Page 33 of Hooked On A California Kingpin

I felt like if we thoroughly planned this out properly with no hiccups that everything would work out and be done with. I also had another feeling that told me that I should have just picked up the gun that I had on my nightstand and just ended Melvin. I couldn’t do that; I just knew like hell that somehow some way this shit would all come back and bite me in the ass. For Melvin, I was willing to chance that.

He was my first love and although it was wrong on so many levels. Love didn’t disappear in thin air just because it wasn’t traditional. I loved my sister without a doubt, I would lay down and die for her. When our parents left, we were all we had. Sovereign stepped up when most kids her age wouldn’t have.

“Its really dangerous, I just know in my heart that it will work. I need you and I need for my wife to have that baby. The least I can do is fulfil her wishes before she dies, Empress. You do understand right baby?” He stared deep into my eyes; I remained silent before I nodded my head up and down with out giving him a verbal yes. My stomach started to ache; fear started rising inside of me. My loyalty felt torn between two people.

Melvin wasn’t blood but he was considered my first love.

I wish back then I could change that entire conversation, I wish that I could have picked my gun up and killed Melvin myself. I followed everything this nigga told me to do. The only thing that he did for me was flip the script and black male me a year later. I still couldn’t get over the fact that he took his daughter and sold her for more money. It didn’t hurt me at first when I kidnapped her. It bothered me hearing my sister cry over that little girl. The last time I heard Queen cry was when our parents left.

I bonded with Princess; I considered her my daughter too. It didn’t bother me because I just knew I would still be able to sneak off and be with her since her dad would finally have her. Melvin didn’t see the shit that way, he got rid of her fast confusing me more and showing me how evil he truly was. At first, he lied and said she was with family, but when I refused to steal more money he crushed me by saying that he would sell Princess and make a killing off of her.

I didn’t know what the hell this nigga was using all the money that he had stolen from Sovereign. I didn’t even know where the man really stayed. Each time we met was on the outskirts of the city. He would leave the state and pop back up demanding. Melvin was more obsessed with Sovereign then anything. He would ask me questions about Queen, ask for pictures then get mad when he would find out that she was fucking multiple different niggas.

As more time passed, I finally fell out of love with him and saw him for who he truly was. Murk’um and I got closer than close, and I kept trying to find ways to end Melvin. Each time I had the opportunity I froze up. I couldn’t explain why I froze up; I just did. The fear of doing it just had me stuck. Now I let things get out of hand, it felt like I was running out of time. It was only a matter of time, when all of this shit backfired on me and knocked me down hard.

I was tired of kicking money out to this nigga and going through the troubles of keeping him at bay. It felt like I was constantly looking over my shoulders, living in fear. Which wasn’t cool at all. I looked over at Murk’um and felt secure in his bed. Picking up my phone, I went to Queen’s number and just stared at her contact name. I often contemplated making that call to her for us to meet and for me to confess. I always backed out of that because it was too late.

I knew Sovereign loved me but was it enough to keep her from killing me once she found out all the shit that I had done. I was apart of the reason to a lot of her troubles. Down to her taking a big loss on the money she had before me, and Melvin plotted hard against her.

“Lay down Clapback, I hate when you do that shit. It’s our off day and you up fighting with your thoughts and shit. Let shit be what it is until it changes and faces you.” Murk’um pulled me down next to him and spooned me. My sleep was always chopped up. I could sleep for a hour or two but would wake up battling my own thoughts. I stayed spinning shit a hundred times and my head trying to reason with myself.

That’s how it felt when you had demons riding your back all day. I would pray but I’ve done so many foul things along with Sovereign that I knew for a fact God would not be listening to us. When you made your bed, you had to lay in it.

“I got to make some shit right before its too late, what stresses me the most is I don’t know how.” My brows knitted together; I was trying my hardest to fight back the tears that somehow already escaped.

“Look at me.” I turned slowly until I was laying on my side looking at Murk’um. His eyes bored into mine. His hands gliding up and down my body slowly, I shut my eyes and tried to relax my scattered nerves.

“It’s too late to double back now, let that shit go. On the real Empress, you got to let it go. I done asked you several times did you want to plan a way to kill that nigga and each time you say some bullshit. So, it confuses me how you be around here most days acting like a fuckin’ zombie. I’m not trying to be mean or no shit like that. I’m just being real, if you not trying to plot a way to kill this nigga then stopped stressing yourself over him. We got bigger shit to focus on, you feel me?”

I nodded my head because I couldn’t reveal my whole hand without revealing the next person dear to me hand. If I revealed more of what I knew about the whole situation, then bloodshed would spread and my life would not only be threatened by my sister but my Abuela too.

Chapter Seventeen

MALICE AKA INFERNO

I was in a bad ass mood; I knew what the problem was but refused to see it that way. There was no way a woman that I was practically forced to marry for my father’s sanity and protection could possibly be on my mind so tough. I bit my bottom lip thinking about the way Sovereign pussy clenched my dick. The hesitation and rejection of her kissing me. It had been two weeks since I laid eyes on her, my men watched her, but she threw them off of her in just one day. I almost wanted to kill them niggas because they got paid well just to follow a woman and keep tabs on her but failed at doing just that. Sparing their lives, I ended their jobs and hired new men, then told Big B to find her. I didn’t know if she was in Cali or in Mexico, her whole demeanor changed after the meeting I had in place for the syndicate.

I sat in the backseat of my business car, ashing my blunt out the window looking at the outside of my mother’s house. This was my real home, the only woman that truly understood me and wanted nothing but the best for her only son. I smirked at all the flowers and plants my mom had planted over the years to keep her busy. She didn’t have to work because I took care of all her needs, but she loved to create projects around the house. She traveled a lot and explored the world to keep her mind off of me and the things that I was up to.

I didn’t even know if she was home now because I hadn’t called. There was no indication of her being here, she always parked her car in the garage. She would probably lose her cool if she had known that I up and got married without informing her. If she knew it was because of my father, she’d fly back to Mexico and shoot his ass herself. My mom was a strong beautiful black woman that didn’t take no shit from anyone. I could understand why my father was so smitten and still in love with her.

For some reason, us men took to women that was hard to obtain and control. I had to start looking at things that way because before Sovereign I didn’t want a woman to be just mine fully. Even still with her, I didn’t want to commit or to be expected to carry on in a way as an average man. I had too much money to be worried about the next person feelings. I couldn’t deny the feeling of being ghosted from Sovereign; she changed her number like I wouldn’t be able to obtain the new set of digits in seconds.

I just had a lot on my plate and tracking her down and coming after her wasn’t the number one thing on my to do list. It’s why I had Big B to handle that.

“Something tells me, your outside of my house, after acting like you don’t have a mother for two months.” I closed my eyes and inhaled the good kush that filled my lungs and released it. Holding my phone up, I tilted my head to the side smirking.

“What’s up ma?” it felt good just hearing her voice. I missed my mom so much that sitting in front of her house made me feel close enough to her.

“Malice Ashonti Ruiz! I wish I was home so that I could slap the fire from you.” I chuckled lowly and remained quiet. I let the breeze hit my face as my head rest on the seat, the smell of my mother’s freshly mowed grass hit my nostrils with a small scent of flowers. I missed being here the most. It was peaceful and quiet in San Clemente, a good distance from Los Angeles.

“What’s on your mind son?” I could already hear the worry in her voice.

“A lot, Ma, always a lot. It’s a new girl in my life as well, that’s complicated. I will have to explain that to you in person. Where are you?” I quickly changed the subject before she could even start her motherly interrogation. I could have easily called the security that I kept attached to her and find her location, but I didn’t invade in her privacy like that.

“Thailand, with a friend.” I raised my eyebrow at that, I hope this friend wasn’t someone that I would later have to burn to the ground. I tapped the petition letting my driver know to drive off to my next location.

“What friend? Have I met this friend?”