Detective Graham looked in the direction Chell had pointed. He then made his way to the nearest empty table. Two girls were entertaining an overly loud intoxicated man with a bottle of champagne. He was wearing an excessive amount of jewelry. When the girl with the orange thong and matching top looked over at him, he raised his hand. The girls immediately came over.
“Hello,” she said. Graham could see that she also had on orange lip-gloss. “What’s your name?” he asked.
“Luscious, you got something on your mind?”
“As a matter of a fact, I do.”
*****
Tip looked over at Nano when the knock came at the door. Nano was in a deep sleep. The nightstand clock indicated it was 1:04. She rolled out of bed wearing a nightie and slipped into her house shoes.
“Who is it?” she asked through the door.
“Tip it’s Skillz. We found the diamonds.” Excitedly she opened the door to hear the news. “Where’s Nano?”
“He’s asleep. Hold I’ll go get him.”
“That’s alright. I’ll get him.” When Tip turned to face Skillz, he was holding a .9mm to her face. He then reached out and snatched her to him aggressively. “Let’s walk back here real quietly. No need to wake your son.”
“You’re crazy!”
“Sometimes I forget to take my medicine,” Skillz said with a laugh. He then pushed the gun under her chin. “I don’t want to fuck this pretty face up.” Skillz looked her in the eyes. He then grabbed her ass. “I’ve always wanted to do that. You know what I really want to do Tip?”
Tip grabbed his hand and took it off her ass. “What the hell do you want?”
Skillz bit down on his lip to restrain himself. He then grabbed her by the hair and pushed her down the hall. When they walked into the bedroom, Skillz wrapped her hair around his hair to prevent her escape. He then nudged her with the gun. Nano stirred and looked up. He blinking twice at the figure standing over him.
“Wake up lover boy,” snapped Skillz.
Nano rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. “What the fuck! Nigga you crazy?”
“I just came for the bread.”
“Okay motherfucker, so you’re the one who killed Craig and Ace!”
“Nigga, just give me the fucking money,” Skillz said threateningly. “I’m not going to ask you again. You better start moving if you don’t want this bitch leaking.”
“It’s under the bed.”
“Get it,” Skillz demanded bringing the gun to Tip’s temple. Nano held his hands up. “Just be easy man,” he said calmly. He then eased out of the bed and pulled one of the bags out. “Get the other one too,” Skillz said.
Nano knew they were completely vulnerable in the bedroom. Tip and already put the .357 in the kitchen, and he knew if he made any sudden movements Skillz would pull the trigger. Nano reached under the bed and pulled out the other garbage bag. “There you go,” he said, “Now let her go.”
Skillz laughed in a way they had never heard before. “You love these pretty eyes don’t you? Nigga really wants to be a hero!” Skillz shoved Tip to the floor beside Nano. “You know… I never liked you Nano.”
Skillz pointed the gun at Nano’s head and pulled the trigger. Nano fell over face first. Tip screamed, “Nooo! Why did you do that?” She crawled over to Nano’s body and started sobbing. Without her realizing Skillz turned the gun on her. He pulled the trigger again.
*****
Dice was awakened from sleep by the first gunshot. When he heard his mother screaming, he was frightened, the second gunshot and the silence that followed terrified him. Quickly he slid under the bed. That was where Tip had always told him to go if he needed a safe place. When he heard a rustling sound, he peered from under his bed. Then everything went silent. Dice listened to his breathing. Tears started to fall from his eyes. The sound of footsteps returned and the bedroom light suddenly came on. Dice was now looking at a pair of black Timberlands. They walked to and fro as if searching for something. Seconds passed, and then the boots headed to the door and the lights went out. Dice stayed under the bed until he heard the front door open and close.
He slid from under the bed and ran to his parents’ bedroom. Usually, the door was shut at night, but tonight it stood open. Dice walked inside to find both of his parents crumpled on the floor. When he called out to them, they didn’t respond. He picked up the phone from the nightstand and called 911.
“911, what’s your emergency?” a voice asked him.
“Can you send an ambulance? Somebody killed my mom and dad.”
*****
When Time pulled into Hitman’s driveway, it seemed odd to him that there was a black Porsche and what looked like Tony’s Hummer parked out front. It seemed unusual because he knew Hitman did not accept many guests at his home. Things were happening strangely all around him, and the diamonds were still missing.
He approached cautiously. A walkway ran along the side of the house and lead to the back. Time pulled out his .9mm because his intuition told him something was wrong. He changed his mind about knocking on the door. Although Hitman was expecting him, he wanted to check things out first.
Time ducked down and crept to the first window on the side of the house. The room was dark. He continued on making his way to the back. As he thought about it, he realized it was his first time in Hitman’s backyard.
Their relationship had always been good, but not like Hitman and Nano’s. There was only one window in the back that he could see into. Light from inside cast a perfect square on the grass only a few feet from where he stood. Time eased to it glad Hitman wasn’t a dog owner. He didn’t trust animals, especially dogs. Time looked inside, and was shocked at what he saw. He snatched his head back cursing. “Shit!”
In the brief moment he had looked in, he saw five individuals. He wouldn’t have thought anything about it, except for the white man pointing a gun at Hitman. Time thought, “I need to stay calm and come up with a plan.”
He crept away from the window. He then pulled out his cell phone and called Nano. Nano would know what to do. The phone rang twice and then his voicemail came on. Time hung up. He then called the last person on earth he want to. After two rings, he also got Skillz’s voicemail.
“Damn,” he cursed again. He knew he was alone to figure things out. Tim crept back to the window and weighed the situation. The three men now had their backs to the window. It seemed like the best time to try and get Hitman’s attention. Time waved his arms frantically until he thought Hitman had seen him. He then dipped back out of sight.
“He saw me,” Time tried to reassure himself. He needed to figure out what to do next. It appeared that Hitman had been trying to explain himself to the strangers. He abandoned the window and moved to the back door. When he turned the doorknob it gave way, the door was unlocked.
He thought thoroughly until a plan started to come together. He decided he would go to the front door and ring the doorbell. Hopefully, one of the strangers would go to check it out. In doing so, he would run to the back door and step in with a hell of a surprise.
Time laughed stupidly to himself thinking about his plan, but it had to work. He felt as if he could change the situation somehow. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt the men in the house were responsible for Craig and Ace’s deaths. He had no alternatives. He crept to the front door and rang the doorbell.
He then dashed to the back of the house and peered in the window. His predication had been correct. The big white man with the gun took Hitman out of the room to the front door. Time didn’t hesitate. He ducked and ran to the backdoor. He then eased inside without making a sound.
Time had two choices of what to do next. Either he could wait on Hitman and the man to return, or he could go into the bedroom and surprise the other men. Time headed to the bedroom. When he stepped inside, he had his .9mm ready.
“Put your hand up player!”
Mr. Colodon turned around surprised. “Put ‘em up,” Time yelled again.
Mr. Colodon raised his arms in the air. “Turn around,” Time ordered. When Mr. Colodon did as he was told, Time came up behind him and threw an arm around his neck. He then turned him to face the bedroom door. “This game just changed,” he announced.
Seeing Time with Mr. Colodon under control, Lendora rolled of the bed, opened the nightstand drawer, and pulled out a gold plated Dillinger. She pointed it at Tony. At that moment, Hitman and the bodyguard returned to the room.
“There wasn’t,” Train began, and then stopped speaking as he took in the scene in the room.
“What’s up Hitman?” Time asked.
“Glad to see you,” Hitman replied. He still had his hands in the air.
“Where are the diamonds,” Mr. Colodon asked.
“I told you I don’t have the diamonds,” Hitman said looking at him. They both had guns to their heads. “Tell dude to put his gun down,” Time ordered.
“I can’t do that,” Colodon said.
“You can tell him to put his gun down or I’m going to drop your ass!” Time put some pressure on the gun against his head. Mr. Colodon winced in pain. He then nodded at Train. Train released Hitman. He slowly eased the P89 to the floor. Hitman bent down, picked it up, and fired a single bullet into the bodyguard’s head. Time did the same with Mr. Colodon. Both bodies lay still on the floor.
Hitman sighed as he breathing and heart rate returned to normal. “I owe you big for this,” he told Time. “I’m just glad I came over,” he responded. “Who the hell was he?”
“Some man looking for his million dollars and the diamonds. He’s the one that killed Craig and Ace.”
“What about him?” Lendora asked. They both had forgotten about Tony. Hitman approached in two strides. Before he could utter a word in his defense, Hitman dropped him with a single bullet to the head from the P89.
“He must have showed them where I lived. Lendora get their keys and pull the cars to the back. We have to clean this up.”
Lendora began to get dressed. That’s when Time realized she didn’t have any clothes on. He turned away until she was decent. Once she was dressed, she began to search the bodies. Once she had two sets of keys, she disappeared from the room.
“We’re going to pack these motherfuckers up in Tony’s Hummer. Then we’re going to take their bodies across town,” Hitman said as his set the P89 down. He rubbed the top of his head. Time could tell that he was still dealing with his near death experience.
“What were you coming to tell me?” he suddenly asked.
“Damn! I almost forget,” Time said. “I wanted to tell you about Skillz.”
“What about him?” Hitman asked as he looked up.
“I think he might know where the diamonds are.”
“Why do you think that?” Hitman asked focusing all of his attention on Time.
Time sighed. “He told me that he wanted to take the diamonds from the group.”
“What?”
“Hitman, I know I should have said something, but I thought I’d talked him out of it.” Time paused and looked at the bodies on the floor. “That was before I found out the nigga been fucking Nique.”
“Ah man,” Hitman exclaimed. “It’s too late for that.” He got to his feet. “I think the funny looking man owns the Porsche. Lendora is going to drive that and dump it. You and I are each other’s alibis,” he stated. “Follow me in Lendora’s Lexus. Let’s go.”
It took thirty minutes for Time and Hitman to get all three bodies in the Hummer. Just as Hitman wanted, Time followed him in the Lexus. They were on Highway 40 and the traffic had been sporadic. Hitman drove until he came to the exit where the abandoned Greyhound station was. It was now infested with heroin addicts. People whose testimony could be altered and changed. Hitman hurriedly parked the Hummer. He then slid from behind the wheel and walked to the Lexus. “Open the trunk,” he said.
Time popped the latch and Hitman rummaged around in the trunk. He then pulled out a bottle of lighter fluid. Hitman walked back to the Hummer and doused the interior with the liquid. Once the container was empty, he threw it inside with the bodies. He then dug in his pocket and pulled out Bic lighter. With one strike, he lit the interior on fire.
Seconds later, flames spread throughout the Hummer. Hitman slid into the Lexus and time pulled away. The headed back the way they had come. Time was driving five miles under the speed limit when he changed lanes. At that moment, blue lights began to flash behind them. They both looked back simultaneously.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Hitman cried.
“I’m doing the speed limit.”
“Ah man…”
“What do you want me to do?” Time asked repeatedly checking the rearview mirrors.
“We’ve got guns and blood on us. There are three bodies down the road in a Hummer with headshots…”
Time floored the Lexus. Soon they were riding at 130 miles per hour down the highway. “We’ve got to get off 40. If we stay on it, we’re dead. I know this area up here,” Time said indicating the Mississippi River exit up ahead. Hitman looked in the passenger side mirror and saw a Mustang fast approaching. He took out his cell phone and called Lendora. She picked up immediately. “Report the Lexus stolen. Now,” he told her.
“Are you alright?”
Hitman looked over at Time, “Yeah, we’re going to be alright.” He hung up and looked back at Time. “There’s a path that runs along the river. It leads to this girl’s house that I know,” Time told him.
“Get us there.”
Time took the exit at 100mph. When he hit the ramp, he slowed down to 60. Out of nowhere, blue lights flashed in front of them. They were attempting to cut them off. “Watch it,” Hitman yelled raising up in his seat. He knew Time wasn’t going to stop, and he wanted to see what would happen.
At the last second Time yanked on the emergency brake and locked the wheel. Their bodies jerked forward and the Lexus’s rear end began to slide out.
Screech! The tires began to billow smoke. Time waited until they were about fifteen feet from the end of the ramp. He then came off the emergency brake and floored the car. Abruptly, the car seemed to shift in an impossible way. It caught traction and Time, Hitman, and the Lexus slipped through the trap.
“God damn boy,” Hitman said excitedly. He was looking back at the police vehicles as they scrambled to resume the chase without hitting each other.
“We’re on the Boulevard now. The path is only about a half mile up.” Time grabbed the .9mm and unstrapped his seatbelt. “Get ready,” he said slowing down.
“Now,” Time yelled making the perfect stop. They bailed out. Time lead the way in the darkness with Hitman following. They maneuvered through the wooded area dodging branches. After they had run about a hundred yards, Time suddenly stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Hitman asked.
“You hear that?”
“What?” Hitman listened to the nighttime noises. All of a sudden, he could hear a helicopter. Its rotating blades were reverberating above their heads. A high beam scanned the area and they could hear the sound of dogs barking.
“Fucking dogs! I hate those things!” Time sprinted off again with Hitman right behind him. After they ran another hundred yards, they reached a clearing. “Which way?” Hitman asked desperately. The helicopter beam seemed to be following them.
“I can’t see!”
“We have to swim,” Hitman whispered hearing the approaching dogs.
“Hitman, I don’t know how to swim.”
“Look all you have to do is paddle your arms. The current will carry you. We’ll stay close to shore so you can stand if you have to.”
Time listened to the rushing river. It seemed to be so powerful and intimidating. “The current will kill me!”
“Those white people will kill you if you don’t!”
Time thought about it. “I can’t do it,” he finally said. “We’re going to split up. Listen… we’ll both try to make it to Tip’s house.”
“Al
right.” They gave each other a pound and Time watched Hitman run along the bank, then disappear over the top.
Time sprinted off again, only to find himself quickly surrounded. “Get down,” a voice shouted. “Get all the way down,” another yelled. Time froze in place hearing their guns moving into action.
He fell to his knees, then his stomach, and waited for them to apprehend him.
To be continued…
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Killer Diamonds Page 13