m just gon’ come out and ask. Was our brother killed behind some bullshit you got going on?”

“I don’t even know! We don’t know who killed him or why, but I will find out once the funeral is over,” Sean explained as he took his gloves off and walked toward the house.

Both men stopped short and stood silent for a moment as they took in the reality that a funeral was being planned for their little brother.

“I see you brought your chick with you. You can’t just leave right after the funeral. You do know that, right?” Sean asked.

“I know, Sean. She is here for moral support. I will be taking her back to Charlotte and coming right back the following morning,” Brent assured him.

“I was just checking, bruh,” Sean mumbled. He knew that Brent wouldn’t be the only person suggesting that it was his business dealings that got Tyrone killed, and until they found out who killed their brother, the streets wouldn’t be safe. They would fill them up with the blood of all involved in the murder.

“Is anyone else here yet?” Brent asked as they continued to the house.

“No, you’re the only one so far. I’m guessing everyone else will be here shortly,” Sean replied.

As they reached their parents’ house, Sean could see their stepfather and mother, Omar and Le’Tera, sitting on the porch. Le’Tera was crying uncontrollably, which was too much for Omar to handle at that point.

“They took my baby from me! Why? He never bothered anyone!” Le’Tera was screaming.

“She started hyperventilating, so I brought her out here for some fresh air,” he explained once they were within earshot.

The pair raced forward to help comfort and calm their grieving mother.

Kendra

Kendra and Taye didn’t talk much on their way to Kendra’s family home. Kendra appreciated Taye for not pushing her to talk about Tyrone and giving her space to think.

Tyrone had just left her home after spending the summer with her and couldn’t have been home but a few hours before he was killed. He was supposed to have stayed another week, but he received an urgent phone call to return home. He didn’t say what the issue was, but she knew it had to have been important for him to have left like he did.

“Taye, I appreciate you driving me home. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here,” Kendra whispered, attempting a little small talk.

“Sis, you know I got you and anything you need from me during this time. I’m here for you. Dre was like a brother to me,” she commented.

“Yes, I know, and I will keep you updated with the arrangements for his funeral,” she said as her voice trailed off. “I just can’t!”

Taye reached over, grabbed Kendra’s hand, and gave it a light squeeze, then grabbed the steering wheel again with both hands, wondering if Kendra would be okay after everything was said and done. She admired Kendra so much for leaving home and finding her own path in the world. Kendra didn’t get involved in the family business unless it was necessary. She made her money the legal way and always encouraged her to get out from under her family’s thumb as well. Taye wasn’t going to announce it to Kendra just yet, but she was about to take her advice.

Brent, Sean, and their parents were sitting on the porch when Taye’s car pulled up.

“Looks like Kendra is here,” Sean sighed.

“Finally! Maybe she can talk to Mom and calm her down,” Brent whispered to his brother.

Sean gave him a hopeful yet bleak glare and walked down the steps to greet Kendra. Kendra got out of the car as soon as they were parked, and she grabbed her bags.

“Hey, everyone,” she said as she walked over and gave Sean a half hug along with Brent.

Lisa walked out the door and smiled. “This must be one of your sisters.”

“Yes, it is,” Brent informed her.

Kendra walked up the steps, ignoring Lisa, and headed straight to her mother. She wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck, and the two wept together.

Brent cleared his throat. “Hmmm, we will get your bags out and put them in your room.”

Kendra nodded and followed her brother into the house. She walked through the front door and stopped in her tracks. Everything looked exactly the same as when she was last there. She sighed, took a deep breath, then exhaled before she headed down the short hallway leading to a stairwell. As she ascended the steps, she could feel Tyrone’s presence approving of her return home. As she reached the top of the stairs, she felt a lump rising in her throat as she glanced over at Tyrone’s bedroom door. It was open slightly, and without having to guess why the door was cracked or who was inside, Kendra forced her legs to move. When she pushed the door open, her mother was seated on her brother’s bed, her body looking frail and slumped. She was looking down at Tyrone’s graduation picture, ignoring Kendra for a few seconds.

Kendra talked to her mother almost daily via Duo, but it had been close to eight years since she’d been physically with her. She stared at her without saying a word, and as she watched on, she saw her mother’s shoulders begin to tremble. Her mother then held her head up and let out one of the most horrific screams she had ever heard. The scream was filled with anger and pain. Kendra felt every sting of her scream.

She walked forward and bent down in front of her mother, sat back on her knees, and laid her head in her mother’s lap as she hugged her around her waist.

Le’Tera grabbed Kendra’s hair and began to massage her head as they both wept. After ten minutes, Kendra finally lifted her head. “What are we gon’ do without him, Mommy?”

Le’Tera shrugged. “Baby girl, I honestly don’t know.”

Kendra stood and wiped her eyes with her hands as she stood and sat down on the bed next to her mother. “Whatever we do, we will get through this together.”

Le’Tera looked at Kendra and nodded. “Yes, we will.”

“Mom, we have to get things situated. We got to hold it down for li’l bro. He had his own flair, and I think we need to send him off how he would’ve wanted.”

“I just can’t think about that right now. Listen, you and your brothers get it started. Please! I can’t do it.”

Le’Tera started crying again, so Kendra wrapped her arms around her mother’s shoulders and held her close and tight.

Finally, after thirty minutes of grieving, Le’Tera was ready to greet the family who had started arriving at their home.

She and Kendra headed down the steps. Brent and Sean walked forward, stood, and waited for the ladies at the bottom of the stairs. Once Le’Tera hit the floor, Brent hugged her tightly, followed by Sean. Le’Tera felt comforted knowing that almost all of her children were home.

“Has anyone heard from Nigil?” Le’Tera asked.

“We called them, but we haven’t heard back from them yet,” Sean replied as they walked into the front parlor.

The news of Tyrone’s death spread quickly through Wake and Alamance Counties. By midday, a lot of the family’s relatives and friends had arrived to show their respects. They brought in food, drinks, and their Bibles, laying prayer upon them.

Le’Tera sat in the corner of the front room, staring out into space. Her eyes were red, and her hair was tousled. Kendra stared at her nervously. She knew that losing Tyrone was hard on all of them, but she was concerned that her mother would never recover.

“Mom, do you want me to fix you something to eat?”

Her mother sat still for a minute, then shook her head no.

“Mom, you have to eat,” Kendra sighed.

“I’m not hungry. Y’all go ahead and eat. I’m okay,” she whispered.

Kendra walked down the hall toward the kitchen. She was going to fix her mother a small plate of food and would cram it down her throat if necessary. As she hit the threshold, she bumped into a solid body. She looked up angrily. “Watch where the fuck you’re going!”

“Whoa, li’l lady, you bumped into me,” the man retorted.

“What the hell are you doing back here anyway? We are receiving guests in the front parlor,” she questioned as she finally focused in on the older gentleman in front of her. He was tall, heavyset, and sexy as hell. The gray in his beard and hair accented his olive complexion. His shoulder-length, wavy hair was up in a ponytail, and he reeked of sawdust and sweat. His jeans were dirty and clung snugly against his muscled thighs. When she finally stared into his light brown eyes, she gasped silently. They held a hint of gold around the iris, and they were slanted. When he spoke, his deep voice sent chills all over her body. As a reflex to the effects of being close to him, Kendra rubbed vigorously at her arms.

Suddenly remembering why she was there, she sneered, “Move!” She pushed past him and continued on her way.

He looked at her and smirked at her bossy demeanor. “Ma’am, I’m sorry for your loss. Please accept my condolences,” he told her.

Kendra didn’t say a word as she continued to fix her mother some food.

Monday Morning

As the family sat down at the table to eat breakfast, the doorbell sounded off loudly. A few moments later, the maid was leading three men dres. . .