“Okay, promise me you’ll call. I’ve been worried sick about you. Your father is losing his mind,” she yelled.
“Okay, I promise. I will call you back.”
“Okay, I love you baby,” she replied before ending the call.
Diamond ended the call and placed the phone back inside her purse. She sat patiently waiting for Tommy to arrive, and as promised he was pulling up in front of the building fifteen minutes after they’d hung up. He immediately got out of the car and walked toward her. She removed her sunglasses to allow him to see the damage to her face. Without saying a word he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. Tears began to fall from her eyes and soak into his shirt.
He held her tightly and whispered in her ear. “I got you now; everything will be okay.”
She wanted to believe him, and from previous attempts on her life, he’d been there to save her. Though he’d never spoken the actual words she knew that he loved her, and, deep down, she loved him too.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” he said, releasing her from his grip, and he began to guide her toward his car. After closing her door behind her, he walked around to the driver’s side and got in. He looked over at her beautiful face, which was covered with cuts and bruises. Her lip was swollen and her hair, which was normally perfectly styled, was matted in spots where blood from her wounds had seeped out and dried up. She continued to cry as she began to try to explain the events that took place.
“They shot him right in front of me, Tommy. I will never get that vision out of my head. They took my baby girl, Tommy.” She turned to him with devastation written all across her face.
“What do they want? Was there anything that stood out to you to maybe see who they were?” he asked while merging on to I-76 West.
“They want five hundred thousand dollars by Friday.”
“All right, that’s not a big deal. I can handle that. But why did the cops keep you so long? Did they think that you had something to do with it?”
“Because I wouldn’t stay at the house for questioning. I was focused on figuring out how to get my hands on the money I needed to get my daughter. But when I got there of course she brings up the shit about Kemp, saying that I must be either guilty or really unlucky to have two of my husbands end up murdered.”
“Well, they don’t have no proof of that, that’s why they let you go. That’s just formalities and shit, but I think I should take you home so you can get cleaned up and try to get some sleep. Let me deal with getting the money that you need.”
“I can’t do that, Tommy. I’m afraid that they will think I don’t care, like I’m not trying to do all that I can do to get her back.”
“Do you think they are watching you? Did they say that?”
“I don’t know. They didn’t say that but it’s very possible, Tommy. After the shit that I went through with Money, hell, anything’s possible. You know it’s hard to trust anybody. I’ve been through this shit before,” she said, shaking her head. She still couldn’t figure out how she’d ended up in this situation. For the past couple of years she’d made it her priority to walk as straight of a line as possible. She wanted to be there for her daughter and not risk this, but Black had other plans, which could have caused him his life.
“So what do you want to do, Diamond? I really think you should try to lie down. I know your body has to be in pain.”
“Not in as much pain as I will be in if they hurt my daughter. I don’t need to rest, Tommy, but I will go home just to make some calls and change. But I need you to keep in touch with me throughout the day to update me on what’s going on. I will do the same.”
“Okay, I’ll take that,” he replied, knowing how stubborn Diamond truly was.
For the remainder of the ride they didn’t speak, both of them thinking about the things that needed to be done. Diamond trusted Tommy with her life, but after pulling up in front of her house she instantly felt a rush of emotions. She knew once inside she’d have to look at the bloodstained walls and floors and the spot where Black’s body drained of life. She wasn’t looking forward to it but she knew that she couldn’t avoid it forever. She took a deep breath, hugged Tommy, and exited the car. Tommy watched her enter the house before pulling out of the parking spot.
Chapter Seventy
Sudden Impact
“You wild as hell, Romeo. Straight fool, nigga, you need to be down The Laff House doing stand-up.” Reed laughed at Romeo’s joke.
“I’m dead serious though, these wretched hoes are so thirsty, and they’ll do anything to get wit’ a nigga.” He continued, “This is real-life shit, no games.”
Reed continued to laugh. Laughing and joking with his small group of friends was just what he needed to clear his mind from the events of the past evening. He was hoping that they would update him on his nemesis, Brook, but he was actually glad that the conversation was starting out on a much lighter note.
“I’m surprised we got you out today since you’re all in love and shit. Damn, you ain’t even run through a few chicks first.”
Reed shook his head. “Well I’m sorry I couldn’t meet your standards but I’m good.” He paused when his cell phone began to ring. “Speak of the devil, here’s my baby right here.” He smiled before pressing accept. “Hey I was just thinking about you,” he spoke, showing almost every tooth in his mouth.
“Hello, who am I speaking with?” a professional male voice responded.
Reed looked at the cell phone to verify that it was Lucky’s number and then put the receiver back to his ear. “Who is this? You called me,” Reed replied.
“Sir, this is the Philadelphia Police. We found your telephone number as one of the last numbers dialed on this cell phone. Can we ask how you know Olivia Brandon?”
“Olivia is my girl. What is this about, Officer?”
“And what is your name, sir?” the officer asked.
“Reed, Chancellor Reed. Now what is this about?”
“She was involved in a shooting, sir, and she was taken to Temple University Hospital. We weren’t able to reach any of her family members so we began to call names of her call list.”
“What do you mean? She was shot?” he screamed. He was now on his feet with fear written all across his face.
“Yes, sir, she was shot while driving. You should go to the hospital as soon as you can. An officer will meet you there to ask you a few questions.”
Reed let the phone drop to the floor, immediately causing the battery and cover to pop off and fly in different directions.
“What happened?” Romeo asked, walking over to where Reed was standing frozen.
“I gotta get to Temple. She was shot in my car. I swear if this muthafucker Brook is behind this shit I will murder his whole fucking family,” he yelled, and bent down to pick up the pieces of his phone.
Romeo quickly grabbed his keys and followed Reed as he stormed out of the door and began making his way to Romeo’s car. Romeo got in the car and quickly started the ignition, trying to get him to the hospital as fast as he could. He didn’t even know what to say but he knew that he needed to find out what the hell happened. He hoped that Brook wasn’t truly behind it because somehow Reed would most likely blame it on him for not taking care of things faster. He decided to keep quiet until Reed sparked a conversation.
He dropped Reed off in front of the emergency room and took his car around the corner to park. After going to the ER, he wasn’t allowed in to see Lucky, so he stood patiently in the waiting room until Reed returned. Reed nodded into the direction of the door and Romeo followed.
“She’s in a fuckin’ coma, Romeo. Those muthafuckers shot into my car ten times, man. Ten fucking times! I know that nigga Brook is behind this shit! Probably thought it was me driving the car, fuck!” he screamed. “This shit is all my fault, man, all my fucking fault.” He shook his head.
“Damn, man, I’m sorry. Is she going to be okay?”
“She critical right now, man, so I don’
t know. I left the nurses my number. Let’s get outta here. I need some air,” he said before walking out of the waiting room doors.
Romeo quickly followed him toward the street. As long as Romeo had known Reed he could only remember seeing him this distraught after the death of his mother. He’d actually said good-bye to his mother ten years earlier in the very same hospital. Reed’s mother, Jane, had a husband who abused her on a daily basis. For most of Reed’s life he’d have to sit and hear her, or watch her try to cover up bruises with makeup. Once Reed reached his teenage years he would hit the gym faithfully, vowing to get big and strong enough to take on his father’s strength. When Reed was eighteen he moved out of his mother’s house, and that decision would be one he regretted to this day, because his father, in a fit of rage, had murdered his mother and then turned the gun on himself. He could remember, as if it were yesterday, when Reed spoke of how he wished he could bring his father back to life just for the satisfaction of killing him. He hadn’t even attended his father’s funeral. It almost frightened Romeo to see Reed so upset because of past experiences.
After entering the car, Reed sat quiet for a few seconds before breaking the silence. Looking over to his left at Romeo he spoke in a low tone, “Do you have that .45 on you?”
Romeo turned to look at Reed, knowing exactly what he planned to do. Deep down he tried to quickly figure out what he could say to change his mind. “Yeah, I have it.”
“You know where he lives at right?” he asked.
“Yeah, I know the spot but—” He was immediately cut off by Reed.
“I need you to take me there right now. I don’t need you to try to talk me out of it either. If you don’t want to be involved you can drive me there and sit in the car but I’m going to kill this muthafucker. Not tomorrow, a week from now, but today,” he said with a serious tone and facial expression.
Romeo had never been one to back out on a friend, especially not one who had always been there for him. He understood Reed’s anger and hurt but he didn’t want him to end up back in prison or, even worse, dead. So instead of talking him out of it, he made a suggestion. “I’m not going to try to talk you out of anything, but I’m not sure it would be a good idea for us to go there alone, especially not with one gun. Let’s ride by and pick up some backup and a few guns.”
Reed looked at Romeo and, as angry as he was, Romeo was being more than logical. “Okay, let’s do that,” he replied.
Romeo exhaled, feeling a lot better about his response, and began the drive to gather up the things they needed to execute the man who, in such a short time, had caused so much havoc.
* * *
“Hey, baby, I’m going to head out with the girls. I need to do some shopping,” Raquel said as she walked over to where Brook was sitting in the living room with Tone, one of his best friends.
“You always shopping. Ain’t shit new, just text me periodically so I know you’re okay. I haven’t gotten word back yet about that nigga Reed’s condition.”
“Okay, I will,” she said before walking toward the front door. She blew Brook a kiss before opening and closing the door.
Almost instantly there was a loud boom, followed by shattering glass, and Raquel’s body was now lying on the floor inside the foyer with a huge hole in her chest. Both Brook and Tone jumped up and reached into their waistbands to retrieve their guns. Raquel lay on the floor, gasping for air before choking up blood and grabbing at her chest.
Within seconds, Reed entered the house, stepping through the broken glass door, holding a Ruger semi-automatic assault rifle in his hands, shooting directly into the living room where Tone and Brook hid behind the sofa for cover. Romeo followed with two other men, George and K-Mack, accompanied by their own heavy artillery. As if his entire body was covered with bulletproof materials, Reed continued shooting without thinking about being shot. Romeo followed closely behind.
George and K-Mack made their way around to the side of the chair where Tone was cowering and both men pumped bullets into his body, killing him. Feathers from the inside of the sofa were flying in the air as if it were snowing inside of the large living room. Brook would every so often reach over the sofa and shoot blindly into the air until realizing that he’d used his last bullet.
“Come on, muthafucker, just get it over with,” Brook yelled from the floor.
Reed walked around the sofa and faced him as Romeo, George, and K-Mack stood behind him with their guns raised.
“You tried to kill me, you bitch-ass nigga. Should have made sure it was me behind the wheel and you wouldn’t be standing here facing the barrel of a gun.”
“Fuck you, nigga, it’s no need to—”
Reed shot Brook in the leg, cutting off his statement.
Brook gritted his teeth and moaned in agony. Reed stood in front of him, unmoved. He thought about Lucky and how she didn’t have anything to do with the situation that had led them to this moment. Reed allowed him to suffer for a few more seconds before shooting him in his head, taking off part of his face.
The four men immediately left the house, got into their vehicles, and sped off. Once they crossed the Benjamin Franklin Bridge they drove to an old warehouse, where their vehicles were waiting. The men exited the cars they’d driven to the scene and covered them with gasoline before sticking a cloth into the gas tank and lighting them both on fire. They entered the cars and went their separate ways, with Reed and Romeo together in one car.
“Are you good, man?” Romeo asked, concerned about Reed’s mental state.
“Yeah, I’m good. Could you run me to the crib to change and then back to the hospital?”
“No problem,” Romeo replied.
Chapter Seventy-one
On a Mission
Before giving birth to Dior, Diamond never thought that she could love someone as much as she loved her. There was never a moment that she could imagine living without her.
Diamond was determined to do whatever she had to do to get her baby back. She had already lost Black. She would never forgive herself if she lost Dior too. She grabbed her phone and dialed the number she’d been told to call.
“I have the money,” Diamond spoke to the caller on the other end of the receiver.
“Good girl. Meet me at the Hustle Chop Shop down South Philly, you know where it is?” Justice spoke in a direct tone.
“Yes, I know where that is. Will you have my daughter—”
Click.
“Okay, now you have to make sure that you keep cool. If you act out of the normal, they will probably get suspicious and that could turn bad. So just be cool; hand them the bag only when you see your daughter. We will be close enough to get to you if something goes wrong,” Detective Jones, the female detective who’d been on the case from the start, said to Diamond.
“I hope that you’re right with this. I really do,” Diamond replied, afraid that things wouldn’t go as planned. “Here we go,” she said, grabbing the oversized duffle bag that was filled with marked bills.
Diamond left the hotel room located near the Philadelphia Airport. Going to the parking lot she got into her car and began the drive toward the chop shop as instructed. When she arrived her stomach was steadily doing flips. She was afraid to enter for fear of what was waiting for her, but she knew she didn’t have a choice if she wanted her daughter. She entered the building, which was empty.
“Hello,” she said aloud. Her voice echoed throughout the building.
“Stop right there,” a voice called out from the back.
Diamond stopped in her tracks.
Justice appeared from the back of the building, wearing a bandanna covering his nose and mouth, holding a large gun in his hand. “Slide the bag over,” he ordered.
“I’m not sliding anything over without seeing my daughter,” she yelled.
He began to laugh. “I see you still haven’t learned shit. You aren’t running shit over here, bitch. I will murder you and your fucking daughter.”
“How wil
l I know if she’s alive?”
“Because I told you so, that’s how.”
“Why should I trust you? You have completely wrecked my life in a matter of days!” she yelled in anger. She knew that it probably was her best bet to follow their commands, but there was something in her that wouldn’t allow her to go down without a fight.
“Listen, you have two options: live or die. It’s totally up to you.”
Diamond took a deep breath before speaking, “Well, then I guess you’ll have to shoot me in the back because I’m going to walk out of here.” She was scared shitless but kept a straight face. She slowly began to turn around.
“Bring the fucking baby out,” he yelled toward the rear of the building. Another male all in black revealed himself, carrying her daughter in his arms, and she immediately cried when she spotted Diamond.
Diamond turned around and began to cry. She’d missed her so much and at this point she wanted to hurry up and give him the money and leave with her. Wiping the tears from her cheeks she spoke, “Okay, I have all of the money.”
“Slide it over,” he ordered again.
Diamond dropped the duffle bag on the floor and kicked it across the floor. Justice bent down to unzip the bag. He looked up at the man holding Dior and nodded. The masked man passed Dior to Justice and picked up the bag from the floor before disappearing into the rear of the building. Diamond began to walk toward Justice.
“Not so fast,” he said, raising the gun.
“I did what you asked me to do. I don’t understand.” She stopped in her tracks.
“I have a message for you.”
“A message?” she asked, confused.
“Yeah, a message from Johnny. You remember him, don’t you?”
“From Johnny? What the hell does he have to do with this?”
“Everything. He wanted you to feel the pain that he felt when his sister was murdered. His sister, my cousin, my blood.” He removed the bandanna that covered his face.
The Black Diamond Trilogy Page 46