“Yeah, yeah, that’s that bitch name.” Hakeem said.
“That bitch’s neck and wrist was glaciered the fuck up. And that bitch was pushing a cocaine white Range Rover.”
Hakeem didn’t respond to Lil Flo’s last statement. Instead, his mind temporarily wandered to Brianna. Damn, but he did miss that sweet tasting pussy she had between those long muscular legs. And her head game was nothing less than porn ready. But that bitch had to pay for what she’d done to him. And she would. With her life, and some of that big bank she had.
“Yo Hakeem?” Lil Flo said interrupting his thoughts.
“Yea, what up Flo?”
“Yo, isn’t that the broad’s little brother standing over there with them two young niggas?”
Hakeem focused his attention on the small group. And sure enough, there standing inside the club was Brianna’s younger brother. Hakeem smiled while thinking that maybe, just maybe, he could give that dirty bitch something to think about.
Meanwhile, Jonathan and his friends were enjoying the company of three strippers, when he stood up to leave.
“Where you going Jonathan?” Kevin asked.
Jonathan held up the empty bottle and then pointed towards the bar.
Kevin smiled. “Bring two.”
“Alright.” Then he disappeared through the thick crowd.
Jonathan was making his way back to the table when someone bumped into him, causing him to drop one of the bottles.
“Watch where the fuck you going, nigga.”
“You bumped into me.” Jonathan shouted back at him.
Without another word, the shorter man attacked him. Caught off guard with his hands full, Jonathan lost his balance and fell. But before the man could pounce on top of him, Jonathan rolled out the way and got back on his feet. Angry from being sucker punched, he took the fight with the much shorter man and knocked him down. Jonathan got on top of him and began working the smaller man over with rights and lefts. Just when he was about to finish it off, hands grabbed him from two different sides.
“Let me go! Let me the fuck go!”
“Chill Jonathan, chill out homie.”
It was Kevin and A.J. on his left, but it was the big bouncer guy on his right that held him with a vise like grip.
“Time for you little niggas to go.” he growled.
“That nigga hit me first.” Jonathan said, still angry.
“Don’t matter. You three motherfuckers got to go.”
The big bouncer marched all three of them to the front entrance of the club.
“Now get tha—” he started.
“Look out, he’s got a gun!” someone yelled.
Gunfire erupted in front of them and the big man took a direct hit. He never saw it coming. Once he’d fallen to the ground, Jonathan took the next heavy caliber slug to the chest.
“Jonathan!” his partner screamed.
“Somebody help us, please, somebody help!”
“Lay still Jonathan, just stay still. Don’t try to move.” Jonathan’s other friend uttered.
“Look out!” somebody yelled again, causing Jonathan’s friend Kevin to look around in time to see Hakeem pointing a gun out the passenger window of a car as it drove by. He seemed to be smiling over what had just happened.
Off in the distance, sirens could be heard. All Kevin could do was pray that they made it in time for his friend.
Chapter Ten
Brianna kept her cool on the drive home from her date with Brandon. The last thing she wanted to do was to let him know the kind of insane tragedy that seemed to follow her. He was the only pocket of normal in her life, and ruining that was not an option.
As soon as he parked, she turned and gave him a kiss on the lips, and then rushed out of the car. She didn’t give him the chance to open her car door.
Brandon opened his door and yelled behind her. “You know that’s not how I roll!”
“I know,” she said over her shoulder. “I had a great time and I can’t wait to do it again. But,” she shrugged, “If I don’t get inside quick, I might do something I’ll regret later.”
Brandon held out his hands in confusion. “What’s that something?”
“Maybe you’ll find out if you keep passing these tests!”
Before Brandon could say goodbye, Brianna was inside the house kicking off her shoes and dialing Charrise’s number.
“What hospital are you at?” she spat into the phone.
“Why the fuck weren’t you answering your phone?” Charrise yelled.
“Don’t make me ask you again! “
“CMC Main. Hurry up!”
Brianna quickly put on sneakers and rushed into the garage while still on the phone with Charrise.
“What happened?” For the first time since she’d seen the messages on her phone, tears began to stream down her face.
“It’s hard to say, sis,” Charrise said. “All I know is that he went out with his friends tonight and ended up getting shot. They called me as soon as they got to the emergency room.”
“Nobody knows who did it?” Brianna said as she sped towards the highway.
“They don’t, but I have an idea.”
“Who?” Brianna shouted.
“Have you heard that Hakeem got out of prison?”
Brianna couldn’t believe her ears. She felt the sickness bubbling in her stomach
“Yeah, Kasy mentioned something about it, but I didn’t think it could be true. Look, I’m almost there. Have they placed him in a room yet?”
“No, not yet, but —”
Brianna cut her off. “Have you called Kasy and Selena? They need find out who did this before the police do. And make sure you let Jonathan’s friends know not to tell the police more than they tell us. Let ’em know we will handle this in house, ok?”
“Aiight, I got chu.”
Brianna hung up the phone and looked up at the street sign to check her location. It read Kenilworth Ave. She was less than five minutes away from the hospital. She checked her rearview mirror. The light blue swirling lights made her pupils dilate immensely. For the first time, Brianna recognized the sound of the sirens. She could scarcely hear through the silent confines of the luxury SUV.
She quickly checked the speed gauge. She was only traveling five miles over the limit, so she figured she was not who the lights and sirens were meant for. Brianna slowly took her foot off the accelerator, clicked on the turn signal, and moved into the far right hand lane. She was trying to let the cop car go past her. To her disappointment, he didn’t pass her. Instead, he followed Brianna’s vehicle into the lane.
Damn! She was just about to turn into the entrance to the emergency room. She went ahead and pulled her truck to a stop. The cop car did the same. It was confirmed now, because the officer was now exiting his cruiser and walking up to the driver side of the SUV. Brianna rolled down her window, just as he approached her door.
“License and registration please, ma’am,” the officer said in a long southern drawl.
“Did I do something wrong sir?” Brianna asked in a low tone.
“License and registration.” the cop repeated.
This time he shined his heavy duty black flashlight into Brianna’s face, then directed it into the area of her glove department.
Brianna did as she was told and retrieved the requested documents. As she placed them in his palm, she decided to make him aware of the crisis at hand.
“Sir I am really in a hurry, I have a family member who was rushed to the hospital.”
“So is that why you where speeding and driving so recklessly this evening, Ms. Campbell?” the officer asked while looking at Brianna’s license.
“Well sir, I don’t believe I was doing either, but I don’t have time for this, so could you please just write me the ticket so I can get to the emergency room?” This time she had taken the low tone out her voice and was visibly letting him know that she was pissed.
“You just sit tight and I will get you on your wa
y, as soon as possible.”
Brianna could tell by the officer’s voice that she had aggravated him and he was going to show her who had the authority. The cop took his time walking back to his patrol car. For no other reason, except to further agitate Brianna, he turned on his side door strobe light and shined it directly into her automobile.
After about 10 minutes, which seemed like 10 hours, the officer returned to the driver’s side door.
“Ms. Campbell, we have a serious problem. It seems that the FBI wants you. They issued a federal warrant out for you for questioning, concerning an assault with intent to kill.”
“A what?” Brianna played it off like she was unaware of their interest in her. “Officer, I don’t know anything about any warrant.”
“I understand that, but I hope you understand that I am going to have to —”
“But what about my brother, officer? Can’t this wait until I can at least find out if he is gonna live or die?”
“Please step out of the car ma’am.” The officer said firmly.
“No officer, I will not step out of the car.” Brianna said matching his tone evenly.
The officer stepped back and placed his hand on the butt of his weapon.
“Ms. Campbell, I’m giving you a direct order to step out and away from the vehicle.”
“And I said I will not step out or leave my car on the side of the highway. I know my rights, and as you stated, I’m only wanted for questioning, not any type of actual crime, officer. Now I will be more than happy to be escorted down to the station.” Brianna said, looking him directly in his eyes.
The officer looked into her face and could tell she meant every word. He simply nodded his head slowly.
“Alright Ms. Campbell, I will follow you down to the station. But if you try anything, I will personally put you and this car against the closest guardrail.
Brianna sat in the large room with Interrogation marked on the door. Pictures covered the walls in the room. Some were Polaroid’s, but most looked like a professional photographer had taken them. The only thing different about the photos was that none of the people in them were posing. Instead, the people in the images looked like they were not even aware that they were being photographed.
Brianna’s thoughts where interrupted by the older gray haired gentleman who reminded her of her old junior high school principal.
“Hi Ms. Campbell, I’m agent Douglas with the FBI, and this is my partner, Agent Garrard.”
Brianna observed the much younger female agent who accompanied agent Douglas.
“Ms. Campbell do you know why we brought you here this evening?” The female agent asked.
“No I’m not sure why, but let me correct one thing. I brought myself here tonight, thank you.”
“Yes, I understand that, and we are hoping you can assist us with an open missing person case and possible homicide.” Agent Garrard said, while placing a photo mug shoot on the table in front of Brianna.
Brianna looked down at the picture and her heart almost dropped out her chest. She tried to hold a stern face and act like she didn’t know the man on the photo, but by the look on the agents’ faces, it was too late. They could see that she knew exactly who Dre was. Rather than trying to convince them otherwise, Brianna finally spoke.
“Yeah, I know him. He attended my sister’s birthday party last year. Is he in some type of trouble?” Brianna asked with a concerned look on her face.
“Well yeah, I guess you can say that. Mr. Williams is missing and believed to be dead.” The older agent chimed in.
“Now why would you guys think he’s dead? He looks to be a grown man, so I’m pretty sure he could travel or relocate if he desired.” Brianna stated nonchalantly.
“Ms. Campbell, we don’t have you here to play games! Now we have a statement from a reliable source who states that you and Mr. Williams had a disagreement on the night of his disappearance. That same source has also confirmed that you and the alleged victim had business dealings. Before you continue with these same shenanigans, know that we are aware of what type of business you are currently involved in.”
“And what type of business would that be? Are you speaking of my investment company? Because if so, I’m pretty sure that when my lawyer arrives, he will be more than happy to provide you with our last year tax returns. And I’m positive that Mr. Williams was not involved in any of those investments.” Brianna sat back in the chair, satisfied with her answer.
The older agent smiled, and just has the younger female was about to respond to Brianna’s rebuttal, her attorney Mr. Casteno, walked in. Brianna was glad she had thought to call him while on her way to the station. He had arrived just in time, to save her before she ran out of answers to their questions.
“John, it’s great to see you again,” Attorney Casteno spoke to the older agent as they shook hands.
He turned and looked at Agent Garrard. “Now this must be the new young agent that everyone is talking about. Well John, you might want to let her know that’s it’s not a good idea to question a client, especially one of mine, without their lawyer present. And on that note, this interview is over.” Attorney Casteno grabbed Brianna by her arm and lifted her from the small metal chair. He motioned for her to exit out of the hard iron door that he had just come through.
Before fully shutting the door, he stopped. “John we still on for our Saturday morning golf game? You know the tee time is 8:00am.”
Agent Douglas simply nodded his head in confirmation.
Chapter Eleven
Brianna pushed the button for a ticket as she entered the parking deck at CMC Main. She could barely remember her trek from the Police Department to the hospital. Her mind had been flooded with flashes of the evening’s events. As she led her car around the curves of the deck in search of a parking space, her fingers clung tightly to the steering wheel.
Once she found a slot to drive into, she put the car in park and released the wheel for the first time since she’d gotten inside. Her hands and fingers felt stiff and resisted her efforts to stretch them straight. She held them in front of her face and persisted with stretching, noticing the vibration that had taken over her. Brianna inhaled deeply, and held back tears.
Damn B! You’re supposed to be one of the baddest bitches in the city, and you’re getting shaken up by a little confrontation with the Feds? She scolded herself, but she knew it wasn’t just the confrontation that had her shaken; it was the fact that her baby brother had received three bullets to his body.
The information Brianna knew, had come from short cryptic texts from Charrise. Every time she thought of Jonathan, she couldn’t help but see visions of Tre being assassinated right before her eyes. Sometimes, it was Tre’s face that she saw, other times it was Jonathan. Brianna took another moment to compose herself before exiting the car and heading into the hospital.
She took the elevator down to the ground floor and entered the lobby of the hospital. After handing over her ID and providing her brother’s information, she received a visitors badge and directions to the elevators.
As she approached the elevator doors, she could see a blurry reflection of herself. Even with the blur, she could tell she looked a mess. While waiting on the elevator, Brianna corrected her messy ponytail by making a brush with her fingers. She scrambled inside her purse to find lip-gloss, which she applied just as the elevator doors opened.
Jonathan’s hospital floor was quiet and the lights were dim except for the nurse’s station. As Brianna neared her brother’s room, she’d expected to hear voices and mumbles, but instead she heard more silence.
As she entered the room, all eyes immediately fell on her, except Jonathan’s which were closed as he slept. Her mom, sister, and Herman sat perched around his bed. She could easily tell that they’d all been crying from the puffy eyes and smeared makeup. Everyone, except for Herman. Herman faced her with the same mean grimace that she’d always remembered him having.
For a moment, she paus
ed to consider if she’d ever seen Herman smile. Not smirk, or pretend, but a real smile. She searched her memory for a true moment of happiness from the only father figure she’d ever known. Then the smiles from Herman appeared. However, she noted that any true smile she’d ever witnessed had not been directed at her, or her mother for that matter. Instead, those moments of true happiness had been saved for his two blood children.
As she stood in the doorway, she could feel his eyes scaling every inch of her being with a level of hate greater than he’d ever directed at her. A horrible feeling wrapped around her and trapped her inside a tight bubble. As Brianna attempted to move forward into the room, the bubble stiffened around her, making her immobile.
Herman took this opportunity to make an already glum Brianna, even more sullen. He shook his head, as if disappointed that she’d shown up.
“You know what Brianna,” he started, “I knew you were a mistake from the moment I laid eyes on you. And when I realized that none of my blood was running through your veins, it all made sense. I wish that we’da gotten rid of you then. But your trifflin’ ass mother wouldn’t let me. And this,” he said while pointing at Jonathan, “is the result. This is your fault. You do know that right?”
Brianna continued to stand in the doorway, not sure of what to do or what to say. She glanced over to her mother, and then to her sister, waiting for one of them to stand up for her. Neither of them said a word, still in shock from the night’s events. She could tell in their eyes and faces that they didn’t have the energy to fight with him, not even for her. Brianna knew, that they were saving every ounce of vitality they had left to pray and nurture Jonathan. She couldn’t fault them for that.
The last thing Brianna wanted to do in that moment was to argue with Herman. She wanted to join forces with her mother and sister to help her little brother. She didn’t want to encourage or add to the negativity that Herman carried with him everywhere he’d ever gone. But she also knew that she had to stand up for herself.
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