The Good Life Part 2

by Dorian Sykes

Genres: Christian Suspense

Synopsis

As soon as he graduated high school, Wink jumped head first into the drug game. He hardened his heart and did whatever he had to in order to rise through the ranks.
In The Re-Up, Wink takes things to the next level. His father plugs him in with a cocaine pipeline from prison. Soon, Wink is at the top of his game, handling enough cocaine to supply the entire Midwest. But he will learn, just as hustlers before him have, that every run has its end.
Wink takes us along for a shotgun ride to the top of the underworld—the money, the fast cars, the power...and the demise. In these closing chapters, the game throws everything it has to offer at Wink. Will he survive the treachery and betrayal, the addiction, and the lure of fast money? Or will Wink plan his own ending?

Release date: March 30, 2021

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 288

Sample

Trey and Willie were parked right outside the UBQ Bar over on Harper and Van Dyke. It was the new happening spot for the ballers and their groupies to play high-post and try to outshine the next nigga who was rumored to be getting money. Trey was determined to be dubbed the richest nigga on the east side of Detroit, and he was well on his way. He was a master at promotion, and the masses were eating up his self-proclaimed success. His name was starting to ring in the streets. His license plate read TMONEY on his new red Benz 500SEL, and that was what everyone began calling him. Every head turned as people passed the Benz parked at the curb. T-Money was loving every second of it. He and Willie were getting their heads right with some good-good before they stepped up in the spot.

“I keep tellin’ you, Will, you need to get on my squad. That li’l-boy shit Wink got you out here doin’ is beneath you. Look at that old-ass Caddy of yours parked over there.” T-Money looked across the street at Willie’s brown El Dogg. “My young’un is out here pushin’ them shits. You s’posed to be in a Benz or BMW.”

Willie just listened as he had for the past couple of weeks. Every time he and Trey got together, he was shooting lugs at Wink’s operation, really fishing for information because he didn’t know what Wink was on. Trey, aka T-Money, figured that since he had dropped a new Benz, he was doing better than Wink. Wink was still was pushing that antique, as Trey called it, and for T-Money, the only reason to be riding around in something like that was a lack of funds.

“I’m tryin’a send some work down to Mississippi with ya cousin Ball. What’s up?”

“He already getting on. He straight,” said Willie.

“I know the business. I know Wink the one hittin’ him off with them li’l tows and fews. But I’m talkin’ ’bout sending that nigga a workload. Mo’ work than a temp service.”

Willie thought about it. Ball was asking to expand throughout the South, and Wink was on some slow roll, “let me set everything up” type shit. He could see Willie’s wheels turning, and the greed in his heart showed itself in his eyes. So he threw fuel on the fire.

“You can keep fuckin’ with Wink with whatever y’all doin’. All I’m saying is let me send some work down too. Wink don’t own Mississippi. Shit, we all took those trips, remember?” Trey was referring to the past when all three of them used to drive down to Mississippi to set up shop. They began the operation down there and were a tight crew until it all went south and Wink got greedy.

Trey continued, “Off every brick you take down there, I’ma give you ten grand.”

“Ten thousand,” repeated Willie. That was $8,000 more than what Wink was giving him.

“It’s all on you, my nigga. Think about it and get at me. But right now, I’m ’bout to slide up in here.” Trey’s eyes followed this petite chocolate li’l something into the bar. He reached for the door handle, and together they emerged from the Benz, looking like new money, T-Money of course being the boss. He was Gucci from head to toe, starting with the Gucci bucket hat, down to his Gucci gym shoes. His jewelry was on blast: iced-out gold Rolex President with a matching bracelet and chain.

To finish off the ensemble, he had gold rings on each finger, his prized ring being the two-fingered number on his right hand that read MS for Money Squad. Trey wanted there to be no mistake who the man was when he stepped up on the scene.

Willie fell in step with Trey and watched as he turned into T-Money. People shouted him out like he was their best friend or one of the Chamberlain brothers. T-Money smiled and hit rocks with the best of them as he inched his way through the bar. It was like he was campaigning for the Hustla of the Year award the way he was politicking up in there, making sure to say a little something to every patron in the place. He touched every corner of the UBQ before heading to his VIP booth.

T-Money’s li’l squad of niggas was already posted up in the booth. Lee-Mac, Live, Dilla, and JT were all posted up with bottles of Moët in front of them. Empty shot glasses littered the table. T-Money stood in front of them. He didn’t need to say a word. The moment he appeared, they scrambled to make sure he had room to slide into the middle of his squad. Once seated, he stretched his arms out like he was a king.

“Everybody! I want y’all to meet my nigga. He’s more like a brother to me. This is Will$, with a dollar sign on the end.”

Willie pulled back a wide, closed grin. He liked that name. It fit, he thought.

“Hopefully, Will$ is gon’ be joining our Money Squad Family so we can do what we do best, which is get this money. I want y’all to make him feel welcome and all that good shit, and like I said, hopefully he’ll join our family.”

Willie nodded to them all as T-Money introduced them by name. He recognized Dilla and JT already as being the two li’l niggas Wink had sitting in the spot on Linwood. Trey had doubled back and swooped up their young asses, as now they were part of his Money Squad Family shit he kept promoting like it was a rap album. Lee-Mac was a li’l light-skinned, scrawny nigga with a little-ass head and beady eyes. Willie looked his peculiar-lookin’ ass over and tried to figure out where the name came from. Live, on the other hand, was a wide-back black mothafucka. He couldn’t have been more than 16, but his name was ringing in the streets like a seasoned vet for busting his gun. That was why they called him Live. They each had on gold rope dookie chains with iced-out MS charms dangling. He continued to entertain and be the center of attention. His li’l Money Squad Family laughed at and listened to his every word, and all the while the hustlas of the city were taking note. A new king was on the rise, and his name was T-Money.

By the end of the night, Willie, new name Will$, was convinced that Money Squad Family was the place for him. He agreed to start sending kilos down to Mississippi for T-Money.

They all staggered out of the UBQ pissy drunk, T-Money with his arm wrapped around Will$’s neck. He was all in his ear while his squad stood guard with their hands underneath their shirts clutching the handles of the brand-new Glocks T-Money bought for them.

T-Money walked Will$ over to his car. “Tomorrow, come see me so we can go over the details. I want to get things going as soon as possible. We ’bout to get this money, my nigga, on a whole ’nother level. But I need you with me.”

“I’m with you.”

“A’ight then, tomorrow,” said T-Money.

He opened Will$’s door for him and waited until he pulled away from the curb before joining his squad in front of the bar. He wasn’t finished flodging for the night. Club let-out time was the best time to pose for the camera, and in this case the camera was anyone who would look and hopefully remember his name.

Will$ stretched back in his El Dogg and counted the money he would make if he were to deal with T-Money. In a matter of months, he could be on $1 million plus, especially at $10,000 a brick. Will$ hadn’t thought about Wink and the promise he made never to cross him. Willie didn’t see any harm in playing both sides of the fence. Wink and Trey were both his best friends anyway, so why did he have to choose between them? They were the ones trippin’, not him. They were the ones letting money change them, like the Mighty O’Jays said. Besides Wink would never find out unless Trey were to tell him, and he didn’t see that ever happening. Willie smiled and pressed down on the gas. He couldn’t wait until tomorrow came. It was about to be on!

Willie dropped the rest of the re-up money off to Wink at his apartment. Together they sat in Wink’s living room counting the dirty money and putting the bills into $10,000 stacks.

“How much you got over there?” asked Wink. He stood up from the sofa and stretched out and yawned. They’d been counting since last night, and his back started locking up on him.

“I got, uh . . .” Willie used his finger to tally up all the stacks spread across the coffee table and floor. “Four hun’d and eighty thousand.”

“Yeah, it’s all here. Wrap each stack up in a rubber band, and put ’em in this duffle bag. I’ma go take a shower and get ready. I gotta be at the airport by eleven.” Wink looked at the clock on the wall. It was 9:45. He took a deep breath and sighed as he left Willie in the living room and headed for the bathroom.

Wink took a nice, long, hot shower. He stood under the water with his eyes closed, trying to clear his mind. He had to go meet up with Nina and put up with her shit, teasing him and playin’ Ms. Boss Bitch. He had to be back for the closing on a new mansion he was buying. Not to mention, Krazy had another hearing coming up. Wink let the water run down his face a few more minutes, then reluctantly turned the nozzle off. He reached for a towel, dried off, then walked into the bedroom and dressed. That was one thing he didn’t have to worry about anymore. Armeeah had set out two weeks’ worth of outfits, down to his socks and boxers. She even cleaned his apartment and fixed him breakfast every morning before she went to work. It was official. They were a couple, and that was why Wink was buying a new mansion. He wanted to take their relationship to the next level.

Wink found Willie in the kitchen gladly helping himself to his breakfast. Armeeah had left Wink a plate in the microwave with cheese eggs, turkey bacon, link sausage, and French toast.

“Damn, my nigga,” said Willie in between bites. He swallowed his food. “I ain’t know you could cook.”

“My girl made that, and it was for me.” Wink snatched the last link off the saucer before Willie could inhale it too.

“My bad.” Willie licked his fingers clean, then gulped down a cold glass of orange juice. “Ahh. Urppp. Damn, yeah, that was on one thousand. You need to g’on and wife baby girl. She’s bad and she can cook. If that ain’t wifey material . . .”

Wink took a seat on the stool beside Willie and stared off into space. “I’m not gon’ lie, my dude. I been thinking about wifein’ her up.”

“So why don’t you? I mean, I see the way you are whenever baby girl’s around.”

“I know, but it ain’t that simple.”

“Why not? You just gotta ask her.”

Wink looked at the clock on the wall. It was 10:20 and time to roll out. He slid off his stool and walked the dishes over to the sink. “I’ll tell you about it later, but right now we gotta get going.”

The one thing keeping Wink from asking Armeeah to marry him was her cock-blocking father. He was still waiting for Armeeah to introduce them. He was nervous that Armeeah’s Middle Eastern father would flip his top about Wink being black.

Willie followed Wink out into the living room while rubbing his stuffed belly. “Yeah, so when can I expect you back so we can get this thang cranked up? I got mad orders already in.”

“I should be back in two days. Just fall back and chill until then.”

Willie grabbed the duffle bag off the floor and set it on the sofa. “That’s exactly a million,” Willie advised.

“A’ight, bet that up.” Wink tossed Willie two $10,000 stacks. “That’s a li’l bonus.”

“Shit, I’ma hit the titty bar with this and see what I can’t take home tonight. Sho’ is.” He smiled as if he were already at the bar.

“A’ight look, go pull the car up while I put the rest of this shit up.”

Wink walked Willie to the door and locked it behind him. He then took the $980,000 into his bedroom and stashed it inside his wall safe with the $500,000 he already had on ice. Wink looked at all the money for a minute before locking up the safe. It was happening, and fast. He was getting rich. Wink closed the safe, then walked out into the living room, grabbed the black leather duffle bag from the sofa, and put his arm into the strap. He clutched the bag tightly as he looked around the apartment before leaving.

Willie was parked at the curb talking on his car phone. He abruptly ended his conversation with Trey at the sight of Wink coming out of the building. “I’ma hit you back after I drop him off at the airport. One.” Click. Willie shoved the phone into the console and popped the locks for Wink.

“Nigga, I know you ain’t out here with the Viper lock system on. Let me find out you scared,” Wink joked as he climbed into the passenger seat.

“Shit, nigga, betta safe than sorry,” said Willie. He put the car in drive and pulled away from the curb. Willie was really thinking, shit, I can’t wait until your ass gets on that plane so me and Trey can hook up.

“After we flip this next load, we gon’ flip these Caddies. What you wanna jump in?” asked Wink.

“Let’s do some Beemers since Trey already doin’ the Benz.”

“Yeah, I’m feelin’ that. We can’t let that nigga outshine us, feel me?”

Willie nodded and smiled at the thought because Wink had no idea Trey was now T-Money, and it was going to be a full-time job trying to outshine him and his Money Squad Family.

Willie pulled into the Sheraton directly across the street from Metro Airport out in Romulus, Michigan. He parked near the front entrance, put his hazards on, and waved the valet away.

“I’ll be right back,” said Wink. He grabbed the duffle bag from between his legs and reached for the door handle.

Wink casually walked inside the hotel lobby and took the elevator up to the third floor. He found the room number Nina had given him the day before. Wink turned the handle, and the door, as promised, was unlocked. The room was empty, but for some reason Wink felt as though someone were watching him. He looked behind the curtains, in the closets, and under the bed.

Once satisfied that he was alone, he did as Nina instructed and left the bag inside the whirlpool tub. He looked down at the bag knowing what was in it and became nervous. He just hoped that Nina’s people got the money with no problems because that was $1 million of his own money.

Wink walked out of the hotel unnoticed by any of the hotel’s personnel. He climbed back in the car and directed Willie to drive him across the street to the airport. As they pulled around the circle, Wink could see one of Franko’s white Learjets parked out on the tarmac. Two middle-aged Cuban men wearing black suits and sunglasses stood outside the plane, and just like last time, there was an all-black convoy of seven tinted Suburbans.

Willie parked at the entrance and leaned up against his door to face Wink.

“I’ma see you when I touch down.” Wink reached over and gave Willie some dap.

“I’ll be waiting,” said Willie.

Wink climbed out of the car and tapped the roof before stepping inside the terminal. Wink cut through the terminal and went out to the tarmac using the private flight section. When the two men standing outside the plane saw Wink, they ceased their conversation. Neither of the men spoke a word as Wink approached them. The shorter of the two waved his hand for Wink to board the plane.

Wink had never met the men before. Franko used a different group every time he conducted business because he wanted it to remain business and not ever get personal. It was his way of keeping everyone off-balance and uncomfortable. The only exception to the rule was Nina. Wink found her perched at the rear of the plane sipping Scotch and playing the role of Ms. Boss Bitch.

Nina smiled and patted her hand on the seat beside her. “Wink, how are you?” she asked, turning her cheek in anticipation of her greeting kiss.

Wink obliged her, then sank into his seat. Nina set her drink down and kicked her shoes off, then snuggled up under Wink like a missed lover.

Here we go, thought Wink. He wasn’t in the mood for Nina’s hot-and-cold teasing games, so he focused on the essence of their meeting.

“I just dropped that money off at the room. It’s a—”

Nina cut him off. “I know. It’s a million dollars on the nose. My people picked it up as soon as you left the room.”

“For that million, I’m tryin’a see at least two twenty-five,” said Wink.

“We can talk numbers later. But first things first.” Nina let her hand travel down Wink’s chest to his slowly rising Johnson. She stuck her hand in his boxer shorts and stroked him to life.

“You miss me?” Nina whispered.

“Yeah,” lied Wink. How could he? All she did the last time was bless him with some a’ight head, and tease him for the rest of the trip.

But today was a new day, because Nina wasn’t doing no faking, and Wink prayed that she wasn’t just teasing him again by not wearing any panties. Nina spread her legs cock-wide open, and she took Wink’s right index finger and buried it inside her. Wink’s finger was buried up to the knuckle. Nina guided him to her G-spot, then closed her eyes while she took a trip to paradise.

After Nina came three times, she pulled Wink’s finger out of her gleaming, wet pussy and stuck it in his mouth for him to taste her juices.

“I believe you owe me one,” she said in a soft yet demanding tone.

Wink had the “ahh” face. He did owe her a head job because she had hit him off last time. “Dirty bitch.” Before Wink could protest his call of duty, Nina pulled him down by his ears and put his face in the place. Wink licked and sucked Nina to another orgasm. She tried to keep him down for a second and, if God was willing, a third and fourth, but Wink gave her a dose of her own medicine. He sat up and wiped his face, leaving Nina hot and bothered. If she wanted to get that nut off badly enough, she was gon’ have to break bread with that kitty cat.

Wink waited until she caught her breath and for her nerves to settle before he got back down to business. “Now that we’re even, let’s kick some numbers around.”

Nina took a long swallow from her Scotch and fired up a Virginia Slim. She allowed the Scotch and nicotine to soothe her nerves before speaking, because she couldn’t allow Wink to know that he had just given her some of the best head of her life. She had to remain in control, Ms. Boss Bitch.

“What are you expecting to get that you didn’t get the last time?”

“The last time I only got a hundred kilos, which Franko fronted to me at five grand each.”

Nina nodded at Wink’s mathematics, and he continued, “This go-round I’m comin’ up front with a million cash, so I’ma need a better deal than last time.”

“I’m listening.”

“Two hun’d and twenty-five kilos is what I’m thinkin’.”

“I see you’ve been doing a lot of thinking. But I must tell you that your price does not change whether you’re paying up front or I give it to you on consignment.”

“Maybe I need to holla at Franko myself.”

Nina laughed to cover up how she really took Wink’s comment. She was the boss. “Be my guest, but he’s going to tell you the same thing.” Nina took a drink, then continued, “You see, Wink, this is not an arrangement where money is our only concern. When your father and Franko agreed on terms, you were brought into our family, not just a business. And what I mean is, we as family take care of each other. The price is to remain the same because our family takes care of those in prison and their families. There are a lot of us eating off the same plate, and if something were to happen to you or your dad, you too would be taken care of. All we ask is loyalty. Do you understand where I’m coming from?”

Wink nodded. He was thinking, yeah, and if I ain’t know any better, I could’ve sworn it sounded like you just threatened me, bitch! Wink didn’t take too kindly to a mothafucka threatening his life, or his father’s for that matter. And what the hell was she talking about, family? Bitch, please! You tongue-tied mothafuckas ain’t none of my family. What Wink failed to realize was that he was dealing with the mob, and they played for keeps. Family meant “until death do us part,” which meant there would be no quitting. Wink was officially married to the mob.

Meanwhile, Willie and Trey were meeting up to get started . . .