The Family Business 5 Read online

  The Family Business 5:

  A Family Business Novel

  Carl Weber

  with

  La Jill Hunt

  www.urbanbooks.net

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Epigraph

  Prologue

  Nevada - 1

  LC - 2

  Nevada - 3

  Roman - 4

  LC - 5

  Vegas - 6

  KD - 7

  Roman - 8

  KD - 9

  Rio - 10

  Paris - 11

  KD - 12

  Chippy - 13

  LC - 14

  Roman - 15

  Nevada - 16

  Roman - 17

  KD - 18

  Nevada - 19

  KD - 20

  Vegas - 21

  Paris - 22

  KD - 23

  Roman - 24

  Rio - 25

  KD - 26

  Chippy - 27

  Roman - 28

  Rio - 29

  KD - 30

  Nevada - 31

  KD - 32

  Rio - 33

  Roman - 34

  KD - 35

  Vegas - 36

  Rio - 37

  Vegas - 38

  Nevada - 39

  Roman - 40

  KD - 41

  LC - 42

  Nevada - 43

  LC - 44

  Nevada - 44

  LC - 45

  KD - 46

  Vegas - 47

  KD - 48

  Roman - 49

  Vegas - 50

  KD - 51

  Roman - 52

  Rio - 53

  Margaret - 54

  Margaret - 55

  Roman - 56

  Chippy - 57

  LC - 58

  Epilogue

  Urban Books, LLC

  300 Farmingdale Road, NY-Route 109

  Farmingdale, NY 11735

  The Family Business 5: A Family Business Novel

  Copyright © 2020 Carl Weber

  Copyright © 2020 La Jill Hunt

  The Family Business 2012 Trademark Urban Books, LLC

  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.

  eISBN 13: 978-1-60162-094-1

  eISBN 10: 1-60162-094-2

  ISBN: 978-1-6016-2093-4

  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.

  Submit orders to:

  Customer Service

  400 Hahn Road

  Westminster, MD 21157-4627

  Phone: 1-800-733-3000

  Fax: 1-800-659-2436

  This book is dedicated to the fans of The Family Business.

  Also, to the Cast and Crew of The Family Business TV Show.

  —Carl Weber and La Jill Hunt

  Prologue

  After circling the Brooklyn Heights block for a fourth time unnoticed, the Ford Escape stopped, and Denny Torrez emerged. The handsome, athletic-looking young man had a natural street swagger that was more cute than threatening. He lit a cigarette, stepped onto the sidewalk, and leaned against a telephone pole as the car continued its loop around the block. From the way he kept looking from one end of the street to the other, it was obvious that he was scoping out something . . . or someone.

  A baby blue Bentley GT convertible pulled up and parked. Normally, he’d just stand there admiring the car, but that was impossible when two of the finest women he’d ever seen stepped out of the luxury vehicle. Paris Duncan, a mocha sister with curly hair that fell past her shoulders and looks that rivaled any supermodel, was the passenger. The driver of the luxury car was her equally beautiful cousin, Sasha Duncan. Both women were dressed in designer jumpsuits and carried expensive handbags that matched their outfits.

  “Twelve o’clock,” Paris mumbled, boldly studying Denny with seductive eyes. She glanced at her cousin, who hit the lock button for the Bentley as she gave Denny the once over.

  “I’d do him,” Sasha replied, walking around to the front of the car. “But he’s more your type than mine.”

  Realizing the women were checking him out, Denny squared his shoulders slightly and semi-posed. If they were window shopping, he was damn sure going to let them see the merchandise.

  Paris smiled, lifting her sunglasses before taking a second look. “Yeah, he’s definitely my type, isn’t he?”

  Paris was expecting her cousin to quickly cosign, but instead, she growled, “Dammit, I hate Brooklyn!” loud enough for half the block to hear.

  “What the hell, Sasha?” Paris yelled.

  “This has got to be the most ass-backward borough in the entire city. In Manhattan these things take cards.” She glared at the parking meter with frustration. “You got any change?”

  Paris made a face, shaking her head. “Please. You know I don’t carry change. You just gonna have to eat the ticket. We’re five minutes late for our appointment.”

  “Uh, hell no. Not after the way Uncle LC cursed your ass out about tickets when your car got towed last month.”

  “That wasn’t my fault, Sasha. That was Daddy’s fault for not paying the tickets on time.”

  “They were your tickets, Par—” Sasha stopped midsentence when she realized Denny had sauntered over.

  He smiled at them, but his attention was mostly on Paris as he put four quarters into the meter. “Here you go, ma. That should hold you for an hour.”

  Paris grinned seductively. “Thanks. Nice kicks. Those the new Jordans?”

  “Yeah, they just came out.” Taking advantage of the moment, he reached into his hoodie and handed her a postcard flyer. “I’m a DJ at this new spot that just opened uptown. Y’all should come through for ladies’ night. Let me buy you a drink.”

  Paris casually took the postcard and said, “Maybe,” before she and her cousin walked away, giggling.

  Denny watched the ladies for a moment, then went back to his spot on the corner. He’d been so distracted by the girls that he almost forgot why he was there and what he was supposed to be doing.

  The Ford Escape circled back again, and Denny gave the driver a nod as he passed by slowly. The driver pulled into an empty spot, and Roman Johnson, an almond-colored man with a mustache and goatee, jumped out, wearing a brown UPS uniform and sunglasses. He headed up the block, carrying a box, and stopped in front of Louis Franks Diamonds, a boutique jewelry store that catered mostly to entertainers and sports stars.

  Roman rang the bell and looked up at the security camera, lifting the box until a buzzer went off, unlocking the door. He pulled it open and used his foot as a wedge to keep it unlocked. Within seconds, Denny was at Roman’s side, wearing a black ski mask. He pulled a large semiautomatic handgun from his waistband. Roman quickly removed his sunglasses and pulled down his brown skull cap, which turned out to be a ski mask as well. He opened the box, removing a sawed-off shotgun along with a large black satchel. Locked and loaded, they stepped into the jewelry store, which only had two customers—Sasha and Paris—and four employees, including the security guard.

  “Okay, everyone. Hands up! This is a robbery!” Roman announced, taking charge. He slid a shell into the shotgun chamber and pointed it at a female employee’s head when she reached for a security button. “You don’t want to die, do you,
lady?”

  “No.” The woman shook her head, pulling back her hand.

  Roman glanced over at Denny, who had already disarmed the security guard and zip-tied his hands. He tossed him the satchel. “Time to go to work, cuz!”

  Suddenly, the store was rocked by a startling crash.

  Denny was smashing the showcases with his gun and dumping trays of jewelry into the black satchel as Roman covered everyone with his shotgun. They were moving fast. Clearly this was not their first robbery.

  As Denny smashed and grabbed, he was making his way toward the Duncan cousins. Sasha casually slipped her hand into her oversized purse and wrapped her fingers around the 9 mm handgun she carried at all times. Unbeknownst to the boys, she and Paris had been trained at Chi’s Finishing School in Paris, one of the world’s most renowned mercenary and tactical training schools. Taking these amateurs down was going to be a piece of cake.

  Sasha was about to spring into action when Paris, whose trained eyes had been studying both boys since the minute they walked in the door, calmly grabbed her cousin’s wrist and shook her head. Reluctantly, Sasha backed down and watched Denny smash the showcase in front of them and clean it out.

  “Time to go, cuz!” Roman shouted, looking out the window. “Our ride’s here.”

  “I’m done,” Denny replied, looking over at Paris. Their eyes met for a brief moment.

  “Then let’s get the fuck outta here,” Roman said, backing up toward the exit. Denny headed for the door, and just like that, they had cleaned the place out and were gone.

  As the store employees scrambled to call the police and untie the security guard, a confused Sasha turned to Paris, and said, “What the fuck was that? I could have stopped them!”

  “For what? They didn’t rob us. Last time I checked, your ass wasn’t Supergirl, and I damn sure ain’t Wonder Woman.” Paris glared at her defiantly.

  Sasha shot back, “Paris, they just cleaned this place out. We shouldn’t have just let them get away like that.”

  “Why not? Nobody got hurt other than the security guard’s ego.” Paris shrugged. “If you had taken them down, we’d be dealing with the police for the next five hours and probably have our faces all over the six o’clock news.” She gave her cousin a pointed look. “And who the hell was going to explain that to my mother and father? ’Cause it damn sure wasn’t gonna be me.”

  Paris’s words hit Sasha hard as she glanced around the room. “Now that you put it like that . . . I’m sure this place is heavily insured.”

  “Exactly. Besides, I got a feeling we’re going to see those two again real soon.” Paris flicked the postcard Denny had given her earlier and smiled knowingly.

  Nevada

  1

  “Oh my God, that was so much fun. Paris and Sasha are going to be so jealous when they see these pictures on Instagram,” Uncle Rio shouted, showing off the selfie he’d taken as we walked toward the parking lot. I had spent the entire day at Splish Splash with Rio, Kia, Danielle, my dad, and his girlfriend, Marie. “Aren’t you glad you came now, Nevada?”

  “Yeah, it was a blast,” I replied, checking out Danielle and Kia’s backsides, which were barely covered by their bikinis, as I walked a few feet behind them. I tried to be subtle about my gaze, but when I glanced over at my dad, he gave me the look, letting me know I was busted. I swear between him, my mom, and my grandmother, there were always eyes on me. I was just thankful that Marie didn’t notice, because Danielle and Kia worked for her, and I didn’t want her to think I was some disrespectful pervert.

  Thanks to Uncle Rio’s horrible sense of direction, it took us almost half an hour to find the Mercedes Sprinter van we were traveling in, but everyone was still in high spirits. My dad climbed behind the wheel, and Marie sat up front with him. The rest of us slipped in the back. Although there was plenty of room, Danielle, an exceptionally pretty white girl with long blonde hair and a body like a swimsuit model, sat right next to me, pinning me to the van’s wall with her body and spreading out across the seat. Danielle was the more aggressive of the two girls, and it was clear all day that she enjoyed being the center of attention, especially mine. I made sure to play it off like it was no big deal, but my dad seemed to always be looking.

  “Look how sunburned I got.” She pulled back the top of her bikini that barely held her full breasts to start with, so that I could see the lighter pigmentation of her skin compared to her bright red sunburn. I tried not to let my eyes linger on her breasts too long, but it was a challenge.

  “You wouldn’t be sunburned if you’d put that sunscreen on like I told you,” Marie scolded her, more like her mother than her boss. “I don’t understand why you don’t listen. Your skin is way too fair to be exposing it to the sun like that.”

  “Okay, okay, Marie. Damn, you act like I’m as red as a lobster or something.” Danielle pouted, sliding her bikini top back in place and then resting her head right in my lap. She began playing with her phone, and all I could do was look down at her beautiful body laid out across the seat. To make matters worse, I had no idea what to do with my hands.

  “You a’ight over there, nephew?” Uncle Rio could barely contain his laughter as he took a picture with his phone, which meant he and Aunt Paris were going to be joking and teasing me for the next two weeks.

  “Yeah, I’m cool.” I placed my hands behind my head and sat back like it was no big deal. I noticed my dad looking at us in the rearview mirror, and once again, he had that smile on his face.

  “Y’all hungry?” Dad asked as we pulled out of the park. “You wanna stop and get something to eat?”

  “Yes!” Danielle quickly answered.

  “Definitely,” Uncle Rio yelled.

  “Yes.” Kia, the other girl Marie had brought, raised her hand and smiled. Unlike Danielle, she was quiet and reserved. I’d overheard her tell Uncle Rio that her father was black and her mother was Korean, which was probably why she looked so exotic.

  “What about you, Nevada?” Kia asked. The way she stared at me was kind of creepy and sexy at the same time, and it gave me butterflies for some reason. “You hungry?”

  “Yeah, I could eat, but I’d rather go home and have a barbecue than eat fast food,” I replied. Kia grinned as if I’d come up with the right answer.

  “A barbecue does sound good,” Uncle Rio added. “What do you say, Vegas? You’re the grill master.”

  Dad nodded. “I’ve got some steaks and burgers from last weekend, and Ma’s always got a fridge full. Why not?”

  “Let me find out you can cook . . .” Marie said playfully.

  “Cook, no. But grill? Baby, I can grill my ass off,” my dad bragged.

  “All righty then, I guess we’re having a BBQ!” Uncle Rio cheered, solidifying our plans.

  “I love barbecues. Are we invited?” Danielle lifted her head from my lap and turned from her phone. Marie looked back, cutting her eyes disapprovingly, but Danielle pressed. “Please, Marie, I want to taste Vegas’s cooking.”

  “Grilling,” Dad laughed, reiterating his previous point. “And yes, y’all can all come.”

  Marie glanced over at him with uncertain eyes. “You sure about this? I don’t want to upset your mother by bringing the girls to her house, Vegas. She’s just starting to like me.”

  “Trust me, my mom loves a full house,” Dad said, squeezing her hand. “I’ll text her and let her know.”

  “Tell her she won’t have to lift a finger. I’ll pick up everything we need,” Marie told him. “And the girls will clean up.”

  “And I’ll make drinks,” Uncle Rio added.

  “Yes for the drinks!” Danielle clapped.

  “No for the drinks. You’re only nineteen, Dani,” Marie reminded her. “And you too, Kia.”

  I was surprised to hear that. I knew Danielle and Kia were the youngest girls that worked for Marie, but I thought they were in their early twenties, not their late teens.

  “What? That’s some bull, Marie. We’re not at work,” D
anielle snapped.

  “Rules don’t change just ’cause we’re not at work. Until you’re twenty-one, you don’t drink around me or any of my friends. You got a problem with that, then we don’t have to have a BBQ. We can go back to the house.” Once again, Marie sounded more like a mother than a boss.

  “No, I wanna stay,” Danielle replied humbly.

  “Okay. Now, give Nevada some space and cover yourself up. We’re not at the water park anymore.”

  Danielle sat up, shifting a little farther away from me and covering herself up with a beach towel. It was nice being able to stretch, but I can’t say I didn’t like her lying on me.

  Marie turned back to the front, and a few minutes later, Danielle and Uncle Rio were asleep. I looked across the van at Kia, who turned from looking out the window and smiled at me timidly.

  “What grade are you in?” she asked out of nowhere.

  “I start my junior year next week, but I have enough credits to graduate. Right now, I’m taking all AP classes—except for gym.”

  “Are you some kind of genius or something?” She laughed. She must have thought I was a brainiac freak.

  “No, not really. I’m just—”

  She cut me off, giggling. “It’s okay. Smart is sexy. Don’t let anyone tell you different.” She winked at me, and I could feel the heat from my face turning red. “So, you think you can help me study for my GED test sometime? I’m having a lot of trouble with the algebra. Math’s not my strongest subject.”

  “Sure. I tutor kids in math and science at my school all the time. It’s not really that hard once you learn the formulas. Most of the kids get A’s and B’s once they work with me.”

  “I bet they do,” she replied, giving me that stare that caused butterflies in my stomach again. “So, here’s a question for you. If you’re so smart and can graduate, why stay in high school? Why not go off to some fancy college?”

  “It’s kind of a long story, but I just came to live with my father and his side of the family about three years ago. Before that, I spent most of my life in boarding schools in California because my mom was trying to keep me a secret from her husband.”