“What if he doesn’t give you the answers? What if he has something to hide?”
“Everybody has a secret.” She told him.
Those words left him silent. He sighed. “You need to be careful. That’s all I’m saying.”
“I will be fine.” She reassured him.
Nikkya knocked on the door. Que opened it up.
“Braydon wants to know what’s going on.”
“I’ll handle it.” Zamora told her. She glanced at Que on the way out.
Zamora went into her nephews’ bedroom who was sitting on his bed.
“Nik said we were leaving.” Braydon said softly.
Zamora got down to his level. Looking up at his face.
“Listen buddy. We have to go someplace. We’re going to meet some new people who can keep us safe.”
“Safe from what?” Braydon questioned.
“That’s not important for you, but it’s what’s best for you. Do you understand?” She asked him.
He nodded his head.
“Okay. Why don’t you put all the toys that you want to bring, in that big box in your closet? You can bring anything you want.”
“Really?” He smiled.
“Really. I’ll be back in a few to get you dressed.” She told her nephew.
An hour later, they were ready to leave. Zamora picked up Braydon in her arms.
“Are you going to call your brother?” She asked Nikkya.
“I’ll let him know what’s going on later.” She answered.
“Okay. Everything is packed away. We need to leave now.” Pito told them.
“Yeah we’re ready.” Zamora said.
“Are you sure about this?” Que asked again.
“Yes. I’m sure. I’ll call you later.”
“Call me when you get there. Let me know everything is okay.”
“I’ll do that.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later.” Que said.
“Are you going to follow us in your car?” Pito asked her.
“Yeah.”
“Okay. Follow behind us and the others will follow behind you.”
Zamora put Braydon in his car seat. He held onto his favorite teddy bear. Nikkya drove. Zamora preferred not to drive much. It was her least favorite thing to do.
Que stood on the porch watching them as they drove away.
“Thanks for taking me with you.” Nikkya said to Zamora.
“You’re a part of this now. All thanks to my father. Carlos Rivera.”
“What if this doesn’t work out the way we want?”
“I don’t know.”
The rest of the car ride was silent. They just followed behind Pito and Alex.
A Hispanic man was chained up in a basement with his hands above his head. His face bloodied and beaten. Especially his mouth. His bare chest cut up and bleeding. Another Hispanic man quickly leaned into his face. He quickly pulled out another tooth with a pair of rusty pliers. The man yelled in agony from the pain.
“Okay. That is enough.” Carlos Rivera said.
Carlos walked over to the chained man. He lifted up the man’s head with his hand forcing him to look at him.
“I let you into my home. Into my business. I let you come around my family and this is how you repay me?” The man was Carlos’s very own.
Carlos forcefully let go of the man’s face.
“I don’t understand Petey. How can you do something like this? Why would you do something like that?”
“I’m sorry.” Petey tried to say.
“You’re sorry? Well that just makes it all better doesn’t it?”
Petey didn’t respond. He was too weak.
“I don’t like…when people snitch. When they say things they’re not supposed to say. I trusted you with very valuable information about my daughter…and you just happen to let it slip to the wrong person. Now you have to pay the price.”
“I don’t know-what to say.” Petey told him.
“You don’t have to say anything ever again.” Carlos replied back.
“You betrayed me.” Carlos whispered in his ear while picking up something in his hand off of the tray that was filled with torture devices. He found something to cut out Petey’s tongue. After they let him bleed for a short moment, they smothered him with plastic wrap.
“My daughter is expected to arrive very soon. Make sure that none of them see any of this. She has a small child with her.” He told his men while wiping the blood off his body and putting his shirt back on.
“Axel? Let’s go. It’s time to meet your cousin Zamora.” He told his nephew who looked about 26.
Carlos’s large luxury red brick home was on Utica’s West Side. It had a lot of acres and it was gated in. Cameras surrounded the outside. The driveway gates could not be opened without the pass code. Several of Carlos’s men were either close or distant relatives of his, having the name Rivera as their last. The others were men he trusted the most. Pito opened up the gates. Nikkya followed behind. Braydon had quickly fallen back to sleep. Usually car rides made him sleepy. Nikkya pulled alongside Pito in the driveway. Pito and Alex exited their vehicle. Nikkya turned off the car. Pito opened the door for her. Alex did the same for Zamora. Braydon started to wake up from the noise.
“So this is my father’s home?” Zamora asked knowingly.
“This is it.” Said Pito.
“Looks expensive.” Nikkya joked.
“Very much.” Pito smiled.
Zamora got her nephew out from the car holding him in her arms. He held tightly on to his teddy bear resting his head over her shoulders.
The other men who followed behind went on to do their own things. Pito and Alex escorted Zamora and Nikkya inside. Pito opened up the doors revealing the inside. Zamora stood there for a moment frozen like she was unsure of what to expect.
Pito took notice of her expression. “I know that a lot has happened but you don’t have to be afraid here. I assure you that your father and your mother care deeply for you. They talk about you all the time, hoping someday that they’d get to see your face again.” He told her.
“Is that why they gave me up for adoption?” She wondered.
“It’s a bit more complicated than that.”
A housekeeper came to the door. “Mr. Rivera and the others are waiting in the living room.”
The housekeeper looked at Zamora. She stared at her in awe when she noticed her face. “You have your mother’s eyes.” She said before walking off.
“Shall we?” Pito asked.
Zamora and Nikkya walked inside together. Pito and Alex followed behind. Alex closed the door. Pito led the way to the living room. They both looked around the home as they entered inside.
“Your birth family is through those doors on the right. Are you ready to see them?” Pito asked kindly.
“Yes.” Zamora answered.
Pito opened the doors. Zamora slowly entered the room. Nikkya followed behind. The room had several people inside.
Carlos had on his favorite black suit. He only had on the suit jacket with no shirt, revealing his body tattoos as he mostly did. He was standing up already, waiting for his daughter’s arrival. Everyone else in the room looked at them.
Zamora’s mother especially. All she could do was stare at her, like she was left frozen without words. She stood up when she seen her daughter’s face, but didn’t move.
Zamora set Braydon down, but he held tightly on to her hand standing close as if he were too shy. He tried to hide his face behind her arm.
Carlos walked over to his daughter.
“Hola mi hija.” Carlos spoke in a gentle voice.
(Hello my daughter)
“Hola padre.” Zamora said back.
(Hello father)
“So you do know?” He wondered if his daughter had learned the Spanish language.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Let me introduce you to your birth family.” Carlos said.
He motioned for his wife to
come over. Zamora stared at her.
“This is my wife, Minnie. Your mother.” He introduced.
“Hello Zamora. You’re beautiful. I can’t tell you what it feels like to see your face again.” She said touching the side of her daughter’s cheek. Her voice was gentle and soft.
“Nice to meet you.” Zamora said. “This is my nephew Braydon and my best friend Nikkya.”
“Nice to meet you Nikkya. Welcome to our home.” Carlos welcomed her.
“Thank you.” Nikkya smiled.
“Yes. Welcome.” Minnie said with a small smile.
“This is your nephew?” Minnie asked her.
“Yes. He’s my brother’s son. I have temporary custody of him.”
Minnie smiled at Braydon. “It’s nice to meet you Braydon. How old are you?”
Braydon acted shy. “Four.” He finally answered.
“Well, my niece is five.”
“Annabeth. Come here.” Carlos demanded.
Annabeth shyly walked over to her uncle. Her mother and brother Axel followed.
“This is my niece Annabeth.” He introduced her to Braydon.
“Hi.” Annabeth waved to him.
“Hi.” Braydon said back.
“Annabeth. Why don’t you show Braydon the playroom?”
“Okay.”
Braydon looked up at his aunt.
“It’s okay bubba. Go ahead. Don’t be shy.” She told him.
Annabeth took his hand, leading him off.
“This is my sister in law Salena Rivera and her son Axel.”
“It’s nice to meet you Zamora. I wish I could introduce you to my husband…but he died a few years ago.”
“Sorry to hear that.” Zamora told her.
Annabeth was a 5 year old Hispanic girl with beautiful brown eyes and long brown curly hair like her mother. Salena was a petite 43 year old woman. She had her son Axel at a young age. Axel was a Hispanic 26 year old. He was average looking but kept himself fit. He had shaved hair and deep brown eyes. He often wore his favorite black hoodie that he kept pulled over his head. He tried to blend in with the streets but was very much involved in his uncle’s cartel. Axel was only in the business to be able to support his mother and little sister after his father had died. His father had tried to keep him away from it but now he had no option. His uncle Carlos Rivera had recruited him almost immediately after his father died.
“Please come and sit down. I think we have a lot to talk about.” Carlos told his daughter.
“Yeah. I think we do.” Zamora said.
“Come on Axel. Let’s go check on your sister and Braydon.” Salena told her son.
“Do you want to be alone?” Nikkya asked Zamora.
“No you can stay. I want you to know everything.” She told her.
Salena and Axel left the room, closing the doors.
“I suppose you want answers.” Minnie said looking at a photo on the chimney.
“That would be nice.”
She took the photo frame and set it down on the table in front of her daughter.
“This is your brother. He died before you were born.”
“How?” Zamora was curious.
Carlos answered. “My enemies took him as a way to use him against me. They wanted something I had and told me I had a short time to get it to them or my son would die. I killed a lot of their men until I eventually got the location of our son. When I found him, it was too late. The autopsy revealed he died within a few hours of his kidnapping from suffocation. We were never going to get him back alive. I made them pay the price for our son’s death. Your mother got pregnant again years later. We didn’t want to anything to happen to you. So we hid the pregnancy and we hid the adoption to protect you from our life.”
“Why do they want me? What have you done?” Zamora asked frustrated.
“Some secrets…are better left untold.” Carlos answered looking away from her.
Que pulled his car up to a motorcycle shop. He looked around the store like he was searching for something specific.
A worker caught his attention. “Is there something I can help you with sir?”
“Yes. I am looking for a new helmet. My other one got broken last week.” He told him.
“Right this way. We have many choices.” The worker showed him the right section.
Que followed the man.
“Here you are sir. If you can’t find what you are looking for, we can order it for you.”
“Thank you. I’m sure I can find something here.” Que told him already looking at an all-black helmet.
The man walked away.
Que tried on the new helmet and then he picked up a few other new things as if he were going to change his look or something.
“Did you just get a new ride?” The cashier asked him noticing all his things.
“Trying something new.” Que grinned.
“Nothing wrong with that.”
He put his things in the trunk of his car and then got back inside. Que was about to start his car when suddenly three motorcycles pulled up. He looked at them and sighed in annoyance. He knew who they were. It was Tyson, Jamarco and Deandre. Tyson’s ride was black. Jamarco’s was white and Deandre’s was blue. All three of them got inside Que’s car, Tyson sitting in the passenger seat.
“A simple phone call would suffice.” Que said in annoyance.
“That just isn’t cutting it for me anymore.” Tyson told him.
“What do you want?”
“You better watch who you are taking that tone with my friend. You work for me.” He threatened.
“I am not a part of your little posse. I do not belong to you.”
“You still work for me. I will expose your dirty little secret if you don’t watch yourself.”
“Don’t you mean our dirty little secret?” Que reminded him.
“We don’t have time for this.” Jamarco interrupted.
“What is it that is so important that you had to follow me here? And how did you know I was here anyway?” Que wondered.
Tyson smirked but didn’t answer.
“Now that the girl’s father came for her. That is a problem. We need to figure out a way to fix it.”
“What about the other girl?”
“You think that she is still going to go to the school after all this?” Tyson said sarcastically.
“She’s going back next week.”
“How do you know that?”
“Zamora called earlier after she got settled in. She told me that Nikkya was going to have body guards around her at all times. Two of them to be exact.”
“You didn’t think that was an important piece of information that I need to know?”
“I guess not.”
“I guess we will have to take them out then first if they will be watching her.” Deandre spoke.
“Do you have any idea where her father is?”
“No. I don’t. She refuses to tell me that but I do know that Zamora is meeting with child services tomorrow. You can find her there, but not without her father and his men. She will be heavily protected.” He told him.
“That is very helpful information. I will think of something to do with that.” Tyson told Que opening up the passenger door. Jamarco and Deandre did the same.
“Good luck with that.” Que said to himself. He watched them leave on their bikes before starting his car again.
Que had been right. Zamora was heavily guarded by her father and his men. Carlos, Pito, Alex and many others. Carlos had men staying watch from the outside of the building acting as if they were just regular people. Carlos, Pito, and Alex accompanied Zamora inside. Pito and Alex waited in the waiting room. Carlos waited from outside the door where Zamora was meeting. He wanted to make sure his daughter was safe and secure.
Zamora came out about 45 minutes later. “All finished.” She said to her father.
“Did everything go okay?” He asked concerned.
“Actually it did. Nothing to worry about.�
� She reassured him.
“Good. Let’s get back to the house.” He told her.
“I need to go to the bathroom first.”
“Where is it?” He asked wanting to escort her.
“I can take care of myself…father.” She said sarcastically to him.
“Yeah. I know you can. Okay I’ll be waiting with Pito and Alex but if you’re not back in at least 12 minutes I’m coming to look for you.”
“Got it. I’ll be fine. No one knows I’m here. Besides they can’t pass your men anyway.”
“That’s very true.” He grinned.
He walked off.
Zamora resorted to the bathroom. She mainly just wanted some time to herself, away from her father and his men. She looked at herself in the mirror for a short moment. She then texted Que.
“Everything worked out.” She told him.
“That’s great. How’s your new “family” going?” He replied back quickly.
“They’re not so bad but needed a break. Snuck off to bathroom for a few min to myself.”
“Good idea. Keep me updated. I’ll txt u later.”
“Okay”
Tyson, Cassius, Jamarco and Deandre were waiting for Zamora. They were already inside. They had been watching her, waiting until she was alone. They had seen her go into the bathroom. They waited around the corner by a hallway making sure they weren’t seen by anyone. They dressed in all black and wore black gloves. The floor they were on was mostly empty as it being filled with private offices. It was a new building.
“Whatever happens…don’t interfere. We need to know what the girl is capable of.” Tyson told his crew.
Zamora returned her cell phone to her back pocket. She looked in the mirror at herself while walking toward the door. Someone was outside the door. It startled her. She was pushed against the wall with a hand around her neck and another hand covering her mouth. She quickly fought back without a second thought. Like it was a reflex. Zamora used her training to push Tyson’s hand away from her neck and mouth. But he was just as good as she was. He tried to grab hold of her again. He tested her skills. Tyson grabbed hold of Zamora’s wrists trying to pin her hands against the wall. She kneed his privates enough for him to back off from her.
Tyson gave off a smirk like he was impressed with what she had done.
City Culprits (Book 1) Page 6
