Murder Mamas

Genres: African American Urban

Synopsis

Robyn and Aries are "The Murder Mamas," contract killers taking no prisoners in Los Angeles. It doesn't take them long to link up with Hollywood's biggest drug kingpin, who hires them to take out a snitch and a judge. But the plans backfire and they only complete half the job. Robyn gets caught and put on Death Row, and Aries goes on the run. She winds up in the Islands, where she takes up a new life as a mother and wife, and tries to forget who she once was. But unfinished business has a way of coming back to haunt you; and when it's the killing kind, there's a huge price to pay. Now Aries has to put it all on the line as she sets out to finish what the Murder Mamas started, leaving her family and her sanity and her soul behind. . ..

Release date: October 24, 2011

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 240

Sample

Five years earlier

Robyn and Aries looked at the stacks of hundred and fifty dollar bills scattered all over the red-top pool table. Case slowly circled the table and finished dumping the cash out of the Gucci duffle bag. Casey James, also known as Case, was well over six foot, dark as tar, and as ruthless as they came. Cocaine was the name of the game, and he was the head of the black market of Los Angeles. He was putting his money where his mouth was and was laying out a million dollars of dirty money for the kidnapping of a federal judge’s daughter. Case’s younger brother was caught with twenty kilos of cocaine a few months back, and his fate rested on the shoulders of the jury and a known racist judge.

“There you go, ladies. One million dollars,” he said as he rested both of his hands on the rim of the pool table and leaned over the pile of money. Aries and Robyn smiled as they looked at the abundance of bills.

“Hold on. Give us a second,” Robyn said as she stepped to the side to have a sidebar with Aries.

“That’s a lot of money right there, Aries,” Robyn said as she glanced back at the table.

“I know. But is it worth it?” Aries asked in her heavy island accent as she thought about what task was at hand. Murder was one thing, but to be asked to kidnap someone was a totally different ball game.

“I say go for it,” Robyn said as she thought about the money that they would be leaving on the table if they turned the offer down.

“Fuck it. Let’s do it,” Aries said, not caring about the degree of difficulty the job required. She was ready to get paid and willing to go to the extreme to achieve her big payday. They both went to the table, and Case saw the greed in their eyes.

“Deal,” Aries said as she grabbed the bag and began to stuff the money back inside of it. “We get to keep the bag, right?” Aries said as she gave him a small smirk.

Case smiled back and nodded his head. If it were not for business, he would have pushed up on Aries. She reminded him of Rihanna, and her accent was sexy to him. He quickly dismissed the notion, but not before looking at her slim frame and round assets.

He was glad that he had gotten plugged in with the infamous Murder Mamas. For a long time, he thought they were a myth, but he quickly was made a believer when they showed up to his spot. After he put the word on the streets that he was looking for them, it did not take them long to find him. He knew that they were the best in the business, and the job he requested needed to be done by the best.

“Okay, look. I’ve already done my homework on this racist prick,” Case said as he walked over to his desk that sat in the back of the room and reached into his desk. He pulled out a legal-sized envelope and walked back to them. “He lives just outside of the city and has a wife and daughter,” he said as he tossed the pictures onto the pool table. There were photos of the fifty-something Caucasian judge kissing his wife and then a picture of him getting into his Benz.

“He leaves for work every morning at seven-fifteen sharp, and the kid gets on the bus at seven o’clock. You guys should catch him coming out and force him back into the house. Don’t play with this mu’fucka! Establish from the beginning that you guys are willing to kill if not listened to. What I need is for you to enter the home, tie up his wife in front of him, and let him know what it is. I want him to know that if my brother doesn’t get a verdict in our favor, it’s curtains. His wife will be knocked off,” Case said, meaning every word of it.

He needed someone who wasn’t afraid to pull the trigger if needed, and that’s exactly why he called on the best in the business. He wasn’t taking any chances and resting the fate of his brother in a racist judge’s hands. His brother’s trial was a no-jury trial because of the notoriety of his crew. The court didn’t want to worry about jury tampering, but Case was a step ahead of them. He was going straight to the source with no reservations.

“Say no more,” Aries said as she tossed the bag over her shoulders.

Case then handed the envelope to Robyn, who had a key to the judge’s house, his address, and the photos of his wife and kid. They were given all the tools to make it happen smoothly; now the only thing left to do was to execute.

Case watched as the ladies exited through the back door and faded into the black. He smiled while moving the toothpick around in his mouth. He felt good about the money he had spent. The only thing he would have to do at that point was to wait.

“What the fuck?” Aries whispered under her breath as she glanced at her watch. She noticed that it was 7:30 and Robyn was running late. She was supposed to meet her at the Starbucks around the corner from the judge’s home. Aries had been calling Robyn, but her phone kept going to voice mail. “Come on, gal,” Aries said, her accent being more evident because she was getting upset.

Just as she picked up her phone to call Robyn, she pulled up right next to her. Robyn parked and jumped into the tinted sedan with Aries. Their plan was to catch the judge just before he went out.

“Where have chu been? I’ve been calling chu all morning,” Aries said as she put her hands up in frustration.

“I got pulled over! What was I supposed to say? ‘Hey, officer, can you hurry up so I can go kidnap a federal judge’s wife?’” Robyn said sarcastically.

“We have to hurry up and hope he’s running late,” Aries said as she pulled off and headed toward the judge’s suburb. Aries pushed the black sedan, and when they finally reached the suburb, they saw the judge’s Benz whizzing past them.

“Fuck! There he goes!’ Robyn said as she hit the dashboard. It was the day scheduled that the verdict would be delivered, so they had to act quickly.

“Okay ... Okay. Let’s go after him,” Aries suggested as she clenched her jaws in frustration.

“No, we can’t! Look where we are. The police will be on our ass before he gets his out the car. We have to follow through as planned. Let’s tie up the bitch, and then you will have to go to the courthouse and get to him somehow to let him know what’s going down. I will put his wife on the phone so he knows that it’s not a game,” Robyn said as she put the plan together on the fly.

“Okay, okay. That sounds good. Let’s go,” Aries said as she continued to the house.

They had a key to the house, so gaining entry wouldn’t be a problem. The two ladies were dressed professionally, so it wouldn’t throw any red flags up with the nosey neighbors, and also they wore wigs to hide their true hair color. They looked more like real estate agents than hired killers.

They both stepped out of the car with clipboards in hand. They approached the door, and Aries slid the key in the door while Robyn looked around to see if the coast was clear.

Aries clicked over the lock and entered the luxurious house. The smell of bacon and eggs filled the air as they entered the home. They both stuffed the clipboards into the oversized bag that Robyn carried and pulled out the nine millimeters.

“Hey, honey! Is that you?” a voice came in from the kitchen. Robyn and Aries proceeded into the kitchen, and a blond Caucasian woman was over the stove scrambling eggs. She never saw it coming.

“Hon ...” she began to say as she turned around. She thought she was about to see her husband walking in because he had forgot something like he always did. However, two guns were pointed directly at her.

“Aghhh!” the lady yelled in sheer terror as she dropped the spatula and froze in fear.

“Shut up, bitch. Listen to what I say and nobody will get hurt,” Robyn ordered as she approached the lady and grabbed her by the back of her neck. She guided her into the living room and made her sit on the couch.

Aries grabbed the bag that Robyn had placed on the floor and began to grab the ties and duct tape from it. As soon as the lady sat down, Aries was already beginning to tie her up, while Robyn pointed the gun to her head. The lady cried hysterically as her limbs shook uncontrollably.

“You got this,” Aries said as she finished tying the lady up securely.

“Yeah, get out of here. I got it under control,” Robyn said as she threw her head in the direction of the door.

Aries placed the duct tape over the lady’s mouth and stood up. Aries headed out of the door and was on her way to the courthouse. She had to somehow get to the judge before the trial started at 10:00 A.M. She was determined to pull off this job, and her heart raced as she jumped into the car and headed toward the courthouse where the judge’s chambers were located.

Aries’ stilettos clicked against the courthouse’s porcelain floors as she hurried down the corridor. Aries stopped by the directory and saw that Judge Cox’s chambers were at the end of the hall. She looked down at her watch and saw that it was a half hour until the last day of trial began.

She proceeded down the hall, trying to figure out how she would pull this off. She had to leave her gun in the car, or else the metal detector would have picked it up. So, she would have to threaten the judge without a weapon and hope like hell he didn’t call for the guards.

Aries approached the door and saw the judge with his back toward her as he put on his gown. He stood behind his desk and never even heard Aries slip in.

“Good morning, Judge Cox,” Aries said as she bared a big smile.

“Sorry, my chambers are closed until after two,” he said, expecting to see legal counsel from one of his upcoming cases. He never even bothered to turn around as he began to look in the mirror and fix his tie.

Aries quickly approached the desk and sat on the edge of it.

“Excuse me! I am not open until after two,” he said as he turned around and saw the young lady becoming comfortable on the edge of his desk. His cheeks turned slightly blush red as he began to get angered at what seemed to be a lady with a big hearing problem.

“Oh, I am so sorry. But ... I have to use your phone to make a quick call,” Aries said, all while still smiling innocently. She picked up the phone and began to dial Robyn.

The judge became irate as he stormed to the phone and attempted to hang up the phone, but Aries’ free hand gripped his, stopping him in his tracks. He was taken by surprise by the beautiful woman’s quickness and strength and froze in amazement. He snatched his hand back and stood speechless.

“I think you want to hear this,” Aries suggested as she pushed the speaker button and hung up the phone. “Put her on,” Aries said calmly as she leaned into the speaker.

The judge was unsure of what was unfolding and had a confused look on his face. A brief moment of silence filled the air as the judge and Aries exchanged stares. What once was a beautiful smile on Aries’ face turned into a menacing smirk.

The silence was broken by the sound of duct tape being ripped from skin and then followed by a scream.

“Honey! Help! They are in our house and ...” a woman’s voice shrieked over the speaker.

Aries could see the blood rush from the judge’s face, making him look like he had seen a ghost. His skin turned pale, and he noticeably began to breathe heavily.

“Take her off!” Aries ordered. She then looked at the judge, who grabbed the left side of his chest. “Now, have a seat. It looks like you need one,” Aries ordered, having total control of the situation. “Now listen and listen closely, because I’m only going to say this once. Today you have to deliver a verdict. What I want—” Aries started to give the judge an ultimatum, but the sound of a gun blast erupted out of the speaker, making her flinch in surprise.

The judge yelled as he reached for the phone. His body jerked and he fell to his knees and immediately began to grab the left side of his chest while sweating profusely. He tried to yell for help, but nothing came out. He couldn’t breathe, and he had shooting pains in his heart. He was experiencing a heart attack. The sound of the gunshot over the phone and the thought of his wife being shot sent him over the edge.

Aries’ hands shook as she was taken by surprise by the gunshot. “Robyn!” she yelled as her eyes shifted back and forth out of nervousness. Aries listened closely and she heard the woman screaming.

“What the fuck happened?” Aries asked frantically as she couldn’t figure out what was going on. In the meantime, the judge was dying on the floor. The plan that seemed to be perfect was crumbling right before their eyes.

Robyn kneeled on the floor with a smoking gun in her hands. The wife was crying hysterically, but Robyn had blocked out her cries. The only thing she could focus on was the eight-year-old girl who lay bleeding in the living room’s entryway. Tears streamed down Robyn’s face as her hands shook and her heart ached. Guilt overcame her as the eyes of the dead girl stared into nothing.

What Robyn and Aries didn’t plan for was for the judge’s daughter staying home sick and being there during the caper. Robyn accidentally shot the young girl when she came into the living room to ask her mom for more juice. Robyn’s instinct was to shoot first and ask questions last. In her world, it was a good instinct to have, but in this case, it was the wrong move.

Robyn’s phone was on the floor, and she could hear Aries screaming, asking what had gone wrong, but Robyn couldn’t take her eyes off of the beautiful little girl who lay before her. She couldn’t believe what she had just done and was speechless. At that very moment, Robyn had sold her soul to the devil, and there would be no coming back ... and she knew it. The gunshot to the head solidified a front seat in hell for her.

She picked up her phone and pushed the end button. She then called 911 in tears.

“Hello, 911. What is your emergency?” the operator asked.

“I want to report ...” Robyn’s voice began to crack as the tears continued to flow. “I want to report a murder.”

Aries hurried out of the courthouse, trying to be as discreet as possible and not draw any unwanted attention to herself. Her heart beat rapidly and her knees trembled as she dialed Robyn’s cell and got no answer.

“Come on, bitch. Pick up de phone,” Aries said as she pushed end and redial. Again, she got no answer as she reached the parking lot. She didn’t know what was going on, and her mind was racing a million miles per second.

As she got into her car, she took a look around, making sure no guards were coming after her. She thought Robyn had shot the wife, but she could not understand why. “Damn, Robyn!” Aries yelled as she hit her steering wheel with both of her hands.

Aries sped off and merged into traffic heading back over to the judge’s house. After that day, her life would never be the same.

Aries pulled onto the block of the quiet suburbs, and it looked more like South Central than the upscale area that it once was. Police cars and ambulances flooded the block. Neighbors stood at the end of their driveways trying to see what the spectacle was about.

Aries’ heart dropped as she saw the police putting yellow tape on the door. She slowed the car to a snail’s pace and closed her eyes. “Oh my God, Robyn. What happened?” she asked as she watched everything unfold.

She looked closer and saw Robyn being escorted by three police officers while handcuffed. It all seemed to happen in slow motion as she walked to the police car. Robyn noticed Aries’ car at the end of the block, but quickly turned her head, not trying to draw attention to her crime partner.

A tear slid down Aries’ face as she turned the car around and began to exit the block. She watched through the rearview as Robyn ducked her head into the back of the police car. Aries knew at that point, the Murder Mamas would be no more. She couldn’t understand what happened inside of the house, and she had to find out on CNN.

Aries watched the television while at their hotel room and knew that she didn’t have long before the police connected the dots and began to come for her. She looked at the two duffle bags on the bed and then the photo of her best friend on the television screen. It broke her heart.

The two duffle bags contained one million of Case’s dollars, and she had no time to do anything else but run. She left the rented car in the parking lot and jumped into her own Cadillac STS with the money in the trunk. She had no idea where she was about to go, but she knew that it was imperative to get out of the city, for it would be on fire in due time. Tears streamed down her face as Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” lightly pumped out of the subwoofers.

Aries would run for five years, until her past came back to bite her.

Aries’ past flashed before her eyes in a matter of seconds, and when she cam. . .