Blood Ties

by Shaun Sinclair

  Each week, Leader would leave for a day with explicit instructions for Justus to review what he learned. When he returned, Leader would always have something different with him, pieces of clothing mostly. Over the course of three months, Leader had refurbished Justus’s whole wardrobe, replacing Akoo with Armani, True Religion with Yves Saint Laurent, and Timberland with Ferragamo. Justus was now a businessman, therefore it was imperative that his wardrobe reflected that.

  “What’s up, son?” Leader greeted.

  “Hey, what’s up?” Justus returned, getting up from the floor in his linen drawstring pants and shirtless torso.

  “What’s up, is I have some good news. That’s what’s up?” Leader said cheerfully, walking over to the fireplace.

  “What kind of good news?” Justus wondered. He used a towel to wipe sweat from his brow.

  “One, we have a job in New York, day after tomorrow. The job pays two-hundred and fifty.”

  “Two-hundred fifty what?”

  “Two-hundred fifty K.”

  “K, as in thousand?” Justus wondered in amazement.

  “Absolutely.” Leader answered nonchalantly. Justus initially thought he was bluffing, but when he didn’t crack a smile, Justus knew he was serious. Of course, he should’ve known all along. When it came to business, Leader didn’t joke.

  “Two-hundred and fifty thousand!? What could be better than that?” Justus wondered aloud, more to himself than to Leader.

  “Oh, I can think of a couple of things.”

  “Name one,” Justus challenged. He couldn’t think of anything better than going from broke to hood rich overnight.

  “Twins,” Leader offered.

  “Twins?” Justus repeated, confused.

  “Yeah. Twins. Nikki dropped by the house. You gon’ be a daddy, boy!” Leader gushed excitedly. He stuck his hand out to Justus on his good fortune. “Congratulations. Nikki is pregnant. . . with twins.”

  All of the breathing techniques Justus had learned went out the window. He began to hyperventilate. “Pregnant?” He couldn’t believe his ears.

  “Yup. Three months.”

  Leader relayed to Justus how Nikki had come by the house three months pregnant with twins, crying hysterically, and scared as shit. She thought Justus had abandoned her in the classic smash-and-dash fashion, because even Pug didn’t know of Justus’s whereabouts (at least he wasn’t telling her). Nikki had patiently waited and waited until she couldn’t bear the prospect of disappointment any longer. She stormed over to Justus’s parents’ house with evidence of their son’s transgressions protruding from her belly. Much to her satisfaction, Leader calmed her down and informed her that Justus had not abandoned her. That he was, in fact, in strict classes that required he not have any contact with the outside world. Leader further explained to her that these classes were imperative for his career, the career that will allow him to take care of a woman with twins, and that he would be home soon. Nikki took the news like it was a respirator. It replenished her breath. She bid Leader farewell, making him promise to tell Justus that she missed him, and that she would be eagerly awaiting his return.

  When Leader finished telling Justus the news, Justus walked outside for some fresh air to clear his head. Damn. Twins? Justus thought. He had always wanted Nikki and now he had her . . . forever. Justus’s reflection was short-lived for as soon as he sank into deep thought, Leader yanked him out.

  “Come on, son. No time to focus on that now. You have your whole life to deal with that. We got work to do. We got a job, and we gotta get that paper.”

  For Leader, it was business as usual. Nikki’s news couldn’t have come at a better time. Justus now had a real sense of purpose, a reason to chase that bag. Aside from the fear of poverty propelling him to make moves, he now had a family to provide for. If there were any previous doubts about Justus following through on the training he received, they were now dispelled. The prospect of obtaining money in mass amounts, coupled with being a provider, was too much of a compelling blend to refuse. Justus was now inducted into “the life.” His first official hit would determine how deep he would delve.

  “Come on, we got a lot of planning to do,” Leader informed him. Justus followed his daddy back inside.

  He was now ready.

  Chapter 12

  One thing Leader loved about New York City was the hustle and bustle. Seven million people moving about, recklessly striving to attain lofty goals, or stay on top. Living in this type of space, a person had to adopt a mantra to survive, the most common mantra being “only the strong survive.” Next in line to this mantra was the mantra of “see nothing, hear nothing.” New York’s citizens lived the latter mantra to a T. A person could live in the same building with another person for a year and never know it. A year!

  This was why Leader loved jobs in New York. They were by far easy money in the bank. And did they have money to burn! New Yorkers were loaded with money and didn’t mind spending it to keep it.

  Justus’s first mark was a high-ranking labor official who had pissed off the wrong people. Justus was carrying out the job, but Leader was supervising to ensure everything went as planned.

  The labor official lived in a high-rise condo on the east side of Manhattan. The building boasted its own sublevel parking garage, a glass-enclosed elevator, valet, and doorman. The doorman is what Leader became after the original doorman met with an unfortunate accident. From that vantage point, he could see everything he needed to see. Plus, he could guide Justus, who was already staked out in the labor official’s condo. After waiting in the brisk, autumn night for hours, Leader finally spotted their mark walking up the street. Leader opened the door for the short, pudgy, balding man as he stumbled into the lobby, then notified Justus.

  Justus was camped out inside the opulent home, passing time by gazing out at the Manhattan skyline. He had shed his bellhop outfit and now wore a full-body nylon suit complete with balaclava. When Leader radioed that the mark was en route, Justus took his position by the front door.

  As Justus waited to commit cold-blooded murder, his thoughts centered on what he was about to do. He was about to commit murder. Strangely enough, he had no qualms. When he had killed before, it was personal. This was business! His heart raced so rapidly that it felt like it was in his ear, his breathing was ragged, and his hands were shaking, but this was attributed to anticipation, not fear. Adrenaline was good, for it produced another reserve of energy from which to pull from. Justus channeled that energy to do his bidding and waited. He closed his eyes, visualized his mission, and waited.

  He didn’t have long to wait. Justus heard the door beep twice then he saw his mark stagger in, breathing heavily. The man exhaled loudly as he dropped his keys on the glass table by the door. The man was so drunk he didn’t realize he had an intruder.

  That would be his final mistake.

  Justus acted quickly, seizing the element of surprise. He slipped his garrote over the heavy man’s neck before the man could react. He spun around, put his back against the old man’s, and bent over as far as possible, lifting the man off the floor. The man kicked his feet and flailed his arms, desperately trying to escape. He reached back and attempted to grab Justus’s head. Justus bent over further and suspended him even higher in the air, until all his weight fell on the thin wire. Justus rocked back and forth to drive the wire deeper into his neck.

  Soon, the man began to struggle less. Justus knew that meant he was growing weak. He squeezed harder and bent deeper, so deep his head nearly scraped the marble floor. The man gurgled in his attempts to scream, while desperately trying to grab Justus.

  All to no avail.

  In under a minute, the man ceased kicking, gurgling, or anything. In under a minute, he was dead. Justus held him in the air a few seconds longer to ensure that he was dead before he dropped him to the ground with a thud.

  Justus bent over to catch his breath. He wheezed hard and clutched his chest. Everything happened so fast! The old man was
a lot stronger than he anticipated. His adrenaline was on a thousand, but he kept his focus until the first half of the job was done.

  Justus eyed his wristwatch to confirm he was keeping schedule. He dragged the limp body over to the window of the balcony overlooking the streets below. He opened the glass door and slid the body over to the balcony. Justus hoisted the limp body up and flipped it over the ledge, where it fell sixty stories down to the street and burst.

  * * *

  On the street, Leader was checking his watch every few seconds. He was beginning to get worried, until he heard a woman scream from a few feet away. He looked in the direction of the scream just in time to see the body smack the street and burst open like a piñata. A throng of people gathered around the mess. Leader blended in with the crowd to see the carnage. Satisfied, he made a clean exit.

  An hour later, he linked back up with Justus at their rendezvous point. Shortly after, the two were on a train headed back to North Carolina.

  Chapter 13

  Nikki was celebrating her twenty-third birthday with family and friends at a local restaurant called On the Lake. Just as the name suggested, the restaurant was on the lake and offered the finest dishes from the Middle East. Nikki’s father had reserved a private table in the back for this occasion. Although he was striving to remain positive, it was hard. His baby girl had just dropped a bombshell in his lap.

  “Nikki darling, I hope this pregnancy business won’t interfere with your studies,” Darlene whined in her southern twang. “I can see your mother just rolling over in her grave right now,” Darlene carried on. Nikki’s other mother died in a tragic car accident when Nikki was ten years old. Since that time, Darlene had assumed the motherly role for Nikki. Nikki’s family all came from bougie roots, all doctors, lawyers, and politicians. Darlene was no different. She was a surgeon at Cape Fear Valley hospital.

  “No Auntie, I’m still going to school. Nothing has changed.” Nikki was tired of the complaints. This was supposed to be a celebration.

  “Well, when darling? You’re twenty-three years old.” Darlene reminded her. The she dropped her voice an octave. “Is the father still in jail?” Darlene gasped, clutching the pearls that hung from her neck.

  Jackie giggled, “Uh-oh.”

  “No ma’am, he’s not.” Nikki answered defiantly. “Jock is not the father.”

  “He’s not?! Aww lord, Nikki baby,” Darlene clutched her pearls again. “You’re twenty-three years old with two baby fathers. This can’t be good. Who is the father?”

  Nikki hesitated a moment. “Justus.”

  “Justus!” her father spat, suddenly interested in the conversation. “The young boy?”

  “Who is Justus?” Darlene asked, dumbfounded.

  “How could he possibly help you take care of twins? He’s a baby himself!”

  “Who is Justus?” Darlene repeated, a little louder this time.

  “Some seventeen-year-old kid.”

  “Actually, he’s eighteen now, Dad, and I’d appreciate it if you’d lay off of him. He is a good person, despite his age,” Nikki countered, indignantly.

  “Yeah, Mr. Harrison, Justus is a great guy,” Jackie piped in, aiding her best friend. “And he cares a great deal for your daughter. Even if he is a little . . . young . . . he’s very mature. In fact, he’s an entrepreneur.”

  “Oh?” Darlene was interested now. “In what capacity?”

  “He’s a Security Consultant,” Jackie proudly informed her. “I’ve known him for quite a while, and he’s very ambitious. Nikki is my best friend so I wouldn’t want nothing but the best for her. I can honestly say that Justus is a step up for her.” As Jackie sold Justus to Nikki’s family, Nikki was listening intently. Hell, the way Jackie was telling it, she had Nikki thinking Justus was the best thing since sliced bread.

  Aunt Darlene was suddenly on Nikki’s side. “Well, William, how bad could he be. We were young once and had children. Anybody is better than that guy that Nikki was dating. At least this guy has an honest living. And from what I can tell, he cares for Nikki.”

  Nikki smiled at her aunt, “Thank you Auntie.” Darlene smiled back.

  Nikki’s father took it all in then asked, “Just tell me one thing.” He threw down his napkin about to make a point when he was suddenly interrupted by the waiter. The waiter whispered in his ear, and William’s light face turned red, then contorted into a frown. He nodded to the waiter, “Very well.”

  The waiter disappeared. A few minutes later, in walked Justus wearing a black two-piece Armani suit, with a purple button-down silk shirt.

  “Justus!” Nikki shrieked. She jumped from the table into Justus’s arms. “Ohmigod baby! Where have you been? I missed you so much.” Nikki hugged Justus around his neck, holding him so tight he thought she was going to pull his neck off. Nikki rubbed Justus’s low Caesar, and caressed his hard chest. “You look so different,” she whispered. Nikki was so caught up in their reunion that she forgot all about her family members. One by one, Justus shook their hands. When he got to Jackie, he playfully nuggied her head. When he shook Darlene’s hand, she allowed her hand to linger a bit while she sized him up. When she noticed his expensive alligator shoes, she shot Nikki a look of approval.

  Apparently, he did have money.

  Justus took his seat, and commenced to shoot down question after question with maturity and class. Nikki’s father was particularly hard on Justus initially, but after just a few questions, Justus had won him over. As for Darlene, she was smitten from the moment Justus complimented her on her hair. She continued to smile through the remainder of the meal.

  Nikki silently observed Justus work the table and felt a sense of pride. This was a different Justus. He was more polished than she remembered, and supremely confident. He now possessed a magnetism that oozed from his pores like mist, enslaving everyone under his will. When he spoke to William, his tone was that of an equal. It was like he knew something the rest of the world did not know. Nikki searched for the words to describe the difference in Justus’s character. The only word that came to mind was power. Justus seemed powerful, like he ruled the world.

  Nikki was pleased with the new Justus. Sure, he had temporarily abandoned her. But if his leaving was necessary for him to come back like this, necessary for him to matriculate, then she applauded his absence. All that mattered to her was that he was home now.

  * * *

  While Justus was solidifying his position with Nikki and her family, Leader was engaged in a conversation of his own with Carmen.

  Leader had boarded a flight to Chicago to discuss more jobs with Menes. He thought, why not kill two birds with one stone, since he definitely needed to address the situation with Carmen.

  To Leader’s disappointment, Carmen refused to meet with him unless it was over dinner, her treat. He reluctantly agreed, and that’s how they found themselves over a fabulous meal with a breathtaking view of Chicago from eighty stories up.

  Carmen had spared no expense to impress Leader. She had sent a Mercedes Maybach to Leader’s Lakeshore Drive hotel to drive him to the restaurant. In the cooler bisecting the backseat was a bottle of Dom Pérignon. In the adjacent seat sat a bouquet of flowers. When the car arrived at the restaurant, which was located atop one of the tallest buildings in the world, the driver discarded Leader at the entrance, where another assistant led him to Carmen.

  Leader hadn’t expected any of this treatment. He had agreed to meet with her to tell her that he was a married man. A loyal married man. He didn’t have any intention of betraying his vows. He wanted nothing to do with her.

  However, when he took in the sight of Carmen in her clingy, wine-colored, satin dress, with the plunging neckline and jewels dripping from every place possible, he caught amnesia. When the fog cleared, he was seated over a lobster talking world politics with a very engaging woman.

  As the night waned, the conversation shifted toward love and relationships.

  “So, you’re telling me that there
could not be two women if a man is really in love with one?” Carmen asked Leader disbelievingly.

  “Of course not,” boomed Leader dismissively.

  Carmen chuckled lightly and her eyes lit up brighter than the candles that burned between them. “I submit to you that all kings loved their women in one way or another, yet they still had numerous concubines at their beck and call.”

  “That may be true for that day, but today things are more complicated. Society has bred that wild side out of most men.”

  “Well, if that were true, then the divorce rate wouldn’t be so high,” Carmen reasoned. “I submit to you that men still have a wild side, they just found new ways to explore it.”

  “Interesting,” Leader admitted.

  “That’s what vacations are for.” Carmen quipped. “By the way, what did you say you did again?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Well?”

  “I’m a security consultant.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. And yourself?”

  “I’m a private investigator, emphasis on private.”

  “Hmm, I see.” Leader was done playing games. “Well, you should already know that I’m a happily married man that doesn’t stray on his wife. So, while this evening has been pleasant, it’s time for it to end.” Leader pushed his chair from the table to leave, but Carmen’s penetrating gaze stopped him. “What? Did you not hear me?” Leader asked, irritated as hell.

  “There’s something in your eyes . . . you don’t look happy,” she suddenly concluded.

  “You’re wrong!” Leader stood. “I’m very happy.”

  “Well, why do you travel so much?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You come to Chicago at least twice a month,” Carmen revealed in a low tone, gazing a Leader.

  “Alright goddammit! You’re playing in dangerous territory!” Leader warned. He leaned across the table inches from Carmen’s face. “I don’t like nobody spying on me, got that?”