Wrong Step (Urban Fiction): A Sinister Syndicate Thriller

by Kyle Robertson

  She kept feeling better about this. She gazed into his brown eyes, and asked him.

  “What should I do first?”

  “Well first, we all have to get burner phones. We all have to communicate without taps. They’re a syndicate so they’ve tapped your phone already. We won’t make this easy for them. We’ll go to the local bodega, and get seven burner cells to stay in touch. Then we have to find their headquarters. If they’re looking for you, they aren’t thinking about you looking for them. Salom is cute, and she won’t stick out so she’ll be your other eyes to help you execute. Do you have a trusted policeman?”

  “Yes I do; Detective Tanaka. I call him Knocks. He’s been in my corer for years, and can’t be bought. As a matter of fact, I have to get the Mamba evidence to him today,” she said.

  “When you get your burner, call him to let him know I’ll give him the evidence away from the police station, and if he has their location it will cut our covert actions quickly. The longer it takes to stop them, the longer you’re on the chopping block, and I won’t let them chop off that pretty little head of yours.”

  She began to twirl a Locke of her long hair.

  “My recorder and camera are on the table over there. Let’s go get some burners, Knocks gave me money to function so we’ll be fine.”

  Tyler walked to the door.

  “Osei, Where’s the closest bodega?”

  “There’s a Korean shop across the street. Why are you going there?”

  “We have to get a few burner cells to keep in touch. Do they sell burners over there?”

  Osei shook his head.

  “You don’t want to buy burners from the Lins. All of them are tagged for the cops for any trial. Let me call Mush. He has some good ones.” Osei went for the phone.

  “We need eight. Can he supply that many?”

  Osei smiled.

  “He’s PR for the Dark Town Rhymahs. He can get more than just eight burner cells. He could even get you tickets.”

  “Just ask for eight burners. I’m old school. They didn’t call women bitches in the ‘80s.”

  Osei grinned, and called Mush.

  “Thank you, Tyler. When they targeted me, I freaked. I may look like a tough chick, but I just play a hard bitch. I’m really a creampuff.”

  Tyler looked at her taught body.

  “Looking at you, Sheddi, your creampuff must be spiked with whiskey because you ain’t soft at all.”

  It was the first time she smiled since Moira was shot.

  Chapter Four: The Meticulous Mambas

  Tyler was a very accurate man, Mush came through with the burner cells which he doled out to her, and her friends. They exchanged numbers prefixed with an Idaho 208 area code, and had Sheddi call Tanaka. After she finished with Tanaka, she spoke to him.

  “Knocks said to meet him at the Carl Schurz Small Dog Park. Do you know where that is?”

  “I was born here, Sheddi. I know where it is. Does he know the Mamba’s headquarters?”

  “It’s kinda morbidly poetic. Their main location is in Jamaica Queens. He’ll tell you exactly where when you get there. He also asked me who you were to think this way. I told him you were former Special Forces, and he liked your experience.”

  “We all aren’t bleeding hearts,” he said. “We chose to help the distraught exactly like the military does. What time do I meet him?”

  “He’ll be the Asian guy, of course, at the park without a dog in an hour. You have time.”

  Tyler had a subway schedule, and mapped out his destination. He grabbed the recorder, the soda can in a plastic bag, and camera.

  “I’ll be back by three. When I get my Intel, we can execute.”

  Sheddi thought Tyler knew what he was doing better than her other friends, and that military speak accented that.

  “Do you need any help?” Osei asked.

  “This is a lone wolf mission,” Tyler said. “We can stop errant casualties if we don’t produce any extra targets to be shot. I know the Dreads have no idea of us yet, but in order to stay alive you have to stay cautiously smart.”

  Osei felt kind of strange with the over paranoid Tyler. He just wanted to get to know him, and thought he could use some company. He just didn’t understand the Ranger protocol.

  “I’m preset nine on the burner. I’ll call you when I arrive, call code whippoorwill.”

  “You do this on every mission, don’t you?” Sheddi asked. “This whole stealth thing.”

  “I’ve been a Ranger most of my adult life, and this is how we always execute any mission.”

  “Yes, but they don’t know where we are or even who you are, settle down.”

  “The first time you settle, you get shot. After my friend Catchum settled, and got killed by a Mujahedeen insurgent, I stopped settling at that point.”

  Sheddi realized Tyler’s mental wounds were very deep, and he had a hint of PTSD.

  “Is that why you became a Shepard? To leave the deadly environment, and still help?”

  “Yeah. I hated the Middle East, but helping the orphans left a hole in my life. The Mambas are filling that hole. I can’t lie, I loved thwarting the enemy. Hunger, and shelter was just another challenge I could never beat. The Mambas are difficult, but I feel like I can beat them.”

  Sheddi felt better with a highly trained psycho-soldier on her side.

  “Okay, Tyler. I think you better go to meet Knocks. He’s about as punctual, so he might have even been former military, ask him.”

  Tyler grinned, turned to the door, and left.

  “I take it we’re in good hands now,” Osei walked to Sheddi, and said.

  “Oh, he was born for this, Osei. I’d say yes, definitely.”

  ~~~

  Ganja Pop was sitting at his desk festering, and silently boiling. How could she get away from Jabril? Then he realized, if he was struck squarely in the testicles, he’d initially limp too.

  His phone rang, and he picked it up to hear a very angry woman, Ganja Ma.

  “Maritza! How ya been?”

  “Irritated, Adan. I heard a gal saw ya, and tha shipment is in trouble.”

  “It’s under control. Tha shipment will arrive next Friday wit’out a hitch, and killin’ that gal is just a matter ‘o time.”

  “If ya mess this up, I’ll relieve ya of ya status, and ya life. Ya don’t mess up a ninety million dolllah shipment, and just say sorry, Ma. This is business.”

  “So a marriage means nuthin to ya,” Adan said.

  “You my fifth husband because they all messed up. I kinda like ya, so don’t make me look for a sixth.”

  “What do ya want me ta do, Maritza?”

  “Ya job, Adan. I sent ya to New York b’cause I thought ya could handle it. Don’t make me look stupid in front ‘o tha partnahs.”

  Adan always wanted to go higher than just a weed seller to tourists, so he joined the Mambas. Since he was strapping in the seventies, Maritza kept an eye on him. A few dead husbands, and a tawdry affair later, he was coronated into the Mambas by marrying Maritza. He felt very important being in the upper tier, but Maritza was the leader, and he was just her pet.

  “Tha pier patrol has been paid off, and I have tha Mambas ready to receive, and transport. There will be no problem,” Adan said.

  “What about tha gal? Does she know about tha shipment?”

  Adan knew she eves dropped on his recruitment conversation, but he also had a majority of cops on his payroll.

  “Even if she knows, I paid off tha cops, and all she can do by herself is get shot. It’s under control, Maritza.”

  “It bettah be, Adan. I don’t wanna come ta America ta slap a bitch before I kill her. No problems, Adan, because ya don’t want me comin’.”

  With that threat, she hung up, and left Adan slightly nervous.

  “Julius, get in here!” Adan yelled from his office.

  Julius came immediately.

  “What’s ya request, Pop?”

  “Ya haven’t found her ye
t so I suggest ya not be here for me ta call ya; find her.”

  Julius nodded, and grabbed a group of enforcers to find Sheddi.

  ~~~

  Tyler went to the small dog park. He constantly looked around to see anyone looking shady, and just saw a few homeless vagrants. No one packing or hungry for a kill. He could see any bulges or any looks of that thousand yard stare snipers possessed.

  He saw Tanaka standing by a fence of a dog run, and walked cautiously towards him.

  “Knocks!” he yelled to him. Tanaka turned to see Tyler.

  “Only Dedzo calls me that. I take it that’s your code to let me know you’re Tyler.”

  “I wasn’t followed, were you?”

  “My team is surrounding this dog park. If I was followed, they’d tell me.”

  Tyler realized those homeless vagrants were Tanaka’s undercover team. They were well camouflaged.

  Tyler got closer to give Tanaka the items.

  “Sheddi kept calling these nails. She said you’d understand.”

  Tanaka smiled.

  “I just need the hammer. I think it’s about time to arrest Ganja Pop.”

  “Oh, we’ll get him. I just need to know their headquarters.”

  “This is a very dangerous location. We’ll get him,” Tanaka said.

  I’m not just a kitchen helper, I was an Army Ranger.”

  “You were in the military as well. Simper Fortis, kid. I was a SEAL back in the ‘80s.”

  “Sheddi suspected that. Why haven’t you told her?”

  “My past never came up. I don’t like to celebrate my Falkland Island kills. Murder isn’t as fabulous as the new recruits think. I was a PTSD victim all through the ‘90s.”

  Tyler understood.

  “I’m a Shepard to corral my PTSD. I save orphans, and you save your part of the city. You patrolling Hell’s Kitchen, and Harlem isn’t an unlucky coincidence. You requested this.”

  “I patrol the city, but Clinton, and Harlem have that special air to them. It gives me remanences of war, kid. You get it, Dedzo wouldn’t.” Tanaka felt the camaraderie. “If you were a former Ranger, you might be able to handle this. The Dreads operate at the Jamaican Jerk club, but their headquarters is a record warehouse in Jamaica Queens called Round Rasta Records. It’s a Reggae music distributer to all the neighborhood record shops. It’s their legitimate cover.”

  “I know that place. They also distribute Ska music, and I’m a Kingston Rudieska man.”

  “That’s a newer group. I’m full bore English Beat.”

  “They’re an English Ska band?”

  “They were in the ‘80s. So were UB40, Hep Cat’s first wave from Cally, but The Police were English,” Tanaka said, and saw Tyler’s bewilderment.

  “I like old school hip hop, but I didn’t get into Ska back then.”

  “Do you remember Gordon Sumner? What am I asking a millennial? Sting.”

  “I remember Sting, but he was rock.”

  “The Police was his initial band. Look up Synchronicity, and you’ll find the Ska.”

  “You cope with your daunting tasks the same way I do, say mindless chatter.” Tyler realized.

  “The Dread Mambas are the cartel I could never beat,” Tanaka said. “But with Dedzo getting a clean recording of their illegal activities, I can arrest Ganja Pop on attempted murder, and taking pictures of their contraband will solidify his incarceration.”

  I can see why they want her dead,” Tyler said.

  Tanaka took out her memory card to her camera, the empty fingerprinted can, digital recorder, and gave the camera back to Tyler.

  “The girl thinks she’s invincible, so protect her Ranger style.”

  Tyler shook his hand. “No man left behind, I got ya.”

  Tyler left for Osei’s apartment. He had his Intel, so now it was time to execute.

  Chapter Five: The Chips are falling

  As the rest of the Shepards were waiting for Tyler, they became antsy. Osei saw the nervousness, and decided to speak.

  “I’m surprised at all of you. We came from Ghana to New York. That was an eleven hour flight you did to help orphans in another country. You weren’t nervous then, you were motivated. The flight crew told us to stop singing on the plane.

  Tina’s our sister, and I know you care about her. She didn’t ask for this, she asked for your help. You know the Mambas are bad people so you know they will shoot her if they get the chance. We’re saving the orphans from them. Why can’t we save our sister?”

  Marnu backed up Osei.

  “Yeah, Tina’s our sister, and Abena brought a Ranger. We should be fine.”

  “Hunger doesn’t use automatic weapons, Marnu,” Salom said. I know we have a Ranger with us, but Tyler isn’t bulletproof.”

  “Tyler’s smart enough not to be where the bullets are,” Marnu said. “He didn’t make it in Afghanistan by luck. He was a Ranger under fire constantly. His lifespan’s speculation in the Middle East was severely finite, but he’s here helping us. Don’t take his experience for granted.”

  Just then, the buzzer rang. Osei went to look out the window to see Tyler waiting to be let up.

  “It’s Tyler. I’m sure he got his information, so calm down.” He buzzed him in.

  Tyler came up the stairs, and knocked on the door, Sheddi let him in.

  “Is Knocks okay with this?”

  “Detective Tanaka is more than fine with this. I was a Ranger, and he was a SEAL. He knows I know what I’m doing,” Tyler told her, and looked at the rest. “You all look like you’re all doomed. Stop thinking that way because what you expect will most definitely happen to you.”

  Tyler walked in.

  “I knew Knocks was in the military. I guess that’s why he feels better with you on our team,” she said.

  “I know where their headquarters are located. They run the Round Rasta Records warehouse. That’s probably where they house that poison.”

  “That means they’re hiding in plain sight. I know where that is. When are we going there to bust some heads?” Sheddi asked.

  “In order to defeat your enemy, you must know your enemy. I’m sure the warehouse is guarded with sharp shooters ready to Swiss cheese anyone coming to ‘bust some heads’. We won’t make it to the door if we don’t plan this the right way.” He gave her the camera back. “Detective Tanaka said he just needs the hammer. Shoot pictures of contraband, not bullets at Mambas.”

  “I never used a gun in my life, Tyler. I’m not what the media says about all ebony city people. I never went the stereotype route.” She smiled. “You’re the stereotype, because you know how to shoot bullets. Granted it was for your country, but you still can shoot.”

  Tyler smiled.

  “I don’t alley shoot those stereotypical gang members. I strategically neutralize targets.”

  “According to you, you’re about to ‘strategically neutralize’ some gang members very soon. The Dread Mambas are a drug dealing Jamaican gang.”

  “I think they’ve graduated from the Crips and Bloods status by being an international cartel. This will be very similar to a Ranger mission, not a gang banger drive-by.”

  Marnu interrupted.

  “We came here to help orphans, not shoot the Dreads.”

  “We’re not going to discuss their dastardly deeds when we’re unarmed, and they have full clips,” Sheddi said. “The reason Abena recruited Tyler is because he knows how to survive in a war zone, Marnu, and we need that knowledge. They just waged war yesterday, so ready or not, we’re in a war.”

  Salom patted Marnu on the shoulder.

  “You didn’t think singing Kumbaya would get us out of this, did you? Abena got Tyler for a reason. Negotiation with them will get us killed. You’re a soup soldier now.”

  “Funny, Salom. I guess you’re a food truck femme fatale.”

  “We’ve been drafted, pacifist. We’re in New York. The odds of us being knee deep in this was accelerated with Tina’s job.” She pushed his chin with
her knuckle. “Time to get hard, Marnu.”

  Mame interrupted.

  “Your ideals will not change this world, Marnu. We just have to battle the darkness. That’s the main reason we’re here. America’s been sending aid to us for years, but overlooked their own. We had to help the American indigent living in their own back yards. That includes stopping the Mambas.”

  “Mame’s right,” Nana said. “We decided to help them. We braved the harsh blizzards we’ve never experienced before. Battling the Mamba’s won’t give you frostbite. We can do this. We have to do this.”

  Marnu felt ganged up on, so he looked at Tyler.

  “Could you tell the ladies frostbite hurts, but multiple bullet entry wounds kill?”

  Tyler put up his hands.

  “Abena got me for a reason. I’ve never been shot in a war where my enemy was trained to kill me, and I’m here to train you how I did that. You’ll never be in the line of fire because that’s my job. Even if you, in the highly unlikely event of an altercation where you are cornered, I’ll show you how to get out of it. The ladies are right, time to get hard, buddy.”

  “I thought you would be on my side!”

  “I AM on your side! You just can’t give up because this will become very deadly! I’ve been used to the deadly for years, and I’ve been kicking the Grim Reaper’s ass for years! You won’t be killed! I guarantee that!”

  “And if I die, you’ll have to answer to the ladies, and my mom… buddy!” Marnu was heated.

  Sheddi had to defuse the argument.

  “Stop it, Marnu. You knew the murder rate from gunshot wounds was the highest in the world for this country, but you wanted to aid the orphans anyway. I know you. Your desire to step into the lion’s den to aid wasn’t just bluster. You hoped to avoid this, but you expected it. Tyler is a veteran of a war, He’s been through this with trained murderers wanting to kill him without any question. That was their job.” She looked to Tyler. “Marnu’s not a wimp, Tyler. He’s seen the darkness of Africa’s terrorist organizations, and he always wanted to avoid any of that. He tried to get away, but the Mambas are the same, just a different nationality. Just when he thought he escaped he didn’t. Evil is heavily sprinkled all over this world, and Marnu should know he can’t escape Earth’s pepper shaker, He’d have to live with the penguins in the South Pole to truly get away. Cut him some slack. He never wanted to be a soldier. He’s still a man, but not a conscript.”