Chapter Six

Brock…

It’s a given that we all must leave this Earth one day, or have to prepare to lie to rest a loved one. Although it’s inevitable that we have to plan a funeral being it is prearrangements for ourselves or on the spot arrangements for someone dear to us. I honestly have to say I knew this day would come, that I would eventually have to visit Premium Funeral Home to make plans to bury my mother but this soon would have never entered my mind. Under the circumstances at hand it is completely out of my control as I can’t put off making these plans any longer. Tomorrow is the day that I have to spend with the funeral director and my immediate family to get this part underway. Nikki offered to do it alone with Rae but I couldn’t put that burden completely on her shoulders that way.

Today we go through the necessary conversations to make preparations to find my baby. It’s taken everything I had to convince Angie to not call the police, she is so shaken up and there’s nothing I can do to help her at this point. My main focus is to get my baby back by any means necessary, I have love for her and all but Jazz is my main priority. Now comes the time to lay it all on the line and disclose who we really are or better yet who we are really associated with.

Nikki’s mom and Mama Ruth came back from their trip as soon as they heard what happened. We have to put on the biggest front in the world like nothing is wrong or no one is missing for that matter. My mother was murdered we all have to attend the funeral before we set out to do what we do best, TRACK AND DISTROY. Best believe we will track down the garbage that is responsible and destroy everything they have ever touched leaving no stone unturned. No one will survive this raid.

“Ok, now let me first say, thank you all for being here right now because you didn’t have to.” I said. Everyone nodded as a response.

“What we are about to say is strictly forbidden but the truth of the matter is I can’t honestly ask you all to put faith in me if you don’t know everything. I am not afraid to admit I NEED you all at this point to pull this job off without any flaws. This very well may be the biggest job we have ever had to do considering what’s at stake.” I said trying to reign in my beast. I am extremely too angry and I know that too much emotion will get the wrong person or people killed. I can’t afford to have anyone else leave in a body bag right now.

“Brock, why don’t I explain what I can without disclosing too much?” Mr. Williams stated. I nodded after a little hesitation.

“First off I met Brock and Darryl back when they were some fresh 16 year olds into all the wrong kinds of shit. I approached them about a better way of life, a more on the right side of the law type of life. After a considerate amount of persuasion, two years’ worth, I convinced them to try my way for a while. That fact was just one of the reasons I gave them to let me help them. The other was informing them that it was a hit on their heads by some other local dealers that didn’t think kindly of these two youths becoming bigger than they could ever imagine they would.”

“I was once a part of a covert operation of sorts; I am also ex-marine corps. I was offered an opportunity to operate my own SPECIAL unit and I agreed. My unit was a deep cover type of unit. The organization I worked for sent people out to dig knee deep into the drug world, mafia world to infiltrate from the inside. My unit specifically was SECRETLY government funded to eliminate certain threats.” He said and stopped. “Entirely eliminate…” He added.

“Wait, are you trying to tell us you are like or were Black-ops or some shit?” Nikki asked looking around at our responses to what he just said. “So when I made that comment earlier that’s why y’all looked shocked?”

“Technically I can neither confirm nor deny your allegations.” He stated with a straight face.

“Well fuck me!” She said blowing out an exasperated breath.

“So basically y’all are assassins in so many words?” Déjà asked.

“Once again…” He started but was cut-off by Gwen.

“You cannot confirm nor deny those allegations.”

“Shit.” Rae and Megan said. Everyone became eerily quiet.

“The organization I am apart of was under taking some serious flack and were under investigation. Certain individuals wanted the operation ended completely because they didn’t care for the results anymore now that their immediate needs were met. The enemies that they acquired were no more so they felt our services weren’t required anymore. Our group basically went underground with hopes of resurfacing but we were sadly mistaken. MIA for three years leaving some of my boys in too deep to a point where either they would lose themselves out there or they would risk everyone they loved to try and get out the legal way.” Williams said. “Now that I have started the ball rolling in the right lane, I am going to leave and let you complete this meeting. I will be in touch. Lay the rest out, whoever is trying to track me is on the move. I gotta go.” He said. He kissed the girls on the forehead and left. After he was safely to his car and we locked up again, I decided to go ahead and finish clearing the air. There was a scrambler in the room so even if it was bugged nothing would be heard.

“In so many words we were government official hit men and then we were forced underground when they felt they couldn’t control our every move. They wanted names and no one was willing to disclose our exact names or whereabouts. The only people that were named straight up were the leaders of the groups and in our case that was Williams. That’s why we never let on to knowing each other completely for you guy’s safety. Discreet would have been an understatement for how hush-hush we have been over the years. We were the best because we have the muscle, stealth, brains, and the best ghost that could track a tic on a wolf’s ass.” I said and the guys nodded their heads in agreement.

“What about the drugs?”

“I can’t lie and say I never sold drugs. At first it was all a front so if we were ever caught up they would just assume we were drug dealers. When they forced our unit to dismantle our underground remained the most sought after. I was first in command over Williams’s entire unit before we were shut down. I made many alliances from the dirty world, if you want to call it that, who invested in my team once we were forced underground. We moved major weight as well as being hired by the most powerful yet secret organizations, that will remain nameless, to rid their empires of certain problems. Let’s just say the HITMEN title never went away, it just changed owners per say.”

“Oh wow…” The girls said all together staring off into space.

“Well alrighty then…” Nikki said while shaking her head from side to side trying to clear her mind of the information I have revealed so far. I know it’s a bit much but hey it is what it is.

“Up until we completely stopped working last year we were still handling jobs here and there. Let’s just say we had our hands in a lot of things. We have some very extreme businessmen, legal and illegal, that we associate ourselves with.” I said and looked around trying to gain an idea of everyone’s thoughts at the table. “Do y’all have any other questions before we get started on strategizing on how to solve the problem at hand?”

“Umm nope, I think we know all there is to know. NOW anyway...” Nikki said and everybody else nodded their heads in agreement. I feel bad that I kept that part from her but it was for the best. That’s what I was trained to do so I don’t know any other way.

“Can we count on your hidden folks to participate in this operation?” Dre asked.

“Discreetly?” Darryl added.

“Yes and yes, we have already informed them that something big is coming up.” Nikki stated going into business mode.

“And they are well aware that this involves complete compliance with being discreet.” Megan said.

“Actually our ‘Ghost’ as you call yours would rather remain nameless as well as faceless. But just know she is extremely reliable.” Déjà added.

“Alright then, let’s get down to business.” I said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nikki…

“How did they get to mama? More importantly how did they get to Jazz?” Rae asked.

“We have a lead on a possible snitch that can easily be persuaded to cross either side of the fence.” Déjà said. “I found out from a reliable source that this snake has been on the sidelines doing nothing since the late 90’s but has recently been digging and asking a lot of questions about information on your crew. And getting frequent calls from a (901) area code, it is said he has no family in the Tennessee area so unless he has a piece of ass up that way this could be a possible lead.”

“What’s this snake’s name?”

“Robert Washington aka Big Rob, some guys I know from Granite Station said that dude has been running into a little more money and calls himself flossing it. I believe he is who we need to pay the first visit to.” Déjà finished reading what she pulled up. She passed the picture to the middle of the table.

“I have seen this guy before. I just can’t remember where.” Rae said.

“I know where I have seen him, at the fucking barbershop…” Darryl said. “SHIT.”

“Ok what about Jazz?” Megan asked.

“Well I asked the girls did they have fun at the fair as a roundabout way of asking did they go with Jazz. They tried to be vague letting me know that they were hiding something but first off there’s something ole boy said to me on the phone that made me think about something Jazz told me recently. Brock I need you to keep yourself calm when I tell you this.” I said giving Brock a pointed look and he nodded.

“Wait, what time did they so called go to the fair so I can see if I can pull the cameras?” Dre asked.

“At around 7 if I’m not mistaken and they said a fight broke out around 11 so it got hectic out there.”

“That’s convenient and yet so common for Little Rock.” Darryl said.

“Ok well, Jazz met this guy at school that just moved here from Tennessee about a week before school started. They have been talking for a while but the crazy part is that she told me he calls her Jazzy-baby. The guy that called me today called her by the same name. It could be a coincidence or it could be another lead. The snitch has been getting calls from the 901 area code, straight up Memphis all day long.” I said. “I have a feeling this guy went to the fair with them or she possibly used her friends as a cover to go with him.”

“I just pulled up the cameras from the fairgrounds. Most of them have been deleted or scrambled, no doubt in my mind this was done by whoever we are up against. But I found one shot that they didn’t get or they overlooked on purpose and Jazz is with some guy. He had just won her a stuffed animal.” Dre said looking at his laptop.

“So she used her friends as a scapegoat to meet this dude at the fair. Dammit the oldest trick in the book. Print that picture off and since I can get into the school whenever I want I will go find this little prick myself.” I said.

“Ok that’s some good news we have some possible leads now.” Brock said.

“But and this is a strong but, I think we need to wait until after the funeral before we get started. I know this is going to be hard but we don’t have much choice at this point.” I said.

“I don’t know about that…” Brock started.

“She’s right bruh we gotta play this right or we are gonna fuck up.” Big Jim said. This is the first he has said all night. So damn quiet…

“Number one we have to put up a front like nothing is out of the ordinary for the prying eye to detect. Number two we have to get our babies out of here before we proceed. We have to have complete focus on what’s at stake here. No distractions. They are watching our every move. Third and final we cannot, I repeat cannot go off halfcocked. We are the best for a reason; no emotions must run this job.” I said.

“Ok your right.” Brock said not liking it but he knew I was telling the absolute truth.

“What about Angie?” Gwen asked.

“We sent her to our condo in Hot Springs to lay low and her friend that she has been dating works for the Sheriff department went with her. So he is armed at all times plus we can trust him to keep his mouth shut.” Brock said.

“Sorry to be so blunt but the funeral has set up the best excuse for Jazz to not be in school for about two weeks with no truancy issues. I have an extra excuse to pop up at the school to find this little boy and that’s to pick up her school work.” I said.

“If they have local alliances then they are definitely watching our every move to see what we are going to do next. They are already trying to go in through the backdoor of all of our devices to override the security system I have installed. Whoever this is would be good with a little more training because he or she ditched the computer so it traced to a Missouri land field. But they still ain’t got shit on me and my guy.” Dre said confidently.

“What were you referring to about some guy approaching you?” Darryl asked me.

“When I took the girls to the movies some dude started talking to me. I thought at first he was just some dumb ass trying to holla and wouldn’t take no for answer so I clicked on him. When he walked away he wanted me to tell Mr. Walker congrats. Then it clicked that something else was going on entirely but I had the girls with me so I kept my cool. I didn’t want to worry them. I meant to bring it up to you but we got so busy with the party and things to a point where it just slipped my mind.” I said feeling like shit wondering if it was something I could have done to prevent this from happening. Maybe I should have paid more attention and made a bigger fuss about the incident. I feel like I should have let Brock go off halfcocked instead of pulling him back.

“Please don’t do that, there’s nothing you could have done to prevent this. Honestly I don’t think it’s anything any of us could have done besides live like we are on an army base with a closed off community from any outsiders and even that may not have worked to keep out intruders.” Brock said.

“Well if I can’t blame myself then you can’t blame yourself either. We just gotta make it right.” I said giving his hand a squeeze.

“Ok tomorrow we do the funeral arrangements.” Rae said. “I say let’s plan on it being Wednesday, the quicker the better.” She added.

“I agree. That way mama, Auntie Ruth, and Gina can be on the first thing smoking up out of town with all of the babies.” I said.

“As much as I don’t want to part with my baby I must agree with you. I would feel better if they were with them overprotective mother hens then sitting ducks.” Gwen said.

“Let’s adjourn this meeting for now, every day we are going to make the meetings as brief as possible because I know they are watching us like hawks. No matter how good they think they are, we are better. They have possibly already left some loose ends for us to swoop in and it’s only a matter of time before they slip up again for us to take full advantage.” Brock said and we agreed. Everyone went their separate ways with the weight of the world on their shoulders. So much has happened in a matter of days and not one of us has a clue as to why all of sudden this is going on. The reasons will become clear soon but will we be able to deal with it properly without any more casualties?

~~~~~~~~~~~

OVC…

“Unfortunately I was unable to infiltrate their meeting place, where ever that is. I assumed it was the wife’s business but they aren’t there.” Court said.

“That is unacceptable. What about the other businesses?” Arab asked.

“They aren’t there either nor are they in the general area of where they live. Unfortunately I can’t pinpoint exactly where that is either.”

“You know what it doesn’t matter; we have something very valuable to them. As long as they kill the loose ends we set up for them, we are completely on schedule. If I know Brock correctly he is on the warpath to get to his precious baby girl so he is going to leave plenty of bodies on his path of destruction. When he starts on his killing spree we will be able to track him from that view point. He is a killer by instinct. That’s what he does so it’s only a matter of time before he starts.” Arab stated.

“Are you sure he will be that predictable?” Step asked feeling uneasy all of a sudden.

“Of course I’m sure. This will throw him completely off his game of being discreet; this will be an open challenge. He wants our blood and he’s gonna want us to know he is coming for revenge.”

“What are we going to do with the girl?” Red asked.

“Luckily for her she is worth more alive than dead or her ass would have been a goner before we left her car as bait.”

“Just wondering. For her to be only sixteen she is filled out quite nicely.” Red commented.

“I haven’t decided just yet what I will do with her. I may very well just sell her to the highest bidder and let them deal with her. She is pure as snow so I know I can get high dollar from some sick son of bitch overseas.”

“As long as I get my cut I don’t give a shit who you sell her to.” Court said.

“You will all get yours.” Arab said with a hidden meaning that only he was privy to.

“I’m tracking their old boss Williams and he doesn’t sit still long enough to lead us to the meeting spot. According to the tracker I have on him he isn’t meeting with them at all. It could only mean he is staying out of this battle.”

“Well I never thought I would see the day when the big bad wolf wouldn’t want in on a personal battle against one of his own boys, as he liked to call them. What a coward. He should have picked me to be in charge of his organization and we would still be on the map, unstoppable. I need to kill Williams for GP.”

“I will continue to keep tabs on him anyway though.”

“What are the news and local authorities saying?”

“They are saying it was a robbery gone wrong. A lot of the details have been omitted, they have someone playing clean up from the inside to keep it from hitting media like we hoped. It’s not drawing any light to them or their business dealings anymore. They started with questions but as soon as it started it died out.”

“We need ALL their connections before we kill them. These folks we need on our side.” Step exclaimed.

“We will get them; it’s only a matter of time before some people come out of hiding for this operation. He will need them all to find us. I’m pretty sure the women will be left at home to care for their kids. I say if we don’t hear something soon we add a little more fuel to the fire.” Red said.

“Ok we will see, so far enough bread crumbs have been laid. Now all we have to do is wait for him to start his killing spree. I will give him a couple of days before I call him. I have Stacy watching the girl for now taking her off work for now.” Arab said.

“Damn I was hoping to pay Stacy a visit tonight.” Six-Nine said with a sinister smirk. Arab was thinking if he keeps paying his girls visits he is going to be short too many girls to make a nice profit off the other cops in surrounding areas. They pay nicely to visit his many locations for private parties to let loose of sorts.

“Go call up one of them hoe houses nigga you killing me right now, they can stand to lose the merchandise more than I can.”

Arab greedy ass was imagining how profitable it will be to take over Brock’s organization when he is dead. ‘The rest of those birds will have to either fly the coup or bow down to his leadership,’ he kept thinking. That operation was meant for him and for him all alone. He feels these niggas he works with don’t deserve any of this pie. Brock decided he is going to quit cold turkey from this lifestyle and no one else was going to call him on his shit, NAH. This is a ‘do or die’ type of business, the only way out is death. Since it’s doubtful he won’t be persuaded to get back into the game under new leadership, then his demise is the next step and getting rid of him will actually be the icing on the cake. Easy money!