The Aftermath Read online

  Nate wished he had Sapphire’s naive belief in the good guys. “Regan Fontaine arranged for Skylar Burrell to interrogate Paula Reid before she was killed. This ideology you’re referencing is right up Reid’s alley. This is what Peaceful Intervention is all about. We need to implement a plan to arrest Evan Welch.”

  “Arrest? No,” Sapphire stated. “These people are connected. The minute you arrest them they will be released. There are times when you have to tear down to rebuild a good foundation. With the right resources, you can fight fire with fire. We don’t take knives to a gun fight. We take lasers.”

  64

  Nate could not sleep. He was going on day two without closing his eyes. He got out of bed, checked on Hayden who was still asleep; then walked out onto his balcony. From where he stood, he could see the tip of the building where Peaceful Intervention Emergence resided. It wasn’t enough.

  He dressed, picked up the whip; then drove to downtown Richmond. Parking his car in the underground garage on Cary Street, Nate got out, taking the whip with him. His hand squeezing tightly around the thickness of it. He reached the plaza, then looked up to the top floor. If he looked crazy standing in broad daylight with a whip in his hand staring at a building, he did not care. The people inside that building were a danger to his city.

  “I had that look once.”

  Nate glanced to his right to see Mayor Palmer standing next to him. He did not hear the man walk up. Nate’s attention went back to the building.

  “Years ago, I stood here ready to burn that motherfucker down.”

  “What happened?”

  “I ended up in jail. I was talked down by a good man who explained that my purpose was much larger than this one building. I’m here to do the same for you.”

  “And you think that is going to stop me from taking it down.”

  “No, I think it and all that it represents should come down. But if you do what you are thinking, you will be breaking the law and making them martyrs. We don’t need people looking up to them. We need more people looking up to you. And frankly, the city needs you to save us from them.”

  Nate wanted to scream he was not a savior. Why was everyone looking to him to save the fucking world?

  “When the law breaks the law, there are consequences. The people in this building are the result of many people breaking many laws. We have to stop them, and we need you to do that.”

  Nate looked to his left to see Sapphire standing there. “What are you two, the tag team?”

  “No,” L.T. smiled. “We are the law.”

  65

  Krystal was satisfied with the first draft of the plan for the elimination of Frank Williams; however, she was going to suggest that Evan adjust the plan. The Chief’s elimination would have to be done while he was on the job. Home would be more difficult because the woman he was seeing had a Secret Service detail on her. Anything related to her would cause attention at a level that could create problems for the mission. She realized the organization’s connections were significant, but they would not be able to withstand backlash from the White House.

  She walked out of her bedroom, stubbing her toe on a large item in the middle of her hallway. Before she could reach her weapon, a rope snapped around her ankles, then yanked her upside down from her ceiling. Her hands were wrapped in tape before she could reach up to free herself. Then, her mouth was stuffed with a wet cloth soaked in gasoline. She knew the routine well. Her mind was reeling. Was this retaliation for Ben? No, she cleared that thought from her mind. No one saw her and if they did, no one in the organization operated in this manner.

  “You broke the rule.”

  Krystal froze at the sound of the voice. Nothing ever stoked more fear in her than that voice.

  “You came after one of mine. You know better.”

  Krystal shook her head frantically. She had to let the woman know she did not break the rule. Shaking her entire body and screaming through the cloth in her mouth, Krystal was trying to signal to the woman that she was wrong.

  “You’re panicking. That is not like you. Have those imbeciles you’ve been hanging around with weakened you to a whimpering victim?” The woman appeared before her. “I taught you better than that.”

  Krystal’s eyes could not believe what she was seeing. She had not aged or changed in the years since she retired from the agency. She had to be in her fifties or sixties now. Yes, looking at her made her feel she was back in her freshman year at Quantico, but her attire of a hazmat covering let Krystal know she was marked for death.

  “The only reason you are still alive is because I want the name of the man who dared to order a sanction on my child.”

  Krystal’s eyes widened at the statement. No one ordered a sanction on Detective Reigns. Nor would she ever allow them to.

  “The expression on your face indicates you did not know Detective Reigns was my son. Or does that surprised look mean you were unaware of the sanction?”

  Krystal frantically shook her head.

  Charlotte Reigns took the gas-soaked cloth from Krystal’s mouth. “I wasn’t aware of a sanction on your son, Empress. I would not have allowed it.”

  Charlotte pulled out a spray bottle then began spraying a substance on Krystal’s clothing. “I do not mind your ideology. It is stupid and based on a lie that Black people are here to replace you, take your husbands, your wives, your jobs, or whatever else you fear losing.” She circled Krystal, soaking every inch of her, including her hair that was hanging almost to the floor. “However, I warned you not to infringe on other’s rights.”

  “I believe in our mission, Empress.” Krystal replied. “I will die for our mission.”

  “Yes, you will,” Charlotte dropped the spray bottle, then bent down to be eye to eye with Krystal. “The question is will you die here at my hands or later.” She flicked a lighter then held it near Krystal’s long blond hair. “I want a name.”

  “It was not sanctioned by us. You know me well. You taught me everything I know about the life. I do not lie to save myself. I protect the mission at all costs. If something happened with Detective Reigns, it was not at our hands.”

  Charlotte glared at her. “They used a whip.”

  Krystal closed her eyes and prepared to die. Everything in her screamed Evan. But she knew he would not have been the one with the whip in his hands. It would have been Toby. She opened her eyes. “I cannot swear to it.”

  “But you have an idea,” Charlotte nodded. “You have until 9 pm to eliminate the person who attacked my son. If I do not have satisfaction at 9:01 pm, I will kill you. Run, and I will find you. You know the drill: kill them or be killed.” She stood, threw the lighter down the hallway, then looked back at Krystal. “That should give you enough time to get down. Good luck.”

  Krystal watches as the Empress jumped over the banister to the first floor of her house then disappeared.

  The flame was still low but was burning the carpet. Using her teeth Krystal pulled at the rope around her hands. The Empress did not make it easy, but then, she never did. The flame was moving towards the area where the carpet had been saturated with gasoline. Krystal pulled the rope loose, then swung up to her feet as she kept an eye on the flame. If it got to the saturated portion of the carpet before she freed herself, the flame would engulf the area including her. She had to move quickly. Grabbing the rope above her feet, she held her weight up with her hands, then used her teeth to loosen the rope. She had released her feet, then swung herself over the banister, landing in almost the same spot; the Empress had only moments ago. The flame traveled down the straight path of gasoline then shot up and engulfed the rope she was just hanging from. The Empress’s skills had not diminished with her retirement.

  The smoke detector began beeping setting off the fire alarm built into her security system. Krystal ran out the back door leaving yet another life behind. Walking out her back entrance down an alley way, she jumped in her standby vehicle that was parked one street over. If the inferno in
side of her could reach her clothing, she would go up in flames. What asshole went after Detective Reigns? She knew it was not sanctioned. The top levels knew he was untouchable and why. “The stupid sons of bitches.” She screamed. There was no avoiding it now. She had to contact the upper levels and people were going to die.

  66

  The house was quiet when Nate’s eyes opened, but the aroma of food filled his nostrils.

  “About time you opened your eyes.”

  Nate moved slowly on the bed. “Hayden. Man, how are you? How’s your back?”

  Moving gingerly, Hayden sat up on the side of the bed. “My back is sore; the pain level is about a five. Better than the twenty it was last night.”

  He flexed his shoulders to check the range of his movement.

  “I’m so sorry, Hayden.” Nate sighed. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Hey, you jumped in enough fights for me in high school. I can take this one for you.” Hayden joked.

  “Not funny,” Nate sat up. “They beat you with a whip.”

  “Yes, they did, and let me tell you, that shit hurts,” Hayden replied. “I thought I was going to die last night. But I would do it again if it meant protecting you.”

  A lump formed in Nate’s throat. His little brother was taking what happened like it was an everyday occurrence. “I would have never asked you to come here if I had known you would have been in danger. This is the life I chose. Not you, Hayden. Not you.”

  Hayden tilted his head. “I’m proud of what you did Nate. You saw a problem in the justice system and decided to do something about it. You are my big brother, one I look up to for just about all things, except women. I don’t pay you no mind when it comes to women.” He chuckled, then squirmed at the pain it caused.

  Nate stood. “Don’t do that. Don’t try to joke this away like you do other things. This is some deep shit that happened to you. Did you recognize the men,” he asked as he picked up the salve his mother had mentioned.

  “Two Billy Bo Joe looking men is all I can tell you,” Hayden replied, then frowned at Nate. “You are not rubbing my back.”

  “This will help with the pain,” Nate scowled.

  “I’m not ten years old. I’m a grown ass man, and I damn sure don’t want another man’s hands on my body.”

  “I’m your brother, it’s not the same thing.”

  “Oh, both of you stop the yelling.” Charlotte walked into the room with food on a tray.

  “Nate won’t let me rest Mother,” Hayden grinned at Nate.

  “I need to make sure Hayden is all right.” He sniffed. “Why do you smell like gasoline? Have you been in the garage near the car?”

  She sat the tray of food on the nightstand next to the bed. “Grown folks’ business. You cannot watch over your brother forever. Go work on that car or something.”

  Nate looked at Hayden. “The person who did this to you is going to pay.”

  “You’re going to take them down Nate. This should never happen to a human being…never.” Hayden held his gaze.

  “It won’t—not on my watch.” Nate nodded his head then went to his room. He placed a call to Skylar. “Something’s happened. I need you at my place to discuss next moves.”

  67

  The prison systems were vital to the mission. Where the strategic taking over of local government was the heart, the prison systems were the veins leading to the heart of the mission. It was the entity providing the legal means to resource the workforce that would be needed in the future. The unauthorized steps taken were going to generate accusations that will lead to investigations. While this was a setback, it was not catastrophic. However, it would cause him to have to implement an intervention.

  Christian pulled the book on the shelf to enter the small office. Sitting at the desk, he pulled out the middle drawer. Inside was a long iron box. Every general in the mission had been given one. It held vital items: a case containing a syringe next to a small bottle, an explosive device capable of taking out an entire block of homes, if needed, and a red phone.

  Taking the phone from its case, he turned the device on. He had two minutes from that moment to receive his orders.

  The call was picked up on the first ring.

  “PIE Level Ten,” the person answered.

  “PIE Level Twelve,” the man replied.

  “Transmission received. The following steps have been taken. The administrators at both locations will take responsibility for the selling of women to the DeFazio organization. They will indicate it was a coordinated operation to enrich themselves. The Governor will demand a full investigation. We have inmates who will testify on our behalf. Their freedom will be their reward.”

  “How shall we proceed with Welch?” Christian asked.

  “He is a soldier in your unit. While his actions have garnered unwanted attention, it has also increased your financial resources. You must weigh the value of one against the other. At the least, the virtue of patience needs to be explained. P.I.E. will rise, my faithful soldier.”

  The call was disconnected. The phone was placed back inside the box then returned to the drawer.

  Christian then picked up the phone on the desk and dialed 743-HDQT. It went directly to the office of the Director of Peaceful Intervention Emergence.

  “Level Fourteen.” Evan answered.

  “Level Twelve,” came the reply. “Explain.”

  “This is a minor setback.” Evan stated.

  “It was an amateurish move. The women’s purpose is to procreate to replenish our service workers. Why are a good number of them within police custody?” Christian inquired.

  “This is a means to generate income for the cause. It allows us to work at the level needed to complete our portion of the mission.”

  “That was not my question.”

  “A misstep by underlings.” Evan hissed.

  “Soldiers are not underlings. They are given orders to follow. You overstepped your authority; therefore, putting the mission in jeopardy. This action with the women was unnecessary. It has cost us resources, opened the possibility of discoverability, and placed our leaders in a precarious position.” Christian advised.

  “The position of our leaders is to provide cover for those of us in the trenches doing the work. Perhaps adjustments in leadership need to be examined.” Evan huffed.

  “There are multiple levels to P.I.E. The crust, the sauce, and the topping. We are the crust. The foundation must be solid to support the ingredients of the pie. Ambition to move into decision-making positions call for dedication to the mission, not promoting oneself. Follow the orders given, your time will come.”

  “I am of the opinion that the time could be sooner rather than later.” Evan replied.

  “Patience ensures the foundation cannot be broken. Our purpose is to infiltrate. We eliminate to replace; we do not showboat. We do not kill at will. The death of the women complicated our mission by giving the investigation clues where there were none before. When situations arise, we handle them with our minds. It was a quick reaction that was not thought through. Your eagerness to move forward expediently is what caused missteps. Missteps lead to vulnerability.”

  “I will handle this.”

  “You do that. Remember, failure equals death. By your hands or mine.”

  Evan disconnected the call pissed.

  Krystal walked into the building with one purpose in mind. After leaving her house in flames, she went to her second location, took a shower; then gathered a few tools she would need. Her previous occupation taught her to always have a place no one knew about, identities no one could track, and an arsenal of weapons at your disposal. She had placed a call to Level One to advise him of the situation. She did not need his approval for what she was about to do; he had bigger issues on his plate. This one, she would do for free. But damn it, sometime soon, she was going to need a raise. They did not hire her to assassinate assholes. They hired her to run a simple mission, one that had the makings of being successful.
But, they just could not get past their all-mighty swinging dicks. Only the men could run an operation at this level. Your job is to keep them organized and focused. “Well, this is what your good old boy dick club will get you.”

  Gun with silencer in hand, she walked into Toby’s office. “Did you send someone out to teach Detective Reigns a lesson?”

  Toby sat behind his desk with a smug look on his face. “I don’t have to answer questions from you. You want to know what happened to Reigns, ask Evan.”

  “Have your men returned?”

  “Another question,” he looked up at her. “If you must know, they have not reported to work yet.”

  “It’s because they are dead you dick sucking son of a bitch.” She shot him in the center of his forehead, then walked behind his desk and shot him between his legs.

  “What the hell? Krystal what have you done?” Evan yelled from the doorway.

  Krystal was not one to point a gun unless she was going to use it. But damn if she didn’t want to shoot Evan right in the mouth. “If the top level had sanctioned it, your ass would be dead too. You sent him to teach Detective Reigns a lesson you stupid son of a bitch. Congratulations you have officially screwed this mission. Start backing up the computer systems and get the personnel out of the building. Send them to the auxiliary location for further instructions. Your days of giving orders are over.”

  “Damn if it is. I just got off the phone with Vaughan. What in the hell did you tell him?”

  “I haven’t spoken to Cory. But in this moment if you don’t want to look like Toby, get the hell out of my way.” Krystal pushed past him.

  “I’m not referring to young Vaughan, bitch. Tell me what you said to Christian, or I will have you sanctioned.” Evan yelled at her back.