Chapter 2
Skull masks. Gloves. Black shirt. Black pants. Black boots.
That was tonight’s attire.
I sat crouched down behind the shipping crates, patiently waiting for the delivery I knew was to come. The crew was already in place and composed of Sloan, Miko, Zeno, Tiny, David and me. They were a few niggas I knew from around the way who were ex-military. When I first signed my contract, it was my job to get a reliable team together. I found them through my family’s charity for ex-military members who needed jobs after coming home.
Most of them were hating civilian life and were having issues finding fulfilling jobs after years in the service. They needed action, and I needed a crew that could follow orders, get shit done, and were down for the cause.
So far, we’d been on a total of ten missions, and shit always ran smoothly, so I expected tonight to be no different.
“Headlights approaching,” Miko said into the earpiece.
“Everybody in position. Wait for your signal. Baby, you good?”
“I’m set.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, daddy.”
I chuckled to myself. That part had become a habit with us being on missions together. We made up before we left out because I’d be damned if we went on a mission without our heads in the game. Anything could happen, and one of us might not make it home. The last thing that needed to be between us was anger if one of us met our demise.
Bright headlights forced me to refocus my attention on the task at hand. A large black van pulled up and came to a stop behind the building. When the doors opened, I counted the men that jumped out. There were five, and they all had assault rifles. An additional three came out of the building to greet them.
“Miko. Tiny. Y’all got clear shots from the roof?”
“Yup.”
“Take out as many as you can. The rest of you, be ready to move in.”
“Copy that.”
The minute I saw the first two bodies drop, I came out of my hiding spot, with the rest of the crew coming from different angles. One by one, headshots took the targets to the ground. It was all of thirty seconds before they were all laid out. I snatched the keys from one of them.
“Miko and Tiny, cover me from your position. The rest of y’all, sweep the building. Anybody that ain’t bloody, bruised, or broken gets a headshot.”
They nodded and headed into the building while I unlocked the back of the van to find the six terrified faces of four men and two women, all handcuffed and shackled at their feet. They shook their heads as I stepped into the van.
“You’re safe,” I said calmly. “Nobody is gonna hurt you. My name is Maceo. Me and my team are here to help.”
Just then, the guys crowded around.
“The building is empty,” David informed me. “There are quite a few bodies down there, though.”
“I’ll send word.” I spoke into the earpiece. “Baby, you can bring the van around.”
“Coming.”
“How—how do we know we can trust you?” one of the women asked.
“You don’t know that,” I answered. “I promise, I have no reason or desire to bring harm to you. I just want to help you. Let me get those cuffs and shackles off you.”
They looked around us at the bodies on the ground and then at each other. Hesitantly, the woman who asked the question stood and shuffled over to me. She eyed me curiously as I searched through the keys until I found the one that unlocked her cuffs and shackles. Zeno and David helped her out of the van just as Shar was pulling up.
She looked around at the carnage, an audible gasp leaving her mouth.
“Oh my God…”
She began to cry as Zeno ushered her over to the van and helped her inside. After looking at each other with silent communication, the others stood and waited their turns to be set free. We got them loaded into the van, and I climbed in with Shar in the front seat. She looked back at them with a sympathetic smile.
“Is this all of them?” she asked quietly.
“That’s it.” Rolling down the window, I spoke to the crew. “Meet us at the safe house.”
They nodded and made their way back to the SUV we drove in. Shar slowly pulled out from behind the building while I let my contact know the job was complete. The ride to the safe house was mostly quiet. Every so often, I could hear sniffles and whispers coming from the back.
They were scared and rightfully so. They’d been captured and thrown into the back of one van only to be coaxed into the back of another. They didn’t know if they could trust us, so I wasn’t offended by any means. Twenty minutes later, we pulled into the garage of the safe house. This was one of my rental properties that was currently uninhabited.
Getting out of the car, Shar and I opened the doors to let them out before heading inside. The house had five bedrooms and three bathrooms. Three of the smaller rooms housed two or three twin beds while the bigger rooms had bunk beds. We never knew just how many people we would be rescuing, so I wanted to make sure everybody had a place to rest their heads.
As we stepped into the house, everybody looked around.
“I promise, you’re safe,” Shar said. “My name is Sharina. Who are you?”
They looked around at each other before finally speaking up.
“Jeremiah Patton.”
“Amanda Green.”
“Colin Denver.”
“Zane Capers.”
“Peter Ladell.”
The last woman was the same one who was crying. She seemed a little hesitant to answer the question. Shar was staring at her, waiting for an answer.
“Charity Lynn,” she finally said.
“It’s nice to meet you all… given the circumstances. I know you must be scared, hungry, and tired. I have food being delivered shortly. If you’d like, you can go upstairs and pick a room. The closets are full of clothes. The dressers have socks and underclothes. The bathrooms are fully stocked with toiletries, washcloths, and towels.”
“How long are we gonna be here?” Zane asked.
“A couple of days max,” I answered. “I have a connect down at the police department that is going to help contact your families and get you home.”
“What if they come looking for us?” Amanda asked. “Are you gonna be here? Who’s going to protect us?”
Just then, the crew came walking through the front door. I nodded toward them.
“They are gonna take shifts being here with you. Me and Shar will be by in the morning to check on you.”
The worried looks on their faces returned. Shar clasped her hands together.
“Why don’t you all head upstairs and take a nice hot shower. Change into some clean clothes and come back down to eat. You need a good night’s rest. As he said, we’ll be back in the morning, and we’ll answer all of your questions then.”
Hesitantly, the group headed up the stairs. Shar made her way into my arms and rested her head on my chest. For a minute, she just stared after them.
“That’s six more,” she said softly.
“Six more, but how many to come?”
She looked up at me. “How long are you going to keep your family in the dark, Maceo? What if this becomes too much to handle? You know they would help you.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
She rolled her eyes. “You can be really fucking stubborn.”
“Sometimes.”
“I don’t know how much longer I can keep this a secret from Salima. She’s already suspicious and asking why I run off with you every time you run off.”
“Listen, they don’t need to know everything, a’ight? I’m careful and I got this. I got you . If you wanna tap out at any time, you just say the word and you’re done.”
“Did you see them? I can’t just tap out. This shit is making me soft as fuck, and I don’t like that.”
I chuckled. “You wanted to be a rider so bad. Now look at you. My poor lil’ hood baby.”
She playfully shoved me. “Fuck you.”
I grinned as I pulled her back into my chest and kissed her lips.
“I love you for being here, mama.”
“Mm-hmm. You better. My daddy is gonna kill us both.”
Paul Gladden didn’t play about his baby. Even though he and I were cool and smoked together every now and then, he always let me know he would fuck me up about his only daughter. I couldn’t do shit but respect that. My pops, with his hoing ass, would fuck up the world behind my siblings and me, and I would do the same if I were a father.
“I can handle your father,” I informed her.
“Yeah, okay. You might have all this training and shit, but my father is the real hood baby. He will get it in with you anytime, anyplace, and if you put your hands on my father, I’ma shoot you my damn self.”
I chuckled. “Calm down, killa. Nobody is gonna touch the precious Paul Gladden.”
“Bet not. I’ll cut your dick off.” She playfully grabbed my dick.
“If you ever want another taste of this dick, you better leave it where it’s at.”
“Oh, baby. I can always get new dick.”
“How are they gonna fuck you when they’re dead?”
She kissed her teeth. “Yeah, you and Deuce are brothers. Crazy ass niggas.”
“I’m your crazy ass nigga, though.”
“Yeah… you are.”
She beckoned me to her for another kiss. My hands drifted to her ass like they always did when she was in my arms. I almost forgot that we weren’t alone in the room until one of the guys cleared their throat.
“Uh… there are lights outside,” Tiny informed us.
“It’s probably the food I ordered,” Shar said, pulling away. “Can you get that? I’m gonna go check on everybody.”
“I got you. We can dip out once you get back.”
“Okay.”
I watched her as she ascended the stairs, thankful that even if I had to keep my people out of the loop, at least there was somebody here that I wholeheartedly trusted.