“What the fuck!? Who takes a mans’ shoes?” I asked myself.
My phone rang in a muffled tone under the pillow. It was Ci.
“Hey, Zu, you alright? You ain’t party too hard, did you?” He sounded like he screamed on the phone.
“You do not have to yell. I do not want to talk about last night. I am going home.” I hung up before he could ask me anything else.
The maid’s cart creaked down the hallway. I grabbed my keys and slipped out of the room. On my way home, I tried to remember what happened last night, but pieces were missing. The last thing I do remember is Telle giving me some of the best head in my life. I got robbed, and I did not even know if I got a chance to hit the pussy. I would keep this shit to myself. Ci was right. I needed to talk to my mother; she always made me feel better. I hoped I would not run into my brothers. I pulled into my condo’s parking garage, went upstairs, and took a hot shower. I still felt weak and decided to sleep the rest of this feeling off before I went anywhere. I climbed into the bed and passed out again.
Chapter 8
Moving in the shadows
-Kae-
"Do you know what I'm thinking?" I relaxed on the love seat in his office.
"Learned a long time ago not to try or guess," Black chuckled.
"At least you learned something. I'm going to get this Cian mothafucka and work my way up."
My mind formulated a plan as I spoke.
"What are you going to do with those two?"
"Keep them alive for now. I believe Cian started the war. He must not be that high up in the ranks to do something like this."
"I care about getting Kari back. And I don't like bitch ass niggas."
Black was irritated, to say the least.
"If he could've transitioned with time, he would've been ok. Shit, don't stay the same forever. You gotta grow the fuck up," I said in disgust.
"He ain't never wanted to do anything, and it shows. He was content with money being handed to him for little or nothing. If it wasn't for Kari, he wouldn't have shit." He rolled his eyes and drummed his fingers.
"I want to blow his fucking head off. I don't care what he says; he knew something was up. That's why he asked her to drive that car. Now he's trying to set up my kids."
"If anything ever happens to me, know that everything goes to you and the kids. All of this," He stared at me.
"You mean the kids. You don't owe me anything." I smiled.
"No, I owe you my life. You are the mother of my kids, and if you ain't good, they ain't good. I know you don't necessarily need me, but my kids do. Now, unlike Gio, I ain't 'bout to argue with no woman 'bout how I'm going to daddy my kids," he said with finality.
"Get Dallas and Houston in here. We got work to do tonight. I need the report on Cian." I changed the subject.
He said he wasn't going to argue with me, and I wasn't going to argue with him. It was a moot point. He would make sure his kids were alright as he always did. Even in death was what he was saying to me. He called Dallas and told him to pick Houston up and come down to the Lab. Houston reported three men and one truck out there the other night; same thing tonight. One of the men was tall but on the heavy side. One was tall and had a medium build. The last, shorter and stockier, was Cian. By the time they got there, I knew exactly how to handle this situation based on their intel. The element of surprise was the best way to go. Ultimately unaware we were on to them, they felt safe and relaxed. Just the way I needed them to be.
"We have to do this right. We only got one chance. Ain't no room for fuck ups. You hear me?"
We sat at the conference table.
"We ready to put in this work," Houston said.
"Yes, ma'am," Dallas replied.
"The short, stocky one stays alive. We kill the others first. I'm sure they have some money stashed there. We take that and whatever else of value we can. We don't need a lot of noise. You got me?"
"I'm more than ready." Houston pounded his fist in his palm.
"I stay ready, auntie. Let's go get these niggas." Dallas rocked back in his seat.
"I'm behind you 100%, Black Ice," Black said.
"Good. We got there a few hours before it's dark. Go get some rest, and blackout mode is on. We don't have time to waste."
In the few hours that passed by, I changed clothes and got new gear. I silenced my guns and braided my hair in a french braid. My new steel-toe boots were ready for a test run. No capes tonight; it's all gutter, no flare. I drove one of the cleaner vans out to the old mill and parked about half a mile away. I snuck down a path and used my night vision binoculars to look in the window. They were relaxed and watched TV. It looked like they had enjoyed a few beers. I went back to the Lab. When I pulled up, they were outside.
"The three of them are there, and they've been drinking. Remember, once we're in range, maintain radio silence. Keep your eyes open and stay ready for anything. Take out the two big ones and leave the short one to me. Are y'all ready?"
"We ready," they said in unison.
"Black, you watch our backs. In case someone decides to show up unexpectedly. Play it close." I held up my fist.
"You got it. Let's do this." We fist-bumped.
We jumped in the black Mercedes van and headed back to the mill. Rules of engagement were out the window. I'd play this shit by my rules. We pulled up to the same spot. I showed them how to enter and take them off guard. We did an equipment check and made sure everything was on point. We had to be in and out quick and quiet. They followed me to the entrance. I pressed my finger to my lips to let them know we are silent from here on out. Then pulled both of my Desert Eagle's Mark XIX and signaled for them to follow me. We crept towards the office. The men's laughter floated out of the windows. I peeked around the corner; Cian sat behind the desk. The others sat in lounge chairs in front.
I signaled for Dallas and Houston to take the big ones out. Simultaneously they came out of hiding and burst through the office door. One went left, and one went right. I went in the middle and moved towards the desk, gun pointed directly at Cian. Each of the men went for their weapons, but the beer slowed their reaction time. Dallas took out the bigger one with four shots, center mass. Houston shot the other, taller man twice center mass and once between the eyes. Cian tried going for the gun under his desk. I had my gun to the back of his head as he fumbled with the drawer. Black came in behind us and covered the door. The bigger one gurgled and choked on his blood. Dallas pressed his boot into his chest until he stopped. He wiped his boot off on the man's pants. Houston and Dallas stood at the front of the desk with their guns trained on Cian. I pressed my gun into the base of his neck.
"What the hell is going on? Who the hell are you?" Cian said with fear and attitude.
We stayed silent and kept our guns pointed at him. He started to sweat and chuckle nervously.
"Who are you with? What do you want? Wait, wait, you want money? I have money. I can give you money," he bargained with the silence.
His breathing picked up, and the panic in his voice rose.
"It is right there. Take it. Take everything; please don't kill me," Cian begged as he opened the desk drawer.
It was filled with money and a gun on top.
"Get up and open the safe." I pulled him up by the back of his collar.
He stepped over his tall friend; a look of pain crossed his face. He must've meant something to him. He opened it, and it was stuffed like he had hit the lottery. Bags of money were inside. I motioned for them to grab the bags.
"On your knees, cross your ankles," I used my gun to press him down.
With my gun to the back of his head, he followed orders and put his hands up. Not sure what to expect, he eyed me with a nasty look.
"Simple question. Which brother do you work for?"
"I work for my damn self!" he answered with an attitude.
I kicked him in the middle of his back. He flew forward and hit his face on the concrete floor. His mouth was busted and blood l
eaked from his lips.
"Wrong answer. On your knees," I said coldly.
He struggled, but he got back on his knees as he moaned in agony. A steel-toed boot to the middle of your spine would do that to you. I stepped to his side and pushed my gun into his temple.
"Think before you speak."
He didn't say a word with a sneer on his face. I couldn't tell if he was upset that I was a woman or that he was getting robbed. Maybe it was the fact he was being robbed by a woman. I took the side of my gun and pistol-whipped him. His blood and a few teeth flew across the room. He laid on the floor, moaned, and spit out blood. I kicked him in the stomach, and he doubled over and writhed in pain. He coughed hard and spit out more blood. In the middle of me handling Cian, his phone rang. I picked it out of his pocket, and the caller ID read Zuberi. I silenced the phone and put it in my pocket. He knew I no longer needed him, and his fear grew by the second.
"Was that so hard?"
"You American bitches are the fucking same! Fuck you!" He spat blood at my feet.
I pointed my gun between his eyes and pulled the trigger. He died with his eyes wide open. I took a picture of each one of them on Cian's phone.
"Let's get the fuck out of here. Y'all clean that safe out?"
"Clean as a whistle. Let's get the fuck outta here." Dallas gagged a little.
I grabbed the money in the drawers of the desk and put it in my bag. When we pulled up to the Lab, Dallas jumped out, ran over a bush, and threw up. I didn't know if it was the kill or the mission itself, but it wasn't the first time I'd seen someone vomit after a kill. I was surprised he held it that long.
"You alright, nephew?" I handed him some gum.
"I'm alright. That shit always gets to me no matter what." He caught his breath.
"Y'all go in and count this up. I need an accurate number and don't take shit off the top. Y'all did good tonight."
"Tell the front desk to take you to the vault. Use the machines to help you out," Black said.
They unloaded the bags on the dolly and disappeared inside. I faced Black and handed him Cian's phone.
"I need you to get this to Jacob."
"I love it when you need me. Come on." He smiled that million-dollar smile.
"Stop playing with me before I play with you." I pushed him playfully as we walked into the Lab.
We took a moment to go downstairs and checked on Blue and Gio. Both seemed to be passed out in their restraints. The crew had put Gio in a chair like Blue. Gio had no idea what was coming his way. We took the elevator upstairs. Jacob and a few others were at their desks, and the keys clicked away. His desk was the biggest, with six monitors and a bunch of other equipment. Black wasn't a fan of clutter. No wires for him. Jacob looked like a gamer at the head of the class.
"Coby, what's going on, man? I need you to crack this and upload the information," Black handed Jacob the phone.
"You got it. Good day to you, Ms. Kae." His rich Irish accent was crisp as a fall sunrise.
He took the phone and plugged it into a modem, and started some program.
"Jacob, how you doing?" I sat on the edge of his desk.
"Seeing you always makes my day better." He body-checked me and smiled.
I laughed at him and playfully shoved his shoulder.
"How long will this take? A few minutes?" Black interrupted.
"It's done. I'm uploading the info as we speak. I have good news for you, Ms. Kae.
I got some information on the video you sent me." He clicked a few more buttons.
On one of the screens, the cell phone information popped up. The contacts, pictures, social media information, call logs, and text messages. He clicked on the thread for Zuberi. In the texts, we discovered that Zuberi was on the outs with his brothers over money. Zuberi was the youngest Tanzanite brother, and he was arrogant and childish. I assumed the money they were fighting about was the money we got from Cian tonight. It seemed like Femi was losing his mind over the cash and jewels. I didn't know where the gems were, but I'd see how much of the five million is downstairs. I didn't see anything in the messages about Kari.
Jacob clicked on another message, and it was a group text. Two guys, Lucas and Joseph, and Cian, were in it. They were talking about meeting up and making runs. They must have been the two guys that were there with them tonight. Joseph had a family and a pregnant wife. I felt terrible because she had no idea her husband was dead in a warehouse. Who knew how long it would take for someone to discover them. She was waiting for him to come home; like I waited for Kari to come home that night.
Kari would come home, though. I scrolled through a few other texts and clicked on an unsaved number. It seemed like it was to a person who wanted to buy different products from him. He was supposed to meet them a couple of days ago. Cian was running his own business with people outside of the state. He had his hand in every pot. He was connected with the Tanzanites through Zuberi. So he had access to the money and the jewels. He also dealt in cocaine, pills, and meth. Gio had no idea who he had tried to fuck over for a come-up. He was lucky I found him first.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" I asked Black.
"Cian robbed the gangs and set them up to appear like they robbed each other."
"Planted some to make it appear that way and then sold the rest out of state. He could've moved those jewels, and he double-crossed the people out of state too. Fucking Judas," I scanned through more messages.
I would bet Femi nor Zuberi had no idea Cian was a rat.
"Well, he ain't in motion anymore. We got to get to the next level, which is Zuberi," Black said.
"Have a gander at this." Jacob pulled up the video of the kidnapping on one of the other monitors. We all watched the video until the van disappeared.
"So, where did it go, Coby?" Black asked.
"It's right here." He pointed to a van that was slightly different from the original van.
"That isn't the same van," I said.
"Yes, it is. When they pull off the highway, there is a blind spot in the cameras. Then this van pulls up at the light off the ramp. In that blind spot, the van color shifted to blend into this neighborhood. They're good. The outside of the van is covered in LED lights. They can change it to whatever they want, whenever they want." He sat back and pointed to the screen. He had a satisfied smirk on his face.
We saw a brown van get off the highway, and then at the light, the van was black, with a sign on the side for a mobile detailing business. He was able to trace the van back to The Black Opal hotel. It pulled up to the back of the hotel service entrance and disappeared under the loading docks. He fast-forwarded the tape, and a few hours later, a few vans come and go like a regular daily business.
"I'll be damned. I need this technology on my vans and trucks ASAP!" Black said.
"The team is working on it as we speak. We should have a prototype ready soon," Jacob smiled.
He clicked some buttons, and on the screen, the machine shop camera showed the vans and trucks being fitted with the LED tech. Black nodded his head in approval.
"So, at best, the last place we know she was taken is to The Black Opal. I know the Tanzanites' whole family lives and works out of that place. There isn't one person in there that isn't a trained assassin," I mused.
"You would have to have it that way when you are in this line of business. No amount of protection seems to be enough when it comes to family."
"Amare, God rest his soul, was a damn good man. We did more than our fair share of clean-up jobs for him. He was indebted to us, and if he was alive, he would have returned Kari by now. Femi, however, doesn't know the debt his father always repaid even after he had paid it."
"What debt? I ain't ever heard of a debt. I've never worked for him." Black looked at me.
"You have cleaned up after a few of his orders, and you didn't even know. I called you, not the regular crews, because I needed the best on those jobs, and he paid the best. So trust me, you got paid by him and paid well." I
gave him a flirty but sly smile.
"You always got something up your damn sleeve, woman. Now, what is it?" he chuckled.
"A while back, a hit was put out on Zuberi by one of Amare's close friends. It seems Zuberi tried to broker some fake deal with the man, but he didn't know how long his father's arms reached."
"Damn, this kid is dumb. How do you not know the people your father has a business relationship with?" Black asked.
“Zuberi has always been a gung-ho type. He does shit without thinking. Right now, in the middle of a gang war, he is probably out partying somewhere like he is the king of the city. Anyway, me and Kari caught the case. Instead of carrying it out, we told Amare."
"So he felt like he owed you because you saved his son's life?" Jacob asked.
"He did, and from then on, anytime he needed a job done, he would contact us directly, under the radar. You know the broker wants his cut, but for Amare, it was more than that. It was about loyalty," I told them.
"What the fuck is Femi's problem then? He is the new leader of the family," Black inquired.
"I can't answer that, but I know he'll give her back in exchange for his baby brother."
I walked over to the window and stared out on the horizon. The sun was coming up, and the sky barely had a hint of orange and yellow.
"You know I'll follow you to the ends of this Earth. Are you sure you want to do this? They have a whole army," he asked as he walked up to me.
He massaged my shoulders. It felt amazing being under his firm touch. The tension in my shoulders and back melted away. I knew exactly what he meant, and he would go with me wherever I needed him to go.
"I'll face the devil himself and his hellhounds to get my wife back. I'd shoot the devil in the fucking face if she was dead." I let the tension continue to melt away.
"I know how hard you love. I've had the privilege of experiencing this love…."
"If it was you, I'd be standing right here with Kari trying to figure out how to get you back. I love you, Black. I always will, like you'll always love me. We both know that, and nothing is going to change it," I cut him off.
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