“Handled how?” she snapped. “You don’t even know where that situation is right now. She may be in a federal interrogation room right now running her fucking mouth about our whole operation.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he chided. “Abrianna Parker is nothing but a junkie street rat with no credibility. She can’t prove anything because she doesn’t know anything. And there’s nothing concrete linking her to us, not even a money trail. We’ve never paid her a dime. She was just a woman who crashed a masquerade party and ended up killing a guest. I have eyes and ears everywhere. If and when she pops up, I’ll cut her fucking head off.”
“You’re wrong,” she said. “You forgot about her friend who came out to the house with her that day. Shawn.”
“He’s not a problem.”
“For you! He’s still alive and making threats,” she said, heated.
Zeke jerked her closer. “Lower your goddamn voice.”
“Let me go.” She wrestled but failed to get away.
“If the kid had anything, he would have made a move already. But I’ll take care of him, too. Now chill the fuck out, you’re fucking up my vibe. We’re supposed to be having a good time.”
“How about you just have a good time without me?” Nevaeh wrenched herself free. “And don’t you ever manhandle me like that again. I’m not your property. We’re partners. Business partners. Remember that.”
“Oh? Only business partners now, huh? It’s that serious?”
“Damn right. At least until you learn not to break promises.” She marched off.
Zeke watched her go, shaking his head. “If I didn’t love that old broad . . .”
After eavesdropping on the lover’s spat, Kadir stepped to Zeke. “Care for an hors d’oeuvre, sir?”
“Huh?” Zeke pulled his gaze away from Madam Nevaeh’s firm backside. “What? Oh.” He looked at the offered tray. “What is it?”
“Snapper Crudo with Chiles and Sesame,” Kadir said.
Zeke pulled a face, but then selected one. “Sure. Why the hell not? Thanks.”
Kadir smiled.
“Hmm. Not bad.” Zeke munched, nodding his head.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Kadir responded. “And happy birthday, sir.”
Zeke finally looked straight into Kadir’s face and returned his smile. “Thanks.”
Abrianna and Draya fell in step behind Madam as she stormed away from Zeke. Madam Nevaeh bypassed the crowded downstairs bathroom and instead went to one on the second floor. However, when she attempted to close the bathroom door behind her, Abrianna and Draya shoved their way inside.
“What in the . . . who are you?!” Nevaeh reeled back. “What are you doing here?”
Abrianna closed the door. “Let’s skip the games. Why the hell did you set me up?”
“What?” Nevaeh took another step back. “I don’t even know who—Abrianna?”
Abrianna whipped out the gun she’d tucked behind her back and aimed it at Nevaeh. “Lower your voice,” Abrianna hissed, moving forward.
Draya fumbled, removing something from her pocket.
“I know it was you behind setting me up. You or your boyfriend, Zeke, out there. Which is it?”
Nevaeh took another step back. “You’re talking crazy.”
Abrianna inched closer. “That was the real price for those eight stacks, wasn’t it? I was to take the rap for killing that politician.”
“You’re crazy—just like your friend Shawn. I told him that I had nothing to with whatever happened at that hotel.”
“Is that why Zeke’s goon gunned Shawn down and tried to take my head off?”
She hesitated. “That was to make sure you didn’t talk to the police. I didn’t want your murdering Reynolds linked back to me.”
“Where is she? Where is Kitty?” Abrianna persisted. “I know she was one of your girls.”
Nevaeh shook her head. “I swear. I—I don’t know who you’re talking about. I already told your friend Shawn, I didn’t send anyone else to that hotel. Nor would I. It was your first date—with a very important man, may I add. Isn’t it more likely that your little drug habit I’ve heard so much about had something to do with what went on that night?”
“No,” Abrianna barked.
“No?” Nevaeh laughed. “Please. Look at you. You’re high now. You’re not sure what you did that night yourself.”
Wreathed by smiling friends, Zeke looked up to see his new partner, Blade Carlos, approach and offer him one of his trademark cigars.
“Don’t mind if I do.” He graciously accepted one and took a long whiff of the hand rolled treasure. “Ahh. Divine.”
Carlos chuckled and handed Zeke his double guillotine cutter. “Trust. There’s more where that came from, partner.”
Zeke accepted the cutter and snipped off the tip. “So everything is cool?”
“I’m waiting on word from my men now. They’ll call as soon as they finish loading up.”
“Good. Good.” Before he could ask for a light, one appeared from his right. He turned toward a familiar face.
“Well I’ll be damned. If it isn’t the old pain-in-ass Lieutenant Castillo. My bad. Ex-Lieutenant now, isn’t it?” He signaled to the people clustered around him and they instantly drifted away.
“Oh. They don’t have to leave on my account,” she said, looking around.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked.
She smiled. “I couldn’t miss a big night like this. Have to admit that I’m stunned by how much you’ve come up.”
“I’m not. I always knew that I’d land on top,” he boasted. “And I must say, you clean up well.” Zeke took and lifted her hand so she could pirouette under the arch of his arm. “Nice. Now what brings you here, Gizella?”
She blinked, momentarily taken aback by the use of her first name.
He continued, “I assume that you’ve crashed my party because you wanted something?”
“Maybe I was just in the neighborhood and wanted to see how the other half lives?”
Smiling, he shook his head. “You really shouldn’t bullshit a bullshitter. Besides, I already heard about you popping up all over the town, sticking your nose in places where it doesn’t belong—just like the good old days.”
“Humph. I must be losing my touch. I thought I was being inconspicuous.”
“Kind of like a freight train?”
Castillo laughed. “Well. My apologies. I am a little rusty.” She looked around. “So whatever happened to your old homeboys?”
“Come again?”
“You know . . .” She looked up, deep in thought. “What were their names? Ah, yes. Gunner and Roach. Where are they? I remember a time when they were practically your shadows.”
“Yeah, well.” He cast his gaze down. “Unfortunately, they were in a horrible car accident recently. It’s been quite an adjustment around here without them.”
“Oooh, that’s right. I did hear about that.”
“Oh?”
“I still have friends down at the station. They had a hell of a time identifying their bodies down at the morgue. A head-on collision is an ugly affair—but with a semi-truck? Sheesh. I can only imagine.”
Zeke’s smile faltered. “Yes. Well. They will be missed.”
“Well, of course,” Castillo sympathized. “You look like you’re really taking it hard.”
He cocked his head. “What exactly are you insinuating?”
“Insinuating? Oh. Goodness, no. I wouldn’t dare.”
“You would very much dare,” he said, no longer enjoying their game. “Now as much as I would like to continue this conversation, I do have other guests that I need to attend to.”
“Yes, of course. I certainly don’t want to hold you.”
“Not a problem.” He turned.
“It’s just that . . .”
He stopped, sighed, and then faced her again. “It’s just that what?”
“It’s just that, you know, there was a video
that went viral recently. It was one that captured your . . . shadows engaged in a wild shootout through the seventh district. It appears that they were really determined to take out a woman named Abrianna Parker. Do you know her?”
“No. Should I?” he lied smoothly.
“Well, I have it on good authority that she worked for your girlfriend Tanya Ellison’s escort service. I think that’s what they’re called nowadays.”
He laughed. “Your authority should check their facts.”
“Really? About which part?”
“Ms. Ellison works as a charity event organizer and a highly respected one at that.”
“Charity event organizer?” Castillo chuckled. “Man. You give some people a thesaurus . . . But I will recheck with my sources. Because they also told me that they’d matched their guns to the shitload of casings outside of Ms. Parker’s apartment.”
“Huh. That is strange. But I don’t keep tabs on what my employees or shadows do on their days off. Frankly, I was shocked when I saw the video myself.”
Castillo’s gaze narrowed. “Yeah. I’m sure it was very disappointing.”
“Wait. You don’t think that I had anything to do with it?” he said amused.
“Not at all. Not with you being such a good, upstanding citizen. Not to mention you having such powerful friends—like the people here tonight.” She turned and glanced around. “Let’s see. There’re lobbyists, politicians, defense contractors—and, if I’m not mistaken, a few retired generals.”
“You’re not mistaken. I collect friends from all walks of life. You never know whose back needs scratched or who can scratch yours. Too bad we never became friends. Who knows, I might have been about to do something to keep you from getting kicked off the force.”
“The Teflon Don at work, eh?”
They exchanged plastic smiles.
Zeke broke the silence. “Well. As much as I’ve enjoyed the conversation . . .”
“You’re dirty and I’m going to take you down,” she warned.
Kadir made the secret knock on the bathroom door.
Madam Nevaeh saw her opportunity and drew a quick breath to scream.
Draya pounced, shoving a chloroformed cloth over the Madam’s nose and mouth until she collapsed into her arms.
“Hey!” Abrianna pouted. “I could’ve handled it.”
“Let me guess. You were about to put her through a wall.”
Pouty, she shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Clear,” she called back.
Kadir and Julian rushed inside with a large insulated nylon bag with the Plume’s logo printed across it. In less than a minute, they folded Madam Nevaeh into the bag and zipped it up.
“Shouldn’t we like . . . I don’t know, poke a hole in the bag or something? What if she suffocates?” Draya asked.
Julian reached into his back pocket, removed a jack knife and then slashed into the bag. “Happy?”
Draya shrugged. “Another dead body is the last thing we need.”
“Let’s go,” Kadir said, impatient.
The women grabbed the top part of the bag and the men took the bottom. Together they exited the bathroom just as a bejeweled guest was poised to knock.
“Oh! Excuse me,” the woman said, frowning at the large bag and then glancing into the bathroom. But before she could ask them any questions, they were gone.
The four servers crossed through the house with only a few odd looks from the partying guests. In the kitchen, Tivonte’s real employees whirled around like human tornadoes, cooking, plating, and rushing food out to the guests.
Tivonte looked up only long enough to give his friends the thumbs up.
Zeke continued to be amused by former Lieutenant Castillo. “I’m dirty, huh? Do tell.”
Castillo crossed her arms and met his gaze head-on. “You’re a drug kingpin who thinks he’s smarter than everyone else.”
“Guilty. I do think I’m pretty smart.”
“I hate men like you,” she said, her smile fading. “Preying on society, doling out death to children. How the hell do you sleep at night?”
“Whoa.” He stepped back. “You really know how to bring down a party. I’ve been nothing but polite in letting you stay at my party when everyone knows I abhor party-crashers.” Zeke looked up and signaled to one of his men. “You wanna know what I think?”
“I’m dying to know.”
“I think that you’re still sore that you and that old boyfriend of yours, Captain Holder, have never been able to pin anything on me. Am I right?”
Castillo thought it over. “There might be a little truth to that.”
“Humph. It’s good that you can admit it.” Zeke puffed out his chest.
“But you know what they say: persistence pays off.” Her smile bloomed again. “We always knew that one day you’d fuck up.”
“What are you talking about?”
Blade Carlos reappeared at his side and flashed his badge in Zeke’s face. “Zeke Jeffreys, you’re under arrest for drug trafficking.”
“What?”
“Police! Everybody down!” A brigade of law enforcement in riot gear stormed onto the beautiful back lawn, shocking and alarming the guests.
“What the fuck?” Zeke howled.
Officer Steven O’Day, a.k.a. Blade Carlos snatched Zeke’s arms behind his back and slapped handcuffs on him. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything that you say . . .”
Castillo’s smile beamed. “Like I was saying, I couldn’t miss this night for the world.”
“You fucking bitch.”
“Yeah, I get that a lot.”
“Hurry. Load her up,” Draya ordered, opening the back doors of the caterer’s van.
“We are going as fast as we can.” Abrianna banged Madam’s head on one of the doors.
“Easy,” Kadir whispered.
Annoyed, she banged it again.
He frowned.
Abrianna shrugged. “I’m petty.”
“Are you two for real?” Draya hissed.
Abrianna climbed up, still holding the front of Madam’s body.
“Hey!” a voice barked.
Everyone froze.
“What are you guys doing over there?”
Abrianna, out of view, mouthed to Kadir, “Who is it?”
“Hey, I asked you guys a question.”
“Security,” Kadir mouthed back.
Horrified, Abrianna glanced around for a weapon.
Draya spun around. “Nothing. We’re just . . . grabbing some supplies for the kitchen.”
A large lineman-shaped security guy waddled closer to the open van door.
Draya partially closed one of the back doors in a vain attempt to block his line of vision.
“But what the hell is that?” He gestured to the bag and leaned forward.
Panicked, Draya rammed the door into the nosy security guard’s face, shocking him. However, she hadn’t seen the gun until it went off.
BANG!
Abrianna dropped Madam Nevaeh and screamed, “No!”
Instantly, the four-hundred-plus pound man flew backward and slammed against the back of the house and then dropped like a stone.
Abrianna raced to her friend. “Draya, are you all right?” She gathered her friend into her arms. “Speak to me. Say something.”
Draya lifted her shocked gaze to Abrianna. “How the fuck did you do that?”
Julian croaked, “Somebody tell me that I didn’t see what I just saw.”
Abrianna felt the weight of everyone’s eyes on her, especially Kadir’s. “I, uh, uh—”
“It came from over there,” a man shouted.
“Fuck. We gotta go,” Kadir said, leaning down and picking up Draya. “Get in the van,” he ordered.
Everyone hauled ass.
Julian climbed behind the wheel as Kadir placed Draya in the back of the van along with Abrianna and Madam Nevaeh.
For a brief moment, Kadir’s questioning gaze met Abrianna’s, but then he q
uickly slammed the doors shut—and raced to climb into the passenger seat beside Julian. “Let’s go!”
“What is it, Dr. Z?” Ned asked his mentor as he turned around, with his hands still high in the air as police swarmed around them.
“Nothing . . . I thought I felt . . .” He shook his head. “No. It couldn’t have been Abrianna.”
The van peeled off as a group of security goons rounded the corner and found their unconscious friend.
Rat-at-tat-tat-tat
Bullets punctured the back of the van, a few of them ricocheted, forcing them to duck or dive for cover.
“What the hell?” Julian shouted, bringing everyone’s attention to the line of police cars streaming on to the estate.
“Holy shit,” Kadir said, incredulous.
Julian’s foot came off the accelerator.
“Don’t stop,” Kadir shouted.
Julian hesitated, but then slammed his foot back down on the gas.
At the tail end, two police cars swerved and blocked the van’s fleeing exit.
“Don’t you fucking stop,” Kadir ordered again.
Julian tightened his grip on the steering wheel. As they blazed closer, and made it clear that the van wasn’t going to stop, the cops scrambled to get out of the way.
But it was too late.
“Hold on!” Julian cried, closing his eyes at sudden impact.
BAM!
Everyone and everything slammed forward.
The two police cars spun like pinwheels in the van’s wake.
Draya groaned.
“You guys okay back there?” Kadir asked.
Abrianna, sprawled beneath pans and supplies, pushed herself back up and crawled over to Draya.
Draya rolled onto her back. “What the hell, Jules? Are you trying to kill me?”
“She’s fine,” Julian said. “If Draya is bitching then she’s okay.”
“Are they following us?” Abrianna asked.
The guys checked their mirrors. “Not that I can tell,” Julian said, relieved.
“Yeah. Well. We better get off this road just in case.
“How is our other passenger?” Kadir asked.
Conspiracy Page 28