by Jauwel
Puzzled, Lance stared at Tae. He had no idea all of this was going on; he needed to investigate further before the short time he had with him was over. "What da fuck you mean Smoove told you to lay down? It ain’t no way you’re supposed to be taking this ride, especially for this long. You been in this bitch for almost three months. Smoove shoulda been got you out. I ain’t know you was in here dolo. You can’t make it behind these walls by yo self. I didn’t know none of this shit." All Lance could do was rub the side of his head. From day one, Tae had been loyal to the squad. There was no way he should be treated like this.
"What da fuck do you know, L?" Tae got lower to the table and looked at Lance's face, watching his every facial expression which would tell him if he was lying or not.
"I know yo man Smoove been acting funny as hell and I’m trying to figure out why. Every time he talk about you, he make it sound like you coming home soon."
"Dat nigga ain’t been to see me, contact me, or shit. Told me he was gonna take care of me. If this how da Mob do true niggas, then..." Tae began but Lance quickly cut him off.
"Whoa kid, I’m here. I don’t know what the fuck dat nigga got going on, but I’m here. Mob is here for you my nigga, you family, you feel me. I’ma get a nigga in here to have yo back, get them bitch niggas da fuck up off you. Ain’t nobody gonna fuck with yo ass, and dats my word. I’ma find out what’s going on wit yo case too, and get you da fuck up outta here." Lance looked directly into his eyes; he wanted him to know he was serious about keeping his word. Tae believed him. He knew Lance was a good dude; he had never made him a promise and not kept his word.
Tae looked across the room and noticed the guards getting ready to cut their time off. He knew he didn’t have long to talk to Lance, so he wanted to make sure he got his point across.
"Check it fam, I ain’t a killa but this nigga pushing me. I gots no love for Smoove, but when I hit da hood, let dat nigga no I got words for him. Dat nigga taking from da top, double dippin’." Lance looked at Tae confused, wondering what he was talking about, so Tae continued. "You really don’t know shit ‘bout dis shit do you? A’ight, Smoove been setting up shop with another connect and another crew. Dink been his right-hand, running shit while he run other shit. On my word, I think he trying to shut da Mob down."
Lance looked at Tae and realized everything he said made sense, especially since Smoove had been acting funny for the last couple days. They could hear the guards telling inmates to say their final words because it was time to return to their cells. "10th Mob ain’t falling. If he wanna war, we’ll shut dat shit down before it start."
Lance could see that he had a powerful solider in Tae, so he wanted to make sure he took care of him while he was in Dawkins until he could get him out of there. He needed a strong alliance against Smoove, because he already knew Smoove was building one against him. Both men smirked at each other, knowing they got exactly what they were looking for. Now it was time to make the moves that would change their lives forever.
Chapter 9
Since the night was winding down, Jorge Ortiz figured this would be a good night to close his authentic, Mexican restaurant early and go home to spend some much needed time with his wife and kids. Most nights, even after they were closed, it still took Jorge and his crew almost two hours to get everything cleaned and prepared for the next day. Jorge was the type of man that took pride in his business, especially his food. For that reason, if he needed to take extra time to make sure things were perfect, he would. Tonight he wanted to make all of those long nights up to his wife, Christina, who had been patient. He sensed she was tired of him working longer hours than usual as well as how much the kids missed seeing him.
“Ok boss,” a little squeaky voice called out from the door of Jorge’s office. “Everything is almost set up for tomorrow. We should be done in another hour or so.” Jorge heard his waitress, Lela, calling out to him, but he was so occupied doing the budget on the computer he didn’t turn around to look at her. Lela wasn’t offended, she knew he was an extreme workaholic, but he was a good boss, and she was happy to have a job. Lela needed this job, so she was willing to excuse some of the sexual gestures he made toward her in private. She promised herself if he became too much to handle, she would leave. Finding another job was difficult, so she dealt with him only when she needed to.
“Hey Lela,” Jorge called out as she began to walk away. “Look, I just want to let you all know how much I appreciate you. Get out of here, go home and get some rest. I’ve spent too much time away from Christina, so I’m going home to surprise my wife. Get out of here; I’ll close up.”
“You sure?” Lela asked. It didn’t sound like the Jorge Ortiz she knew; he never closed early. He quickly nodded his head, but Lela couldn’t just leave him until she was sure he was alright. “Do I need to check your head for fever? You never let us leave early.” Lela joked, hoping he understood it was a joke and didn’t take it as permission to sexually harass her.
“I can always go home to Christina and the kids and let you guys lock up.” Jorge joked back, as he watched Lela quickly shake her head and yell out to everyone that the boss told them to go home for the night. Within seconds, everyone dropped what they were doing and raced for the exit. They wanted to leave before he changed his mind, which could happen at any second. The workers rapidly raced for the door, shouting good night behind them.
Lela stopped by his office one last time to ensure he didn’t need anything before she left, and so that he could let her out and lockup behind her.
“Thanks Lela for getting everyone out. I called for flowers and to have a gourmet meal delivered to the house. All I have to do now is pick up the flowers and get home.” Jorge stated with a smile.
“No problem boss. I’m on my way out as well. I called my boyfriend and we’re gonna catch a late movie, so I need you to let me out and close up, ok.” Lela smiled because like Jorge, it had been a long time since she had the opportunity to spend quality time with her boyfriend. He often joked that Lela and Jorge were having an affair. She did her best to reassure him that their relationship was completely professional.
Jorge didn’t waste any time making sure Lela got to her car safely. Then he went back into the restaurant, locking the door behind him. The only thing he needed to do was put away all of his paperwork and guarantee the building was suitable for him to leave. Knowing his crew was proficient, he was ready to go and spend much needed time with his wife. Quickly, he grabbed his cell phone and locked his office door, especially since today’s earnings were still in the safe and not in the bank like it was supposed to be. Checking the time, he only had a few more minutes before the flower shop closed, so he had to rush.
Jorge quickly raced from around the bar and pass all the tables in the dining area when he was certain he heard a noise in the quiet restaurant. Completely positive that his mind was playing tricks on him, he started for the door again until he heard a much louder noise. “Lela?” He called out to the empty restaurant, to which there was no response. Determined that he was hearing things, he began walking toward the door again. BOOM! CRASH! Jorge heard the loud noise in the kitchen; he was positive he wasn’t hearing things now. Promptly racing to the bar to grab his baseball bat, he discovered it wasn’t there. Jorge fumbled across the bar counter to see if it was misplaced. Again, nothing was there. Out of nowhere, there was a sharp, hard thump to the back of his head. Jorge’s legs gave out from beneath him, causing him to collapse on the floor unconscious.
After what seemed like a few hours, Jorge finally woke up with a throbbing pain in the back of his head, wondering what in the hell happened? Perhaps, he fell and hit his head, but how and if so, what did he fall on? He tried to grab his head to see if there was any blood or how big the knot was on his head, only to discover he was tied to a chair. His wrists and legs were bound to one of the chairs from his dining room. He attempted to look around as quickly as possible to see if someone was there, but he didn’t see anyone. Thinkin
g he was being robbed, Jorge quickly and quietly tried to break free from his restraints. Unfortunately, the ropes were so tight it felt as if every movement was causing them to cut deeper into his skin. He wanted to scream out, but he didn’t want anyone to know he was awake. Maybe they were in his office trying to find out how to get in the safe, so he was determined to use the time to get out of the situation.
The more he struggled, the more he could feel the pain from the ropes. He needed to stop but the only thing he could think of was he needed to get out of there before the robbers came back to finish him off. Jorge couldn’t believe this was happening; all he wanted to do was go home and spend some time with Christina. The more he thought about Christina, the more it gave him the willpower to get to her safely. Jorge was unaware that his captor was silently watching him from the shadows of the room, waiting to see what he would do.
“There is no need to try to break free; the ropes are too tight and will cut deeper into your skin if you continue to struggle.” His deep voice called out from the darkness of the room. Instantly, Jorge stopped moving and glanced around the seating area of his restaurant, trying to see where the voice was coming from.
“What is this about? Why are you here? Do you want money?” Jorge questioned, while hoping he could compromise with him and give him whatever he wanted in order for him to leave. All of a sudden, Jorge heard a disturbing sound, a sinister laugh coming from the corner of the room.
“No, this is not about money.” He continued to chuckle as he stepped into the light. His face was covered with a ski mask so that the only thing visible were his cold and dangerous eyes. “This is about you.”
“About me? What about me? I’ve done nothing to no one. I run a good business. I don’t bother anybody.” In terror, Jorge continued to question the man standing before him as he watched him pull his bat from behind his back. “No…please tell me…I don’t hurt nobody…” Jorge began to cry out, pleading for his life as the man walked closer, dragging the bat behind him.
“You? What have you done? Everything!” He said as he raised the bat and drove it down hard on the side of Jorge’s face, breaking his jaw. He could hear Jorge mumbling for him to spare his life, but the only thing he wanted was to see him drained of all life. He picked up the bat again and swung it into Jorge’s chest with a hit that would make Babe Ruth proud. “Stop denying me. Why are you denying me?” The impact caused Jorge to cough up blood, something was broken. He continued to pound on Jorge’s body as his bones cracked and blood sprayed across the room. It was clear that after over fifty solid hits on Jorge’s body he was dead. Nonetheless, he continued to swing until all the pain that was in his heart was gone. He took out all the frustration he wanted to exert on Dennis on Jorge. He wanted to cry; all he wanted was for his father to love him the way he loved Razon. He left him and deserted him, just like Jorge Ortiz left his family to work late hours. His muscles ached and his body was covered in blood, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to feel anything; he wanted to be numb.
Out of nowhere, he heard a voice calling out for Jorge from the front entrance. He figured it must have been one of his employees, and was aware that he didn’t have a lot of time before they entered and discovered Jorge’s body. This kill was a little different for him, so he would leave two messages for Razon. Hastily, he snatched a piece of paper off the bar’s countertop and wrote the word UNFIT in large letters. Next, he took his knife and rammed it through Jorge Ortiz’s chest with the note attached to it. Following that, he quickly dipped his gloved finger into Jorge’s blood. Hoping it would be seen by Razon Parker, he left a message denoting that his time was running out.
Just as he finished his message, he heard the door open and had the opportunity to disappear back into the shadows from which he came, ensuring that no one saw him. As he headed to the back door, he could hear a woman scream. Having uncovered his mastery, she would be notifying the police. Good, he wanted them to come and hoped they called Razon Parker to the crime scene. He needed him to see what he had done, what he had done just for him.
Chapter 10
Lisa could do nothing over time, but pace around Razon’s house, looking at the walls, peering into his life more than she could have ever imagined. Pictures of his life before he joined the police department–based on the places he’d traveled, the money his father must have. There was nothing he hadn’t done during his lifetime that didn’t revolve around Razon Parker having the best of the best; it was a life she was unaccustomed to. Since her parents died, all she wanted to do was be in law enforcement; she had worked hard to get where she was today. She had to think of who she was exactly–a police captain who was in love with one of her officers.
Lisa knew her recuperation period was almost over; she needed to think about what was really important. She needed to get back to her office before her feelings became deeper and it became obvious that her relationship with Razon was not on a professional level. She didn’t need this information getting back to her chain of command. Conversely, she was certain they already had a good idea about where she was; it was only a matter of time before they contacted her. Before she could think about it any further, her cell phone rang. It had been so long since she heard it ring she forgot what it sounded like. Looking at the caller ID, she saw that it was one of her officers calling from the office.
“Captain Coleman.” She answered.
“Cap, hey, it’s Ramos. It’s good to hear your voice.” Officer Pablo Ramos stated.
“Ramos, thank you. I’m getting better; thanks for checking in on me.” Lisa said, smiling that she had concerned officers calling her.
“Hey, any time. But Cap, I called to give you the heads up. Fuller has been our acting Captain until you return. He and some other higher-ups have been all over your office. I heard the Chief’s name mentioned a couple of times. I really don’t know what they have on you or what they think they have, but I’m 100% sure that some of it has to do with Parker.” Ramos whispered in the phone. He was trying to get as much information as possible, but he was aware that someone would recognize if he was paying too much attention to them. Trying to keep the inner city crime down, Ramos had been on the street so long he was beginning to sound like he was from the hood and not affiliated with the Mexican market that his family owned.
“Good looking out Ramos.” Lisa avowed with a little concern in her voice. She tried to think of what was in her office that could be used against her.
“You know I got your back; you’re the best captain I’ve worked under. I don’t wanna see anything happen to you, so I had to give you a shout. I like Parker too, he’s a good dude. He loves you, you know. It’s like stars are in his eyes when you walk by.” Ramos laughed.
“Well that’s gonna have to change. I can’t have him in the department like that; I know it’ll take some time, but I’ll get him straight.” Lisa realized their relationship could go on no longer; she had to let Razon go or it would be the death of her career.
“Yeah Cap, that’s cool and all, but what you gonna do when you see him? You have the same stars in your eyes…I mean, it’s none of my business, but I just wanna keep it real with you.” Ramos stated, worried he had said too much.
“Well,” Lisa cleared her throat, “I guess I’ll have to get that straight too.”
“Cap,” Ramos sucked his teeth as if he didn’t believe her, “Trust me, I’m not trying to get all up in your life or nothing like that, but you can’t help who you love. If that was the case, I wouldn’t be stuck with my crazy ass wife.” He laughed. “But seriously Cap, I just wanted to give you the heads up and I hope you’ll be back soon. This place ain’t the same without you. Plus, this nigga, Fuller, is a real asshole!”
“Ramos!” Lisa barked, she didn’t want him talking like that on the phone about another Captain, but he did have a point. Fuller could be an asshole at times.
“Well hell, it’s true Cap!” Ramos declared.
“I don’t want you talking like t
hat. Does anyone know you called me?”
“No, I’m in the breakroom, pouring some of this nasty ass coffee.”
“Good,” Lisa responded. “Keep it that way. If you see or hear anything going down, hit me up immediately.”
“I got you Cap.” Ramos stated then disconnected the call.
Everything she had been thinking was valid. There was no way she could continue to stay with Razon; this was not the happily ever after fairytale that she dreamed of. This was real life, and in her real life, she was a hardworking, dedicated police captain who struggled to get to the top without sleeping her way there. The police department was heavily saturated with city officials attempting to con their way to the top. What better way than to get their names in the paper and in front of the news cameras than to expose a captain and officer’s relationship.
Over the course of her grind to make it to police captain, she had to watch every word she said to them. From the time she was appointed captain, she had been sexually harassed and intimidated by many of the men that were her superiors. They made it clear that there was only one way to make it to where she wanted to be, and they would be fully supportive if she did something special for them. She turned them all down, some of which she had to deny with force. As a result, she was certain they were still upset and would try to find a way to demote her out of her position, so she would be forced to give in to them. Thankfully, she was always promoted and succeeded the right way. Unfortunately, that didn’t mean they stopped messing with her.
Everything was political. She had witnessed it in other elections, now her head was on the platter. It didn’t matter that she was injured in the line of duty and spent time in the hospital. Nor did it matter that her department was on top of all their cases and her officers’ dedication to keeping crime low was at an all time high for the department. Some of her superiors, especially Captain Randy Fuller were still a bit upset that she wanted to do everything by the book and didn’t want any of the officials to bend the rules, not in her department. Therefore, they began to plot against her. If she didn’t play ball, they would do everything within their power to make sure her life in the department was a living hell.