__________
Brianna, and Jonathan sat at the table with Eagle. Jonathan took out his phone and texted Gator, hoping that she was not pissed off at him for responding to her so late.
“The cops have Pop’s car, but I have a friend at the station that was able to get me the GPS information. I know where he was before he went to the hospital.” Eagle said, sipping his coffee.
Brianna stared at her half-brother. Eagle had high cheekbones, smooth caramel skin, and large brown eyes that seemed to change with his mood. At six foot two, broad shoulders, he had the build of a running back. As handsome as he was, he seemed to be just as dangerous as Cowboy.
“Brianna, you need to eat, cause we got a lot of work ahead of us. Now what was your sister saying about your mother?” Eagle said, taking a bite of his burger.
“I don’t know. She asked where she was, and then said Herman said she was in danger. She wouldn’t give me any more details.” Brianna answered.
“What do you mean Charrise said, he said, Mom was in danger?” Jonathan asked, putting his phone down.
“That is what she told me, and then she hung up. I asked her where she was, and she said taking care of something I should have taken care of months ago.”
Jonathan picked up his phone and dialed Charrise’s number. He needed to get this shit straight, especially when it was dealing with his mom. The phone rang several times before going to voicemail.
Eagle dug into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. He took three twenties from the knot and placed them on the table.
“Come on, we need to go to that hotel,” Eagle said, walking towards the door. Brianna and Jonathan followed him. Jonathan’s phone chirped, making him smile at the text message.
I do not do well with being put off. Jonathan stared at the screen. Even with the shit going on, Jonathan could not get Gator off his mind. He had to be smart about what he would say to her. He slowed his pace and let Eagle and Brianna walk ahead of him. Jonathan dialed Gator’s number. The phone rang a few times, and Jonathan thought it was going to go to voice mail.
“Hello.” Gator said.
“Hello beautiful, beautiful lady. I wanted to call to apologize to you. Things have been a little crazy. I promise you, I will make this up to you.” Jonathan said. The line was silent for a moment.
“I’m glad you called me, Jonathan. I was actually worried about you.” Gator said. “Where are you right now?”
“I’m with my sister and her brother. We got to go handle some business.” Jonathan said.
“Business, like the business you handled in the parking lot of the condo or the business your friend handled on Betty Ford?” Gator said.
Jonathan stopped walking. He didn’t even notice that Eagle and Brianna were already in the truck.
“It could be both, babe.”
“Sounds good to me, papi. Just be careful, okay.” Gator said before hanging up.
“Jonathan, let’s go!” Brianna yelled from the vehicle.
Jonathan began walking towards the SUV. He wanted to call Gator back, but Brianna and Eagle were telling him to get in the truck.
“What were you doing dude?” Brianna asked.
“Just handling some business, sis. Sorry.”
Brianna’s phone vibrated. She looked down at the screen and could see it was Brandon again. She pressed ignore and looked out the window. It was early evening now, but the sun had not gone down. It seemed like shit was always happening. There was never a moment’s peace. Her mind drifted back to Tre, and how he had made her feel so safe. He had protected and shielded her from so much shit. Even with her now being with Brandon, he could not make her feel as secure and protected, as she always felt with Tre. Tre’s reputation in the streets was feared, and respected. The only thing Brianna had to worry about or so she thought, was what trip they were going to take, and the color of her next Hermes bag.
She wished he was here now, because Herman wouldn’t have dared cross her. Tre would have planted a piece of lead between his eyes just based on the way he had treated Brianna during her childhood.
Eagle pulled into the parking lot of a small motel off Graham Street. He parked in front of the office, took out his phone and made a call.
“We outside.” he said and then hung up the phone.
A few minutes later, a petite woman walked towards the SUV. She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She wore a white baby tee and khaki capris that seemed to be two sizes too small. She opened the back door of the truck.
“Hey,” she said nearly out of breath. “How y’all doing?” Brianna and Jonathan spoke to her, but Eagle cut straight to the point.
“Aight, so what you see today?” Eagle said turning around to look at her.
“Well, I saw these chicks pull up in a gray minivan. They jumped out with ski masks and shit on they face. They grabbed old dude, and threw him in the van, and then started firing shots. I saw a man running to get behind some cars. These fools was popping it off like dey was in fucking Afghanistan!” the woman said laughing.
“A gray minivan? Did you see who was driving it?” Jonathan asked, thinking back to his house being shot up.
“No, I couldn’t see shit but dem bullets flying every damn where.”
“So did you tell the cops this?” Eagle asked as he opened the glove compartment.
“You know what, dem fools ain’t even asked me nothing yet. You’d think that they would have, just goes to show you how our tax dollars work. I bet if this shit was in Ballantine they would have pulled every mug in this joint.” Teela said laughing.
“Well, if they do get around to asking you bout what you saw.” Eagle said, handing her an envelope. “You hid under the counter when you heard the shots.”
Teela took the envelope and opened it. “Yeah… gotcha.” Teela said.
Eagle nodded to her and she opened the door. She practically sprinted back inside.
“Gray minivan? That is what those bitches were driving that shot up the house, Bri.” Jonathan said. “Fuck, why would they shoot Cowboy and take Herman?” Jonathan asked.
“They shot up your house? Why?” Eagle asked, looking at Jonathan.
Jonathan looked out the window. He did not want to discuss what he and his crew had done. Trying to find out what was going on with the Cowboy situation had taken his mind off his fallen friends, and now they seemed connected.
“Jonathan!” Brianna said.
“What Bri? Fuck! I robbed some bitches, okay. They shot Kevin and I took out one of theirs.” Jonathan rubbed his hands over his face.
Eagle shook his head and looked at Brianna.
“Nigga, who you fuck with?” Eagle asked irritated. In the back of his mind he knew that there was only one set of females that would be worth robbing in the QC, and who were organized enough to take retribution.
“Some bitches that run Betty Ford Road.” Jonathan said.
“You fucked with the wrong crew, brah.” Eagle said.
He thought about Niya being locked up for three years. He knew that this young fool had robbed and murdered one of her crew. He looked at his sister, and then Jonathan. This young boy had no idea what he had done, and Eagle wasn’t sure how he was going to help fix the situation. Gwen was running shit while Niya was away. Ever since the shit with her son, she seemed to have gone into straight goon mode. Shit had just gotten deeper and real.
Chapter 16
Herman’s back and his stomach werre on fire. The pain had gone from throbbing to shooting. He had to mask his ache in front of Charrise and Selena, but when they left to go outside, he took the opportunity to attempt to adjust himself in the chair. His hands had gone numb from being tied behind his back, and each breath he took seemed to set his chest on fire. He knew that a couple of ribs were broken by the pain in his right side.
“All right Herman…” Charrise said as she entered the room. “What do you want? What do I need to do to save my mother?”<
br />
“Well the more you play around, the longer she will suffer. Kill Brianna, let me go and save your mama or kill me and let her die all alone.”
Charrise wanted to blow Herman’s brains out, but the thought of her mother suffering stopped her. This nigga was really crazy; he had really gone off the deep end. She knew that his hatred of her sister and her mother would carry him through any torture she could dish out.
__________
Gator checked her text messages. Jonathan was blowing up her phone with questions about where she was and when she was coming back. Maybe she was going to have to lay off giving him that good-good for a while, because he was damn near in stalker mode. She wanted to make sure she had him on a string, but just not following her around on the other end of it. The product Jonathan had been robbing these bitches for had proved to be great quality, and tonight she was putting the finishing touches on her deal. Gator was glad that Moon decided to wear a dress, make up and stilettos this evening. She thought that Moon only owned jeans and Nike shoes.
When she stepped out in a Prada cocktail dress that hugged the curves she always hid, wearing pink Prada open toe shoes with matching purse, and her dreads pinned in a beautiful bun on top of her head, with pink shingle earrings, Gator gasped.
“I can clean it up when I have to, “Moon told Gator with a smile as she hit the switch on the gate.
“May I help you?” a voice with a thick accent said through the speaker.
“Yes, this is Gator. We are expected.”
The large iron gate opened. Moon drove through, looking over the grounds. There were large Magnolia trees that lined the driveway, giving the drive a true Gone with the Wind feel. They pulled up to the large mansion and a young man opened Moon’s door. He extended his hand to help her down, and took the keys. He ran to the other passenger side and opened the door for Gator.
Gator smiled at him and stepped down. She reached back in and grabbed the large black tote bag. Gator and Moon walked up to the door and walked inside. Music filled the foyer, and the house. They looked around at the people dancing and drinking.
A tall blonde walked by, eyeing Moon up and down. Moon and Gator looked at each other and laughed. Moon grabbed a glass of champagne from one of the servers walking by, and sipped it.
“Damn, Gate, this the good shit.” she whispered to Gator.
“Gator, you look delicious!” Gaston said as he kissed her cheek. He twirled her around, and scanned her. She wore a turquoise Gucci sheer blouse with white pants, and gold strappy Gucci sandals. “And who is this?” Gaston said, turning to Moon.
“This is Moon.” Gator said.
Gaston took Moon’s hand and kissed it. “Moon, how are you? Glad you could join us.”
Moon smiled at him, and slowly slipped her hand from his grip. “Well ladies, let’s go upstairs to my office.” Gaston motioned towards the stairs.
Gator and Moon began to ascend the stairs behind him. Moon made a mental note of the two men standing outside the doors of the office. They were large and concealed some serious heat. Gaston pointed to the two large leather chairs in front of his desk. He took off his sports coat and hung it on the back of his chair.
“Would you like something to drink?” Gaston said as he poured scotch into a glass.
“No thank you, Gaston. So your text said to come to this party, are you interested in our product?” Gator asked.
“Interested?” Gaston said laughing. “I am more than interested.” Gaston opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out a large gold envelope.
Moon smiled and leaned forward to take the packet. She opened it, and nodded to Gator.
Gator smiled at Gaston then she stood and opened the large tote bag. She placed five bricks of raw coke on his desk. Gaston placed the bricks back into the bag and closed it. Both women stood to depart.
“Ladies I know you are not going to leave. Please stay and enjoy the party. Mingle, I insist.”
Gator smiled at him and nodded.
__________
Eagle pulled back up to the front of the hospital. Brianna and Jonathan got out. Jonathan began to walk through the sliding doors, and Brianna stopped.
“Jonathan, we have to talk.” Brianna said pointing to the metal bench outside the doors. Jonathan turned and sat down beside her. “What the hell is going on? Why would you be robbing anyone? You are supposed to be in school making something of yourself.”
“I plan on going back to school, Bri. I just… I mean, look, I can’t explain it, okay?” Jonathan said trying to find the words to explain his actions to his sister.
“If you needed money, you know you could have come to me for it.” Brianna said, touching his shoulder. Brianna’s phone rang. It was Charrise calling again.
“Yeah,” Brianna said mouthing Charrise’s name to Jonathan.
Eagle had parked the car and was walking up as Brianna put the phone on speaker.
“Look, we got a problem,” Charrise said. “Herman has done something with Mommy, and he will not talk to anyone, but you. He says you have something that belongs to him, and you need to bring it to him.”
“Where you at?” Brianna asked, looking at Eagle.
“I am at the house off Central.” Charrise answered.
Brianna felt her heart stop beating and a chill ran down her spine. “What are you …”
“Look,” Charrise said, cutting her off. “Whatever you got that he wants bring it or our mother will die!” The line clicked and the screen went black. Brianna put the phone in her pocket.
Jonathan rested his face in his hands, and sighed. “What the hell is up with her ass?” Jonathan said, running his hand over his face.
“Something ain’t right.” Eagle added. “Give me some time to check some things out, Brianna.”
“No, you heard what she said. Herman is going to hurt my mother. I can’t let that happen.” Brianna said, walking towards the parking deck.
Jonathan and Eagle followed her.
“Brianna, something don’t feel right about this. Look, we gotta be smart. What if the nigga is using your sister to draw you out to him?” Eagle said, grabbing her arm.
“Look, I don’t have time for planning. Herman is crazy, and there is no telling what he has done or is going to do to my mother.”
“Where is this place off Central?” Eagle asked.
Brianna reached in her center console and drew a map of the street.
Eagle took the paper. “Brianna, be careful, I don’t like this.” Eagle said again.
Brianna nodded and drove towards the exit of the parking garage.
__________
Jonathan felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Like Eagle, he felt that something about this wasn’t right. Why would Charrise need to meet Brianna at the house off Central? Central Avenue was a rundown, dilapidated area, someone could get killed there and no one would know for weeks. He didn’t think that Charrise would put Brianna in a dangerous situation purposely, but it was a lot going on that he knew he was unaware of.
Brianna drove in silence as Jonathan took out his phone to check his text messages.
“We should probably have someone there in case Cowboy wakes up. Where is Kasy?” Jonathan said realizing that he had not seen Kasy since they left the spot they were supposed to meet Herman.
“I don’t know. I tried his phone, and he didn’t answer.” Brianna responded while keeping her eyes on the road.
Jonathan tried calling Kasy and a woman answered the phone.
“Hello? Who is this?” Jonathan asked.
“This is Detective Johnson. Who am I speaking with?” Jonathan checked the screen to ensure he had dialed the right number.
“Where is Kasy?” Jonathan asked, more annoyed now, realizing he was speaking to a police officer.
“He is in the hospital. Listen, are you a relative of his? If so, you might want to make your way down here,” the detective suggested.
“If you could come down, sir, we can explain everything to you.”
Jonathan hit end on the screen.
“Fuck, Kasy is in the hospital, the cops said that someone probably needs to get down there.” Jonathan said, hitting the dashboard as Brianna turned down Hawthorne.
“Damn, can this day get any more fucked up? Call Damon and Sharon. Tell them to go to the hospital. I want one with my dad and one checking on Kasy.” Brianna instructed.
__________
Lorraine’s hands were cramping from her using the curved piece of metal to pry the lock off the door. She finally could see a light shining through the hole she had made. Her neck was throbbing from Herman punching her in it from behind. She was glad that he was too drunk to tie the zip ties correctly. It had taken her more than an hour to get them off her wrist. They had sliced her skin as she struggled to slide them down her hand.
Herman was the epitome of evil. He enjoyed inflicting pain on her, but she had stayed with him for her children. Now, he was the biggest threat to their lives. She could finally get the lock off the door, her hands were sore and bloody, but she manage to turn the dead bolt on door, and it finally opened. She ran out into the warehouse, slipped on some oil and twisted her ankle.
“Oh God!” Lorraine screamed. She wanted to sit there and cry, but she knew she had to get to her babies. “Please, Jesus, help me.” Lorraine prayed as she tried to stand.
She hobbled over towards the door of the warehouse to find it locked. “No, no!” Lorraine yelled as she beat on the door.
She looked around the warehouse and took a deep breath. She had made it out of the basement, and now she was going to make it outside this damn warehouse, or die trying.
__________
Brianna pulled up to the abandoned looking house on Central Avenue. She scanned the yard, but only saw a van parked in the grass. She and Jonathan got out. Jonathan had his 10mm by his side. He looked at the minivan, trying to make out the color, but it the darkness of the night made it too hard to see. He looked closely at the passenger side of the vehicle. He saw the bullet holes and it confirmed, what he was already thinking. This was the same van that was involved in the shooting at his house and in the killing of A.J. He gripped his gun and followed Brianna up the stairs. There was only one light on in the house.
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