Gangsta Twist 3

Book 3: Gangsta Twist

by Clifford "Spud" Johnson

Genres: African American Urban

Synopsis

What happens to an organized criminal enterprise when the weakest link finally breaks? Changes must be made for future growth, but nobody can see the forest for the trees.

The Network, known for their calculated power moves, attempts to align themselves with new international business colleagues. With a leader like Taz, the possibilities seem endless, but not everyone adjusts well to change. Over the years, respect has been lost and decisions challenged. As secrets are unveiled, blood will be shed and lives will be lost. Will betrayal stand in the way of prosperity?

Release date: May 26, 2015

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 288

Sample

Akim Novikov and his longtime comrade Alexander Sokolov both stood and watched as Akim’s private jet slowly taxied toward the runway to make its departure from Moscow’s Domodedovo International Airport to the United States—Los Angeles, California, to be exact. The twenty-one-hour flight would make one stop before arriving at LAX and their new business associates would be back safely to their home. Akim smiled, turned toward his comrade and spoke in Russian: “Well, my friend, it looks as if we now begin this new business arrangement with Taz and the Network. I’m confident this should prove to be very profitable for us and all parties involved.”

“You should be confident; you’ve put a tremendous amount of time and effort into this decision to deal with Taz. It’s been over six years now and we’ve missed out on a lot of money in America because of you and your patience with this man. My question for you is, why did it take you this long to make contact with Taz? You have told me numerous times how you trusted Won totally. If that was the case I figured you would have made contact with Taz and put everything in motion years ago.”

As they turned and began to walk toward the airport exit Akim’s smile seemed to brighten when he spoke. “That was my dear deceased friend Won’s request. He wanted me to sit back and be patient and watch Taz from a distance to make sure he was in fact ready to do the type of business that Won and I had planned on doing. Won was never one to jump into anything without being absolutely positive things would come out in his favor. Even in death he prepared for everything to work in Taz’s favor. He wanted to make sure Taz was in fact ready to take on such a tremendous responsibility being the leader of the Network. After six years of watching Taz lead the Network to soaring profits I felt it was time for us to help him soar even higher. Just as Won predicted Taz is a leader in every sense of the word. The power given to him by Won made him a man with enormous resources. Those resources accompanied with the intelligence and ruthlessness Taz has displayed over these last six years has shown me that he is more than ready to embark in our very profitable business ventures. Taz is not a man to be taken lightly. I respect that and I am anxious to see how this evolves.”

Once they were inside of their chauffeured limousine Alexander asked, “What about the rest of the council? You know they aren’t going to accept what Taz will tell them about the drugs.”

“This is true, comrade. Taz loathes drugs; the council knows this. The Network’s primary profits come largely from the distribution of drugs. The fact that drugs have made the Network very rich is secondary to Taz. He possesses the power to take the Network well beyond their current position. Taz will make sure that this transition within the business dealings of the Network will go smoothly.”

“And if there’s any problems?”

Akim smiled. “Then we will assist our American comrade.”

“This should prove to be very interesting.”

“That indeed, comrade, that indeed,” Akim said as he relaxed in his seat and lit a cigarette.

Taz, Wild Bill, Red, and Bob made themselves comfortable as the G5 smoothly lifted off the ground and was airborne headed home. It had been a long, tiring week spent in Moscow. Taz smiled as he thought about the fun they had while in Russia. Partying with Akim and Alexander had been something he hadn’t expected. Those Russian mafia guys sure know how to kick it. Shit, he still had a slight hangover from all of that vodka he drank while partying with them.

What surprised him most was how they handled their business. No word games or beating around the bush with Akim; he got straight to the point and laid down the rules and what he expected from Taz and the Network. Taz respected that. Now it was time to bring this to the attention of the council to see if they would agree with the decision he made while in Russia. He really didn’t care but he had to do it the politically correct way. So far, he chose to never throw his weight around the council and for that they seemed to have more respect for him. Again, this was something he really didn’t care about; as long as his crew was with it and by his side he would do whatever he wanted to. Won left him in power and he was determined to make the best of this, not only for Won but for everyone that was important to him: his crew, Red, Wild Bill, Bob, and Tari; his family, his wife Sacha, his mother Mama-Mama, and his children, Tazneema and his twin sons, Keenan and Ronald. Every move he made was for the well-being of his loved ones and Won’s memory. He was winning so far and it felt real good. Real good!

In six years Taz used the influence Won left him to hook the Network up and take their criminal enterprise to an international level. Won had a game plan and he secured contacts for Taz with some very serious criminal organizations. Sicilian mobsters, South American drug cartels, Cuban drug lords, Asian gangsters, and finally the Russian mafia. Originally Taz wanted to remove the drugs from the Network, but he saw that would be basically impossible because the distribution of narcotics was where the majority of the Network’s money came from. So he bided his time and waited patiently. He even made some stronger moves to help the drug trade elevate for the Network through Won’s connection with the Orumutto family in California. The money earned from their X pills was enormous.

So far every move Taz made had been the right move and that gave him the confidence to make this next move with the Russians: weapons arms dealing. The money they would make in arms dealing with the Russians would surpass all of the drugs they dealt ten times over. He knew he could be greedy and make these moves with the Russians and keep the drug trade the Network ran intact and everything would be good.

But that’s not what he wanted; he still loathed drugs and wanted no part of it any longer. At the next quarterly council meeting he was going to present his plan of removing the Network from the drug game altogether. Not only did he dislike drugs or selling them, he felt that it was too risky of a business to continue with. It was only a matter of time before things got wicked. Yes, they were not the average street-level drug dealers; that didn’t matter to him. He wanted peace of mind and as long as the Network was involved with drugs he would never have that. Sooner or later the DEA or the FBI would catch wind of certain people and when that happened the snitching would begin. That meant murder would come in play because he knew without a doubt he would order the death of anyone he even thought was running their mouth. Though every move that had been made thus far under his leadership had been calculated to a tee it didn’t mean every move had been made right. To him they had been extremely lucky and luck runs out sooner or later. It was time for the Network to switch shit up. Time for the drugs to stop. If the council didn’t agree with what Taz was going to propose then there were going to be some serious issues, issues that would most likely make Taz use his position of power, and that meant a division within.

Oh well, Taz thought as the jet reached its cruising altitude. He reclined in his seat and wondered what his wife and sons were doing at home. He yawned and closed his eyes and began to doze as the rest of the crew was doing.

By the time Taz woke up Wild Bill was arguing with Red about who had the most money between Diddy and Jay-Z. For the life of him Taz couldn’t understand how two men in their early forties could have such a childish argument. But these were his lifelong friends and nothing they did could ever destroy their friendship. He sighed and said, “Will you two fools shut the fuck up, acting stupid and shit.”

Red, the biggest man of the crew at a little over six foot two, smiled at Taz and said, “You know this little man gets to tripping when he’s wrong, G. Everyone knows that Diddy has way more money than Jay.”

“Little man? Nigga, I can still out bench your big yellow ass any day, anytime, so kill that little man shit, fool!” They all started laughing because Wild Bill was extra sensitive when it came to his height. Any reference toward how small he was set him off instantly. Red knew this and used this tactic frequently to piss his friend off. Wild Bill, the smallest member of the crew at five foot seven, was extremely strong; his muscular physique was something he was very proud of, that and his long, permed hair that he refused to cut even after Taz and Red decided to cut their long braids for a more conservative businessman type look. Wild Bill laughed at them both and told them that he was like Samson: his strength came from his hair. Another one of his funny moments.

The next member of the crew was Bob. Bob was another comedian of sorts. Over the last few years since becoming a father he had calmed down considerably with some of his wild antics. His wife, Gwen, had a lot to do with this transformation. They were a perfect match for each other. She was the only person other than any crew member who could keep Bob in check when he got to tripping.

Bob was five foot eleven, with dark skin and a four-inch knot right in the middle of his forehead that made him the brunt of a lot of jokes over the years. Only from the crew, though; several men and women had been punished for trying to clown Bob about his knot, and he did not play that at all. Though his wild days seemed to have been behind him, Bob still was just as dangerous as the rest of the crew.

Taz, also at five foot eleven, was the head of the crew in a way but chose to lead by example. He tried to make all of the right decisions when it came to his friends. They were crew, but they were friends forever in his eyes and he loved them all like brothers. They had been reduced to a four-man crew when originally they were a six-man crew before losing two of their close friends in a beef with some Hoover Crips in their hometown of Oklahoma City. That beef nearly destroyed Taz and his relationship with his daughter Tazneema.

Taz and the crew went all out to get revenge for the murders of their friends, Bo-Pete and Keno. In memory of their friends each crew member put tatooed portraits of Bo-Pete and Keno on each side of their chest. So no matter what, as long as they were still breathing their friends would always be with them. Taz took it a step further when he found out that his wife, Sacha, was having twins; he chose to name both of his sons after his fallen friends. Ronald Michael Good was Li’l Bo-Pete and Keenan Mitchell Good was Li’l Keno. Sacha chose the middle names. The crew was composed of four men, but the total number of crew members was five because of Tari, Taz’s ex-lover. Tari was a drop-dead gorgeous white woman who had held Taz down for many years after they were first introduced by Won, Taz’s mentor/father figure. Their lives took a major turn because of Won and because of those turns they were now on a private jet returning to America from Russia.

“All right clowns, chill, we need to talk some business for a minute here. I thought we would wait until we got back home but since you fools have so much energy we might as well handle this now,” Taz said seriously. Each member of the crew sat up in their seats and gave Taz their undivided attention. “So, you all heard what has been proposed by Akim and Alex. You know I am on board with it because I want to move the Network in a different direction away from the drug game. We don’t get our hands dirty directly but if anything ever went left we could all be caught up in some heavy federal conspiracy shit, and I am just not trying to go out like that over some damn dope money. You know how I feel on that shit. Your thoughts?”

Bob reclined in his seat and spoke first. “If you’re with it, Taz, then I trust your call. I mean you’ve made every move the right move since you’ve become the man over the Network. You’ve taken us just as far as Won figured you would. You know I feel the same as you do when it comes to the dope game. I say let’s roll with these Russians and get this money with the gun thing.”

Taz laughed and said, “Guns thing, huh? It’s bigger than that, my nigga, but I feel what you’re saying. We’ll be participating in some heavy arms dealing. Not just some guns, this will be some major army type shit. Missiles, rocket launchers, automatic assault rifles as well as pistols, silencers, and such. This move will bring us way more money than the percentages we collect from the council of the Network. It will also solidify the Network as major players internationally.”

“I agree with Bob, dog. I feel we should continue to trust your judgment because every move you have made has been on point,” said Red.

“I agree too, but I do have some concerns,” said Wild Bill.

“Talk to me, G.”

“The drugs have been the main get down for the Network since the beginning. That’s how Won has always ate and made the moves he was able to make. He kept all of the right connections and did his thang major with the dope game. The entire council except for you have a direct hand with the ho game. True, you collect a large percentage from the drugs as the rest but it’s mostly how they eat. By making this move you would be taking from them what they have been dependent on for decades. Two things can come from this: one, they could roll with it and be willing to make this change; or, two, they will not want to make that move in fear of change. Fear of the unknown makes people hesitant, dog. Especially when you’re talking about some heavy figures like what they bring in quarterly. I personally feel that if they choose not to roll with you on this it will cause problems within the Network. That will then cause someone to die because if I even feel like someone in that council is thinking about bringing you any harm I will take their head off myself. Real spill,” said Wild Bill.

Taz gave him a nod and placed his right palm over his chest where the tattoo of Keno’s face was and said, “Love, my nigga. I feel every word you have spoken. Now let me break it down to you as I see it and feel it. The percentage that we collect, not just me, dog, whatever I get I split with you guys evenly. That will never change. Yes, I am the head of the Network, but we are the crew and that comes before anybody and anything.” Each member gave a nod and placed an open right palm over their chest. “Now, I know that change will be something that won’t be easily accepted within the council and that is why I will propose an extra incentive for this move. I will give them one year, one year to get full profits from their drug moves. I will concede my percentage during that year. That means they will make over sixty or seventy million dollars during this last year of drug activity. But when that year is over the Network will sever all ties with all drug business. I think this tactic will make that fear of the unknown a tad bit better to deal with.”

“Maybe. But have you given thought about how it will affect the others involved with the drug business? I mean you got the Orumutto fool with the X pills. You got Jorge Santa Cruz from the South American drug cartel in Buenaventura. It’s bigger than the council only, my nigga. This shit could cause a major war with you pulling the Network out. You would be taking money from more than just the council members,” Wild Bill said logically.

Taz sat and thought about those words for a few minutes then said, “You’ve made a good point with that, Bill. I can make the decision over the council whether they’re with it or not because though it’s a vote I have the authority to overrule all and make it happen. I didn’t give much thought to what you pointed out though. That’s why I love this crew; we will never let each other miss a thing. Five minds are better than one. This is what I intend to do: I’m going to have Sacha set up the next Network quarterly meeting out in Miami. Have her pick a real fly resort so we can kick it and have some fun while handling the business out there. In the meantime I think we will be doing some more international traveling. Colombia to get at Jorge is a must because you know he don’t play no phones or e-mails at all.”

“Miami because of the Cuban?” asked Bob.

“Exactly.”

“Are you trying to bring them in on the business with the Russians?” asked Red.

“No. I will offer them some serious action on the weapons though. You know they will definitely want some action on them with all of the beefs they go through yearly. I think if I do this right I can avoid war with them.”

“I feel you, but I feel that one of them ain’t going to be with it,” said Wild Bill.

Taz shrugged his shoulders and said, “Then that’s the one who will get rolled on.”

Wild Bill smiled and said, “Real spill.”

“Okay, this is how we’ll work this: we’ll keep this close to our vests until we’ve spoken with Jorge Santa Cruz, Danny Orumutto, and Señor Juarez in Miami. Then we’ll proceed from there with the council.”

“I wanna go home. I miss the City, G. Can we add that trip into this mix?” asked Red.

Laughing, Wild Bill said, “Nigga, you need to dead that weak shit and go on and wife Paquita and bring her ass out west with the rest of us. You know you just wanna go back home because of her!”

Red gave Wild Bill the finger because he knew he was right on target with that jab.

“I was thinking the same thing actually. I need to see Mama-Mama and Tazneema. You already know the white girl is gonna want to know the business. So this is what we’ll do: before we bounce to make the meeting needed we’ll go back home and chill for a week, check on the businesses and our rental properties out there, and relax a little bit before we roll out. Agreed?”

“Agreed!” the rest of the crew answered in unison.

“One more thing, Taz?” asked Wild Bill.

“What up?”

“Didn’t you give the Russians a yea on the guns, I mean, arms dealing thing?”

Taz gave Wild Bill a faintly mocking smile that Sacha said he had become known for and answered honestly. “I told them that I would deal with them whether or not the Network’s council was with it. So, yeah, dog, I gave them the green light.”

“I thought so. That’s why you not really tripping on a war with any of these clowns. What we packing with the Network combined with the Russian mob we got enough power to handle shit.”

Taz gave his friend that smile again and said, “Exactly.”

Sacha Good was all smiles as she watched her twin sons as they slept soundly in their beds. She was amazed at how much her sons looked like her twin brothers who had been murdered almost twenty years ago. When she watched her sons she was so full of mixed emotions at times that she didn’t know whether she wanted to smile or cry. She missed her brothers so much it hurt. She loved her sons so much that she knew that there was nothing in the world that she wouldn’t do for them. She did what she had to do to avenge her brother’s death and she felt no remorse for it at all. Killing Keno gave her the most satisfying feeling she had ever felt in her life. She could close her eyes and remember, as if it were yesterday and not six years ago, ringing his doorbell waiting for him to come to the door while she had her hand inside of her purse. She remembered the strange calm that came over her when she saw Keno open the door with a surprised look on his face.

“What’s up, Sacha? Everything straight with Taz?” Keno asked with a puzzled expression on his face.

“Everything is fine, Keno. I came over because I wanted to talk to you about all this violence. You’re the closest to Taz and if anyone can talk him out of something you’re the man who can do it. I understand you guys need to get revenge for Bo-Pete, but this has to stop before I lose the man I love more than anything in this world. I want my baby to have a father around, Keno. I need your help.”

Relieved, Keno sighed and said, “Come on in and let’s talk, Sacha.” He turned and started walking, followed closely by Sacha.

Sacha stopped, turned, closed the door, and said, “I hope I’m not interrupting anything, Keno. I know you and Katrina been doing it real tough lately.”

“Yeah, we good. You ain’t in the way though. I was just about to go out and do some shopping. Ring shopping,” Keno said with a smile.

“Ring shopping? Wow!”

“I know huh? Never thought I’d be the one to wife a female. Come on; let’s go in the den so we can chop it up.”

Sacha smiled as she pulled out a small .380-caliber pistol and shot Keno three times: two in the back of the head and once in the back of his neck. She then stood over his dead body for a moment to make sure he was dead then said, “That was for my brothers, you bastard. I hope you burn in hell.” She calmly put her gun back inside of her purse, pulled out a scarf and wiped the doorknob, then opened the door and left with the door wide open.

That had taken place six years ago and to this very day she was so afraid of what Taz would do to her if he ever found out she was the person who murdered his best friend, not the Hoover Crips in Oklahoma City who he had been beefing with at that time. She was more than afraid; she was terrified. So terrified that she made sure that no matter what Taz was never able to spend time alone with her parents. When they were married she made sure she kept them apart or Taz was never alone with either of them. Taz knew nothing about her brothers let alone that they had been murdered. She didn’t want him to find this out and start to put two and two together. He was no dummy and it wouldn’t take him long to realize what she’d done.

Living with this constant fear in the back of her mind was maddening at times, but there was nothing she could do about it but continue to live and try to enjoy the life she had with her husband and her children. Taz had given her a good life, no worries at all. She had everything she ever wanted materially and had become an intricate part of Taz’s businesses both legal and illegal. She smiled at that thought; she called herself the unknown member of the Network. That always got a good laugh from Taz. But he agreed because he knew she would always give him solid advice and that made her feel even better knowing that her husband trusted her like that.

They started Good Investments Inc. in Oklahoma City and moved west so Taz could take control as the head of the Network. She gave up her partnership at Whitney & Johnson, a prestigious law firm in Oklahoma City, to follow her husband to the West Coast where they now lived in a beautifu. . .