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Bottom Heights
By Irene Nichole Harris
Bottom Heights is a novel set in a
city, fighting against drugs and violence.
Raymond Drake is like a father to the community,
protecting them from Blade--a deadly enemy bent on revenge.
But this powerful business mogul is about to face his
most challenging obstacle yet which deals with repairing his
relationship with his daughter, Tatiana (Tay).
Her mother, Evelynn has made sure that after their
divorce to prevent any form of reconciliation between the two.
But after several years, Tay decides to return to Bottom
Heights to attempt to salvage her ties with him and finally have
her questions answered. However,
she doesn’t count on her childhood friend, Neeko Gains coming
back into her life.
Tatiana (Tay) Drake spent most of her life
growing up under the strict and stern hand of her mother,
Evelynn. Her parents divorced when she was twelve and in order to
solidify the chances of Tay never rekindling her relationship
with her father, Raymond (Ray) Drake, Evelynn filled Tay’s
head with horrible stories of his sorted lifestyle.
Evelynn begins by explaining that Ray was a murderous and
notorious gangster, ripping the means of survival from the city
of Bottom Heights. Evelynn
portrayed Ray as an unfit and reckless father who cared for no
one—not even his own daughter.
Despite the closeness she had with her father when she
was younger, she believed her mother.
She further explained to her that in order for Tay to
live a life free from chaos and pain, Evelynn had no chose but
to Ray. Her plan to
distance Ray and Tay works perfectly for ten years, until one
day Tay decides to visit her father and give him the opportunity
to reestablish that which was lost.
Their reunion gets off to a bumpy start when
Ray is almost two hours late picking her up from the airport. He apologizes but Tay knew it had something to do with his
current line of work. After
she accepts his apology, she decides coming back to Bottom
Heights was not that bad. It
even gave her a chance to reunite with her childhood
friends—more importantly, Neeko Gaines. But her mother’s depiction of Ray is confirmed when she
questions the extremely built and muscular driver awaiting their
arrival outside the airport.
Ray reluctantly tells her that the driver is actually his
bodyguard and she will be chaperoned by a bodyguard during her
visit. Clearly
upset by his declaration, Tay is tempted to return to the
airport and leave for New York, but her anger subsides.
Once she has settled in, she reunites with
three of her childhood friends who are elated to see her again
after so many years. All
three work for Ray and Neeko is appointed as her bodyguard to
the relief of Spice who did not want the responsibility.
She is instructed that under no circumstances is she
allowed to leave the house without Neeko.
Her independent nature revolts against her father but the
point is made and the discussion ended for Ray did not have time
to deal with her tantrums.
He had a ruthless killer on the streets that called
himself Blade. No
one knew his actual identity but he has a reputation for selling
drugs anywhere he could, including schoolyards.
He killed one of Ray’s closest friends after Ray
refuses to allow him free reign in Bottom Heights.
Ray struggles to keep this from his daughter and
instructs no one to discuss the specifics of day-to-day life.
As Blade’s lust for control of the streets
grows, so does the attraction between Neeko and Tay.
She even decides to attend a college closer to Neeko in
hopes of establishing a more permanent relationship.
When she tells her father this, Ray strongly objects and
is pushed to explain that Neeko’s lifestyle is no different
from his. He has no
chose but to explain how he protects the livelihood of every
person in Bottom Heights. He
also informs her that Neeko will one day be a Father to the
streets of Bottom Heights because of his lung cancer. . . . [The
plot thickens. Check out this first novel.]
Source:
Bottom Heights
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