“You still want to see the real me, Edmond?” I smiled as I walked down the stairs to give Valdez what he came here for. He hadn’t come here to get Timberly; he came here to see the real me. The air was thick with death and the coppery smell of blood. Broken glass crunched under my boots the closer I got to Valdez’s location. I stopped 10 feet short of his hiding spot, ready to finish this here and now.
“Come on out, Edmond. You wanted the old me, right. Here I am.” I said.
“You’re dead, do you hear me?” He screamed.
“You soundin’ real scared over there, nigga. Next time say that shit with your chest. Give it a little more bass and maybe it’ll sound believable.”
I’ll kill you. You bastard.” He yelled, standing and running towards me with his gun pointed at my face.
“Yo gon’ kill me now. Then what, huh? Do you really think you gon’ make it out of here after you shoot me?”
“If I’m dead already, I might as well take you with me.” He stated.
“All you had to do was leave and your family wouldn’t have turned on you. I mean I have to thank them. I would have used my own money to buy out your mercs, but who would have guessed your son would do it for me. They really hate you, huh. I could teach you some parenting skills. I mean I ain’t been doing it for long but. I think I’m better than you.”
“Shut up. You don’t know what you're talking about.” He hissed.
“Actually, I do. Shit, I’m not sure who turned on you faster, your family or your friends.” This so-called powerful, criminal mastermind was crumbling right before my eyes from a few words and insults. Damn, this shit was ridiculous. “You were better off leaving Sabrina alive. At least she would have rode for you since you were her only option left.”
“Shut up, I said…” He screamed, cocking his gun and click; nothing happened.
“Damn Edmond, I thought you was a killer. But what type of killer don't remember how many bullets they have left.” I asked unholstering my gun and aimed. The instant sense of dread and fear in his eyes was comical. The big bad human trafficker, about to piss his pants because of a gun in his face. His face turned beet red and he dropped to his knees with a thud.
“Please we can work this out. It doesn’t have to end like this. I’m a very rich man. I can give you anything, money, drugs,women, anything you want, you just name it and it’s yours.” He whimpered.
“Nova is all I ever wanted and if yo’ weird ass hadn’t come around here causin’ all this trouble I would be with my family watching her give birth to my son. But nawh you had to come up here startin’ all this shit. Consequences are a muthafucka. Are you cryin’ nigga. I ain't even got to my monologue yet. Ah well. I got shit to do.” I said, pulling the trigger and ending the life of this coward. “Anyone that is not related or employed by me still on this mountain when I return is dead. Pick yo’ shit up and get the fuck on. This is your only warning.” I growled and turned my back on the scene behind me.
I walked back inside and it felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted off my chest. My baby girl was safe again; she could enjoy life and be a kid. But somethin’ told me that she would still want to keep up with her training.
“They’re leaving.” Blue said, showin’ me his monitor.
Damn, they didn’t even pick that nigga’s body up when they left. I would have the bodies loaded up and dropped off at the office, to be disposed of properly. Wouldn’t want anyone finding any parts of them. Our men were busy clearing the main road on our side of the gate of metal and rock from the explosion and offering medical aid to those who had been injured. But my mind was focused on getting to my family, Black and Blue followed close behind me, eager to get inside as well. We had taken out the trash and now it was time to be with the people we loved.
Chapter 16
Nova
The panic roomwas annoyingly quiet except for the sound of the slide of Pops shoes against the concrete. He had been trying his best to keep his feelings locked inside, similar to the way Crew did whenever something bothered him. When the doors first closed and I thought I would lose them, Pops had sat with me, holding my hand and giving me words of encouragement. That was until his nerves of steel had run out. He had been walking a hole in the floor ever since. It was easy to see the profound sense of loss from the absence of Crew, Black and Blue on the faces of the people in this room. Once the massive steel doors were closed the outside world disappeared and we were left with a feeling of dread.
After finishing her duties she’d been hired for and stabilizing Janelle, Dr. Gibson sat with the kids losing at monopoly as she pretended not to be staring at Pops. There was something going on with them, but I would wait until we got back home in one piece before I investigated that situation further. Right now, I was watching Tyra’s annoying ass buzz around the room like an irritating fly that constantly evaded the swing of the fly swatter. She hadn’t given me room to breathe or bask in the depression that had been trying to overwhelm me.
Any sound Peace made she was by his side like he might get up out of his bassinet and walk away. She was currently pressing her fists into my tender abdomen to encourage my uterus to contract and reduce postpartum bleeding. It had been an easy birth without many complications, but with bleeding you could never be sure. Plus, Tyra took her job as my son’s Godmother and nurse seriously.
Mecca and Kema were sitting on the sofa with Del, keeping her company while forcing a sandwich into her, so she wouldn’t dwell on Janelle’s condition. She had improved but she had still been shot less than eight hours ago. Her eyes drifted over to Janelle’s sleeping frame every other second. If no one was here, I’m sure she would have taken up a constant vigil at her bedside. We were all wrapped up in our troubles but working diligently to not let the others see our pain. Even the kids had become solemn and quiet, their usual loud, giddy voices now low and subdued.
How could we go on if they never returned, if their absence after a couple of hours could do this, what would a lifetime without them do to us. I hoped like hell we would never have to find out.
“Oh my God. Do you have to be so rough?” I grumbled at Tyra. I knew she wasn’t really trying to hurt me on purpose, but my hormones were still all over the place and anger was the only thing keeping me from crying right now.
“Would you like to bleed out? No! That’s what I thought. Now shut up all that damn complaining.” She huffed finishing the last knead, before dropping down in the rocking chair next to me like a sack of potatoes. “And Pops, please stop burning a hole into the damn floor. Yo’ ass is not Sonic the Hedgehog and there ain’t no rings in here for you to catch, so please sit down. I know we are all worried for one reason or another but y'all have to snap out of this funk. Y’all drivin’ me crazy, well crazier. We have this brand-new person to love on and spoil. I’ll be damned if the first vibe hecatches is sadness and heart ache. So, get the fuck up and show my nephew a good time.” She sassed.
Everybody burst out into laughter at her antics. Because Tyra was right. Peace was here and Janelle was alive. It wasn’t everything we wanted but we had to be thankful for what we did have instead of what we wished for. The laughter of the room was cut short by the sound of the lock disengaging on the panic room door.
“I thought you said the door could only be opened from the inside now that it was closed?” I asked.
“That’s what they told us.” Mecca said, drawing her gun and aiming at the door.
“Nova, get the baby and move to the back of the room with the kids.” Pops roared.
