I stopped long enough to regroup and look in my father’s direction. “I’m sorry about that. I just can’t afford for any—”
“I know. Believe me, I know. But, here’s the thing. We’ll be contacting Dex, as soon as tomorrow.”
My eyes shot open. It was probably the best news I had heard in days.
“Nooo, are you serious?” I asked my father, feeling confident and relieved.
“I’m serious. I’m only telling you because I need you to relax.” My father walked over to me and grabbed me by the shoulders, tugging lightly. “I need you to trust your father’s process. Trust that this is just as important to me as it is to you.”
“I know it is. I’m trying to maintain my cool, as much as I can, but it’s hard. Everything is trying to hit me all at once and from all directions.” I shook my head. “This isn’t even supposed to be happening. I don’t like feeling like my life has some kind of damn curse on it! Affecting the people that I care about. You know?”
“The curse is not with you. The curse will be with them.” He laughed, out loud, causing me to laugh along with him. “Know and believe that. Chanel will be back home to you and Rai soon. Before they planned. We don’t let anybody dictate a fuckin’ thing for us. Not ever.”
“So, what’s happening exactly?”
“Son, everything is happening. I promise, it’s handled.” There was a short silence on both our parts, before my father smiled wide and spoke, again. “Like father, like son. So, I know what you’re struggling with right now. You’re feeling inadequate and like you’re failing the woman you love because you are not the one going to get her. But, son, there comes a time in life where we have to rely on those that love us. We have to accept the help. We can’t be everywhere at once. And you . . . you have a father that values family over everything and who would die for you. So, taking something off of your plate so that you can put your focus where it needs to be, is my job. It’s my job. If you ended up not being able to be all in with this fight, and by some twist of fate you lost, that would kill you. So, leave this to my extremely capable hands. While you do your job in the ring, I’ll do my job to bring Chanel home.”
I nodded, as the words sank in. I actually felt a light weight being lifted, at the fact that the plan was in motion. It gave me hope, and a renewed energy. As long as things were moving, I was okay. And it seemed that things were moving. Wayne got the fight scheduled, and my father was hard at work. All I had to do was be hard at work as well, so we could bring this whole thing full circle.
“I feel better now,” I confessed to my father. “I would feel a lot better if I could go and snatch Ace up and beat his head in.”
“We have to leave him intact, for now, though, so they don’t know that we got our own thing going on in the background. In due time, though. And in the meantime, I need to get inside because it’s cold as hell out here!”
Me and my father laughed our way into the house. And a short time later when everybody had left, I grabbed Lennox and headed out for a late-night run to burn some energy.
CHAPTER 46
Detectives Parker & Knight
Precita Park Café
San Francisco, CA
Detectives Parker and Knight sat down for dinner at Precita Park Café. Parker ordered the Precita burger with fries, while Knight opted for the halibut meal. Both men decided to get Ninsaki for their drink of choice. They had been fairly quiet on the way there, and up until their food was delivered to the table 20 minutes later.
“This looks good,” Detective Parker told the server.
“So does mine,” Knight followed.
“Trust me, they’re as good as they look,” the server said, with a smile. “I’ve had everything on the menu and can attest to the fact.”
“Well, thank you, Heather,” Parker said, looking at her name tag.
“You’re very welcome. Enjoy, gentlemen.”
After she’d walked away, the men began digging into their meals, as well as digging into casual conversation. Ralph Knight had taken a special interest in the Chanel Norwood case, and had been talking about it nonstop.
“So, you’re paying, right?” Parker kidded, once they settled in their seats. “Because my plan was to go back to my desk and finish closing out this case. I’m sure the wife already cooked.”
“Speaking of closing out this case. You buying any of that shit back at that damn compound?”
Jay shrugged his shoulders, nonchalantly. “Seemed okay to me. The only real problem that I had was with that prick of a manager, Wayne Chapman.”
“Yeah, I noticed how you tried to scare him,” Ralph laughed. “Making him think he might be charged with something.”
“I had to. Let him stew for a bit. Can’t believe they’re not slapping him with at least a goddamn fine for that shit he pulled. They must really know somebody. But it is what it is.” Parker leaned into the backing of his seat. “What’s done is done. Onto the next case.”
“Just like that?” Ralph charged. “That’s all you take issue with? You don’t see that there’s more?”
Parker glared at his partner. “What I see, and what I heard, Ralph . . . is that the case is closed. We’re off the case,” he responded, smacking on the food in his mouth. You know what else was kinda weird to me? That they had that many family members over to talk with us. You see how closely they all stuck together?”
“I mean, that part is so small to me, Jay. It’s all the drama surrounding the shit. They’re probably just happy, for one, and then feeling protective at the same time. So, that, I get. It’s every damn thing else that’s got me scratching my head.”
“Everything else like what, Ralph?”
Ralph Knight pulled out the tape recorder that he carried around with him everywhere he went and sat it on top of the table right next to him. He saw the smirk on Jay’s face and started to laugh.
“Well, what do you expect? I’m eating. Need my hands!” he exclaimed. “Okay, so here’s what I got and what I think we should start asking—”
“Whoa!” Parker exclaimed, abandoning his food, momentarily. “We’re not starting anything, Ralph. Chief said this is closed. She’s home, it’s done.”
Ralph laughed. “Did I sound like I was thinking of investigating some shit?” he snapped. “I was saying, hypothetically.”
Jay’s face scrunched in doubt, and then he laughed out loud. “Knight, come on, man. Who do I look like? You meant what you said. But I’m telling you to let it go. I thought when you wanted to come eat and talk about this that we were just gonna throw around some of what we observed. But we got more cases than we know what to do with. Leave this one alone.”
“It’s left.” He raised his right hand to the sky. “Swear . . .”
“Alright, I’m taking you at your word. Put the recorder away. Stop acting like this is official business.”
Knight obliged, pressing the device to ‘off’, and then taking it off the table. “Okay, it’s gone. But humor me, though.”
“Something tells me that if I don’t, you won’t let me live it down, so go ahead. You talk, and I’ll continue to devour this wonderful meal in front of me.”
“Okay, here’s what’s digging a fucking hole in my brain!” he exclaimed, excitedly.
Caivano retires in December. Went out with a bang and a huge win, only to return months later to fight Ace “Hit Man” Wilder. Why? And why him?
Fight is announced on the heels of Chanel’s return. Was this a part of letting her go? Him agreeing to the fight? If so . . .
Supposedly, his ex-manager was behind the so-called ‘hoax’, but why? Who does that? And why wasn’t Caivano more upset with him for that shit? That whole thing lacked emotion that a man should have. And, okay, they’re saying it was a joke, but you traumatized a woman and the friend that saw her taken. There’s nothing that speaks ‘joke’ to me, with . . .”
All of a sudden, Knight stopped talking and sat his fork down on his plate. He looked up at his
partner.
“What?” Parker asked, curiously.
Knight moved his plate to the side of him and crossed his arms on top of the table, his expression turning serious. “Before Caivano was set to fight Wilder, Wilder was supposed to be fighting Shane Michaels.”
“Yeah, but then he had to go and catch a rape case.”
“The man is free, Ralph,” Parker stated, his voice lazy with frustration at how long his partner had been on the same subject.
Ralph chuckled. “And since when have you known a rapist to admit the truth?”
“Never, but—”
“No buts. I’m thinking I need to get a conversation with Shane Mich—”
“That’s it . . .” Jay said, standing from the table and covering his empty plate with his dinner napkin. He pulled his wallet from his pocket and began taking out cash to place on the table.
“What are you doing?” Knight asked, confused.
“I’m not getting wrapped up in this. You put the recorder away, but you’re giving this conversation the same energy. I’m not getting wrapped up in this with you, Ralph. You were already told to lay off. Do that. Unless you’re itching for the department’s version of early retirement.”
When his partner failed to respond, Detective Parker exited the restaurant, without looking back. Clearly, Ralph Knight didn’t care that shit would hit the fan if he didn’t stop his invasive pursuit of justice, already served. But Parker had a wife and twin girls to take care of, so he chose to stay in the lane paved for him.
CHAPTER 47
Giuseppe
It was somewhere around 10AM on Monday morning, when Giuseppe spotted the guy walking toward him. He had ‘thug’ written all over him, but tried to cover it up with designer jeans, jacket and Timberland boots. Giuseppe knew the type. He sized the six-foot, thin-framed guy up, as he got closer. This person was one of the missing pieces of the puzzle, and so this meeting was an eagerly anticipated one. While Giuseppe kept calm, it took everything in him not to pull out his pistol and whip him with it on the spot. Just the fact that this man had direct ties to the enemy, and had first-hand information about Chanel and where she could be, had Giuseppe raging on the inside.
“Mr. Caivano . . .” the man said, when he was upon the table. Giuseppe nodded his head, as a motion for the man to take a seat. He stuck his hand across the table. “It’s an honor to meet you, sir . . .”
“Mikhail, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Put your hand down, Mikhail,” Giuseppe shot. “I’m not sure that we’re at the place of salutations and handshakes yet.”
Mikhail lowered his hand and stood in place, seemingly in contemplation. “You serious?”
“Very,” Giuseppe responded, nodding his head for further affirmation. “You know how I found you?” Giuseppe asked.
“How?”
“Your mouth. You talk a lot. And apparently, you’ve had a lot to say about this situation—to a select few.”
“Keyword . . . select. I’m no dummy, Mr. Caivano. I wanted to talk to you or D.C.”
“Really?”
He leaned closer, his hands locked together. “Absolutely. My actions were deliberate. Nothing accidental about them.”
“So, then it is fact that you’re involved in some bullshit that’s greatly affected my family?”
“Not involved. I didn’t like the shit from the gate. For one, I’m a fan of your son’s. Got a lot of respect for the man. For two, putting your hands on women will never be something that I endorse. Fuck no. I got a mother and sisters that I would kill for, without so much as a blink.”
After a few lengthy pauses, and the two men assessing each other’s energy, Mikhail finally took it upon himself to take the seat across from Giuseppe. “As far as you wanting to skip the salutations and handshakes, I can respect that.”
“Good, so since we’re clear, you can start telling me what I need to know.”
“I know Dex because I’m cool with his nephew, Dante. Dante is his sister’s son. Dex had two guys that do a lot of work with him take the woman.”
“Her name is Chanel, not ‘the woman’,” Giuseppe demanded.
“My bad. Dex had two guys take Chanel. Their names are Moose and Dave. They’re the two you want.”
“I want more than those two, but they’ll do for starters. They work for the nephew? Or do they work for Dexter?”
“Kinda both. But primarily, for Dex. They live between the Bay and Long Beach. But they’re up here a lot. He wanted to grab the wo . . . I mean, Chanel, so that D.C. would fight Ace. From what I understand, Ace is the son of his best friend that passed away. He agreed to watch out for Ace and his brother. So, he’s not just Ace’s counsel on all shit business, he’s kinda like a father figure to him. Dex set Shane Michaels up on rape charges, to get him out of the way. I felt bad because I was the one that told them that D.C. had just gotten engaged. Dex figured to strong-arm him into fighting, he would—”
“I get it,” Giuseppe said, cutting him off. “Do you know where they have her?”
Mikhail sat quiet for a few seconds, trying to think back, then slowly shook his head. “I don’t, man. I know where Dex’s main spot is and where he lays his head, but I doubt very seriously that’s where he had her taken to. That dude is smart as fuck too, so he wouldn’t do shit there, knowing that’s the first place people would look.”
“Okay, so I just need to know where this Moose and Dave are known to be, as well as any hangouts that you know Dex to frequent.”
“And that’s why I’m here,” Mikhail stated.
“Great. And now, we can shake on it,” Giuseppe stated, finally reaching across the table to extend the offering.
CHAPTER 48
Rochelle
At 8:30 PM on Tuesday night, Rochelle entered the VIP room at Mr. Smith’s, a popular, San Francisco nightclub and lounge. She was dipped in a multi-colored, Versace jumpsuit that clung to her like it was holding on for dear life. Her diamond accessories gleamed, even in the dim light that filled the large room. The stilettos that she rocked had her standing five inches higher, at an even five-foot-ten. Heads immediately turned in her direction, adding an air of confidence more embellished than normal.
She smiled to herself, saying, “I know I look good,” low enough, so that only she could hear.
Rochelle looked around the familiar surroundings. She had frequented the spot plenty of times on her various trips to the Bay Area. The first floor is where she did most of her partying, because that’s where she could go to shake her ass, and let off some steam. Tonight, there would be no dancing for her, though. She was there for work. The moment she tipped the last stair to the third floor and scanned the room, she was thankful. There was so much money in that room, Rochelle could smell it. Those were the types of places she liked to be inside of.
There he is, she said, to herself, smiling at the fact that he wasn’t only paid, but fine! When she took on the task, she was hoping against all hope that the man she might’ve had to seduce at least looked like something—and he did. Dario, Giuseppe, and Quinton had talked to her about what they needed her to do, and how to go about it. But she’d laughed at them, because the ‘How’, wasn’t ever something that she needed. Not for even a second of her life.
Dexter Jackson . . . My, oh my. Aren’t you even cuter in person? And an O.G. Means you’ve got some seasoning on that meat! Yesss, hunty! she silently cheered. I like it already.
The closer she got, the more she was able to size him up in full detail. She was pissed that she hadn’t discovered him before. There was so much she could’ve done with him, to him. He wouldn’t have been anywhere plotting on kidnapping or no shit like that. They could’ve built so many empires together, he would’ve frowned on such behavior. Nah! Who am I kidding? Dude is a killer. This is his lifestyle. All that sophistication and fineness living life on the edge.
Rochelle strode carefully, through the area, as though looking for seating. She strategical
ly placed herself in Dex’s peripheral, and then managed to slip directly in front of his view. It was then that she put something extra in her walk, even going so far as to add extra sway to her hips, as she closed in on his space. Take this bait, baby.
And catch the bait, he did. Dex turned around and caught a glimpse of her, as she approached. Rochelle knew instantly that he liked what he saw because his head hadn’t even made it all the way back around, before he turned to look again. This time, his eyes remained fixed on her, scanning her from top to bottom. She could almost hear his reaction. He slowly brought his glass to his lips and took down a small gulp, before placing it on the bar top.
Got your attention, huh? she said, to herself. A smile spread across Rochelle’s face, as she sat on the stool next to him.
“Look at you,” he said, dragging his thick tongue across his bottom lip.
“Look at you,” she responded. “Dipped in all that smooth chocolate.”
Dex stepped off his stool and into Rochelle’s personal space. “You like chocolate?”
“I love chocolate. Particularly, dark chocolate.”
“You know what’s crazy about that?”
“What would that be?”
“That I got a lifetime supply of it.”
“Shit . . .” Rochelle sighed. He was truly sexy, and she truly wanted him—already.
Dex ran a smooth hand down the length of Rochelle’s exposed arm. “Caramel never looked so good.”
“Oooh, I love a man with soft hands. That touch is giving me life.”
“Life, huh?”
“Life . . .” she reiterated. “Speaking of life.” Rochelle reached down to grab Dex’s wrist. She laid her head to the side to get a glimpse of his ring finger.
“What you looking for?” he asked, laughing.
“For signs of branding. I see you’re free and clear,” she commented, speaking to the fact that he had no signs of a wedding ring.
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