Gangsta Twist 1

Book 1: Gangsta Twist

by Clifford "Spud" Johnson

Genres: African American Urban

Synopsis

Gangsta Twist 1 is a modern-day Robin Hood meets Mission: Impossible with a witty urban twist.

Taz is the ruthless leader of an elite group of bandits who rule the streets of Oklahoma City. No one has met the mysterious boss who gives them their orders via laptop, but the arrangement works for everyone involved. Their criminal enterprise keeps them rolling in dough, allowing them to purchase property and businesses all over town.

When Taz falls in love with Sacha, an ambitious young lawyer, he makes an unexpected enemy. Cliff, another lawyer at the firm, wants Sacha for himself, and he'll stop at nothing to win her back from the thug she's with. He sets his sights on one of Taz's family members in order to get close to Taz's inner circle. Now Cliff and Taz are locked in a monstrous battle that can only end in tragedy. Which one will come out on top?

Release date: December 31, 2012

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 464

Sample

Once the flight reached it’s cruising altitude, Taz watched as Keno reached under his seat, grabbed his carry-on bag, and pulled out his portable DVD player. Keno smiled at Taz as he inserted his Scarface DVD into his Toshiba SD-P2800. He loved that movie. Every time they went on a mission out of town, he repeatedly watched that DVD. Taz shook his head from side to side as he watched his partner plug his headphones into the DVD player.

Keno noticed him staring and asked, “Are you trying to watch ’Face with me, dog?”

Taz shook his head no and said, “I’m chillin’, fool. I’m thinking about what I’m going to get into when we get back home. I’m so fuckin’ tired of the same ol’ shit we be doing. Either it’s the club or riding around town, flossin’ and shit. I think I’m going out to Norman and spend some time with Tazneema. It’s been way too long since I chilled with her.”

“Yeah, that’s straight, but tonight we’re still going to the club and get our floss on. We gots to let the haters hate,” Keno said with a smile on his face.

With a smile of his own, Taz said, “Yeah, I know.” He sat back and reclined in his chair and started thinking about the mission they had just completed out in Seattle. As usual, everything went as planned. Hell, nothing ever went wrong whenever Won put something together. They had just successfully robbed some dope boys for over 1.5 million dollars, not including the jewelry and drugs that they took. Taz and his five comrades didn’t fuck with drugs; all they took for themselves was the money. Won would look out for them with the jewels and keep the drugs for himself. That way, everyone would be happy, especially Taz and the crew. As long as they continued to maintain their strict and orderly ways, he didn’t foresee any future problems with how they were earning their money.

It felt real good to be financially secure, but it felt even better to know that no matter what happened, it was highly unlikely that they would ever go back to broke. That was something that just simply could not happen. They were all millionaires. Millionaires! Robbin’ punk-ass dope boys has made us all fuckin’ millionaires. Now, ain’t that somethin’! he thought as he closed his eyes.

As the plane was making it’s final decent into Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City, one of the flight attendants lightly shook Taz and told him that he had to put his seat in the upright position for the landing. He opened his eyes, did as she had asked, and turned towards Keno.

Keno was smiling as he watched Al Pacino shooting up a bunch of Colombian hit men in his mansion. “Get ’em, ’Face! Don’t go out by yourself, baby!” he said as if this was his first time ever watching the movie.

Taz tapped him on his shoulder, and Keno pulled the headphones out of the DVD. Taz told him, “Dog, turn that shit off. We’re about to land.”

“Hold the fuck up. It’s almost over. You know this is my favorite part of the flick. ’Face is about to get smashed, but he’s going out like a warrior, for real.”

Taz stared at Keno briefly, shook his head again, and closed his eyes.

When their flight pulled up to the gate, Taz told Keno, “Call the others to make sure that they’re on schedule.”

Keno reached into his pocket, pulled out a thin cell phone, and started dialing. After a few seconds he asked someone on the other line, “Are y’all straight? . . . That’s cool. We just got in too. We’ll be at the house in about thirty to forty minutes. Have you gotten at Bo-Pete and Wild Bill yet? . . . Get at them and let them know everything is everything. By the time y’all make it in from Tulsa and they get in from Dallas, it’ll be time to hit the club. So make sure y’all’s gear is up to par. It’s time to party, my nigga! . . . ‘All right, I’ll tell him. Out!” Keno closed his cell phone. “Bob and Red just got to Tulsa, and they’re on their way in now. By the time we get to the house and get dressed and shit, Bo-Pete and Wild Bill should be there too. Dog, I hate all of this separate flying shit. Why we gots to get down like that every time we bounce?”

Taz frowned at Keno but remained silent as they left the plane. As they walked through the terminal, Taz noticed two of the three undercover airport security officers staring at them. He wasn’t worried because all they had on them was a small amount of money. Thanks to Won, we never have to worry about petty shit, he said to himself as he led the way out of the airport.

Once they were outside, they climbed into one of the airport shuttle vans and rode in silence to the long-term parking area. After they were inside of Taz’s all-black 2005 Denali, he answered Keno’s question. “Dog, ever since we’ve been getting down, we’ve always maintained our discipline, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So, why would you ask me some stupid shit? You know Won has it set up for us to move in sets of twos. That’s how we move when we’re at home, and that’s how we move when we’re on a mission. I swear, sometimes you just don’t think before you run that mouth of yours! Bob was right. You be too damn anxious to get into shit. You need to relax a li’l, homey.”

“Ain’t that a bitch! That nigga Bob be just as anxious as I am. Shit, I ain’t even talkin’ about gettin’ into shit. I was just thinking, like, damn! This shit always slows us down a little. Fuck! After we get paid, it’s all about relaxing and having a good time, my nigga. You need to get off your ass and try it sometimes.”

“What you talkin’ ’bout, fool? I go out every time y’all go out.”

“Yeah, I know. You go out with us, but you don’t be trying to have a good time. All you do is post up and let a few bitches holla. But on the real, you don’t be trying to holla back. It’s like you’re just passing the time, my nigga.”

Taz knew Keno was right, but how could he explain that he just wasn’t into that bullshit-ass club scene? How could he tell one of his lifelong friends that all he wanted to do was continue to make sure that their rental houses around the city were straight, and enjoy the fruits of their work by staying in his big-ass house and working out in his home gym? How could he explain how lonely he really was? Those were things that he kept close to his chest, because no one would ever understand the pain that he felt and lived with daily… no one! “Whatever, nigga! You just make sure that you get real fly tonight, ’cause I’m bustin’ out the burgundy chinchilla.”

Smiling, Keno said, “Oh, so we’re sportin’ the minks, huh? That’s cool, ’cause I ordered a tight-ass creme chinchilla a few weeks ago. I’ve been waiting for it to get kind of chilly to sport that bitch. So it’s on and poppin’ tonight, nigga. You better be careful!”

“What are you talkin’ ’bout now, fool?” Taz asked as he pulled into the circular driveway of Keno’s mini-mansion.

“That chinchilla be making them hoes fiend, and you know you ain’t with that much female attention.” Keno started laughing as he got out of the truck. Taz smiled and gave him the finger as he pulled out of the driveway once he saw Keno go inside of his home.

By the time Taz made it to his home, Wild Bill, Bo-Pete, Red and Bob were all standing beside Bob’s all-black Escalade. Bo-Pete’s all-black Navigator was parked behind Bob’s truck. They turned towards Taz as he jumped out of his truck.

“What up, fools? I’m glad to see y’all made it. Come on in so we can hit Won and check on everything,” he said as he led the way into his 15,000-square-foot mini-mansion. Even though he stayed alone, he loved all of the space he had. Staying way out on the outskirts of the City made him feel secure. His whereabouts and safety were two things that were very important to him. But more importantly, he just loved being secluded.

Once they were inside, he led them to one of his two dens so they could all relax. Bob went to the bar and poured himself a shot of Rémy Martin, while Bo-Pete and Wild Bill pulled the cover back to Taz’s pool table and started a game. Red turned on Taz’s 60-inch plasma screen and turned the channel to ESPN. Taz went upstairs to his bedroom and set his bag down. He grabbed the phone and left a text message for Won. After that, he walked back downstairs and rejoined his comrades.

The plushness of his home was so amazing that one would swear that a woman had decorated. The two dens were both identical; soft brown Italian leather sectional sofas, with a pool table in each, the same color as his furniture. Plasma screen televisions and the most sophisticated entertainment system money could buy gave his dens the feel as if one was in a high-tech arcade or something. The other ten rooms were just as tasteful, as were the four bathrooms, for that matter. Taz left no stone unturned when it came to his home. After all, he was a millionaire.

Just as Taz was about to speak, there was a loud knock at the front door. He sighed and said, “Man, go let that fool Keno in, please.”

Red got up and went and let Keno inside. A minute later, he returned followed by Keno. Keno was dressed to impress. He had on a pair of creme-colored Azzure jeans with matching colored Timberland boots. You couldn’t see his shirt because his creme-colored chinchilla mink was zipped all the way up. He smiled as he unzipped his coat and said, “What up, my peoples?”

“Damn, nigga! When you get that?” asked Bo-Pete.

Before Keno could answer him, Taz said, “He ordered it a few weeks ago. Now, sit down so we can take care of this shit. We need to get this out of the way.” Taz sat down, flipped open his laptop, and quickly started tapping on the keys. After a few minutes of this he stopped, smiled, and said, “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout!”

“It’s all there?” asked Red.

“Yep. Here, check your account,” Taz said as he passed the small computer to Red.

Red quickly punched in his password and pulled up his account in the Cayman Islands. After a few minutes he, too, smiled and said, “Oh yeah! I’m loving that shit!”

After passing the laptop around, each member of the six-man crew saw that their accounts in the islands had an additional two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, profit from their short trip to Seattle. Not bad for twenty-four hours of work. Not bad at all.

Wild Bill closed the laptop and said, “Well, that’s that. Let’s go get something to eat before we hit the club. I’m hungry.”

Laughing loudly, Bob said, “Nigga, for a li’l nigga, you always hungry. But I feel you, gee. I’m starving my damn self. That airline food ain’t nothin’ nice.”

Taz’s cell rang. He quickly flipped it open and said, “What up, Won?”

“What’s up with you, Babyboy? I see y’all made it back safely.”

“Yeah, we’re good. How ’bout your end? You straight?”

“Always. Have you checked your accounts yet?”

“Yeah, we just finished. Everything is everything. Good lookin’ on the jewels and shit.”

“No problem. I tried to get y’all as much as I could for them. I’m glad you’re satisfied. Now, check this. I’m on the move, so stay ready because you and the troops will definitely have to stay on standby for this next one. It could happen as soon as next week—possibly sooner.”

“Don’t trip. We got you. All we need is the call. As long as you set it up, we’ll be ready,” Taz replied confidently.

“I know, Babyboy. That’s why you’re my man. Now, tell them knuckleheads with you that I said enjoy, be merry, and most of all, be good! Out!”

Taz closed his phone and gave Won’s message to the crew. They all laughed.

Taz then ran upstairs and changed into his gear for the night. He put on a pair of black Rocawear jeans and a black T-shirt; then he grabbed his black Timbs and his burgundy chinchilla. He stepped towards the bedroom mirror and smiled. The lights shined brightly against his one-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar platinum and diamond fronts. He reached into his drawer and pulled out his Rolex, then his two-hundred-and-fifty gram platinum chain and put it around his neck. The diamonds in his Jesus piece sparkled in the lighting as he adjusted it around his neck. “Now that’s what a nigga calls bling-bling!” he said aloud as he grabbed his wallet and went back downstairs. “Time to go clubbin’!”

Sacha Epps stepped out of the office building of Johnson & Whitney, the law firm she was working for, feeling extremely excited. She had just been told by the partners that she was next in line for a partnership. Finally, after six years of hard work, it was about to happen for her. She smiled happily as she strolled towards her brand-new 2006 BMW 325i. She was on her way to the top, and it felt great! Once she was inside of her car, she pulled out her cell phone and called her best friend, Gwen.

Gwen answered her phone after the third ring. “Hello?”

“What it do, bitch!” yelled Sacha.

“What it do, ho? Did you get it?” asked Gwen.

“I think so, girl. I’ll know for sure sometime next week. Mr. Whitney told me that I was definitely next in line, and as long as nothing drastic occurs, I should be a partner soon.”

“I’m so happy for you, girl! Congratulations!”

“Save that shit for later. Nothing is written in stone yet, but I’m still feeling giddy all over. We need to go out tonight. Do you have any plans?”

“Nope. What, you want to hit Bricktown and hang out a little?”

“Uh-uh. I’m trying to kick it with my peoples tonight. Let’s go to that club you told me about a couple of months back.”

“Bitch, I know you ain’t talking about Club Cancun, the same club that has nothing but hoochie hoes and wannabe ballers!” Gwen said sarcastically.

“Alright, so I wasn’t feeling it at first, but I’m in the mood to party with my peoples. I’m tired of hanging with the squares and those uppity-ass white people.”

Laughing, Gwen said, “Now, ain’t that something! Bitch, you’re just as square as those uppity-ass white people! The only reason you still have a little hood left in your ass is because of me. Sometimes I think you’ve forgotten where you came from. But I ain’t tripping. If you want to do the club, I’m with it. But we’re going to have to go get some gear for tonight, ’cause I know you ain’t got nothing in that uppity-ass closet of yours.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Meet me at Penn Square Mall in thirty, ho.”

“Gotcha, bitch,” Gwen said, and hung up the phone.

Gwen and Sacha had been best friends for over twenty years. They both graduated at the top of their classes in high school; then they went to Oklahoma State and graduated at the top of their classes there too. That’s when their paths seemed to split. While Sacha went on to law school, Gwen got pregnant and had her son, Remel. Sacha tried her best to get Gwen to go back to school so she could follow her dreams, but the love bug had bitten her best friend too hard. Nothing anyone could say would deter Gwen from the love of her life. William had walked into Gwen’s life and changed her forever.

Thinking back about the past almost caused tears to fill Sacha’s eyes as she drove towards the mall. Life just wasn’t fair sometimes, she thought as she remembered the day Gwen’s life got turned completely upside down.

It had been raining all day and Gwen didn’t feel like doing anything, so she had asked William to pick up Remel from day care after he got off of work. The rainy day had her in a funky mood, so she chose to sit back and relax a little. She began to doze off, and eventually fell asleep.

The next thing Gwen remembered was being awakened by banging at her front door. She got up groggily and went to see who was beating on her door like they were out of their damn minds. When she saw that it was her girl, Sacha, she smiled and opened the door. As soon as she saw Sacha’s face, she knew that something was wrong. Her makeup was smeared, and she was shaking uncontrollably. “What’s wrong, Sacha?” she asked as she brought her into her home and sat her down in her living room.

Tears rolled silently down Sacha’s cheeks as she gathered the nerve to tell her best friend in the world that her son and husband were dead.

Sacha remembered Gwen’s screams as if it were yesterday. She prayed to the Almighty that she’d never hear another person scream like that ever again. After calming Gwen down a little, she explained what had happened and how she came to be at the horrible scene.

William was pulling out of the driveway of the daycare center when he was hit head-on by a drunk driver. The drunk driver, William, and baby Remel all died instantly. Sacha was on her way home and just so happened to see everything. When she realized that William and Remel were inside of the car and Gwen wasn’t, she remembered feeling slightly relieved. The guilt of that thought still haunted her to this very day. She jumped back into her car and drove as fast as she could to her best friend’s home.

As Sacha pulled into the mall’s parking lot, she smiled sadly as she thought about how her girl got herself back together from such a devastating loss. Gwen was never one to mope. As hard as it was for her, she got back on her feet, went back to school and got her bachelor’s degree, as well as her master’s. Her original goal was to be an attorney just like Sacha, but after losing her baby and the love of her life, she chose psychology as her major. She wanted to help people. She opened her own office and started helping others and healing herself all at the same time. She’d never blamed that drunk driver for taking her family away from her; she always blamed herself for being too lazy that day. She felt that if she had gone and picked up Remel like she always did, her family would be with her to this very day. She didn’t use that as an excuse; she used that to motivate herself.

She was the most driven woman that Sacha had ever known, and it was her strength that helped Sacha continue on at Johnson & Whitney, Attorneys at Law. Many times she had considered quitting and joining another law firm because she felt as if her talents were being overlooked. But Gwen rode her hard and told her to never quit. “Stay down, girl. Everything will be all right, and don’t you give up on me, bitch!” Gwen yelled at her every time she felt weak. And now, finally after six years, the hard work was finally paying off, and Sacha owed it all to her girl, the strongest woman alive. So, it was only fitting that they spend the evening together, having a good time.

As she got out of her car, she smiled as Gwen’s thick ass strolled to meet her at the front of the Dillard’s department store in the mall. She’s living her life to the fullest after all of the pain she’s been through, damnit! I’m about to start doing the same damn thing, she said to herself as she stepped towards her best friend.

“What’s up, bitch? Come on, I got an idea of what we’re going to wear tonight,” Gwen said as she pulled Sacha into the mall.

“I don’t need your ass picking out my clothes, ho. I know what I like, and it damn sure ain’t that hoochie shit you be liking to wear.”

“Humph! That’s why your ass don’t have a man now. Look at you, with that power suit and power look. Bitch, you ain’t at court! Yo’ wanna be Johnny Cochran ass gots to loosen up. Tonight, we’re gonna let this city see exactly what you’re working with. And I ain’t talking about no slutty shit . . . well, a little slutty . . . but with class, baby. Now, come on.” Gwen took Sacha into the Buckle, a small store in the mall, and led her straight to a bunch of skimpy dresses.

Sacha stared at some of the dresses and started shaking her head. “Uh-uh! I know you don’t think you’re about to get me into any of that! Ho, you gots to be out of your fucking mind! It’s too damn cold to be wearing that type of shit, Gwen!”

“Would you shut the fuck up? It ain’t that damn cold, bitch. Look at this. Now tell me this ain’t a fly-ass mini hookup,” she said as she held up a one-piece Apple Bottoms skirt. It was all black, with the words “Apple Bottoms” going across the middle in gold lettering. “Bitch, if Melyssa can sport this bitch, so can you. If you want to turn some heads tonight, then this is the bad boy to do it in.”

“Who said anything about turning some damn heads? All I want to do is go out and have some fun, and I don’t need no damn man to do that.”

“You see, that’s what I’m talking about. Your ass is in denial. Has that square-ass nigga at your firm gotten up the nerve to get at you yet?”

“Who are you talking about? Clifford?”

“Who else could I be talking about, bitch? Stop playing with me!”

“Well, I still catch him peeking at me during meetings and stuff, but actually, I think he’s lost interest.”

“Good. That nerdy nigga ain’t worthy anyway. But back to this. Get this skirt so we can go to Nine West and see if they have some tight pumps to match.”

“You’re really serious, huh?”

“You damn skippy! Now go try it on so we can see how it looks.”

Sacha did as she was told. After putting on the skimpy dress, she couldn’t deny it, she looked damn good. She came out of the dressing room and spun around slowly and asked Gwen, “How does it look?”

“Bitch, you already looked in the mirror! You know how good it looks, so I don’t have to tell your ass!”

Sacha stood in front of the mirror outside of the dressing room, smiled, and said, “My legs are too thick for this.”

“Shut the fuck up, bitch! Your legs are just right for that skirt. Go put your clothes back on so we can get you some pumps.”

They both started laughing as Sacha went and changed back into her clothes. She couldn’t argue and win with her girl, so she said to hell with it and bought the dress. They went to a few shoe stores and finally decided on a pair of black Prada pumps that matched the dress to a tee. Gwen bought herself a Coogi denim skirt with a matching top, and some colorful pumps by Jimmy Choo.

After getting all of their stuff together, they decided to go to Red Lobster for dinner. As they were being led to their table, Sacha noticed several different guys peeping at them. She knew she was looking tired, and she self-consciously tried to straighten herself out. She stood a little under five-five and weighed between 125 and 130 pounds. She was thick in all the right places. She had small hips, nice C-cup sized breasts, and an ass to make a grown man cry. But what made her stand out was the exotic look she possessed. She looked as if she had just flown in from the islands somewhere. Her skin tone was bronze-like. She looked as if she stayed in Florida or California somewhere. Her shoulder-length hair completed the island look she possessed. Even dressed in a navy blue pant suit, she still turned heads.

After they were seated, Gwen said, “Look at you, still turning heads wherever we go. I swear, sometimes I hate you, bitch!”

“You the one that got all the men in your life. Shit, how do you know the heads that are turning ain’t looking at your hoochie mama hot ass?” They laughed as they gave their orders to the waiter.

After the waiter had left to go get them their salads, Gwen said, “We’re going to do the damn thing tonight, bitch. And I swear, you’re going to have the club shut the fuck down in that skirt.”

“Whatever!”

“I’m serious, bitch. You gon’ have every nigga on your ass.”

“Whatever!”

Gwen sipped her water and shook her head as she stared at her best friend. Gwen knew she was no slouch when it came to men. Shit, she knew she could have any nigga she wanted for real. She just chose to fuck and go as she pleased. There was only one man who owned her heart, and he was in Heaven, so ain’t no need trying to fake it. It is what it is, she thought as she continued to smile at her friend.

Gwen was the same height as Sacha, but thinner. She had that ghetto booty to make men’s mouths water, but she was short in the breast department. Her little A-cups constantly frustrated her. She was dying to get a boob job, but was just too scared to go through with it. She knew that if she told Sacha about it, she would laugh her out of the house. But she was definitely eye candy. Her hazel eyes matched her light brown skin to perfection. God wasn’t playing when he blessed her with her looks. But with William gone to Heaven, to her it was all moot.

After they finished their meal, Sacha smiled and said, “All right, girl, I’m about to head on home and take a hot bath so I can get ready for this wild night. I hope I don’t look like no damn fool in this hoochie outfit you got me wearing.”

“Trust me, bitch. The club and any nigga you want will be yours tonight.”

They kissed each other on the cheek and parted ways.

Sacha made it home a little after eight p.m. She took her new clothes to her room and went and ran her bathwater. While the water was running, she checked a few e-mails from some of her clients. Since it was the weekend and she didn’t have any court dates next week, she decided to put everything else on hold. She was focused on having a good time tonight. She stripped out of her pant suit, walked into her bathroom, and got into the steaming tub full of hot water. As she relaxed in the water, she smiled and said, “Time to go clubbin’!”

The parking lot of Club Cancun was packed as Taz and the crew pulled into the parking lot. Keno was driving Taz’s Denali, and he had the doors to the truck open as they pulled into the parking lot, followed by Bo-Pete, who was driving his truck, and Bob, who was bringing up the rear. Since Taz’s De. . .