Dirty South

CHAPTER ONE

Coco stared at the deserted untidy road from the rear side mirror as Vill roughly rode her and Brandy. Her cheeks were cold while she tried to gather her thoughts. She spoke rapidly, gesticulating wildly, making faces to emphasize a point.

Christ! Vill hated himself and Chief Kaave even more, for having him drive the witch to the 2021 annual function of TRENDZ. But she was the most sensual woman he had ever laid eyes on...

"Vill?" Coco questioned sharply. "Are you listening to me?" She felt a sharp sense of frustration.

"Yes ma." He replied quickly, feeling embarrassed because she was only a slip of a girl, what was she now, twenty seven or eight? and yet she was so bright and knowing, perhaps bossy. She probably knew what he was thinking.

Coco Kaave. Daughter of his boss, Chief Kaave.

Bitch, spoiled, heartless, quick to temper, temptress. Vill knew her as all of those things.

"Vill, you just have to do this" She fumbled in an oversized Gucci bag and produced a pack of cookies, giving some to Vill and her childhood friend Brandy. "No way it is the right time for me to leave the country. No way. You must stop my dad from doing this."

He shrugged and continued driving, while munching the cookies. Sometimes she could be so stupid. How could she expect anyone to stop Chief Kaave from doing exactly what he wanted, how could she expect him to rebel against Chief Kaave? His loyalty lay with only Chief Kaave. As his daughter, she above all others should know that.

After all, Chief Kaave and Coco were two of a kind, they were as alike as two separate people could ever hope to be. Even physically she looked just like her father. The same aggressively sexual face, brown skinned, with deep set smoldering black eyes and wide sensual lips.

The only difference being the nose: Chief Kaave's was masculine and prominent; hers was smaller, more suited to her femininity.

They both had black curly hair. Coco wore hers shoulder length in a tangled mass of jet curls, and Chief Kaave, at seventy-plus, still had a fine head of hair.

"Are you going to do as I say?" She demanded. "Well?" Tight lipped, she demanded. "Well? Are you?"

Vill thought it best not to mention that at that very moment Chief Kaave was in a jet circling the city. Soon he would be landing. Soon he would be at the annual function. Coco would just have to face the fact that her father has not forgiven her yet.

Did she even know that her father would be relieving her of her duties at Trendz immediately after the annual function? Christ! The shit was going to hit the fan, and he, Vill, was going to be right on target.

After fifteen minutes of driving, Vill dozed off behind the steering wheel causing the car to stop abruptly. Coco unremorseful, stared at Brandy who was also deep asleep.

The timing was perfect. Coco took a deep breath, moved Vill to the back of the Bentley and drove. She headed towards Southside. She looked around and recognized the two police men on patrol. She reached out her hand through the window and handed the police officers a few bucks.

A slow smile worked it's way across her face, as they signaled her to drive through. A smile that said maybe the game wasn't all that important. She was crazy to think that. The police men understood the assignment.

***

Coco sipped Hennessy as she scanned her initial plans, then looked up. Vill and Brandy were asleep on the bare floor, loudly snoring. Coco's face shadowed. She sighed deeply. As she moved to the door she turned back, reenergized and seemingly as angry as ever. She gave Vill two kicks on his chest and spat on his face.

Her life had moved on. So she thought, until Vill openly declared interest in running the empire with her. She's been down and out for a long time, but things were different now. Did he dare take a chance on the empire, knowing the dangers of competing with her first-hand? She smacked Vill one more time, on the face, and left the room.

***

Vill stretched, glanced at his wrist watch, and seeing it was nearly ten thirty 10pm, he let out a loud scream. "Christ!" He thought quickly of the annual function at Trendz and realized he had been asleep for close to five hours. He looked around, trying to study the environment, his eyes settled on Brandy, still asleep, snoring in a way that irritated him.

So the witch had poisoned those cookies? The only thing that didn't make sense to him was why she would also poison her childhood friend Brandy. He dipped his right hand in his pocket, silently praying and desperately hoping to still find his cell phone in his pocket. He did find it.

Vill felt an instant sense of alarm as the telephone in the room rang. The continuous ringing of the telephone brought Brandy awake. She stood up, looking at Vill, confused. Vill picked up the receiver and a man's voice whispered,

"You son of a bitch! You double crossed me."

Vill felt his body begin to tremble. "Who is this?" He asked. But he knew.

"You told the cops to come and get me."

"That's not true! I..."

"You promised to help me."

"I will help you. Where are...?"

"You lying cunt!" His voice dropped so low he could hardly make out his words. "You're going to pay for this."

The telephone was dead. Vill stood there, chilled. Something had gone wrong. Vill was trying to control the trembling of his body, trying to think, to reason out what had happened, when Brandy interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey. Where's this place, why are we here, how did we get here, what's happening?" Brandy's voice was sober and filled with fear.

"I don't know." Vill said. Making his way to the door. Brandy followed, and dragged him by his shirt.

"Hey, I'm talking to you. Don't tell me you don't know, we both know, you know." Brandy knew from the look on his voice that something was wrong. "Where's Coco?"

"I don't know what games Coco is trying to play.."

"What do you mean by games?"

"Is this really how dumb of a human you are, or you are tryna' act stupid?" Vill was getting angry now. He moved closer to Brandy. "Tell me something. You're part of this game right, Coco put you..?"

"This is no fucking game dude! What have you done to Coco, what are your plans?" Brandy reached out for her phone. It was flat dead. Staring at the dead phone in her hands, she felt a stirring within her, but it was not anger.

She was not sure what it was, and she was not sure she liked it.

"My phone is on. Here, call Coco." Vill put the phone in Brandy's hand. He walked over and sat on the floor, as there were no chairs, or bed in the room. The phone rang. It was Coco. Vill jumped to his feet, snatched the phone from Brandy and spoke angrily.

"Are you insane! Where are you, what exactly are you up to?"

"You are in deep shit, why didn't you tell me my dad was already in town? Vill!!! I hate you! and I will make you pay for this." Coco aggressively fired back on the other end of the phone.

"Why didn't you also tell me you poisoned the cookies? Why did you even do it?" He stabilized his voice and spoke softly. "I am sorry. Where are you?"

"At the annual function of course, if you told me my dad would be present I would have done better. I would have put in my best, you need to see the look on his face. He is so disappointed in me and my efforts." Her voice had a peculiar nasal whine.

"Hold on. I am coming. Where are the keys, and what's the way out of here?"

"The door is open. Follow the road to Ekulu. Southside is a dead end." Coco ended the call.

Vill took one last look around the room and headed for the door.

"You can't leave me here." Brandy followed Vill.

Vill and Brandy walked slowly down the desserted, windswept street. A light snow had begun to fall, casting a chiffon veil over the world.

Brandy pulled her coat tighter about her and they moved on down the street, peering into the curtain of snow ahead, as though they were trying to see into the future.

After two hours of walking the streets of Ekulu. Brandy sat down, under a tree. Watching the crickets make strange sounds, until her eyes grew tired. Vill was upright, looking.

"Let's go. We're almost there. The ware house is a stone throw from here." Vill said. "We'll pass a night at the ware house. A driver will come pick us in the morning. Don't worry, the ware house is very comfortable. I just hope you can cook."

Before Brandy could reply, two masked men pulled up from behind, battering Vill.