Tears of an African violet

by Jessica Gereaux

  “I need you. Are you busy?” I said when he answered.

  “Damn, I’ve been waiting for you to say that shit for a long time.” His baritone voice floated over the line.

  “You make me sick. You know that?” I laughed.

  He laughed right along with me. He knew like I knew we could always fall in bed together. Lord knows that man could handle me the right way.

  “I’m on my way home. What do you need?”

  “I looked at the security tape again. I don’t know how I missed it.”

  “What did you miss?”

  “The guy Gio was with at the funeral, Blue. He saw the shooters come in. He wanted to run, but he waited until the prayer started. Then he tried to leave, and that’s when the shooting started. He and Gio disappeared out the window.”

  “Damn, how did we miss that shit? So we know they were shooting at Blue and Gio,” he mused.

  “If I know Gio, he’s involved. At the funeral, it was something about Blue that I ain’t like. So if he’s hanging with Gio, something is wrong with him anyway.”

  “Dallas and Houston have been getting word from the streets. The Fangs, Skulls, and Widows got robbed a few days ago. It’s been an all-out war ever since.”

  “You gotta be shittin’ me. Who needs some shit like this right now? Do they have any real idea who did it?”

  “Nobody on the street does yet. Dallas said something, though, that got me thinking. He said the only people at war are those three.”

  “Who ain’t at war?”

  “The Tanzanites,” we said in unison.

  “I’ll be there in about ten minutes.” He hung up.

  I knew Gio had something to do with this shit. I knew it that day. Black came into the garage; he came straight downstairs.

  “So what are you thinking?” he sat on the side of Kari’s desk.

  “Gio knows what is going on. I feel it in my bones. I know for sure Blue is involved. The Tanzanites want them dead, or they are doing a helluva job trying to scare them. Here, see for yourself.” I played it back.

  “If Gio didn’t know he was being hunted, he knows for certain now. Do you know where he is?”

  “I know he is still in the city. He came by the house, my mama’s house, and Mama G’s house. He acted like a damn fool over there.”

  “He can’t be dumb enough to stay in the city.”

  “Yes, he can. He ain’t got too many places to go. If I know him, he is hanging on being broke.”

  “Where can he be hiding out?”

  “It’s not too many places he can be. He’s either at his house or wherever this Blue person is staying.”

  “It ain’t going to be hard to find out.” He turned on Kari’s computer,

  remotely logged into his systems, and got to work. He took Blue’s face and ran it through his database, pulling up his street credits and police records.

  “He is a street-level runner for the Tanzanites.”

  “I’m getting a nasty feeling. A real nasty feeling. I have got to find him, and when I do….”

  “Now, hold on for a minute. You can’t go kill the man.”

  “The plan is to make him suffer. How could he do it? Who could sit at her funeral and act like they don’t know what the fuck is going on?” I pounded my fist on my desk.

  “A sick, sorry mothafucka, that’s who. We can’t go cowboy on this; we got to work this the right way. It’s our bounty on his head.” That sinister tone meant his mind was working.

  “I’ve got the perfect plan to get him out of wherever he is. One thing he wants to get to more than anything is the kids.”

  “Isn’t that a bit obvious?” He raised his eyebrow at me.

  “It’s so obvious, it’s going to work. He’s blinded by the need to see them. It’s going to be the only way to flush him out.”

  “You think so? He won’t think something is off? I mean, you don’t just offer him shit,” a smirk crossed his lips.

  “I’m not offering him anything. He’ll call me again. He’s desperate for some reason to see them.”

  “He probably thinks they have or are getting some insurance money. But, I mean, you said he is always almost broke.”

  His words were like a sonic boom. It was clear as a fucking bell.

  “He thinks they know the combination to the safe. So he wants to get that out of them. Dirty son of a bitch!” I kicked my desk.

  “Damn, G, you tryin’ to get money out of the kids. I heard some low shit, and this falls below that shit,” his mouth wide open in shock.

  “If that son of a bitch thinks he is getting my kids, he is sadly mistaken. I know for a fact there is nothing he can do about it. He has to die,” I said through gritted teeth.

  “What do you want to do?” He sounded cold.

  “I’m going to find Blue and Gio. Then I’m going to get my wife back. She is waiting for me.”

  “I’m behind you 100%. What do you need me to do?”

  “I need you to find out if Jacob got any more information on that van. I’m going to find this Blue and Gio.”

  “Now, wait, you….”

  “I’m not going to kill them. I need your help.”

  “I am listening.” He interlaced his fingers.

  “I need a clean-up crew van to bring them to the labs,” I paced as I thought on my feet.

  “I have rooms ready at any time. The crew is ready at the button. What are you thinking?” He raised an eyebrow at me.

  “I’m going to find out a few things, and I will work my way up. Starting with Blue and Gio. Blue is connected to the Tanzanites, and Gio is connected to Blue.” I sat back down at my desk.

  “Do you want to go to war with them? It isn’t good for business,” he asked calmly.

  “The war started when they kidnapped my wife and made me think she was dead! I told you I would burn this city to the ground. You thought I was joking? I meant that shit,” my words were laced with ice.

  “I know you meant the shit. It’s an all-out war out there on the streets. Every other day there is some kinda hit going down between the three of them.”

  “You going to help me or not? ’Cause I want the best, but if you won’t, I don’t mind calling your competition. Money talks in this business.” I stared at him.

  “They don’t call you the Black Ice Queen for nothing. I’ll only charge you 25% ’cause I love Kari too, but a brotha gotta eat.”

  He stood and pulled me close to him. He inhaled the coconut oil in my hair. I inhaled the sandalwood fragrance he was wearing. He smelled delicious, and if I was in a moment of weakness, I wasn’t sure what would happen, but I was sure it would be good.

  “DellaKae, you are a fiercely amazing woman. You never cease to amaze me. Do you have a limit, woman?”

  He held me close to his chest. I felt his words reverberate in his chest as he spoke.

  “You better be glad I love you, calling my government out like that. The war is the cover I need to drop bodies.” I smiled up at him.

  He kissed the top of my head and let me go.

  “What kind of lab should we set up for our new guest?” he asked me with a growl in his throat.

  I had a million ideas running through my mind. When we were younger, I let Black Ice Queen do the work. She never gave a fuck about anything or anyone. As I got older and the game changed, she evolved into the shadows.

  “I would expect nothing but full service from Black, the Ice King himself. We did good work back then.” I flashed a devilish grin at him

  “I can honestly say it has been a pleasure to clean up after you. You have a style that is your own, and I still love it. How did a sweet girl like you become so….”

  “I was trained by the best to be the best. I happen to be creative at what I do. I need the works, because like I said, I plan to make him suffer.”

  “The King is at your service. Seems like we have work to do, don’t we?” his sinister grin crept across his face.

  “When he calls aga
in, I’m goin’ to set it up, so I will go pick him up and take him to the kids. I bet my last dollar they are hiding out together. I need y’all to come for the heavy lifting. We’ll knock them out and bring them to the Lab. Lock them down and hold them in a pod.” My adrenaline pumped.

  Black was right; this was a job. Only now, it was way off the books, and I was in complete control. I knew one thing: they fucked with the wrong one, and nothing or no one was going to get in my way. I dialed Houston and let him know to get back to the labs asap. I had to handle Houston the hothead carefully. He wanted to get the people who killed his auntie. They didn’t know I was about to give them that and then some. I went upstairs and changed clothes. A black cape with the holsters on the inside would be perfect. Checked my black pearl-handled stun gun to make sure it was charged. In the kitchen, I grabbed an apple. It was dark, and the moon was out. My phone rang, and a slow smile spread across my face. He was like a moth to a flame.

  “Don’t hang up, Kae, please,” he said when I answered the line, “hear me out. I know we don’t have much love for each other. I know you wouldn’t let anything bad happen to my kids. As a parent, though, I want to talk to them and hear they are ok. You can understand that parent to parent, huh?”

  He sounded like he was pleading his case in court. But, instead, he tried to appeal to my better nature, parent to parent. He had no idea I was about to be his judge and jury.

  “Gio, parent to parent, I do understand. You’re wrong; however, I don’t have any love for you. I do, however, love my kids. Surprisingly they want to see you too.”

  “They do? Oh, hell yeah! I miss them no matter what you think,” He sounded like a little boy at Christmas.

  “I told them you asked about them, and they said it was ok with them. I’ll take you to them. With everything going on out there, they are in hiding.”

  “I heard it was a war out there. I know someone robbed somebody, and now they are raining hell down on the city.”

  He sounded like a concerned parent. He must have practiced this conversation before he called.

  “I’ll come to pick you up and take you to a meeting place. Where are you?”

  “I got my place in the Hills. I live on Grandvine and Hutch court, the second white house on the left,” he rattled off.

  “Ok. I’ll be there in an hour, be ready. I’ll call and have the kids picked up. But, Gio, I ain’t for no bullshit. Don’t do something that would make me fuck you up,” I said with an attitude.

  “I only want to talk to them and lay eyes on them. I’m their daddy, and I do give a fuck about what happens to them.” He again was calm and sounded rational.

  “You get one chance- don’t fuck it up. See you in an hour.” I hung up.

  I secured the office before I left. Even though he didn’t give me a house number, I pulled up the streets on the map in the car. I knew exactly where he was and how to play this out. My phone rang, and the Bluetooth screen showed it was Black.

  “Everything ready?” I answered the phone.

  “Yeah. Houston is pulling up. Everybody is suited and ready to work.”

  “Good. I talked to Gio, and he is waiting for me to come to pick him up. I need the black vans on this one. I’m on my way to you now.” I pulled on the main road and headed to the Lab.

  The Lab was beyond the boundaries of the city and county. Sort of a gray area on the map. The land was zoned for chemical and metal works. When Black first bought the property, I had no idea what he planned to do with it. He could run his clean-up business from here and handle other businesses on the other side. He linked his systems to our satellite, and it rarely went down. He was completely off the grid out here. Even his power source was completely solar and generator-based. One side was the tech and offices where his team developed their patented technology and data programs. If there was a place cleaner than his, I dared anyone to find it. His whole life was clean. Most offices would be white, but he had black marble and stone. The other side of the property held the actual pods and cells. It was like an underground prison, and the above-ground looked like an intake for a mental institution. Cameras and security doors were everywhere. There truly was no escape. It was made up of several pods and holding cells. The pods themselves are modified holding and sensory deprivation chambers.

  Imagine sitting in a room filled with nothingness, just your breath and your thoughts. There were two types of pods: the chair and the X. The chair had restraints at the wrist, ankles, neck, and head with electronic locks and was suspended mid-air. The other option to the pods was the X. The occupant would be stretched out like an X and held up by your wrist and ankles with industrial restraints. They would tell me what I needed to know. I pulled up to the front of the building, where Black, Dallas, and Houston stood outside.

  “How y’all holding up?” I hugged Dallas and Houston.

  “We good, auntie, ready to put in this work.” Dallas was brooding with anger.

  Houston didn’t say anything. Instead, his energy oozed off of him. He was ready to attack the first thing moving. I patted him on his chest to calm him down a bit.

  “Here’s the plan. Houston, you drive and park the van in the alley. Y’all two hide on the side of the front door. I’ll ring the bell. He sees me and opens the door.” I stared at each of them. “We hit him with stun guns, but we hit him hard and knock him out. We search the house in case that Blue guy is hiding out too. Black and Dallas, I need you to do the heavy lifting.”

  “What about Blue? What do we do with him?” Dallas asked.

  “He’s coming with us. He has the information I need. Trust me, guys, we are going to make this right. You wanted a chance to be on my team. Now is your test,” I said in commanding officer mode.

  I hadn’t told them that she was alive. I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up just in case. But, either way, shit was about to hit the fan.

  “Yes, Ma’am,” they said in unison.

  “Black, is everything ready for receiving?”

  “Everything is prepped and ready. They are at your full, and I do mean full disposal.” That evil flashed in his eyes.

  I knew he was ready to get down and dirty with me tonight. I winked at him.

  “Let’s go; he’s waiting for me.”

  Black tossed Houston the keys to the van. I got in my car, and they followed me to the Hills. I pulled up in front of the house while Houston parked in the back a couple of places down. And I waited for Dallas and Black to come around the corner. We walked up the steps, they moved in position. I pulled my hood off before I rang the doorbell. When the door opened, it wasn’t Gio but Blue. Someone had already slapped him around. He looked nervous to see me. I smiled my most charming smile.

  “Gio is expecting me,” I said.

  He opened the door a little wider. Black swooped in and punched him in the face, knocking him back. Dallas and I came behind Black and shocked Blue until he fell to the ground. Black punched him in the face again, and then he was snoring. I tucked my stun gun back in my pocket. Black drug Blue’s body out of the doorway and hid. Dallas hid on the other side. Gio walked down the stairs.

  “I’m already here, Gio,” I yelled from the front hallway.

  He came down the hallway to the front door. As soon as he saw me, he smiled, opened his arms for a hug, and Black punched him in the face from the left, and Dallas tasered him from the right. He fell to the ground, twitching. Black hit him again, and he snored softly.

  “I’ll get Houston. Y’all tie them up and move them to the back door,” I said and disappeared to the back of the house.

  The neighborhood was quiet. I waved for Houston to come down the alley, and he backed into the small driveway. Dallas and Black loaded them in the back of the van. Black shot both of them with a sedative and then strapped them to the benches. Houston took off back to the Lab. I made sure both front and back doors were locked, then made my way to the Lab. I went to the control room. Black was already there waiting on me.

&nbs
p; “They are ready for you. Neither one has woken up yet.” He turned on the monitors for each room.

  Blue sat locked in his chair by his wrist, ankles, and head. Gio was stretched out like an X bound at the wrist and ankles. He had a metal collar around his neck that was connected to his wrist with metal bars. They were both naked and blindfolded and shook from the cold. I closed my eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. When I opened my eyes, the Black Ice Queen had arrived.

  “Turn the sound on for both and the mic for Blue. I want Gio to hear his friend,” I narrowed my eyes.

  He clicked a few buttons then pointed to the mic. I pressed a button to shock Blue awake. He felt the jolt from his balls to the top of his head. He jerked awake and tried to jump out of the chair; he was secured. Blue started screaming and woke up Gio. He jumped, but there was nowhere to go suspended in mid-air. Gio didn’t start screaming but tried to wrestle himself out of his restraints. He realized he couldn’t move his head or see. Completely exposed summed it up. He heard Blue screaming but quickly realized Blue couldn’t hear him.

  “When you stop screaming, the sooner you can go home,” I said to Blue.

  He screamed for a few more seconds, then he stopped. He was out of breath and probably thirsty.

  “That’s much better. Blue, listen to me?”

  “Ye... yeah, I hear you. Where the fuck am I?” he yelled.

  “You have something I want, and I’m going to ask you nicely for it first,” I replied.

  “I don’t have shit. Who the fuck are you? Wait, I kinda recognize your voice,” he tried to turn his head in the direction of my voice.