Rapture: Where are our Children (A Serial Novel) Episode 3 of 9

by Gary Sapp

will be enough.”

  Xavier nodded in Grace’s direction. “She’s right. The safe house idea is a splendid one and I think we should implement it immediately.” Xavier found Quincy’s gaze. “Expedite the admission policy for a Peacekeeper position in the Atlanta area only. Do not arm these prospects until a full back ground check and gun training are completed as per usual policy. Still, these new recruits can serve us the front line defense against these potential kidnappings in our neighborhoods. Let’s hope that the sight of Khaki suits and sneakers will be enough.”

  Surprisingly, Quincy was nodding in agreement. “I would love the opportunity to use our more seasoned troops in campaign directly against Pandora. I’m sure Grace can supply us with a target or two, a stronghold or a point of interest that we can attack while they are full of themselves and vulnerable.”

  Warren’s face brightened even more as a large smile graced his pink lips.

  “Hell yea,” Was all he said.

  Xavier shook his head.

  “And why not,” Quincy looked up at the man standing near him. “If these veteran Peacekeepers aren’t going to be used to supplement the recruits in the protection of our young—

  “You will have your war with Pandora in due time, my friend.” Xavier sucked on his toothpick and patted his Sargent at Arms on the shoulder. He leaned down and spoke loud enough for all of them to hear, but his words were specifically spoken for Quincy’s ears alone. “I have a little somethin’ somethin for your Peacekeepers to handle for me first.”

  Quincy’s eyebrows raised and a light seemed to go on in his eyes. The man’s interest had definitely been raised. “I can’t wait to hear what you have in mind, Number One.”

  Xavier stood as large as his petite frame allowed. “I told you when we gathered in here how proud I was of each of you while I was away at Calhoun. I meant every word.” He eyed Percy Harrison first and the man seemed to shy away from his gaze. You are indeed a humble man, Percy. “You stepped into your role while I was away, and now you are filling the shoes of a great lady who has passed on to a better eternity than the fate that was given to her in life.”

  Now he faced down Warren Washington and struggled to keep the sneer of contempt from curling his top lip. As a human being you are not much better than Senator Lavelle. You’ve been pampered, praised and highly paid your entire life. Still, he had almost single handily brought the Hollywood crowd to their doorstep. Warren had powerful friends with very deep pockets. Xavier lowered his voice a decibel. “You secured our business arraignment with the Liberians, Warren. And I can appreciate how difficult it was for you to keep the millions of dollars off the books.”

  Warren looked apologetic. “It wasn’t good enough, Xavier. The IRS still found the pipeline that led them back to here…back to you.”

  It did. But in Xavier’s eyes, the two years he served for laundering and racketeering money would prove well worth all he had gone through in that hell of a place. Chris, your government friends still haven’t figured it out.

  And by the time they would it would already be too late.

  A House of Chains had latched themselves to the Liberian people, or at least with an ethnic minority in their civil war. The government eventually found the channels that told them that Xavier’s people here in the states, were laundering money to buy weapons for this minority to fight their oppressors. Xavier Prince, the true leader that he was, fell on the proverbial sword and pled guilty to all charges and served time at Calhoun for the crimes of his House. But even finding me guilty, your sister agency was still sloppy in their investigation, Chris. They never found these so called millions that a House in Chains had earned for distributing these semi-automatic guns, these explosive devices, these rocket launchers and other weapons of war that the report said was enough hardware to arm a small army.

  Your peopled didn’t find the money, Chris, because we weren’t selling weapons big brother…we were buying them.

  “My arrest and incarceration was necessary to stop the investigation before our government found out what we were really up to.” Xavier’s voice was a whisper.

  To Grace Edward he said: “You are the Circle’s rock, my lady.” She wouldn’t hold eye contact with him, but she could not help but blush. “Your efforts are tireless and your professionalism is unmatched of anyone who sits between these walls.” He heard his own tone alter to one of reflection. “I wouldn’t have survived my visit to Calhoun without you. It was you who kept me informed on what was going on the outside both professionally…and what was going on in my boys’ life. It was you who turned me on to the presence of Officer Evans and the other friends of this House who were on the inside. As I’ve said before, you are the Circle’s rock. You are my rock, Grace.”

  “I am here to serve you, Xavier,” She finally looked into his eyes…and for the briefest moment, he thought he saw something there that she had somehow kept buried deep in her soul for no one to see. It can’t be. God bless your poor soul if it is. “I live to serve our House.”

  He peered down at Quincy Morgan…and felt the other man steel himself for whatever words found their way out of his mouth.

  “And you, old friend,” Xavier grinned and to the shock of all who sat in this room, of all who were members of the Circle, watched as the sitting man grinned as well. “It is not often that you and I see eye to eye is it, Quincy?”

  Quincy pulled out his penny again and turned it over in his large hand to that each side of it came into view. “I like to think that we are opposite sides of the same coin, Number One.” He said.

  “Perhaps,” Xavier nodded his head. “But we had a list of campaigns for your Peacekeepers to complete while I was away.”

  It was Quincy Morgan’s turn to nod.

  He told Xavier that the Peacekeepers had netted that asshole that was doing those home invasions in predominately Black neighborhoods near Six Flags about six months earlier. They also nabbed the cross dressers who were hitting small business owners and even some churches off of Simpson and Tyler streets.

  “They were easy pickings.” Warren added.

  “We were also able to finally locate the twins as well.” Quincy said.

  Xavier nodded, remembering the Intel on them when his days sometimes grew particularly long…and lonely in that cage. Twin males who were originally from Jamaica were hiding in parking lots of Mom and Pop establishments and specifically were targeting single black women and the young kids that were riding in cars or walking with them. They would kidnap the women and force the kids, with the threat of murdering all involved, to watch why they raped their mothers. When they were being real nasty, they would shoot the mother anyway, even if she had fully cooperated, leaving these young children to fend for themselves for hours before help arrived.

  “The APD wasn’t making in ground in their investigations. We found them first.” Quincy’s smile had gone the way of the telegram. “It was an honor killing them both myself.”

  Xavier lowered himself in Quincy’s private space and said: “There is only one item that your people did not complete to my satisfaction.”

  “Carver,” The other man made the word a statement. He slowly stood to face down his leader. “Forgive me, Number One, but I figured with what was transpiring between our House and Pandora that you had shied away from a campaign that we eat up so many resources, material and manpower. Bishop is not going anywhere. Carver can wait.”

  Percy rubbed at the hair of his thin mustache. Warren’s gray eyes shifted back and forth in anticipation of what might transpire between the two men next. Even Grace had stopped with her note taking and looked as if she were holding her breath.

  “Carver will not wait. In fact those poor people have waited far too long already.” Xavier pointed at the great men in the mural above the table. He walked over to the other side and stood directly underneath the figurine that had been his father, Isaac Prince. “Read my father’s three mandates again.” He said to all of them. “If you do you will
certainly understand my rationale. We are to respect self, we are to respect family, and we are to respect community,” He said at the top of his voice. And when his Circle no longer dared to blink their eyes in his wake he added in a softer tone. “And the people of that community have suffered for years under the rule of hoodlums, the gangs, and lower life’s that came before, and those who would eventually displace the Choir Boys some day in the future. We gave our word that someday we would liberate them. I gave my word.”

  “Respectfully, Number One,” Quincy said cautiously. “Pandora is a more immediate threat to the Black community as a whole than these lowlife gang bangers and drug dealers will ever be. If 411 is not evidence of this then I don’t know what else is?” Quincy took a few long strides and was standing next to his leader in no time. “We know that some type of provocation is launching soon if not already under way. Serena Tennyson represents a clear and present danger to our people,” It was the Sargent at Arms turn to look at each member of the Circle, one and then all. “Ernestine Johnson has already fallen, must we all die before we bring the fight to Pandora’s doorstep.”

  Xavier stepped into the taller man’s shadow. Xavier knew that he was unlikely to last long in any physical confrontation with Quincy Morgan but he held his ground and the