Tampa Black: Part ! (14 page)

On the other side of town, exploding inside of his latest conquest; Carlos rolled over and sat up on the side of the bed. Knowing that he was cutting it close to the time for his arrival at the docks, he reached over and grabbed his watch off of the nightstand and check the time. Seeing that he was late, reality began to set in.

“Damn!”

Jumping up and putting his clothes on, Carlos was out of the door before his female companion could contest... Pulling out of the driveway Carlos turned on his phone, and instantly became annoyed when the flood of messages and voicemails began to pop up and clutter his screen...

“Fuck!”

Opting not to wrestle with a million messages, Carlos pressed ignore, he turned up the volume on his system and headed to the count house. Although his little Dominican jump off had just thoroughly put it on him, something in the air just didn't seem right. The closer he got to the spot, the stronger the feeling got... Trying to shake the growing anxiety, he pushed his speed up to 80 mph and zipped through the afternoon traffic.

As detected Lawson’s tactical team pulled into Port Tampa in unmarked cars, they spread a two miles’ perimeter around the address that he had been given; and concealed themselves. Waiting for any tell sign that this was the right place, detective Lawson ordered his troops to stand down and stay alert. He knew that this may be his last chance to seal the case, and get the promotion that he deserved, and wanted it...

About two and a half miles from the count house, Carlos begin to get a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.  Passing through the invisible perimeter that detective Lawson had established, Carlos had unknowingly just drove into a Venus flytrap. As the report that the secondary target had arrived into the hot zone came across the air waves, detective Lawson and acknowledged his arrival and called for radio silence, as he continued to monitor the count house.

Stepping outside of a side door of the house, one of The Family’s soldiers noticed a figure dressed in all black crouching down on the roof top of a building across the street. Seeing that he had a rifle instantly sent his adrenaline rushing through his veins, so he grabbed the A.R.-15 that was strapped to his back and opened fire. Once the sound of gunfire pierces the air, all hell broke loose. The sniper on the rooftop got a chunk of flesh knocked out of his face only seconds before his shooter was ripped apart by another sharp shooters gun fire. As his bullet ridden body slumped to the ground, blood begin to pour from the multiple gunshot wounds in his body.

Losing the element of surprise, the detective ordered a unit to detain Carlos before he could join the gunfire or get away. Before signing off, the detective Lawson also gave orders for the rest of his units to storm the count house and secure everything in it. Little did he know, that would be easier said than done. His team had jumped the gun on the bust, and now they were going to pay for their mistake.

As the unmarked car pulled up and got behind Carlos, he looked in his rear view mirror and shook his head...

“Damn.”

Placing his pistol and cell phone into a hidden compartment, Carlos pulled over knowing that he was clean. Getting out of his car with his gun in his hand, the agent extracted Carlos from the vehicle, cuffed him, and put him in the back of his cruiser. Radioing Lawson, the agent notified him that the suspect was in custody.

Storming through the front garage of the count house, three of the agents were immediately dismembered by the vicious gunfire of Geno's A. K-47.   As the fireworks began, men on both sides we're gunned down in the mayhem of gunfire. Firing at the incoming agents, Smoke strapped a duffel bag of uncounted money to his back, and made his way to the waiting boat at the dock outback.

Stepping from behind a pillar in Geno’s blind spot, an agent open fire causing Geno's chest cavity to explode on contact. As his limp body hit the ground, the last glimpse of life left his eyes as the agents stepped over his corpse in pursuit of Smoke. Wading through the sea of bloody bodies, detective Lawson covered his agents as they approached the docks.

Breathing heavily, Smoke began to throw the bags of money into the speed boat. Just as the last bag hit the floor of the waiting vessel, gunfire erupted behind him. As one of the loaded speedboats speeded off into the depths of the harbor, Smoke took cover behind a few nearby crates... Large chunks of wood were knocked out of the corner of a wooden crate inches from his face, as he glanced over at the waiting boat just in time to see its driver get gunned down in a hail of semi-automatic gunfire.

Smoke had promised himself a long time ago that he would hold court in the streets and die like a man before he would allow himself to rot away and die in a cage like an animal. As time seemed to stand still, nothing could be heard as Smoke wondered if God was real. His father had been murdered in prison a year after he was born, and his mother had died from a drug overdose when he was ten. At this moment he didn't know what was waiting on the other side, but if it was meant to be; he was about to find out.

Taking a deep breath, Smoke rolled from behind the wooden crates with military precision letting off four quick rounds buckling one of the agents in half as he dashed to the waiting boat. Ducking behind a wall, detective Lawson took aim at his target. Releasing two quick rounds into Smoke’s back, the detective watched as Smoke’s momentum carried him face first into the floor of the boat. As the breaking news hit the air, the streets of Tampa were in shock. Yet another young street legend was lost to the game…

CHAPTER 20

CHECKMATE

Pulling up at her shop, Tasha parked next to Kesha’s purple BMW convertible. Wondering how her assistant could afford to rent so many exotic cars back to back, Tasha thought to herself how Kesha had shared some of the trifling things she did for money. Kesha's motto was,

“luxury aint free, so everybody has to pay to play. Weather its paper, or pussy; it's all the same game ...”

Smiling to herself while shaking her head, Tasha got her son out of the car, and made her way inside.

When Tasha stepped into the shop, Kesha had just finished up a client’s head, and sat down to answer the phone. The dark clouds in the sky had just begin to relieve its burden as the heavy rain fell from its canopy. Teasing little Trion, Kesha picked him up and kissed him on the cheek.

“Hey cutie! Come on, let's go plug the video games up in the back so I can get off my feet for a minute. You want to go with Auntie?”

Smiling and giggling at the thought of playing video games, Jr. was more than willing to disappear into the back lounge with Kesha.

As Tasha sat down at her desk to look over her inventory sheets, a familiar face walked in out of the rain with a sick grin. Frozen by fear, Tasha was unable to speak or move as Zion stepped in front of her desk and pulled out the chrome 45 that he had concealed in his waistband.

“Why are you so surprised to see me beautiful?...

You had to have known dat we would run into each oda again... Oh, I get it, you thought your little pussy clot boyfriend would kill me first...”

Walking around Tasha’s desk, Zion slapped her across the face with the cold steal of his barrel before snatching her up to her feet by her hair. As blood begin to seep from the wound over her eye that the pistol had just created, Tasha stifled her scream; praying that Jr. wouldn't hear what was going on. Walking back into the lobby, Kesha saw what was transpiring and smirked. As her and Tasha locked eyes, Kesha smiled like she had just won the lottery.

“Oh I see you met my man huh Tash? ...”

Looking confused, Tasha struggled to put the pieces of the puzzle together. It wasn't long before she figured out that she has been set up. Looking at Kesha with death in her eyes, Tasha spit in her face before speaking.

“Bitch you better pray to God that I die because if I don't, you're dead bitch. Facts ...”

Just as Kesha was about to lunge at Tasha, Jr. came running out of the back room with a bag of jelly beans in his hand.

Even at the age of two, Jr. looked just like his father. Seeing the blood in his mother's face, he began to cry instantly. Just as Jr. was about to run to his mother, Kesha snatched him up off of his feet, and held on tightly.

Raising his firearm, Zion hit Tasha across the back of her skull opening up a nasty gash. As she fell to the ground knocked out from the blow, he raised his gun again, this time aiming it at Jr... Turning to shield the baby from harm, Kesha stepped in front of him looking at Zion with fire in her eyes.

“This wasn't part of the deal Zion, he's just a baby!”

Sneering at her words, Zion pointed at Kesha's head.

“Stupid bitch, all is fair in love and war ...”

Without another word, Zion released two bullets into her face and watched her body drop. Falling to the ground, Jr. cried as he struggled under the weight of Kesha’s dead body.

Pulling up to Tasha’s shop, Trion stepped out of his truck; and was only a few feet away from the door when he heard the gunshots go off. Pulling out his own weapon, his nerves were on end when he rushed through the door. Hearing the front door crash open, Zion spent towards the sound and opened fire out of instinct.

As Trion and Zion exchanged gunfire there was nowhere to hide, and

no more pawns left to be pushed in this game of chess. All that was left of their two empires were these two kings locked in the fatal dance of life and death. As both men exchanged mortal wounds they both crumbled to the ground bleeding out from gaping holes left by the foreign metal. Hearing the sirens closing in on the shop, Tasha struggle to break free from her slumber as Jr. patted on her face, while crying and begging her to wake up.

Finally making it to her feet, Tasha grabbed Jr.’s face scanning for any wounds before kissing him on his forehead, then going to check on Trion. Although Tasha could see that he was wounded badly, she silently prayed that he would make it. Her son needed his father, and she needed her king.

Hearing something moving behind her, Tasha spent around and saw Zion struggling to move. Taking Trion’s gun from his hands, Tasha walked over to Zion’s bullet ridden body looking down into his eyes, all she could see was all of the pain and destruction that he had caused her family.

As Zion lay on the ground struggling to breathe, Tasha stood silent with tears in her eyes as she released the last four bullets from Trion’s clip into Zion’s skull. Walking back to sit beside Trion’s body, Tasha waited for help to arrive. As the police and the E.M.T's flooded the scene, Trion’s pulse begin to fade.

Two days later, Tasha was released from custody. Walking out into the precinct lobby, she spotted the family lawyer Mr. Kessler. Stepping out of the police department’s doors, she hugged him as tears fell from her eyes. So many losses had been taken. So many lives had been lost, the pain was overwhelming

Ushering Tasha inside of the waiting limo, Mr. Kessler gave her the breakdown of the present state of The Family.           

“Well I know that the last few days have been trying for you, but I have to update you on the current state of affairs. I regret to inform you that Smoke didn't make it. He and a few more Family members were killed by police at a warehouse on the docks in Port Tampa. A federal detective was also injured. He is still in critical condition. Formalities were foregone during the bust, so if any charges are filed; they will easily be beat in court.

As for Carlos, he's being held on conspiracy charges, but don't worry; we will beat them. Mrs. Napper, in your case, Zions death was ruled a justifiable homicide due to self-defense. Trion is also still in critical condition. When I last spoke to the physicians, it wasn’t looking too good. One of his lungs collapsed during surgery, so it had to be removed. He is being cared for in Tampa General. That's where we're headed now.”

Walking into Trion’s room, it felt like Tasha's heart was being ripped from her chest. So many machines were attached to him that you could hardly tell who he was. Although it looked like half of Tampa’s population was outside in the hallway to show their support, inside of the room it seemed like the emptiest place in the world.

As Tasha sat beside Trion’s bed, to keep from falling asleep, she turned on the television. As a news reporter rehashed the elements of the past week, they showed a picture of Smoke being the latest body to fall in the streets of Tampa. As soon as his face crossed the screen, Tasha's tears begin to fall instantly.

At only nineteen Smoke had lost his life to the streets like so many had before him, but now that he was gone, she prayed that he found the peace that he could never find on earth. As Tasha thought to herself, she realized that they're truly were no happily ever after’s for hood Legends. Some things just couldn't be fixed. Smoke was dead, Carlos was facing life in the Feds, and Trion was laying on his deathbed fighting for his life.