Thin Ice 3 - Armageddon (20 page)

Tae told her she was working on that very thing right now.

“
Cool, call me and let me know what’s up or if you need my help,” Kaitlyn replied disconnecting.

Tae finally tired of the news and rose, searching for and finding her little red book. Most people kept a black one, but she decided on the red color because this book contained all her emergency back up suppliers. Tae began calling around hitting a few dead ends before striking pay dirt. Of course the price was higher, given they needed them on such short notice, but Tae was willing to pay it. They would simply heighten the price on Kareem’s end. With that much settled she called Kaitlyn back and told her everything was good.

“Way too much bullshit going on for a Tuesday morning, damn,” Tae remarked heading into her bathroom.

The knock at the door further annoyed her as she stopped and returned to the door, opening it without asking who it was, coming face to face with Shells.

“
Yes, who are you,” Tae asked, having never seen the man before.

“
We need to talk,” he told her calmly in the clipped English.

“
I don’t know you,” Tae told him as Shells sighed deeply.

“
Ma, ya need to let me in and we need ta talk,” he told her again giving her a look.

Tae swallowed hard as she wrestled with letting him inside. If he wanted to kill her, he could have by now, Tae surmised, finally stepping aside and allowing Shells entry. “What’s this about,” she asked immediately.

Tae was still on edge having a complete stranger in her house.

“
I wanna know what da hell you and your gurls are up too,” Shells asked point blank, going on to tell Tae in vivid detail how he witnessed their exchange the other day.

“
So what’s your angle,” she threw out, shaken but determined not to let him know. Shells sighed deeply once again.

“
I’m tryna save your life gal, can’t ya tell dat,” he pleaded as Tae continued to watch him silently. “Ya gals are in ova ya heads, way ova,” Shells tried again.

“So you want us to stop, is that what this is about,” Tae questioned.

Shells nodded yes and she sighed deeply. “And you’re gonna bust us if we don’t,” she threw out assuming he was an undercover agent of some sort.

Shells didn’t correct her assumption as he continued to regard her quietly.

“
Where da dope you got the other day,” Shells asked.

“
We delivered it already,” Tae lied smoothly.

“
Hmph,” Shells replied. “Let that be the last time,” he told Tae, giving her another look.

Swallowing hard, she nodded contritely and told him okay. Satisfied, Shells rose and began walking to the front door.

“
Tae, dis game serious,” he told her looking into her eyes again. “You don’t heed my warning, you may not walk away dis time,” Shells admonished as a final thought, opening her door and letting himself out.

Tae let out the breath she’d been holding, and called Kaitlyn, getting Jaleesa on three way. The playing field had just shifted and if they didn’t want to end up in a jail cell or a coffin, they’d better figure out a seriously secret way to get this load to Kareem and Mecca, on time, as promised.

*****

They found the house easily. Pulling to the curb, they watched it for a few moments as people came and went on either side. Some went to the house itself buying product Ian observed.
They’re not keeping her there,
he thought. He reasoned that Tariq only wanted information from Brie, and that he also fancied himself the gentleman, so she would be somewhere pleasant, not the heart of the hood.

“
She’s not in there,” Ian finally said aloud as everyone regarded him again.

“
Then how do we find her,” Seth asked beginning to tire of the cat and mouse game. He wanted to see his sister and know she was still breathing. He also wanted to place two well deserved bullets into the head of each man responsible for kidnapping her. “We listen,” he said as they frowned again.

Telling them to crack the truck windows and be quiet, Ian began to listen to the various chatter from the street.

They wouldn’t be sitting idle too long. “Yo man, you heard ‘bout Mace,” the man asked his friend riding the bike as they stood and talked not ten feet from the Escalade. “Yeah that fool got his self locked up,” the other man threw back as they both chuckled.

“
Where Jaron at though,” he asked as Ian and everyone else paid rapt attention.

They were betting the two men were partners.

“
You know they got that other place over by the old mill and shit,” the men told him as they both nodded knowingly.

“
Lemme go up here and get me a hit,” the first man said as the second laughed and walked away commenting he was head to the corner store for a beer.

“
OK, we got a location to start scouring,” Ian told them as they started truck and Peyton Googled mills in the area.

“
Found it,” he replied moments later giving them the address listed.

Ian punched it into the GPS and they were soon headed toward an entirely different side of town.

Getting closer to the location, Ian began to feel more confident. The landscape was clean with small shops and restaurants lining the area. People walked freely and the children played on the large playground provided by the city.

“
We’re in the right place,” he murmured as they all nodded silently.

Driving another two or three miles they came up on two apartment complexes.

“
We’re gonna have to stake them both out,” Ian told them as they all agreed.

Making decisions on who would watch which building, they got out of the truck and took up positions. Because the area was so appealing and frequented, they all blended in immediately. Seth and Peyton grabbed soft drinks from a local street vendor, finding a huge shade tree and resting under it. Ian enjoyed an Italian ice while he sat on the patio of the small bistro directly in front of the other complex. Kareem and Mecca sat at an outdoor picnic table almost strategically located between both complexes. They hoped to catch a glimpse of Gabrielle or hear another conversation that would help them in their pursuit. Right now however, all they could do was watch and wait.

*****

“You might wanna start talkin’,” Mook advised their houseguest.

LaRon had worked him over pretty well. The guy was struggling to breathe.

“
Where is Ice and what’s his next move,” Mook asked once again.

Still their guest remained mute.

“
Well hell, you must like pain,” Mook told him rising and walking away as LaRon began to walk over to him again.

“
Wait a minute,” the man managed.

LaRon paused as Mook turned to him and waited. Tariq walked into the room at that moment and the man regarded him as well.

“
He said take over Miami, cause chaos,” the man wheezed. “When ya’ll turned to fix it, take over Atlanta, kill Top,” he finished before a coughing fit overtook him.

“
Hmph,” LaRon commented.

“
Where is Ice now,” Tariq questioned.

He wasn’t in a good mood this morning and the man before him was testing his patience. His mind was still on his wife and her state of mind at the moment.

“
He’s back in Louisiana,” the man wheezed as Tariq’s eyes glazed over.

“What,” Mook asked calling him on it.

Glancing at the floor the three men left the room so they could talk.

“
KiKi and Tae are going to the Classic this weekend,” the told them both as LaRon groaned.

“
I know Tweety is going too,” he threw out, having to explain his answer.

Deciding they would deal with his issue later, Tariq returned his attention to their immediate problem.

“
I can’t tell her she can’t go and not explain why,” he threw out as the men agreed. Mook knew Kaitlyn was headstrong, like Kim, which again perplexed him why they didn’t get along. Pushing the latter thought aside, he asked about Shells.

“
Yeah, just tell him to shadow them to the Classic,” LaRon told Tariq who nodded and called his friend.

Shells answered immediately listening carefully as Tariq told him the situation.

“
Sure, no problem,” he replied almost instantly.

Tariq thanked him, telling Shells they would be in touch.

“You thinking what I am,” Mook asked, giving Tariq a look, as LaRon nodded as well.

“
Yes,” he returned plainly.

“
What you wanna do about him,” Mook asked nodding toward the back room.

“
Get a location out of him, then get rid of him,” Tariq directed as Mook shrugged and told him it was straight.

Tariq and LaRon headed into the kitchen as they heard the man hit the wall the first time and knew Mook was taking care of business.

“
What the hell is going on with you and Tweety,” he asked his friend.

LaRon told him honestly why they were apart.

“
Damn man,” Tariq returned as LaRon told him he’d taken care of the Kysha problem. From the look, Tariq didn’t have to ask how, so he didn’t.

“
So she only asked for two weeks, so that should be straight,” Tariq told him as LaRon replied he hoped so.

The two men paused hearing the sharp sounds of bullets passing through a silencer. “That was quick,” Tariq chuckled as Mook emerged moments later giving them the address and telling them he would dispose of the trash later.

They continued talking bringing Mook up to speed. “I understand how it could happen though man,” he admitted as they gave him a look.

“
Tae, at your party,” he clarified as LaRon smiled slightly.

He was glad he wasn’t the only one who looked her over and wanted to bend her over. “I mean, I love Kim don’t get me wrong, but it was like, shit, I don’t know,” Mook replied as Tariq sighed slightly.

“
Kim and I never hooked up Mook, ever,” he told him plainly as Mook regarded his boss and friend.

“
How did you --,” he began as Tariq smiled slightly.

“
I’m well aware of how Kim feels or felt about me,” he told him. “But I also know she loves you, and she knows I love KiKi,” he finished calmly.

“
Yeah, we talked about that,” Mook admitted.

Tariq smiled again and told him he hoped the matter was finally settled then.

“
Yeah, we’re straight,” he told him. “But what I was sayin’ was it worked out okay,” he told them looking directly at LaRon now.

“
I hear ya,” he replied as they all smiled and rose headed out into the day.

They had a lot of plans to make before Friday. The Classic wasn’t going to be the only place they had fireworks in the Bayou this weekend.

16

Hope was settling into her hotel room. So far she’d found the city very agreeable. The people were very friendly and they’d made her stay very pleasant to his point. Taking a few moments to sit down and gather herself, Hope prayed for strength. She also prayed this was the beginning of the end for a long and arduous journey. The soft knock broke her thought as she rose and headed to the door. Smiling the hotel concierge handed her the small box. Hope thanked him and gave him a tip as he graciously told her she was welcome and left her once again alone. Making her way to the table contained in the sitting area of the room, Hope placed the box on the table and removed the contents. She immediately connected the apparatus and turned it on, breathing in the pure oxygen the tank held. She felt she needed the help after the flight and all the labor endured getting through the airport and to her hotel. Feeling almost immediately better, Hope pulled out the small cellphone she carried and dialed Kim’s number.

The woman answered on the third ring, greeting her and asking how her flight was. Hope graciously answered her questions before getting to the business at hand. “My schedule is open,” Kim told her.

“
That’s good,” Hope returned. “Can you come now,” she asked as Kim assured her she could.

Giving the woman her room number, Hope disconnected and took another few breaths of the oxygen.
Are you sure you’re going to be able to do this,
her mind questioned. Hope steeled her reserve knowing she had too. If she didn’t there was a very real possibility she wouldn’t live to get another chance. The cancer was getting worse and had begun to spread again after years in remission.

“
Please God, this is the only thing I want before I leave this world,” Hope whispered, making her way slowly to her suitcase.

Opening it she removed another small carrying case and brought it to the sitting area where she and Kim would talk. Having nothing else to do until the woman showed up, Hope continued to sit and pray.

*****

Gabrielle had her game plan figured out. Jaron was extremely comfortable with her now two days after they’d been alone together. The TV schedule told her it was Wednesday. She decided it was her hump day to get away and call her brothers. Swallowing hard, Gabrielle gingerly rose from the bed as Jaron continued to shower. She hurriedly dressed and walked into the living room stopping at the couch just in case he heard her and came out of the bathroom. Her heart was racing as Gabrielle stood watching the closed door, still hearing the water cascading inside. Looking to her right, Gabrielle saw his wallet. Taking the time to open it, wanting to at least know the name of the man she’d been having sex with, she looked at the license.