remembered one rule his grandpa had told him: “In this life of crime, as soon as you fall, they will all leave you. Trust no one.” Security placed him in the limousine, and Paco thought about Brazil and his asshole of a father. Maybe I should’ve taken the lawyer’s offer and left these sheisty muthafuckas in that shithole in Brazil. Hell, I could’ve been at home with my wife and child. I would’ve killed my father by now, and the Hernandez Cartel would’ve been mine. Fuck, I had the chance and didn’t take it. Now, I’m in Costa Rica being disrespected by one of the most dangerous women in the world. But I’m going to get my respect—one way or another.
* * *
Inside the Palace, once all the drama was gone, Blood barked at everyone. “What, people? The show is over! Ladies and gents, do what you know how to do.”
Blood walked off and could tell a storm was brewing.
Chapter 8
Meet the Family
King escorted both Tyler and Midnight to their rooms on the tenth floor. She told them to get settled in, but not to get too comfortable yet.
She and Swag were about to head up in the elevator to the twelfth floor until an older woman shouted, “King! King, sweetie!”
Both King and Swag turned around and saw two women coming their way. One of the women appeared to be King’s older sister. She looked about 37 and had green eyes, just like King. Swag wondered where King and the woman had gotten those beautiful green eyes from. Even though she was a little heavier, she still had a lovely figure that showed well in a black blouse, denim ripped jeans, and Gucci sandals. Her makeup was beat to the gods, but she didn’t need it because of her perfect olive complexion. She also rocked the famous Halle Berry short cut. The other woman beside her looked to be in her 60s but was still attractive for her age. Even though she was a little older, she had an hourglass frame that showed well in a long, blue, velvet gown. Her caramel complexion was wrinkle-free and smooth like honey. She set it off with diamonds on her earlobes, neck, fingers, and wrists.
“Mama! Grandma!” King shouted with a big smile on her face.
Swag admired King’s smile when seeing her mother and her grandmother. She looked genuine and angelic. King and the women embraced each other in a group hug.
When King was around her mother and grandma, she felt so safe. She could put her boss mode guard down and just be a woman. There was nothing like the family in her mind. King didn’t know what she would do if anything were to happen to her mother and grandmother. The women stopped hugging and looked at one another.
“God, Mommy and Grandmother, I missed you both so much.” King’s voice cracked. She sounded as if she hadn’t seen her mother and grandmother in years.
Swag couldn’t believe what he was looking at right now. The King he’d first met or seen in the documentary, or on the ship, in the limousine, and the grand hallway was nothing like the girl he saw now. She was now this vulnerable, caring, and loving person. To Swag, it was like he was looking at two different people. It was like a Dr.-Jekyll-and-Mr.-Hyde-type moment.
The older woman said something in her Creole language, and Swag was totally lost at this point.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. Mommy missed you so much.” Her mother kissed King on her forehead.
King melted like butter when her mother kissed her. She loved her mother so much despite their earlier years of conflict and neglect. But with lots of healing, talking, and, of course, Grandmother King, their relationships got better.
King’s mother smiled at her, but her eyes traveled to Swag. She looked him up and down like he was something to eat. She walked around her daughter and sauntered up to him. There was a hunger for him in her eyes. She wanted to devour every last drop of him. He was that delicious to her. She wanted to sex him right then and there in the hallway and fanned herself with her hand.
“God, it’s hot in here.”
One thing she could say about her daughter was that she had good taste when it came to men. She just hoped that one day, King would find the right one and make better choices in them than she ever did. She looked Swag up and down again. His clothes were a little wrinkled, but she knew once King cleaned him up and put him in a nice suit, he’d be just fine. She figured Swag was going to make her daughter a lot of money and be number one for female clients.
“Well, hello, there, big fella,” she said, then looked at King. “Darling, who is this sexy man?”
Swag had a lump in his throat. It was bad enough King was on his jock. The last thing he wanted to be was cougar candy, even though in the back of his mind, he was flattered.
King just smiled at the fact her mother was flirting with Swag. One thing she knew about her mother ever since she’d been sober was that she had a thing for younger men from the ages of 18 to 25. She would have her time with them and then send them on their way. But King felt the only reason her mother liked messing with younger men was that she was trying to relive the last few years she’d missed out on. She went from going drug crazy, after major humiliation from being the hottest escort of all of Costa Rica, to a local crack whore. But King was happy that her mother was back on the right track, and that she stayed that way.
King’s mother went over to Swag and rubbed his chest. “What’s your name, Boss?”
Swag cleared his throat and grinned at King’s mother. “Ma’am, I’m—”
“This is Solomon. My Solomon, Mother,” King said, cutting Swag off and standing next to him. “Solomon, this is my mother, Ivy Costello.” She pointed to her mother.
Swag nodded.
Ivy blew him a kiss, but she also knew when King said, “My Solomon” that he was in the house for a purpose. And that any man or woman like that was off-limits. As fine as Swag was, Ivy knew she and King were going to bump heads. For now, things were going to remain neutral.
King shook her head as she looked over at the much-older lady. “And, Solomon, this is Sophia Lourd, my grandmother.”
Sophia smiled and held her hand in Swag’s face. She wanted him to kiss it. “My hand. Kiss it.”
Without hesitation, Swag obeyed.
“Nice, soft lips,” Sophia said. She looked at his wrapped hand. “What happened to your hand, young man?”
Before Swag could answer, King interjected. “Oh, baby, uh, go up to the next floor. There’s a bathroom up there on the far right with a medicine kit. You should find something in there to heal that wound.”
He looked at King and smiled. “All right, then.” He looked back at Ivy and Sophia. “It was nice meeting you, ladies.”
Ivy struck another sexy pose and put her perfectly manicured hand back on his chest. “Nice meeting you too, baby. I hope to do lunch, dinner, or just skip to dessert with you real soon.” She examined his manhood and licked her lips. “Mmm . . .”
Swag turned around, but before he walked over to the elevator, he felt a tap on his butt. He turned around and saw Ivy smiling seductively.
“Damn, baby, you got a nice, firm, phat ass,” she said, grinning lustfully.
Both King and Sophia giggled.
Swag shook his head and speed-walked to the elevator.
Chapter 9
Twinkle Toes
Once Swag got on the eleventh floor, he followed the directions King told him to find the bathroom where the first aid kit was. Once in the bathroom, he closed the door and locked it. The last thing he wanted was King’s crazy ass popping up. And he especially didn’t want Ivy’s horny, schoolgirl ass in his business too.
Swag took the handkerchief off his wounded hand. He couldn’t believe what he saw. Facing him was a huge, ugly cut—the kind