4. Zaire
Zaire
T hree weeks later…
“Have a good night!” I told the last few stragglers as they left the library. Exhaling a sigh of relief as I locked the doors. It was a Friday night—what in the world were they doing here so late? I mean, technically it was still early. Sun was out… but that wouldn’t set until around eight thirty. It was the Crescent City… I was pretty dang sure they could find something better to do than be here at the library. In New Orleans. On a Friday night. During Summer! Well… the tail end of summer. Then I remembered it was hot as hell outside. Okay, on second thought… I didn’t blame them for trying to stay cool. Still… the French Quarter was only about five to six minutes away. Go stay cool over there in a bar. There was no use worrying about it now. They were gone, which meant for me, it was almost time to go home.
Nadia was around here somewhere finishing up a few things and she was going to be super happy because I was about to send her home early. I had about another hour before I could leave, but I knew she had a date with my cousin, Malik, who was still in New Orleans for whatever reason. I was starting to think it had something to do with the 5’10 hottie friend of mine. He should’ve been back in Chicago by now. I just hope he hasn’t messed up. I know how our family got, especially when it came to business.
I went searching for her, the soft click of my heels echoed against the polished floor as I made my way to where I last saw her. She wasn’t there, but she wasn’t far from there. It didn’t take long to find her. She had air pods in her ears and was dancing away between the mythological stacks. Her eyes were closed, arms raised with books in her hand as she shimmied and shook her ass. That was my friend for ya. Made me think of another friend of mine who I hadn’t seen in forever. Not since she moved to Seattle. Missing her a lot, had me making up my mind to give her a call on my way home and convince her to come see me.
Leaning against the tall stack behind her, I called out her name. “Nadia!”
She kept on dancing. I was loud enough where she should’ve heard me. Yet, she didn’t hear a damn word I said, so this next time I made sure she did. “NADIA!” I shouted.
It still did no good. Damn! She was really feeling that beat. Rolling my eyes, I closed the distance between us and tapped on her shoulder. She screamed, then spun around as she tumbled into the cart. I laughed my butt off. The entire moment was like something off a t.v. show. It was funny to me, but the frightened look on her face said it wasn’t funny to her.
“Don’t scare me like that, puta !”
“Maybe don’t have your music so loud, then you won’t have a reason to be scared.” I shrugged. “Just saying. It’s called being aware of your surroundings. Even with music on.”
She placed a hand over her heart. “You got my heart racing.”
This time I grinned. “Nah, I think it was all that dancing you were doing that got your heart racing.”
Nadia huffed. She was trying her hardest to play mad, but she would be alright. “It’s not cool to spy on people, Zaire.”
“I wasn’t spying… anyway. You wanna bounce out early? I know you have that hot date with my cousin. I’m sure Malik would appreciate it.”
She had one of those stupid cupid grins on her face when I mentioned my idiot cousin. “You would really let me leave early? You know they’ll say something about me not staying that extra hour.”
“Who says that hag has to know? I’ll clock you out. It’s not like the cameras are working right now anyway so they can’t check to see if you really did stay.”
Nadia did a little happy dance, ran to me, and gave me the biggest hug ever. “You are like the bestest friend ever.”
“You’re just saying that because I’m letting you go home early,” I said, words muffled into her shoulder.
She pulled back. “No, I really mean that. You are. I know you already have that bestie that’s like a sister to you, but-”
“Who says I can’t have two?” I had cut her off. Nadia was my other best friend, too. She had been there for me when I couldn’t even reach or go to Mac. “You’re like a sister to me, too. Don’t you ever forget that!”
Her face scrunched up and tears welled at the corner of her eyes. I forgot how emotional Nadia could be at times.
She wiped her face with the back of her thumb. “ Te amo .”
“Love you too, friend. Now go. I got this.”
“Alright. Thanks again. I’ll call you in the morning. Maybe we can do brunch.”
“I’d love that.”
We finished shelving the books on her cart because she was determined to do that much before she left. Then I walked her to the door that led to the parking lot and watched as she got in her car and left. Couldn’t have anyone abducting her. There was always safety in numbers.
I was ready to go home too, so I hurried and finished the remaining tasks that were left for me to do. That last hour went by fast. I couldn’t have been happier about it. I was tired, hungry, and wanted my Jesus juice. I planned on picking up a bottle of red on my way home. Maybe I would get a treat for my black cat, Ms. Beowtch.
The plan was for me to curl up on the couch and watch some true crime. Or horror movies. I couldn’t decide yet. Probably horror because it was almost Halloween time. Just a couple more months away. I already had my Halloween tree up and my Halloween wreath on the door. Spooky season was my favorite season.
With one final walk through, I grabbed my bag and keys and left the library. The sun was gone and in its place was a bright moon and a blue black night sky. The night air brought with it a cool breeze that I wasn’t expecting, but also wasn’t complaining about. It wasn’t even muggy outside, and that was another plus.
I should’ve known better parking my car midways to the back, but I was rushing earlier when I came in. Being the last one to leave work, I knew it was going to be the only one left in the parking lot this late. What I should have done on my lunch break was come and move it closer to the door, but it was hot as hell and I didn’t want to get out in the heat. Now, here I was, only a few steps away, constantly eyeing my surroundings because something didn’t feel right. Trying to convince myself that I would be okay wasn’t a thing at the moment. No, that ran away a few moments ago. Stopping midway to my car I and glanced around. If anything, I had exceptional instincts. Always be prepared. Consider it a product of my Brooks upbringing. My papa or mama didn’t raise no fool.
There was a pregnant silence except for the distant hum of traffic and a few rustling leaves. Didn’t have to listen hard enough to hear crickets or cicadas chirping, but that was the extent of that. Still, I unzipped my bag and stuck my hand inside, searching for the car fob to unlock my car door. I had planned on making a mad dash to the ride, but instead, my fingers curled around the cold grip of my little friend, Ms. Violet. She was a custom violet colored Glock that I took everywhere with me. That was one thing you weren’t going to catch me doing… was slipping.
The dim lights of the parking lot flickered, casting an eerie glow on the surroundings. One of the streetlights stood broken, dark and lifeless. Adding to the sense of unease that was growing within me. Glass was shattered on the ground. I glanced around, but still the hairs on the back of my neck rose. Yeah, something wasn’t right. In retrospect, I should’ve gone back inside, but I was ready to get in my car and go home. Ms. Beowtch was going to pitch a bitch if I showed up late for dinner feeding time.
I pressed the fob, unlocking the car door and sped walked to my car. As soon as I reached the car and placed a hand on my door handle, a chilling, raspy, thick country accented voice pierced the silence of the night. “Going somewhere?”
I stiffened and froze where I stood. With my heart racing, I slowly turned around and saw three men emerging from the shadows. They stopped right under the light just a few feet from me, all wearing dark clothes that was not fit for our summer heat.
What I really wanted to know was… how in the world did I miss not seeing them?
Two of the men kept a step behind the one I assumed was the leader of the trio. He was a tall, lean man. Kind of lanky but still had a dangerous edge radiating off him. He was a white guy with what looked like short, ash brown colored hair, cut into a very short military style. His eyes were cold, but his most recognizable feature was the deep jagged scar that started from his temple and went all the down the side of his face. Looked like he pissed somebody off and had a really bad run in with their knife. He wasn’t even handsome, and that scar made it worse. Talk about bad luck.
His lips curled into a wide grin. It reminded me of a predator on the hunt, which meant that I was his prey who really needed to be on the run. Instead of standing there like a deer frozen in front of bright headlights, I should’ve been opening my car door to get far away from there. Eventually, my brain woke up and that was when I tried to discreetly touch the door handle with my left hand.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the man said with a very country Texan accent. “Unless you want to end up a dead bitch. And honestly, If you don’t mind me being a bit truthful, it doesn’t fucking matter to me because the contract on you Ms. Brooks said dead or alive. But a pretty thang like you deserves to have some fun before you go out permanently.”
First it was shock that registered on my face. This man knew my name. Disgust for sure, because I knew what he meant about me having some fun. Then it dawned on me that he said there was a contract on my life. What in the world? Who the fuck put a contract out on me? Why? Now, I was pissed off to go along with the nervousness.
“Now, don’t look all sad. It ain’t gonna be that bad. I promise, I’ll take real good care of ya.” He licked his lips as his eyes roamed over my body from head to toe. I wanted to be sick. It was revolting how he was ogling me. But then I remembered, I was Zaire Fuck-ing Brooks . I wasn’t no punk ass, either.
“Listen, Mr. Whoever you are. I can pay you way more than whoever put the hit out. All you gotta do is turn around and walk away. Money isn’t an object when we’re discussing my life. I’ll make sure you and your men won’t need for anything anymore.” It wasn’t a lie… I meant every word. Money wasn’t an object. I had my entire life to live and these men and whoever put the hit out wasn’t going to take that from me.
He laughed and shifted on his feet. His men fidgeted where they stood. I could see the anxiousness in their eyes. But Tex was calmer than a rattlesnake before striking. “Now, I reckon that would sound real good, if I was all about the money, but you see here, darling. I’m not. It’s about honor and respect. See, I took that contract saying I’d bring ya in, and you know, I’m a man of my word. That’s what I’m gon’ do.”
“Then we’ll just have to go about this the hard way,” I said and reached for my handle. Faster than I had expected, his men pulled out their guns and shot a round into my tires. “Fuck! Ya’ll gonna pay for those,” I mumbled, as I looked at my ruined tires.
“Looks like we got us a little plump hellcat, boys? Grab her so we can get out of here.”
Plump? Who in the world was he calling plump? Pissed off, hangry, and annoyed, I shoved my hand back in my bag, pulled out Ms. Violet, undid the safety and popped off a round just as his two lackeys came at me. The one to my right grabbed his stomach, while the other fell to the ground. I had hit him in the kneecap. I just didn’t carry… I knew how to shoot, too. Another important lesson growing up a Brooks.
“Bitch!” the man shouted, as his two men writhed and groaned in pain.
Everything in me screamed to run. Get out of there. So lost and caught up in the moment, I didn’t hear the rumbling of the motorcycle as it pulled into the parking lot. The word, Danger , kept flashing in my head, causing me to instinctively back away from the man. His face had transformed into a mask of pure rage. He bent down and grabbed the gun from the man who went down with a gut wound and came at me with hate in his eyes. Behind me, I didn’t notice the big man getting off the bike or heard what he was shouting. It was like I was in a tunnel and all my senses were momentarily taken away from me. All I was trying to do was get away. It didn’t click that the man after me was no longer staring at me but behind me. Taking that as a sign, I whipped around to sprint away but instead, I ran right into a solid wall of a man. His thick, tattooed arms reached out and pulled me close. Imagine the shock on my face when I looked up and realized it was Wraith, the owner of The Grotto.
He quickly shoved me behind his back, and had his gun out, aimed at the Texan. “If you were a smart man, you’d stop right there. Either way, you’re not leaving this place alive.”
The Texan laughed. “Well, looka here. A twofer special. You were next on our list, but now we ain’t gotta come to you. You walked right into a rattler’s nest.”
Wraith’s voice was a deep rumble against my face as it was pressed against his back. “Hmm, another one of those poor excuses of a hitman the Veil put out.”
The Texan stopped laughing and his face went slack. His eyes were cold. Hard. His lips thinned into a grimace. “So, I see you recognize your betters.”
“It’s you who doesn’t recognize your betters. Your little friend Ray could tell you all about it, but he’s probably being digested right now. You know… gator food.”
Tex didn’t say anything but I noticed the tick in his jaw. It would seem Wraith had touched a nerve. I knew the man was dangerous, but now I was beginning to see just how much more dangerous Wraith was. Who exactly was this man with tattoos, rode a motorcycle, and carried a gun?
“Tell you what. Since I’m being nice and all. You take your boys and get the hell outta here. I’m going to take the pretty lady and we get out of here. Everyone stays alive… for now.” He looked at the man who had gone pale on the ground still holding his guts. “Well… most of us. That wound is gonna take him out if you don’t get him to a hospital soon.”
“How about no,” Tex said. “You’re a dead man, Wraith.”
Wraith’s voice turned cold, and hard. “I won’t tell you again. I’m not giving you the option. Get your men and get the fuck out of here. Take a message to your boss.”
“I don’t have a boss… I’m my own man.”
Wraith took a step forward, and I made sure to stay close to him. He reached behind his back and yanked from his waist, underneath his shirt, a second weapon and aimed it at Tex. “You may think you are your own man, but I know better. You’re a low level on the hierarchy stick. A peon tryna make a name for himself to get status within your organization. I may be retired, but I haven’t forgotten a thing. Tell your boss he’s a dead man. Don’t come for me or mine. Don’t come for her, either. He’ll regret it. You all will. And that’s a fucking promise.”
Tex still sneered but glanced at me before looking back at Wraith. “Why do you care about her? She’s just a bitch you so happened to be driving by and saw. She’s nothing to you. I didn’t think you were the type to save damsels. Thought you buried them.”
Wraith didn’t even blink or speak. When his gun went off, I was surprised because he did it so fast. Tex shouted and cursed as he grabbed his right shoulder.
“I normally don’t repeat myself, but I will this one and only time in case you didn’t get the message the first time I said it,” Wraith said in a menacing growl. “Don’t come for me or mine. She’s mine. If I have to repeat myself one more time, the next bullet will be between your eyes.”
“Fine…,” Tex said in between pained groans. “I’ll pass the message along.”
“And man up. That shit is just a bee sting.” Wraith turned around and looked at me, then whispered so I could only hear him. “I’ll have one of my brothers pick up your car. You’ll just have to ride with me. I’ll make sure you get somewhere safe.”
I swallowed because all that delicious, protective, dominant shit I loved was directed at me. I was gonna turn into a puddle right then and there. Long forgotten was the dangerous situation I was in. This man right here… whew . It was all I could say.
We stood side by side for about fifteen minutes, while we watched Tex call for back up. While waiting, Wraith made a phone call to have one of his MC brothers come and pick up my ride. I was pissed. The tires on my BMW were the really expensive ones. And hard to find. I mean, still money wasn’t the object, it was just… the entire situation pissed me off. All that talk about being a Brooks and I still didn’t act accordingly. So glad my folks weren’t around to see this poor excuse of my training.
Eventually, a white van turned into the parking lot and stopped right next to Tex and his band of misfits. Some men got out, dressed in black fatigues with their faces covered up. They took their injured and put them in the van. As Tex approached the van, he paused, making eye contact with us, and gestured towards us with his hand shaped like a gun, pretending to fire. I flipped him off and of course, Wraith said nothing. He stood there, stoic, and stared. I really wanted to know what was going on in that mind of his because I didn’t want to be a recipient of that stare down.
“We need to talk,” Wraith said, soon after the van left. He ran a tattooed hand through his silky brown strands before casting those stormy gray eyes all over me, searching for injuries. “You alright? Did they hurt you?”
“No, I’m good.” I tilted my head towards the BMW. “Ask about my baby. She isn’t okay.”
A confused look crossed his face. He began to look all around. He started to go towards the car and it took me a moment before I realized what was going on. I started laughing, grabbed his firm bicep to keep him from moving.
He looked back at me. Nervous and seriously concerned. “You got a kid?”
I shook my head. “Oh no, I don’t have any crotch-fruit just yet. One day, but not right now.”
His brows lifted. “Crotch-fruit?”
I grinned. “Yeah… kids. Chirren. Little demon hell spawns. I don’t have any of that yet.”
He let out a sigh of relief with a chuckle. “Alright. Let’s get out of here before the cops show up. If I heard them gunshots while I was riding my bike, I’m sure someone else could hear them, too.”
“How exactly am I getting out of here?” I pointed at my car. “It’s down two wheels.”
“My brother Jester is on his way. He’ll take it to his shop. Get you all fixed up.”
“Thanks, you didn’t have to do all this. Come and help or whatever. You could’ve kept driving, minding your business.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I could’ve kept rolling by without stopping, but I didn’t. I wasn’t going to let them hurt you. I’m not a fan of men hurting women. Especially men like that asshole who just left.”
“Did you know it was me?”
“No, I didn’t. But considering I got you back in my sights, even under unfortunate circumstances, you won’t hear any complaints from me.”
I wasn’t going to respond to that. “Hmm… alright.”
He looked at the library building then back at me. “You work here?”
“I do. I’m a librarian.” I turned and looked at his bike not wanting to think about the implications of what his words meant earlier. Or that twinkle in his eyes the moment I mentioned I was a librarian. I didn’t even know the guy really, but obviously there was some major attraction thing going on between us. That would have to wait. I had more pressing matters to think about, like getting on the back of his bike. I didn’t know much about motorcycles, but I could definitely appreciate them. His ride was a thing of beauty. Custom made for sure. Fat tire on the back. Wide and comfortable looking seat. All black. Matte paint job with a scene of a ghost or wraith painted into it. You know… just like his name.
“I’ve never ridden on one those before.”
He grinned, and I found myself liking it when he did. The way his eyes glinted with amusement made me feel all fuzzy inside. What in the world, Zai!
“Nothing to it,” he said. “It’s like riding a bike. You’ll never forget once you get on. Just hold on tight to me and move the same way I move. We’ll eventually get to our destination together at the same time.” He winked with that smirk I remembered from that night at his bar and grill. Oh yeah, I definitely caught the double entendre.