Tears of an African violet

by Jessica Gereaux

  "Nothing will stop me from loving you. We're a family, and this is what we do for family. You shooting the devil in the face, though?"

  He kissed the side of my neck and raised an eyebrow at me. Houston and Dallas walked up to us.

  "We done with the count. We got eight million," Houston said with a beam on his face.

  "Auntie, is this the kinda money you be dealin' with? I need to work with you all the time. I need this kinda bread in my life," Dallas laughed.

  "You can't work for her. You always throwing up and shit. Me, on the other hand, I was born for this shit, baby," Houston popped his collar.

  "Shut the fuck up. You ain't doing shit without me anyway. So what do we do now?" Dallas playfully pushed Houston off balance.

  "I need you to pack that money back up in bags and put it in the vault. Go get some sleep because we still got work to do," I instructed them.

  They disappeared out of the door.

  "Those boys will die for you and Kari. They make good soldiers, and they are trainable. I think they are ready to handle this life," Black said.

  "We'll see how they continue to do. I can't keep them from this life; it's in their blood. I can at least guide them."

  "You sure that's what we are doing here?"

  "Not this time, this time, it's personal. Ain't no rules. I'm playing this my way."

  "Have you told them she's still alive?"

  "No, I need them to stay focused on revenge. Mentally they are where I need them to be. If they knew she was alive, they wouldn't be able to control themselves."

  "You are a dangerous woman, Kae. I swear you are. Even the dangerous need to sleep."

  "You're right. The sun is almost up, and tonight we have moves to make," I said, thinking out loud.

  "Why not go straight to Femi?"

  "I'm going to use Zuberi to get to Femi. Trust, follow me on this one."

  "Like I said, I'll follow you to the end of the Earth. Since it's round..." He smiled deeply.

  "The flat earthers would disagree. I'm going to need you and them to get this thing done right. Hey, Coby, there are three pictures of dead men on this phone. When I tell you to send them to Zuberi's number."

  "You got it, give me two seconds. I don't know what you have planned, but I'm at your disposal," he said.

  "I'll also need you to track Zuberi's number. Keep a log of where it goes and the numbers it calls," I told him.

  "Anything for you, pretty lady. It would be my pleasure." He winked at me.

  "Coby, you ain't got no shame, man. This my baby mama," Black said with a chuckle in his voice.

  "But you let her go, so she's fair game. If I get lucky, don't be mad at us. It was bound to happen anyway. Give someone else a chance to admire this goddess. You see this ginger love over here?" He profiled himself with fanfare.

  I laughed. Jacob was a cute redhead guy and had a beautiful warm smile that would melt any girl's heart. From what I knew about him, he was a good guy. I knew this much for sure: he was a tech genius, and Black was lucky to have him run this team.

  "You keep that Irish charm away from my baby mama."

  We all laughed, and for a moment, it felt good to relax. It had been a long time since I had anything to truly laugh about.

  "I'm going to the office to try and get some sleep. You should too," I said once we calmed down.

  "You want me to come over and keep you company? I know you don't need anyone to keep you safe," Black asked.

  "Sure, why not. I could use the company."

  We got in my car and headed back to the office. The radio played some 90's jams, and we relived the moments. We laughed and talked like old times. It felt good to talk to my friend again. I hit the button to drop the gate and headed up the driveway. We did a security check as usual before I went upstairs and took a shower. When I got out, he got in. I made us a simple breakfast—eggs, toast, sausage, and grapes. I didn't have any orange juice, so grape juice it was. We ate and continued to talk and laugh. He washed the dishes. I rolled a couple joints, and we went on the back porch to smoke. It was eight in the morning. The sun warmed the porch; the air was still crisp and clean. It felt good to take a deep breath and not have smog in your lungs like in the city. We finished the joints and went upstairs to my bedroom. We climbed into bed. It was a comfort to have another body in bed. I set my alarm to go off before the sun went down. I put one gun under my pillow and the other on the nightstand. He fell asleep first, and his snoring lulled me to sleep. When my alarm went off, I woke up refreshed, felt determined and focused. I knew exactly what I would do, and I had everything needed to get it done. Black woke up like a little kid, slow and not wanting to move. He stretched and rolled over to face me.

  "You sleep alright?" he asked.

  "Your snoring was comforting," I laughed.

  "So was yours. I kinda missed it," He laughed with me.

  "Come on, get dressed. Are you hungry?" I brushed my teeth.

  "No, I'm not hungry." He came into the bathroom and peed.

  We glanced and laughed at each other. I finished, and he washed his hands. I came out and got dressed. He found some old clothes he left here that happened to be black. We locked down the house and headed back to the Lab. I called Houston and Dallas, woke them up, and told them to meet us. When we pulled up, we again checked on Blue and Gio, and this time they were awake but only moaned in grief and agony. The workers made sure they got water but nothing else. Pretty soon, they would snitch on their mamas to get out of here. We headed upstairs and found Jacob front and center as he worked his magic.

  "Coby, my ginger guy. I hope you got some sleep." I slapped him on his shoulder.

  "I'm ready to rock and roll, love. What kinds of nefarious plots do we have for tonight?" He cracked his knuckles.

  "The phone number, where has it been, and where is it now?" I asked, sitting on the side of his desk.

  "Ok, so, the phone has been around the city today. It spent most of its time in this old office building. Back in the day, the fish bosses used to meet and hash out business. Since the Tanzanite’s came about 60 years ago, they have owned it. No boats come and go out of there anymore." He clicked away as he spoke.

  "So this must be his home away from home. Or one of them. The whole family lives in the Black Opal," I said.

  He pulled up the building plans he could find from the city. It hadn't been modified by much in the last sixty years.

  "Also, there are five cars there now, according to the satellite feed. I counted about ten people outside and four inside, according to the feed. They have cameras on the outside, not on the inside," he sat back with a smirk on his face.

  "You, being fancy for the lady?" Black smacked him on the back of the neck.

  "Behave, boys. We have a war to win. Can you hack into their camera system?" I asked.

  "Does a fat man eat cake, my love? I can run a loop to their feeds. So if someone is watching the cameras, that's what they'll see."

  "Perfect. We use that to get past the outside for the surprise move."

  "What is this surprise move?" Black asked.

  "We take them down. We grab Zuberi and bring him here."

  "You're going to work him, too?" he asked.

  "I'm not going to damage the goods. Fairtrade is a fair trade. He won't risk his brother's life. His mother would kill him," I said.

  Houston walked into the room.

  "Where is your brother?" I hugged him.

  "He's probably down there in the guard chick's face. You know how he is." He rolled his eyes and chuckled.

  "I need y'all to go load up. When y'all done, meet us outside." I sent him on his way.

  "Let me grab some new heat. I'll meet you outside." Black disappeared.

  "Coby, I need you to GPS the van. When we get there, I need you to flip that loop. Also, I need night glasses and four new earpieces."

  "Nothing but a word, my love. Step right this way."

  He pressed a doorbell, and the wall moved
back. Shelves came forward, rows of gear were on display. He picked out what I asked for: night vision glasses and four new earpiece systems. I grabbed two beautiful Remington 1911's with silencers and a few clips. I took a few more guns, silencers, and clips for the boys. Jacob smiled at me like he already knew what I was thinking. I loaded the gear in the duffle bag he held open for me.

  "The home channel for these is seven. I'll be able to hear you too. These are closed circuits, so no interference from outside radios. It's audio suppressed, so you can't hear it outside of your ear."

  He tuned the earpieces to the home channel.

  "Thanks, Coby. You are the best," I said.

  "You go get them motherfuckers and bring Kari home. Black is testing out the LED prototype tonight. Let me know how you like it." He dapped me up.

  "When we get there, let me know the loop is on. I need you to be my eyes in the sky. Can you handle that, Coby?" I stared at him hard.

  "I'd never take my eyes off of you, love." He eyed me up and down with a sly smile.

  "I know, and make sure you don't." I winked at him. I closed the bag and disappeared downstairs.

  Black and the boys were already in the van and ready to go. I jumped on the passenger side. I handed out the gear to Dallas and Houston.

  "Oh shit, bro, we got the big dog shit. Auntie be looking out for the cookout. We bout to murk some niggas!" Houston bounced in the back seat.

  He was as excited as a kid on Christmas.

  "Hell yeah. We bout to take these niggas out. You don't fuck with the Romaines and get away with it. We taking souls behind ours." Dallas admired his new weapon.

  "I trust you not to let me down. I need y'all to stay alert and focused. Stay ahead of the game. The goal is to come home, you understand?" I eyed them.

  If their mama knew what they were really out here doing, she'd want to kill me. Chantall was fierce behind her kids, as any mother would be. I'd rather them be under my wing than out there trying to go after these people on their own. It wasn't the same as killing some gang members on the block. We were in a whole other world, and shit had to be done right. If it came to it, I'd ask for forgiveness later.

  "The home channel is already set. Try your earpiece and see if you can hear Coby," I told everyone.

  We heard each other loud and clear. We pulled off the highway towards the old fish docks. The building sat closer to the freeway than it did the water. The ports themselves were empty. The boats were of yesteryear, old and rusted. Black parked about a quarter of a mile down the road near an old junkyard long since closed. There were lights on only one corner of the building; the other parts were dark. When we got out of the van, it turned a rusty, broken-down dark brown. It blended in with the other junk cars around. It even flipped the tag to a different one. Jacob's prototype was already paying off.

  "No one would think twice about this van. Coby, you are damn good. We need a fleet of these," Black said as he took in the new van.

  "He and the team are damn good. There's no doubt about that," I said.

  "Thanks, guys. Happy to be aboard. The loop is running now. It's infinite. There's a gate at the entrance, and there are four guards. Two on the outside and two about fifty yards in," Jacob reported.

  "Ok, nephews, you back us up this time. You make sure nothing is coming at us from the back and sides. We shouldn't miss anyone before we head forward. This is the man we are looking for." I showed them Zuberi's picture.

  "No man left standing, and no man left behind," Houston said.

  "We true to this," Dallas said, loading his gun and locking the silencer in place.

  "We push through mouse style. If I know these men, they are retired military from the Tanzanite army. Be careful and stay on your toes. If you can use your knife, do so. I want clean kills." I whispered but barked at them.

  "Yes, ma'am," they whispered in unison.

  The mental shift in them was visible. They knew this was the big leagues, and there was no room for fuck ups. I winked at Black. It had been a long ass time since we worked in the field together. He knew the game as well as I did. We had a mission to get accomplished and a target to be acquired.

  "Stay low and stay alert. Most importantly, we go home tonight." We headed towards the gate to the parking lot.

  The cars in the field provided great cover, and we got to the edge right before the gate with no problem. Both guards were there talking to each other, guns relaxed at their sides. They were used to being undisturbed. One was smoking a cigarette. With a war in the city, they should be more vigilant. We put on our night vision glasses and ski masks.

  "Dallas, you watch the left, and Houston, you watch the right. Anyone comes out the gate, you know what to do." I whispered.

  I pulled out my hunting knife, as did Black. We nodded at each other in agreement. I found a small stone and threw it into the field just off the right side, away from the light. Both guards paused and turned to look in the direction of the noise. They hesitated, so I threw a smaller one. This prompted them to go check out the noise. They headed towards the darkness. Black and I crept up behind them from the shadows. The two men walked into the field of broken-down cars. I took a right, and Black took a left. We rushed up behind, grabbed them by the mouth, and simultaneously slit their throats before they had a chance to reach for their weapons. We let them slowly down to the ground. I wiped my knife off on the man's back, and Black did the same.

  He helped me stuff them in the trunk of one of the old cars. We slipped back to the front gate where the boys were waiting. I sent Houston ahead to pick the lock and take off the chain. We crept across the road and into the yard. As Coby had said, there were two more ahead. We moved forward slowly, Black to my left. Again we crept up behind them and slit their throats. We hid them behind some old boat parts.

  "Black, Kae, take a right. Twenty yards out. They are on the posts of the building," Coby said in our ears.

  Me and Black moved to the left side. Black peeked around the corner, and he saw him. He moved slowly through the shadows against the wall. When the man was down, Black waved us forward, and we followed. The posts were set up strategically before us. I went right, and he went left. Dallas and Houston watched our backs. Behind each post I came to, I slit the man's throat. Black did the same. By the time the body slid down, we were at the next post. We took out the six of them. Then there were four muffled shots fired behind me. Black and I turned around to see Dallas and Houston take out two guards. They must have been on relief duty. They carried work bags with clothes and equipment.

  "Coby, where the hell did they come from?" Black whispered.

  "I don't know! I couldn't see them on the screen. Fuck that- two bodies coming down the stairs," he said.

  We turned and hid behind the posts. We hadn't had a chance to move the bodies; they were bound to see them. I peeked around the pole and saw two men with military coats on. They saw the two bodies and quickly drew their guns. They were talking on the radio and calling for someone to come downstairs. You could hear boots running above us and down the metal steps.

  "Follow my lead, gentleman," I whispered.

  I got low and crept from behind the post and moved closer to the men. They talked about the bodies and what to do next. I popped up and took headshots. They popped up after me and did the same. One managed to get to the safety of the door and run back upstairs. We ran up the stairs after him. When we got to the top, two men fired at us from the opposite end of the hallway. We ducked down. Black took the first shot at one of the men at the door. I came from behind him and took the second shot. We lit that door up. Dropped clips and reloaded as we rushed down the hall. The bodies had hit the ground by the time we got to the end. Dallas and Houston brought up the rear. A few shots came out of the office door, and we took cover on the wall.

  "I do not know who you are, but you are fucking with the wrong family!" a heavy African accent yelled out.

  Black took a quick peek in the office. Then he stepped in and shot of
f three rounds. Three rounds fired back, and for a moment, I thought Black was hit. I rushed into the room; Dallas and Houston were right behind me. Black and Zuberi tussled for the gun. I hit Zuberi on the back of the head with the butt of my gun. He fell to the ground. I put his cell in my pocket. I checked him to make sure he didn't have anything else on him and took a picture of him.

  "Alright, boys, tie him up, blindfold him and get him to the van," I told Dallas and Houston. They moved quickly.

  "Before you ask, I'm alright," Black said.

  "You look fine to me. What happened?"

  "He had a stronger grip on the gun than I thought—strong little SOB. I was trying not to damage the goods," he chuckled, and he rubbed his wrist.

  I noticed, but I didn't say anything.

  "He's a squirrely little mothafucka too. Thanks for not damaging the goods. I know what happened the last time someone shot at you," I laughed.

  "That was a long time ago." He smiled back.

  The nephews picked Zuberi up. Black and I made sure the way was clear as we moved him down the stairs and across the lot. We made it to the van, and they secured him in the back. Black gave him a sedative before we jumped on the freeway and headed back to the Lab. When we pulled up, Dallas again jumped out and vomited. I told them to take him downstairs and put him in a holding cell once he got it together.

  "Make sure you cuff him to the wall. I don't need him doing anything to himself," I said as they went inside.

  "Do you think he'll ever get over doing that? I'm sure my cleaning crew loves those little surprises," he laughed.

  "Only time will tell. It could be worse, trust me," I laughed with him.

  We both went downstairs. I turned up Blues' light first. I vibrated the chair, and he woke up. He jumped and was in an immediate state of panic. It was about three in the morning.

  "I want to show you something. I think you will find it interesting."

  I displayed the pictures of Cian and his friends in a carousel of photos on the wall. He hung his head in defeat. The last bit of fight in him dissipated. He cried like a baby.

  "I told you I'd get to the bottom of this. I wanted to show you who you fucking with. You chose to be friends with the wrong snake, and it's going to cost you dearly."