Gangsta Twist 3 (3 page)

After being home for less than a week Taz and the crew were ready to get back on the move. First, they were going home to spend a week in Oklahoma City; then they would embark on their trip to Colombia to meet with the ruthless leader of the Buenaventura Cartel, Jorge Santa Cruz.

They would then fly back home to California so Taz could set up a meeting with Danny Orumutto, the top man of the Orumutto crime family. It was rumored that he was a cold man, a man so cold that he had his father and two uncles murdered so he could take over the family's X pill drug ring in Southern California. Taz met him a few times and was shocked at how young Danny was and how his demeanor definitely didn't fit his age. He knew instantly that Danny Orumutto was as dangerous as everyone assumed him to be. If there would be any beef Taz was almost 90 percent certain it would be with Danny Orumutto.

The last meeting would be set up right before the council meeting in Miami with the Cubans. The Suarez operation was run by Señor Suarez, a good-natured older Cuban who was known for being fair, especially when he had something to gain, so Taz wasn't worried about him at all in this mix. Time would tell though because all three men he would be meeting with had the potential of going haywire after he told them of his plans for the Network.

He thought about his friends within the Sicilian mafia and smiled. They had already agreed to do business with him so there was no reason for him to meet with them. When everything was ready they would be some of his first customers for heavy firearms.

Taz went over everything in his head several times before he presented it to Sacha. He really hated when she outthought him, which was often, he thought with a smile. When he told her his plans she agreed and that shocked him, but pleased him as well.

“Okay, let me get this straight, we're going home for a week and then you and the crew will head to Colombia?” asked Sacha as she fastened the seat belts on the twins in the back seat of Taz's Bentley.

“That's the plan, li'l mama. It's been a good minute since I seen Mama-Mama and Neema. You know they want to see the twins so I decided to make a family trip out of it. Plus, Red needs to get his Paquita fix taken care of,” Taz said laughing as he pulled the big luxury vehicle out of the driveway of their estate.

Sacha rolled her eyes at him and said, “Whatever.”

Twenty minutes later Taz pulled the Bentley up to the security gates of the Winners Circle. Once the security guard saw who was at the front gates the big wrought iron gates electronically began to open so Taz could enter the $20 million estate that Taz chose to call the Winners Circle in remembrance of its former owner, Won.

This totally secluded estate had belonged to Won. It had been his home for as long as Taz could remember. It was also the place where Won had been murdered. That was the reason why Taz didn't reside there. When he told Sacha that Won had been killed there she refused to live there. So they decided that Red and Wild Bill would hold down residence at the Winners Circle. It also served as the headquarters for the crew. Sacha had an office where she could work her magic with the figures and Taz used Won's old office as his own. All meetings and business were handled at the Winners Circle.

The $20 million estate had by far the best view in the city. It basically sat back on its own island off the famed Sunset Strip. The number one view lot in the city sitting on over three acres, totally private with no neighbors next to or below and that fit Taz's taste perfectly. Security was a must for him, his family, and the crew. The Winners Circle had its own private street, gated with parking that could accommodate twenty-five within the gate. The estate was over 10,000 square feet and had two guest apartments. Wild Bill and Red had plenty of room and never seemed to clash with one another even though they got on each other's nerves as much as they could. When there was tension they would go swim in the Olympic-sized swimming pool or play some volleyball on the built-in volleyball court.

The Winners Circle was one of Won's most prized possessions so there was no way Taz would ever get rid of it. When Gwen asked him why he chose to call it the Winners Circle knowing that Won died there Taz smiled and told her:

When Taz made it to the front Gwen and Bob were standing in the doorway. Bob's daughter, Gwendolyn, was standing next to her father smiling at them and Gwen was holding Bob Jr., a spry little two-year-old. Taz got out of the car and helped grab one of the twins as Sacha grabbed the other. When they were inside of the Winners Circle Taz asked Bob, “Where is Wild Bill and Red?”

“They went out looking for locations for the club.”

Sacha told the boys to go and play with Gwendolyn and they all ran toward the play area located in the back room. Once they were out of sight she slapped her forehead and said, “Are you really going to let them go through with that, Taz? Seriously, a damn strip club?”

Taz started laughing and said, “Come on, li'l mama, they're bored and if this is something that they feel can make some money with, might as well have some fun with it, why not?”

“Why not? Why not is because you and Bob's ass here think you'll be going to that damn strip club to get your jollies off watching them young, stank broads and I can speak for my mommy here, that shit ain't happening, Taz!” Gwen said with much attitude.

Bob laughed, turned, and started walking toward the office. Laughing, Taz said, “And I can speak for my boy Bob; if we want to go watch the li'l minxes at a strip club that's nothing. We both know what we got at home and ain't tripping off no broads like that. Right, Bob?”

Bob looked back over his shoulder and shook his head from side to side. “Come on, man, leave her the fuck alone; she's going to drive me crazy with that weak shit. Let's get to the business. What time are we leaving?”

Taz was still getting used to this all-business attitude Bob had going on; not that he didn't like the new Bob, just that the old Bob was more fun to be around. “I was waiting until a decent time to get at Akim in Russia. I'm going to see if he'll let us use his jet for the trip to Colombia and back here.”

“Why don't you charter a private jet for us? It will be much faster than waiting for Akim to send his plane all the way to Oklahoma City from Russia,” said Sacha.

“True. But it would be cheaper if he let us use his jet.”

“Since when have you started pinching pennies, Mr. Taz?”

Before he could answer his wife their son Keenan came into the office and said, “Daddy, I want to help you with business. I don't wanna play no more.”

Taz smiled brightly at his son and said, “You want to come work with Daddy, Li'l Keno? You sure can. I need a little help, too. Come here and help me figure out how to send an e-mail to my friend.” Taz smiled as he watched as his son ran to him and jumped on his lap. He turned and faced the PC on his desk and let Li'l Keno watch as the PC powered up. When he was ready he typed an e-mail to Akim and then told Li'l Keno to push the ENTER button to send the e-mail.

“This one right here, Daddy?” Li'l Keno asked as he pointed toward the correct key.

“Yep, that's right, buddy. Now send that e-mail and then we can go to the kitchen and raid the fridge. I'm hungry. By the time we come back we should have the reply from this business e-mail.” Taz set his son down and then turned toward Sacha. “You may want to check on the kids and then I need you to get things ready for the council meeting in Miami.”

Sacha was sitting on one of the comfortable leather chairs inside of the office tapping on her notebook. She looked up at him and said, “I'm on top of that now. I am down to two resorts. The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort or the Palms Hotel & Spa.”

Taz grabbed his son's small hand and said, “Whichever one you choose is fine with me. Get it together so we can have everything forwarded to the council members. I want that taken care of before we bounce up out of here tonight.”

“It will be ready. Have you talked to Neema?”

“I'll give her a call in a little while. What's up?”

“Nothing, just wondered that's all. She's been doing quite well at Good Investments Inc. I'm sure she's waiting for some praise from her father.”

Taz stared at his wife for a moment and then gave her a nod. “I feel you.” He then turned and took his son to go raid the kitchen for something to munch on.

After Taz left the office Gwen stared at Bob then at Sacha and asked, “Is everything okay with Taz and Neema?”

Sacha shrugged and said, “After that Cliff stuff they seem to try to avoid each other to me. I've spoken to Taz about it but he swears everything is good between them. That's a crock of crap but it is what it is. That's another reason why I came up with the idea to let Neema run things at Good Investments Inc. That way she could be hands-on with the family business and feel more a part of everything.”

“That was a real smart move right there, Sacha,” said Bob. “But for real, I would have thought they would have moved on from that ill shit that happened with that fool Cliff.”

“Me too. It's more from Neema's side but Taz is so damn stubborn sometimes so he's just as much at fault as she is. Hopefully this trip can help because I intend on making sure we have some family time. So you two don't get lost when we get back home. I've already spoken to Mama-Mama and she wants to cook a gigantic meal for all of us.”

Laughing, Bob said, “Since when does Mama-Mama don't want to cook a gigantic meal? I can't wait!”

“I know that's right, that woman can burn. Mmmmm, my tummy is growling now just thinking about some of Mama-Mama's food,” said Gwen.

“I know that's right. Damn, I miss Oklahoma City,” said Sacha. “Yeah, there's no place like home. No matter how much money we got we're not gon' get all the way used to living way out here in the West.”

“Shit, speak for yourself. I'm never leaving my beach front home!” said Gwen and they all started laughing.

 

 

Tazneema was sitting in her office talking to her besty, Lyla Winston. They'd been best friends since they met as freshman in college. Ever since then they were inseparable. After they graduated Lyla moved to Oklahoma City with Neema and opened a small clothing boutique in the Bricktown area. For the last three years to everyone's surprise, except for Tazneema's, Lyla's boutique had done quite well. Catering to women's tastes in clothing and perfumes Lyla was building her small business into a force to be reckoned with. Tazneema had been equally successful in making sure that the day-to-day running of Good Investments Inc. continued to run smoothly.

She not only ran the company along with Tari, she was also heavily involved with acquiring new homes and businesses such as food chains that they added to the many they already owned. She was extra excited about her latest idea and was sharing it with Lyla as Tari entered her office.

“Hold on a minute, Lyla,” Neema said as she put the phone down. “What's up, Tee?”

“Good afternoon. Anything special going on I need to know about?”

“Nope. Just sitting here telling Lyla about the chicken and waffle restaurant.”

“That's what I need to talk to you about. Could you give me a few?”

“Sure,” Neema said as she picked the phone back up and told Lyla she would call her back. After she was off the phone she stared at Tari and said, “What's up?”

“You know I'm behind you totally on this restaurant deal. It's going to be kind of costly to try to find a spot in Bricktown where you want it. I was thinking maybe we should try more for somewhere along the north side, like N.W. Expressway first and then maybe bide our time for a move toward Bricktown.”

Shaking her head no and looking exactly like her stubborn father, Tazneema Good said, “Nope. The best way to introduce this restaurant to the city is in Bricktown. Look how commercial Bricktown has become over the last decade. There's no hotter place in the city for the restaurant to be. It's a win all the way around, Tari. It may be costly but I feel it will be well worth it and extremely profitable. We won't lose money on this only gain it.”

Tari smiled at Taz's daughter and couldn't have been more proud of her. Tazneema had grown into a beautiful and confident young lady. Looking like a female version of her father she kept her long hair pulled back in a modest looking ponytail and refused to wear any makeup except for some lip gloss. This was a concern of Tari's, but she knew that Neema was still somewhat distraught over what happened between her and her first love Cliff. She had moved on with her life determined to do well for herself and she accomplished that so far in a major way. Just as she was determined to succeed in the business world she was equally determined to stay away from men and any form of relationship issues. That bothered Tari greatly. She felt Neema was denying herself the pleasures of a man all because of one bad call. Whenever she tried to bring the subject up Neema would give her that coldblooded stare that her father was well known for and she would know to change the subject. She was definitely Taz Good's child.

Tari sighed and said, “Okay, fine with me. Now all you have to do is run it by your boss. Get his approval and then we can start scouring Bricktown for a nice building to get things started.”

“Aw, come on, Tee, you know Taz might trip out on this. Why can't we go on and make the moves ourselves and surprise him?”