Chapter 24 Teo #2
I never been a nigga to put my hands on women. Never had to. I had plenty of made women in the family who didn’t mind getting their hands dirty. Who dealt with bitches who got too comfortable or crossed lines that shouldn’t.
This was different. She had to die.
Typing out my final message, I ignored the ache in my chest and delivered a promise I had every intention of keeping.
Me: You will suffer. You will beg. And you will pray that I end it all for you. Mercy won’t be on the table.
Me: I put that on everything.
She responded immediately.
404-555-2001: That’s funny, because I won’t. Wanna know why?
404-555-2001: Because we are gonna make a deal.
Especially if you want her to live. I’ll give you the men who took your precious Yanna and guarantee her life.
And you will give me a seat at the table.
You want to negotiate further. Meet me at 8734 Hollyborne Rd.
And Teo... keep your lil’ guard dogs in check.
A seat at the table? This woman was out of her damn mind.
I looked up just as Keem brushed past Bash with an empty duffle, his laptop, and his phone pressed to his ear. Whoever was on the other end was at the receiving end of a rapid-fire stream of commands.
“I don’t give a fuck about Atlanta PD,” Keem snapped, not bothering to lower his voice. “Get the job done. Clean the area. I want the whole industrial district swept. Anybody still breathing’, I want them in the trunk or on their knees.”
He paused, his jaw tight, eyes flashing as he slung the laptop onto the ruffled table.
“Aight...bet.” He hung up, looked toward me and said, “I was able to get a hold of Sham. They were ambushed in the old industrial district. Four SUVs, multiple masked men. Three of those men were able to grab Yanna. Loaded her in the back of a black Yukon and sped off. Arlo... is gone, and Sham is hanging on by a thread.”
That made sense that she was in that area.
I knew she was going to see ol’ girl from her boutique.
But what I couldn’t quite comprehend is how they found her.
We had kept her movements on a tight leash, ensuring everything about her schedule stayed low-profile today.
Only a very small number of people even knew her schedule.
The men in this room and the two men in charge of guarding her.
“Get me a location on the phone.” I tossed him the phone, while I still racked my brain about how they got to her. “And find out who leaked her movement,” I added, my voice dangerously low.
“Got it, and I’ll hit you when I get names and addresses.” Keem assured while inserting a flash drive into his computer, his finger moving a mile a minute over the keys.
“Bet...I’m going to pay little Isabella a visit.” I told both of them heading for the entrance. “If either one of you hear something before I get to her let me know.”
“What? Nah, I’m coming with you,” Bash said, grabbing his strap from the table.
“No.”
“The fuck you mean no?” he scoffed, then chuckled darkly. “Nigga, she my sister.”
“And she’s my fuckin’ wife!” I snapped, a bit more aggressive than I meant to be. “You run these streets. Act like it. I need your people on the ground now. Not you riding shotgun like a fucking sidekick. Let me handle Isabella and you flood the fuckin’ streets.”
He flexed his knuckles and his jaw locked. Bash wasn’t happy, but he knew I was right. With Samuel laid up in his home dying, Bash was the one running the Reed family. I needed him to be Bash, unhinged and unchecked.
“I’ll call you when I get some more information,” he brushed past me, pressing his cell to his ear. He didn’t wait for a reply, only began issuing orders to his men, instructing them to spread out and cover every inch of the city.
He left without a second glance at me, and my attention went straight to the most important task… to find my wife.
Pulling out my phone I dialed the only other person in this city that I trusted. “Rocco, I need you to fall off that arms deal. Leave Darnell to handle it. Grab Alex and meet me at the address I’m about to send.”
“Bet.” There were no questions asked, only movement on the other end. Once I hung up, I dropped a pin on the location, and slid into the driver’s seat.
The address she sent wasn’t just some random location.
It was a spot the faction used almost a decade ago, an abandoned carpet factory on the outskirts of city limits.
The place had long been forgotten by most. Overgrown weeds surrounded the perimeter, dirt stained the windows, and crumbling brick walls that looked like they were barely hanging on.
It was the perfect secluded place, hidden away from prying eyes.
I had to give Isabella credit. This was the perfect place to meet without any of her allies catching wind. A ghost spot even her new friends didn’t know about.
Alex and Rocco were both already waiting when I pulled up. They were my best shooters in the city—cold, efficient, and deadly when it mattered. Together, they moved like Bonnie and Clyde, only with fewer words and likely more bodies.
With her arms crossed, Alex stared at the building from the hood of her black sedan. Rocco stood solidly next to her with the back of his foot resting on the tire. Despite their casual demeanor, both were acutely aware of the dangers and ready for anything.
“So, what’s the play?” Rocco asked while I gathered my things from my vehicle. He still looked ahead, shielding his eyes from the beaming sunlight.
“Same as always.” I lifted the hatch of my SUV and pulled out a black duffle, then the Remington 700 sniper rifle from the floorboard. “There’s a trap door on the side of the building that leads to the basement,” I explained, nodding toward the left where the shadows concealed an old entrance.
“You’ll use it to get inside unnoticed. On the top floor there’s a beam behind the freight office with enough cover. You’ll have eyes on the whole floor. If anyone even looks like a threat take them out.” I handed him the rifle. “Leave Gianni’s daughter for me.”
Rocco didn’t say a word, just slung the strap over his shoulder and gave a tight nod before moving off toward the back of the building like a ghost.
I turned to Alex, who hadn’t moved from the hood but was already locking and loading, checking her Glock like she could feel the shift in my energy.
“You’re with me,” I told her. “Shoot first, ask questions later.”
She pushed off the car, no questions asked, just that killer instinct in her eyes. And that sinister smirk that let niggas know she was deadly.
We didn’t talk on the walk up, both of our minds focused on the dangers that lay inside.
The gravel crunched beneath our shoes as the sun beat down on the back of our necks.
Pulling out my own Glock, I twisted the silencer into place with practiced ease.
The familiar click as it locked into position gave me an unexpected sense of peace.
I had no regrets about what would happen here today.
Alex matched my pace stride for stride. And just as I expected, one of Gianni’s men stood guard outside the rusted door.
My jaw clenched the moment I saw his face. I knew him. He was loyal to Gianni. At least he used to be. If he was here, then he’d pledged his loyalty to her... Isabella.
But if this was who she had standing out front, guarding her front, then she was more alone than I thought. Raising my pistol, I laid him out in one shot. He didn’t even have time to react before he fell to the ground, slumped over.
Stepping over him I pulled the door open, letting Alex go first. She cleared the corners, gun raised, posture low. I followed close, steps calculated, my Glock drawn and steady.
Inside, it was everything I remembered and nothing like it used to be. The factory floor was dimly lit. Isabella stood with four other men in front of the broken machinery. They chatted quietly. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but I knew she was more tense than she was trying to let on.
When I rounded the corner my first shot penetrated the man standing closest to her, while Alex laid out the nigga closest to me.
“He's here!” I heard one of her men shout, his gun aimed on me and I smirked, never being one to be scared. I’ve stared death in the face many times, and staring at the barrel of his gun put zero fear in my heart.
However, before the corner of my lips could even reach my eyes, the whipping sound of the sniper whipped past my face and buried itself in the man’s forehead.
His body dropped where he stood, limp. He had no time to scream or time to shoot.
As he dropped, I took the liberty of taking out the last man standing.
Isabella jumped, eyes wide, the only one left untouched from her little security detail.
The silence that followed wasn’t peaceful.
It was heavy. Alex stepped in beside me, weapon still raised, calm as ever.
And Rocco... well he now had a red dot aimed at Isabella’s chest.
I pushed Alex’s weapon down, then lowered my own weapon.
“You wanted to meet?” I asked flatly.
Isabella didn’t flinch when I spoke. She stood there, her chin lifted and eyes tight. But I could see the fear she was fighting to hide. The way her fingers curled at her side, and throat bobbed I knew that confidence she was trying to portray was a farce.
When she still said nothing, I repeated myself stepping further into her space. “You wanted to meet? Right? So... speak. Where the fuck is my wife?”
“You always did know how to make an entrance,” she chuckled, but I heard the crack. She cut her eyes toward the bodies on the ground, then to the red beam on her all-white silk blouse. Her eyes slowly rose back to me. “I take it negotiations are off the table?”
I smirked and chuckled darkly. “They were never on the table. Where’s Ayanna?”
The delicate features of her jaw tightened as if my question had irritated her. “Dead if I have anything to do with it. If I don’t walk out of here alive, neither will she.” Her voice was steady, and I knew she wasn’t bluffing.
I hadn’t expected her to be. After all she was Gianni’s daughter. But I was prepared for this.
“Then it seems we’re at an impasse,” I replied, my tone icy, never breaking eye contact with her, and tilting my head toward Alex.
One flick of my wrist and Alex crashed her fist into Isabella’s stomach. She doubled over for a moment, gasping for breath, but quickly recovered, swinging her leg in a swift motion catching Alex off guard.
“Is that all you’ve got?” Isabella taunted, attempting to straddle Alex, but Alex’s headbutt came fast and hard, sending Isabella stumbling backwards. Isabella grimaced, holding her nose as blood trickled between her fingers.
“You’ll have to do better than that,” Alex smirked, readying herself for the next move.
Isabella lunged forward, aiming to grab Alex by the arm, but Alex was quicker, sidestepping her grasp and delivering a sharp elbow to Isabella’s side. And followed that up with a hard overhand right. Alex was mid-swing again, but I raised a hand, and she stopped cold.
No words were needed.
Isabella was breathing hard, her back pressed to one of the old steel machines, her white blouse now stained with her blood. Her hands shook just slightly, but her mouth still worked fine.
“Ain’t that something,” she spit, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “You couldn’t even do it yourself. Had to bring your little attack dog.”
Her laugh was ragged and even a little bitter.
“That’s your style though, right? Always hiding behind the people who do the real dirt for you.
Normally it’s Keem. Today… her,” she nodded toward Alex, eyes wild, pupils wide.
“You know, that’s why they fear you. Not because of you, but because of them. ”
I stepped forward, my shadow swallowing what little light reached her. “You know... I never realized.... you talk too much.” I said, pulling my knife from its sheath. “I will find out where my wife is... one way or the other.”
I let the tip of my blade trail over the delicate skin of her collarbone. The gash opening as a thin line of red appeared, her eyes widening in realization.
She was no longer off limits to me. And I would not be leaving her dainty and pretty. In fact, I was going to show her how I earned my reputation. All that mouth she had before? It couldn’t hide the fear that just crept into her eyes.
Leaning closer, I pressed the blade further into her skin and she let out an agonizing but angry scream.
“One day you will learn. I always get what I want, Isa. And we are just getting started.” I drove the point of my knife into the meat of her shoulder. And her cry echoed off the walls. “Now tell me what you did with my wife.”