by Nikki Rashan
“Mmm hmm,” was all I had the strength to say. Minutes passed before I had the energy to actually hold a conversation. “Carlos. I lost the baby.”
His hand, which had been making lazy circles on my shoulder, stopped at my words. “What baby, Tajah? You mean—”
“Yes, I got pregnant. It happened that first time.”
He pulled me into his chest and held me. The slow, steady beat of his heart bumped against my ear, comforting me, and I finally let go. All the years of pent-up hurt, anger, and frustration came out in a rush of tears. My body shook from gut-wrenching sobs and I soaked his chest. All the while Carlos just rubbed my back, telling me everything would be fine.
“Can you tell me what happened?” he asked quietly against my hair once I’d finally calmed down. I nodded, taking a deep shaky breath, and I started at the moment I left Charmaine.
Carlos sniffed quietly and I knew he was crying over a child he’d never get to see or hold. I’d already done the same on many occasions myself.
“Well after Tarique calmed down enough for me to explain, I healed and things slowly got back to normal, but I never forgave him. He couldn’t have children and yet he stole mine from me. One night he came home irritated at something and he took his anger out on me for the last time. I fixed him a drink with a couple of crushed sleeping pills to make him drowsy. Drew him a steamy, hot bath and waited until he was in the tub, as was our custom. I laid a hot washcloth over his eyes and a copperhead on his chest. Then I locked him in the bathroom, took his cell and all the cash out of his wallet, and I waited until the splashing stopped.”
“Where in God’s name did you find a copperhead in New York, woman? You actually handled a venomous snake.” He shook his head in disbelief.
“I did. One night when I was lying on the floor in pain I thought I was hallucinating. There were these eyes staring at me, yellow demon eyes from hell. It took me a couple of beatings to remember I’d seen them. Each time I would have the same vision. I remember regaining consciousness one morning and having my heart stop. She was drawn to my body heat and was coiled in a ball in between my breasts. The snake was a baby when I found her, or you can say she found me. Tarique didn’t let me have any friends or see my cousin, and I was desperate for something to love. There were plenty of mice to feed her and you know we have plenty of ’em ’round here. I knew she was venomous but I didn’t care if I lived or died so I picked her up and kept her hidden in a shoebox when he was home. Left her out when he was gone.”
“So, the name change, this Alicia person you became, was because of him?”
“I still didn’t know who was looking for me so I felt it would be safe to just reinvent myself. Start all over.”
“Well since we’re baring our souls right now I think there’s something else you should now, Tajah. Even though I’m out of the coterie, there are a few guys in there who keep me up on non-confidential stuff. I threw your partner’s name around. I think he’s trying to buy his way in.”
Well I’d be damned. That would explain why the hell Lorenzo wanted all that damn money all of a sudden. You had to either be born in or recruited; otherwise, I guessed it cost, hell, $1.3 million to get in?
“I’m so glad you found me, Carlos. I think I might need your help.”
“You know I’m here for whatever you need.”
Chapter 15
The Devil In You Brings Out The Snake In Me
Slipping into the station bright and early wasn’t a problem. The only way I could come up with over a million dollars overnight was by taking it from the evidence vault. There were a couple of massive pallets of money inside from various robberies and drug busts. I hadn’t set up a code yet but Lorenzo’s was easy enough to figure out. He used the same numbers for everything, 38-36-42: his dream woman’s measurements. Once inside I grabbed enough cash, a micro-transmitting device, and a detector.
Carlos and Jin were waiting at the house for me. Tia had left to meet up with Shoni sometime during the night and sent me texts swearing she’d be fine. I couldn’t force her to stay in “witness protection” and since Lorenzo was her cousin, she was more his responsibility than mine. Back at the house I began prepping the briefcase and the money for my exchange with Lorenzo.
“Damn! Lemme hold a stack. No? Okay, lemme hold a twenty?” Jin was sitting across the kitchen table from me, damn near salivating. Carlos was at the stove making breakfast. He had the whole house smelling like steak and eggs. I was too nervous and too focused to eat.
“Tajah? What if your police people notice the money is gone?” Carlos seemed extremely frazzled by that piece of the equation.
“They won’t notice. No one inventories the evidence locker until the end of the year, and they only pull evidence for specific cases. I pulled this from old case files and I used Lo’s access code. I don’t even have a code set up. They’ll think he took it. I just need him to take the cash and leave me alone long enough for me to get what I need.”
Carlos nodded at my answer before returning his attention to his steaks. My attention went to cleaning my personal weapon. If anything happened later today I didn’t plan on using my service-issued pistol. Destiny would not be choosing anyone’s fate this time.
Time seemed to take forever to go by and at I texted Lorenzo promptly at three p.m. to meet me at my place in an hour. Okay, gentlemen, let the games begin.
I’d dressed in jeans and one of my favorite oversized hooded sweatshirts so I could wear my over the shoulder holster underneath. Carlos had moved his truck two streets over and he and Jin were in the laundry room just in case Lorenzo decided to act foolish. He showed up at four o’clock on the dot as expected.
“You’ve got something for me?” He was out of uniform as well, dressed in dark blue jeans, a white Ralph Lauren sweater, and Kenneth Cole shoes and jacket. Nice clothes for a cop, I thought.
“Yup. Here.” I stuck the briefcase out in his direction and he walked inside and laid it on the coffee table, opening it and thumbing through a few stacks of bills before snapping it shut.
“Nice doing business with you. Glad we could see eye to eye on things.” He winked before smiling wide and striding out of the front door. I let out the breath I’d been holding. Carlos and Jin rejoined me. They both looked ready to go to war.
“Okay. What do we do now?” Carlos was looking at me intently.
Pulling out the tracking device, I turned it on and it immediately began picking up the signal for the transmitter I’d planted on the briefcase.
“Now we see where he takes the money. Whoever he’s paying probably has something to do with everything that has happened to me and Davin. Lo isn’t smart enough to do all this on his own.”
We climbed into the truck and followed the signal. It was almost an hour’s drive before we stopped in a neighborhood of Pleasure House Road out Ocean View. He was obviously making sure he wasn’t being followed with all the extra hoops and hurdles, and he didn’t do a good enough job. He parked in a cul-de-sac that accessed the beach. We pulled up beside him as he was getting out, and Carlos walked up and casually stood in front of him, placing his pistol tightly against his chest.
“You signal or call whoever it is as you would normally do or I’ll be more than happy to blow your damn head off.” Lorenzo looked around, realized he was outnumbered, and scowled.
“I call and then I walk up to the house two doors down.” He nodded at an enormous white sandstone house with a three-car garage.
“Well then make the call. You so much as stutter and it’ll be the last sound you make. Jin, come assist our friend here.” Jin walked over and reached into Lo’s coat. He found his service weapon and handed it to me. He then grabbed Lo’s cell and handed it to him.
“I’m outside. I’ve got it.” He hung up and stared Carlos down angrily.
“Now, I go into the house.” Jin handed him the briefcase and he started walking as we followed.
The house didn’t look like the type of place for
this type of transaction to occur. Then again, that’s probably what made it the perfect location. The front porch had one of those large family-style swings on it that swayed with the breeze. The streets were pretty much deserted this time of year but I was sure they were buzzing with people in late spring and summer. The front door was unlocked and my senses were on high alert as we followed him inside. Spanish mariachi music was playing throughout the dimly lit house. Lo led us through the main foyer, past a large, fancy dining room with china place settings.
“Braullo, is that you?” My heart sank and Lorenzo, or Braullo as he was just called, burst out in anger.
“Tia, what the hell are you doing here?” Lorenzo shouted.
We walked down five steps into a large sitting room. Winding staircases ran along the top floors on both sides overlooking the open area. There was a large fireplace sunken in the floor in the center. It was regal almost, elegant looking, decorated with red and gold carpet and Versace furnishings. Sitting around the fireplace staring back at us were three faces I never in a billion years though I’d see in the same room together. My pistol with its custom silencer was out and in my hand before anyone could say anything to me.
“Tajah. Is that anyway to greet your mother after all these years?” Gone was the doped-up alcoholic degenerate I remembered. In her place was this statuesque queen-like matriarch with rubies in her ears and rocks on her fingers so large they looked unreal. I blinked several times just to see if she’d disappear, but she was still there, with Tia and Shoni on either side of her like they were having some kind of fucking tea party.
“Momma, Braullo has been playing both sides. He somehow managed to set up the man you’d found to marry Shoni and protect the Padillas’ assets with Tajah. Then he killed him and he’s trying to blackmail Tajah.”
Had Tia just called my hoeing-ass momma “Momma”? I felt lightheaded. Now I knew why Tia had looked familiar the first time I’d seen her. Next to my mother, I could see how much she resembled her. It was like looking at a portrait from years ago and an age-progression image side by side. There were hundreds of questions but I couldn’t get a single one of them to come out of my mouth.
“Braullo? What do you have to say for all of this? I trusted you.” My Mother’s voice was quiet and sweet; it didn’t even go up an octave as she addressed him.
Lorenzo just stood there with his head lowered; his shoulders were heaving in anger. I knew him well enough to know he was thinking of how he could fight his way out of this situation.
Then it happened so fast if I hadn’t been standing there I would have never believed it. One minute he was standing and in the next he was on the ground in pain, blood seeping from a small knife sticking out of his leg. Startled and shocked I looked at Carlos, who was just as stupefied as I was. Even Jin was quiet.
“He was a fag and careless about it. When Al . . . I mean Tajah joined the force she wouldn’t give me the time of day.” Lorenzo groaned before continuing. “I just told him to marry her and I’d keep quiet about it. All he had to do was keep her at arm’s length, make her miserable, and then I’d make her see her worth and take her off his hands. It was selfish, I know. He fucked up and lost that case and I got the orders to take him out.”
“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You disappoint me so much. Lorenzo Braullo Cordello, give Davin my love.” My mother spoke the words so carelessly you’d have thought we were discussing the color of the carpet. Her hand raised and she was poised, ready to fling another small blade with deadly precision in Lo’s direction.
“Now, now, sweetheart, there’s no need in killing the boy.” Before she could flick her wrist, Chief Reid walked up behind her and kissed her softly on the cheek.
For the second time in a day, I was absolutely speechless.
Tia stood up from her seat, clutching her chest theatrically. “Hold the fuck up, I know that voice. Hemingway?”
I’d have laughed at her expression if I weren’t in just as much shock as she was.
“No, no. Please sit back down. Alicia, thank you for all your hard work in getting us the files. We owe you more than you’ll ever know.” He smiled down into my mother’s face and they kissed. I silently gagged. They were like sinister evil commandos as they smiled at us after letting each other’s lips go.
“You two. Go wait on the porch please.” My mother addressed Carlos and Jin. They gave me worried glances and I nodded, letting them know it was okay. She waited until they were outside. Silver whirred through the air.
It was when Lorenzo grabbed his neck, letting out an eerie gurgle that I’d realized what happened. Momma got some of that bite back into her tone that I remembered so well. “Men don’t tell me what to do anymore, dear. Braullo disrespected my daughters and my rules, which means he in turn has disrespected the queen. No one gets away with that. Do you still have a problem?”
Chief Reid shook his head back and forth quickly as he backed down to take his place quietly behind her chair.
“So, my oldest has finally decided to find her way home?” She focused her calculating, devious snake eyes on me.
Hard as I tried I couldn’t find an ounce of love in my body for the woman. Not after she’d gotten my father killed and especially not after all I’d been through. “Not really. I was just following Lorenzo and here is where he led me. Um, Tia called you ‘mother.’ So are we half sisters or something?”
“No, you’re as sisterly as sisters get; she just took after my side and you took after your real father. Taj, or Manny as you knew him, was both your and Tia’s daddy. Me and him hit a rough patch when I was pregnant with you. I dated and married the man you called Daddy honestly, because he was the last male in his family. He was supposed to run the Lot; we were supposed to be damn near royalty. Your play-daddy had no backbone. He didn’t like what the Law of Talion stood for anymore. He even named you after another man. He was so poetic, always trying to turn a negative into a positive.”
She was laughing maniacally, like a crazy woman, and all I wanted to do was break down and cry. Everything I’d ever known was a lie, a story, manipulated by this monster in front of me.
“So that means Carlos is my cousin, too?” I had to know; there was no way we could continue if we were truly blood.
“I don’t know him to be kinfolk; who told you that?”
“Momma, he’s not a real cousin. Just someone I’m real cool with.” Tia smiled nervously at me, and for once I was thankful to have a cool sister, even though the circumstances hurt me to the core of my soul.
“And I didn’t find out you were my sister until Shoni called me. Trust me, I was all like ewwww. I looked at my sister’s ass! Then I was like well my sister hot though, thick as fuck, too. Good genes up in here. Thanks, Momma.”
“Tajah, are you ready to take your rightful place where you belong? I’ve made history. No woman has ever even been allowed as a member of the brotherhood, the coterie. Look at your momma now. I’ve managed to turn this shit into the sisterhood. We have damn near every cop, lawyer, judge, drug dealer, and congressmen under our pretty little painted thumbs.”
“What happened to Manny?”
“Manny happened to Manny. Too busy running his mouth, and showing off how big his balls were all over town. While I was doing all the thinking behind the scenes for his dumb ass, Momma got jealous.” She pouted before continuing. “Momma wanted some big balls to show off too. So Momma cut off Manny’s balls, they’re there in formal living room on display in the curio cabinet with my crystal. I had them preserved of course. Now Momma has the biggest fucking balls in town.”
This shit was like a Quentin Tarantino movie gone wrong and my momma had somehow become the psychotic unstoppable bad guy. She’d offered me a position in the coterie and turning her down meant death. You were born in, recruited, or you bought your way in, but once you were chosen you did not turn down an offer.
Now everything made perfect sense. The reason why she let me become a cop, because she could have shut that shit
down at any given time, was so I’d have the inside hand with the police. She probably even worked everything out so Tia could learn a street hustle outside of the drug game. She’d managed to con her way into my daddy’s life even though she was pregnant with another man’s child. She’d then conned Manny and somehow found a way to get off her back and lying up underneath him, to being on top. She was a queen con woman.
“Tajah?” Her voice was shrill and high. I jerked at the sound of it and looked up, my expression puzzled and dark. “What took you so long to handle Tarique?”
A chill ran up my spine and something began to come alive inside me that I’d locked away the same night I’d locked him in the bathroom with my copperhead.
“Obviously I left your bangles and that damn address. I also wanted to teach your little ass a lesson about running away. He was cheap labor. You never questioned why he had such a nice truck and such a rundown apartment? He obviously worked for us.”
Every beating I’d ever endured, every single busted lip, bruised or cracked rib, all the black eyes and the verbal abuse, even losing my baby was all because this bitch just said she was trying to teach me a lesson.
“Lessons involve climbing trees and learning not to climb on weak limbs. A lesson is when you learn not to reach across a hot iron or fry bacon naked. You knew where I was and what I was going through, and you didn’t bother to do anything. He damn near tortured me daily. Almost killed me, and on more than one occasion. I nearly starved to death.”
She raised a finely arched eyebrow before asking, “Where do you think the snake came from, my love?”
She laughed and clapped like she’d just watched the ending of a good movie. This woman had to have been completely out of her mind. As many times as I’d lain on that floor unconscious, that damn snake could have killed easily lashed out and killed me. Yet she thought she was helping.
“The snake?” I whispered.