by Brick
“I’ve placed calls to him. He told me he would get back to me once he had done what he needed to do.”
“And until then?”
“We continue as if we don’t know they’re here.”
I cut in. “Will this hinder us from getting Jewel?”
“Depending on why the Knights are here, it could slow us down a bit,” Caltrone said.
My nerves started jumping. “But we’re so close,” I damn near whispered. I was afraid that we wouldn’t be able to get to my child in time. Panic took up residence within me.
“We only know of what his henchmen told us. That information can go either way. Once we scout the area tomorrow, we’ll know more.”
“But didn’t your men tell you the same thing? Damien’s people also?” I asked, a bit of desperation now in my voice.
Caltrone gazed at me. For a moment, I saw pity in his eyes. He could hear my desperation and it seemed to burden him. There was a look on his face that said he was afraid of something. If I didn’t know Caltrone the way I did and if I weren’t paying enough attention, I would have missed it. It was a look a man got just before he went into a battle he knew there was a strong possibility he could lose. I wasn’t able to readily recognize it at that very moment, but later I would. After the shit hit the fan, I would.
“Kenya,” Tone called me. His voice was stern with just a bit of worry and concern.
I snapped my head around to look at him. Whatever he saw in me, looking at him from behind my eyes, it gave him pause. He got ready to say something, then he stopped.
“We’ll get her back,” he said.
I knew that Tone believed that with everything in him. I could sense it, feel it in his words and the way he looked at me. But something was crawling up my spine. Something in the back of my mind told me we may have been running out of time.
“Stay,” Caltrone said, bringing me back to what was going on in front of me.
Lilith had been about to get up. She had cleaned up the mess that had been made, but Caltrone’s order kept her down on her knees. I looked up at Benita, who was clearly pleased. Lilith, even being ordered around, still tried to hold on to that air of arrogance.
Caltrone knocked his plate off the table, intentionally. “Clean it,” he ordered her.
Benita damn near smirked. Lilith’s eyes watered, but she did as she was told.
“Never forget your place, Lilith. To fix your mouth to even utter an insult at a woman you have no idea of means I’ve allowed you to lick my face one too many times. And, like with any good dog owner, it must be addressed. No woman who has borne me a son is a bitch, especially not Carmen Ortiz.”
I would have felt sorry for Lilith, but I didn’t give a damn at that point. I picked up my wine and downed the whole glass in what seemed to be one swallow. I grew tired of Tone and Caltrone’s strategizing. I needed to get to my phone just in case Jewel had tried to reach out. No, she hadn’t after all this time, but still. Just in case, I needed to be there to answer. Just in case.
Chapter 21
Father Rueben
Time was of the essence. After Emmanuel Knight made his grand stand, I put boots to the ground to see what his possible next plan of execution would be. I had a feeling that while he was showboating with me, he was keeping me from noticing something else. I made a call to Miami and told Carmen to get on a private flight to a safe place that only she and I knew of. Not even her son, Antonio, knew of this place. I couldn’t take any chances of her being hurt because of whatever Carlos had going on.
My niece had flown in. She was exactly what her father had trained her to be: a killer. She, in turn, had trained my grandniece, Maria-Rosa, to be the same. That would be a story for a different time. However, she would be a great asset if there was a need to defend ourselves.
“Father Rueben, I have some information for you.”
I looked at Father Benoit and nodded for him to tell me what he knew.
“Queen Yasmine Knight has left the area. Sources tell us she’s heading south to Georgia.”
“Do we know the reason?”
“It appears that their youngest daughter, Caitlyn, is missing as well.”
That made little sense to me. If the Knights’ youngest daughter had been missing, then why had Emmanuel only mentioned the missing niece? Something was fishy about all of it. I had to wonder if Carlos had thought this whole thing through before jumping in headfirst. Yes, we all knew he loved Antonio, probably more than he loved any of his sons. More than likely because of the way he had loved Carmen, his mother. However, my baby brother should have turned over every rock and stone before charging ahead. He should have looked into this thing.
But I understood Tone was desperate. I could see it and feel it in his eyes, the way he moved, and even the way he spoke. I could even see it in the way he regarded his father, a man we all knew he detested.
“Also, Father Rueben, we have information that would lead us to believe that the boy who masterminded Jewel’s kidnapping is, indeed, a Knight himself,” Father Benoit reported.
My eyes widened and my soul sank. For as much as I hated what Carlos had become, for as much as I detested his presence anywhere near me at times, I didn’t want him to be led to what could be his death. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that some things just weren’t right. Why would a Knight knowingly kidnap an Orlando? Or did the boy even know she was an Orlando? With the old beef between the two factions, I found it hard to believe that Jewel’s kidnapper didn’t at least know who her father was or that he was an Orlando.
My heartrate skipped a beat and sped up as I realized my brother and nephew were about to walk into a trap.
Chapter 22
Antonio
Kenya wasn’t here. Immediately, it put me on edge. More than likely it was due to the fact that we were close to Jewel. Damn, I felt so drained and anxious that I felt lifted from my body. The old me watched as a spectrum, while the darker me sat in the chair and nodded at whatever my father was saying. I knew what he was saying but a brotha wasn’t clocking. The longer we sat around the longer my child would be held against her will, harmed, assaulted. I couldn’t just sit and let this go on any longer, not being as close as we were to her. My stomach felt nauseated from it all and I was ready to end this now.
My ex was breaking and changing. I could see it in her mannerisms and body language. Now that we weren’t focused on our past, meaning fighting about it, and our attention was about our daughter, strangely it’d brought us close enough to get in sync about each other’s stress points. And Kenya was reaching a point of no return.
“Father, might I make this suggestion?” I glanced to the right of me. I really didn’t need Kenya to be breaking down, not when we were so close.
“Sí, my son.”
“I believe that if we wait any longer, there could be more damage to your granddaughter. The fact that his trail led us here makes me believe that he’s been planning for this moment, don’t you think?”
Caltrone, in his typical regal manner, reached for his glass. It was filled with amber liquid and perfectly carved ice. One slow sip, and he gave me a look of appraisal. “But of course he is. His usage of Jewel has been like dangling meat to piranhas.”
“The outcome isn’t to bait us; it’s to strike by inflicting fear, then effectively feeding us to the fish.”
“Sí. Very good, son.”
Subtle anger had my temples throbbing. The fact that this was all a ploy bothered me. Had I not been an Orlando, my daughter would have been safe from that monster. Her life would have continued as any other teenager’s; her desire to learn about intimate relationships hopefully would have been shaped by healthier means. However, none of that was possible for her. My baby girl’s life was practically mapped out for her because of my blood, and now she was nothing but a tool against my family.
If I could, I’d go back in time and change everything.
Exhaling, I rubbed my temple. “Once word comes back
to us on the exact location of where he’s at, I wish to go in sniper style. Covert. Darkness. No backup.”
“And if he is sitting, waiting, in a trap for you?”
“Father, I’m an Orlando.” I shifted in my seat, focusing my eyes directly on my father.
This was a moment of seriousness. I wasn’t here to prove my worth to the man before me. I was here for my daughter and I needed him to understand that even though that was the truth of the matter, I understood that his blood ran through me. I had this.
“The training is such that, even so, I’ll kill him before being killed.”
Our jaws clenched and locked in a similar manner. Both of our minds were more than likely processing and calculating the outcome of the plan. I knew mine was. There was nothing more to say in my request to him. This was my right as a father. I really didn’t need any approval.
The sound of soft classical music filled the silence between us. My father kept his gaze on me and it reminded me of when I was but a child staring up at him. I was taught to fear him. I was also taught to admire him. Back then, he was but a man who set himself up to be worshipped like a god. I used to be one of those who worshipped him because he was my father. A son always craves the affection of a father, especially a strong one such as Caltrone, regardless of how insane the man was. Now, here I was falling back into that old space of familiarity as he watched me, probably checking for my weaknesses. Instead, now, I wasn’t a scared child, but a grown man. I didn’t idolize him anymore, but I did find myself having come to respect his ways of doing things when it came to going after the asshole who took my daughter.
After a moment of silence, my father leaned back in his chair. His leg was already crossed in a manner where his ankle lay upon the top of his left knee. He placed his fingers together to form a steeple in front of his chest. When his cell phone went off, he dropped one hand and picked up the small object resting on the arm of his chair.
Listening, I watched his expression seem to change. It was as if he was proud of me as his son. I found that interesting. I also knew in the secret space in my being that I was afraid of that. Once Caltrone sees you as an interest, there was no shaking him. Ever. Even in death.
“Speak,” was all he said in a commanding tone.
Before me was Satan himself. His face went blank. The nails of his left hand dug into the chair; then he scowled. Whatever he was being told wasn’t good and, regardless of the outcome, I needed it not to be about my daughter.
When that evil scowl melted away into a sultry, insidious one, I knew that the conversation had switched.
“Keep the area clear. I want no one to know you all are there. Surround the house. Tone will be in charge, and you will listen to every command he says, understood? Good. Now hang up.”
Leaning back in his chair, he smoothed a hand across the inside of his jacket. A cigar appeared between his fingers and he casually drew it out. Teeth on the butt, tearing into it then spitting it in a crystal ashtray on the small table with an inlay beside him, he watched me.
“Hmm.” Slowly, he removed a lighter then lit up. I studied him as he took several puffs. The light haze of smoke curled against his lips, then his mouth. He gave me a grin then nodded.
“I agree. It’s time that you took this in your control. You’ll go in as you said; however, we never do anything completely alone. Our people will assess if the area is clear. Once in, you signal. I will be there, Kenya will be there, and then you and I will commence introducing ourselves to the punta who took my grandchild. Are we in agreement?”
That really wasn’t a question, I noted. “Sí, Father. We are in agreement.”
“Then good. We will commence and, after, I expect you to return to Miami and resume your life.”
But at a cost, I thought, and soon found that thought answered.
“You will return to family, to me. Jewel is your daughter; and as it is your right to avenge every wrong placed upon her, such as it is my right to reclaim my prodigal son.”
That sickness in my stomach had returned. It made my abs tighten and it almost made it difficult for me to keep a poker face. “But of course. I will return.”
“Indeed. Your mastery skills as a surgeon are needed in this family and you will provide them. Your beautiful mother was always an intelligent woman, and still is. Her supporting you in your track through medical school was the best decision of hers and she garners my respect.”
What do I say to that? I cleared my throat, then turned my hands upward on my knees and bowed my head slightly. “Thank you, Father. As long as I’m able to use my gift as a healer with these hands, then I will be able to take care of the family, as was my destiny.”
Fuck, the politics of this crap.
“But of course.” Tossing me his phone, Caltrone took a puff of his cigar. His pearly whites glinted as he held on to the cigar, pointed with a gesture toward the phone, then spoke. “There you go. Go through it. It is the address to the house. Prepare yourself. We’ll be right behind you, niño.”
This was it. First, let me say, I was stunned that he’d allow me to view his phone. I knew that this object held power. It was a part of him and I figured this was a gesture of something I wasn’t in the mindset of computing as of yet. Immediately, my eyes went over the logistics of the map, the coordinates of what was around the area, and, last, the address.
“Will the team secure all exit locations, including roads going in and out, trails, et cetera?”
A deep, hardy laugh rumbled from my father. I immediately handed him back his phone, telling him thanks in the process.
“But of course, son. Who do you think I am? What you can’t protect yourself from, I will.” Regally standing like the king he made himself to be, my father stared down at me, that strange warmth back in his eyes. “Prepare yourself. By nightfall you will have your daughter back, my grandchild.”
“Along with the head of that bastard.” I stood with my father. He clapped a hand against my shoulder, squeezing, then backing away to leave. I waited, as was custom, my mind already calculating what to do. I now just needed to check on Kenya; then it was time to ride down to Augusta.
I wasn’t surprised when I found her in her room. Actually, she was leaning against the balcony of her window with tears in her eyes and rage causing her body to tense. Quietly, I closed the door and locked it. I took my time walking up to her. What we were was complicated. I wasn’t trying to purposely break up a damn thing she and her fiancé had going on. I just understood that, sometimes, shit happens. We still connected in the manner of sex, and it was helpful in keeping both of us from going completely insane; but, honestly, I knew it was short-lived. We weren’t going to go there again; at least, so I thought.
“There’re a couple of things that I need from you before we go,” I quietly stated. My tone was low and even. I wasn’t trying to make her feel ordered around. In this family, there was enough of that going on. I just needed her to understand that I was trying to protect her. If she could understand that, and understand how to play this endgame, then we’d be all right in saving our child.
“I called her cell phone.”
Confused, I tilted my head to the side.
“I said, I called Jewel’s cell phone. I . . . I just needed to hear her voice. Let her know that she’s not alone. I just needed to hear her voice.” Kenya’s voice sharply cracked. Her emotions drowned in constrained tears that made her beautiful face contort in the pain of a parent who had lost a child.
That stabbed me right in the heart. Loyalty was a motherfucker. I walked up to Kenya, and carefully slid my arms around her. I pulled her to my chest. Allowed her cheek to press against my heart, as I cradled the back of her head.
“She’s the one good thing that came from our marriage. Second. The second good thing. We were good for a while. Our love was good and Jewel made it better.”
My cheek rested on top of Kenya’s hair. I didn’t close my eyes because I was already on edge being in this
house. So, my focus stayed on the outside as I did my best in trying to comfort my wife; I mean, my ex.
“I remember when you first saw her, Tone. I never saw serenity until I saw you holding Jewel.”
Kenya’s soft sniffles broke me down. I hated for a woman, a good woman, to cry. It didn’t help anything with the fact that we both were reminiscing about our little girl. This was not something we should have been going through. Our only worries should have been the mundane realities of teen life and soon-to-be empty nesters. I should have been worried about putting my foot up the ass of a good-spirited, little, young nigga who found himself adoring my daughter. The trafficking and kidnapping of my princess wasn’t something any parent should go through. “So, why did I fail her? Where did I go wrong in raising her?”
“You didn’t, Tone. I feel like I did, but I know we didn’t fail in raising her,” Kenya answered. “That monster was just that good in finding her weakness.”
Damn. She sounded like an Orlando there. “I’m sorry, Kenya.” The thickness in my throat made it hard for me to swallow so I cleared my throat instead. “I hadn’t realized that I spoke out loud.”
The sensation of her shaking her head against my chest made me hold her closer. “It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m dying here, Tone. I’m literally dying.”
“You have to stay strong. I came up here to tell you that—”
“Her phone picked up,” Kenya interrupted.
I swore it was like a knife cutting across my throat at what Kenya said. My head tilted to the side. I leaned back, my body becoming rigid as my heart thumped hard against my chest. It hurt so much that I found myself rubbing it as I stupidly asked, “What did you say?”
“Jewel’s cell picked up.” Turning from me, Kenya walked back to the edge of the balcony. She fisted the railing then slammed a fist down against it.
A brother was frozen in place. All blood has rushed from my body. I was locked in my emotions and not able to will myself to breathe, to move, to think, to even blink. All I heard was, “Her phone picked up. Her phone picked up.”