Gangsta Twist 3 (4 page)

Laughing, Tari said, “Surprise him? That's funny. Have you forgotten that his loving wife oversees all financial matters for Good Investments Inc.? There is no way we could pull this off without Taz knowing about it.”

“Yes, there is. I haven't had to touch any of it. Shoot, I haven't even bought a new car 'cause I've been driving all of Taz's.”

“True. I still wonder why you haven't sold those damn cars. You don't drive them all. You stuck in that six-year-old Mercedes when you should be pushing something brand new.”

“You know that's not my style, Tee. That's my daddy's way not mine.”

“Whatever. Even if you tried to spend your own money he would know it. That money Won left you is still in the offshore accounts and Taz would be notified. I'm sorry, baby girl; Taz is going to have to be in on this from the start. He trusts you, Neema; he's proud of you for what you've been doing here. I don't think he'll give you any problems with this restaurant.”

“Are you sure?”

Laughing, Tari said, “I'm about as sure of it as I can be. You know your father; he switches up whenever he feels like it.”

“I know. Shoot, this is all his fault anyway. If he wouldn't have ever moved to California I wouldn't have never went to that Roscoe's Chicken & Waffle place and this idea wouldn't have came to my mind. Now it's become somewhat of an obsession for me. I want Good Investments Inc. to be the first to bring a chicken and waffle restaurant to the city. And, dammit, Tee, I'm doing it.”

“Go for it, Neema, you have my full support. Now call your daddy.”

Tazneema smiled at Tari and said, “Nope. I'm scared!” She started laughing louder and said, “He's flying out here tonight. He doesn't know I know. Mama-Mama called me this morning and told me Sacha called her and told her that they were all coming home to spend a week out here. I'll talk to him when he gets here.”

Tari smiled and shook her head from side to side and said, “That way you can have some big time backup.”

“Yep. Some major backup. With you, Sacha, and Mama-Mama on my side that restaurant is good as ours.”

“You're a grown woman and I am so proud of you, Neema, but you're still that little spoiled brat we all love so much.”

Neema smiled happily and said, “That I am, Tee, that I am!”

The Network was formed by three men who felt that it was time for the black man to control more within the streets of the ghettos across the U.S. The Italians had their mafia, the Colombians and the Cubans had their cartels, but there was no one representing the black man in the urban community where most of these illegal enterprises were making their absurdly large amounts of money. The three founding members of the Network knew that there was no way that they would be able to remove the Italians, Colombians, or Cubans because they were already firmly positioned across the U.S. They were not afraid to make a stake and claim certain areas across the country because they knew without a doubt as long as they stuck together and continued to earn money for those in power sooner or later their position of power would increase. So their plan for over thirty years was to continue to make money, save money, recruit new members, expand, and gradually gain the power that would be necessary to make them a respected criminal organization in their own right.

Floyd “Cash Flo” Harris along with this two cousins Franklin Flintroy and Marcus Flintroy started the Network and recruited the first three serious members within their organization: William “Won” Hunter, Patrick “Pitt” Thomas, and Charles “Mack” Brown, three men who they felt were intelligent enough to understand their goals and would bring the right type of hustling and money-earning skills to help further the goals set for the Network. Three men who were ruthless enough to be able to handle the bloodshed that they knew would be sure to follow once they began their quest for their position of power. Three men who they knew without a doubt would be 100 percent loyal to the Network.

These men were the original members of the Network's council. The first twenty-plus years of the Network's existence was a turbulent one to say the least. Plenty of violence and more death than any of the men within the council had anticipated. But they prevailed and the Network became a highly respected criminal organization along with its Italian, Cuban, and Columbian peers. They were strategically scattered across the country and continued to grow and make the necessary moves to gain even more power. They knew they had to continue to grow; the power came with numbers so more members as well as states were added.

Now here it was a little over thirty years into their existence and the original members of the Network's council were no longer among the living. Frank and Marcus Flintroy had been the first casualties in a war against the Italians while vying for a stronger position in New York. That was a crucial war. It cost the Flintroy brothers their lives but it also showed the Italians that the Network were serious and there to stay. Before the Flintroys had been slain they made sure that they killed several key members of the Italian mob's hierarchy. This helped the infamy of the new, upcoming criminal organization called the Network.

Charles “Mack” Brown had been kidnapped and murdered by the Cubans because he made the terrible mistake of bedding the wife of one of the top Cuban leaders. That had been an embarrassing moment for the Network. One that Cash Flo was determined to forget.

Then William “Won” Hunter was shot and killed by Patrick “Pitt” Thomas because Pitt figured out that Won had been conspiring against him and Cash Flo to take over the top spot of the Network. Won, who was known as a tactician of a high order, had been prepared for Pitt and anticipated his moves against him, so before his murder had taken place he devised a plan that would place his protégé in the top spot of the Network in case he failed. Before Won was murdered by Pitt, Cash Flo had been assassinated in his home by one of Won's trusted comrades. That same comrade also made sure that Pitt would meet his untimely demise.

The Network's ten-man council had a new leader now and Won's protégé position carried an extreme amount of pressure and responsibility. The ten-man council that Cash Flo, Won and Pitt helped originate after the deaths of the Flintroy brothers and Mack Brown was designed so all the territories across the U.S. would have a proper representative within the Network. The top man of the Network possessed total control over all decisions made concerning the Network. Each member had a vote on decisions and how the money was to be earned or any other business ventures, which included drugs, prostitution, gambling, and murder. Discipline was a must; if any rules of the Network were violated there would be no hesitation when it came to dispensing the proper punishment for wrongs committed. The ten-man council consisted of eight men and two women. Each was highly respected within their home state and communities, was rich and held stellar positions legally and owned several successful businesses. Being 100 percent legal in all aspects of business if anyone cared to take a close look at their financial status kept their business with the Network hidden very well. Each member ran their respective criminal activities with an iron fist. An iron fist backed with the support and power of the one and only all-black criminal organization, The Network.

Piper Dixon ran Seattle, Colorado, and with Pitt's demise she inherited his Northern California operations in Oakland and San Francisco as well as the entire Bay area. She wasn't a fan of Taz's, but she did respect him for the positive moves he'd made thus far as their new leader of the Network. She continued to watch his every move though. She knew that somehow Won had had Pitt killed and for that she felt a personal grudge against Taz, respect or not.

Jay Bogard ran Detroit and all of the state of Michigan from Flint to Kalamazoo. He was a longtime gangster from the Michigan streets and for years ran the drug trade with heroin, pills, and cocaine without anyone ever knowing of his notorious ways. Real low-key, an intense businessman and even more loyal friend, Taz appreciated Jay for the way he stood by his side from the start of his reign over the Network. Jay was definitely a Taz supporter mainly because he trusted and loved Won totally.

G.R., another highly successful businessman, ran St. Louis and Kansas City and was also a Taz supporter. He had been good friends with Won for years and may have been the only man on the council who knew of Won's plans to take over the Network. When he heard of Won's death he had been deeply saddened because for the first time in all of the years he had known Won it seemed his good friend had finally lost. He laughed with pure joy and admiration when he heard of Pitt's and Cash Flo's demise because he knew then without a doubt that his longtime friend had indeed achieved the goal he set out to do. That was to be the top man of the Network. He may not have been the man actually running it, but he placed the man he wanted to run the Network in the top spot and that was the same thing in G.R.'s eyes. So in essence his friend had indeed won. Taz would always have G.R.'s support.

Chinaman ran the entire East Coast so incognito that it was thought that he was a mythical figure. Then money earned from up top was so stupid at times that a member of the Network felt that they were underachieving in comparison to Chinaman. Everything he touched made profits whether it was drugs, robberies, or whatever. He was a cash cow for the Network. His primary focus was money and more money. So as long as Taz continued to help the Network remain in the position to make the money he couldn't care less about the politics within the Network so his position was considered to be neutral within the council. Most times when the voting wasn't flat-out overruled by Taz, which wasn't often, Chinaman's vote would be the deciding factor.

Chill Will was one of the two men who ran parts of the Lone Star State. Texas was so large that it had been broken down into two parts. Chill ran Dallas and East Texas as well as Houston. He was a savvy and shrewd businessman as well as a deadly gangster in his own right. He had been loyal to Pitt for years so it was a no-brainer that he was not one of Taz's fans. He did admire the young man though and that said a lot in Taz's favor because Chill Will rarely gave praise for anyone.

Snuffy had been loyal to Won for years and for his role in taking care of Cash Flo and Pitt once he got the call from Won he had been awarded a spot on to the council. Snuffy ran Austin, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi, Texas, along with his wife and confidante Charlene. Charlene was his right hand in everything that he was a part of. She was an unofficial member of the council because she couldn't attend the quarterly meetings, but Taz knew and accepted the fact that Snuffy shared everything with her. That didn't bother him at all because he knew without a doubt they were on his side on whatever he chose to do even if they didn't agree with him. They were loyal. Snuffy owned several successful luxury car lots throughout Austin and San Antonio. He lacked in certain areas when it came to his legal businesses but Charlene was there to pick up the slack. Together they were one hell of a team both legally and illegally.

Snack was the Southern gentleman of the Network. He ran parts of the South and was well known in the South's dominance with the rap game. A mainstay with many successful Southern rappers. Snack was a popular club owner and promoter for concerts in his Southern region as well as abroad. His businesses were successful because he was an admirable man but more so because of his laidback demeanor. Everyone loved dealing with him. Nothing seemed to faze him. He took everything good or bad with a smile on his face. All he wanted to do was make money and enjoy the very best of everything in life as he had the last twenty-plus years. Snack loved his life and how he remained in control and he owed that to the Network. He felt as long as Taz continued to keep the Network headed in the right direction he would support him. He also felt that if he had any say in the young man that decision could change at the drop of a dime. Atlanta, Alabama, and Arkansas as well as parts of Mississippi belonged to Snack. His parts of the South never failed to meet its quarterly quotas because the man known on the council as the Southern gentleman always handled his business.

Malcolm Brown inherited his position and territory from his uncle, the late Charles “Mack” Brown. He was determined to correct the legacy of his late Uncle Mack. He was also considered a ladies' man like his uncle had been, but he never let pussy sway his judgment or dictate his get down like his uncle did. He ran Chicago, Milwaukee, Minnesota, and Indiana so efficiently and effectively that no one on the council doubted him in the slightest. He was his uncle's nephew for sure because he loved gorgeous women, but he would never do anything as stupid as fuck a business associate's wife. He was also totally loyal to Cash Flo and had been devastated when he found out he had been murdered. Though no one knew for certain how Won had put everything together, the whispers within the Network were however it had been put down Won was the orchestrator of it. For that reason solely he couldn't stand Taz. Like the rest of the council he had to respect him for the good he had been doing at the top spot thus far. One day though he hoped to be the man to either replace Taz at the top spot or at least be able to avenge his mentor and friend Cash Flo.

By Taz holding the top spot there was one last member he had to worry about. That council member was a beast in every aspect of the word. She was not to be taken lightly, never, and she let it be known every chance she could that she would one day be the person to rid Taz from the Network. Not only the top spot but the entire organization entirely. She felt he wasn't worthy to hold that position let alone to even be associated with them in any way shape or form. She felt he was inferior and beneath them all, not only because he was at least fifteen years their junior, by far the youngest member on the council, but because he gained the position of power in such a despicable way that she refused to accept him. She reluctantly gave him kudos for the achievements he had earned thus far. He had leadership potential, yes, but in her eyes he hadn't earned that position and for that should be removed. That accompanied with the fact that she had been off and on–again longtime lovers with Cash Flo for years made her detest Taz greatly.

Saint Tramon ran New Orleans and Shreveport as well as Tennessee and was considered to be a voodoo believer who once was said to have had a hex put on all of the men who were against her. Though Taz didn't believe in any of that mess he refused to be alone in a room with Saint Tramon. He watched her warily and was always surprised at how pleasant she could be when they were speaking outside of their quarterly meetings. As soon as the meetings began she wasted no time starting her rant about how he should be replaced as the leader of the Network for whatever reason she chose to use. Four times a year he had to deal with her and so far every time she had been outvoted. Even though if the votes did come in her favor Taz had the overruling say-so because he had the keys to the entire fortune of the Network.

Everyone was eating good, but Taz held the power to destroy each and every member on the council. He knew that one day an attempt would be made on his life. He hoped and prayed that he would be able to find out the person who gained enough courage to go against him because they would surely die a painful death.

Taz, Piper Dixon, Jay Bogard, G.R., Chinaman, Chill Will, Snuffy, Snack, Malcolm Brown, and Saint Tramon made up the eight-man and two-woman council of the notorious Network. A force to be reckoned with, a group of men and women who were highly respected by their peers, the group who had successfully maintained their existence for over three decades. The group was divided evenly, with a young leader who was not to be underestimated in any way. Taz was determined to do things how he wanted to, because he felt in his heart that his best interest was for the Network's overall longevity. Drugs would be their downfall and that was something he was not going to let that happen. His decision was going to either take the Network to the next level or destroy them totally.