“And to think I let that bastard into my home.” G was fuming. He had no idea when Jeremiah had shown up on his doorstep looking for Dasia that he was the same man who had broken into her apartment and attacked her. Oh, this guy was going to pay.
Octavious said to Napolean, “Looks like the Reaper has returned.”
“You’re a slick bastard, if I do say so myself. Guess you learned from the best.”
G stood and began pacing. He needed to think on this. If he did this for the Agency, he needed some guarantee this was going to be it. He also needed to ensure Dasia was going to be safe, and if need be, they’d have their people follow his instructions to the T.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Guatreaux, we have an agent watching Ms. Warrington. No harm will come to her while you’re making your decision. Take all of the time you like.”
Octavious Finnerdy, the new head of the Agency, took great pleasure in watching the mastermind at work. He’d only seen G in action once when he was new to the Agency a number of years ago. He’d been impressed with G’s ability to separate what needed to be done and his life. They’d lost many agents because they couldn’t separate the two. They hated losing G, but he seemed determined to move his life in a different direction. No one blamed him, but they’d all hoped one day he’d reconsider. The two men were now hoping that completing this mission would nudge G into rejoining the Agency.
G had already begun planning Jeremiah’s demise. “If I’m going to do this, it’s going to be my way.”
“That can be arranged. How soon do you think you can dispose of our little problem?”
“Give me forty-eight hours.” G turned to his former boss. “You know what arrangements need to be made.” He then addressed his last comment to the both of them, saying, “Tell the police and your men to stay the fuck out of my way,” and abruptly turned and left the room.
Napolean Tibidour said to his protégé, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Not much can be done now. He’ll do the job, we’ll cover his ass, and all of this will soon go away.”
“Do you really know what you’ve just done?”
“I’ve just handled what could have been a hostile situation.”
“You may think so, but at what cost?”
“He’ll be paid well, once this is all over.”
Napolean Tibidour, the former head of the Agency, turned to face his replacement. “You don’t get it. Money’s not the issue. He’s got plenty of that. You really don’t have any idea what you’ve just unleashed, do you?”
“What are you talking about?” Octavious was getting nervous now. He’d expected this would cost them, but Napolean seemed to be hesitant about the way he’d gone about convincing Mr. Guatreaux to do the job.
“You’ve only heard the stories about the Reaper, but I’ve seen him in action. He is a force to be reckoned with. And the others . . . well, you mess with one, you have to deal with them all.”
“They can’t touch me.”
“I hope you don’t believe that.” Napolean Tibidour shook his head in disbelief. He knew what G and his men were capable of. He’d made the mistake of crossing one of them and almost paid for it with his life. G was the only reason he was still alive. Had it not been for him, the others would have surely disposed of him all of those years ago.
“Why shouldn’t I? I’m the head of the most powerful agency in the world.”
“The most powerful agency our government sanctions. I’d be careful not to step on any of their toes, and I’d heed his warning to steer clear of this. I’ve seen him kill one of his own who got in his way, and that was just business. I’d hate to see what happens to someone who gets in his way now that this is personal.”
Napolean Tibidour left Octavious to ponder the information he’d just shared. He just hoped the man would heed his words. Otherwise, things were going to get really ugly, really fast.
Chapter 29
“What’s up, man?” Chaos plopped down in the chair next to G in their favorite drinking hideaway.
It had taken G two hours to calm down enough to call Chaos and arrange this meeting. He needed to know why his best friend had kept such a secret. There was a life in danger, Dasia’s life, to be exact, and he just didn’t understand what was going on.
G cut his eyes at Chaos as he emptied the last of his beer. His face frowned as the horrible liquid slid down his throat. G hated beer and only drank it when he was royally pissed, but he needed to keep his head about him. Tonight was one of those nights, and he feared if he’d added hard liquor to the mix, he’d unintentionally hurt his boy.
He settled his tab and, without looking at Chaos, stood and said, “Let’s take a ride.”
Chaos watched G walk away. He wondered what had gotten him so angry that he’d resort to drinking beer. Beer was never a good sign. Chaos figured there was only one way to find out. He followed G out of the bar and into the night.
Two steps behind G, Chaos entered the apartment Dasia had vacated a few months earlier. Before he could get in the door good, he was on the floor. He didn’t see G’s fist coming, and before he had time to realize what happened, G had him pinned to the wall.
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?” G narrowed his bloodshot eyes, waiting impatiently for a response.
“Yo, man, what the fuck you hit me for? What you talkin’ ’bout?” Chaos reached up and wiped away the blood from his lip with the sleeve of his shirt.
“I’m talking about Delpriore. And don’t act like you don’t know who I’m talking about. I know damn well any suspected murder-for-hire case crosses your desk, detective.” G was trying to stay calm, but the anger was trying to escape. He felt his fingers begin to wrap, preparing to again punch his best friend.
“How do you know about Delpriore?”
“Let’s just say, a little birdie sang in my ear today. Now start talking.”
“Man, you know I can’t discuss my cases with you.”
“Well, how about I enlighten you then? You should have told me Dasia’s ex-fiancé was planning to kill her.” G let Chaos out of his grasp. Now that he’d said the words, he needed to get as far away from his friend as possible. He still couldn’t believe Jeremiah was planning to have Dasia killed.
“Oh shit, yo, G, we didn’t know. We were still trying to find out who the target was.”
“Come on, man.” G faced his friend though he stood on the other side of the living room. “Don’t tell me you didn’t recognize the name.”
“Yeah, but this guy’s got a rap sheet fifteen pages long and all kind of enemies. We were thinking it was someone who’d turned him in. If I’d known it was Dasia, you know I would have come to you.”
G paced like a caged tiger in the tiny space between the couch and the love seat. He flexed his hands, trying to rid his mind and body of the anger and frustration. Of course, it wasn’t working. He believed Chaos didn’t know Jeremiah wanted Dasia dead. He’d actually known that from the start. He just needed some reassurance that his boy didn’t put his job before Dasia’s life.
“Yo, man, I’ll have my people on it ASAP. Nothing’s going to happen to Dasia.”
“Don’t bother. I’ve already taken care of that. R.I.P. has been instructed to not leave her side, and Sniper is watching the both of them.”
“Wait a minute. How’d you find out about Delpriore?” Chaos was confused. Only he and the detective working on the case knew about Delpriore. He’d made sure when he called in some favors for Dasia’s case that all parties involved understood this was to be kept under wraps. The incident happened out of his jurisdiction, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t stay in the loop. He had no idea how Gcould have gotten hold of the information without talking directly to one of them.
G stopped pacing and sat down on the couch. “That’s the other reason you’re here.” He rested his head on the back of the couch and closed his eyes. Propping his feet on the coffee table, he contemplated how to tell Chaos about his visitors.
When Chaos left the Agency, he’d also vowed to never return. That’s why he’d become a police officer. Yeah, they did little side jobs for the Agency, usually surveillance, but nothing this intense, and G usually only got involved because Chaos asked. Chaos couldn’t take the possibility of taking innocent lives anymore, so he’d turned his focus to saving them.
“I got a visit today from, let’s just say, an old friend.”
“What kind of friend?” Chaos didn’t like the undertone in G’s voice. He was more than sure he wasn’t going to like the answer he was about to receive.
“The Agency has propositioned me to deal with Delpriore.”
“You mean this guy’s got the fuckin’ feds after his ass too. Fuck!” It was Chaos’s turn to pace. This little piece of information changed everything. “So what do you propose?”
“You’re a cop now. I shouldn’t even be telling you this.”
“You know where my loyalty lies. Besides, if these orders come from the Agency, then my job is safe.” Chaos knew, if he did this with G, the Agency would cover him as well. Business was business, and they’d pull this off without a hitch.
“You sure you want to get involved with this? Things could get ugly.”
“Yeah. Dasia is like family to me, and you know we take care of our own.”
“This is just you and me. Our former boss has already made the other arrangements. We’ve got forty-eight hours to finish this.” G grabbed the Delpriore file information from the end table and handed it to his boy.
“I know where this place is,” Chaos said as he flipped through the files. “We’ve had guys watching the house for weeks now.”
“Can you get rid of them tomorrow night? I want this done as quickly and quietly as possible.”
“No problem.”
G and Chaos put their heads together to come up with the perfect plan. It wasn’t hard. Chaos already had plenty of information about the neighborhood, the neighbors, and Jeremiah’s schedule. It only took them an hour of careful planning and mapping to have everything down pat.
“So I’ll meet you here tomorrow night?” Chaos stood, prepared to head out for the night to get some rest.
“Yeah. I’ll think of something to tell Dasia. All of this stays between us. Understand?”
“What are you talking about?” G was implying something; Chaos could feel it.
“No slip-ups to Katina. I’m serious. I don’t need her worrying about me too.”
“My lips are sealed.” Chaos turned and headed toward the door. He’d keep this between them, but he’d make last-minute arrangements, just in case something went wrong.
Chapter 30
Chaos sat with the Delpriore file open on his desk. He’d only come into work to get a little additional information on Jeremiah, so he and G could settle a lonGoverdue debt. To his surprise, a report had been added to the file. He flipped the paperwork over, and it confirmed what G had revealed to him last night. The fingerprints from Dasia’s apartment matched Jeremiah’s.
“Detective Donnigan, I’ve got something for you.”
Chaos looked up at the heavyset black woman walking in his direction. He wondered what it was she had for him. She didn’t seem surprised he was there, which was a little unnerving, but he let it pass as she handed him the sheet of paper.
“They found a match on the blood from the Warrington apartment.” The woman glanced at the open file Chaos had on his desk. She quickly averted her eyes, not wanting to look like she was being nosy.
“Let me guess—It’s Delpriore.”
“You got it.”
“I figured as much, especially since the fingerprints came back to him.” Chaos stared down at the file one last time. He hadn’t even taken the time to look at the piece of paper the woman had handed to him. He already knew what it said.
“You look like you’ve had a long night.” She didn’t want to say anything about his swollen lip. He’d obviously been in some sort of altercation last night. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
Looking up at the woman, realizing she was staring at his mouth, he replied, “Yeah. I’m sure.”
Chaos stood and grabbed his jacket as the woman took one last glance at him and walked away. He folded the piece of paper he’d written Jeremiah’s phone number on and made his way out of the door to prepare for tonight. In less than twenty-four hours, the Delpriore case would be closed.
“Dasia, baby, I’m heading out to meet Chaos. Do you need anything before I leave?” G stuck his head in the door to check on Dasia one last time before he left. He knew there was a possibility this would be the last time he’d see her. He wouldn’t think about it though. He needed to stay positive. Tonight was going to go off without a hitch.
“No, I’m okay. Who’s staying tonight?” Dasia didn’t look at G. Instead she pretended she was channel-surfing. She had the strangest feelings since he’d come home near the crack of dawn. Normally, when he went out, he’d call to let her know that he’d be late. He hadn’t done that last night, and it didn’t sit well with Dasia. She’d wanted to talk to him, tell him about the baby, but when he walked in the door and crawled in the bed, he’d fallen asleep before his head hit the pillow.
“R.I.P.’s staying. If you need anything, just let him know.” G entered the room and knelt down beside Dasia. He leaned over to kiss her on the lips.
“I’ll see you later. I’m not sure what time I’ll be back, so don’t wait up.”
Dasia glanced in his direction, an unconvincing smile plastered on her face. She covered her stomach with her arms before responding, “Okay. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, and don’t let Chaos get you into any trouble.”
“I won’t. Have a good night, sweetheart. I love you.”
“I love you too.” She brushed her lips against his as they said goodbye.
G made his way out of the room, closing the door behind him. He hesitated, aware she may never see him again. He had business to finish though, and the sooner they finished this, the quicker he could get back to her.
G slid his key into the ignition of the Lexus and started it up. He’d swing by to pick up Chaos, and they’d head off to do the deed. He took one last look at the house before pulling through the security gates and heading to his destiny.
Dasia slipped the envelope with the file in it from the dresser drawer in the spare bedroom. She still hadn’t said anything to G about the information Jeremiah had conveniently dropped in her lap. She’d tried to convince herself it wasn’t important. For a while, it was fine, but G had been acting strange all day. Dasia knew something was up, but she just couldn’t put her finger on it. She stared down at the file. She had the uneasy feeling that whatever was going on with him was related to the information there.
She picked up the phone and dialed Jeremiah’s cell phone number.
“Well, hello, stranger. I was wondering when you’d get around to calling.”
“Cut the crap, Jeremiah. You wanted me to call you when I was ready to talk about the information in the file, so I’m calling.”
“So what is it you want to know?” he replied smugly.
“I don’t want to talk about this over the phone. Do you mind if I come by?” Dasia wanted everything said and done. She wanted to look him dead in the eyes when she told him to butt out of her life for the last time. She also planned to drop the ultimate bomb on him in hopes he’d realize that there was no future for them. She was going to marry G and have her family, and there was nothing Jeremiah could do to change that.
“Can you be at my house around, say, eight-ish?”
“Yeah. Is the address still the same?” Dasia entered the walk-in closet, trying to decide what she’d wear. She pulled out a pair of black slacks and a money-green sweater.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Then I’ll see you around eight.”
Dasia hung up the phone, not even taking the time to say goodbye. She had a couple of hours to waste before she needed to leave,
so she took the time to grab something to eat.
“Hi, Ms. Warrington,” R.I.P. said to her as she descended the stairs.
“Come on, R.I.P. How many times do I have to tell you to call me Dasia? We’ve known each other long enough, and you’ve earned the right to call me by my first name.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Dasia gave R.I.P. a dirty look.
“I mean, Dasia.”
“Now, isn’t that better? By the way, I have to meet a friend around eight.”
“What time do we need to leave then?” R.I.P. continued to stare at the front door like he normally did when he was on watch. The bottom of the stairs gave him easy access to any room in the house. And with Dasia being upstairs, if anyone came barging in he’d hear them and get to her before they reached the stairs.
“We? I didn’t say you were coming.” Hands on her hips, Dasia waited for his reason why she couldn’t go alone.
“Now, Dasia, you know I can’t let you go anywhere unescorted.”
“I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”
“That’s not the point. I have a job to do, and I intend on doing it.”
There was no arguing with R.I.P. G paid him to make sure she was safe, and no matter how much she tried to convince him she’d be okay, he’d still insist on going. And there was no getting out of the house without him knowing. He must’ve had some sort of radar because, every time a door to the outside opened, he was there making sure no unwanted visitors were entering the premises.
“We need to leave by seven fifteen. It should take about thirty minutes to get there, and we may have to circle to find a parking spot.”
“I’ll be ready to go whenever you are.”
Dasia left R.I.P. to tend to his guard duties while she raided the refrigerator. She was trying not to be one of those women who gained fifty or sixty pounds while pregnant, but this baby she was carrying had her constantly running to the fridge.
She couldn’t wait much longer to tell G about the baby or her decision to marry him. At the rate she was going, he’d start to notice her weight gain. He’d learn everything soon enough. She’d tell him first thing in the morning.
Loving Dasia Page 18