Out of Control (5 page)

“Check this out. I heard from one of my people that some of Black’s people is recruitin’ like they gearin’ up for war.”

“You think they gettin' ready to come at us?”

“That’s what I thought at first, but the way I get it is that Nick is slippin’ and they plannin’ a takeover.”

“You know who’s behind it?”

“Get this; Wanda Moore.”

“Wanda? The lawyer?”

“That’s the way I get it.”

“Who’d you hear this from?”

“One of Grant’s people,” Billyjack admitted. “Things is quiet now, but it could jump off any time.”

 
Russell sat back in his chair and thought about the possibilities that this could have for him. The beating he took that night didn’t hurt anymore and Russell was thinking about trying again. This time, he would be a little smarter about it.

“We could work this to our advantage,” Russell said.

“All we gotta do is sit back and pick up the pieces when it’s over,” Billyjack said.

“I was thinkin’ about something a little different,” Russell said and smiled.

“What’s that?”

If there is one thing you could say about Jamaica, it’s that he is very good at his job. In a few short months he had just about taken control of the illegal gambling in Nassau. Jamaica and his men had forcibly taken over most of the gambling houses on the island and had opened up new ones.
The only real problem he had was with a man named Harry Walker and his wife Deidra. Together they ran a few spots, Deidra was in charge of the women who worked the trade on the island and they stuck their hand in when there was money to be made as a middleman for drug deals. But, Jamaica knew he would turn them in due time.

He turned his attention to extortion.
He began shaking down anybody who made money on the tourist industry. From tour operators, to bus and cab companies. From the guys who took tourists out on their boats for fishing trips, to the port merchants. If you made money, you had to pay Jamaica.

They lived in a house called The Yellow Rose.
“Modern grandeur amid the tropical splendors of Lyford Cay,” their real estate agent, Mr. Lightbourn began the day he showed them the house.

“This is beautiful,” CeCe said as she walked around the elaborately furnished house with her eyes wide open.

“You like it?” Black asked.

“Yes,” CeCe said as they followed Mr. Lightbourn around the house.

“And it’s no wonder that you do my dear. This impressive modern masterpiece was designed by a noted Bahamian architect and offers luxury and comfort in a tropical setting. It has 10,426 square feet of living space on more than a half acre of land. An awe-inspiring great room embraces dining and television areas and a two-story living space. It is uniquely positioned with 152 feet on the canal and a wide-open view. The main house consists of four bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, plus a one-bedroom one-bathroom apartment on the grounds. It truly presents a treasure trove of the finest marble from Greece, Spain, and Portugal. Custom interior doors and door frames of Cypress wood; Crystal dining room sconces and a chandelier custom made in Austria. Etched-glass panels, marble treads, and stainless steel balustrades transform the grand staircase into an elegant work of modern sculpture. The enclosed grounds sequester a 25-meter lap pool with cabana and sauna. A private dock extends into the water and can accommodate up to a 120-foot yacht in the deep water canal.” Mr. Lightbourn turned to Black. “Well, Mr. Black, what do you think?”

“Are you thinking about buying this?” CeCe asked.

“I am if you like it.”

“Me?”

“If you don’t like it, we can look at some other places,” Black said and put his arm around her.

“I love it.”

“I do too,” Black said and turned to Mr. Lightbourn. “So what are you asking for this?”

“The asking price is ten million, nine hundred thousand dollars.”

“Nine, cash.”

“I think we can make that happen,” Mr. Lightbourn said with a big smile on his face.

“This house is so beautiful. I can’t wait to come back.” CeCe kissed Black. “This means a lot, you know; it makes me feel like you really do want me to be a part of your life and that makes me happy.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re happy.”

Now in her third trimester, CeCe was having the usual issues with her pregnancy. The first few months were rough for her.
 
She had
a severe form of morning sickness know as Hyperemesis gravidarum. CeCe suffered with excessive nausea and vomiting, which was preventing the adequate intake of food and fluids. Her doctor in New York recommended a friend from medical school that was practicing in Nassau. He told her that the leveling off of the hormone hCG was the reason her nausea was letting up.

It was in her fourth month that CeCe first began to feel the baby move. She was plagued by constant heartburn. “Try some papaya to relieve the symptoms. Make sure you get plenty of fiber in your diet to forestall the constipation that troubles some mothers. You are almost certainly finding it necessary to move into larger, looser clothing.” Her Doctor advised.

“That happened some time ago,” CeCe told the doctor on her first visit.

“The average weight gain at this point is five to ten pounds.”

CeCe cut her eyes at Black. “I’ve gained more weight than that.” She was very sensitive about the amount of weight she’d gained, which was closer to fifteen or twenty pounds.

The doctor saw the way she was looking. “However, you are an individual, not an average, so if you have been eating good food in appropriate amounts you have gained just the right amount for you.”

CeCe complained that her skin was extra dry and itchy, especially where it is stretching. He told her to use a moisturizer to soothe it and to remember to drink plenty of water. She was still suffering from dizzy spells because her blood sugar levels were affected by the pregnancy. He suggested that she may benefit from eating smaller meals more frequently.

“Your breasts have each gained six or seven ounces in weight.”

“I noticed,” CeCe said.

“So have I,” Black added.

“The areola, or dark area around the nipple may actually be getting larger. This effect of pregnancy can last up to a year after the birth of the baby.”

Black smiled.

“If you have noticed a reduction in your sex drive, you may find that it returns now and sex is particularly enjoyable.”

“That hasn’t happened,” Black said.

It had been months since they had sex and he hadn’t been with anybody else. CeCe gave him the look.

The doctor continued. “Is sleeping on your belly becoming uncomfortable?”

“Yes it is, so I’ve been sleeping on my back.”

“Sleeping on your back may cause your growing uterus to compress major blood vessels, so learn to sleep comfortably on your sides, using extra pillows to help support your arms, legs and belly.”

“I can do that.”

In her third trimester, heartburn was still a problem for her. On one of her visits to the doctor he noted a rise in her blood pressure.
 
“That is called PID or Pregnancy Induced Hypertension.”

Where CeCe had been feeling pretty energetic throughout her second trimester, she was now beginning to slow down. “Pay attention to your body’s signals and rest when you need to. Exercise is still an important activity for you, even though it gets harder as you get larger and heavier. Try swimming, stretching and walking, these are all excellent options for you.”

“Why am I waddling?”

“This is because the ligaments in your pelvis have softened, allowing your hips to spread in preparation for birth.”

When Black wasn’t busy with CeCe and Michelle, he was with Meka, who had been doing very well day trading for them.
Day trading is the practice of buying and selling financial instruments within the same trading day so that all positions are usually closed before the market closes for the trading day. Some of the more commonly day-traded financial instruments are stocks, stock options, currencies, and a host of futures contracts such as equity index futures, interest rate futures, and commodity futures.

“Day trading used to be an activity exclusive to financial firms and professional investors and speculators,” Meka explained to Black when she recommended they get in to it. “Most day traders are bank or investment firm employees working as specialists in equity investment and fund management.”

“Which is what you used to do.”

“Exactly. But now with the advent of electronic trading and margin trading, there is no reason that with my skills and your backing, we can’t make this very profitable.” That day, they became partners. Meka used a number of day trading strategies and began producing right away. “Scalping is an intra-day technique that usually has the bid holding a position for a few minutes. Shaving is a method which allows the trader to jump ahead by a tenth of a cent, and a full round trip.”

“What does that mean?”

Meka giggled. “A buy and a sell order. That is often completed in under one second. So instead of bidding $10.20 per share, the scalper will jump the bid at $10.201, thus becoming the best bid and therefore the first in line to be able to purchase the stock. When the best "Offer" is $10.21, the shaver will again jump first in line and sell a tenth of a cent cheaper at $10.209 for a profit of 0.008 of a dollar. The profits add up when using 10,000 share lots each time and the combined earnings from rebates for creating liquidity.”

“I could see when that could turn into real money when the buys are big enough.”

“A day trader is actively searching for potential trading setups.”