A Hustler's Weakness Read online

  Contents

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  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  To Be Continued!

  About the Author

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  © 2021

  Published by Royalty Publishing House

  www.royaltypublishinghouse.com

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  Any unauthorized reprint or use of the material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage without express permission by the author or publisher. This is an original work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Contains explicit language & adult themes suitable for ages 16+ only.

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  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to my husband for always supporting me in all that I do. Thank you for being my backbone through anything that comes my way. Most of all thank you for loving me, even in the times that I am difficult to love. This is for you my love…

  Prologue

  June 28, 2013

  I.E. walked right up with the same forty caliber pistol that he had previously shot Rakeem with before. He had it aimed right at his head. He knew that Rakeem wasn’t going to walk out of there alive for sure if he did anything to Tina and I.E. planned on putting every last bullet that he had in his gun into him.

  The dim lighting of the club’s hallway made it hard for I.E. to see Rakeem’s face clearly even though he wasn’t focusing on it right now. He was focused on the gun that Rakeem had pointed on Tina’s side.

  “Put that shit down and I’ll let your bitch go,” Rakeem said to I.E.

  “You know that ain’t happening.”

  “I.E., you know I’ll shoot her.”

  “If your plan is to make it out of here without being in a body bag, you won’t.”

  “You and I both know that nine times out of ten that’s the only way one of us is going. See, y’all niggas failed to realize that I don’t give a fuck about making it out of here though! As long as I know that you saw me blow this bitch brains out, I’ll be satisfied. The bitch already told me she ready to die for you so I know what you willing to do for her. And I’m gonna make you watch me shoot her too…”

  I.E was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He knew that Rakeem meant every word that he said. He couldn’t threaten Rakeem with death because he wasn’t afraid of death. He had known that both Tina and I.E. weren’t walking out of there alive. He also knew that, more than likely, he wasn’t walking out of there at all. Rakeem knew that if he shot Tina, I.E. was going to start busting shots as well. He felt as if he had nothing worth living for at this point anyway. Everyone that he had ever loved was dead at the hands of I.E. and Truth.

  “…So what the fuck you gonna do?!”

  “I ain’t putting my shit down unless you let her go, Rah,” I.E. said, trying to negotiate. He was really ready to give into anything that Rakeem wanted just to save Tina. But he knew that if he put his gun down it would put Rakeem in the position to shoot them both. He didn’t care about himself. He just didn’t want Rakeem to hurt Tina.

  “Who you think running this right now?! Me, nigga! Not you! Me!”

  “Man, put that shit down with your bitch ass,” Truth said, finally revealing his presence. He was tired of playing Rakeem’s game. He had been behind. I.E. the whole time but they had wanted Rakeem to think that I.E. was alone. Now, there were two guns pointed at Rakeem instead of just one.

  “Oh, your bitch ass decided to join us. I was just telling your boyfriend that I’m definitely gonna shoot his bitch. And I don’t care what happens to me.”

  “Leave it between us,” I.E. tried once again to persuade him.

  Not too many of the club goers knew what was going on in the back of the club. Truth and I.E.’s guys were trying to figure out whether or not they had left. They hadn’t alerted their team of their next move before walking off. All their men knew was that Rakeem was in the club, and their orders were to kill him on sight.

  Meanwhile, all of Rakeem’s guys—the two he had left—were aware of where they were and what was going on. They knew just how they planned on ending the night: killing two birds, Truth and I.E., with one stone. They knew that if one came, the other would always follow.

  “Y’all niggas don’t know shit! I got both of you niggas right where you supposed to be. Y’all might think y’all got me hung up but you wrong. I got guns all in here right now, all pointed on you. Y’all niggas been in the way and now it’s time to handle that.”

  “I.E.!” Tina cried, becoming even more frightened. She felt Rakeem press his gun harder into her side.

  “Let’s just end this shit now,” Rakeem said with finality. At that moment, he squeezed his trigger.

  I.E.’s heart stopped instantly. He froze as he saw Tina’s seemingly lifeless body falling to the floor. And then everything around him started to move in slow motion…

  Chapter One

  The Meet

  “Excuse me! Excuse me! Excuse me, beautiful,” Rakeem shouted approaching Tina from across the street where her car was parked. The day was gloomy, so Tina was racing to get home before it started raining. She heard Rakeem. She just didn’t feel like being bothered today. She had a date with Bilal tonight that she really did not want to attend. On top of that, she and Ka’mirah had just finished up a four-hour shopping trip. All she wanted to do was go home and relax for a couple of hours.

  Tina tilted her head a little just to grab a quick glance at the guy who shouted out from all the way across the street. She noticed he was walking over from a brand-new GMC Yukon Denali 2001, that year’s model. Now that caught her attention. She hadn’t noticed the 6 foot 3-inch-tall, 185-pound, good looking specimen of a man standing next to the Yukon until that moment.

  Rakeem had coco brown skin with a low haircut that sported deep waves all across his head. He was skinny but had a nice physique. And when he smiled, she noticed he had really nice white teeth and dimples. He was definitely handsome.

  Rakeem hurried across the street through oncoming traffic to get over to Tina. He thought she was beautiful. And her body made her a sight for sore eyes. He definitely wasn’t going to miss out on a chance to meet her.

  “Damn, miss lady, you really weren’t going to stop for a brother,” Rakeem said shinning that gorgeous smile and dimples.

  “I’m sorry,” Tina said after a few moments and flashing a smile as well. “I’m just having a really bad day. I was completely zoned out for a second. Please, forgive me.”

  “Well I know one thing… you’re way too pretty to let ugly things upset you. I mean especially when you’ll make almost anyone’s day better just by seeing your face.”

  Tina smiled at Rakeem’s compliments they were pretty flattering.

  “Thank you. I’m Tina by the way.”

  “And I’m Rakeem. Nice to meet you Tina.”

  A few seconds pass and neither one said another word. Tina figured she’d give Rakeem a few seconds to shoot his shot. He had her attention with his big flashy car and good looks, why not see what he was offering?

  “Well since it seems that all you wanted to know is my name, I guess I’ll see you around sometimes, Mr. Rakeem.
Nice meeting you,” Tina said as she clicked the key to unlock her BMW’s doors.

  “No. Ugh, no that’s not all I wanted. I came over here to see if I can have your phone number. Maybe I can give you a call sometime and we can get together and go out or something you know?”

  Tina nodded and smiled while giving Rakeem each digit of her phone number to put into his Nextel phone.

  “And is it ok for me to call you later tonight,” he asked a little anxious.

  “You can’t wait to speak to me?”

  “I’m just trying to make sure I’m in the running. I know you probably have a million guys chasing you as we speak.”

  “Not one million, -maybe a couple hundred thousand,” Tina said jokingly causing Rakeem to laugh a little.

  In that brief encounter, Rakeem felt something different inside of himself when he thought about Tina. Her energy, her beauty, her poise all attracted him to her like not many other women have done before. He could tell she was not your average, around the way girl from the streets of Newark, New Jersey. She was a prize to him. He felt that he had just hit the jackpot.

  Tina walked through the living room heading towards the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and returned to her bedroom. She was preparing for her nightly routine of calling each of the men she was playing with. First up on her list was Bilal.

  * * *

  Bilal was 40 years old and well on his way to being a two-time divorcé. He had 4 children between his two ex-wives. Even if Tina was considering a real relationship at some point in her life, it was definitely not going to be with Bilal. She had no real interest in him other than his money. She didn’t even like him as a person. He was arrogant and controlling, and she hated him for it.

  * * *

  Bilal was the guy who did the most for Tina. That was the reason she kept him around. He bought her the BMW and paid for her condo, both in her name. She used the other guys for anything else she may have needed or wanted such as clothes and pocketbooks. The things she considered to be the small stuff. Bilal would take her to different work benefits and functions with him. He was a surgeon and loved showing off his young eye candy.

  * * *

  Bilal had smooth chocolate skin and a medium build. He was a fine chocolate brother. He really didn’t need to be bothered with Tina and all of her games. He could have just about any woman he wanted. He just figured with Tina being so much younger she would be easy to manipulate into being his third wife. In his mind at least if it didn’t work out, after putting so much money into her, he would have gotten to sleep with her.

  * * *

  Tina laid across her king size bed in her silk pajamas. She turned her bedroom lights down to set the mood. She wanted to be as relaxed as possible for her phone call with Bilal. Tina had to do a lot of pretending and biting her tongue when it came to handling Bilal. Once she was ready she dialed Bilal’s number and waited on him to answer. “Hey Bilal. I’ve been thinking about you all day,” Tina lied. “How was your day?” She didn’t really care to hear about anything Bilal did. This was all just a game to her.

  Chapter Two

  “Hello, Tina. Where have you been all evening, or should I say all day and half the night?” She could tell from the tone of his voice that he was displeased with her behavior.

  “I was busy all day doing the thing I love most, shopping. Afterwards Ka’mirah and I went out to eat,” she lied again. She had been on a date.

  “And you couldn’t have called to let me know that you weren’t going to make it back in time to keep our dinner reservations for the third time this week? I started to come by your place, but I’m still trying to respect your little rule. However, what I can’t seem to understand is why I have to call before coming by a place where I am paying all the bills?”

  Tina took a deep breath before responding to Bilal. If anyone got up under her skin it was definitely someone who constantly brought up what he does for her every time she turned around. “Bilal honey is it really necessary for us to go through this again tonight?” she asked.

  “I think that it is necessary, especially since I can’t catch up with you these days.”

  “I mean how would you feel if I were to just show up at your house unexpectedly sweety? I don’t know if your children are there, if one of your friends is over, anything could be going on that may not be any of my business. Would you say that’s fair to do all because I feel like it?” Tina asked still speaking in her delicate tone. She shifted her body around a little to keep calm. She was so agitated with Bilal nearly every time she spoke with him.

  “Please, Tina, spare me with your excuses. My reasons are legit, and you know it! I have my kids! I’m still going through the divorce proceedings with my second wife. And I truly cannot run the risk of her having any leeway to push for more alimony. You know this! She left me because she swore that I was sleeping with you. And even though we aren’t, that’s the reason you can’t just drop by my house unexpectedly. I want to continue to maintain that our relationship is strictly a business relationship. You showing up at my house would indicate that we just may be having sex. And I can’t imagine letting her take it all when in reality we’re really not sleeping together. -But tell me Tina, what’s your legit reason for me not being able to come over or, shit…stay a night?! If your reasons are as legit as you always claim them to be let me hear them.”

  Bilal paused for a few seconds to see if Tina would give him some type of response or answer that made sense. He was really getting tired of her games. When she didn’t even bother to respond he said, “That’s exactly my point. You don’t have any. Look, I’ll call you tomorrow. Please be home when I call. I’m taking you to a cancer benefit tomorrow night at 8, is that ok?”

  “Yes, Bilal that will be fine. Do me a favor and loosen up a bit. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow, honestly. And I don’t want us having a fight tonight to be in the way of us not having our best time tomorrow. Ok?”

  “I hear you Tina. And I will loosen up. I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good night.”

  “You as well sweety,” Tina said hanging up quickly before he could get another word in tonight. She took a deep breath to calm down. Bilal was her biggest headache. He pissed her off every single time she had to deal with him. If it weren’t for the fact that he spent so much money on her so freely she would have left him alone years ago.

  Next on Tina’s list to call was Ivan. He was a 24-year-old Newark police officer. He was half Puerto Rican and half black like Tina. He had the perfect copper colored skin complexion and stood 6 feet tall. Ivan had no kids and had never been married.

  Tina drank some of her water then climbed under her covers. She wanted to be snuggled comfortably when she spoke to Ivan. She liked Ivan. She could see herself being in a relationship with him. The fact that she wasn’t ready to settle down right now played a big part in the way she dealt with him.

  Once Ivan answered the phone Tina’s whole attitude had changed. She felt like a giddy little girl with him. She couldn’t stop blushing and wiggling her toes from the moment he started talking. The dim lighting and her being under the covers made her feel like he was there.