by Mike Dagons
After a few seconds of complete silence, Valow opened the door to medical and went inside. Melvin was one of his oldest friends. They had been on the Delta team together, and had both gone on to join the FBI but lost contact when they were assigned to different regions. When Melvin asked him to quit the Bureau and join his security company, he didn’t have to think about it. He resigned and came to work for Genesis. They had faced insurmountable odds together, and survived, but he wasn’t sure his friend could survive knowing he’d killed his baby’s mama, which is what he thought Melvin was doing when the room got quiet.
When he walked into the room, Melvin switched off his communicator. He was standing with his hands on his hips, glaring at Janie, who was swiping tears as fast as they fell. “You alright?” he asked Melvin.
“You heard?” he looked up at him, his blue eyes watery.
“Yeah, you want me to check it out…make sure she ain’t lying?”
“I’m not lying, Valow. Melvina is his five year old daughter!” she snapped.
“Bitch, don’t snap at me! I ain’t your fucking baby daddy. I ain’t got no problem wit’ killing your treacherous ass!”
“It’s good, Valow,” Melvin said. “Where is she?” he asked Janie.
“At her nanny’s house, she keeps her during the summer while I’m working.”
“Give me the address.”
She rattled off the address to the house in Morton Grove, just a few miles away.
“Did you consider that you may be putting her in danger by dealing with the Russian, or were you so obsessed with hurting me, and getting revenge for some imaginary bullshit that you were willing to risk your whole damn family to get it?” Ryan growled.
“I didn’t mean for it to go this far. I only promised Yeltsin information about the bidding, nothing else.”
“Information you were willing to murder Severe to get.”
Janie lowered her head, “I’m in a lot of pain. Can the Doc look at me now?” she asked.
She hadn’t intended to tell Melvin about his daughter this early, but she knew he was going to order her death unless he found out there was a good reason to let her live. She had been heartbroken when he broke up with her casually one morning over coffee. After two years of stringing her along, he upped and married someone else. Unbeknownst to him, she had been trying to get pregnant, and had been off the pill for months.
When she learned about his engagement, which he failed to mention when he ended their relationship, she was determined to get him to sleep with her one more time to give it one last try. Luckily she was ovulating the night of his bachelor party, and he was wasted. She talked the guys into letting her take him home, and she took him back to her place and had sex with his semi-conscious ass.
She got pregnant, and he got married to Samantha Jawlins, and moved to Chicago. Initially, she had thought about using the baby to break up his marriage, but then Sam got pregnant right before Melvina was born. She knew there was no way Ryan would choose her over Samantha given the choice. She decided to keep the child as sort of an insurance policy. Today it was paying off. Melvin Ryan would not kill his baby’s mama no matter how much he hated her. Self-sacrifice for family was how he was raised.
“Doc, you can go ahead and treat her injury, but keep her restrained. I’m going to get the kid.” He said, and then walked out the infirmary without another word to her.
Valow followed him, and Blue was still standing at the door when they came out. Melvin stopped and just stared him, and Blue could see the warring emotions in his cloudy eyes. “You heard?”
“You don’t want to send somebody else to get the kid? You may be too emotional to think clearly.”
“No, I need to do this myself,” he answered.
“We’re taking some heavy fire from two trucks on Lake Shore Drive. We could use some guidance fellas,” Choc was suddenly in their earpieces.
Melvin’s receiver wasn’t on, so he didn’t hear the distress call, but the others did. “Hold tight, Choc, I’m on my,” Blue answered. “He’s in trouble. Don’t worry, I got this. Valow you go with him to get the kid.” He was already on the move.
“You go with Blue. I don’t need you on this,” Melvin objected.
“You ain’t operating on eight cylinders right now, so I ain’t letting you go by yourself. It ain’t up for debate, Ryan,” he said when Melvin started to protest.
“Cool, let’s go then.”
“Maybe we should take the brother. The kid and the nanny know him, so she won’t be scared to leave with him.”
“Janie obviously didn’t want me in the child’s life, and he knows it. I don’t trust him to cooperate.”
“As long as he trusts that not cooperating will get him, his sister, and his big ass brother killed, I ain’t worried about getting his cooperation.”
“I hear ya,” Melvin chuckled. “Go and get him, and I’ll meet y’all at the dock.”
Melvin went to the munitions room, and got a HK MP7, loaded with DM11 rounds capable of penetrating 20 layers of Kevlar. He wasn’t expecting to encounter a threat that needed that kind of firepower, but it was better to have it and not need it, than to be caught red faced in a situation that called for it.
He went to the parking dock, and was putting the gun in the weapons drawer in the Explorer’s trunk, when Valow escorted Jamil Delores out the doors.
“As Valow explained, your niece is in danger, and I’m going to get her. I’m taking you with me because she knows you, and we don’t want to scare her. Make no mistake, if you start some shit, I’ll kill you right in front of her.”
“Oh, I know you will, BOSS,” he fixed Melvin in a hard stare. “Anytime a man can turn his back on his own child like you did, I don’t expect you’ll have a problem killing me in front of her either.”
“Listen, I didn’t know she even existed until a few minutes ago, and I’m not apologizing for not stepping up, when your sister failed to mention her to me. Now, like I said, I want you to ride along because it’ll make the kid feel safer.”
“Janie told us that you knew about Melvina. She said you elected not to be in her life,” he looked puzzled.
“She lied,” Valow said. He turned Jamil around and took the cuffs off his wrists. “Let’s go.”
They got in the Explorer, Jamil in the front next to Melvin, and Valow in the back. Melvin could feel Jamil’s eyes boring into him, and he glanced over at him. “What?” he asked.
“You really didn’t know about Melvina?” he furrowed his brow.
“Nah, I didn’t know about her or you either.”
“I’ll cooperate for Mel’s sake, so you can tell the white bread in the backseat that he can relax. The gun in my back is making me nervous.”
“Ryan, tell the nigga I don’t give a fuck about making him nervous,” Valow growled.
“Nigga?!” he sounded offended. He turned in his seat and frowned at Valow.
“Yeah, if you can call me white bread, I can call you nigga,” he cracked a sinister smile. “Now, we can all be good friends if you just call me Valow, and I’ll call you Jamil…we cool?”
“Yeah man, whatever…just lower the gun,” he turned back around.
Valow holstered the Beretta and relaxed in the seat. “See Ryan, I knew we could all get along,” he joked.
Chapter 8
“Damn girl, just shoot me again!” Jamal screamed when I was thrown forward into his lap and landed on his injured thigh.
The two trucks were converging on us without any regard for the other vehicles on the drive, and Rayce had to execute a swift lane change to avoid a collision with a small car.
“They got two trucks on us,” she reported.
We were flying down north Lake Shore Drive recklessly weaving in and out of traffic. Rayce was staying out in front of them, but she was no Blue behind the wheel. The trucks were close to overtaking us.
Then the situation went from bad to worse. They started spraying the rear of the van with bu
llets like we were the only vehicle on the Drive. Cars started swerving wildly to get away from us, causing a lot of near misses.
“Where are the fucking cops when you need them?” Jamal asked a question that I admit I would have been thinking if I was him. He was safer with us for the moment, but if the cops showed up, maybe he could get away from all of us.
“Blue, we’re tearing up Lake Shore. You need to get here man,” Choc spoke calmly in his transmitter. I swear the man never got unraveled.
The van had no windows in the back, so we couldn’t return fire without opening the rear door. Since the van was armored, it was safer for us to stay put, and just keep rolling.
The gunfire didn’t slow us down, but the Russians were not discouraged, they just kept firing on us. I was half expecting them to pull out a RPG next.
“Y’all get strapped in,” Rayce shouted. “The lead car is slowing down. They’re trying to box me in. Hold up! I think the fuckers are going to try to pit me.”
“Can’t you evade it?” I asked.
“Girl, do I look like Blue to you?”
She didn’t, so I scrambled up off the floor, and pushed my butt back on the bench seat. Choc helped Jamal onto the seat next to him, and then he helped him pull the shoulder strap harness down over his head and locked it. We were all buckled up and ready for an even rougher ride.
“Can you get off the highway?” Choc asked.
“A median on my left, sand and water on my right,” she replied. “He’s coming up for the pit!”
Rayce slammed on the brakes, and the van decelerated fast enough to make him miss hitting the fender at the precise angle needed to send us into a tailspin. “That’s the best I got. The lead guy is blocking me in front. The other one is falling back on my left. He’s going to try the pit again. They must have tear gas or something they plan to use to force us out the van once they make us crash.”
When given a choice, choose the path of less resistance. “Hit the beach, Rayce!” I shouted.
“Why?” Choc asked.
“If we turn over on land, we’ll be sitting ducks. We have a better chance of making it in the water.” Like I said, I ain’t real book smart, but I got an inherent talent for surviving. I’m like a mouse in the sense that if there is a way out, I’ll find it.
Rayce didn’t argue. She drove the van off road, crashing through the mesh fencing separating it from the beach. The van plowed through the sand on the empty beach heading for the lake.
The trucks followed us off road, but they stopped when we hit the water. The van floated, and we literally became sitting ducks in a pond.
They were bombarding the van with bullets, so trying to exit before it sank below the surface of the water was out of the question. We all unbuckled and started getting ready to swim. Choc stripped off his suit jacket, shoulder holster, and shirt. He looked so good, I couldn’t help staring.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked, and I tore my eyes away from his rock hard abs.
He was fastening his shoulder holster back on, and he stopped and made eye contact with me while he waited for me to answer. “I was wondering if it’s okay to get your Glock wet. Will the water cause it to jam?” I asked. It was a lie but there was no way I was telling him that I was mesmerized by his sexy abs.
“It’ll shoot in the water,” he finished strapping up, and then locked the thumb break in place so he wouldn’t lose the Glock in the water when we swam out. “We’ll swim out as soon as Blue gets here to distract them,” he announced in a loud voice.
The noise decimal of the bullets bouncing off the metal had me feeling like my head was trapped between cymbals. I could barely hear anything but the clanging.
“Uh, I can’t swim,” Jamal uttered excitedly.
We all stared at him in disbelief. “You’re kidding?” Rayce said.
“I know how, but I’m shot, remember?”
“We’ll carry you up, but you had better not panic,” Choc warned. “You’re too heavy to be wrestling with to save. You understand me?”
“Yeah man, I ain’t gon fight you.”
“I’m a better swimmer than I am a shooter, so you go up first, Choc and give us some cover. I’ll handle Jamal. Severe, you hang back with me, just in case I need some help.”
“You sure y’all can carry me alone?” he frowned.
“Air floats, nigga, so yeah, we can carry you,” she rolled her eyes at him.
“A’ight, your smart ass better not let me sink and drown,” he started laughing, and we all laughed with him.
For a minute, he looked like the friendly gentle giant that owned the liquor store. “Why did you do it, Jamal?” I asked.
“I didn’t have any other choice.” His eyes were sad, and I believed him.
“We’re risking our lives to get you outtá this, man. We get out of here in one piece, I want some answers from you,” Choc jabbed a finger at him, and Jamal lowered his eyes to the floor.
“Where you at?” he was talking to Blue.
“I’m less than three minutes away,” he came back.
“We’ll be underwater by then,” I said.
“This is the van used for medical transport. It should have an oxygen tank,” Rayce shouted.
I pulled out the drawer under the seat, and got it out. I also saw a couple of flashlights, and I gave one to Choc. The water was up to my knees. Jamal was sitting, so it was moving up around his waist. It was warm outside, but the water was cold, not freezing, but cold.
“We’ll be under water in a minute, Jamal. We’re going to have to swim up close to the roof to preserve our air for as long as we can. You use the oxygen, and we’ll come down to get you when it’s safe.” I sat the tank in his lap. “It’s going to get dark, so don’t panic.”
“I’m cool.” He pulled off the face mask attached to the tubing on the tank, and then stuck the tube in his mouth. “I’ll be waiting for you ladies to come back for me,” he smiled.
“Hold the tank in your arms so you don’t lose it.” The van had been sinking with all four tires down, so he’d been able to remain seated. If it shifted, and I couldn’t imagine why it hadn’t taken a dive, he wasn’t going to be able to stay on the seat.
“The back doors are going to open, so you need to get a tight hold on something to keep from floating out and away.”
“Okay, I got it,” he wrapped a meaty arm around the tank. “Why ain’t we sinking faster?” Jamal shouted.
The van was bulletproof, but it wasn’t waterproof so I was baffled too. “Luck is on our side. Don’t jinx it,” I answered.
We heard two loud pops, and then the van’s back end dipped, bringing the front end up out of the water. Right away, it started sinking vertically. “Well, Murphy showed up,” Rayce said.
“Who’s Murphy?” Jamal asked.
“You know, Murphy’s law…anything that can go wrong will,” I answered him.
Choc and Rayce were in the front seats, and Jamal and I were standing holding onto the bench with a foot braced on the legs. Jamal wrapped a seatbelt around his arm, and then hooked it under his armpit.
The van was slowly sinking vertically, and the water was waist high on him, and chest high on me, and rising steadily. “Place one foot on the metal strip between the doors. It’ll help you brace against the rush of water more securely.” I instructed him.
“Like this?” He spread his legs, and did as I asked, and then winced against the pain when he put weight on his injured leg.
“I know it’s uncomfortable, but hopefully you won’t have to hold the position too long.”
The water was rising faster, reaching his chest and my chin. I would be under water soon, so I turned on the oxygen. “Hold tight, I’ll be back.” I pushed off and started rising to the top, and then I turned on the flashlight and watched his head go underwater.
“Is Jamal okay?” Rayce asked when I floated into the cab with her and Choc.
“He’s in an awkward position, but he ain’t panicking or c
omplaining.”
“You keeping your head above water, brotha?” Blue asked.
“Barely,” he replied. “I don’t have an extra clip. Give me your gun, Rayce?” he said.
She took it off and put it in his hand. “It’s full, but it’s all we got, so make every shot count,” she teased.
“I will,” he smiled.
There was only a tiny air pocket left between the windshield and the rising water, and we all strained to keep our faces in it to breathe.
“We can’t wait any longer, Blue. I’m opening the doors,” he reported, and then pulled the hydraulic door release level.
All four doors popped off their hinges and floated away, and the water rushed in from all sides, clouding the light from the flashlight beams.
“I’m here, come on out,” Blue’s voice crackled before my Voxer died.
The water was pouring in, and the van was weightlessly sinking. Rayce touched my shoulder to get my attention. I turned the flashlight on her, and she pointed down, indicating we should go get Jamal.
I couldn’t see a second beam of light, so I assumed Choc was already swimming out. Rayce held onto my smock, and I dived down into the murky water.
The hazy flashlight beam fell on Jamal’s face, and he opened his eyes. He had the oxygen tank secured under his arm, but his feet had slipped, and he was holding onto the seatbelt and floating.
He was only wearing a hospital gown, and those short papery pants they issued to keep your ass from hanging out. I signaled Rayce to take one of his sleeves, and I took hold of the other. He released the belt, and I felt the full burden of his weight.
As soon as we started to pull on the sleeves of his gown, the snaps popped open, and he slipped out of our grasp. Rayce quickly wrapped her legs around his waist, and fanned her arms to keep them afloat.
We were taking longer than I anticipated getting him to the surface, and we were continually sinking deeper. I hadn’t taken a breath in almost a minute. I felt my chest tightening, and if we didn’t move faster, I wasn’t going to be able to hold my breath long enough to swim to the surface.
I hugged his arm to stabilize him long enough to allow Rayce to move into a better swimming position. She sank down under us, and then pulled his arm up over her shoulders, and wrapped an arm around his back.