City Culprits (Book 1)

by Brittany Nicole Allen

“You assume that because I’m Jamaican that I know everything?”

  Nikkya paused. “Yeah.” She smiled.

  Que grinned. “Okay. I know that they are very dangerous men. They will do anything to get what they want. They do not care who they have to hurt to get it. The Jamaican Posse is ruthless. They have a lot of power. They will kill anything…that stands in their way. You will not win a war wit’ them. You should be very careful Zamora.” He paused a moment. “They will find you…and when they do…you better hope…that they have mercy and that you are worth enough to them…to keep alive.” He warned.

  Zamora didn’t know how to respond. Nikkya glanced down at the table and then over at Braydon. “I’m going to go say hi to Braydon.” She said softly.

  “I’m not trying to scare you Zamora. I’m just telling the facts. They’re very dangerous men. And no matter how much training your father has taught you, it’s no match for them. They are very smart. They will make sure that you don’t get away from them. Let me help protect you Zamora. I know how they think. I can help you.”

  Zamora thought of what to say. “I need to find Carlos.”

  “The article said that he gave you up for adoption to protect you, so I’m sure that if he knows that his enemies know about you, he will come looking for you, before they find you.”

  “And if he doesn’t? What the hell am I supposed to do?”

  “I know that if he doesn’t find you before his enemies do…that they will use you to get to your father. There may be many reasons why they find you so valuable. Only he has the reasons for that.”

  Zamora didn’t respond. She glanced at her nephew and Nikkya who were laughing at the cartoon on the TV together.

  “Let me help you Zamora. Nikkya can’t be there like I can.”

  “Why do you want to help me?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?” He dodged the question.

  “Nikkya is staying with me for a while but you can come by the house if you want.” She told him getting up from the booth. He grinned as if he had accomplished something.

  “Good. I will come back with you then. I haven’t seen your place yet.”

  “Yeah okay.” She agreed.

  Nikkya helped get Braydon ready to leave. Zamora cleared his trash.

  Que had texted someone under the name T.

  “They are staying together.”

  “Find out what you can about the girl.” T quickly replied back.

  Que returned his cell phone to his pocket before anyone noticed.

  “So this is your new place huh?” Que said walking in the door last.

  “This is it. Haven’t really gotten around to doing much.” She told him hanging up the keys. Que shut the door behind him.

  “That’s okay.” He said looking around everywhere.

  Braydon ran to his bedroom to play after removing his shoes.

  Nikkya grabbed a drink from the fridge, offering one to Que.

  “Hey ah you mind if take a quick shower?” She asked them both.

  Nikka nodded her head while taking a sip.

  “Not at all.” Que replied with a grin.

  Zamora made her way into the bathroom leaving Que and Nikkya to get to know each other more. They sat down in the living room.

  “So how long have you and Zamora been friends?” He asked her.

  “Since we were young kids. We’re very close.”

  “I suppose you would do anything for each other than huh?”

  “Yeah. We would. She’s like my sister. I guess I’m the only sister she has now.”

  “So do you work or go to school?” Que asked after taking a drink.

  “Yeah. I actually go to Mohawk Valley College. I take night classes there a few times a week.”

  “When do you go to school there?”

  “Why are you so interested?” She started to wonder.

  “I was thinking about going back to school there. Maybe a few times a week or something. Thought I would try something new.” He lied.

  “Usually Monday’s and Thursday’s around 8pm.” She said.

  “Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind.” He told her.

  Braydon called out from his bedroom.

  “I’ll be back.” She said getting up to check on Braydon.

  Que waited for Nikkya to leave. He pulled out his phone again.

  He texted “T” again.

  “Girl goes to night school Mon n’ Wed 8pm at MV.”

  “Nice work.” T replied back a few seconds later.

  Que put his phone back hearing Nikkya return to the room.

  “Everything okay?” He acted concerned.

  “Yeah. He’s fine.” She smiled.

  Zamora came out from the bathroom drying her hair with the towel.

  “Feel better?” Nikkya asked her.

  “Much.” She answered.

  “So does Braydon have any other family left besides you?” Que asked Zamora.

  “No. Dice and I are it.”

  “So what happens when you want a night to yourself or something? You have no place for him to go?” Que laughed.

  “Ha yeah right.” She laughed. “Well sometimes JT watches him if Nikkya and I want to do something together. Braydon really likes him.”

  Que asked only because he wanted to make sure Braydon would have some place to go if Zamora was not around.

  “Oh well that’s good for him to have a male around since his father can’t be.”

  “Yeah. He sees his father once a month but that’s not enough for any child.”

  “No. It’s not. Luckily he has an aunt that loves him enough to take care of him.” Que said.

  “Yeah. I love him like my son. I’d do anything to protect him.”

  “Any parent would.”

  Zamora set her towel down on the arm of the couch nearest to her.

  “Well I think that I am going to head out. It was nice to see your place finally.” Que said standing up.

  “Okay. Nice to have you come by.” Said Zamora.

  “I will come back to check on you all later huh?”

  “Yeah of course. You can come by anytime.”

  “Good. Say bye to the little man for me.”

  “Sure.”

  Que left.

  “So what is the plan cousin? Now we are taking two girls instead of one?” Cassius asked Tyson unsure.

  “Zamora Rivera has a very particular set of skills. She will fight back in ways that we’ve never had to deal with before. We need a way to control her. The only way to do that is with Nikkya. She will do anything to protect her.” Tyson stared at a recent photo of Nikkya he had managed to get.

  “Nothing we haven’t already done.” Cassius agreed.

  “We will get the girl in a few days. Then we will make the call to Zamora and give her instructions. If she wants to spare her friend, then she will cooperate.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “I suppose that you want us to handle it?” Jamarco asked Tyson.

  “Of course. You are very good at bringing me who I request.”

  “Won’t be a problem. Chicks are easier to handle anyway.” Deandre said.

  “Just try your best not to hurt her unless it’s necessary. We need her healthy until we get Zamora. Make sure that she doesn’t see the location. Blindfold her or knock her out.”

  “Got it boss. We will take care of it.” Jamarco told him.

  “I know.” Said Tyson.

  Tyson received a phone call from Que.

  “What is it man?”

  Tyson had a face of frustration.

  “That is really going to complicate things. Are you sure about that?”

  He listened to him talk.

  “Keep a watch on them. Let me know if you see them talking to anyone that matches their criteria. If you do, make sure that the girls stay in their home and don’t leave with anybody. I don’t care how you do it.” Tyson hung up angered.

  “What’s the problem?” Cassius asked.

&nb
sp; The next night, Zamora was giving her nephew a bath. She rinsed his hair with a small plastic cup and shielded his eyes with a baby washcloth.

  “Can I play in the water after?” Braydon asked squirting out water from a rubber duck bath toy.

  “Of course bubba. I know how much you love the water.” She smiled.

  “Yeah!” He shouted.

  “You’re silly.” Zamora laughed at him.

  Nikkya knocked on the bathroom door, before coming in.

  “What is going on in here?” She laughed.

  “Water!” Braydon shouted splashing it toward the wall.

  “Hey no splashing.” Zamora told him gently.

  “Hey, JT is stopping by for a bit.” Nikkya said.

  “Okay cool. He's coming now?”

  “Yeah as soon as he leaves from work.”

  “You want to see JT?” Zamora asked Braydon.

  Braydon nodded his head.

  “Okay. All done. You can play for a few minutes.” She said standing up.

  “You mind watching him for a sec?” She asked Nikkya.

  “Yeah no problem.”

  “Thanks. I’m going to go grab him some night clothes.”

  Nikkya sat on the toilet to watch him.

  “Look Nik.” Braydon showed her one of his toys.

  “I see, that’s cool bubba.”

  Zamora went to Braydon’s room to grab pajamas from his blue dresser, pulling out his favorite batman pajamas and white underwear. She started to close the blinds from the window, when she noticed a black car parked outside close by. She couldn’t see who was sitting inside. Zamora hadn’t recognized the vehicle but she blew it off, closing the blinds. She returned to the bathroom.

  Que had been the one in the vehicle watching the house. Zamora didn’t think anything of it because Que normally drove his bike. He tried not to raise any suspicion.

  “JT. I was wondering when you were going to check on your sister.” Que said to himself seeing JT pull up to the house and walk up to the door. Nikkya had given him the car since she was staying with Zamora for a while.

  Que called Tyson which was under his contacts as T.

  “Nothing is going on here. I think everything is good for tonight. JT was the only one who stopped by the house…….okay…..I will check on them tomorrow then.”

  Que hung up the phone and eventually drove away.

  Zamora gave Braydon a small snack before bed. He loved to eat fruit cups. She let him watch one last cartoon.

  JT was in the bathroom, mostly to just stand in front of the mirror. He stood looking at himself as if he was unsure of something. He took a deep sigh. He reached into his pocket almost pulling out the envelope he tried to hide, but then changed his mind. “I hope you can forgive me Zamora.” He said to himself.

  Nikkya called out to her brother. “JT! You get lost in there? Or are you taking a crap?” She joked.

  “Nah. You’d know if I was doing that.” He joked back changing his mood.

  “That’s for damn sure.” Nikkya said returning to the couch.

  “You two have quite the relationship.” Said Zamora.

  “Ha, right.” Nikkya laughed.

  “Finish your snack Braydon. It’s almost time for bed.”

  JT came out from the bathroom.

  “Finally, damn. I have to pee.” Nikkya said rushing to the bathroom.

  “All done.” Braydon told his aunt.

  “Throw it in the garbage.” She told him.

  Braydon did what he was told.

  “Time for bed now.”

  “Awe I don’t want to go to sleep.” He begged.

  “Too bad. It’s like way past your bedtime little dude.”

  “Can JT read me a story?” He asked.

  “Only if he wants to.”

  “Sure why not lil man. Why don’t you go pick one out and I’ll be right there.” JT told him.

  “Okay.”

  “Hey, where’s my goodnight kiss?” Zamora asked him pulling him over.

  She kissed his forehead and gave him a hug. He ran off to his room.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?” Zamora asked JT.

  “Nah, it’s no biggie. I like spending time with him.” He said getting up.

  “You got something about to fall out of your pocket.” Zamora warned him.

  He checked his back pocket. “Oh damn, thanks. Just something for work I forget to turn in.”

  “Oh okay.”

  JT tucked the envelope back down into his pocket quickly, not wanting to risk anyone knowing what it really was.

  Nikkya came out from the bathroom passing her brother by Braydon’s bedroom. She had her night clothes on.

  “So whatcha wanna do tomorrow?” Nikkya asked.

  “I don’t know. I don’t really want to go many places with all this shit goin’ on.”

  “Yeah. I don’t blame ya, but you can’t just hide away. You’re going to let fear take over you.”

  “That will never happen. You’re right though. Maybe if it’s nice we’ll take Braydon to the park or something. We can always call Que to stick around.”

  “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

  “You want some wine?” Nikkya asked.

  “Girl you know I’m always up for that shit. Take my mind off all this.” She replied.

  They both got up to get the wine together. Zamora pulled out the glasses while Nikkya got the wine, leaving her to pour it. They sat at the kitchen counter across from each other.

  “When did we ever start drinking this anyway?” Zamora tried to reminisce.

  “I think we were like 14.” Nikkya laughed. “Remember we use to sneak it from your mom’s secret cabinet?”

  Zamora laughed. “I guess it wasn’t that secret.”

  “Eventually she caught us though.”

  “Yeah, but thankfully she never told my father. Remember she would always sneak us a glass every now and then?” She remembered her mother.

  “Yeah. She was a cool woman.” Nikkya said kindly.

  “Yeah.” Zamora paused. “She was a great woman. I wish Braydon could’ve known her.”

  Nikkya just smiled back.

  JT turned on Braydon’s nightlight before shutting off his bedroom light. He slowly closed the door.

  “Well little man is all tucked in bed.” He told Zamora.

  “Thanks for that.” She thanked him.

  “Ewe…are you two really drinking that nasty ass shit again?” JT joked noticing the wine. He hated the taste of it.

  “Well beer is gross and you drink that.” Zamora joked back.

  “Wine gives me a headache.”

  “You give me a headache.” Nikkya said to her brother before sipping her wine.

  “Whatever. At least you two have some other good liquor in this house.” He said pulling a drink from the fridge. He stood next to Zamora.

  “Well I guess since you’re drinking that you’re staying here tonight?” Zamora asked him.

  “If ya don’t mind?” He said.

  “No. Not if you don’t mind waking up to a four year old in your face, cause that’s where Braydon is going to be when he sees you on the couch.” She smiled.

  “Doesn’t he always do that when I stay over?” He took a drink.

  They laughed together and enjoyed their night. Nikkya had gone to bed around 11pm. She had drunk more. JT and Zamora stayed up together for a while after that, sitting next to each other on the couch. They kept the lights dim and music down low. They talked quietly.

  “Does it worry you? Your birth father.” He wondered.

  “Kind of. I mean what do you do when you find out your real father is a well-known gangster? I honestly wish I could’ve gone my entire life without ever knowing that.”

  “Yeah. I bet.”

  “I feel like I’ve been living a lie.” She confessed.

  “Why do you say that?”

  She sighed. “Because my adoptive parents knew the truth about me my entire life.
My father even tried to prepare me for when it all came out.” She said confused.

  “Well at least you’re prepared.” JT said.

  “I don’t think you can really prepare someone for that type of information.”

  “No. I guess not.”

  “Why would they knowingly adopt the child of a kingpin’s daughter? They had to have known his enemies could come for me at any moment.”

  “Well someone tried really hard to keep it a secret. It’s been 25 years.”

  “And somebody leaked it.”

  “You think Angel’s death is connected?” He wondered.

  Zamora thought.

  “Yeah. I think she knew something. I think she was going to tell me the truth and somebody didn’t want that to happen.”

  JT didn’t respond. He just stared at her.

  “My own brother even knew and he never told me. He killed that man to protect me.”

  “I wish you didn’t have to deal with all this.” He leaned in closer to her.

  “Yeah. So do I. But there’s nothing I can do about it now. My real father’s enemies know me as Zamora Rivera. I guess that’s who I am now.”

  “You’re still the same Zamora to me. You don’t have to be like him. You’re not like him.” He tried to comfort her.

  “I wish everyone else saw it that way. I hate having to deal with this. My parents are dead, my sister is dead, my brother is in prison…and it’s all because of who I was born to.”

  “Sometimes we can’t help who we are.”

  “I don’t really know who I am.”

  “I’m sorry Zamora. I wish there was something I could say to make it better.”

  She looked at him. He pulled her in to comfort her.

  “I guess it is what it is.”

  “Yeah. I guess so.”

  They hugged each other for a few short minutes before heading to bed.

  A Caucasian woman in her late forties with light brown hair and blue eyes was looking through an old photo album on her bed. She slowly flipped through the pages looking at pictures of ultrasound photos all the way up to pictures of a young boy. There were family photos of them together. The pictures only went up to about 4 years old. She flipped the pages to anther ultrasound photo. This one was different. She looked at it longer. It said baby girl. The pregnancy photos weren’t as happy. She looked sad at times while holding her stomach. She looked at the only baby photo of her daughter. When she first gave birth, holding her in her arms. She stared at it for a long time, crying to herself. She flipped to the next page which was blank. She flipped over to the next to reveal something she had kept secret. It was pictures of a young baby girl all the way up to an older teenager. A girl with dirty blonde hair. Pictures of Zamora and her adoptive family. The woman was her birth mother. She had been sent pictures all of Zamora’s life until they had stopped five years ago. The last picture she had of her was when Zamora was 20, with her newly black hair.