The Education of Nevada Duncan

Book 0: Family Business

by Carl Weber, C.N. Phillips

Genres: African American Urban

Synopsis

Ride along with Carl Weber and C. N. Phillips for this fresh, enthralling spin-off to the Family Business series as the heir to a crime family finds himself targeted by an enemy, and he’ll need more than his family by blood to save him.

Nevada Duncan is the heir to the Duncan and Zuniga crime family fortunes, but before he can take the mantle of power, he has to be educated about the family business. So, with the encouragement of his father and grandfather, he enrolls in his father’s alma mater, Chi’s Finishing School. Chi’s is the world’s most elite school for the children of underworld figures.

On Nevada’s first day of school, he hooks up with a group of misfit freshmen from around the world who quickly become his new best friends. However, Nevada is unaware of the deadly adventure that awaits him with a sinister new enemy lurking in the shadows. Montez wants what Nevada has, and he will do anything to get it.

Accustomed to relying on his family and his superior intelligence, Nevada Duncan will soon learn the importance of friendship when the threats are aimed directly at him—and he’s the only Duncan around.

Release date: September 21, 2021

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 288

Sample

Two months later

I was awakened out of a horrific dream by the slight jolt of my family’s Learjet landing. I opened my eyes to see my grandmother seated across from me. She hadn’t been there when I dozed off, and unfortunately, the look she gave me was the same look of pity she’d been giving me since we found out that Kia and the rest of the girls at the Hellfire Club had been killed. The only one who survived the massacre—if you can call it survival—was Ms. Marie. They’d made her watch as they killed each of the girls. Needless to say, in her present state of mind, she had been no help in finding the culprits.

“You all right, baby?” my grandma asked.

“I’m fine, Grandma,” I replied.

“You sure?”

I sighed, glancing over at my grandfather, who was in a seat to my left, looking through a copy of Car and Driver magazine. He must have gotten my vibe, because he quickly shut my grandmother down before I could reply.

“Charlotte, leave the boy alone. He just woke up. Let him breathe. I don’t understand why you’re always smothering him,” Grandpa said firmly. “I knew I should have left you behind.”

“Don’t play with me, LC. I’m just making sure he’s okay,” Grandma snapped back at him.

“He’s fine.” Grandpa replied, making me feel bad for her. I knew she was just trying to protect me, but that was just it—after Kia’s death, I didn’t want to be protected. I wanted to be the hunter. I wanted twenty minutes with those bastards in a room by myself so I could carve them up like they had done to Kia. That was the reason we had just landed in Paris.

We taxied for about five minutes then stopped. A few minutes later, Rob, one of my grandpa’s trusted security people who flew the plane, stepped out of the cockpit. “Welcome to Paris,” he said.

“Happy to be here.” My grandmother stood up to retrieve her things. “One of my favorite cities.”

My grandfather, on the other hand, turned to me with an all-business expression. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. LC Duncan had this way of speaking without words.

“I know you have plans for me, and I don’t want to disappoint you, but I have to do this, Grandpa,” I tried to explain.

“I understand your motivation, son.” He sighed, standing. “And I can’t begin to imagine how you’re feeling, but Harvard’s a pretty big deal. A life-changing—”

“So is Chi’s Finishing School,” I snapped, cutting him off before he could finish his sentence in a rare moment of disrespect. “Harvard’s not going anywhere, Grandpa. I’m just taking a gap year, no different from Sasha, Aunt Paris, Uncle Orlando, Junior, and my dad.”

“I know, but I never wanted you in the muscle side of the business,” he said sincerely.

“I don’t plan to be, but you can’t order men into battle if you’re not willing to do it yourself. They have to respect you.” I forced myself to lift my head and look him in the eyes. “Your words, not mine, Grandpa.”

“Yes, I know,” he replied with a chuckle. “Kind of wish I could take them back at a time like this.”

“But you can’t, because they’re true.” Even if they weren’t the real reason I was there.

“Tell me something, son. Your father and uncles came here because I thought they needed training. Paris came because she was out of control and needed discipline. Sasha because she looked up to Paris and wanted to get away from your Aunt Donna. But what exactly do you expect to get out of this?”

I answered him in one word. “Perspective.”

He remained silent, waiting for me to elaborate.

“The only reason I’m not being checked into a mental hospital like Ms. Marie is because I’m going to Chi’s to train. To learn how to protect the ones I love so something like this never happens again. Not on my watch. So, I’m here to get perspective, and hopefully some peace of mind.”

He took a long, breath buttoning his suit jacket. “All right then, son. Let’s go get you some perspective.”

“Don’t leave me here. Please, Vegas!” Marie pleaded with tears in her eyes, ripping her arm away from the two orderlies escorting her. She ran desperately down the corridor toward me, but before she could close the thirty-foot gap, a beefy female orderly grabbed her from behind. “Don’t do this, Vegas! Please don’t do this. They are going to come for me again. You’re the only one who can keep me safe. Please, baby! Please!”

I’d gone up against all kinds of killers and gangsters in my life, but none of them could have broken me down the way Marie’s tears were doing.

“I’m sorry, babe, but you need help. Help I can’t give you. These people are going to help you get better.” I tried my best to explain, but my words were falling on deaf ears. She did not want to hear it.

“No, they’re not! They’re going to get killed. Just like my girls,” Marie shouted. She continued to struggle against the orderlies, kicking and screaming, “I thought you loved me!”

“I do love you,” I told her as they literally carried her down the hall. “That’s why I brought you here.”

“Bullshit! You’re going to get me killed,” she cried as she disappeared down the corridor. “You’re going to get me killed!”

“Everything all right, bro?” I turned to see my brother Junior and his wife, Sonya, standing beside me. Sonya was a nurse, and she had recommended The Clayborn Institute for Mental Health as one of the best hospitals of its kind in the country.

“Ain’t shit gonna be all right until we catch these motherfuckers,” I snapped back at Junior.

They’d been in the lobby, and I was sure they’d heard Marie screaming at the top of her lungs.

“Yeah, I know, but what happened? She seemed fine when you went back,” Junior said.

“I don’t know. One second she’s docile as a lamb, and the next second she’s screaming and fighting like a lunatic. I don’t get it,” I replied sadly.

“Nothing to get. You said it best—she needs help. Anyone would after what she’s been through. You did the right thing bringing her here,” Sonya said, placing a hand on my back to comfort me. It was no comfort. Nothing other than killing the people who did this would help.

“Then why the hell do I feel like shit?” I could still hear Marie screaming my name in the distance.

“Because you love her, that’s why,” Sonya replied.

“Yeah, I guess I do. That’s the problem.” From my pocket, I pulled out a thick envelope filled with crisp hundred-dollar bills and handed it to Sonya. “I need you to keep an eye on her, Sonya. Spread this money around the employees on her floor. Nobody outside of our family is to know she’s here.”

“What about her brother?” Junior asked.

“Especially not her brother. I’m not saying he did it, but that weaselly bastard’s a suspect until I say he’s not. And get the twins down here. I want her to have twenty-four hour security,” I demanded.

“You think whoever did this will come back?” Sonya asked timidly. It was pretty obvious the thought of whoever killed those girls returning was troubling to her.

“I doubt it. They coulda killed her along with the girls if they wanted her dead,” I said angrily. “Those bastards wanted her to remember this for the rest of her life. They knew how much those girls meant to her and how much their deaths would haunt her.” She may have been their madam, but Marie had practically raised most of those girls. They were the only family she had other than her no-account brother.

“Makes me want to put a bullet in them,” Sonya snapped.

“A bullet’s too kind,” Junior replied, looking down at his phone.

“By the way, that was Pop. They landed in Paris.”

I nodded my head. At least something was going right. Nevada being in Paris was a good thing, despite the argument it had caused with his mother. Consuela wanted him to go to college, but Chi’s was the best place for him, especially since his girlfriend had been one of Marie’s girls. Death was the worst kind of heartbreak. Finishing shool was the kind of distraction he needed while I figured out who was behind this.

“So, what now?” Junior asked.

“Now we dive even deeper into this shit. And in order to do that, we have to go back to where it started.”

“The Hellfire Club?” Junior asked.

“Exactly. Get Bryant on the phone and tell him I want to see him,” I demanded. “And let’s get down to the Hellfire Club. I wanna see if I can find Marie’s little black book. See if she owed anyone money.”

The ride to Chi’s Finishing School was about an hour and a half long from the Paris-Orly Airport, and it was beautiful. I’d never been to Europe, but I liked it already. It had a totally different vibe than anywhere I’d ever been in the States or Mexico, and I looked forward to exploring it. All I could think of was how much Kia would have loved it.

When we reached our destination, I was kind of astonished.

“Is that it?” I asked. I’m sure my jaw was hanging down as I stared at the huge medieval walls, stone gates, and the actual moat that surround the huge castle we were stopped in front of. There was even a boy sitting on the bank, fishing. “Is that Chi’s Finishing School?”

“Yep, kind of amazing, isn’t it?” my grandmother replied.

“Pictures do it no justice,” Grandpa added as we drove over the drawbridge.

From the outside, you would never know it, but inside the castle walls was more like a college campus than anything else. I watched dozens of groups, dressed in different colors, practicing martial arts, archery, hand to hand combat, and countless other physical activities on the grounds of the campus.

“What building are you in?” Grandma asked. I rummaged through my backpack to find my first day of school instructions.

“Paris Hall,” I replied.

Rob, now driving the SUV we were in, followed the signs to Paris Hall, and eventually we pulled in front of a large stone building. There were several people coming and going from the building, all dressed in navy blue uniforms. One guy in particular, a tall lanky white guy, stood out more than anyone, mainly because he was staring at us like a groupie. He walked up to the car as we were getting out.

“You must be Nevada Duncan,” he said in a thick accent that sounded Irish.

“Yeah, I’m Nevada. Who are you?” I asked. He wasn’t threatening, but it was kinda creepy that he knew who I was, and we’d never met.

“Name’s Clem McCloud. I believe we’re roommates. Pleased to meet you.” He held out his hand. “It’s going to be a fun year.”

I hesitated to take his hand at first, but when I saw the smile on his face was genuine, I gave in. “Yeah, it is. Pleased to meet you too, Clem. These are my grandparents, LC and—”

“Oh, I know who they are. It’s a real pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Duncan.” Clem shook my grandpa’s hand then hugged my grandma like he had known her his entire life. Once again, very creepy. “Are you still making those peanut butter cookies, Mrs. Duncan?”

Grandma smiled, looking flattered. “Yes, I am. How do you know about my cookies?”

“My brother Kevin went to school with your sons Junior and Vegas,” he said. “They still talk about the care packages you used to send.”

Grandpa raised an eyebrow. “Did you say your name is McCloud? Are you one of Patrick McCloud’s sons?”

“Yes, sir, I am,” he said with pride.

“Geez, how many kids does Patrick have?” Grandpa questioned.

“Thirteen boys and six girls. That we know of. My father has been a very busy man over the years,” Clem replied as if it was no big deal.

“Apparently.” My grandpa chuckled. “Please, give him my best.”

“I sure will.” He lifted one of my suitcases. “Why don’t I give you a hand with your suitcase? We’re not allowed to have visitors in the building except on weekends.”

My grandmother looked disappointed, but what could she do? If it weren’t for my grandpa pulling some strings, I might have not been admitted at all.

“Bye, Grandma.” I walked over and hugged her tight, then my grandpa. I gave Rob a nod. “Take care of them.”

“For sure.” Rob nodded back.

Clem and I grabbed my bags and headed inside. I could feel my grandparents’ eyes on me as I made my way through the doors. I wanted to look back, give them a reassuring wave, but I didn’t want to take a chance on looking soft to Clem, so I kept my head straight. My plan from day one was to stay under everyone’s radar, not draw any attention to myself, and just learn as much as I possibly could over the next twelve months.

Once inside the common area, I quickly found out that staying under the radar was going to be damn near impossible. It felt as if I was being watched, not by one person, but by everyone in the room.

“Um, Clem?”

“Yeah?” He turned to me.

“Why is everyone staring at us?”

He looked around and chuckled. “They’re not staring at me. I can assure you of that, mate.”

“Then why are they staring at me?”

“Most of them haven’t seen royalty before,” he replied. “I mean, we do have some genuine, honest-to-god princes and princesses on campus, but nobody like you.”

“I don’t understand. What do you mean nobody like me?”

“You don’t get it, do you? You’re Nevada Duncan, the son of Vegas Duncan, the nephew of Paris and cousin of Sasha. Hell, this building wasn’t named after the city of Paris. It was named after your aunt. And the dining hall is named after your dad.”

“What? Are you serious?”

“Look for yourself.” He pointed to a picture above the huge fireplace. I took a few steps toward it and stared. Hanging over the mantel was a full-sized portrait of Aunt Paris.

“This is the elite dorm, the cream of the crop. Your aunt is a god around here, and so is your dad. Being your roommate is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You’re going to get laid every night, and so am I as your wing man.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and smiled. “You’re our new leader.”

“Shit,” I murmured to myself. “I think I’ve bitten off a little more than I can chew.”

I knew my family members had been high achieving students at the school, but I had no idea I was walking into this. So much for staying under the radar.

“Yeah, you got some pretty big shoes to fill.”

Junior and I entered the Hellfire Club through the back entrance and made our way toward Marie’s office. Yellow crime scene tape was still everywhere, despite it being months since the killings. As we walked inside the blood-stained parlor, I could almost smell the stench of death, and from the look on Junior’s face, so could he. Now, we’d seen our fair share of death. Hell, we’d even taken a few deserving souls over the years, but the senseless killing that had taken place here was chilling. I wasn’t exactly a religious man, but I said a quick prayer before Junior and I continued on to Marie’s office.

“Shit, looks like the cops beat us to it.” Junior sighed angrily when we cautiously slid open the door to Marie’s office. The place had been trashed, and it wasn’t random vandalism. Somebody had been looking for something.

I shook my head adamantly. “Cops didn’t do this.”

“All right, then who?” Junior gave me an inquisitive look. “This place wasn’t like this when they found the girls. Bryant let me inspect it.”

“Most likely one of Marie’s competitors, or maybe a client. That client book she kept was worth millions and could take a lot of people down,” I explained, moving my flashlight from left to right across the trashed office. “A lot of people would love to get their hands on it.”

“From the looks of this place, whoever was here may have already found it.” Junior’s face was full of concern.

“I don’t know, but I hope not,” I said, “because that book might be the best lead to who’s behind all this. Come on. We’re not gonna find it standing here.”

Junior nodded his agreement and we stepped into the room, overturning the mess to search for Marie’s books. Unfortunately, whoever had been there before us had beaten us to every hiding place imaginable, including the safe that Marie had hidden behind a picture of me. One thing was for sure: whoever opened that safe knew what they were doing. It was evident from the fifty thousand in cash and jewelry that was left behind that this was no simple robbery.

“I think they got it, Vegas,” Junior said. The defeat was evident in his tone.

“Yeah, unfortunately, I think you’re ri—”

I was interrupted by a huge crash outside the room. Junior looked over at me, and I placed my finger over my lips to silence him. We withdrew our guns from holsters, him from inside his jacket and me from the small of my back. I also carried a .38 in an ankle holster. After what had happened to Marie, a brother couldn’t be too safe. Using hand signals we’d learned at Chi’s Finishing School to communicate, we left the office to investigate the noise.

We made our way through the club and followed the sound of someone fumbling around in the parlor. Finding what looked to be a lone person lurking in the shadows by the bar, Junior and I split up. As we crept closer, it was Junior’s job to distract whoever the hell it was, which he did by tossing a glass in the middle of the parlor. The damn thing broke into a million pieces.

“Freeze!” the shadowy figure shouted, reaching in his suit jacket for what I could only assume was a gun—which brought me to my job, which was to ease up behind him fast. It would be only a matter of seconds before he realized where that broken glass had come from and took aim at my brother, who, at six foot five and 350 pounds, was one big-ass target.

“I said freeze!” he shouted.

His gun was now pointed at Junior, and he was tensing to fire. Lucky for Junior, my gun was pointed at the back of this guy’s head.

“If I were you, I’d drop that gun and keep your hands where I can see them,” I growled.

He raised his hands and laughed. “You planning on shooting a NYPD detective? ’Cause that might not work well for either of us.”

I recognized the sarcastic voice of Detective James Bryant right away. “Bryant, you fucking ass. Announce yourself!” I shouted, holstering my weapon. “Why the hell are you fumbling around in the dark behind the bar like that? I almost shot your ass.”

“I was looking for the light,” Bryant replied, holstering his gun.

Bryant was one of the NYPD detectives my family had on our payroll. He was an arrogant prick as far as I was concerned, which was why he usually worked with my brother-in-law Harris, but when the incident happened here at the Hellfire Club, my pops asked him to get involved. Bryant pulled some strings right away to get himself assigned to the case. It’s amazing how money can motivate a person. He’d been reporting to Pop and Junior while I took care of Marie, but now it was time we met face to face.

“Looking for a light almost got you killed,” Junior snapped at him, reaching behind the bar and flipping on the switch. The room became illuminated.

“So, what do you got? It’s been two months and I haven’t heard shit. You fucking cops any closer to finding out what the fuck happened here?” I asked.

Bryant took a breath and exhaled. “Honestly, we ain’t got dick, but the folks down at One Police Plaza want us to act like we do. Twelve women murdered in an election year doesn’t make for good politics, and the pressure your father is putting on his political contacts isn’t helping. The Commissioner’s trying to keep his job. I wouldn’t be surprised if this doesn’t get pinned on some career criminal or a sex offender we’ve been trying to nail for a while. They just want someone to pin it on.”

“I don’t give a shit what they want. I wanna know who did this. Am I making myself clear? We don’t pay you ten grand a month to hold your dick, drink coffee, and eat donuts. We pay you for fucking results. So, you better tell. . .