Murderville 2: The Epidemic (31 page)

“How long have you been stealing from me?” Po shot back. His question caught her off guard and gave her no answers. He neither confirmed nor denied her suspicions, but admitted that he had some of his own.

Liberty looked at him in confusion, but before she could respond Dahlia’s presence interrupted them.

Liberty was irate as she lunged at her. “You fucking bitch!” she shouted.

Surprised by Liberty’s sudden moxie Po didn’t grab her quick enough. Liberty snuffed Dahlia, catching her off guard, getting one good hit in before Po snatched her up.

“I want her gone!” Liberty shouted as she looked up at him with tears flooding her gaze.

Dahlia scoffed and licked the corner of her mouth where Liberty had caused her lip to bust. “You got that one, but you won’t get another one,” Dahlia said calmly as she stormed to the sink to grab a paper towel to blot her lip.

“Put her out of this house!” Liberty demanded. “You either do business with her or you be with me! You can’t have both! I want her out of my life! I want you out of the game!”

Dahlia remained silent as she leaned against the sink. She knew how to let a man be a man. Liberty was playing her cards all wrong by giving Po an ultimatum. No man wanted to feel as though he was forced into submission. Dahlia had already put in the work she needed. There was no doubt in her mind that Po would choose her. Liberty was the one who hadn’t done her all to keep her man.

Had Po not found money stashed in Liberty’s closet he may have had a harder time with what he was about to do. The way he saw it, Liberty had chosen for him the day she had started plotting her getaway. She had left him once. Who was to say that she wouldn’t leave him again? Dahlia was there, by his side, strengthening his
empire. On top of that, she was willing to please him in any way he required.

“She’s not going anywhere, ma. I need her here. You of all people know that, but if you want to leave I’m not stopping you,” Po said. He turned and began to walk out of the room, but stopped abruptly. “Oh yeah, and you never had to steal money from me. I’m a man of my word. I’ll have Rocko hit you off with some paper and make sure you’re straight. You’ll never want for anything.”

“So the baby never meant anything? How can you just toss me away after what we’ve been through?” Liberty asked, pleading for Po’s loyalty.

“The baby meant everything!” Po shouted. His voice was so loud that it vibrated Liberty’s heart. He turned toward her in fury and stood two inches from her face. “What? Just because I didn’t mourn the way you wanted me to didn’t mean that I wasn’t hurt! That baby was the glue that was holding us together. Now we have nothing. There’s no trust.”

Liberty was so hurt that she couldn’t even defend herself. She watched in horror as he turned away from her and left the room with Dahlia following behind him. Dahlia stopped and looked at Liberty. She smiled slightly then said, “Checkmate, bitch.”

Liberty’s entire world crumbled beneath her feet.

*    *    *

Dahlia arranged the meeting between Zulu and Po, then stayed behind as Po and Rocko made the early-morning flight to Sierra Leone. As Po sat on the plane next to his
right-hand man, he couldn’t help but think of how far he had come in the game. He had reached a status that most hood niggas only conjured up in rap songs. He was getting it. But he couldn’t suppress the guilt that he felt over losing Liberty. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her crying face. There was no doubt in his mind that he loved her, but he didn’t trust her, and that was recipe for disaster. He wasn’t in a position to forgive and forget, but he had a mind full of regrets. At the end of the day Liberty didn’t assimilate to his lifestyle and Dahlia was a convenient, not to mention stunning, replacement.

“When we get back to L.A. I need you to drop off a package to Liberty,” Po said.

Rocko looked at Po, taken aback, because he knew what that meant. “You sure about that?” he asked.

Po nodded his head and replied, “We’re done. Just set her up for me. Make sure she’s good.”

Po retreated to his thoughts for the remainder of the flight. When they finally made it to Africa they were exhausted, but Po was eager to get down to business. As personal guests of Zulu they were escorted to his private estate in luxury whips.

“This shit is crazy, fam,” Rocko said as he looked around in amazement. The beautiful setting of the motherland had that same affect on Po his first time visiting. The city was well established, and its tall skyscrapers and buildings were much like any major city in the States, but once you got out into the outskirts of town, the thick bush took over the land. It all seemed so isolated, so serene, as nature and man coexisted.

“How far out does this mu’fucka live?” Rocko asked as he stared out the window.

They had been driving for two hours, and Rocko was slightly uncomfortable at the fact that he couldn’t get his bearings. If anything popped off he would be at the mercy of Zulu. He couldn’t get himself out of Africa if he wanted to. Finally a magnificent home appeared in the distance.

“That’s where we’re headed,” Po said as he pointed his finger at the massive estate.

As they pulled up to the mansion, they were greeted by beautiful women wearing expensive fabric that was draped around their slender bodies. They resembled chocolate Grecian goddesses. They were so beautiful that it seemed as though they had fallen from the heavens. The women in Africa were different from the women Po and Rocko were used to seeing. They had a natural beauty that emanated from them. Ass for days, ample breasts, wide hips, slim waists . . . they had all the characteristics that women paid thousands to emulate. Po surmised that this is where beauty was birthed. He had never seen anything or any place or anyone who could compare. Africa was exquisite.

Zulu stood directly in front of his door, waiting for his guests to arrive. To his right were his house servants, to his left were his bodyguards. Directly behind him stood his trusted associates. All of the people around him were strapped so Zulu didn’t need to be. He was the most protected man in the nation of Sierra Leone. The car stopped, and Po and Rocko stepped out.

“Welcome, my guests,” Zulu said as he held his hands out in greeting.

Po and Rocko ascended the steps side by side. Po extended his hand, and Zulu accepted it.

“It’s about time we sat down and spoke. Settle this beef once and for all. Omega wanted you cut out before his death, but I think it is time to let bygones be bygones. You must be hungry after such long travels. I’ve had a late dinner prepared for you in your rooms. In the morning we will discuss business,” Zulu said. “The women are here for your entertainment. They will make your stay more than comfortable.”

Rocko and Po separated as they made their way to their rooms.

“Get some sleep, fam. I need you on point tomorrow,” Po said. They slapped hands, and Po followed the beautiful woman that Zulu had assigned to him. She led him into a room that was the size of an apartment.

“Is there anything that I can get you?” she asked as she stood at his door watching him kick off his shoes.

“No, I’m good. Thank you,” Po replied graciously. His cell rang, and he saw Dahlia’s name pop onto the screen. He answered. “What up?”

“So you made it safely?” she asked.

“Yeah, we’re here. We just got in,” Po replied.

“Well, I just want you to know that I’m here waiting for you to come home. You’re a king, Po. Now turn around and enjoy the spoils of your position, baby. Tell me if she does something that you like so I can learn how to do it
too. I told you, I know how to play my position, and I play it very well. Enjoy your trip,” Dahlia said.

She hung up the phone, and Po turned around to see the woman standing in front of him as naked as the day she was born. Dahlia knew Zulu well and knew how he catered to his guests. She had blown Po’s mind by giving him the go-ahead and had endeared herself to him even more. Dahlia would ride with him as long as he was on top. It was the descent that he would have to watch out for. When she felt he was falling off she would dispose of him and move on to the next, the same way she had done with Omega.

The woman walked over to him and pressed her D-cup breasts against his chest. “Are you sure there isn’t
anything
you want from me?” she asked softly.

Pussy that was handed to him on a platter wasn’t Po’s taste. Although the woman before him was the definition of perfection, he still declined. He wasn’t a fool. He knew that distraction was a part of the art of war, and he wanted to keep his head in the game. Zulu wasn’t his friend. Po was swimming with sharks.

Po had never seen anything as beautiful as an African sunrise. He felt worlds away from busy California as he stood out on his private veranda appreciating the nature around him. The knock at the door announced Rocko’s presence, but Po didn’t move. He knew that his friend would walk in uninvited anyway. The knock was more out of habit than courtesy. Just as suspected, Rocko entered and joined him. The two men stood side by side, overlooking Sierra Leone.

“How was your night?” Po asked with a slight smirk. He knew Rocko too well to think that he hadn’t taken advantage of the free pussy that had been laid out for him.

“Night was good! Real good, my nigga,” Rocko said. The two shared a laugh, but quickly became serious again. There was little time for horseplay when they were up for negotiating a deal worth millions. “You ready to rock and roll, my baby?” Rocko asked.

“Indeed, fam. Indeed. Everything’s riding on this. If Zulu refuses to cut me in, then I’m murking him. I’ve killed niggas for much less. He don’t want to step into my crosshairs. I’d much rather be allies than enemies,” Po said.

Po’s personal concierge stepped out onto the veranda. “Breakfast is ready,” she said.

The men joined Zulu on the yard where they sat thirty feet from wild zebras and giraffes. The property was from another world and proved just how long Zulu’s money truly was.

“I hope your accommodations are fitting,” Zulu said as the men sat around the circle table with him.

“They’re fine. Thank you for having us. I’m not one to hold my tongue so I would like to get to business, if you don’t mind,” Po said.

“Spoken like a true American. Your people are always in such a rush,” Zulu replied.

“I can sleep when I die. There’s a difference between moving too fast and moving efficiently. I move those diamonds at the same pace I do everything else. It’s about the fast life,” Po replied with a charming grin.

“Nothing wrong with that,” Zulu said as he raised his glass of cognac in respect.

“This is my good friend, Rocko. I felt that it was important to make the introduction. You will no longer be dealing with Dahlia. She plays a different position in my life now.”

Zulu smiled and nodded knowingly. “You fell for her. Dahlia is a very beautiful woman. You were smart to pull her out of the field and put her into your bed.”

“Rocko will be taking her place,” Po finished.

“And how do I know I can trust this Rocko?” Zulu asked. “I know Dahlia. Rocko could be a piece of shit fed.”

Rocko cleared his throat and leaned into the table, staring Zulu directly in the eyes. “There nothing federal about me. Those diamonds that you ship to America . . . I move half of ’em easily. That should be proof enough that I am who I say I am.”

“I vouch for him,” Po finished. “He’s thorough. I’d put my life on it.”

Zulu raised his fork and pointed at Po with a smile. “Good. One day you may have to.”

“Besides. The way we are about to move into the future the feds won’t be a factor,” Po said.

“How so?” Zulu asked.

“I want a percentage of the diamond mines,” Po stated.

Zulu laughed hysterically and put one hand on his gut as he sat back as if Po had told a hilarious joke.

“You must be kidding, Po.”

“I am not. I want 50 percent,” Po said seriously. “Or I
pull out completely, and I go to Uganda. I’m sure my business with them will be better appreciated. We both know that I am your biggest distributor. I move more diamonds than all of your other clients combined. I’ve earned a stake in the mines.”

Zulu’s nostrils flared because he had underestimated the young hustler. Po was smarter than the average.

“You are making millions, Po. Greed destroys the best of them,” Zulu warned.

“You should heed those words. Don’t let your greed lead to your demise,” Po said slickly, putting an indirect threat on the table.

“Ten percent,” Zulu countered. The sour look on his face revealed his anger from having to comply at all, but he couldn’t afford to lose Po’s business.

“Forty percent,” Po shot back.

“Thirty percent,” Zulu said. “That’s my final offer. I cannot go any higher than that.”

Po’s poker face was phenomenal. He could hardly contain his excitement, but he kept his exterior collected. “Deal,” he said.

Bothered that he had just split his empire, Zulu stood to his feet. “You gentlemen enjoy. Walk the grounds, keep time with the ladies. I have other business to attend to. I look forward to our new partnership, Po.”

“As do I, Zulu,” Po replied.

Zulu walked away from the table swallowing a bitter pill of defeat.

Rocko sat back and shook his head. “Damn, fam, he
took you all the way down to 30 percent. The nigga could have come off the fifty/fifty split.”

Po shook his head and said, “Actually, he came up by 10 percent. Fifty was always unrealistic. The number in my head was 20 percent. I went high so that he didn’t go low. I just brokered a deal that will keep us rich forever, my nigga.”

TWENTY-SIX

LIBERTY SAT OUTSIDE OF PO’S HOUSE AND
felt like an outsider. Her castle had been usurped by another woman, and Liberty didn’t even feel comfortable enough to knock on the door. She sat in her luxury car a few houses down, lurking, waiting impatiently for Dahlia to leave. Liberty didn’t want to run into her. She was too embarrassed, angry, and hurt to even face her right now. Although Po never confirmed that he was fucking Dahlia, Liberty’s intuition told her that he had. The average woman would have sought revenge, but Liberty just wanted peace.