I only brought enough for ten, though.”
“I’ll front you the two. But you move these twelve ki’s for me at the price you ask within the reasonable time period that we agree on. Understand?”
“That’s kind of pushing it,” Kola explained. “I can do fourteen days.”
“These are my terms, not yours. No negotiations.”
Kola nodded.
“And if there’s a problem with this new arrangement on your end, then there will be repercussions, starting with the price going back up to eighteen-five a ki for my aggravation. And any further problems . . . well, let’s just say, I don’t like problems.”
“There won’t be any problems.”
“I just hope so.”
If Kola wanted to come play with the big boys and step into his territory to make deals with him, then he would give her a deal that she would never forget. But there was something about her that was alluring.
Eduardo lit up another Cuban cigar and continued talking to Kola. One of the girls from the pool walked over to Eduardo in a sheer robe and stilettos and began caressing him from behind as he was discussing business.
He told the woman, “Give me a minute, my love. I have to finish up here.”
She nodded and strutted off, leaving Eduardo to focus his attention back on Kola.
“We’re done here. You will have your shipment, and you will have all my money in seven days.”
One of Eduardo’s men exited out of a back room carrying a similar duffel bag to Kola’s and dropped it at her feet. She quickly unzipped it and saw the twelve kilos of cocaine, and the deal was made. Kola was on edge on so many levels, her legs felt like concrete, and her body felt like jelly.
She walked out of the building wondering how to tell Cross that she cut a different deal with his connect, and that she would be the one meeting with him from now on. Kola knew there was no easy way to tell Cross. He was going to flip, once he found out what she had gotten them into.
Chapter 4
K ola was so nervous, she hadn’t eaten anything since before her meeting with Eduardo. Her mind was on business, with her trying to add new clientele to her roster, and then she had to contact the bail bondsman for Cross and Edge. It was a busy morning for her. She stashed the kilos in a secure place and jumped back into her M-class Benz to hurry to the courthouse for Cross’ arraignment, her stomach in knots.
It was a chilly November day, and the early-morning traffic on the way to the court was thick, making Kola frustrated. She cursed and pressed down on the gas, zipping in and out of traffic and running through red lights. She missed her man and couldn’t wait to feel his strong arms wrapped around her. She wasn’t sure when to tell Cross about the new arrangement and was just hoping he didn’t get too mad and beat the shit out of her.
It was twenty minutes past nine when Kola finally found parking and hurried toward the criminal courthouse in downtown Manhattan. She ran into the building in her tight-fitting Seven jeans, pumpkin leather jacket, and five-inch heels. Seeing the line of people snaking around the corner, she had a long wait to get through the metal detector. She sighed. It’s going to be a long day.
It took Kola fifteen minutes to finally get through the metal detector, and the guards gave her a little hassle about the items in her purse. She curbed her attitude and bit her tongue, knowing they were only picking on her. She just wanted to hurry to see Cross.
She strutted down the long corridor searching for the right courtroom. The lobby of the courthouse on Centre Street was flooded with defense attorneys, prosecutors, legal aids, defendants, and police officers.
She had everything set up. The bondsman was in play, and she figured that Cross’ lawyer would already be in the courtroom ready to represent his client. He was on retainer for a substantial amount of money, and today he would be put to the test.
Even though she had the money to bail out Cross, they needed