Blood Ties

by Shaun Sinclair

  But the general kept moving erratically. It was as if he knew he was under surveillance. Every few seconds he would speed up his pace, then slow down. Then he would walk in step with his guard in the front, before falling in step with the guard in the back. Justus also noted the general kept touching his waist. Justus deduced the general was packing heat.

  “Do NOT engage him at all,” Justus relayed to Leader. “He is spooked and he is holding.”

  The plan was for Leader to stop the group as they walked by and beg for spare change. The diversion would give Justus the opening he needed to take the shot. That was the original plan. With the general being so paranoid they had to go to plan B. Paranoid people were dangerous. They didn’t think. They only reacted.

  “Ten-four.”

  Justus refocused his sight picture. He would take his shot right after they passed Leader, just in case something went wrong he could complete the job.

  The group was now just a block away from the hotel, about fifty yards from Leader. Justus drew the general’s head into his sight picture. The red dot appeared in the center of his head. Justus steeled his nerves, slowed his breath and began the meticulous process it took for the perfect shot.

  The Barret required four pounds of pressure to the trigger to expel a round. Four pounds of steady pressure. Justus held his breath and began slowly squeezing the trigger . . .

  Before he felt the recoil that confirmed a round had been released, he saw the general’s head explode in a crimson burst. Justus detached his eye from the scope to clear his vision. When he peered through the scope again he saw the general’s guards laying on top of his dead body, their heads aired out also.

  “What the fuck?” Justus whispered.

  “Good shooting!” Leader barked. “You took two down with one shot.”

  “That wasn’t me! The shots came from somewhere else!”

  Justus swung his weapon in a wide arc, scanning the surrounding rooftops for other shooters. Nothing.

  He peered through his scope, observing the melee that had ensued nearly a mile away. People were stampeding over each other in all directions, getting as far away from the disaster as possible. One woman was drenched in blood and brain matter. She fell to her knees hysterically, wiping the substance from her face. Sirens wailed in the distance.

  “What happened?” Leader demanded.

  Justus scanned the rooftops again for shooters. “I don’t know. Wait! I think I see somebody.” On a rooftop about a half a mile away Justus saw a figure sprinting away. He attempted to bring a sight picture up into his scope but before he could get a good picture the figure jumped from the roof.

  “What do you see?” Leader asked.

  Justus didn’t know how to answer that. He thought he just saw someone do a swan dive off a twenty-story roof. Surely his mind was playing tricks on him.

  “Nothing. I thought I saw something,” Justus replied.

  “Let’s go. Meet me at the R.P.”

  Justus spared one last look at his target to confirm the kill. The general and his security team were definitely dead. The only question was how?

  Chapter 16

  Justus and Pug stormed through the doors of Cape Fear Valley Hospital. Pug had contacted him with news of Nikki’s early delivery while he and Leader were fleeing D.C. Jackie met them the second they stepped off the elevator. She helped Justus get prepped then ushered him into the delivery room to see his twins.

  Justus walked into the room and saw Nikki laying in the bed with the twins on her chest, wailing. The sight of new life snatched him to the dark place of death. Instantly, he caught a flashback of the general’s head exploding. He paused as his heartbeat quickened. He shook off the vision and went to the aid of his woman.

  “Hey babe, you alright?” Justus asked Nikki, rubbing her hand. Nikki was so doped up on sedatives she could barely move. Due to her injuries, they had to perform an emergency C-section to bring their twins into the world.

  “Jus . . . you’re here,” Nikki whispered.

  “Of course, I’m here.” Justus rubbed Nikki’s damp hair. “You had to do it all alone without me though,” Justus lamented. “I thought they were coming a month from now.”

  Nikki offered a weak smile. “You can’t predict nature, Justus.”

  Justus posted up beside the bed, phone in hand, and videoed his children as they began to doze quietly. He picked up and held one of his newborns in his arms with pride, a feeling of pride spreading in his chest as he took it all in. A father. He was a father of twins at just nineteen. The moment was surreal. The arc his life had taken in the past year was unbelievable. He went from being a broke star athlete with an immature girlfriend, to being a contract killer, living with the woman of his dreams with more money in the bank than he could have ever imagined. Tonight, he held a new life in his arms. Less than four hours ago, he witnessed a brutal murder.

  Life sure had a wicked sense of humor.

  Justus thought about names and chuckled at his first thought. Smith and Wesson. After all, that is how he would provide for them. Just as quickly as the thought came to mind he dismissed it. Nikki would never go for it.

  Nikki and Justus exchanged tender looks while their babies familiarized themselves with the world. Their tender moment was short. News had spread that the twins were here and the family bombarded the room. Nikki’s father, her aunt Darlene, and Keisha came in, followed by Pug and Jackie.

  “Congratulations!” Everyone squealed.

  Pug passed Justus a cigar, “Congrats, cuz-o!”

  “Thanks fam.” Justus passed the baby to Nikki’s father and put the stogie in his mouth.

  “Yo, you a’ight fam?” Pug asked. “You don’t look like yourself.”

  “I mean, I just became a dad, cousin.”

  Pug eyed Justus closely. “Nah, it’s something else. Everything a’ight?”

  Pug was right. It was more than just the birth of his children. He was still spooked about Washington D.C. He kept seeing the general’s head explode. By far, this was the most violent murder he had witnessed.

  “I’m a’ight, dawg,” Justus said. He coughed. “Just thinking . . . just thinking.”

  Pug put his hand on Justus’s shoulder. “Listen up li’l cuz, nothing is more important than this moment so soak it all in. Don’t let nothing stop you from enjoying this moment ’cause you can never get it back.”

  “Thanks cousin. I appreciate it.”

  Even as Justus said it, his mind was wandering. He couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was onto them. Someone was out there watching them. They had been meticulous. They had been careful. Calculated. Yet, someone was onto them.

  Although watching his children being born was supposed to be one of the happiest days in a man’s life, Justus couldn’t enjoy the moment because he was daydreaming about a death.

  * * *

  Leader and Glenda had just completed a tremendous lovemaking session. Each time Leader returned from a business trip their lovemaking was intensified. Absence definitely made the heart grow fonder in their life. Unbeknownst to Glenda, there was another reason their lovemaking was so intense.

  Carmen.

  Leader had allowed the other woman to penetrate deep into his psyche. Although he had never touched Carmen inappropriately during their dealings, he sure wanted to. Carmen was feminine perfection personified. Her body was sculpted like an Egyptian goddess. She was fluent in four languages, politically savvy, and a business owner. She was smart, world traveled, and classy. Yeah, Leader was really digging her, but he had pledged his allegiance to Glenda and his family. Besides, Glenda was still fine in her old age. Like wine, she got better with time. She had been a loyal wife, and a great mother. He owed her his loyalty.

  Leader’s heart remained true to his pledge, but his mind and penis sang a tune of their own.

  When Leader plunged inside his wife, he imagined it was Carmen. When Glenda moaned inside his ears, it was Carmen’s voice he heard. When he cupped Glen
da’s soft ass, he imagined he was palming Carmen’s perfect rear. Fortunately, his wife couldn’t read his mind.

  “Aww honey, that was fantastic!” Glenda gushed. She snuggled underneath Leader’s arms. “Something about going out of town brings the best out of you. You sure you don’t have a sweet young thing tucked away somewhere recharging your battery?”

  Glenda was joking, but the irony was not lost on Leader. “You think so?” he asked.

  “Hmm-mmm,” Glenda purred. She propped herself up on her elbow and gazed intently at her husband. “Honey, I’m tired of you leaving so much. I thought you said that when Justus started working with you, you wouldn’t have to work so much?”

  Leader exhaled. “I know baby. That was the plan but I had to make sure he would be okay out there by himself.”

  “Well?”

  “Well, I think we have both earned a break for a bit. We’ll be around home for a little while now.”

  Glenda hugged her husband deeply. “Thank you, baby.”

  Leader only told his wife half of the truth. All their operations had been suspended until they could get a grasp of what occurred in Washington D.C. Someone other than Justus had taken the fatal shot that got them paid. Someone who was as skilled a marksman as he had ever seen. Whomever had taken that shot had been nearly a mile away. There couldn’t have been that many snipers in their community capable of that type of work. It would take some time, but he would get to the bottom of things.

  Chapter 17

  Nikki was released a week after delivering the twins with Justus and Diamond right by her side. Justus pushed Power and Supreme in their twin stroller while Diamond helped Nikki with the door. They looked like the perfect blended family.

  Justus whipped his new Suburban into the circular driveway of their new home. In the driveway, another vehicle was sitting pretty with a large bow wrapped around the hood. It was a brand-new Porsche Panamera. The candy-apple red color sparkled under the sun.

  Justus passed Nikki the keys with a peck on the cheek. “Congratulations baby!”

  Nikki squirmed in her seat like a kid on Christmas. “Ohmigod Justus!”

  “I know I promised you a coupe, but with the new additions to the family I thought this would be more practical.”

  “Justus, you didn’t . . .”

  “I did. Come on, let’s check it out.”

  The family hopped out and inspected the sports sedan from all angles. Justus pointed out all of the special features, from the honey leather seats with red accents to the red-bottomed rims. As Justus ticked off each feature Nikki listened attentively. When he was done, Nikki gave him a big, wet kiss on his lips.

  “Jus, I love you, baby. I really do,” Nikki promised.

  “And I love you too,” Justus returned. “I told you a long time ago that I was going to take care of you.”

  “True, you did.”

  “And I always will.”

  “Thank you, Justus.”

  Justus grabbed Nikki by the arm. “Nikki, I will do anything for you, but I only ask one thing in return.”

  “What’s that, Justus?”

  “Don’t ever cross me, Nikki.”

  The way he said it sent chills down her spine. Was that a veiled threat? It didn’t matter, because Nikki had no intention of ever betraying Justus. He took care of her every need. He laid the pipe like a champion lover. And he respected her. Why mess that up?

  Those were Nikki’s thoughts on that day she brought her family home to begin their new life. However, over the next few months, she betrayed her intellect and allowed Jock to scurry back into her life. She had known Jock for most of her life. He was familiar to her. Although he had shown his true colors when he shot at her, Nikki still loved Jock, and in her young lovestruck naiveté, Nikki partly blamed herself for the incident. She felt obligated to allow Jock to continue to hang around in her life.

  * * *

  Jock began sending flowers to her job with sweet salutations and profuse apologies. He kept up his campaign until one day Nikki agreed to meet him for lunch. Over lunch, Jock swore on everything that he was a changed man. Nikki wasn’t convinced or impressed. She told Jock the truth. She was in love with Justus. Jock grudgingly accepted Nikki’s answer but he vowed to win her heart back piece by piece, by doing all the things he should have done in the first place.

  Nikki attempted to avoid Jock at all costs while she and Justus moved into their new home, more so for Jock’s safety than her own. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something was different about Justus. He seemed hardened. Dangerous. Nikki couldn’t forget how Jackie implored her not to tell Justus about how Jock induced her labor. Jackie seemed afraid of Justus.

  Nikki soon found out why Justus was to be feared.

  One night while the family was having dinner, loud music erupted from outside, interrupting their calm moment. Justus got up from the table and checked the camera monitors. Pug’s Suburban sat idling by the wrought iron gates. Justus buzzed him in, and moments later Pug rushed in with a scowl on his face.

  “I need to holla at you, cuz,” Pug snarled. Justus took him into the game room so they could talk in private.

  “What’s up?” Justus asked once they were alone.

  “Some niggas violated me!” Pug spat with tears in his eyes. “I’m so fucking mad right now.”

  “Wait. What happened? Who violated you?”

  “Some lame ass niggas ran up in my spot,” Pug informed him.

  “What, one of your dope spots?”

  “Nah nigga, my mu’fuckin’ crib dawg!” Pug roared. “Tied babygirl up and shit.”

  “You bullshitting!”

  “Nigga, would I play about something like that?”

  Both men went silent while the incident soaked in. Someone had violated Pug in the worst way.

  “How much they take?” Justus asked.

  “ ’Bout ten bands, but fuck the bread. These niggas took my dignity, my safety. They violated me, cuz!” Pug clenched his fist so hard Justus thought he was going to draw blood.

  “Facts.”

  “And then I know who did it but I can’t even touch these niggas up.”

  “What? Why the fuck not?” Justus asked.

  “Because one of them is ole’ boy I touched up back in the day. The police still got files on it. If something happen to him I’ll be the first person they look for. I can’t stand the heat because I’m still on paperwork,” Pug explained. “Plus po-po tagging my moves.”

  “What?” Justus ran to his window, paranoid.

  “Calm yo ass down. I shook them hours ago,” Pug laughed. “Anyway, I got a proposition for ya.”

  “What kind of proposition?”

  Pug reached into his True Religion jeans and extracted a knot of money about four inches thick. He rifled through the stack to reveal nothing but fifties and blue hundreds. He placed the money on the pool table. “I got close to ten racks here. It’s not much, but it’s yours if you handle this for me.”

  Justus cocked his head. “Fuck is you saying? I look like one of them Fort Bragg niggas to you or something?”

  Pug dropped his head in silence for a moment. He slowly raised his puppy dog eyes to Justus. “Cuz, I know everything,” he whispered.

  “Know everything like what?” Justus challenged.

  Pug hopped on the smooth velvet lining of the red-topped pool table and stared at picture of Jay-Z on the wall. “Remember the night I took you with me to handle the thing with the C.O.? Well, that was Leader’s doing. He wanted to see if you were ready or not. He wanted to test you to see if you were cut out for the life. If you bitched up on me, then he wasn’t going to teach you.”

  “Muthafucka . . . So you knew the whole time?” Justus couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  Pug continued. “Yeah man, your pops set that up for you.” Pug shook his head. “You don’t get it huh? Your pops is a legend in certain circles. He used to hold Sherlock down back in the day. Shit, you should consider it a
n honor that he teaching you.

  “I know it seems fucked up that he made moves behind your back but trust me it was worth it. And hell, from the looks of things it paid off.” Pug gestured to the house.

  Justus didn’t like the fact that he had been played, but he understood. It’s not like his father could have just come out and told him. He had to be tested first. “Yeah, I don’t like it, but I understand,” Justus reasoned aloud.

  “Damn right,” Pug agreed. He spread his hands open. “Now that you know that I know what you do, can you handle this for me? I got your bread because I respect the game. If it’s not enough, let me know and I’ll get more.”

  Justus stroked his chin, mulling things over. He was supposed to be on a hiatus while Leader investigated the Washington D.C. situation. Also, on numerous occasions, Leader had cautioned him to never do business in Fayetteville. Home was a sanctuary, and one never shit where he slept. However, this was different. Pug was family. Blood. If the roles were reversed, he knew Pug wouldn’t have hesitated.

  Justus walked to the pool table where Pug had thrown the wad of cash and picked it up. He straightened the bills up and pushed the money back into Pug’s hand. Justus looked his cousin directly in the eyes. “Your money is no good here,” he said. “Your violation is my violation. I got you fam. Consider it handled.”

  Inside the dining room, Nikki’s mouth was agape. She had been watching the security camera from the game room on her phone. She was stunned by what had happened to her best friend, and her heart wept for her. She was more concerned with Pug offering Justus money to handle his beef. And what kind of test did Leader give Justus? What the fuck was that about?

  Loyalty to her friend beating out her curiosity, she dialed Jackie’s number to check on her. Unfortunately, that decision forced her to miss out on the last part of the conversation.

  Pug told Justus that Nikki had been seeing Jock.

  Chapter 18

  “I want to see you.”

  Leader couldn’t believe who the voice on the other end of his home phone belonged to.

  “Carmen, what are you doing calling my home?” Leader hissed. He slipped into his office to talk in private.