free thanks to his new connections and poisoning others. His job title had changed from drug dealer to stickup kid, thief, trafficker, and now, fugitive from justice. He was on the run and had to play low key for a minute. He missed his kids, Solomon Jr., aka Li’l Swag, and Namond. He really missed his down chick, Zaria, too. She’d held him down in the past, even though he’d lied and cheated on her with many of the thots in St. Louis. All they wanted was his money and jock. No one ever gave him unconditional love like Zaria. It was like what his late grandma used to tell him when he was little, “You don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone.” She was right, and so was Brad. He’d also told Swag what a good woman Zaria was, and all he could think about was why he hadn’t listened. He lowered his head, and with eyes full of sorrow and pain, all he could whisper was, “Damn.”
“Yo, Swag, yo, Swag, Swag!” Tyler shouted and interrupted his thoughts.
Swag lifted his head and looked at him. “What, dude?”
“Man, you wanna hit this?” Tyler placed a fat, twisted joint close to Swag’s nose so he could sniff it. He smelled it for a moment—it was a smell he missed while he was in prison. Since he was in desperate need to erase the bullshit that was happening in his life, he gave in.
“Pass that shit here, man.”
Tyler smiled and watched Swag take a hit. It took a second for the weed to affect him, but soon, Swag was fucked up and started to think happy thoughts. His head fell back, and with a broad smile on his face, the horrific memories of that day washed away.
Chapter 2
Bow Down to the King
Finally, after several hours of driving, Midnight arrived at the Port of Santos in the city of São Paulo. He nudged Paco, who was knocked out in the passenger’s seat.
“Boss, wake up. We here.”
Paco slowly opened his eyes, still a little tipsy from the beer and blinded by the bright lights from the boats. But once he realized he was at the port, his eyes grew wide. Yes, yes, yes, he thought. We made it with no distractions, except for that fat-ass fool Brad. Paco looked in the backseat to see his boys Swag, Tyler, and Travis were all out like lights from celebrating their escape from prison. Paco quickly got into boss mode.
“Wake up!” He clapped his hands. “Hurry up. We here now, and we need to go.”
Everyone started to wake up from their slumber.
Swag woke up, wiping his nose and the corner of his mouth. He gazed out the window, seeing all kinds of boats from fishing boats, light boats, and this huge, brightly lit cruise ship with weird foreign writing on it.
“Paco, what’s going on? I thought we were getting out of Brazil,” Swag asked.
“What are you talking about, fool? We are getting out of Brazil.” He was irritated. All he wanted was some coffee and weed.
“But what’s up with the boats?” Travis asked.
“Yeah, where’s a getaway plane that’ll get us outta here a little faster?” Tyler questioned.
“You fellas are some damn idiots. I can’t afford for all of us to get on a plane. Y’all watch too many movies. The best way to get out of this country is by a ship, the last thing the authorities will expect.”
Paco removed a cigar from the glove compartment. He lit it and took a puff before whistling the thick smoke into the air. The fellas waved their hands in front of their faces to clear the air. With Paco’s nasty tone, they were now starting to see the asshole he truly was. Not to mention how he had spoken to Brad. But the fellas had to remain cool. They owed him a lot for getting them out of prison.
“A ship is less conspicuous, and before long, the FBI and Feds will be looking for us. We all can’t look like targets. As I said earlier, my friend in Costa Rica got us. And once we get there, we’ll be living like kings.” And I will bring down my father’s operation and kill that bastard for what he did to the business and his infidelity causing my mother’s nervous breakdown, Paco thought, hating that his father had his mother committed to an asylum.
“P, is that the boat that says, Malo La Perra El Rey?” Midnight asked.
Paco looked at it. It was a big, beautiful cruise ship. It had numerous levels and a top deck that people could live on for the rest of their lives, sailing the ocean. Paco smiled. “Yes, that’s the one. Park this van out of sight, and let’s go.”
Once the coast was clear, they got out of the van and headed toward the ship. Paco reminded everyone to stay cool and not look suspicious. By making conversation with each other and laughing, they seemed to be friends who were about to go on vacation. Once they got closer to the ships, a husky man wearing a black suit stopped them. His face was full of potholes, and his devilish eyes made him look wicked.
Paco and the man spoke in Spanish for a moment, and then he spoke into his headset. Once the conversion ended, he looked at Paco and the guys with him. “Go up. The boss is waiting for you all.”
Paco grinned as he and his men made their way up to the ship with smiles on their faces.
“Thank God,” Swag said, taking a deep breath. “It’s finally on.”
The others agreed, and they stood for a moment in disbelief. They were grateful for their newfound freedom. But they knew once they got on that ship, there was no turning back. They had to say goodbye to their families, St. Louis, their dreams, and goals. But as Paco said, they would live like kings. And to them, losing some to gain a lot seemed like the right plan.
Paco shouted as they stood in thought, “Y’all coming or what?”
Tyler and Travis rushed on the ship like there was no tomorrow. Swag slowly walked up the ship. He was thinking of the wise words of his cousin, Brad, who he was sure he would never see again.
“Man, you gon’ get yo’ ass caught up one of these days. You got your girl and your boys to think about.”
While that may have been true for Swag, he also had to think about himself. Still, Brad’s words wouldn’t depart from his head. He thought about his sons and what life would have been like with Zaria had he done right by her. He thought about his life, mainly being a high school dropout. Swag was thinking about how he should have been in college by now or in the NBA. Back in Swag’s teen years, he was a great basketball player on the courts. But one of his regrets was not telling Brad about his surprise. He wanted to let Brad know that after this drop, he was going to stop working for Armand and being a stickup guy. He was going to return to St. Louis, study for his GED, and open up a business with the money he had been saving. But now, it was all too late to make things right. Now, he was a fugitive, and whatever Paco and this new partner wanted him to be in Costa Rica.
Once on the ship, all the guys saw how amazing it was. The main thing was the numerous, sexy, topless women walking around and conversing with other men on board. Swag, Tyler, and Travis wanted to forget about their dealings with Paco. They stood with lust in their eyes, hoping that they would be allowed to entertain the women soon.
In the meantime, one of the security guards led the guys to the ship’s dining room. It was so large that it could fit, at least, 10,000 people. Gold and diamond chandeliers hung from the ceiling. White silk tablecloths, solid gold plates, solid gold silverware, and crystal champagne flutes covered the tables.
Swag couldn’t believe his eyes. Money always excited him, and he loved this type of atmosphere. The men sat down. Once everyone was seated, a loud horn blew, and the ship started to sail. Relief came over the fellas, and they were eager to make it to their final destination.
* * *
As the ship sailed, the guys were served a breakfast feast fit for kings, thanks to their new boss. They ate French toast, bacon, eggs, and biscuits with gravy. Also, there were Costa Rican dishes such as gallo pinto (red beans and rice) and fried plantains. Champagne was available as well, from Cristal to Dom Pérignon, and Chardonnay. They were