Deceitful Hearts Read online

  When he nodded, she winked and got into her car. The Zoo Crew had just grown larger by one. That wasn’t something they did very often, but hopefully they wouldn’t regret their decision.

  Chapter 1

  Eight months later…

  The cement walls shook from the vibrations of the loud speakers. The dimly lit club was packed to capacity with men and women from all over the city. It was the Friday after payday and bottles were popping in every corner. Women were dressed skimpily and circulating the room in packs, hoping to catch the next prominent baller willing to fund their come up. While they all had hopes of snagging one of the city’s biggest names, it was apparent they’d crossed Tone and his crew from the list. Although they were some of the sexiest niggas in the building, none of the women had even attempted to go their way.

  Tone was medium height, light skinned with a low cut and full lips. His goatee connected around his mouth and was always freshly lined. Tek and Zino were both dark skinned with dreads. Tek’s were shorter, stopping at his shoulders, while Zino’s were long and always tied in a ponytail at the back of his neck. They both had the whitest teeth, and prettiest smiles you would ever see. Too bad you hardly ever saw them.

  Tek looked like a thug, while Zino was more of a pretty boy. His features gave him a babyish look, which had the women constantly swooning. Bear was big and stocky, he reminded Phoenix of D-Bo from Friday, except he wore a short fro instead of a bald head. Ollie, that damn Ollie, he was simply a panty wetter. Looking at the fine ass nigga for longer than a few seconds would have you ready to snatch his ass up. His chocolate skin and full lips were some of life’s greatest gifts.

  They sat in their secluded corner draped in their red. They even had a few red flags and red bandannas, hanging from the pockets and thrown across the table. It was no secret that they were Bloods, most Miami niggas were. It was no secret that they were all paid, but clearly that didn’t overshadow their reputation. Tone and the Zoo Crew were known to get dirty, and not just a little dirty. They got down right disgusting when it was time to handle business.

  They were wild and reckless. If there was any work needing to be put in, and you wanted it gory, then they were the team to call. The way they murdered people was just outright ridiculous. When it came to their money or each other, no one was spared. Well, almost no one. Tone’s younger sister, Phoenix, was the only exemption. Her name alone was enough to either anger or soften Tone’s attitude. It all depended on the manner in which it was used.

  “Phoenix, I need another bottle of Patron, and a Hennessey on the rocks for table five,” Kara yelled as she leaned over the bar.

  “Dang, already? Those niggas must be hella thirsty. I just sent two bottles of Cîroc over there not even twenty minutes ago.” Phoenix’s face was scrunched up but she turned around to the bar to get the requested drinks.

  Kara laughed. Phoenix was silly as hell sometimes. “Just give me the damn drinks, girl.”

  Phoenix stood on her tip toes to grab the bottle of Patron before fixing the Hennessey and handing them to Kara. When Kara lit the sparkler on the bottle, she blew her whistle and made her way through the crowd. She was a tall dark skinned video vixen looking girl with the pretty face, perky breasts, flat stomach, and the fattest ass. The best part of it all was that it was natural. No ass shots. She was pretty as hell, and cool as fuck.

  Phoenix watched her walk to the VIP section and serve the same table once again. She was just about to turn around and wipe the beer she’d spilled when someone grabbed her arm. She frowned immediately. If it was one thing she hated about being a bartender, it was that niggas felt like they could touch you without permission.

  “Excuse me, pretty lady, can I get a glass of Jack and two Bud Lights please?”

  Phoenix lost the frown the moment she laid eyes on the man. He was a handsome light skinned dude with a low cut and full beard. He wasn’t the tallest, but he definitely wasn’t short. The dark blue sweater did nothing to disguise the muscles in his wide chest. Phoenix was caught off guard momentarily but quickly regained her composure.

  “Sure thing, baby. Give me one second,” she said in her sultry bartender voice.

  “Baby? So I’m your baby now?”

  Phoenix looked over her shoulder at him again. “You can be whatever you want to be.”

  She’d long ago learned in order to get a good tip, you had to tell the customers whatever they wanted to hear. Men or women, it just came with the territory. Phoenix couldn’t count how many times she’d complimented ugly hairstyles or trashy looking ensembles.

  “Word? So I can be your man and you wouldn’t have a problem with that?”

  “Nope. As cute as you are, I might even consider it an honor.”

  “I hear you, pretty lady. We’ll see about that.” He winked and grabbed his drinks before sliding her a crisp hundred-dollar bill. “Keep the change.”

  Phoenix folded the money and stuck it in her bra. The way he swaggered through the crowd had her enthralled a little more than it should have, but that came to a quick end when she heard Kara calling her name again.

  “The Zoo needs service, so I’ll hold it down over here while you handle that.”

  “Did they say what they wanted?”

  Kara gave her a look as if she should have known better than to even ask that. “Now you know them niggas ain’t fucking with nobody long enough to say more than two words. Tone’s rude behind slapped me on my ass hard as hell just to tell me to get you.”

  Phoenix chuckled lightly as Kara ranted. Her brother was an asshole and he loved to piss people off. She’d told him to stop being like that, but he never listened. When she was sure Kara was done venting, she fixed the sparkly black sports bra and high waist spandex shorts before heading to her brother’s table. The thigh high boots tied up the front of her legs, added decoration to her smooth brown skin. Her jet black hair was pulled into a bun at the top of her head, giving the large gold hoops she sported the spotlight. Phoenix licked her full lips as she switched toward the Zoo Crew. She felt their eyes on her before she reached the table. They were always watching to make sure no one was trying to approach her on some hot shit.

  Phoenix was a real beauty. Her small nose, slanted eyes, and high cheekbones drew attention from both sexes, but was never addressed. Nobody had to tell her she was one of the prettiest girls in the club because she already knew it. Although she was fairly small, only weighing one hundred and twenty-five pounds, with no ass, and semi-small breasts, it didn’t matter. The masked lust and slick comments men made was enough to keep her head in the clouds. She ignored it, but she enjoyed it inwardly.

  Working at the club was the most fun and interaction she had with the opposite sex. Tone and the Zoo Crew’s overprotectiveness made it very hard for her to get a man. When she finally reached the table, she stood to the side, resting one hand on her small hip.

  “What y’all niggas want?”

  “Damn, that’s how you greet your fam?” Bear asked with his hands in the air.

  “Y’all know I love y’all, but this madness has to stop. How y’all gon’ come in this club and not interact with people? Kara could have got y’all some drinks. I did not have to walk all the way over here.”

  Tone looked her up and down and smirked. “Yes the hell you did. We don’t trust nobody up in the muthafucka to fix our shit but you. We got too many enemies for shit like that. What Kara can do though is ride this dick, with her fine ass.”

  Phoenix slapped Tone across the side of his head. “You’re such a butthole. Now tell me what y’all want so I can go.”

  “Another round of Bud Lights and a bottle of Remy with some ice.”

  Phoenix let her eyes roam around the table at all five of the men, Tone, Bear, Tek, Ollie, and Zino. She narrowed her eyes and briefly paused at Ollie, the newest member of the Zoo. He was fine as hell and she’d been crushing on him for the past few months. After he winked, she continued scanning the table before letting them know she’d b
e right back. In the midst of the packed dance floor, Phoenix felt a hand on the small of her back. When she looked up, she smiled. It was the bar cutie.

  “I see you have a problem keeping your hands to yourself.”

  “I guess you can say that. Dance with me.”

  “You must not be from around here.”

  He shook his head no before leaning down so he could talk in her ear. “No, but why does that matter?”

  “Because if you were, you would know I’m off limits.”

  This made him step back a few feet. “You got a man?”

  “Nah, my brother and his friends are just really overprotective.”

  “No disrespect, but fuck your brother and his friends. I’ma holla at ya, though.” He pinched her exposed stomach lightly before walking away.

  Phoenix wanted to call out to him and tell him to come back, but she didn’t. Instead, she turned around and headed for the bar. She grabbed the drinks, some napkins, and another bucket of ice before walking back to their table. Once they were satisfied, she was on her way. She squeezed her way through the crowded dancefloor only to be stopped again.

  “You know this is where you belong, right?” Ollie whispered in her ear as he stood behind her with his arms around her waist.

  “Ollieeeeee,” she sang his name in a way that only she could.

  “I want you to sing my name just like that while you riding my face.”

  Phoenix shivered but remained silent. She didn’t even know what to say to that.

  “Can you do that for me, Phoenix?”

  “Ollie, let me go before Tone sees us.”

  “I’m a grown ass man, Tone doesn’t scare me, but I’ll slide if that’s what you want. Just know I’m waiting on you.” Ollie licked circles around her neck before placing a kiss there and walking away.

  Phoenix took a deep breath and willed herself to move. Ollie had made it more than clear on many occasions that he was ready to take it there with her, but she was too scared. Tone would kill both of them. Ollie was tall and dark skinned, just the way she liked them. His slender frame resembled that of a basketball player. His straight white teeth and killer eyes magnified his chocolate skin. Fine as he was, that wasn’t what attracted her to him. Ollie was so sweet. He was always so gentle and calm.

  Whenever they had time, they would talk for hours about any and everything under the sun. The thing that drew her the most was the way her listened to her. When she talked, it was as if the world had stopped and she was the only one in it. She loved him for this because he was the only person who did it. Tone was always too busy in the streets to listen, and her parents just didn’t care. They pretended to, but she knew they didn’t. Kara was the closest thing she had to a friend, but the only time they hung out was at work, and there was no way to have a conversation in there.

  Shaking herself from her daydreams, Phoenix went to the bar to finish her shift. Before long, the club was closing and it was time for her to clean up her area. It took her and the other waitresses a least another hour after closing to get everything together. When she walked out to her car, she noticed Tone and the rest of the Zoo Crew waiting across the street for her. They were so busy laughing and playing they hadn’t even seen her come out.

  “Where you rushing to?” said a deep voice accompanied by a hand on her elbow.

  “There you go again with your hands on me.” Phoenix smiled.

  “I guess I can’t help myself.”

  Phoenix tried to keep a straight face as she looked at the cutie from the bar. His eyes were low and red, assumingly from the marijuana she could smell on him. The neat hair that laid down against his chin and jawline reminded her of the way rapper, The Game, wore his. His eyes roamed freely over her body before stopping at her feet.

  “Damn, you got some pretty ass toes, and you’re sexy as fuck.”

  This wasn’t new to her, most men loved the way she looked.

  “Thank you. Now what do you want with me?”

  “I’m hungry as fuck, let’s go grab some food.”

  “I don’t know about that. I kind of already have plans,”

  Phoenix discreetly looked over her shoulder to see if the boys were watching her.

  “I must be ugly or something?” The bar cutie snapped his fingers as if just realizing something. “I know what it is. You like them black ass niggas, don’t you? A nigga too light for your little ass, ain’t it?”

  Phoenix burst out laughing. “Boy, you stupid… even though you are a little too yellow for me, that’s not it.”

  “Well, what is it?”

  “Where you from?”

  “Why?”

  “Because I want to know, that’s why.”

  He scrunched his eyes up before answering. “This the second time you’ve asked me that shit. What’s on your mind?”

  “I just wanted to know because none of the niggas from Miami would be all up on me.”

  “Not that I give a fuck, but who is your nigga? I can see your ass is dying to tell me.”

  Phoenix was a little nervous to tell him because anytime she mentioned the crew, niggas got ghost. Oh well, it was now or never.

  “I don’t have a nigga. I’m single, I just… I don’t know.” Phoenix changed her mind. This cutie was one of the first men that she’d been attracted to in a long time. She couldn’t run him off before she got a chance to know him. “What’s your name?”

  “Jamar, what’s yours?”

  “Phoenix. Here, take my number, I have to go,”

  “I can’t feed you before you go?”

  “Nah, I’m good. Just hit my line,” Phoenix told him as she handed him his phone back.

  She was moving as fast as she could to get across the street. Tone had just called her phone, which meant he was looking for her. She was so happy that the crowd of people in front of the club had hidden her long enough to exchange numbers with Jamar. Hopefully none of Tone’s nosey ass snitches were anywhere around to tell on her.

  “What took your ass so long?” Tone barked as soon as she was close enough to hear him.

  “Boy, you better stop yelling at me. I’m grown.” Phoenix bypassed him and got in the car.

  “All right, we’ll meet y’all at the house,” Tek said as he dapped Tone up and walked away with the rest of the crew.

  Phoenix sat in the car trying to steal glances at Ollie without him seeing her. She had it bad for that nigga, but their situation prevented anything from happening. Tone would flip his fucking wig if he even thought Ollie was trying to get at her. For some reason, that nigga thought he could control her social life and it was annoying as hell, but she endured. Tone had been that way since they were little.

  He was eight years older and somewhat of a second father. He didn’t think anyone was good enough for her. Little did he know, one day soon he was going to be very disappointed. Ollie and Jamar both had her head somewhere else. Jamar’s sex appeal was crazy, not to mention his confidence, and Ollie. That damn Ollie. He was her heart and he knew it. Soon and very soon, one of them were going to be hers. Hell, maybe even both.

  Chapter 2

  “Umm,” Phoenix moaned.

  She’d been asleep for no longer than an hour when she was awakened by loud talking. It took her a moment to open her eyes fully, but when she did, all she could see was black. The only light she saw was the red numbers flashing across her alarm clock. She heard voices again, this time they seemed closer. Who in the hell Tone got over here?

  She stretched her arms before grabbing her phone from her nightstand. Her clock read five forty-two in the morning. They’d just gotten home from the club not even a full two hours ago. Tone should have had his ass in the bed by now. From the sounds of it, he had a woman in there, which wasn’t normal. Anytime Tone had company he would take them to a motel. The only people allowed to know where they laid their head was the Zoo Crew. That nigga was so paranoid he had gotten out of town contractors to build their house. It was massive as hell, and Phoenix
couldn’t figure out for the life of her why they needed so much room. True enough, everyone from the crew lived there, but that was only five people, six if you included her. Thirteen rooms was just too much.

  Phoenix rolled her eyes and placed the pillow over her head. She had just dosed off when she heard her room door open. Instinctively, she pulled her gun from beneath her mattress and aimed it at the door. Because of the pink laser attached to it, she was able to see her mark. The pink heart at the end of her laser was in the middle of Ollie’s forehead.

  “Put that shit away.”

  “Boy, you know better than to be up in here.” Phoenix replaced her gun before turning back around to talk to him.

  Tone had a strict rule that no one was allowed in her room. He barely allowed anyone on her side of the house without good reason. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them, he just wanted her to have her privacy. Having to live in a house full of niggas was one thing, but having their ass in her space twenty-four seven was another. Although Phoenix didn’t mind the boys, she appreciated the distance.

  Ollie kicked off his sneakers and walked over to her bed. “I know, but fuck it.”

  “Why y’all ain’t sleep anyway? Who’s down there?”

  “Tone’s ass is hype about the work we have to put in tomorrow. I ain’t worried about the shit. I’m tired as hell and ready to take my ass to sleep.” Ollie pulled his shirt over his head, exposing his chocolate abs. “Scoot over.”

  “Is it in town?” Phoenix asked, referring to the “work” he’d just mentioned.

  “Work” in their house was how the Zoo Crew referred to the meetings they had in the streets. It was a war zone, you either kill or be killed. In the beginning, Phoenix didn’t agree with the idea of them always starting beef with other people, but that’s just what they did. They appeared to be just some around the way drug dealers like everyone else, but they were anything but. The Zoo was cold, vengeful, and merciless. Their moves were calculated and meticulous. You would never catch them in a situation where there were unprepared or less skilled. It just wasn’t going to happen. When they were hired to fuck shit up, that’s exactly what they did.