The Reign of Rain Robinson

by Roy Glenn

  Rain said nothing, but she thought, sneaky, no. Jada West is a cold, calculating bitch.

  “So you trust her now?” Wanda asked, because her mind hadn’t changed. She neither liked nor trusted Jada.

  “I need her, so I don’t have a choice. I gotta trust her.” Rain paused. “And I need to trust her for the same reason she trusts me. Black trusted her enough to make her his partner.”

  “That’s true.”

  “I need to respect her for her position in this family,” Rain said, and Wanda rolled her eyes. Just then, there was a knock at the door.

  “Who is it?”

  “It’s Keisha,” she said, and Wanda got up to let her in.

  Keisha Orr had been with Wanda for years, so it seemed natural when she became boss of The Family to take Keisha with her. She was completely loyal and dedicated to Wanda. And when Wanda was shot and Black exiled her to Big Cross Cay, one of the smaller Bahamian islands to recover, Keisha was right there with her. Wanda had Keisha look into Truckload Freight Transportation.

  “What have you found out?” Wanda asked.

  “I’m just getting started, but what I can tell you is that Truckload Freight is owned by Kwame Coleman.”

  “Yarissa!” Rain shouted.

  “All that yelling!” Yarissa yelled from the next room and stood up. “You need an intercom,” she said to Wanda when she came through the door. “What you need, Rain?”

  “I need you to take a couple of men and go to Romans. Find Carter and tell him to find out why a guy that owns a fuckin’ trucking company is coming after us.”

  Yarissa grabbed Regis and Vance and after she promised Alwan that she wasn’t gonna get him in any more trouble, he agreed to drive.

  “You sure?”

  She touched his face. “It’ll be fine,” Yarissa said and got in the car. When she arrived at Romans, Carter was in the back with Chao Hassan.

  While Carter was doing five at Dannemora, Chao Hassan was doing fed time in Atlanta. He and a little cutie named Fatima were cloning apparel websites and getting mad paid until they fell out; “Something about me boning her best friend.” After that, Fatima snitched on him and Hassan got five years for wire fraud. When he got out, he caught the first thing smoking back to the city.

  When Yarissa was shown into Carter’s office, he was on the phone with Mileena. He waved her on.

  “Hey, Yarissa,” Hassan said the second he turned and saw her come in. He had been trying to talk up on her since the first night he met her at J.R’s.

  “Hey, Chao,” Yarissa said, and sat down in the chair next to him in front of Carter’s desk.

  She didn’t liked Hassan since the first night they met and the more she got to know him; the more Yarissa knew that her opinion of him wouldn’t change.

  So, while Hassan flirted with Yarissa, she ignored him and eased into her fantasy until Carter got off the phone with Mileena.

  “I know. And I don’t like it either, but I’ll be there as soon as I can and I promise to make it up to you as soon as I get home,” Carter said and glanced at Yarissa. “I love you too, Mileena,” he said, and then he ended the call and looked at Yarissa. “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “What can I do for you, Yarissa?”

  You can take me home with you and make it up to me too. “Rain wants you to know that Truckload Freight Transportation is owned by Kwame Coleman.”

  “That name sounds familiar,” Hassan said.

  “Yeah, does to me too,” Carter said.

  “She wants you to find out why a guy that owns a trucking company is at us,” Yarissa said.

  “Thank you, Yarissa. Tell Rain I’m on it,” he paused for a second. “And please tell me that she’s resting.”

  “For the time being she is. Glenda says that her wounds are healing nicely. All she has to do now is keep herself still. But you know it won’t take much to get her out that bed, in that vest and ready to shoot.”

  Carter stood up and when he did, so did Hassan. Yarissa kept her seat. “Chao would you excuse us for a second please,” she asked.

  Hassan looked at Yarissa strangely and then to Carter. He shrugged his shoulders and nodded. When he did, Hassan left the office and Carter sat down.

  “What can I do for you, Yarissa?”

  “I need to ask you something and I will completely understand if you tell me that it is none of my business, but is there something going on between you and Glenda?”

  Carter dropped his head in his hand and massaged his forehead. “Your right, Yarissa, it is none of your business.”

  “I understand.”

  “But I’m gonna answer you anyway. There was, but that was a long time ago and there is nothing going on now. And you don’t have to worry, I already told Mileena about it.”

  Now Yarissa had a ton of gossipy questions that she knew Carter wouldn’t answer, so she just said, “Okay,” and left the office knowing that she would get the rundown from Mileena first chance she got.

  Once Yarissa left Romans and was taken back to Wanda’s safe house, Carter and Hassan hit the streets. They had been a few places and they had asked around about Coleman. Like Carter and Hassan, some people thought that name sounded familiar and others thought that they had heard of him, but nobody could tell them anything definite. That’s when Carter had an idea.

  “You know who we should talk to?”

  “Who?” Hassan asked.

  “Sherman Williams.”

  Hassan laughed. “I ain’t seen old Sherman in years.”

  “But if anybody knows who this guy is, it Sherman,” Carter said and drove in the direction of Sherman’s house.

  When they got there, Ester showed Carter and Hassan in and asked them to have a seat while she went to get her husband. It didn’t take very long for Sherman to come trotting down the steps.

  “Carter! And who is that ugly mutha fucka you got with you?” He shook hands with Carter.

  “What’s up, Sherman,” Hassan said and shook his hand.

  “You know, you look a lot like Chao Hassan, but he wasn’t as ugly as you.”

  “All right, now. I ain’t gonna be ugly too many more times before I gotta disrespect your house and kill you old man,” Hassan said laughing.

  “You don’t wanna do that.” Sherman shook his head as he led them into the basement. “You don’t want Ester to have to shoot your ass before you get out the door. Think about your rep,” Sherman laughed.

  “I’ma put it on your headstone,” Carter laughed. “Shot in the ass by Sherman’s wife, Ester.”

  Once Sherman poured up drinks all around, Carter got to the reason for their visit.

  “Kwame Coleman. Yeah I know that nigga. Strictly small-time. Runs two small gambling spots, a spot where he runs sports betting and a number joint that he hangs out at.”

  “Where?” Was Carter’s only question.

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Jada left the house thinking about Detective Bautista having a snitch inside The Family and the FBI having a sting planned that might involve somebody in The Family was too much of a coincidence.

  “And I don’t believe in coincidences.”

  Her first thought was to reach out to Chanté or Agent McCullough to see if Detective Bautista was working with the FBI on a sting that involved El Decreto de Guerra. But, since phones were out of the question and it would take too long to track them down to ask face to face, Jada had Victor tell the driver to take her to Monika.

  When they arrived, Monika explained to Jada how they were set up. “We’re up on Jadonna’s phone and all of her social media. Once we had her, we were able to expand our parameters to include everybody that she called or contacted. So now, anytime one of them contacts anybody, they’re added to the circle.”

  “I see.”

  “We have Jab’s house bugged using a laser microphone,” Carla said and then she went on to explain that the laser beam is directed into the room through a window and reflects off
an object, and returns to a receiver that converts the beam to an audio signal.

  “Very impressive and in such a short time.” Jada paused. “But let me ask you a question.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “Since I don’t believe in coincidences,” Jada began.

  “Neither do I,” Monika cosigned.

  “Could the detective be working with the FBI on a sting that involves El Decreto de Guerra?”

  “I can’t say for sure, but neither Kirk nor Bautista have any recent contact with the FBI. So the two agencies may not be working together, but that is still bad for us.” Monika looked at Carla. “Is there any way we can see if the FBI is on anybody in Marrin’s circle?”

  “Sure,” Carla said. “If I had answers to a number of variables that we don’t have, and the time we don’t have to analyze the data.”

  “So that’s out,” Monika said. “All we can do is wait on Jadonna.”

  When Jadonna Marrin arrived at Jab’s house dressed in an Alberta Ferretti printed silk dress, and Gianvito Rossi strappy leather point toe pumps, Ryder was there with him. He had been fucking Jadonna behind Ryder’s back since the day Hill brought her around.

  After being arrested in Lieutenant Gineconna’s sting, Jadonna and the other ladies were detained separately. Once he had questioned Jada without success, and thinking that it was a serious request from the FBI, the lieutenant turned his attention to the ladies and Jadonna was first.

  With the threat of five years in prison in front of her, it didn’t take long for the detective to break Jadonna and she agreed to be an informant.

  She was bailed out with everybody else, and was offered what Patrick called the generous buyout and relocation program. Thinking that this was the solution to her agreeing to be an informant, Jadonna accepted and was relocated to Boston as she had requested. However, Jadonna was back in New York two years later, in violation of the agreement.

  When she was arrested for tricking in a hotel bar in Gineconna’s precinct, the lieutenant, knowing of her growing obsession with anything remotely related to Rain Robinson, called Bautista. She had been in his unit when she first got her shield.

  Since the detective thought that it would be safer for Jadonna if she weren’t wearing a wire, she planned to clone Jab’s phone. “So it’s crucial that you get me that phone.”

  “And just how am I supposed to accomplish that?”

  “I don’t care. You’ll think of something. Just get me that phone,” Bautista said. So Jadonna’s plan was to fuck Jab and switch his phone so Bautista could clone it.

  Since Ryder was there and it didn’t seem like she planned on going anywhere, Jadonna sat down, made herself comfortable like she always did and hoped for an opportunity. It came when Jab followed Ryder in the media room and closed the door behind him, leaving his phone on the counter. Jadonna grabbed the phone, quickly placed it in her Manolo Blahnik satin clutch and pulled out one like it to replace it.

  “I’ll be right back,” she shouted and was out the door.

  She quickly called Detective Bautista and arranged to meet her at a nearby park. Monika and Xavier followed her to the meeting and listened to the conversation.

  “Did you get it?” Bautista asked and Jadonna handed her the phone.

  “How long is this going to take, detective?”

  “Not long.”

  “Please hurry. I have to get back before they miss me.”

  “Okay just give me a minute. What’s going on over there?”

  “They’re waiting on Mr. Hill and Mr. Anderson so that they can go to Salsa Con Tarifa and make the exchange with the Columbians,” Jadonna said, looking around nervously.

  “Is Jab still going?”

  “I cannot say for sure. At first, he said that he was going, now he says that he is not. At one time, he was trying to convince Mr. Garrison to go with him, but now that is out of the question.”

  “What’s up with that?”

  “Haven’t you heard what’s going on, detective? Rain Robinson has been shot. So, Mr. Garrison has been staying close to her.”

  Bautista handed her back the phone and was glad to finally get solid confirmation that Rain had been shot.

  “With that, I’ll be able to hear everything that’s said.”

  By accessing the phones diagnostic feature, Bautista could remotely activate the microphone in the phone and listen to any conversations that take place near the phone.

  “Try to get him talking about the deal and about Rain.”

  “Okay, okay,” Jadonna said, rushed away, got in her car and drove off. Monika and Xavier followed her back to the house.

  Once Jadonna was gone, Bautista went back to the car where Kirk was waiting. “Could you hear us?”

  “Like I was standing right there,” he said, as she started the car and headed in the direction of Jab’s house.

  “So, what’s our play here, detective?”

  “My plan was to catch Jab and get him to flip on Rain.”

  “But now you don’t know if he’s gonna be there,” Kirk said as she drove. “So, I will ask you once again, what’s our play here, detective?”

  “We arrest Anderson and Hill and get them to flip on Jab.” Bautista thought for a second. “I have a feeling that under pressure, he’ll turn on Carter and Rain.”

  Jadonna returned to the house just in time to switch Jab’s phone back before Anderson and Hill arrived. Ryder was going to leave, but she stayed to hear what they had to say. At Jab’s request, Ryder had planned the deal, so she had a vested interest in its success.

  “Jadonna,” Jab said. “Why don’t you wait in the living room while we talk?”

  “Certainly, Mr. Baldwin,” Jadonna said and went into the living room, sat down on the couch, crossed her legs, smoothed out her dress, and placed her hands on her knee, just like she was taught.

  Jab stood there looking at Jadonna. “Come on,” he said, and Anderson and Hill followed him into the media room in the house. Ryder stood there for a while and gave Jadonna the evil eye, before following the men in the room.

  “So what’s up?” Ryder asked as soon as she closed the door behind her.

  “We’re set to meet Munoz and Camacho at Salsa Con Tarifa,” Hill looked at his watch. “In about an hour and a half.”

  “You got the truck?”

  Anderson laughed. “Munoz says he’ll throw in the truck for nothing.”

  “So you didn’t get one?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “I just told you why,” Anderson said.

  Ryder’s attention to detail and her absolute need to have her instructions followed to the letter, got on his nerves.

  Ryder shook her head and looked at Jab. “Free truck or not, you still need to get the truck and stick to the plan.”

  “You got it, boss,” Anderson said as Jab’s phone began ringing. He looked at the display and saw that it was Kenard Turner. Like Jab, he thought that Black should have made him Captain. Now, the two had united to get Carter out of the way. Afterwards, each man planned to kill the other, but let’s see how this goes first.

  “I need to take this,” Jab said and swiped talk. “Hold on a minute,” he said, and looked at Ryder and her eyes narrowed. “I need y’all to get out while I take this call.”

  Anderson and Hill got right up to leave so he could take the call in private, but not Ryder. She sat there for a minute, thinking that her power over him was fading. Then she stood up and left the room thinking about what she was going to do about it.

  “What’s up, Kenard?”

  “You tell me. With all this shit going on, I need to know if we were still on?”

  “Naw. Like you said, with all the shit that’s going on, wasn’t no way I could convince Carter to go along.”

  “What about the ATF?”

  “Never did tip them,” Jab said.

  “So we good?”

  “All good.”

  “So, since we keeping the
weapons, we partners in that too, right?” Turner needed to be assured.

  “Fidy-fidy,” Jab said and ended the call. “That’s why Black didn’t make your ass Captain,” Jab said and got up. “Too fuckin’ scary and too damn stupid.”

  “All of you are stupid,” Bautista said as she and Kirk listened from their car. “I’m gonna enjoy breaking you. Bunch of fuckin’ backstabbers.”

  Kirk nodded and smiled at his partner as he remembered when that was him. He used to dream of getting Mike Black in the box and breaking him down.

  Carla was listening to the conversation, as well. She turned to Jada. “What do you want to do?”

  “Terminate them,” Jada ordered.

  “You heard the lady,” Carla said.

  “Acknowledged,” Monika said.

  After his call with Turner, Jab came out of the room and sent Anderson and Hill to Salsa Con Tarifa to make the exchange. “You going?” Ryder asked.

  “No, I’m gonna sit this one out. I don’t wanna make Munoz uncomfortable with a new face,” Jab said. “And I got some shit I need to take care of.” He glanced at Jadonna.

  She knew what he had in mind, but she had done her job and wanted nothing more than to get outta there and hope that Detective Bautista would let her move on with her life. Jadonna stood up.

  “I am going to leave as well.” Jadonna walked over to Hill. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him. “You know where to find me when you’ve concluded your business.”

  “Be naked and wet when I get there,” Hill said and Jadonna followed him out the door.

  “Now,” Ryder said. “Where you going and what was up with the private call?”

  Outside the house, Jadonna watched as Hill and Anderson drove off before she headed for her car. She got in knowing that she would never see Hill again and since she was kinda getting to like him, Jadonna felt bad.

  Now that Jada had given the termination order, Monika and Xavier moved to the next phase. Xavier got out of the car they were in, and got in the car that was parked just behind it. When Anderson and Hill drove by, both Monika and Xavier started their cars and went after them.

  They had driven a few blocks from the house, when Monika and Xavier pulled down their ski masks and he sped up and pulled alongside the car that Hill was driving. When Monika bumped Hill’s rear, Xavier cut the wheel hard to the right and slammed into Hill’s car, driving him into the cars that were parked on the street.