Chapter 18 #2
He and the rest of the guys were cackling at his ignorance. I shook my head. That was my best friend.
“All jokes aside, the weed keeps me levelheaded, man. You know how I like to crash out. I’d fuck around and slip up if I wasn’t calm.”
“You know he has to make it back to his ol’ lady in one piece,” Booker said. “Ain’t nobody in the afterlife gon’ argue with him like her.”
“Fuck you,” Titan spat. “You worry about driving this muthafucka.”
I chuckled. “I’m sure Mia would miss you, T.”
Titan kissed his teeth. “Oh, you got jokes too? Nigga finally gets a girlfriend and thinks he can jump in on the commentary. Where’s your lady anyway?”
Just as he asked that, the doorbell rang.
“Just got here,” I said. “Hold on a second.”
I stepped away from the computer to answer the door. When I opened it, Jaeda stood on the other side with a smile on her face.
“Hey, baby,” I said, pulling her in for a hug.
“Hey, you.”
She tilted her head up for a kiss, and I was happy to oblige. Grabbing her hand, I led her into my office and pulled her down onto my lap. After unmuting the phone, I spoke.
“You there?” I asked Titan.
“Yeah, man. We’re about five minutes out. What’s good, Jaeda?”
“Hey, Titan. Y’all be safe out there.”
“Aww, look at you caring about a nigga’s safety. To think you didn’t like my ass at one point.”
Jaeda rolled her eyes. “You’re my man’s best friend and my sister’s . . . whatever y’all are. Of course, I care about your safety. I don’t have to like you for that.”
“You gon’ love my ass, baby.”
“Don’t be calling that man’s lady baby, nigga,” Romero said.
Titan kissed his teeth. “It’s a term of endearment, muthafucka. He knows I don’t want her like that. That’s lil sis.”
“Aye, she got another sister?” Noah asked. “Mia’s fine as hell, and I know Jaeda has to be a looker too.”
“My sister is fourteen,” Jaeda answered.
“Well shit. You got a single auntie? I’ll be a cub to a cougar. Your daddy still messing with Maddie’s fine ass?”
“You nasty as hell for that,” Titan said.
“What?”
“Maddie has been around us since we were kids, man. She’s like family.”
“She ain’t blood, and I ain’t a chap anymore. You know that woman is bad.”
They all murmured in agreement. Maddie was a beautiful older woman and didn’t look anywhere near her age. If anything, she could pass for Mia’s older sister.
“A’ight, a’ight,” Titan said, quieting them down. “Time to get to business. Shut up and focus.”
I muted the phone as he gave them their instructions and focused my attention back on Jaeda.
“What kind of mission are they on?” she asked.
“Human trafficking.”
“I hate those. Even more so now after what happened with my brother.”
“How’s he doing mentally after that?”
“He holds a lot of guilt over the loss of his team. He doesn’t think we know, but he makes monthly deposits to the families.”
“I imagine it’s a hard pill to swallow. I haven’t had to deal with losing anybody super close to me like that, but it was a close call with my mom. Speaking of her, we had lunch today.”
“Did you make up?”
“We did. She apologized, and she wants to meet you.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“I’d love for you to meet my parents whenever you’re ready. No pressure. I will say you won’t get the welcome I did, so there’s that.”
She giggled. “Here you go.”
“I’m just saying!”
She rolled her eyes as she leaned in to peck my lips. “I’d love to meet them. Just let me know when.”
“How about Saturday? I know you have Sunday dinner with your people.”
“Saturday is perfect.”
“We’re all set,” Titan said, capturing our attention.
“Let me let you work,” Jaeda said, standing. “I’m going to raid your fridge.”
“Have at it.”
She pecked my lips then walked off, but not before I slapped her ass.
Refocusing my attention, I prepared to guide Titan and the crew through the corridors leading to the bunkers where the victims were being held.
I’d gotten the blueprints of the building after being given the location a few days ago.
“We’re in,” he said. “Body cam’s on.”
My screen populated with the dreary image of the abandoned building. The six of them had body cams in the front and the back so I could keep an eye on them from both angles.
“All right. Go straight for about fifty feet and take a right.”
I watched as they made their way down the hall, sniper rifles trained and ready. As they turned the corner, a man appeared. Titan aimed and gave him a headshot. His body hit the floor with a thud. The crew didn’t miss a beat as they stepped over him and kept going.
“Make this next left and take the stairs down to the bottom.”
Again, they followed my direction. Even though we had done this many times before, I always got nervous, watching them on camera. It would fuck me up if I had to watch any of them get hurt or, worse, die.
“Straight ahead,” I said.
There were a number of doors for them to search.
I watched as Titan pulled out a thermal detector to determine exactly which room held the victims. It lit up at the fourth door.
Tucking it away, he stepped back, allowing Booker to place the device that would blow the door open.
They all took cover, and a few seconds later, the door was gone, and smoke filled the space.
Jaeda came back over as the crew maneuvered through the room, hitting their targets with headshot after headshot. Bodies were dropping like flies, and screams filled the air.
“My brothers said they were quick,” Jaeda said, copping a seat in the chair next to me.
“They are fast and efficient.”
“Maddie said she trained them all. They definitely have her skills.” She giggled to herself. “I could outshoot them, though.”
I grinned. “Word? You’re that good a shot?”
“I’m an excellent shot. You ever shot your gun?”
“I have. Not at anybody, but I did come close, though. I was helping Titan with a case I stumbled upon the day I went out with your brothers.”
I proceeded to give her the backstory to Mr. Phillips, who was now six feet under.
“Look at you getting in the field,” she said, playfully pinching my cheek. “My big, strong man.”
I couldn’t lie and say that shit didn’t make me blush.
“Go on, now,” I said, waving her off.
“We have to go to the gun range.” She moved to straddle my lap, and my hands instantly went to her ass. “Seeing you in action might excite me.”
“As excited as I was to see you in that Kitana outfit?”
“Even more excited.”
She cupped my face and kissed me passionately. I forgot all about the guys being able to hear us until we heard snickering on the other end. The screaming had stopped, and all I could hear was the shuffling of feet on the floor.
“Look at these muthafuckas,” Booker said.
Noah added. “Y’all know we can hear you, right? Nasty asses.”
“Hold up, now,” Silas said. “I’m a lil intrigued by that Kitana outfit. That’s a bad bitch.”
Titan took his body cam off and turned it so I could see the grin on his face.
“My nigga. I knew you had it in you. I’m so damn proud of you, boy.”
“Don’t y’all have work to do?” Jaeda asked.
Titan chuckled. “We were working till you started bumping them gums about being a better shot than us. Also, it’s not our fault y’all were so openly discussing this shit. Niggas are nosy and interest is piqued. Don’t worry about it. When I get back, I need them details, my boy.”
Quaid kissed his teeth. “If y’all are done, I’ma leave you to it. I’ll let the clean-up crew know where to go.”
“Appreciate it. Y’all kids have fun. Don’t do nothing I wouldn’t?—”
I disconnected from the camera, shaking my head.
“That’s your friend,” Jaeda said as I shot the clean-up crew the warehouse address.
“I know, I know. I can’t do shit with him.” I pecked her lips and stood with her in my arms. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“I have a costume.”
“Ooo, . . . which is it?”
“Goku.”
She grinned. “You trying to go Super Saiyan on me tonight? Put me through the mattress.”
I laughed out loud as I carried her toward my bedroom. “You’ve been showing out ever since I slid up in you, you know that? Titan’s handling business, and Mia ain’t here, so there is nobody to hear you scream.”
She smirked. “Well, . . . let’s see how loud we can get.”