Chapter 4
“You don’t give me the respect I deserve,” Sage said. “I wish you would just trust me.”
“Babygirl…” Kannon reached for his daughter’s hand, but she pulled it away. “I know I’ve treated you differently over the years. Ever since what happened to your mother, I’ve had to protect you in this business.”
“I get it, Pops, I really do… but you have to trust me. Mom didn’t have any insight as to what was going on and that cost her life.” Sage’s heart filled with the loss of her mother. “Keeping me fully away from it will only hurt me in the end.”
Kannon nodded in understanding. “I know and I’m so sorry I haven’t trusted you like I should have,” he said as he dropped his head. “Your mother… I miss her.”
“I do too, Dad,” Sage said, reaching her hand across the desk to touch her father’s. “You have to trust me for things to be different. I promise I’m in this for the betterment of the family. I’ll do whatever you need me to do, but you have to give me the space to spread my wings and learn.”
“You haven’t called me Dad since you were a teen,” Kannon said as he held both of her hands in his.
Sage smiled. Kannon could see the little girl in her eyes begging to be heard.
“Just trust me, Dad, please,” Sage said with soft eyes. “You can train me up so I can protect myself. Plus, you know KJ and Salem won’t let anyone lay a hand on your precious gem.” Sage smiled, knowing that the precious gem would do some convincing.
Over the years, he had been trying to protect his only daughter from the world of the cartel as much as he could.
But he knows deep down it will only hurt her in the long run.
His late wife, Saleema, was kidnapped and murdered at the hands of the cartel and he never wanted that to be Sage.
If only Saleema had the intel of what was going on at the time and she knew how to protect herself, it all could’ve been avoided. Kannon knows what he has to do.
“Alright,” Kannon sat back in his chair, needing no further convincing.
“Seriously?” Sage said eagerly.
“Yes,” Kannon reassured her. “This week we’ll get you trained for some real groundwork.”
“That’s what I’m talkin’ bout,” Sage said, nodding with excitement. “Speaking of groundwork… we got a problem.”
“What’s going on?” Kannon was afraid of what was coming.
“At the gala last night, I heard some vamps talking about rerouting blood units to someone in a few weeks,” Sage said.
“Well, ain’t that some shit,” Kannon chuckled. “Some ol’ blood suckas tryna get their hands on blood before it even hits the streets. Who they workin’ with?”
“No names were dropped, but I do have a name of one of the guys that will be running your route on Monday,” Sage mentioned. “Lonzo Turner is his name. Apparently, he went to Eastbourne State with Phoenix's daughter. Phoenix hired him.”
“Mmm,” Kannon nodded his head, processing the information.
Sage observed her father as he calculated his next move in silence.
The gears were visibly turning in his mind.
Kannon wasn't taken aback by this; when negotiating with bloodthirsty vampires, he knew it was to be expected.
It was all part of the game, particularly when initiating a new supply.
He had already devised a plan to enhance security by monitoring the trucks during the first initial weeks of transport.
“I’ll get this handled. Send me over any other information you can find out. I’ll have one of my guys on Lonzo,” Kannon said. “I’ll hit you up when it’s time for confrontation.”
Sage smiled. Anytime her father let someone in the confrontation room, it was only those who he held close to him in the cartel.
Confrontations were private matters that oftentimes involved torture and some even end in death.
Sage never had witnessed it, but knew with him inviting her in, he was letting his walls down to trust her.
“Bet. I’ll poke around and let you know what I can find,” Sage reassured her father she could handle the assignment.
Salem and Sage arrived at their family restaurant, Washington's Table, a prominent bistro in Eastbourne Hills.
Among the various businesses owned by the Washington family across the city, this one remained relatively unscathed by the recent outbreak.
While not open for public dining, they still served guests through delivery and takeout orders.
Salem followed behind Sage as they walked up the staircase to the top floor of the restaurant that overlooked the main dining area.
“What’s up, Cecil?” Sage dapped up Kannon’s right-hand man.
“Hey, sweetheart. How you been?”
“Good, good. Just trying to see what’s up with this meeting.”
The remainder of the expected guests followed in behind Salem and took a seat at the round table.
Whenever there was a major issue at hand, Kannon called a meeting amongst the few field men he trusted.
Cecil, his Consigliere, Sutton, Head of Security, Kapri, Head of Operations, and now his children are being trained more in-depth on how to run the cartel.
Kannon’s goal is to ensure when the time comes, they can handle business as needed.
As everyone got comfortable in their seats, their server provided everyone with a glass of their preferred drink. Kannon lit his cigar and pulled up his chair to the table.
“Let’s get started, shall we,” Kannon said.
“As you all know, I’ve called you here for an immediate meeting.
We have a problem with Washington Freight.
There’s a guy by the name of Lonzo Turner who has plans to reroute blood units to someone we haven’t been able to identify yet–and y'all know we can’t have that. Not with this new operation in place.”
Everyone nodded as they took in Kannon’s every word.
“So, I want y'all to be on the lookout for any suspicions. Keep an eye on this guy,” Kannon said, passing around manila folders.
Each folder had a picture of Lonzo, along with his personal information, address, and frequent spots where he could be found.
“I have a couple of guys that will be on his tail tonight and when freight goes out.”
Kannon continued to explain the plan for monitoring Lonzo. He let everyone know what role that’d be playing in the investigation.
“You know how to alert if anything comes up,” Kannon said, closing out the meeting. “Salem and Sage. I need y'all to stick around.”
Salem and Sage remained seated, while everyone else left out. It was normal for them to stay behind to receive direction from their father, but this time around, something seemed off. Their brother, KJ, wasn’t in attendance.
“Aye, Pops,” Sage said. “Where’s KJ?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you two about.” Sadness crept over Kannon's face. “KJ caught the virus. He’s going to be down for a couple of weeks. I need you two to step in while he’s away.”
“Wait, what!?” Sage was in shock. “What do you mean, he caught it?”
“We just saw him!” Salem said, slamming his hands on the desk in frustration.
“We don’t know how he caught it, but what I do know is he’s gonna be okay,” Kannon reassured the twins.
“Us Washington men are strong and can make it through anything. Kaliyah is already in touch with experts to get him treatment. They’ve been studying the virus since it hit Eastbourne, so we have no doubt he’ll push through. ”
“Fuuuuck!” Sage shouted as tears rolled down her cheeks.
This was not what they were expecting to hear.
Their oldest brother was the one who held everything together.
Not only was he the brains behind the business, but he was the backbone of their family.
The last thing they needed was to lose KJ.
No one truly knows what they're up against with this virus. But Sage was confident their stepmother could handle it. Kaliyah always makes sure everything is okay and it wouldn’t be anything different when it came to KJ.
Sage composed herself, breathing in and out, while Salem offered support, holding her hand. "But Pops, what does this mean for..." Sage started, but her father quickly cut her off.
“Don’t worry about anything,” Kannon said firmly. “I just need you two to remain solid and focused throughout the operation.”
Kannon remained stoic because he didn’t want the twins to see him break down. He was just as terrified as they were, but he knew Kaliyah wouldn’t let anything happen to their son. All he could do was have faith that things would pull through for KJ’s well-being.
“After this week, Sage, I need you to step up and handle freight operations while your brother’s out. Salem remain focused on the mission with Phoenix's daughter. We’ll reconvene soon if anything changes,” Kannon said.
A lot was weighing on the hearts and shoulders of the Washington family, but they could handle it. They were Washingtons, after all.
Sage held the gun up and squinted her eyes to focus on her target.
“Now, use your left hand to support your right to avoid major kickback,” Kannon said, placing Sage’s hand to support her grip. “And when you’re ready, pull the trigger.”
Bang!
Sage’s bullet hit the target, dead center on the bullseye. The recoil of the gun slightly jolted her, but her feet remained firmly planted on the ground. This wasn’t her first time handling a gun, let alone shooting one. Kannon’s Babygirl already knew what she was doing.
“Good job, Babygirl!” Kannon patted Sage on the back. “You act like you already know whatchu doing.”
Sage smirked and chuckled. “I do, Pops. This ain’t my first rodeo.”
Kannon gave her a side-eye, surprised to learn this new information. “How so?”
“KJ taught me how to shoot back in our teens,” Sage confessed. “He wanted me and Salem to be good in case anything popped off over the years.”
“That boy is always ten steps ahead,” Kannon laughed. “Or years, even. You can always trust his judgment. I guess I was just late to the game.”
Sage kept firing until her bullets were depleted.
Standing beside Kannon, she witnessed every shot hitting the bullseye of his target.
Kannon was a skilled shooter. It was in his blood.
At ten, his father had taught him to shoot for protection.
Growing up amidst the streets of Eastbourne Hills required defense against gang activity.
With his father involved in the cartel, Kannon's safety was uncertain, and his father wanted him ready for any potential threat.
After about half an hour of practicing with targets, Sage felt confident in gaining more of her father’s trust. Her father even demonstrated new aiming techniques she might need to use in real-world situations while on the job.
“I want you to have this,” Kannon said, handing her a matte black pistol with gold letters engraved on the barrel.
Sage took the pistol from her father and ran her fingers over the letters S.S.W.
“Thank you, Pops,” she said, embracing him in a hug. “This means a lot to me.”
Kannon gazed at his daughter and smiled. He had never imagined he'd be giving his baby girl her own gun, but he knew it was necessary. In their line of work, self-defense was paramount. It was one way he could ensure he never lost another Washington woman.