Hide & Seek (36 page)

LaRon sighed lightly. “No, it wasn’t, but I love you so much Tweety, you gotta know that.”

“
Yes baby, I do know that,” she told him gently and he heard the tears.

“
Don’t cry,” LaRon told her, hating he wasn’t there to hold and console her.

She broke completely then and he heard the heavy sobbing.

“
Tweety, its okay, really,” LaRon tried. “Stop crying baby,” he again reiterated.

Finally gathering herself, Jaleesa quieted.

“
I’ll be home soon and we’ll work everything out, OK,” LaRon told her as Jaleesa replied that was fine.

“
Tank is coming over to check on you later,” he advised.

Jaleesa questioned who Tank was as LaRon explained.

“
Oh, yeah, well fine,” she replied yawning in his ear.

“
Are you sleepy again,” he asked chuckling.

Jaleesa told him she seemed to always be sleepy.

“
Man, my son gonna be a sleepy head,” LaRon joked.

“
It’s a girl anyway,” she threw back as LaRon scoffed.

“
I only make boys,” he told her as Jaleesa burst into laughter. “Who told you that?”

They continued to play fight about it for the next 20 minutes before LaRon told her they had to get on the road.

“
OK baby,” Jaleesa replied sweetly, causing another smile to grace his face. “Be careful, seriously,” she added as LaRon assured her he would return home to her in one piece.

“
Will you call Tank and ask him to bring me some ice cream when he comes,” Jaleesa told him as one of her cravings came again.

Chuckling lightly LaRon assured her would, telling her once more that he loved her and hanging up.

*****

Kim looked at her cell and took a deep breath before answering.

“
Hey Top,” she greeted her boss.

“
Hey Kim,” Tariq replied calmly. “Where are you?”

“
Out and about,” she replied vaguely, not wanting to get into specifics.

“
Hmph,” Tariq returned.

Kim didn’t like the tone. He sounded agitated. She racked her mind trying to think of anything she’d done that would have him angry. As far as she knew, she’d done everything he asked or assigned her to do.

“
Is something wrong Top,” Kim asked as nerves got the better of her.

“
Is there,” Tariq replied cryptically.

She frowned deeply at his response before addressing him again.

“
Top, if I did something, I wish you would just say so,” Kim replied softly, dismayed to find herself near tears.

Tariq sighed deeply remaining quiet a few moments more. “I’m sorry about you and Mook losing your baby,” he told her calmly as she gasped aloud.

How the hell,
she was wondering as Tariq began to speak again.

“
Why is Freight following you Kim,” he asked point blank. “Don’t lie to me either,” he added the irritation returning.

Kim was eternally grateful he wasn’t standing in front of her. She couldn’t lie to Tariq, not to his face anyway.

“
What makes you think he was following me, Top,” she asked trying to buy time and find out just how much Tariq did or didn’t know.

“
He was at the hospital when you miscarried,” Tariq answered.

He’d just spent thirty minutes on the phone with DeNoah getting more information. The things the man told him he overheard further fueled his suspicion that something very bad had gone down between Kim and Freight.

“
I didn’t know that,” Kim answered honestly.

Tariq’s information had answered the nagging question she had after Freight’s texts of how he knew she was pregnant or miscarried.

“
Hmph,” Tariq replied once more. “Again, Kim, why was Freight following you,” Tariq asked waiting patiently for an answer.

“
We had a run in,” Kim replied hoping it would appease him, but not counting on it.

“
What kinda run in,” Tariq fired back.

Swallowing hard, Kim began spinning the story she’d concocted about seeing Freight at Mardi Gras and them getting into a shouting match.

“
What were you arguing about,” Tariq continued to press.

“
Nothing important Top, or anything to do with the operation,” Kim clarified, confirming Tariq’s suspicions.

“
So he’s still tryna get at you,” Tariq asked.

“
Yeah,” Kim replied simply, which wasn’t a lie.

“
That’s all,” Tariq asked again, his tone ambiguous at this point.

“
Yeah, Top, that’s all,” she lied.

“
Kim, you’ve been with me a lot of years,” Tariq replied his tone never changing. “And you’ve always been straight with me, done whatever I asked without question,” he continued as Kim’s sense of dread deepened. “Now suddenly you’re lying to me, and yes, I can tell,” Tariq told her as Kim continued to remain mute. “Did Freight put his hands on you,” he asked point blank, the tone now cold and hard.

“
Please Top, I got it covered,” Kim tried without answering his question directly.

“
Kim,” he called, voice raised. “Answer my damned question,” he fired as she jumped slightly at the venom now lacing his voice.

“
Yes,” she replied softly hearing him sigh deeply.

“
You want to kill him yourself,” he now asked sounding a bit calmer.

“
Without a doubt,” Kim replied not missing a beat.

“
Hmph,” Tariq replied and remained quiet a little longer.

“
Tell me what the plan is,” he finally threw out acknowledging his cooperation allowing Kim to kill Freight.

Smiling slightly Kim told him what she had planned for the big man and how she wanted to look into his eyes as she planted a bullet from Mook’s .380 in his head.

“
Fine,” Tariq replied at the end. “But when you set it up, DeNoah is gonna be there to have your back,” he added as Kim reluctantly agreed.

“
I’m sorry for lying to you, Top,” Kim meekly told him.

“
I understand Kim,” Tariq told her. “But you gotta know I’m here for you, we are all here for you,” he went on. “You can’t keep shit like that secret from us, OK?”

Kim promised this was the first and last time she would ever keep anything from them as Tariq accepted her apology and disconnected.

*****

It’s nice to be home,
Role thought, even if it was temporary. Andre’ was in the other room waiting for him. Ian allowed him to come home and shower, dress in his own clothes for the meet tonight at the strip club.
Sorry DeNoah, but shit, its survival of the fittest in this bitch now,
Role thought stepping under the steaming hot shower spray. He was still praying he could find a way of escape tonight. He was going to somehow get home, get his car, and get the hell out of Atlanta. He’d managed to save a few thousand dollars from his time with Top, so that would help him stay afloat until he could find a job of some sort when he got where he was going. Role really didn’t have any particular destination in mind. He was just going to drive and wherever he felt safe, that’s where he would stop.

“
Hurry up fool, we gotta be going’,” Andre’ yelled from the living room where he was watching TV.

“
OK,” Role returned, grudgingly exiting the shower and heading to his bedroom once more.

Checking his closet, he took a chance and quietly removed the small panel inside his closet where he kept his gun, only to find it empty.
Shit,
he thought knowing that Ice’s crew had found it. Thankfully he didn’t keep his money there as well. Removing his outfit for the evening, Role dressed. Checking his reflection moments later, he headed out into the living room letting Andre’ know he was ready to leave.

“
Don’t get cute tonight,” Andre’ told him giving him a look, almost reading his mind. “You do this shit right, you might walk away in one piece,” he lied.

Andre’ already had his orders to cancel Role after everything was said and done.

“
I ain’t trippin’ man,” Role threw back, hoping his face didn’t betray the lie. “Just wanna do this and get it over with,” he added as Andre’ sucked his teeth slightly again.

“
This fool a friend of yours,” he asked curiously as they got into Role’s Lex and started it.

“
We cool,” he answered simply.

Andre’ again grunted but said nothing else as they got onto the interstate and Role’s mind continued to race. He was luring DeNoah to his death and he’d always been straight with him.
Why the fuck couldn’t it have been LaRon’s sorry ass,
he continued to brood. Pushing the guilt away and justifying it once more to himself as survival of the fittest, Role pulled into the parking lot of Pink Panty’s and found a spot. Andre’ pulled out his cell and made a call.

“
Yeah, we’re here,” he told the person on the other end. “OK, cool,” he replied disconnecting. “Come on lets go,” he barked at Role as they got out and entered the club. It was 10:48PM.

30

LaRon and Mook were sitting outside the huge country style estate watching the traffic come and go. This was the brothel that Ice and Ryan owned in Louisiana. With no clear address they figured this would be the best place to find the man they were looking for.

“
They do banner business, I’ll say that for them,” Mook commented as he lit the blunt he’d rolled.

“
Yeah, damned cars been in and out nonstop for the last two hours,” LaRon replied, taking the blunt from Mook’s outstretched hand and hitting it.

They were prepared to sit and watch all night if need be. They had to find Ryan and it was urgently they did it sooner than later.

“
How much you wanna bet that asshole don’t show up till late,” LaRon spoke.

“
You ‘bout right,” Mook replied, taking yet another hit. “How many bitches they got up in there,” he asked as LaRon shrugged slightly.

“
Hell, got to have at least what, 5 or 6 for this kinda traffic,” he replied as Mook again nodded his understanding.

A familiar vehicle passed, garnering both their attention. “That’s a S-class,” Mook asked as LaRon told him it was.

Growing excited the men watched the sleek navy blue Benz park and the door swing open.

“
That ain’t Ryan,” Mook said aloud as the woman got out of the drivers side.

“
Nah, but that’s his chick,” LaRon told him, recognizing Caramel from the pictures.

“
Well hell, she’ll do,” Mook again remarked knowing they could follow the woman and she would lead them directly to Ryan.

“
Exactly what I was thinking,” LaRon replied as they continued to watch.

Caramel disappeared inside the house leaving them again watching traffic for the next hour and a half.

“
She’s leaving’ man,” Mook told LaRon, nudging him gently.

He’d dozed off a few moments earlier. Immediately alert once again, LaRon started the truck and carefully pulled into traffic behind Caramel as she drove, oblivious to the tail she’d acquired. They traveled through the city, leaving the lights finally and heading out into the open highway.

“
Figures his ass would have a house way out in the middle of no damned where,” Mook observed as they continued to drive.

LaRon was getting excited. They were finally going to end one chapter in this sordid story once and for all.

“
Don’t follow her up there,” Mook told him as Caramel turned onto a small paved road. LaRon frowned slightly.

“
I think it’s a private drive,” he clarified for him.

LaRon nodded and told Mook good looking out as they parked the truck further up the road, pulling far onto the shoulder and getting out. They ended up carrying all their weapons on their bodies as they stealthily made their way back to the turn point. Walking up the small paved road, they had to carefully navigate the winding path without benefit of any street lights.

“
It’s dark as fuck out here,” Mook remarked as LaRon agreed.

“
Perfect for his slippery ass,” LaRon threw out as they came to a clearing.

Catching their breath from the trek, they regarded the house sitting only a few hundred yards from them.

“
You think he got motion sensors and all that shit,” Mook asked as they took in the woods surrounding them.

“
I doubt it, shit, who’s gonna come back up in these damned creepy woods at night,” LaRon replied as Mook chuckled hoping he was right.

*****

Role was nervous as hell sitting at his table. He couldn’t even enjoy the lap dance he was getting at the moment from the statuesque bronze goddess gyrating on his lap. It was 11:35 and DeNoah was still a no show. Not wanting to appear anxious, Role didn’t call and ask him if he were on his way.
Damn, please let this fool show up,
he thought as the dancer finished her set and collected her money, leaving his presence. Glancing around the room, Role saw Andre’, Dixon, Reggie, Manuel and Jose positioned at various points inside the club. Each had a clear view and clear shot at him if he tried to run.