by Aija Monique
“Put her in the car,” Tommy ordered.
* * *
“Get those fucking cocksuckers on the phone, now!” Italian mob boss Joey Bono yelled.
“Frankie ain’t pickin’ up his phone, and neither is his boy Shun!”
“Find ’em! I don’t care if Frankie is my nephew. Where’s my brother Tommy in all this? He has always been weak in the mind when it came to Frankie. Those half-breeds are confused.” Joey and Tommy weren’t close. Joey felt that he was superior to Tommy because he was black and Italian. “I want my drugs and my money—now!”
“Joey! Frankie got pinched. The cops just told.” One of the younger members of the crew whisked in with the news.
Joey sat up in his chair a bit and put his fat hand on his cheek. “So my drugs and money are gone?” Joey rubbed his hands together as he stared down at the boy who had given him the news. Joey was about to give the order when his phone rang. It was a collect call from the Kern County Jail. He accepted the charges.
“Frankie, you better be calling me to let me know where you stashed my money and drugs.”
Frankie was confused. “What are you talking about? I was calling to make sure Shun and Phil had made the drop. I got pinched. Some undercover bitch hooked me. Now I’m looking at doing some time. Man, I hope Tommy cool. I didn’t a chance to call him and warn him about this bitch.”
“Oh, you won’t be doing time,” Joey said. “You’re certain Tommy is unaware about this, uh, what did you say this bitch’s name was again?”
“Theresa,” Frankie replied, his voice a bit shaky as he cracked under pressure.
“Good boy,” Joey said and hung up the phone.
Frankie walked back to his holding cell for the night. All kinds of things played out in his head. He couldn’t believe Shun and Phil hadn’t made the drop yet. They didn’t need him to do anything.
All of a sudden there was a huge commotion with a group of men in the holding cell. One of them pulled out a knife and started lunging at one of the other inmates. Frankie quickly moved as the crowd seemed to be pushing toward his area of the cell. As he got up to move out of the way, one of the men pulled him into the circle. As the others surrounded him, two inconspicuous men began to stab Frankie repeatedly. Frankie fell to the floor gurgling blood and convulsing.
CHAPTER 16
Run
Police sirens rang as the unmarked police cars sped to Phil’s residence in the Kern County Projects, only there was no sign of Phil. The hood was silent. Thugs stood outside the gates of Kern County Projects like foot soldiers, stiff as a board. Police barged in the project gates and set out a search of the campus and Phil’s apartment. Residents were questioned, but no one was willing to give up any information on Phil’s whereabouts.
No one knew of Shun’s involvement. Phil made it a point to water down Shun’s ability to run a crew or carry out a drug deal. Only Shun was more than capable. He was both careful and resourceful. These traits were absent from Phil’s skill set. Detective Santiago had her head in the clouds, while her stand-in partner rambled on about his thoughts on the missing suspect. Santiago was worried about her partner Cyrus. She hadn’t heard from him since the drug trade. She was worried sick, afraid he had gone rogue and catted off with the money. Santiago knew of Cyrus’s issues with gambling and knew what a high-rolling jerk Tommy was, so naturally, she worried that Tommy may know just where Cyrus was. Santiago worried that he was underground—or in the river. She could picture his smug grin barking orders and sitting back in his chair, in show of a job well done.
Santiago had to find Cyrus and the money before Tommy or Bakersfield police did.
* * *
The call for Flight 119 was heard all over the airport. Shun, Sophia, Cyrus, and Phil, and Junior were hustling through the crowded corridors, desperate to make their flight to Miami.
It was a nice place to vacation, full of beaches and clubs to tour. Vacation, however, in this particular outing, was more of a run-for-your-life deal. Sophia was cursing her wardrobe selection. She wanted to look hot to trot. They were on the run, so fashion was not even on the list. Shun had a Louis Vuitton backpack full of nothing but cash and a fake ID. Phil had the same. The only thing Phil Junior had was a handheld game and his school ID for boarding purposes. Cyrus just had his fake ID.
Shun and his crew scrambled in line with the rest of the passengers. They were so nervous their hands were sweaty and visibly shaking.
Shun stepped up to the stewardess, shaking like a leaf. He was literally having a panic attack about the possibility of being caught by the police. Sure, he was nervous about the plane ride, but he was usually OK after takeoff.
“Sir?”
Shun was blank and showed no response to the stewardess.
“Your ticket, please, sir,” the stewardess tried again to get Shun’s attention.
Shun handed her the ticket and waited for his receipt. The attendant took one of the tickets and handed Shun the boarding pass. Shun’s hands were shaking so hard it was almost as if he was using the tickets as a fan.
“Don’t worry, the takeoff is the most dreaded part of the flight. At least, for me, it is.” The stewardess took Shun’s hand and smiled. His heart dropped from anxiety for a moment too long. His brief encounter unnerved Sophia. She cleared her throat loud as hell.
Shun retrieved his hand and whispered a thank-you and walked briskly to the entrance of the plane. Once they were all seated and fastened in, their blood pressure began to lower to a normal state. All four adults could feel their fluttering heart beat normalize.
“We made it!” Shun smiled and took Sophia’s hand. “If we get out of this alive, I’m going to make you my wife,” he vowed.
Sofia smiled and lay her head on Shun’s shoulder. She felt safe and secure.
Phil noticed the two of them nestled together seemingly in love. He was still skeptical about Sophia’s true motive for choosing the life of a runaway criminal versus her nearly six-figure nursing job. She was head nurse at Bakersfield Hospital with very high merits. Phil didn’t think she was a con artist or anything. She was held in high regard for making sure his cousin had meds for his still-aching bullet wounds, but she didn’t have to throw her entire life away over a few missing medical instruments, supplies, and meds. Phil assumed she was a bad girl all along. She just kept that part locked away until she laid eyes on Shun.
Still, Phil was keeping an eye on her and Cyrus. Cyrus’s demeanor changed completely. The radio reported the killing of mob Boss Joey Bono’s nephew in the county jail the night before. Cyrus was unusually quiet. He had been that way since shortly after the announcement of Frankie’s murder. He was worried about his wife and newborn son, of course, but he was odd in his mannerisms as well. Phil couldn’t put his finger on it, but he was going to get to the bottom of it.
It didn’t take long for Phil Junior to fall asleep. Phil was so happy to have his son with him, he just stared at him. He didn’t know how he was going to tell his son that his mother died of a drug overdose. If it was up to him, he would take the “how” out of the equation and find the time to tell Junior that his mom was in a better place.
Sophia was half-asleep, dozing on and off as she was relishing being in her lover’s arms and enjoying the beautiful view. Although they were in the most dangerous position yet, she hadn’t a care in the world. Sophia felt like she and Shun could take on the world. She had only known Phil for a few weeks, and she knew Phil was a catalyst. His firecracker spirit was one she wanted Shun to leave behind, but soon after getting serious with Shun, she saw that getting rid of Phil would be out of the question. The two were at each other’s neck more often than not; however, if you mess with one, you mess with both.
Sophia could respect that, she just hoped that Phil’s react-first/think-last attitude didn’t get them all killed. She could guess that those same thoughts of worry presented in Cyrus’s brow. As she gazed up and over in his direction, she could see he was filled with worry and/
or nervousness He looked as if he was constipated.
Sophia liked Cyrus, but there was just something about his latest movement that suggested something else was worrying him.
* * *
Cyrus threw his head back onto his seat in an effort to try to relax. He noticed Sophia watching him from the corner of his eye, so to make sure he didn’t seem out of sorts, he pretended not to notice while wiping his sweaty palms on the lap of his jeans. Then boldly, he looked Sophia right into her unwavering stare and threw her a thumbs-up to indicate things were on the up and up. Sophia gave Cy a quick nod, then lay her head back on Shun’s chest. All she could do was pray for her new family. Sophia would take the scars, both physical and mental, away from Shun if she could. If she could, she would certainly take his place, in death.
CHAPTER 17
Low Life
Phil sat as still as can be. He was almost uncomfortable as Phil Junior rested his head on his shoulder. In that moment, Phil looked at his son’s face and promised to give him the world. More so than that, he would protect his son at any cost. He didn’t want Shun to think he had gone soft; however, his focus had changed dramatically and it was time to hang this shit up.
* * *
The pain in Shun’s side was giving him the business. He was eating extra strength Tylenols as if they were Tic Tacs and downing orange juice he spiked with vodka in hopes to numb the pain. As soon as Sophia was fast asleep, he gently moved her into a comfortable position before unfastening his seat belt to take a look at his wounds. The last thing he needed was to cause attention to his injury. Shun could feel his wound pulsating as it filled with pus and blood.
As he leaned over to touch his wound as gently as possible, the plane hit an air pocket, and the turbulence threw Shun onto his side and armrest. He yelped under his breath and cussed, but he managed to keep his painful outburst quiet. Shun was starting to feel overwhelmed with all that was taking place. He feared he couldn’t protect his growing family. The truth was that Shun wasn’t the same man as before his tour with the marines. After he was betrayed by the flag, his honor died but never his loyalty. Loyalty, however, was what life in the hood was about. Every move he made all resulted in his return to the Kern County Projects. He was beginning to think that in some aspects, Phil was right. He lived according to the laws of the hood, and he demanded those that fucked with him to do the same. What Phil lacked in managing his small empire he filled with a spirit of relentlessness when it came to people not following orders. He was the leader and the muscle. No man would be able to simply walk into his domain without permission. He had rules of engagement, and when those laws were broken, the crime was punishable by death. Shun could dig it. He was just ready to fly sky high.
Shun grimaced a bit as he got up to go to the bathroom. He made sure to check his side for traces of blood leaking from his wound. Confident that his wound wouldn’t strike the interest of others, he proceeded to the bathroom. Once inside, he lifted his T-shirt ever so gently and took a look at the damage. The gauze and tape were so matted with blood and pus, the gauze was stuck to his open flesh. His first thought was just to pull it right off in one full swing, but he knew that it would entice his skin to cry out.
Shun took a small piece of the tape off of his bandages to take a better look at the sore. It was much worse than he thought. The bullet wound was beginning to smell, and the redness spread. Taking the tape off his injury felt as if he were peeling his skin. He bit his lip and closed his eyes. He couldn’t bear to look at it and admitted to himself that he was scared. The bullet wound was indeed infected, and he needed to pay a doctor a visit fast. Peeling the soiled bandages off gently and slowly, his eyes grew wide. Shun could see the pus draining from the wound and his muscle rise and fall.
Panicking, he hurriedly put some ointment on his wounds and applied a fresh stack of gauze. He stood and stared into the distorted mirror, trying to pull himself together before leaving the small airplane bathroom. He wet his face in an effort to calm his spirits and retreated to take his seat next to his sleeping Sophia.
Shun’s tall frame passed through the aisle of the plane with ease. First class was a peaceful venture. He scanned the plane for the rest of his traveling buddies and caught sight of Cyrus. He was looking like he was constipated. He was sweating like a pig under a well ventilated soft breeze. Shun’s forehead wrinkled. Cyrus didn’t look good at all, which sent him to make a pit stop by his seat to check in on him.
Cyrus didn’t notice he had a small audience watching how uncomfortable he looked. When Shun tapped him on the shoulder, he nearly jumped from his seat.
“Bro! What the fuck is up with you? You look like you gotta take a shit. You sweating under the collar. Check yo’ self before you get the attention of a badge, nigga, for real, for real. These people will start to think you gotta bomb strapped to your chest or some shit.”
Cyrus’s stomach dropped when Shun said the word badge. He was leading a double life, and though Shun knew that he was a stand-up guy, he knew his confession in regards to his profession would drive a deep wedge between the two of them. “Man, it’s these wings. I’m scared as shit.” Cyrus knew it was far more than a plane ride bothering him, but he was glad that his anxiety fit well with the situation.
Shun looked Cyrus dead in his eyes as he spoke. He knew it had to be something more than his anxiety of flying, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Shun could understand his uneasiness. He fled from Tommy, leaving his newborn son and wife to face the music if Tommy saw fit to flush him out.
Shun felt bad that he was leaving his fam behind. He had Sophia, and Phil had his son. He wouldn’t be surprised if Cyrus wasn’t feeling jealous. He was alone and unable to protect his wife and son. It was Cy’s call, though. There were a few holes in his story, but he would address them later. Right now, he was just interested in making sure his family was safe.
Cyrus nodded at Shun to let him know that he was feeling better and ready to get his head back in the game. Shun bought it. He returned to his seat without questioning Cyrus’s ill mannerisms.
Cyrus was busy thinking about his job. He didn’t know if he could trust anyone but Dana. He trusted her as his partner, but they were both high-strung believers in the badge and its oath. Cy’s mind ran so much he could have sworn he could feel pressure in his head. He suddenly felt nauseated and emotional. In an effort to clear his mind, he went in search for a game to play to pass the time by.
Google had a cover story he couldn’t ignore. The death of Tommy’s nephew was going viral, and a few scrolls down were the fugitives about this weeklong killing spree. Cyrus felt his brow perspire. His stomach was weak. Scrolling down slowly to see the suspects wanted for the crimes, he said a small prayer.
“Fuck!” Cyrus exclaimed to himself. Fleeing with stolen property, now murder was added to the list of their crimes. He owed Tommy the money for his gambling debts. Money he acquired from Tommy’s own brother, mob boss Joey Bono, and now their nephew was dead.
“They gon’ kill us,” Cyrus realized.
Cyrus closed his eyes and expelled a sigh of relief as he saw the drawings and names of Phil and Shun. He didn’t wish any harm to his two childhood friends, but he had a wife and son to get home to. His job was his world as well. Cyrus quickly closed his search box and took a long swig of his Hennessey and apple juice. He wasn’t pleased that Shun and Phil were wanted men, but it did mean that he was in the clear of criminal activity. At least for now. Cyrus relaxed a bit and let his drink work to loosen his tight muscles. He felt so alone.
CHAPTER 18
Bye-Bye, Frankie
Phil’s mind was filled with what-ifs and worry. He was scared for his son. He didn’t care too much about his own well-being. He understood the life he chose to live. He would die by the hands of his brethren or end up spending the rest of his life in jail. Phil knew his fate, however, had different plans on how things would play out.
As Phil hunted for games and slot machines on his
phone, his search was interrupted by an emergency broadcasting system. “Amber Alert!” Phil paused as he waited on the information for the lost child and the possible suspect. Sure enough, Phil Junior’s police sketch filled the entire California database and its residents. Nervous, he powered his phone off and headed straight for Cyrus. He didn’t trust a word that came from his mouth. Now, more than ever, he needed Cy to man up and spill the milk.
Phil felt played. He was surprised to know that Frankie was in jail. He thought he had fled with the dough. He knew that something was amiss, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. It wasn’t too astonishing that Frankie was found dead in jail. He was going to die or become somebody’s bitch, that was a given. He still needed to confront Cyrus. He would start with Frankie—who, how, and why.
“So, is it true?” Phil jolted in a ploy to startle Cyrus. He figured if he scared him, he would just start telling all.
Cyrus shook for a slight second but quickly retrieved his composure. “Is what true?”
“Frankie!” Phil yelled.
“Yeah, unfortunately. They did him dirty. You know Tommy had him killed, right?” Cyrus said as he raised one of his eyebrows. He had this glaring look that suggested that he was the one pulling the strings. He didn’t know for sure, but he did know how Tommy and his crew operated from previous run-ins with the gang. It didn’t matter your connection or bloodline. Money and loyalty were the core of the Italian family.
“Damn, his own uncle, bro,” Phil said solemnly. “That nigga’s a beast.” Phil was staring at Cyrus’s forehead, wondering when he was going to chime in on the matter. “Yo, Cy. What the fuck, man! You look sick.”
“I’m cool. Just got a ton on my mind. I miss my woman and son.” Cyrus was so worried he could barely eat his lunch. He had his own set of problems with Tommy. He had to figure out how he would slip Tommy the money without Shun and Phil finding out. To tell Shun and Phil the truth could be deadly.