Wrath Read online

  Wrath

  K’WAN

  www.urbanbooks.net

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Prologue

  Part I

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Part II

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Part III

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Part IV

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-one

  Chapter Forty-two

  Chapter Forty-three

  Chapter Forty-four

  Epilogue

  Urban Books, LLC

  300 Farmingdale Road, NY-Route 109

  Farmingdale, NY 11735

  Wrath Copyright © 2019 K’WAN

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior consent of the Publisher, except brief quotes used in reviews.

  ISBN: 978-1-6016-2132-0

  ISBN 13: 978-1-60162-132-0

  ISBN 10: 1-60162-132-9

  This is a work of fiction. Any references or similarities to actual events, real people, living or dead, or to real locales are intended to give the novel a sense of reality. Any similarity in other names, characters, places, and incidents is entirely coincidental.

  Distributed by Kensington Publishing Corp.

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  Prologue

  Jonas Rafferty stood in the middle of what he referred to as his “office,” but calling it such would’ve been a compliment. On its best day, the room was little more than a storage space at the top of a storefront that Jonas owned that got too hot in the summer and too cold in winter. Aside from the modest desk and few chairs, it didn’t look like much, but that’s how Jonas liked things . . . simple and unassuming. He liked to play the role of the small fish in the big pond . . . until you got up close and realized that the fish was a piranha. By then, it was usually too late.

  He walked over to the two-way mirror that took up a good portion of the wall. It gave him a bird’s-eye view of the room below. It was a large space that he had converted into his own personal rest haven called Sweets. There was a small bar he’d picked up from a home furniture store, a few televisions, and a tiny square of dance floor for occasions where people wanted to get their boogie on. It was more of a clubhouse than an actual lounge. Before Jonas took ownership, it had been a grocery store called Juan’s. Juan’s was a place where you could get your household needs, loose cigarettes, and even trade in your food stamps for cash. The grocery store had been servicing the neighborhood for longer than Jonas had been alive, which is why it came as a surprise when he wiped all traces of the landmark from existence . . . including the previous owner.

  That night was its grand opening, and the turnout hadn’t been disappointing at all. The whole hood had come out. The whole place was full, and people were lined up outside hoping to get in. Jonas had announced that he was having the grand opening, and word of the party spread like wildfire, as he had expected. No one even blinked twice when he decided to charge a hundred-dollar cover charge to attend. Jonas Rafferty was the man, and $100 was a small price to pay to stand next to him and his associates on such a special night. Not only was it the grand opening of his social club, but it was also his birthday—twenty years on earth. There was a time when he thought he would never live that long. But he had not only outlived his life expectancy but managed to make a few dollars in the process.

  At the stroke of midnight, they had all toasted with the free champagne Jonas had provided to usher in his birthday. Jonas recalled working the crowd, receiving well wishes and celebratory slaps on the back from his guests. From someone on the outside looking in, you’d have thought Jonas was the most loved man in the room, but he knew better. Those same hands celebrating him could be the very same ones plunging knives into his back if they ever caught him slipping. Phony people bothered some, but not Jonas. He had learned a long time ago to separate his personal feelings from business, and with him, it was always business. His heart knew no love outside those in his immediate circle. Love could kill you. That was a lesson he had learned from his sister.

  Thinking of his sibling drew his attention to the cigarette pinched between his fingers. It was the first one he’d had in almost a month. That was about the time he had promised her that he was going to quit. A promise he was now breaking. Because she was no longer living, it technically freed him of his oath, but he still felt guilty. He could picture her somewhere in heaven, or possibly hell, waggling an accusatory finger at him for dabbling back into what she always referred to as a “disgusting habit,” so he stubbed it out in the ashtray. They said that time healed all wounds, but Jonas could find nothing to validate that theory. She had been gone for more than a month, but the pain of her absence was still fresh in his heart. It likely always would be. She would surely be disappointed that he was smoking, but proud of the man he had made of himself. Jonas had come a long way from the nappy-headed little boy in apartment 5H, but there was still so much further to go.

  There was a soft knock at the door, but Jonas’s attention remained fixed on the mirror. After a few beats, the door opened, and Tavion stuck his head inside. He was a fresh-faced youth with ripe yellow skin and a thin mustache tracing his top lip. “Yo, Wrath . . .” he began, but a sharp look from Jonas cut him off. “Sorry . . . Jonas. Alex asked me to find you. The car taking you guys to the airport will be here in five minutes. There’s a lot of traffic, and she’s worried you guys may miss your flight.”

  Typical Alex. Always punctual. Always organized.

  “Tell her I’ll be down in a few,” Jonas replied and went back to staring through the looking glass.

  “You okay?” Tavion asked, but Jonas didn’t reply. He had been working under Jonas long enough to gauge his moods. The darkness was on him again. It seemed to visit more frequently lately. With this in mind, he slipped back the way he came and left his friend to his brooding.

  Jonas waited for a few minutes until he was sure Tavion had gone before allowing the hints of a grin to touch the corners of his mouth. The youngster probably reasoned that he was angry with him, but he wasn’t. Jonas knew better than most how hard it was to break old habits. He had gone by the moniker of Wrath for so long that even he had a hard time coming to grips that that part of him was no more. The monster had been put to rest, and he could start getting reacquainted with the man wh
o had been so deeply buried beneath his pain for all those years.

  Jonas decided to make his exit a quiet one. There would be no grand farewells, no tearful speeches, and no second thoughts. He would simply slip out the back door without even so much as a farewell to his guests. He owed them nothing. Those in his inner circle knew that he was leaving and why. Those were the only ones he felt any obligations to. The rest could go fuck themselves. In truth, he doubted anyone would even realize that he was gone. They were too busy goring themselves on his hospitality.

  A few minutes after Tavion had gone, Jonas made his way downstairs. He bypassed the main area and went through the rear storage area, where they kept all the supplies. Tavion was standing near the back door, while Ace was pacing back and forth, occasionally stopping to exchange words with Tavion. Ace was one of Jonas’s closest friends. He and Jonas had come up since kids. Ace and Tavion always argued like an old married couple, so Jonas didn’t think much of the exchange. The volatile disputes between the two of them were just one of the many things he wouldn’t miss about his old life and affiliations. When they spotted Jonas approaching, the conversation came to an abrupt halt.

  “El Jefe.” Ace gave Jonas a curt nod. It was something Ace called him when he wanted to get under Jonas’s skin.

  “As of midnight, that distinction became yours,” Jonas reminded him.

  “Like his ego wasn’t big enough already,” Tavion mumbled. He hadn’t been in favor of Ace taking over when Jonas stepped down. He had been hoping it went to Prince. It wasn’t that Ace wasn’t solid; Prince was just where the popular vote would’ve gone, had there been one.

  “Ace has been with me longer than anybody. He helped me build this thing of ours and deserves this as much as anybody,” Jonas told Tavion.

  “You don’t owe anybody any explanations. It is what it is, and anybody who ain’t happy with the new order of things can get swept out with the rest of the trash.” Ace was talking to Jonas, but his eyes were on Tavion.

  Jonas was about to comment on the obvious tension between the two men when the back door swung open, bringing in with it the winter chill and another of Jonas’s running buddies. Willie was huddled in a green army jacket and matching skully. His thick, black beard was its usual mess. The black glass eye in his head seemed to see everything in the room without moving. “Cold as a bitch out there.” He stomped his feet to try to get the circulation going in them.

  “Then stay your ass inside instead of dipping out every five minutes,” Ace suggested.

  “Gotta make sure the perimeter is secure,” Willie said, sounding every bit the soldier that he was.

  “We got a dozen homies armed up and holding it down tonight,” Tavion said proudly. He had been in charge of arranging security for the night and was proud of the ensemble he had pieced together.

  “And most of them are high, drunk, or have never been in a combat situation,” Willie shot back. “Next to the Fourth of July, New Year’s Eve is the best night of the year to catch a brother slipping. There’s so much noise that no one notices the gunshots. There’s something wicked in the air. The eye always knows.” He pointed to his glass eye.

  “You need to chill, Willie. In addition to my people having the building locked down, I also had Stacey vet everyone who bought tickets. We’re good,” Tavion assured him.

  “I’m sure Malcolm said the same thing when he walked into the ballroom,” Willie said.

  “Where’s Alex?” Jonas asked, noticing he hadn’t seen her when he came down.

  “Outside, chopping it up with Stacey,” Willie told him.

  “You left my girl out there to freeze?” Jonas wasn’t happy.

  “‘It’s too fucking hot in here.’ Her words, not mine,” Willie added. “Sounds like she’s ready to get out of here.”

  “We’ll leave in a few. I need to holla at Prince. Where is he?” Jonas asked. He was the only one of his inner circle who was absent.

  “He said he was going to pick up one of his shorties and spin back, but that was like two hours ago,” Tavion told him.

  This struck Jonas as odd. Of all his people, he’d have thought Prince would’ve been there to see him off. “Anybody check on him to make sure he’s good?” he looked to Willie.

  “I ain’t his babysitter,” Willie said in a tone Jonas wasn’t used to hearing. He wore his signature poker face, but you could tell he was unsettled about something.

  “I need to speak to him before we leave. I want to make sure everything has been set up with his people. I don’t want any hassle when we land on the other side of the pond,” Jonas said.

  “Instead of worrying about Prince, you need to be worrying about Alex kicking your ass if you miss this flight. Prince will come back eventually. All stray dogs do. I’ll see to it personally that all the arrangements have been made by the time you touch down.” Ace ushered Jonas toward the door.

  Jonas stopped short of the exit as if he had forgotten something. He took a last long around the storage area and thought fondly of all the money they had run through it. With little more than his strength of will and no backup plan, he had turned a cursed existence into a blessed life, not only for himself but for those he loved as well. All the pain and hardships he’d gone through to get where he was were small prices to pay when measured against the joy that swelled in his heart every time he found himself putting his people in positions to do better. That was probably the only thing he would miss about the game.

  “It’s not too late, you know,” Willie caught Jonas’s attention. “You could call the whole thing off. I don’t think any of us would have a problem going back to business as usual.” His good eye went from Jonas to Ace, who looked like he was afraid Jonas might change his mind.

  Something passed between Ace and Willie that made the hairs on Jonas’s stomach turn. The old feelings came back. He always felt like he was coming down with a touch of the flu just before something bad happened. Part of him wanted to pry into the unspoken dialogue going on between his friends, but he listened to the part of his brain that said his time in the streets was up. It was no longer on him to settle disputes among members of the crew.

  “Nah, man, I’m done,” Jonas told Willie, which seemed to relieve Ace.

  “Then I wish you good fortune in your next life.” Willie pushed through doors that led to where the party was going on. You would think that after all the work they had put in together, he’d at least have done Jonas the courtesy of shaking his hand, but he’d left without so much as looking back.

  “What’s up with him?” Jonas asked.

  “Just in his feelings because you’re leaving. He’ll be okay,” Ace assured him, but Jonas looked uncertain.

  Tavion’s cell phone went off. He listened while the caller spoke, nodding every so often before ending the call with “A’ight, we’ll be right out. Your ride is a block away,” he told Jonas.

  “Now or never.” Ace held the door open for Jonas.

  When Jonas stepped out into the night air, the cold cut through his thick wool overcoat and settled into his bones. Willie hadn’t been lying when he said it was cold, unseasonably cold for September. East Coast winters were something that he would not miss. Two of Tavion’s retainers were standing around outside guarding the back door. They were smoking a blunt and talking among themselves, but when they saw Jonas, the weed was tossed, and the men stood at attention.

  “At ease, fellas,” Jonas said jokingly.

  Not far from them, he spotted his lady Alex talking to Stacey. She was wearing the full-length mink coat that he had given her the previous Christmas. It wasn’t quite cold enough for it, but Jonas encouraged her to stunt. She looked like a white angel standing there. In a sense, she was. It had been Alex who had opened Jonas’s eyes to the potential his life held. He thanked God every day for bringing her back to him. God . . . That made him laugh every time he spoke the name. Jonas hadn’t been much of a believer in God when he was growing up, but he was becoming more open to th
e idea of a higher power lately. There was no mistaking the fact that he had truly been blessed.

  “About time,” Alex greeted him with a kiss. “I was beginning to think that you had changed your mind about running away with me.”

  “Never that. I’m just mad it took me so long to make the decision,” he told her.

  “I still can’t believe you guys are going through with this,” Stacey said. She was a short, thick girl with long, black hair that was always pulled into a tight ponytail.

  “Well, believe it, because it’s happening,” Alex assured her.

  “I wish I could say that I was sad to see you go, but that’d be a lie. If any of these hooligans deserve a second chance, it’s you, Wrath.” Stacey called him by his nickname.

  “What did I tell y’all about that?” Jonas checked her.

  “Please! You know no matter what, you’re always going to be Wrath, my protector and savior.” Stacey hugged him. She tried to hold back the tears but couldn’t stop herself from crying. Jonas had brought her into the game; gave her a better education than the one she’d gotten in college. He was always the one who made sure nobody fucked with her, and she wasn’t sure how she was going to get along without him.

  “C’mon, don’t start that crying shit. This is hard enough for me as it is. You going to pieces is only going to make it harder.” Jonas thumbed her tears away.

  “I know, and I’m sorry,” Stacey sniffed.

  “You know if you need a shoulder to lean on, I’m here for you, baby girl,” Tavion said suggestively.

  “Boy, you’ve been trying to get into my panties for years, and your dick is still dirt dry. Why don’t you give up already?” Stacey asked.

  “Because I ain’t no quitter,” Tavion laughed.

  A pair of lights appeared in the distance, bathing the entire alley. The retainers stepped forward, guns drawn and ready. All they needed was a word, and the fireworks show would start.