Chapter 15
15
T he four men sat down at a scarred table in the back room of a dingy bar, eyes darting around, carefully noting everyone’s positions. Four other men stood behind the ones seated, their eyes just as alert. Two men stood on their side of the door, feet apart and arms crossed.
Tito waited. He did not call the meeting but expected it just the same. The leader of the River Street Kings, Goldie Washington, sat across from him, his gaze penetrating. Suddenly Goldie smiled and Tito knew where the nickname came from. The man had had every one of his teeth fully capped in gold. The brilliant yellow glistened against his dark skin, creating an otherworldly appearance and Tito was glad he had been warned. Otherwise it would have unsettled him—exactly what Goldie wanted the effect to be.
“You left us a present,” Goldie stated, referring to Teresa’s body.
“Thought you’d appreciate it.”
“Dicks got her when we threw out the trash.”
Tito’s eyes grew dark at this admission. He had planned on the Kings disposing of the girl’s body somewhere where she would not be found by the police. “That was careless,” he growled.
His gaze caught the miniscule movement of the King’s men in the room immediately followed by the same from his men. He did not take his eyes off of Goldie, but with a slight jerk of his head he communicated to Jazzie to stand down. The last thing he needed was for the Kings to go on the offensive.
He softened his voice slightly as he amended his last statement, “But then a gift is for you to do whatever the fuck you want to with it.”
Goldie eyed him a moment and then broke into laughter. The other men in the room, still wary, seemed to relax.
“You looking to do business or just givin’ a gift for the fuck of it?” Goldie inquired as his mirth died down.
Tito then smiled, knowing the preliminaries were successfully out of the way. Jazzie sat next to him, comfortable that Tank and Waldo standing behind them would see to their safety.
“Moving into guns. Looking to see what you need. Thought you’d be interested in a business arrangement.”
“I got guns,” Goldie replied defensively.
“You got what you take. You got guns you use. But unless I’ve been told wrong, you ain’t got new shit to sell.”
At this, Goldie’s gaze penetrated Tito’s carefully, looking for a sign of disrespect. Tito held firm. The air in the room became charged again, each man assessing the climate.
Tito opened his hands on the table in a gesture of conciliation. “No dis, King-man, but the Sixers are moving into other areas besides the C-game and pussy,” indicating wanting more income than just cocaine and prostitution.
Goldie sat for a moment, his mind racing with the possibilities. The Kings were growing, but he knew that a collaboration with another successful organization could open doors for them. But he was suspicious. “Why the Kings?”
“Easy,” Tito answered. “You own the riverfront. That’s prime. We’d like to use it for transport when needed. You give us access…you get what you need. Win-win.”
Goldie sat silent for a moment, slowly nodding his head. “More. You got more than that.”
Tito smiled knowing the King-man was not stupid. “Fuckin’ pigs are closin’ in. Stepped up in my area.” Seeing Goldie’s eyebrow lift, he continued, “Nothin’ we can’t deal but with the new business, we need a new place to get shipments. You give us access, we give you guns.” Holding his gaze steady again, he repeated, “Win-win.”
The brilliant gold smile split the King’s leader’s face as he nodded. “Like it. Gotta talk to my boys, but you’ll hear.”
Tito smiled in return, still cautious knowing his rival could not be trusted entirely. “Don’t got forever. Got a package waiting to come in.”
“Our seconds can deal,” Goldie announced.
Tito’s head jerked toward Jazzie, then he nodded in agreement. Goldie did the same to his second.
Goldie hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Where’d you find our present?”
“Cunt was hiding out. A place on 91 st street. Some bitch’s got a place for our bitches to hide if they want.”
Goldie heard more than the words Tito had spoken. Cocking his head to the side, he asked, “You got any bitches there? You need the marker?”
Tito shook his head. “We got it. We’re taking care of the whole fuckin’ place.”
The men stood, clasped hands in a semblance of a shake and left the room, leaving the two seconds and two lieutenants behind.
* * *
Days later another group of men gathered around a table, the atmosphere completely different. Jobe, Tony, Gabe, Vinny, BJ, and Lily sat with Shane and Matt as they discussed the recent events.
Shane looked up, saying, “Chief needs Alvarez Security again.”
Tony gave a slight nod, knowing that the detectives already knew that whatever was needed would be given.
“We’re hitting the gangs hard right now. Finding where they meet and shutting them down. If we can find them with guns, stolen goods, or drugs, we’re charging them with that.”
“It’s causing some unrest on the streets, but most of the citizens are applauding the police crackdown,” Matt added.
“But?” Jobe prodded, unable to keep quiet knowing Mackenna was in the thick of things.
“We’re stressed staff-wise, doing all we can. We’d like to run some of the data through BJ and Lily’s databases and see if we can narrow our focuses down a little. The main players are not leaving, just moving deeper underground. Hideouts we don’t have a finger on yet. And the word out is that the Sixers have moved into guns.”
“How do the Kings figure into it all?” Tony asked.
“Never been good blood between those two but seems like they may be moving toward a detente. At least for now. Protection for both and widens their areas. But, gotta tell you, I’d be surprised if either trusts the other much.”
“Besides BJ and Lily, anything else you need?”
Matt and Shane’s gazes cut over to Jobe and he stiffened.
“Know you’ve got eyes on Mackenna’s center. After looking at the kidnapping and murder of Teresa, knowing that Tito’s pregnant ex-girlfriend is there, and Mac’s on their radar…”
“Got her and them covered,” Jobe declared.
Nodding, Shane said, “Knew you did. But the chief wants to make sure you‘re in the loop.”
Jobe felt his heart pound uncharacteristically and the familiar feeling of losing control of a mission swept through him. Pulling in a deep breath, he let it out slowly utilizing one of the methods taught by the counselor in dealing with stress. Fuck, I’ve gotta stay cool. He could feel the eyes of his comrades on him and it pissed him off. “I’ve got this,” he growled.
“What’s going on?” Tony asked, turning the attention back to the detectives.
Shane hesitated. “The dead girl had words carved into her stomach. The bitch is next .”
At that, the air in the room changed. The temperature dropped. Ice. Cold.
“At first, it was assumed by the homicide detectives that it was just a random threat, but they had nothing to tie it to.”
“And now?” Jobe asked, his voice barely recognizable to himself as he sat up straighter, hands clenched into fists.
“Got intel that says it’s about some woman who’s running a center. Something to do with the Sixer’s leader’s girlfriend.”
“Fuck!” Jobe growled as he stood quickly, his chair falling backward in his haste. He started around the table to head toward the door when his way was suddenly blocked by the massive twins.
Looking at his two best friends, he said menacingly, “You do not want to be in my way, bros.”
Tony stood quietly and turned toward the men squaring off next to him. “Stand down, all of you.”
The stance of the three barely relaxed, but the military training was too hard to ignore. Jobe’s body was locked, his mind centered on one thing and that was taking Tito Montalvo down.
“Jobe, I gotta have your head in the mission.”
Jobe’s gaze cut over to his former Captain’s, seeing understanding, not censure. But also a determined stare that brooked no question.
“We got Terrance, Doug, and two others in the surveillance room twenty-four seven watching the center, along with our other video feed contracts. You know Mackenna agreed to talk to the residents and those that have business outside the center are getting escorts. We’ve grown and got the manpower to take care of it.”
“She and the center are on the radar of the police as well,” Matt assured. “Hourly passes with marked patrol cars.”
The room was deadly silent for a moment, all eyes on Jobe. Using all the training he could muster, he controlled his breathing, his mind beginning to clear of the consuming rage he felt. Then, uncharacteristically, he confessed, “Fucked up years ago. Been breathing but not living for a long time. I just got her back and I’ll be goddamned if I lose her to some shithead punk.”
Tony walked the three steps that it took to get to Jobe, standing right in his space. The two were almost the same height, so eye contact was easy to obtain…easy to hold. “We all fucked up years ago, one way or the other. Mine was knowing you needed help to stay in the field but not pushing you harder to take care of home. That’s on me. That’s on all of us that were there.”
Jobe jerked back at Tony’s words, shaking his head. “No, sir. That was squarely on me. My decision. My fuck up.”
“Not in my book. Brothers don’t let brothers fall without taking care of everything—and that included the girl back home. If you’d broken up with her for the right reasons, we would have been good in standing down. But we all knew it wasn’t right and not one of us took it upon ourselves to help that situation. We just took care of you in the field. And that, Jobe…is on us.”
Jobe was silent as his gaze moved from Tony’s to Gabe’s to Vinny’s, seeing the same guilt in each one. No words came past the lump in his throat…so he stood tall giving them a head nod in acknowledgment.
Tony continued, “We didn’t take care of Mackenna then, but we sure as hell will now. I promise you—promise—we will see her safe. But we plan, we work together, and we keep our heads in the mission.”
Blinking hard, Jobe nodded. This time was different. This time, he was not afraid of losing control. This time, he agreed that his brothers had control as well. This time Mackenna would be protected…her heart as well as everything else.
Sitting back down to the table, the group began to plan.
* * *
Another gathering sat at a table, finding little comfort with the news being shared, but comfort in each other. Mackenna, at the New Beginning’s dining table, was surrounded by Rose, Carla, Jenita, Gabby, Little John, and the other women staying at the center. She had just told them about Teresa and sat as they processed the information. After the tears, now came the fears.
Gabby sat stoically for a moment before asking, “Do we know who did this?”
Mackenna felt all the eyes looking at her as she sucked her lips in, trying to think of what to say. Slowly letting out the breath she was holding, she said honestly, “I was told by the police that they suspect her former gang, the River Street Kings to be involved. But…” she said, turning to Gabby, “they also suspect the Sixers.”
Gabby sucked in a quick breath. “They’re sending a message to me, aren’t they? He is, I’m sure of it.”
“We don’t know what they’re doing or what the message is.”
One of the newer girls, face pale, said, “I don’t want to go back, but…”
Mackenna pierced her with a hard stare. “Tina, don’t think about going back. Don’t you see, if you go back now, you could easily have it worse for having left.”
“Oh, great. So I’m dead if I stay and dead if I go back,” the girl retorted angrily.
“No, that’s not what I mean. You don’t have to stay here, but you don’t want to go back to that life.”
“What other options are there?” Jenita asked gently.
“I talked to my supervisor after this happened. If I can work up a new grant proposal and get help with fundraising, we are thinking of moving the center.”
“Moving?” Rose asked.
“Look, we got this building because the city was taking it over and it needed little work to make it fit our needs. Plus, we thought that being close into the downtown area would be good. But maybe not. If we were out somewhere…we would be away from the local gangs.”
The group was quiet for a moment, so Mackenna plowed ahead. “We’ve got police protection and the security in place from Alvarez Security. Now, we’re safe here, so for those of you still in our educational program, you’re good. We just need to change the rules a bit for when you go out. For those of you who are already working and looking to graduate from this program within the next couple of weeks, I’ve been told that Alvarez security will get you to and from your jobs.”
“Do you think it’ll be enough?” one of the women asked.
Mackenna thought back to the conversation she and Jobe had the previous night where he pledged his protection…of her heart as well as the center. Looking at the women sitting at the table, she replied honestly, “Yeah, I think it will.”
“Then that’s good enough for me,” Carla said, gaining nods from the other women.
“Okay then,” Mackenna said with the first smile on her face in days. “Rose, you’re back in the classroom. Carla, those of you learning culinary skills, I’ve got someone to take you to the restaurant together at ten, so be ready. The rest of you should be with Rose.” Turning to Gabby, she said, “I know you’ve got an appointment at the health department and I’ve got a nice man from Alvarez named Doug that will be taking you so be ready by nine-thirty.” Looking around as she stood, she said, “By the way, this afternoon I’m picking up a new girl. I got a call from a school counselor and she has a girl that needs out badly. She survived her beat in but wants out. Seems like she may need some extra help and so I’m picking her up. Then I’ll start finding us a new home.”
Several hours later, Mackenna returned with Paulina, a small woman whose face was still yellow with bruises. The girls circled around welcoming her and worked to get her settled in. Paulina’s eyes darted around nervously as Mackenna went over the rules of New Beginnings with her.
“Do you think that you’ll have a problem with any of these?” Mackenna asked.
“No, ma’am,” Paulina replied softly.
Leaning forward, she patted Paulina’s leg and said, “I know you’ve been through a lot. I’ll be working with you as far as counseling goes and you can tell me whatever you want to. Miss Rose will get you in the computer room tomorrow to start your classes. And the other girls will be here to help you settle in.”
The young woman nodded as she looked at Mackenna with a small smile. “I can do this,” Paulina promised.
Mackenna hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Paulina, most of the women here have been through what you’ve been through. We don’t talk about what gangs they’re from usually because the whole idea is to put that life behind them. But you should know that the police are watching us carefully. I know you are from a gang that has made threats against us.”
Paulina’s eyes grew wide. “They can’t get to us?” she asked, fear in her voice.
“No, no. Don’t worry. We have security cameras around, bars on the windows, and an excellent night watchman who’s a former soldier. The police drive by several times a day and we’re escorted. In fact, I’m going this afternoon to look for a new place for us to move to so that we can be even farther away.”
Paulina let out a sigh of relief. “I…I can’t go back to what I left,” she said. “I can’t do…that again.”
Smiling her assurances, Mackenna stood. “And you don’t have to go back to that. I’ll make sure of it.” With that, she headed out to scout for a new location.