Chapter 6
Sage stood in the warehouse of Washington Freight preparing the drivers for their blood supply delivery. Her job was to ensure that all drivers were present and trucks were loaded accordingly.
“Buchanan,” Sage read off the clipboard in hand. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah,” Buchanan confirmed, leaning his head outside the driver’s side window.
“One last check,” Sage told the men standing next to her.
The men stepped onto the back of the 16-wheeler truck to ensure all units were packaged properly and accounted for as Sage ran down the checklist. When everything was confirmed to be in place, Sage tapped the side of the truck to signal for Buchanan to pull off.
“Turner!” Sage shouted to get the next driver’s attention as he pulled up next to her. Lonzo Turner, Sage read off internally, smirking at the sight of his name.
“Ready to go, boss,” Lonzo reassured Sage. He was prepared to pull off until Sage stepped up to open the truck door.
“Not so fast, Turner,” Sage said. “I need a word with you.”
“What’s up?” Lonzo said, stepping out of the truck. “Everything good?”
“Follow me.” Sage motioned for him to follow her to the back office.
Sage led Lonzo into the office and offered him a seat.
“How’s things been with your route?” Sage asked as she sat behind the desk across from him. “I heard there’s been some issues going on.”
"I've got it covered, boss," Lonzo replied hastily, tugging at his collar to reveal his nervousness.
“That’s not what I asked you,” Sage said, setting her clipboard down and leaning over the desk to meet Lonzo's eyes. “Seems like there’s been a few changes in your scheduled routes. Plans to go south.”
"Nah... uh," Lonzo stammered, swallowing his words. He tugged at his collar once more, beads of sweat now evident on his forehead. It was clear he was hiding something.
“Uh, uh what?” Sage teased. “Where you plan on going?”
Lonzo sat in silence.
“Lonzo,” Sage raised her voice. “Speak up!”
Lonzo was lost for words. “I was uh… going… back to…”
Before Lonzo could finish, Kannon entered the room.
“You remember my father, don’t you?” Sage said to Lonzo as he looked in Kannon’s direction, filled with terror in his eyes. “See, he doesn’t come around much unless there’s business to handle. And by business, I mean you.”
Kannon strode over and positioned himself in front of Lonzo.
He was a tall, stocky man, exuding the presence of a lion.
When he meant business, his dominant masculine energy filled the room.
His very presence instilled fear in those he had a vendetta against, making it clear he wasn't someone to be fucked with.
Apparently, Lonzo hadn't received that memo.
“Long time, no see, Zo,” Kannon said, catching Lonzo off guard. “Let’s cut to the chase. Who you working for?”
Lonzo’s eyes grew big in sudden shock at the sound of Kannon calling him Zo. Zo was the name his camp gave him. Only those who raised him knew him by that name. It was then Zo realized that he’d fucked up.
“Look boss,” Lonzo began. “I’m just doing what I’m getting paid to do. My family is short on cash and I needed a way to…”
Kannon balled up his fist and cracked his knuckles. “Under no circumstance do you ever put my business in jeopardy for your personal problems. You got a issue, you bring it to me.”
Lonzo opened his mouth, but no words came out. He knew he was too far gone. Before he could formulate his next sentence, he felt another heavy force hit his face.
Kannon removed a handkerchief from his pocket and cleaned the blood off his knuckles after. “Bring ‘em in,” Kannon motioned to Sage.
Sage went to the office door and signaled for security to come in. Two big stocky men walked in and surrounded Lonzo as his nose poured blood.
“I was gonna give you a chance to come clean, Zo, but I changed my mind. I already know who you working for. Now, you’re gonna pay for fuckin’ with my money,” Kannon sneered.
Lonzo scrambled as the two men yoked him up by his arms. He stumbled over his words, trying to make out some form of an apology, but by then it was too late.
“Take him out back,” Kannon said, pushing up his sleeves. “I’ll handle him.”
The two men escorted Lonzo out of the office.
“Good job, Babygirl,” Kannon said, beaming with appreciation. “Tell Kaliyah I’ll be late for dinner tonight. I got some business to handle.”
Sage nodded and smiled as her father exited the room. Job well done.
Out back, behind the Washington Freight warehouse, security chained up Lonzo to a wooden chair; his ankles bound to the chair’s legs and his arms tied behind his back. Silver duct tape covered his mouth, muffling his frantic pleas.
Not long after, Kannon walked out of the building, a blade in hand.
Wearing black rubber gloves, he twisted a brass pocket knife, admiring it as the sun’s rays reflected off its surface.
Smiling slightly, he noticed a smudge, blew on it, and wiped it clean with a white handkerchief.
He approached Lonzo, who twisted and turned, trying to break free.
The muffled sounds from Lonzo were ignored by Kannon.
“See this?” Kannon held the pocket knife in front of Lonzo’s face. “This is Gina. Gina is my right-hand woman.” He chuckled. “She gets the job done swift and easy.”
Lonzo’s eyes widened as he took in the sharpness of the knife.
“No complaints,” Kannon continued. “She’s got a five-star review on my end. But I can’t say the same for those who got to experience her up close and personal.” He grazed the knife’s point across Lonzo’s neck.
Lonzo flinched at the cold touch of the knife. “Nice and sloooow. Quick and easy,” Kannon teased.
“But first...” Kannon began. “I’ma give you a chance to tell me more about your little dealings with Malcolm. Heard y’all made a deal when you were behind bars.” Kannon nodded to one of his security men to remove the tape from Lonzo’s mouth.
Lonzo hollered as the tape ripped from his mustache. “Look,” he exclaimed. “I don’t even know who that is!”
“Lie again,” Kannon encouraged, waiting for a reason to use Gina.
“Alright, alright,” Lonzo said frantically. “Malcolm was my cellmate back at Eastbourne Correctional. We made a deal.”
“Go on,” Kannon prompted.
“When I got out, I’d have a hand in trying to take you down. He told me what happened...”
Before Lonzo could finish, Kannon’s gun went off, shooting a bullet into his kneecap. Lonzo hunched over, crying out in pain as blood leaked from his left knee.
“Mal’s a liar,” Kannon sneered. “I don’t wanna hear shit else from you.”
Just then, Kannon’s phone buzzed in his pocket. Looking at the screen, he saw it read: Phoenix Denzel.
“Just in time,” Kannon said, answering the phone. “Come on back.” He nodded to one of his security men to go inside and escort Phoenix to their location.
Lonzo remained anxiously quiet, afraid of what was coming next. After a brief moment, Phoenix arrived. Kannon wanted to show Phoenix the ropes of how the Washingtons handled business.
“Welcome, Phoenix,” Kannon greeted.
“What’s up, Kannon?”
“You’re just in time for the show,” Kannon said. “We have a gentleman here who took it upon himself to fuck with my money. So, I figured this would be a good opportunity for you to see how we do business ‘round here.”
Phoenix nodded in agreement. When his eyes met the culprit, they widened in shock. “Lonzo!?” he said frantically. “What are you doing here!?”
“You know this cat?” Kannon questioned, pointing in Lonzo’s direction.
“Yeah, he works for me at TenderCare,” Phoenix said, his eyes growing bigger as he looked at the blood seeping from Lonzo’s knee.
“Mhmm,” Kannon said, rubbing his chin. “Tell me you’re not in on this.” Kannon was skeptical of their connection.
“No, no, no,” Phoenix corrected, holding up his hands. “I hired him after he got out of prison. His mother asked me to get him a job so he could get his footing back in the real world. But–what is he doing here?”
“Why don’t you tell ‘em?” Kannon directed, bringing his attention back to Lonzo.
He wheezed from the pain radiating through his leg. Lonzo took a deep sigh through gritted teeth, trying to catch his breath. “Come on, Mr. Denzel! Tell him I’m a good kid! We go way back! You know me!” Lonzo pleaded, trying to get Phoenix on his side.
Phoenix wanted to see the good in Lonzo, but he already put himself in a high-risk situation allowing him to work at TenderCare.
“I hired you to do a job,” Phoenix said. “But from the looks of it, your focus has been elsewhere.”
Lonzo’s head dropped in defeat.
“Mr. Zo here,” Kannon said, approaching Lonzo. “Took it upon himself to reroute blood supply for a nigga named Malcolm Hunt—one of my adversaries.”
Phoenix raised an eyebrow at Lonzo, surprised by what he heard. The last time he spoke to Lonzo, he talked about getting his life right after being locked up. It sounded like he had other plans.
“Rule #1, Phoenix,” Kannon began. “Never mix business with pleasure—not even if it’s a charity case. Shit never ends well.”
“And rule #2,” he said, handing Phoenix his Glock. “When shit gets on your shoes—you clean it up. You made your bed, now lie in it.”
Phoenix hesitated, but he knew he needed to prove himself to Kannon to gain his trust. It terrified him to see Lonzo, whom he watched grow up, trembling while being chained to a chair, but he knew what had to be done. He was even more disappointed in himself for entrusting Lonzo with his business.
Phoenix looked at the Glock in his hand, filing through his thoughts. On one hand, he wanted to spare Lonzo’s life; on the other hand, he knew a lot was riding on his partnership with Kannon.
“What are you gonna do, Denzel?” Kannon asked.
Phoenix looked at Lonzo’s pleading eyes and shook off his conscience. He held up the gun and pointed it directly at Lonzo’s chest.
“I trusted you, Lonzo,” Phoenix said. “And you betrayed me. You betrayed us both.”