The Takedown
Page 27
‘I wouldn’t. I have money and investments in place. There’s no risk of going to prison.’
Stefanos shot a look at Lamont. ‘If you don’t want to go to prison, then don’t. You put together a formidable team on the streets. Everyone played their roles, and you all made money. This is the opportunity to do that on a larger scale.’
Lamont was quiet for a moment.
‘I promised your daughter that I would walk away.’
Stefanos’s eyes were gentle. ‘I believe you meant it when you said it, Lamont. You were forced to break that promise though. You want to honour my daughter’s memory? Do it by wielding power from the seat you earned.’
‘I’m . . . Filled with so much guilt,’ Lamont admitted, feeling the lump in his throat as the words tumbled from his mouth.
‘About my daughter?’ Stefanos hadn’t taken his eyes from Lamont.
‘About many things. My parents had high hopes for me, yet I picked a life that keeps me at the bottom. I pedal misery.’
‘That’s life. You may not be working a nine to five for The Man, but it’s up to you how you affect your community. If you want to be a force for good, do it from a position of power,’ Stefanos paused, his eyes alight with the passion of his words. ‘It’s all about power,’ he repeated.
Lamont took a few moments to consider.
‘I’ll do it.’
Stefanos grinned. ‘I hoped you would. I’ll be in touch. We have much to discuss.’
Lamont left the meeting with a spring in his step. He would speak with Delroy about the situation later. For now, he had some other issues to resolve. As Akeem drove, he dialled a number.
‘Hey, L. How are you feeling?’
‘Will you go for dinner with me?’
Lamont heard Charlotte’s breath catch. He waited.
‘You want to go on a date?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why?’
‘Because we get along.’
Charlotte didn’t speak for a moment. He could almost hear the conflict churning within, but he wasn’t worried.
‘Okay. I’ll let you arrange everything.’
‘I’ll be in touch.’
Putting his phone away, Lamont again thought about Jenny. He needed to let her go. He’d made his decision about the life, and he needed to be stronger than he’d been before. Charlotte had experienced the crime life with both Justin and King. He didn’t know if things with them would go anywhere, but they could help each other.
Akeem drove to a spot in Moortown. Darren sat in the living room playing on a PlayStation. He hopped to his feet when he saw Lamont, dropping the pad.
‘Teflon? What are you doing here? I mean, shit, is everything good?’
Lamont smiled at Darren’s nervousness.
‘I wanted to personally thank you for your recent work. You stepped up when I needed you to, and I want to reward that.’
Darren began protesting, but stopped speaking when Akeem gave him an envelope. His mouth widened at the array of notes.
‘Akeem said you preferred cash to direct transfer. I’m different, but to each his own.’
‘Thank you, man. I mean . . . there’s thousands here.’
‘Plenty more where that came from. A lot of change is coming, and our money will go through the roof. I want you to work with Maka and recruit. Don’t rush it. We want capable men. Can you handle that?’
‘Yeah, course I can, boss. Thank you.’
Lamont grinned.
‘I know you were worried about how things would go. That’s fine. I’d be more concerned if you weren’t. Focus on your task and when the time is right, we’ll discuss more.’
When Lamont left, Darren pumped his fist.
‘Yes!’
Darren was elated. The rumours of an alliance between Delroy and Lamont were true, the team was on the rise, and Darren would be right there when it all happened. He dialled Clarissa, tapping his foot and waiting for her to pick up.
‘Daz, what’s up?’
‘Book a holiday. Anywhere you like. First class even.’
‘Oh my God, babe! Are you serious?’
‘Deadly serious. Look, I’m gonna come and see you soon, but get looking. We’re gonna do it big!’
Lamont stopped at Marika’s. He’d called ahead and arranged it after realising he didn’t know where she lived now. The house was off Roundhay road and appeared comfortable.
The gate squeaked as Lamont entered the garden, and the door swung open. Marika looked more like their mother every time Lamont saw her, and it made his heart ache. He wasn’t sure about greetings, but when Marika flung her arms around him, he clutched her tightly.
Minutes passed before they let go, neither looking the other in the eye, embarrassed over the show of vulnerability.
‘Are you okay?’
Lamont nodded.
‘Day by day. How are the kids?’
‘Getting older. They want to do their own thing more, but still.’
‘I’m glad you’re doing well, sis. Sorry I haven’t contacted you. I’ve been dealing with some shit.’
‘I know. I saw how you were at the funeral. I really am sorry about Jenny. She was right for you.’
Lamont nodded, remembering his thoughts earlier.
‘Thank you.’
‘Have you heard from K-Bar?’
‘My solicitors are working on his case as we speak. Why?’
Marika let out a deep breath.
‘We’re involved, okay?’
Lamont couldn’t help it; he laughed. Marika glared, hand on her hip.
‘Why are you laughing?’
‘You just love the thugs, don’t you?’
Marika grinned. ‘K-Bar’s not a thug. He just does bad things sometimes. I thought you’d be angry.’
‘I don’t have the right. I’ve made too many mistakes lately to judge anyone, sis. You wanna be with K-Bar, I have no problem with that. I’ll get him out, no matter the cost.’
Marika squeezed Lamont’s hand, and he smiled.
‘Come with me. I want to take you to see someone.’
Lamont, Marika and Akeem walked along the hospital corridors until they found the correct room.
Amy was sat by Grace’s bed, watching her daughter, still hooked up to complex machines. Lamont’s heart lurched when he thought of the proud, wilful little girl who always made him take her to the shop. The little girl he viewed as a niece, just as Bianca was. Amy looked at Lamont, but didn’t move. He kissed her on the cheek, noting how cold she felt.
‘How is she?’
‘She’s still fighting, but she’s not in the clear yet.’
‘Is there anything I can do?’
Amy shook her head.
‘I took a leave of absence from work. They understand the situation and there’s no pressure to get me back.’
‘Do you need money?’
‘I’m fine, L. Even if I wasn’t, your boy took care of that.’
‘You’ve heard from Shorty?’
‘No. Some money was transferred into my account, and I put the pieces together.’
Lamont glanced at Marika, remembering she was unaware of the fallout between him and Shorty. He would check with Stacey to see if she had too had received any money from Shorty. If possible, he would use it to track down his friend.
‘I’ll come back and see you soon, Ames. Please ring me if anything changes.’
That afternoon, Lamont and Akeem were at his home. They’d been planning strategy for several hours, and both were yawning from fatigue. It had been a trying period. Lamont was ready to leave Akeem in charge and take a break, but he needed things to be solidified.
‘Lennox must have family; some kind of connection keeping him in Leeds other than revenge. Between ourselves and Delroy, we’ll find it. For now, Darren and Maka will handle recruitment. You’ll oversee them. My legal team are working with K-Bar and searching for Adele. She was the loose end K-Bar left behind. Police will keep her under wraps
though. When we understand the new scope of the operation, we’ll get into that aspect of it. My thinking is—’
Lamont’s phone vibrated, and he snatched it up, annoyed.
‘Who is this?’ His eyes widened, and he stumbled towards the door, Akeem watching him in alarm.
‘L?’
‘We need to go. Someone blew up the barbers!’
Akeem’s ride sped through the streets as Lamont made more phone calls, trying to find someone who could confirm if Trinidad was okay. He’d tried calling Trinidad’s direct number, but couldn’t get through. Panic gnawed at Lamont’s insides. Trinidad wasn’t involved in this. He wondered if it was Lennox, or if Akhan had orchestrated something before his murder.
There was a crowd already gathered. Lamont and Akeem pushed through them, but it was futile. Lamont saw the firefighters nearby, trying to put out the blaze. His building, the first one he ever owned. Akeem moved forward, asking about survivors, but Lamont knew it was too late. Trinidad would have been working. He never took days off.
With a lurch, Lamont thought about the only other thing he valued; his father’s chessboard. Someone would pay for this, he decided, clenching his fists. Akeem headed back over.
‘I spoke with the fireman, he said—’
There were two sharp cracks from a gun and Akeem toppled to the floor, unmoving. The shooter, a skinny teenaged kid looked at Lamont, grinned, then disappeared into the crowd.
People screamed, running to get away as Lamont stared dumbly down at his bleeding bodyguard, his building burning in the background.
Epilogue
Rigby was in his office catching up on paperwork when Murphy bounded over.
‘Rig, you’re not going to believe this.’
‘Can it wait? I’ve got a lot of paperwork to do.’
Murphy turned Rigby’s chair so his colleague faced him.
‘What the bloody hell is wrong with you? I just said that I’ve got work to do,’ Rigby snapped.
‘Trust me, you want to hear this. K-Bar’s solicitor is trying to reach us.’
Rigby forgot about his paperwork in an instant. They had charged K-Bar but he hadn’t received a court date yet. All attempts to speak with him had been stonewalled, and an expensive and tricky legal team were fighting his corner.
‘Why?’
Murphy’s yellow-toothed grin was full of gleeful malice.
‘K-Bar wants to talk.’
Did you enjoy the read?
You can make a huge difference
Reviews are immensely powerful when it comes to getting attention for my books.
Honest reviews help bring them to the attention of other readers.
If you’ve enjoyed this I would be very grateful if you could spend just five minutes leaving a review (it can be as short as you like) on the book’s Amazon page.
Thank you so much
Get A Free Novella
Building a relationship with my readers is one of the best things about writing. I’m first and foremost a fan of books, and getting to talk at length about them is a bonus.
If you sign up to the mailing list, you’ll receive a copy of my novella Homecoming, absolutely free.
You can get this immediately by signing up at https://bit.ly/2nWEeTR
Origins: The Road to Power
Origins: The Road to Power
Every hero needs an Origin story, and Book One of the Target series introduces us to 16-year-old Lamont Jones. He’s about to finish school and is broke and living in an abusive household.
Events in his life conspire to send him hurtling into the drugs game, and Lamont uses that momentum to battle his way to the top of the Leeds crime-pile.
Buy now, and witness it unfold!
Target
Target
Target is the follow-up novel to Origins.
Eleven years have passed, and Lamont is older, far more richer and more powerful, but he’s tired of the life. He wants to walk away, and his world, used to the money Teflon generates, doesn’t want to let him.
Add old enemies and a new love interest, and the result is chaos the likes of which Leeds hasn’t seen before. Murders, betrayal, changing friendships and shifts of power. Can the king leave the life behind?
Don’t waste any time finding out! Buy today and continue Lamont’s journey.
Magnetic Moments Volume 1
Magnetic Moments Volume 1
If you like erotica, then this collection is a must-read! Filled with raw passion, lust, threesomes, love and betrayal, this collection sets the stage in a major way!
Six Scenarios:
Movie & Chill
Alison’s Dance
Stress Relief
Pleasant Surprises
Chasing Destiny
Date Night
Magnetic Moments Volume 2
Magnetic Moments Volume 2
Continuing on from Magnetic Moments Volume 1, Volume 2 ups the tempo! With more sensual and seductive scenes, we get even more passion and lust!
Twelve Scenarios:
Escaping Destiny
Short & Sweet
Public Indecency
Long Night
Mistake
Mistake II
Broken
Part-Time Lover
Rediscovering Love
End of Summer
Playing Games
Crossing The Line
About the Author
Ricky Black was born and raised in Chapeltown, Leeds. He began writing at sixteen, and has continued ever since.
Visit http://rickyblackbooks.com for information regarding new releases and special offers and promotions.
For MyMy.
It’s all for you.
© Ricky Black 2019. All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this book may be reproduced or copied without the expressed written permission of the Author.
This book is a work of fiction. Characters and events in this novel are the product of the author’s imagination. Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.