by Tra Verdejo
When Tuna got the call, he gathered all the troops back in the apartment and related the news.
“Listen, fellas, we just got word what kind of rifle was used to kill the girl. I know it wasn’t one of ours, so I apologize.”
Everyone looked relieved, no one wanting friction among the team, usually the first sign of a sinking ship.
“I know everyone is happy to hear the good news,” Tuna said. “But now it really throws a wrench in it. If we didn’t kill that girl, and Lucky didn’t, then who shot her?”
“How we know Lucky didn’t kill her himself?” Floyd asked.
“That’s not his style. I think maybe there’s a third party involved,” Tuna replied.
That was the question of the day. Who shot Diamond?
As Tuna was about to talk to the crew about a new plan, The Watcherz called him upstairs to take a call.
Tuna went upstairs, grabbed the phone, and didn’t bother to ask who it was. He already knew the commissioner was on the other line. “Hello, Mr. Commissioner.”
“Oh, it’s not the commissioner, you bitch! Surprise! It’s your worst nightmare.”
“Lucky, you got some nerve calling me here.” Tuna snapped his fingers at The Watcherz, so they could start a trace.
“I see you got yourself some hired guns from out of town. You think I don’t remember you mentioning your cousin Floyd from Florida? He’s one of the best bounty hunters in the state, so you say. How the fuck is he the best, and you still don’t know where I am?”
“Don’t worry about me. You need to worry about yourself, and what will happen when we do catch you. Trust me, one day you will run out of luck, Lucky.”
“Ha! Ha! I know that’s what you’re wishing for.”
“You will slip up. Just like we found your little girlfriend, we will find you. Talking about your little girlfriend, whatever happened to her? I heard she never turned herself in. What a shame.”
“Fuck you! This will come back to haunt you. Remember the Jersey job? And, for the record, I know you didn’t pull the trigger—You don’t have the balls.”
“You know I have the balls to pull the trigger. I don’t even know why you would question my actions.”
“I know you didn’t shoot her.”
“How you know, Lucky? Please enlighten me,” he said, looking at The Watcherz, wondering why they hadn’t located Lucky’s signal yet.
“Because I killed her. I couldn’t take the risk of her talking. I pulled the fuckin’ trigger, and I’m coming after you next, bitch!” Lucky slammed the phone down.
Tuna pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it in disbelief. Lucky had caught him off guard with the call. He didn’t understand why he would kill her. That was out of character for him, but it made sense. What really puzzled him was the mentioning of the Jersey job. He didn’t see the connection.
As the captain was about to leave the apartment, the phone rang again. He turned around, ran back, and answered the phone.
“Listen, when I catch you, fuckin’ little rat, I’m going to rip your fuckin’ heart out!”
“This is not one of your little playmates on the line.”
Tuna tried to clear up his voice when he realized it wasn’t Lucky on the line. “This is Captain Youngstown. How can I help you?”
“Please, Tuna, cut the crap. It’s the commissioner. Is this line secure?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Remember that job I wanted you to take care of for me in New Jersey?”
“Which job?” Tuna asked, playing dumb.
“You know, when we hit those gunrunners and we kept five assault rifles for ourselves. Remember those weapons? I can’t recall the names.”
“I think I remember that job. But, boss, why are we talking about the Jersey job, anyway?”
“The girl that got killed in Harlem today was assassinated by slugs that were fired by one of those rifles.”
Tuna went silent on the line, finally figuring out why Lucky had said this would haunt him.
“Tuna, please explain how that could happen when I specifically told you to destroy those weapons. This could land us in some serious boiling water, and if my name comes up even as a rumor, I’m throwing you under the bus. Got it?”
“I understand, but let me explain. Lucky is behind this. He killed the girl in Harlem. It’s a ploy to set up my unit. He must have kept one of the rifles.”
“Lucky killed the girl? It makes sense, but I’m going to need proof he pulled the trigger. But how in the world can he have kept one of those when I asked them to be destroyed?”
“I thought they were. He’s usually the guy who destroyed all the evidence. I didn’t know he kept one. Let me ask you this. Why do I need to prove it? I know no one from my squad pulled the trigger.”
“Please, Captain…just like you told me all five rifles were destroyed. I’m not taking anymore chances with your reckless unit. I need proof. You better hurry up and get this Lucky situation under control ASAP. Your career and life depend on it.”
“How easy we forget. You hired my reckless unit on many occasions to handle your dirty deeds. Now you can’t believe a word coming out of my mouth. I know for a fact he killed the girl. I have him on tape, confessing the murder.”
“If you have him confessing on tape, that’s perfect. Let’s release it to the press.”
“Didn’t you say you don’t want your name to surface near this case? If we release the tape, it will open the possibility.”
“You’re right. Just handle the situation. Remember, you owe it to us. We’re doing everything possible on our end to make the Coleman case disappear. Good-bye. I’m hanging up.”
Tuna walked back downstairs and gave a brief update on what just took place. The team couldn’t believe Lucky was responsible for pulling the trigger, but they weren’t surprised.
Floyd, for the first time, realized why his cousin was having such a hard time with Lucky. “I see why you need help catching this son of a bitch. He’s a monster, for him to kill that girl in front of a police station, with a gun that could implicate the police commissioner of this city. This is one slick animal. We need to take him down like the dog he is.”
“I couldn’t agree more. That’s why we need to be a lot better at whatever we are doing. We need to pay attention to every little detail, go with your hunches,” the captain pleaded.
After Lucky got off the phone with Tuna, he sat on his chair and leaned back, mentally exhausted. His thoughts were getting him dizzy. These last few weeks had been the most intense in his whole life. He needed a few minutes of quiet time, so he sat there for a good seven to eight minutes in complete silence. You would have thought he knew yoga and was meditating.
Lucky snapped out of his daze when he heard the sound of a flushing toilet. He sat up.
Diamond came out of the bathroom. “So what happened, baby? Did they buy your story?” she asked.
“Yeah, I know they did. The plan is now in motion. In tomorrow’s headline, I will be wanted for murder. They will find a way to blame me. But at least this time I really did commit the crime. You were in that bathroom a long time. Did you wash your hands, stinky?”
“Don’t play with me. You know I did.”
Lucky was trying to soften her up before he dropped the bomb on her. It was time for them to separate. It was time for her to disappear.
“Baby girl, we need to talk. You definitely have to skip town. There is no way we can be seen together. This shit here is way past dangerous.”
“Trust me, daddy, I’ll never question your word again. After what you pulled off today, I’m amazed. I don’t know how you think of shit like this. You are a fuckin’ genius.”
“What do you mean, girl?”
“This whole setup thing between you and Sergio. You have been working on this for a long time. How did you know they would go in the restaurant and ask about me?”
“That’s why I became a cop. It’s a gift of mine. They fell into a trap
. It’s like I’m psychic. I’m always thinking of a way to outsmart my opponent. Anyway, I know the heat will be getting closer. I need you gone by the morning. Pick up a hundred thousand dollars from the storage spot. Your Honda Accord is still parked there, so take your keys. While you are in there, look for a shoebox that has the word cemetery written across it.”
“Cemetery?”
“That’s right, cemetery. Pay attention. Inside, you will find a red envelope with an address written on a piece of paper, and keys to a town house I own in Glen Burnie, Maryland.”
“Glen what? Come on, Maryland? Are you serious?”
“Didn’t you just say you wouldn’t question my words?”
“Okay, okay, I’ve just never heard of it before.”
“It’s nice and quiet. Trust me, you will love it. When you arrive there, get familiar with the area. That will be our new home. There’s a telephone number on there. The person on the other line, he will take care of all your paperwork.”
“Paperwork?”
“Yes, baby girl. You know, a driver’s license, social security card, and a job if you want one. You will have a new life and identity. You get a chance to start all over.”
“A new job and identity, huh. I see what you’re doing. Lucky, you are never coming back. You think I’m stupid?”
“C’mon, baby, you can’t think like that. Honestly, the chances of me surviving are real slim.”
“So then leave with me. We have enough money to disappear. You must have over two million dollars in that storage. Please say yes. Let’s just go.”
“I can’t. If I don’t kill them, I will be running forever. They won’t rest until I’m dead, either. I’m coming down there, baby. Don’t worry. Let me take care of business and eliminate these fools. The folders haven’t even hit the fan yet. It sounds like fun, but—”
“I know, I know. It’s too dangerous.”
“Oh, you’re being smart? Come here, girl,” Lucky said as he grabbed her. “You know I love you, right? I just want you to go down there and become a free woman. It’s time for you to shine.”
Lucky hugged her for a few minutes. He knew she was crying.
Diamond was so in love with Lucky, he probably didn’t realize how much. They got in bed, and she quickly started to please her man.
After hours of sex, Lucky was still up thinking about his next move. He’d already sent out all the packages. All he could do now was fall back. Lucky expected the federal government to get involved. He was lying in his bed, playing his plan over and over in his head, while Diamond rested on his chest.
He kissed her on the forehead and whispered, “Don’t worry, baby. Soon all this will be over.”
“I’m more worried about you, daddy.”
The next morning they both jumped in the shower. Diamond was trying to enjoy every last moment with him. While in the shower, she decided to fuck her man one last time. She moved the shower head toward the wall because she didn’t want to get her hair wet. She dropped to her knees and began to slowly kiss on Lucky’s balls, jerking him off with one hand, and rubbing his buffed chest with the other. Once Lucky was hard like a rock, she began to jerk him a little faster.
Lucky leaned back against the wall and enjoyed the show. Diamond then started to suck and kiss the tip of his dick while she looked up at him. Her eyes alone almost made him come.
He looked down at her and placed his hands on her face, one on either side, and slowly pushed his dick in and out of her mouth. Every five or six strokes, he would go deeper and deeper.
After a good five minutes of mouth-fucking, Diamond broke loose and started to suck him off exactly the way he liked it. She would go as deep as she could while jerking it then switch to no-hands and begin her deep-throat magic.
Lucky’s knees buckled, ass cheeks got tight, and he wasn’t even about to climax. That’s how good she could blow. Diamond never gave him head without swallowing his cream, which never took long. She was Lucky’s personal “Superhead.”
After he came, he flipped around and started finger-popping her to get the pussy ready. He always started slow, ignoring her cries about fucking her hard.
Diamond spread her ass cheeks apart with her hands and said, “Fuck me, baby. I want it right now. Kill this pussy!”
Lucky granted Diamond her wish, placing the tip in her pussy, enough to get her excited. Right before she opened her mouth to ask him to fuck her, he rammed his dick in her, and she let out a scream that almost burst his eardrum. He ignored her yells and continued ramming her pussyhole. Diamond was screaming for more, and that’s what she received. Lucky knew he was going to miss her great pussy, so he was up for the challenge of killing it.
They got out the shower and moved the party back to the bed. Diamond got on top and started riding his dick slowly. Every eight to ten strokes, she would jump off and suck his dick then jump back on. She was riding so hard, she was making her ass clap. Then she started shaking and squeezing her tits. She was climaxing, multiple times too, her eyes rolling to the back of her head. After she came, she jumped off and sucked all her pussy juices off his dick.
Lucky then flipped her on the bed and got on top. He bent back both her legs around her neck and began to eat her out.
Diamond always thought he did tongue exercises well. He had one strong tongue. He would press it against her clit and move it side to side, up and down, as quickly as he could. He always drove her crazy when he did that, and she climaxed a few more times.
She grabbed him by his head, pulled him up, and started kissing and licking all her juices from around his lips and chin. She whispered in his ear, “Daddy, I got my legs cocked back, what are you waiting for? Break this pussy in half.”
Diamond dirty talk was his Red Bull. He slid his dick back in her wet pussy and started to pound her out.
A good thirty minutes later, they were both laying across the bed out of breath.
“I’m going to miss you, daddy.”
“I will, too, baby girl.”
“Let me jump back in the shower. I need to hit the road.”
As she jumped back in the shower, he quickly turned on the news and logged on the Internet. He wanted to see if any new developing stories hit the press.
Lucky was laughing at some of the articles he was reading online. He said to himself, “You think the shooting shook up the city? Wait until these envelopes hit the press.”
Fifteen minutes later, Diamond came out the shower. While she got dressed, Lucky called up a taxi to take her to the storage facility. They hugged and kissed each other for a few moments.
Lucky wiped her tears and told her, “No worries. I will make it back safe. Stop crying. You have a long day ahead of you. Stay focused. Now is the time to be strong. Remember your training. This is the time when you need to apply your skills and survive. You feel me, baby girl?”
“I guess so. I know I will be all right. I just hope I see you again,” she said as she walked out the door.
Lucky stood by the front door and watched her walk down the hallway and catch the elevator. He felt bad about lying to her. He closed his front door and leaned against it, thinking about all the good times he’d had with her. He wanted to open the door and chase after her, but he couldn’t find the strength to go against his ego, his pride.
He didn’t have any plans of heading down to Glen Burnie and reuniting with Diamond. The house and the money he gave her were his buyout. He could only hope she didn’t break down when she realized the truth. In his heart, he knew it was better for her to start a new life without him. He didn’t want to keep holding her back. She was beautiful, young, smart, and a perfect female to marry. He didn’t want to ruin her future.
What really made him change his mind was when he looked through the scope and killed that girl in front of the precinct. Right before he’d pulled the trigger, he envisioned Diamond’s face. That scared him, and it was the sign he needed.
He leaned off the door and walked to his bedroom
. The guilt was starting to wear off. He knew he did the right thing and wasn’t about to beat himself over his decision. Plus, Lucky thought it would be a better idea to hide and live with his baby mother and daughter. He would always love Diamond, but when it came to his daughter, it was a no-brainer. He decided to work out and then rest, which usually helped to ease his mind.
A day later, Lucky was still depressed. He felt bad about sending Diamond away, but under the circumstances, he had no choice. He sat on the edge of his bed, and for the first time since the night Perry got killed, he caught an itch. An itch to snort cocaine.
Lucky quickly jumped off his bed and began to slap his head with both hands. He was trying to prevent those demons from recurring. This was the mental war the addicts talked about all the time. The war on drugs was a lifelong battle. The itch to relapse would come again and again.
Lucky was going through one of his withdrawals. He wanted to find a quick solution to help the pain fade away, and coke used to be that quick fix. He paced back and forth in his living room for about two hours, sweat pouring down his face. The only thing that saved him from snorting was, there wasn’t any cocaine in his presence. For the moment, he won the battle and was able to refocus on the task at hand. It wasn’t an easy recovery, but at least he was able to snap out of the hypnosis.
He went in the kitchen, grabbed a box of Apple Jacks cereal, milk, a spoon, and a bowl. He went back to his room and turned on the TV. He didn’t get a chance to pour the milk in the bowl before the TV got his attention. It seemed those envelopes were starting to hit their destinations. The news was reporting that there were numerous reports that lawyers defending different high-profile cases were receiving new evidence that could clear their clients of all charges.
Chapter Eleven
The Shake-up
“Good morning, everyone. This is Angela Stile, for BETV Channel 20 News. This morning, we are receiving numerous reports about different lawyers receiving packages through the mail with evidence that will prove their clients’ innocence. We are hearing that some of the evidence will prove their clients were set up by the NYPD. Unconfirmed reports are implicating the same officers involved in the shooting that killed Perry Coleman. We will have more on this story as it develops. Again, we have, I believe, three envelopes sent in total. This is Angela Stile, for BETV Channel 20 News.”