Hard Betrayal (Michelle Angelique Avenging Angel Series 2)

by Jason Stanley

  “Miss Betty, line one.”

  Trevon picked up the receiver and punched the other button. “Hi, Miss Betty.”

  “Hi, Trevon. Seems your coming back into my life on a regular basis has been a good thing for me. I think I’d like a little help.”

  “Sure, what’s up?”

  “Sugar came by my place. She thinks trouble’s coming to a meeting at my house tomorrow. She got word that a guy who’s been causing grief with some women is planning on showing up. I don’t think he’ll make a big mess, but I could use some man-type support. Can you make the time to come up?”

  “How much grief do you think he might cause?”

  “Apparently, he’s mostly a punk,” she said. “I’m sure we can handle him. Problem is, if we get busy with him, it’ll attract a lot of attention we don’t want. The police will surely show up, and we need to avoid them. Thing is, a couple of our girls are intent on taking him out and any issues with the police tomorrow would telegraph their intent.”

  “So, you want me to quietly move him out,” Trevon said. “Basically, save him, so you ladies can cap him later. Is that about it?”

  “Pretty much,” Miss Betty said. “Be helpful if you could persuade him to find something else to do with his time. Also, since you’ll be up this way, it’d be nice to see Brandon. He’s such a sweet boy. I haven’t seen him in a long time.”

  “Brandon won’t be able to come. He’s at a family reunion in Alabama. I’ll tell him you sent your love and said he was sweet.”

  “I sure do appreciate you coming up this way to help me with this. Since Big John died, I’ve been out of the life and didn’t need this kind of backup. No matter, though. The hood’s still the hood and things are bound to come up.”

  “Not a problem,” Trevon replied. “I’m seeing a shorty who lives up your way, over on the beach. This’ll give me an excuse to spend some time with her. Now, I’m telling you this so you understand my helping you is purely for my good. I don’t want you harboring any ideas that I like you or some stupid, weak girlie stuff.” Trevon couldn’t remember when he and Miss Betty had begun teasing about not liking each other. Their banter had been going on so many years, it was as natural as saying “good morning” to his own mother.

  “Oh, I know you’re hardcore, through and through,” Miss Betty said. “I also know that’s only for your street business. I know the real man, the one under the hard boss others see.”

  “Don’t tell anyone. They might get ideas, and then I’d need to kill the fool. Speaking of fools, did Sugar say anything about D’andre?”

  “No. You think he’s involved somehow?”

  “Probably not. Messing with some women isn’t what he’s about. I only ask, because things between me and him are coming to a head soon. It’d be best not to tell your women’s group you called for backup. Better that word about my being in the area doesn’t make it back to him, since I’m not ready to make my move yet. So yeah, I’ll come up, but I need to fly under the radar.”

  “Thanks,” Miss Betty said. “It’ll be good to see you again. Oh, and there’s a young woman I think you might like. She grew up here, but was gone for several years. She’s back now, all grown up really good.”

  “I appreciate you looking out, Miss Betty, but I don’t need your help finding me a shorty.”

  “Your loss.”

  “Back to your little problem. What’s his name?”

  “We call him the ‘rat bastard,’” she said.

  “What? Wait, I’m working with a legal client from up your way, and she’s in jail over a fight with a guy they call the ‘rat bastard.’ His name’s Jerome Johnson. Is this the same guy?”

  “One and the same. Looks like our paths have already crossed. Seems there’s a running problem between him and some of the women. He’s been shot, apparently a few times, and still won’t leave well enough alone.”

  “Small world. I’ll bring someone else to run point. Since he’s the state’s witness on my case, I can’t have a public issue with him. Not a problem. I’ll handle it.”

  “You do whatever you think is best,” Miss Betty said.

  “Will you be good before the meeting?” he asked. “Do you need me to send up a guy to stay close by until then? By the way, what time’s your meeting tomorrow?”

  “We’re okay for now. And we start at one o’clock. A couple of the girls will be here early for lunch. The one I want you to meet is one of them.”

  “Betty, you are too much. Thanks, but I’ll stay out of the house and out of sight. I’ll call when your street’s covered.”

  “After we’re done, I hope you can come in for a quick minute. I’d like to visit some before you run off to be with your beach lady.”

  “We’ll see,” he said.

  .

  Twenty-Five: Backfire

  NIKKY CARRIED A LARGE BOWL of tossed green salad while Michelle, who adamantly refused to admit to any cooking talent, brought her usual: a large supply of napkins; red solo cups; paper plates; and plastic forks, spoons, and knives. Together, they walked up to Miss Betty’s and rang the bell.

  When Miss Betty answered the door, the welcoming smell of hot buns and buttered mustard greens greeted them. “Hi, Michelle, Nikky. Come on in. Here, let me take some of that.”

  Two hello-hugs later, Miss Betty said, “Michelle, before you sit down, can you do me a favor?”

  “Sure, what do you need?”

  “A friend of the family’s out front, probably over by the big tree, standing in the shade but being pretty obvious. You might have seen him coming in.”

  “Didn’t really notice anyone,” Michelle said.

  “He’s that way, sometimes — first you don’t see him, then all of a sudden, he’s standing there, proud and loud as a peacock. He’s done that ever since I met him when he was a kid in high school. Anyway, he’s visiting, but he doesn’t want to come in while we’re having our meeting. Said this many women made him nervous. Would you be a sweetheart and take these teas out to him and his friend?”

  “Um, why is he there?”

  “Probably nothing, but I didn’t want it to be just us girls here today. I asked him to show a little obvious male presence.” Miss Betty winked.

  “Michelle raised her arm Popeye style to check her muscles. “These guns not enough?”

  “Oh, you’re a real threat, I can see the thugs are worried now.”

  Laughing, Michelle picked up the two large glasses of tea. “I’ll be right back.”

  Out on the front porch, a big smile broke out on her face as she immediately recognized Trevon leaning against the tree. Strolling across the lawn, she said, “I believe this tea is for you and your friend, who I don’t see.”

  Trevon called across the street. “Hey, Gus, come get your tea.”

  Gus climbed out of the pearl-white Lexus parked across the street and headed over, moving like a man who knew exactly how to take care of himself.

  “Friend?” Michelle asked.

  “Friendly. He’s an employee,” Trevon replied.

  “Bodyguard?”

  “Employee.”

  “Right, and I’m a Catholic nun. Most people call me Mother Theresa, but you can call me Terry for short.”

  “Okay, Terry, he’s a bodyguard, and more. He helps with serving summons, that type of thing. Not all my clients come from the best parts of town.”

  Michelle handed Gus the large glass of iced tea. “Hi, Gus, I’m Michelle, though some people call me Terry, but really, Michelle is best. Glad to meet you.”

  Gus shook her offered hand, nodded. “Good to meet you.” He turned, and while checking the street slow-walked back across the street.

  “Big talker,” Michelle said.

  “Absolutely loquacious.” Trevon winked and smiled.

  “Fuck you and your loquacious comments, lawyer man.” Michelle winked and smiled back. “How do you know Miss Betty?”

  “I knew her growing up. She’s family to me.”


  “Small world. She and my mom were close back in the day, and we all went to the same church. We might’ve seen each other when we were kids. Now here we are, all grown up, and you’re still afraid of being in a room with a bunch of women,” she teased.

  Trevon bugged his eyes out in mock fear. “Nothing in this world is scarier than a room full of women. Although” —he slowly grinned— “you might be able to convince me of a little one-on-one later on this evening.”

  “You’re so full of shit. All I have to do to convince you to spend the night with me is say yes.”

  “Meaning you are saying yes?”

  “That’s exactly what I mean. I should go back inside,” Michelle said. “Sugar and a few others just went in. Most of them had interesting-looking dishes, and I’m hungry. How about you? You hungry? There’s always a lot of extra food. I’m sure we can make up a plate for you and Mr. Verbose.”

  “No, the tea’s enough.”

  “Okay, see you later.” After turning to head back across the lawn, Michelle glimpsed a plain white van and a tricked-out black Toyota coming up the street as she went up the steps. Before going back inside the apartment, she heard Trevon call to Gus to switch places. That’s odd, she thought. But there’s a lot about Trevon that’s a little odd.

  * * *

  “Hey, Michelle,” a few friendly voices chorused from the dining room table, which was full of food and surrounded by smiling faces.

  “Hey, everybody,” Michelle replied, noticing Sugar drop her phone into her purse and scoot her chair back a bit, though she didn’t get up.

  “Here you go,” Nikky said. I saved you a seat.” She removed her purse from the chair next to her, and Michelle had almost reached it when, outside —BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!— three shots , which were almost immediately answered: BLAM! BLAM!

  Everybody dove. On one side of the table, chairs slammed against the wall, while on the other side, they toppled over backwards into the open room.

  The only one not lying flat on her stomach, Michelle, speed-crawled toward the stairs. On the way, she saw Nikky sliding across the living room floor, headed toward the pile of purses on the couch while the shooting outside continued.

  At the top of the stairs, Michelle slipped into the first room on the street side and found herself in a bedroom. Heavy blackout drapes hung open on sliding glass doors leading to a small balcony overlooking the front yard. She crossed the room, dropped to her knees, and pulled open the door.

  Good, no wind blowing the drapes.

  Who’s shooting?

  A wrought iron rail surrounded the balcony, which offered almost zero cover. After sliding over to the edge, Michelle took in the scene at a glance. Gus stood by the tree where she and Trevon had talked. From behind his cover, he fired a shot in the general direction of a white van parked to her left about forty feet in. The van’s passenger door stood open and a man crouched behind it. Another man ducked down in the seat next to him. Both shot at Gus behind the tree.

  The van’s driver popped up and fired two rounds out his side window —BLAM! BLAM!– then jerked back inside and ducked down. His shots spidered the front window of a car about sixty feet up the street.

  From her spot in the middle and up high, Michelle saw almost everyone.

  Shit, that’s Trevon’s car. They’re shooting at Trevon!

  The passenger door of the car across the street opened, but from her position, Michelle couldn’t see who it was or what they were doing. Seconds later, more shots from the far side of the car —BLAM! BLAM!

  Okay, he’s still alive.

  From the passenger side of the car parked behind the van, a man jumped out and scurried out of sight between the van and the car, probably to join the gunmen shooting at Trevon.

  The van’s driver popped up again and fired several more rounds. Trevon’s car took more hits.

  That’s Jerome!

  Holding her Glock in a two-handed grip, Michelle rested her bottom hand on the balcony’s floor. She let out a long breath, pausing while counting — one, two, three, four — then squeezed the trigger. A hole appeared close to the center of the van’s windshield and Jerome jerked up straight, as if surprised.

  Almost instantly, another bullet blew through the driver’s side of the windshield, and Jerome slid sideways, slumping down between the seats.

  Michelle focused on the man still crouched in the van’s passenger seat. Apparently, he hadn’t realized Jerome had been hit. Her angle from the balcony only gave her a slight wedge of a shot between the open door and the jamb. It was a much smaller target than she had with Jerome. It had to be enough.

  She focused her aim, let out her breath, then held steady. She started a measured count — one, two — felt her heartbeat slow — three, four — as muscles relaxed, distractions dissolved. A calm settled over her whole being as her world focused on the shot. She aligned the razor-sharp image of her sights perfectly with the slightly blurred image of the target. Then she squeezed the trigger the last fraction of an inch. The gun barrel bounced.

  The man slid down in front of the seat. A gun clattered into the gutter. The man behind the open door ducked his head, then peeped out, looking toward the tree.

  Gus had stopped shooting with the slide on his 9mm locked open. He was out of ammo.

  A large American car pulled up behind Trevon’s Lexus, and a heavy-set White man carefully slid out the door. He moved around the back of his car to stop behind the rear fender. He pulled his gun out of a shoulder rig and took aim at Trevon.

  I know him. He sometimes meets me with Ascia.

  Michelle didn’t have time to steady her breath or her shot. She aimed and reflexively double tapped —BLAM! BLAM!

  The man spun to his left, pulling his trigger as he fell —BLAM!— and hit the ground.

  She heard three shots, almost in unison, come from behind the two cars —BLAM! BAM! BLAM!— and Michelle let off another reflexive double tap —BLAM! BLAM! The man stopped moving.

  Motion near the van caught her attention—Oh shit!–as the guy behind the passenger door ran toward the tree. In a few more steps, he’d be on Trevon’s man with a clear shot.

  BLAM!— her first shot missed. BLAM!— the second hit the running man in the arm. He continued for another step, then one more until —BLAM!— her third shot hit him center mass. He pitched forward onto the grass and landed where he had a clear shot at Gus.

  Michelle saw the man’s gun bucked as he shot —BLAM! BLAM!

  He didn’t get off a third round. Michelle fired one more. It was enough. His arm dropped, and the gun fell from his open hand.

  Shots still came from behind the van and Trevon’s car. Michelle couldn’t see who was shooting. She scooted back into the bedroom, and ran down the stairs.

  She blew through the front door and jumped over the side porch rail, into the low shrubs. Hugging the house, she scooted toward where she could see behind the van. On the way, she noticed the sliding side door was closed. The door had been open earlier. When had it been closed? And who closed it?

  A few steps farther, she saw two men shooting at Trevon’s car. From hours of repetition, she automatically developed a two-handed, steady-hold position with one arm locked and knees bent. She took fast aim and pulled the trigger —BLAM! Going for a head shot, her bullet hit her target in the neck. He staggered a single step away from her. She fired —BLAM! BLAM!— into center mass. He pitched forward, landing face down on the asphalt. He lay still.

  The second man jumped back behind the van. Michelle had a clear shot and squeezed off a round. Inches away from the man’s head, the van’s rear window spidered. He dropped, whirled around. It saved his life. A second bullet whizzed over his head. He jumped around to the front of the car, and took off running up the street.

  The silence became enormous.

  “Trevon, you all right?” someone shouted.

  Trevon shouted back, “Yeah, you?”

  “I got nicked, but I’m okay.”

  Sugar
and Nikky busted out through Betty’s front door.

  Holding her 9mm in a two-handed grip, Nikky made a one-eighty sweep. Michelle pointed at Gus and gave the thumbs-up sign, then put her finger over her lips signaling to be quiet. Nikky nodded. By the tree, Gus held his hands up, showing he was unarmed. Next, Michelle held up her hand to stop Nikky from moving forward, and pointed to the van. Nikky nodded again.

  Michelle’s training drilled it into her to automatically count her shots. She’d counted eleven. She started out with a full load — fifteen in the magazine, one in the pipe. The remaining five had to be enough, because she didn’t have any spare magazines with her.

  Sugar ran past Nikky, across the yard and around the corner of the van.

  Michelle again signaled for Nikky to stay where she was. Nikky nodded. With her gun in a two-handed hold, she crouched next to the dead man on the lawn.

  Michelle stepped back to see Sugar standing still, looking at the dead man. Gasping, she ran to him, grabbed him by the shoulder, gave him a quick shake, and then rolled his limp body over. Dead eyes stared up at the sky.

  She shook him again. “D’andre! Goddammit, D!” Then she ran full-out toward her car.

  A few seconds later, tires screeched burning rubber as Sugar sped away.

  Michelle nodded to Nikky, and headed toward the van.

  Nikky crossed the lawn diagonally, but Michelle reached the van a half-step before her.

  A man slumped dead in the passenger seat. Across from him, shot and bleeding badly but conscious, Jerome sprawled across the driver’s seat with his right shoulder wedged between the two seat backs. His right hand rested on his lap, still clutching his 9mm, barrel pointed toward the floor.

  A shallow breath moved Jerome’s chest. He looked up at Michelle. “I’m shot bad. I need a doctor.”

  Nikky stepped in beside Michelle and smiled. “Hey, Jerome, you chickenshit muthafucka.”

  “I’m shot bad. I need a doctor.”

  “No, Jerome.” She shook her head. “I’m not getting you a doctor. I’m going to kill you right here, right now.”

  “No, Nikky, please.” Jerome gasped pleading, “I didn’t mean no trouble. Please, get a doctor. I’ll die if you don’t.”