Animal 4.5 Page 7

  As Animal listened to her heels click away, he had no idea whether she would actually come back or not, but he was hopeful. A few minutes later when the goddess had returned with the bottle of Hennessey, he knew he had been right in his assessment of her. Unlike some of the other girls the goddess wasn’t moved by how much money a man could spend, but how strong his will was. She was used to men folding and bending according to her whims and the fact that Animal had dared speak to her as if she was just an average broad intrigued her.

  Animal looked up at the goddess, standing there with the bottle of liquor and two glasses. “You gonna just stand there gawking, or you gonna sit down so we can break bread?” He hooked his foot around the leg of a chair across from him and pulled it closer.

  “You’re a cocky muthafucka, ain’t you?” the goddess accepted the seat he offered and placed the bottle and glasses on the table.

  “Not cocky, love, just observant. You don’t strike me as a woman who isn’t much in the way of playing games, so I figure laying my cards on the table was the best play,” Animal said in a smooth drawl.

  “And what if I’d told you to go fuck yourself instead of entertaining you?” she asked.

  Animal shrugged. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’d be rejected by a beautiful woman. It might’ve stung a taste, but I think I’d have lived,” he took the bottle and cracked the seal. “What’s your name, beautiful?” he poured two short shots.

  “They call me Kat, and you are?”

  “These days I go by Red, at least until we’re a little better acquainted,” Animal capped.

  Kat looked from his red Converse to the red bandana that was hanging from his right pocket. “What are you, some kind of blood, or something?”

  “Or something is closer to the truth. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Kat,” Animal raised his glass.

  “Likewise, Red,” she toasted him, before throwing her liquor back. “Well you’re on the clock now, so what’s your pleasure?”

  “I’m trying to go around the world and back again,” Animal said, openly admiring her.

  “That’s an expensive ride.” She returned his hungry look. “Like I told you when I came in,” he pulled a roll of money from his pocket and sat it on the table, “I ain’t stunting the cost as long as the ride is worth it.”

  Kat picked up the roll and eyed it greedily. Without discussing price, she slipped the whole roll into her halter-top. “If you’re spending all this I’m going to take you on a ride you’ll never forget, honey. Let’s move this party to the penthouse.” Kat stood up and extended her hand.

  Kat led Animal through the room by the hand, drawing more than a few scorned stares from the men who had missed out on her company for the night. Many of them were clearly wealthier or more powerful than the young hooligan in the red sneakers, but the fact that he was skating off with Kat meant he had something that their money couldn’t purchase…swag.

  Just beyond the bar were the stairs that went to the upper levels. Guarding them was a gargantuan man who bore a striking resemblance to a gorilla. He stared at Animal with hard eyes, while Kat whispered something in his ear. He nodded then stepped to the side to let them through. On each landing of each floor, that they passed there was at least one bouncer assigned to guard that level. One bouncer on each floor seemed hardly enough to provide adequate security for a place that did that business in such high volumes, which told Animal there were likely reinforcements hiding in the cut, waiting for the signal to roll out and bust some heads. He filed that bit of information away in case he needed to call it up later.

  When they finally reached the top floor, there was another member of the security team. This one was a burly young man wearing thick black glasses. Instead of standing at attention like the others, he lounged lazily in a chair thumbing through a newspaper. He finally looked up from his reading when he noticed Kat and Animal, adjusting his frames.

  “Sup, Boogie?” Kat greeted him.

  “Ain’t shit, Kat. I didn’t know you were working tonight,” Boogie said.

  “Shit, I’m working whenever there’s money in the building,” Kat replied. “I’m gonna need a room for a couple of hours.”

  Boogie glanced over his shoulder to the upper level and took a quick survey of open vs. closed doors. “Go ahead, you good. Only one room is in use so you can take your pick of the other two.”

  “Okay, thanks, baby.” Kat stepped past Boogie, headed for the upper level.

  When Animal made to follow her, Boogie stopped him. “Hold on, Slick. You gotta pay the toll to cross the bridge,” he held one of his meaty palms out.

  “I got it, Boogie,” Kat reached in her top and pulled out the bankroll she’d taken from Animal. She peeled a few bills off the top and handed them to Boogie. “I’ll settle the balance when we’re done,” she pulled Animal along up the stairs.

  “Make sure you don’t forget me, Kat. You take care of me and I’ll take care of you!” Boogie called after them as they went down the hall to select a room. He continued to watch Kat’s phat ass sway back and forth, touching himself. “She gots to let me taste that!” he said more to himself than anyone else.

  Animal surveyed the infamous penthouse. There were three rooms on the top floor, two along the left wall and one down at the end of the hall. Kat had selected the room down the hall to entertain Animal. Just as Boogie had said, there was only one other occupied room on the floor at the time. That had to be the room Momo was in. He looked over his shoulder to gage the distance between the staircase landing that Boogie occupied and the room his target was in. It would be close, but not impossible.

  The inside of the room reminded Animal of some of the hotels he had stayed in over the years. There was a king sized bed, two chairs, and a writing desk with a lamp and an iPod dock on it.

  “Make yourself comfortable, Red. I’ll be back in a second.” Kat slipped into the small bathroom inside the room.

  As soon as Kat was out of sight, Animal got up and began surveying the room. In addition to the bathroom there was also a door that opened up into a small closet, which was empty save for a few rolls of tissue and a half empty case of soap. He next searched the drawers to make sure there weren’t any concealed weapons. After checking the room for hidden cameras, he moved to the window. It overlooked the parking lot in the back of the building. He tried to open it, but as he suspected, it was locked. That ruled it out as a potential exit, at least a painless one.

  Animal had just sat on the bed when Kat reappeared from the bathroom. She had shed the sarong and was now wearing only a G-string and two floral pasties over her nipples. He couldn’t help but to watch her big ass as it sashayed over to the writing desk. She pulled her phone from the small sequined bag she was carrying and began scrolling through it. Once she found the desired playlist, she hit play and sauntered back over to stand in front of Animal. She pulled him to his feet, pressing her body against him.

  “So you want it straight up, or do you have something else in mind?” Kat asked.

  “Actually, I do have something else in mind. That is if you’re up to it?” Animal said suggestively. He draped his arms around Kat.

  “And what’s that, baby?”

  “Sleep,” Animal hissed, before spinning Kat around and putting her in a reverse chokehold. She struggled against Animal in an attempt to free herself. “Don’t fight it, baby. Just go to sleep,” he added a touch more pressure. Eventually Kat’s struggling ceased. Animal laid her gently on the bed and checked her pulse. He didn’t want her dead, just out of the way. Animal dug in her bag and lifted the money he’d given her before slipping out of the room.

  Once in the hallway, Animal pressed himself firmly against the wall to avoid detection. From where Boogie was standing on the landing, he couldn’t see that far down the hall unless he came up the few steps to the floor. Animal slid along the wall until he reached the room where he knew Momo and Luther were. He pressed his ear to the door and heard the sounds of rough s
ex. There was also something else, a scent Animal couldn’t quite place. It didn’t smell like any of the usual suspects; cigarettes, weed, crack, or even angel dust. Whatever it was they were smoking had a foul edge to it.

  After sparing a glance down the hall to make sure the coast was still clear, Animal set about the task of gaining entry into the room. Thankfully, the locks weren’t magnetic; they were regular keyholes with tumblers. He had been breaking and entering with Brasco and his uncles since he was a kid, so he was able to make short work of it. He took a minute to screw the silencer to the end of the gun he was carrying before going inside.

  The room was dark, and Animal had been worried that they’d notice the light from the hall when he slipped into the room, but they were so busy going at it that someone could’ve let off a bomb in the room and he doubted they’d have even blinked, let alone stopped fucking. Momo sat atop Luther, bucking back and forth his lap. Her body was illuminated by the soft glow of streetlight outside the window. You could tell that her supple ass and erect breasts had been surgically enhanced, but whoever had done the work was gifted enough to where the implants looked almost natural. Watching Momo ride Luther like a cowgirl at a rodeo, Animal was able to understand why men so willingly paid top dollar to be with her.

  Animal was inching across the room, towards the bed, but he froze when he saw Momo’s body shift. She had turned almost to the point where he would’ve been in her line of vision, then leaned over and reached for something on the nightstand. There was the flash of a lighter and Animal was able to see the glass cylinder between her lips as she touched the flame to it. She took a deep hit, held in the smoke, and leaned in to release it into Luther’s nose. Smelling it in the hallway was one thing, but being in a closed space with the stench made Animal want to retch. When Animal decided he had seen enough, he decided to make his presence felt and flicked on the light.

  “What the fuck?” Luther jumped up, knocking Momo off his lap in the process. He was a light-skinned man with a slight build, and a mouth that looked like it was too big for his face.

  “How you doing Luther?” Animal stepped closer to the bed, keeping his gun trained on him.

  “Do we know each other?” Luther asked.

  “Not yet, but I suspect before it’s all said and done I’m going to know you and your secrets very intimately.” Animal stepped closer. In the light, he could see both of their faces and it was obvious that they were both high as kites, but Momo looked like she was on another planet. She looked at the gun in his hand and seemed more curious about it than afraid of it. Whatever they were smoking must’ve been some heavy shit.

  “Fuck this about?” Luther asked. From the tightness of his mouth when he spoke you could tell the drugs had numbed it.

  “This is about why a broke nigga like you is so popular amongst the rich lately. You’re so popular, and how I can use that popularity to my advantage.”

  “Dude, I don’t know who you think I am, but you’re wrong.

  I’m just the manager of a messenger service.”

  Animal’s open hand slapped Luther so hard that he fell off the bed. He was so high he probably didn’t feel it, but it got his attention. “The last nigga who tried to play me for a fool tonight ended up dead. Now shoot straight or you gonna feel some real fire,” he brandished his gun.

  “Are you a demon?” Momo looked at Animal with an almost child-like innocence. She was kneeling on the bed, rocking back and forth. “Mama told me bad spirits come to take loose young girls to hell to pay for their whorishness. Have you come to take me to hell?”

  “Well, sweeties, that’ll all depend on how helpful your friend is.” Animal played on her delusion.

  “Tell the demon what he wants to know so I don’t have to go to hell. I don’t wanna go to hell, I wanna play some more,” she crawled across the bed and pawed at Luther’s manhood.

  “You heard her, Luther. Tell the big bad demon what he wants to know or else when he goes home he’ll be bringing company for dinner,” Animal said sinisterly. “I already spoke to your lawyer so I know about NYAK. I also know that you’re connected to Tiger Lily and her cartel in some way, so I’m trying to figure out the connection. Is NYAK laundering money for the cartel?”

  Luther chuckled. “Dude, not only are you clueless but you’re barking up a tree you really don’t want to climb. If you already know I’m connected to the cartel then you realize I’ve got important friends…friends who’ll take everything you love if something happens to me.”

  Animal clocked Luther with the butt of his gun, opening a gash in his head before snatching him to his feet and shoving his gun under his chin. “Tiger Lily and the cartel have already taken everything I love, so there isn’t much more they can do to me. I got nothing else to lose, can you say the same?”

  “If you shoot me, you’ll never get the information you’re looking for,” Luther warned.

  “Yeah, I had thought about that,” Animal tucked his gun and pulled a knife from his back pocket. “This is why I came prepared to start hacking off pieces of you until you tell me what I need to know.”

  “Okay, okay,” Luther relented. The threat of his impending death seemed to sober him up. “Look, I’m just a courier. I sometimes take important things from point A to point B and get well compensated for it,” he admitted.

  “Whatever you’re transporting back and forth must be extremely important for someone to make sure you’ve got one of the best lawyers in the city on-call for when you fuck up. What do you deliver and who do you deliver it to?”

  “C’mon, man. You know who I’m dealing with so you know what they’ll do to me if I talk,” Luther pleaded with Animal.

  Animal patted the blade against Luther’s cheek. “And obviously you have no idea what I’ll do to you if you don’t.”

  Luther’s looked into the eyes of the wild haired young man who had intruded on his freak session and saw no signs that he’d be able to reason or negotiate with him. He was already in the crosshairs of the cartel for his recent fuck ups and his lawyer, Stein, had advised him to lay low until they worked things out, but Luther wouldn’t listen. His brain whirled, desperately searching for a way to buy himself some time to figure a way out of the mess he was in. It was either remain silent and die right there, or talk and die later. Neither prospect was appealing. He opened his mouth to fire off his best lie, but Momo saved him the trouble.

  “To hell! To hell! The demons have come to take us to hell but I ain’t going!” Momo shouted before leaping from the bed and charging. Her attack caught him off guard, and she managed to knock him into the wall, dislodging the knife from his hand.

  Animal intercepted Momo’s wrists just as her long acrylic nails tried to claw his eyes out. For a girl her size, Momo was stronger than Animal expected. In fact, she was a little too strong. Trying to wrestle her down was like trying to pin a three-hundred-pound man. When Momo grabbed him by the legs and Animal felt his feet leaving the ground, he knew it was time to take drastic measures. He punched Momo Square in the mouth with everything he had. Her lip split, sending blood running down her chin. The blow was supposed to crumple Momo, but it only seemed to intensify her attack.

  “I ain’t gonna let you take me, demon! You hear me? I ain’t gonna let you take me!” Momo screamed in his face then started strangling him.

  Just beyond Momo, Animal saw Luther slip his pants on and grab his messenger bag from the floor. He was trying to use the distraction she had caused for his window of escape. If Animal lost him then he was sure he wouldn’t be able to find him a second time, and it would also alert Lilith to what he was attempting to do. He had to end things with Momo and quickly. Animal raised his foot and kicked Momo in the stomach, sending her tumbling over the bed. It allowed him a second to catch his breath so he could deal with his next dilemma, which was Momo coming up from the floor holding his knife.

  Momo sprang across the room, madness dancing in her eyes and every intention on gutting Animal. She had bac
ked him into a corner. Animal drew his gun and shot Momo once in the thigh. She stumbled, but kept charging. He shot her again, this time in the stomach, slowing her down but her insanity carried her on. Animal had a code against killing women or children, but he was no longer dealing with a woman. Whatever Momo was on had turned her into something else. Animal grabbed a pillow from the bed to muffle the sound, and shot Momo twice in the chest, finally dropping her.

  By then Luther was streaking across the room to the door. He had just managed to get it open when Animal kicked it closed again, almost lopping off one of Luther’s fingers in the process. Luther swung the messenger bag at Animal’s head, but the move was slow and awkward. Animal countered with a combination to the stomach, and tagged him on his chin one time for good measure. Luther’s arms went flailing and the bag flew in the air, sending the contents flying. Luther made one last desperate attempt to grab for the documents on the floor, but Animal brining his pistol around stopped him.

  “Stay down, stupid, before I smoke you,” Animal warned.

  “Don’t matter. I was dead the minute you came in here asking questions about the cartel,” Luther pulled himself to his feet. Animal thought he might’ve been ready to launch another attack, but instead he sat on the edge of the bed, shoulders sagging in defeat.

  “I would think you would be more worried about the man holding a gun on you than some bitch that’s a half a world away,” Animal said.

  “You think distance matters to someone like Lilith? If she wants you dead, you’re dead, and it don’t matter how far you run or where you hide. But you’ll find that out on your own soon enough.”

  “Not if I kill her first,” Animal countered.

  A smirk formed on Luther’s face. “You have no idea who or what you’re dealing with, do you? Tiger Lily is an enemy you don’t want.”

  “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that? You think Tiger Lily is the first organized crime boss that I’ve gone against? No matter how big or bad they are, they all bleed the same.”