Queen Divas Read online

  The Memphis struggle continues . . .

  Welcome back to Memphis, where when the sun goes down, shit pops off. The three major female gangs ruling the gritty Mid-South are the Queen Gs—who keep it hood for the Black Gangster Disciples. The Flowers—who rule with the Vice Lords. And the Crippettes—mistresses of the Grape Street Crips.

  Rules are: There are no damn rules. Survive the game the best way you know how. If you want to be king, show no remorse. Memphis’s divas are as hard and ruthless as the men they hold down. Your biggest mistake is to get in their way.

  Also by De’nesha Diamond

  The Parker Crime Chronicles

  Conspiracy

  Collusion

  The Diva Series

  Hustlin’ Divas

  Street Divas

  Gangsta Divas

  Boss Divas

  King Divas

  Anthologies

  Heartbreaker (with Erick S. Gray and Nichelle Walker)

  Heist (with Kiki Swinson)

  A Gangster and a Gentleman (with Kiki Swinson)

  Fistful of Benjamins (with Kiki Swinson)

  Heist 2 (with Kiki Swinson)

  No Loyalty (with A’zayler)

  Published by Kensington Publishing Corp.

  Queen Divas

  DE’NESHA DIAMOND

  KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

  www.kensingtonbooks.com

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

  DAFINA BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2016 by De’nesha Diamond

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  All Kensington Titles, Imprints, and Distributed Lines are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, and educational or institutional use. Special book excerpts or customized printings can also be created to fit specific needs. For details, write or phone the office of the Kensington special sales manager: Kensington Publishing Corp., 119 West 40th Street, New York, NY 10018, attn: Special Sales Department, Phone: 1-800-221-2647.

  Dafina and the Dafina logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  ISBN-13: 978-0-7582-9261-2

  ISBN-10: 0-7582-9261-9

  First Kensington Trade Edition: April 2016

  First Kensington Mass Market Edition: April 2018

  eISBN-13: 978-0-7582-9260-5

  eISBN-10: 0-7582-9260-0

  First Kensington Electronic Edition: April 2016

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Printed in the United States of America

  Table of Contents

  Also by

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Acknowledgments

  Cast of Characters

  Massacre

  1 - Mack

  2 - Lucifer

  3 - Ta’Shara

  4 - Lucifer

  5 - Mack

  6 - Wendi

  7 - Yvette

  8 - Lucifer

  9 - Hydeya

  10 - Ta’Shara

  11 - Hydeya

  12 - Mack

  13 - Ta’Shara

  14 - Lucifer

  15 - Cleo

  16 - Hydeya

  17 - Hydeya

  18 - Cleo

  19 - Lucifer

  20 - Cleo

  Grief

  21 - Mack

  22 - Hydeya

  23 - Yvette

  24 - Hydeya

  25 - Ta’Shara

  26 - Hydeya

  27 - Ta’Shara

  28 - Lucille

  29 - Hydeya

  30 - Ta’Shara

  31 - Wendi

  32 - Hydeya

  33 - Mack

  34 - Hydeya

  35 - Wendi

  36 - Mack

  37 - Hydeya

  38 - Hydeya

  39 - Yvette

  Decisions

  40 - Ta’Shara

  41 - Cleo

  42 - Mack

  43 - Hydeya

  44 - Cleo

  45 - Nefertiti

  46 - Hydeya

  47 - Nefertiti

  48 - Cleo

  49 - Hydeya

  50 - Nefertiti

  51 - Cleo

  52 - Nefertiti

  53 - Ta’Shara

  Destruction

  54 - Mack

  55 - Cleo

  56 - Hydeya

  57 - Cleo

  58 - Ta’Shara

  59 - Wendi

  60 - Lucille

  61 - Cleo

  62 - Nefertiti

  63 - Cleo

  64 - Hydeya

  65 - Mack

  66 - Lucille

  67 - Hydeya

  68 - Nefertiti

  69 - Cleo

  70 - Hydeya

  71 - Nefertiti

  Dreams

  72 - Hydeya

  73 - Mack

  74 - Ta’Shara

  75 - Lucille

  Epilogue - Vivian

  Acknowledgments

  This has been quite the adventure. I want to thank everyone who has supported me through a very trying time in my life to complete this series. To Granny, who inspires and watches me from up above. My sister Channon Kennedy—you’re the best. My beautiful niece, Courtney—I love you. My number one fan, Evette Porter, and my favorite cousin in the whole wide world, Josephine Johnson—thanks for the laughs and the support.

  To my patient editor Selena James and tell-it-like-it-is agent Marc Gerald, many thanks.

  And to the fans who loved the series from day one. Thanks so much.

  Best of Love,

  De’nesha

  Cast of Characters

  Ta’Shara Murphy was once a straight-A student with dreams of getting the hell out of Memphis, but she took a detour from her dreams when she fell in love with Raymond “Profit” Lewis, the younger brother of Fat Ace. Ta’Shara has now moved to Ruby Cove and become Profit’s official woman and a Vice Lord Flower. New trouble came when she stumbled across Profit kissing one of the deadliest chicks in the game: Lucifer. Ta’Shara then moved in with her new best friend Mackenzie “Mack” Grimes. There she learned the truth about her old best friend Essence’s death and killed Qiana Barrett and LeShelle. It was still not enough to save her and Profit.

  Willow “Lucifer” Washington is Fat Ace’s right hand and as deadly as they come. Her latest vendetta has been against a small clique within the Grape Street Crippettes and the group’s leader, Shariffa Rodgers. Her girls were responsible for killing Lucifer’s brother, Juvon ”Bishop” Washington. Lucifer systematically killed each member of Shariffa’s crew despite her growing pregnant belly—until the night Shariffa decided to stop being the prey to become the hunter.

  Captain Hydeya Hawkins is the new Memphis police captain unraveling the secrets and corruption of her predecessor. With King Isaac released from prison, it’s a matter of time before her secret of being the infamous gangster’s daughter reaches the chief of police’s ears. But with the recent death of her husband, Drake, and a forced administrative leave, she’s unprepared for one more sh
ocker that slips out of Momma Peaches’s Bible.

  Mackenzie “Mack” Grimes is a Vice Lord Flower who, along with her sidekick Romil, befriended Ta’Shara Murphy once she became a full-fledged Flower. Seeing her girl Ta’Shara try to leave the Vice Lords’ prince Profit, Mack breaks her own rules about staying out of people’s business to put her nose directly where it doesn’t belong in order to get them back together.

  Chief Yvette Brown is the police chief, who’s riding Captain Hawkins to solve the gang war violence without causing waves within the Memphis political system. She may have slept her way to the top and is currently the mistress of a top political official, but it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t care about fixing her city. The question remains: at what cost?

  Lucille Washington is the widow of Darcell “Dough Man” Washington, the ex-mistress of the deceased super-cop Captain Melvin Johnson, and mother to Juvon “Bishop” Washington (deceased) and Willow “Lucifer” Washington.

  Officer Wendi Hendrix is a beat cop currently having an affair with Lieutenant John Fowler. She was also a part of ex-captain Johnson’s criminal ring. Recently the Vice Lord’s head chief, Fat Ace, reached out to Fowler to restart their illegal gun trade. She is thrilled. The extra money will help her financially support her ailing mother.The only problem is that Lieutenant Fowler is no Captain Johnson. His inexperience leading this criminal endeavor could get them killed or locked up.

  Cleopatra “Cleo” Blackmon is the older sister of Essence, Ta’Shara’s deceased best friend. She and her boyfriend Kalief are trying to launch her in the music business. Things go left when she signs Diesel Carver as her new manager. Not only that, she now suspects her new manager of being responsible for his aunt Peaches’s murder, orchestrating the shooting at her burial, and covering his butt by framing the Vice Lords to take the fall.

  Nefertiti is Diesel’s right hand chick and business manager, and is always down for whatever; that includes putting up with his wandering eyes when it comes to other women. As the streets of Memphis are set to explode, Titi finds herself smack in the middle of it all with a secret of her own.

  Massacre

  1

  Mack

  I’ve been in the game a long time as a Vice Lord Flower and I’ve seen my share of some fuckery, but I have to admit, even if it’s just to myself, that nothing has prepared me for the shit that has gone down tonight. My girls Romil and Dime had joined forces to help the newest member of our crew, Ta’Shara Murphy, get her whacked-out sister, LeShelle, off of her back.

  Why the fuck not? The bitch has spent the past year tryna murk Ta’Shara first, so it was the least that we could do. Actually, the order was: LeShelle ordered Ta’Shara gang raped for dating the brother of an enemy to her man. Ta’Shara attacked LeShelle with a pair of knitting needles at the mental hospital that her rape landed her in. LeShelle escaped police custody at the hospital to kill Ta’Shara’s foster parents as revenge. And then the two were engaged in a contest to see who would do what next.

  Romil, Dime and I agreed to help. Of course it was only after we were drawn into killing two from our set: Qiana Barrett and GG.

  I’m still not trying to think about that shit too much. Their murders happened so fast, it’s still hard to wrap my brain around it. There was something about Qiana making a deal with LeShelle.

  First of all, LeShelle Murphy was the head bitch in charge of the Queen Gs, the female gang that holds down the Gangster Disciples and also the sworn enemies of our gang, the Vice Lord Flowers.

  Qiana had no business making any deal with that crazy bitch so she got what she deserved. The deal was for LeShelle to kill Essence in return for Qiana killing her man’s baby momma. But Qiana did more than kill a pregnant bitch; she sliced the girl’s baby out and brought him over to Ruby Cove to raise—like a dumb ass.

  So of course LeShelle Murphy cried foul and was threatening Qiana’s life if she didn’t return the baby.

  The webs we weave when we practice to deceive.

  After Qiana’s confession, Ta’Shara attacked Qiana with a bottle of Johnnie Walker and then pushed the girl into a table loaded with candles, or maybe she tripped. I forget which. All I know is that the girl ran out of my living room looking like a human torch before she keeled over in my backyard. By the time I got the water hose working, the chick was dead.

  GG, who’d brought Qiana’s ass over to my crib for help with her LeShelle situation, then turned in a rage toward Ta’Shara, but she never made it back into the house before Dime put two slugs in the girl.

  Dime claimed it was payback for Ta’Shara saving her life when a store owner went all jihad on them a few weeks back.

  Regardless, this left my ass with two dead bodies in my house that we had to get rid of. Now, I’m not normally down for plugging our own, but Qiana did confess to killing a fellow Vice Lord Flower, Tyneisha, while doing a job for, of all people, LeShelle—so maybe there’s a case to be made that the bitch deserved what she got. I don’t know. Street politics can get tricky sometimes.

  There was also one other piece of valuable information that Qiana gave before Ta’Shara lit her ass, and that was the exact place she was supposed to meet up with LeShelle. Knowing when and where to find that bitch was like hitting the lottery.

  Still, when we rolled up into Hack’s Crossing, the shit didn’t go down like I thought it would. We had to play out a whole cat-and-mouse thing and take out two other Queen G bitches before we were able to snatch LeShelle. Ta’Shara’s ass went straight psycho on our asses. She didn’t kill her sister like a normal gangster bitch. She drew the shit out and tortured LeShelle while she was hogtied to a chair out in a warehouse building. Ta’Shara interrogated LeShelle and blasted holes into the girl each time the bitch said something that she didn’t like. Ta’Shara ordered us to bring her boy Profit to the party because he needed to see the shit, too, since LeShelle had pumped a whole clip into his ass about a year back.

  Profit wasn’t the only thing that Ta’Shara wanted brought back to the warehouse. She wanted a can of gasoline. I thought she’d use it after she killed the girl. I never dreamed that she would light her ass up while LeShelle was still alive. The next few minutes were like something out of a horror movie. Ta’Shara doused LeShelle’s helpless ass with the gasoline and tossed a match like she was unwanted trash.

  LeShelle’s screams are fucking with my ass. It was different from the way Qiana raced out of here. It’s hard to describe it. The sound curdled my blood. I doubt that I’ll ever forget that shit or the triumphant look on Ta’Shara’s face.

  There was no love lost between the sisters.

  We dropped Ta’Shara off at Profit’s crib alone. While he got rid of the human barbeque, Romil, Dime, and myself are holed up at my place, marinating our livers and snorting lines of this bomb-ass coke.

  After my third line, I still can’t get that bitch’s screams out of my head.

  “You gonna get that?” Dime asks, lifting up her big head from the arm of my couch.

  “Uh?”

  “Your phone. Don’t you hear it ringing?”

  “My phone?” I look around, slow to see my phone on the table next to the last line of coke. “Shit.” I fumble with the screen and answer the call before it goes to voicemail.

  “Yeah?”

  “Wake your ass up,” Ta’Shara says. “Come and get me.”

  “Where you at?”

  “Where do you think?”

  Fuck. She’s really going to leave Profit. “You sure?”

  “I called you, didn’t I?”

  Aww. Shit. I look around for where I last placed my car keys.

  “What the fuck?” Ta’Shara snaps.

  “What?”

  “Not you,” she says, sounding distracted. “Hey, Mack. Let me call you back.”

  Click.

  “You still want me to come and get you?”

  Silence.

  “Hello? Ta’Shara, are you still there?”

  No answer.


  When I still don’t hear anything, I pull the phone from my ear and see that the call has been disconnected. “Well, shit.”

  “Who was that?” Romil asks, slurring her words.

  “Ta’Shara.” I toss the phone aside and lower my head back against my favorite La-Z-Boy.

  “Now what does she want?”

  “A ride. Looks like she and Profit are really gonna call it quits.”

  “Shit. She’s a damn fool,” Romil says, shaking her head. “Hell, if I was a few years younger, my ass would give her a fucking run for her money.”

  I laugh. “You and me both.”

  Dime stands when her fantasy boo, Trey Songz, plays on the radio.The fact that her ass is offbeat doesn’t faze her in the least. “So, are you going to run over there and get her or what?”

  The fact that Ruby Cove is less than five minutes away is a plus right now. “I guess. You girls rolling with me?”

  Romil moans like she’s reluctant to un-ass her chair. “Do we have to? I mean. Damn. How many favors can a bitch ask for in one night?”

  “You ain’t gotta go—but somebody should make sure that my ass don’t fall asleep behind the wheel.”

  “I’ll roll with you,” Dime says, rolling her hips and snapping her fingers. I don’t know whether she’s trying to get tonight’s wild episode out of her mind or if she’s celebrating a couple of good kills tonight.

  I’m more concerned about the changes I’ve witnessed in Ta’Shara. When we met her ass, she was like a scared rabbit about to take on some Queen Gs on lockdown in the county jail. Now she’s dropping bodies like she was born into the life. I don’t know why that shit bothers me—but it does. Deep down, I want to see somebody make it out of the game—alive. Ta’Shara doesn’t belong in the life, but like it’s been since the beginning of time, the streets change muthafuckas. There is no getting out.