“That’s crazy. Why the hell would Carlos connect The Eye to you?” Dice asked.
“To make sure I’m valuable to his enemies. So I don’t end up dead like my brother did. They won’t kill someone who has too much value.”
“I guess that makes sense. So you tested it?”
“Yeah. It works. It’s all true.”
“I just don’t want to have to worry about the safety of my son.” He glanced at Braydon.
“You won’t. I told you that I won’t let anything happen to him.”
“You’re in more danger now Zamora and if Paco finds out your identity…he’s going to kill you.”
“You really think he’s going to be dumb enough to kill a kingpin’s daughter?”
“Paco’s the only one who would have the balls to do that.”
She sighed knowing he was right. “Magnum suggested to Carlos that I change my last name to Rivera…to keep Paco and anyone he paid off from finding my identity.”
“That might be a smart idea. It might be the only way to make Zamora Cortez disappear for good. If you’re known as Zamora Rivera, no one is going to be stupid enough to try to kill you or turn you over to Paco. If you take on the Rivera name…it’ll be better for you.” He said.
Zamora was unsure of how to respond.
“I’m worried about the safety of my son. You need to do what’s necessary.” He demanded.
“Daddy look.” Braydon showed his father something he’d done with his toy.
Dice quickly reflected toward his son.
“Wow buddy. That’s cool.”
“It’s time to go Braydon. Say bye to daddy.” Zamora wanted to end the conversation.
“Bye daddy.” Braydon ran over to his father’s arms. Dice held him closely.
“Good bye little man. I love you my son.”
“Let’s go! Get a move on! We need to get this shipment out before sundown!” Carlos shouted at his men and workers.
“On it boss!” Someone yelled.
Carlos had bought an old trucking warehouse that he was now using to distribute his drugs. His men were packing the cocaine into empty sugar bags and resealing them. They loaded them into trucks, packing them full. The last load to enter the trucks was bags of real sugar to throw off police if they were ever pulled over. Each truck had two people each, driving to different locations.
A bag of “sugar” accidently dropped on the floor, unsealed. Carlos noticed and got frustrated. He walked over to the mess on the floor looking at the man who spilled it. Everyone around suddenly stopped to see what was happening.
“For your sake Jerry, I hope that wasn’t the fake bag of sugar.”
Jerry’s face suddenly had a look of fear. Like he knew what would happen.
“Sorry boss. It slipped.”
“It slipped? Are you kidding me? Do you know how much you just cost me?”
Jerry didn’t know what to say to his boss.
“Sorry boss. Please take is out of my pay.” He begged.
“Your pay? Do you know how much of your pay this is?” Carlos taunted.
Everyone around had the same look as Jerry but they knew what Carlos was going to do.
“It was an accident.”
Carlos quickly grabbed his gun attached to his side.
He put a bullet through Jerry’s head. He lay bleeding on the floor but it was of no surprise to the others. They had seen Carlos kill his own men before when they screwed up.
“If you screw with my money…or my family…I will take your life.” He warned his men.
Some of his men quickly took Jerry’s body to dispose of it.
“Finish your jobs.” He ordered.
Paco used an old office building to distribute his guns. It was full of mostly illegal arms and ammo and different weapons. It was heavily guarded and with several surveillance cameras to keep a watch on his money maker. He sold only the best and at a costly price. They were packaging a ton of weapons to be sold out to different people or places.
“Yo Paco! Our visitor is here.” Lupe said entering the room with a familiar face.
Paco was putting back together one of his favorite guns after cleaning it out.
“Magnum. Is it that time again already?”
“Can we hurry this along? I got shit to take care of.” Magnum was annoyed not wanting to be there.
“Yeah. You do.”
“So what do you want? Can we hurry this along?”
“Why are you in such a hurry?” Paco laughed.
“I don’t really want to be seen here. I’m sick of seeing your face.”
Paco didn’t take kindly to his attitude. He picked up his machete.
“You owe me. We made a deal.”
“I know the deal.”
“You sure? The deal was that, the more locals you sell my shit to, the more territory of yours I’ll give you back. I know how much you need it.” He paused. “Of course you know that I’ll give it all back…on the condition that you tell me where that pretty little killer girlfriend of yours ran off to.” He smirked.
Magnum wasn’t fazed by Paco. He grew rather used to his ways.
“Listen Paco. I ain’t anybody’s bitch. We made one business proposition. We’re business men. Let’s keep it that way. I told you I don’t know where she went. I haven’t seen her in five years. Can we get down to business now?” He was aggravated.
Paco grinned. “The box in the corner by the door.” He pointed with his machete.
“If I find out that you’re protecting that bitch…I’ll kill you both.” He told him.
“Noted.” Magnum said while picking up the box of arms.
The Jamaican Posse had their own set up, on the top floor of their warehouse. Tyson was in the business of selling large amounts of marijuana and rock cocaine. And he was in the business of selling guns. Tyson mostly used young women to do his bidding. They were easier for them to control and they were least suspected. He had two separate groups of girls. The ones who sold the drugs for him and the ones who made the drugs for him.
Tyson checked up on his business’s often to make sure they were being done right. Especially his drugs. The girls, who were responsible for making the rock, were only allowed to be dressed in bra and panties so that they could not steal the drugs. And they were guarded. Only a few highly trusted girls grew the marijuana without being watched, although the room was full of cameras. The main area was full of monitors from the cameras. Someone was always watching.
Tyson was in his office space smoking a cigar. Jamarco and Deandre were counting cash on the table next to him. A young African American girl in her early twenties was sitting in the chair across from Tyson. Cassius standing behind her. The room was silent.
“Came up short.” Jamarco said breaking the silence.
“How much?” Tyson asked glancing at the girl.
“117.” Deandre answered.
Tyson looked back at the girl. Cassius put his hands on her shoulders.
He put out his cigar. “You have been working for me for 3 weeks. Now you decide to screw me over? Did you think we wouldn’t count it?”
She was scared.
Tyson got up from his chair walking in front of the desk.
“What did you do with the money Casey?”
“I used it. I needed it for my son.” Her voice was shaky from fear.
“You used it? Do you know the consequences from stealing from me?”
She didn’t answer.
“You better answer.” Cassius gripped onto her shoulders harder.
“Yes. I really needed it.”
“I told you the first month you work for me you do not get paid. I need to know that you can be trusted and do your job. After that, you will get your percentage.”
She didn’t know what to say. He grabbed her face.
“Do you remember the first thing you were told when you got here?”
She shook her head. He let go of her face.
“What was it?” He
tested.
“Everyone gets one mistake.” She answered quickly.
“Right.” He sighed. “Luckily for you this is your first.”
She looked down then back up at him.
“But still Casey, there is a consequence for making a mistake.”
She gulped.
Tyson quickly took out his blade, Cassius held his hand over her mouth while trying to hold her back, only grabbing hold of her right wrist. Tyson pinned down her left arm to the chair while using his blade to slash her forearm all the way down to the hand. She tried to scream but Cassius’s hand muffled the noise.
“This is so that everyone knows that you made a mistake and that you will be reminded not to make another.”
There were a few of Tyson’s men who held the same scar, along with some of his girls.
Cassius let her free. She was sobbing. And bleeding.
He grabbed her neck. “The next time you make a mistake baby…I will gut you. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” She said catching her breath.
“Good.” He pulled her up from the chair.
“Take care of her.” He ordered Jamarco and Deandre.
They left the room with her to take care of her arm.
Zamora dreamt about her sister’s death again. It always ended the same, throwing a red rose on her coffin. That part of the dream always lasted longer. It’s why she hated to sleep. It made her heart jump. She noticed her nephew lying asleep next to her. She stared at him for a short moment before carrying him back to his own bed. Zamora tucked him in, placing his teddy bear under his arm. She kissed his forehead and then sat herself on the floor next to his bed, looking at him like she was unsure of what to do.
Early the next morning, Zamora had snuck herself out of the house without her bodyguards. She found a way to sneak by all of the guards outside, making it to the front gate. She climbed over it.
“Has anyone seen Zamora? I can’t find her anywhere?” Nikkya asked concerned.
“What do you mean? She’s not here?” Carlos panicked.
“I don’t know. I checked everywhere for her. I need to talk to her.” Nikkya replied.
Carlos searched for her bodyguards.
“Where the hell is Zamora? Have you seen her?” He asked Nathan and Tiny.
“No boss. She didn’t say anything about going anywhere.” Nathan answered.
“Check the security footage.” He ordered.
Carlos looked at the footage, seeing Zamora sneak away. He was angry at his men.
“None of you saw my daughter leave?!” He yelled at them.
“We didn’t hear or see anything.” One of the guards answered.
“I guess my daughter’s more clever than I thought. We need to find her! She’s not safe alone!” He shouted.
“Are you sure this is something you want to do?” A lady in suit asked.
“Yeah. I’m sure.” Zamora answered.
“Okay. What would you like it to be?”
“Rivera. Zamora. Rose. Rivera.” She answered confidently.
Zamora returned several hours later.
“Boss. Zamora regreso.” One of the guards radioed in to Carlos.
(Boss. Zamora returned.)
“Gracias.” Carlos said relieved.
(Thank You)
Minnie had the same look of relief on her face.
Zamora walked in through the door holding two separate orange envelopes in her hands.
Carlos immediately raised his voice to her.
“Where the hell have you been?!”
“I went out.” She said annoyed.
“You went out? Where the hell did you go? We’ve been worried sick about you all damn day! You left your phone here so we couldn’t call.” He yelled.
Salena took the children out of the room.
“I had to take care of a few things. I don’t feel the need to take out bodyguards every time I want to leave the freakin’ house.” She raised her voice.
“Don’t raise your voice to me.” He demanded.
“Don’t raise your voice to me.” She repeated back his words.
Carlos calmed himself down.
“Where did you go? It’s not safe for you to leave alone.”
“I can take care of myself. I mean I managed to sneak past every single guard outside the house and jump the fence. I went unnoticed all day.”
“That doesn’t make it okay.”
“The only ones who know my face are the Jamaicans. I’m pretty sure I can manage.”
“You couldn’t have left a note or something?” Minnie said softly with her arms crossed.
“Sorry…mother. I had to take care of a few things and I didn’t want to be followed around all day. I’m pretty sure that might raise a little suspicion.”
Carlos sighed. “What’s in your hand?” He asked noticing the envelopes.
Zamora handed the bottom envelope to her father.
“What is this?” He wondered.
She motioned for him to open it.
Carlos slowly opened the envelope, taking out the paper. He looked at it. He looked up at his daughter.
“You changed your name.”
Carlos, Minnie, and Nikkya had the same facial expression.
“I did what I had to do.”
“So you’re officially…a Rivera.” Nikkya said in awe.
“Yeah.” Zamora said like she wasn’t proud of it.
“So…what’s in the other one?” Carlos asked her.
Zamora looked as if she didn’t want to answer.
“It’s about Braydon.” She answered.
Minnie suggested they all talk in another room behind closed doors.
Carlos, Minnie, and Nikkya. Zamora never left Nikkya out from anything.
“I went to visit my brother.”
There was an awkward silence.
“Why?” Minnie broke the silence.
Zamora hesitated to answer.
“It was my brother’s request.”
“What did he want?” Carlos asked.
She took a long time to answer.
“To discuss his son. I don’t really know how to say it. So ah…” She reached the envelope out to Minnie.
Minnie stared at it before taking it. She slowly opened it just has Carlos had. She took out the papers inside, looking at them. Her face was in shock.
“This is a temporary custody paper.”
“Yeah.” Zamora said looking away.
“You’re handing over custody to Braydon?”
Nikkya had a look of confusion like she couldn’t believe the words.
“Only to you. It’s at the request of his father. He’s concerned about the safety of his son.”
“He doesn’t even know me.”
Carlos took the papers from his wife to look them over.
“Actually he does. My brother Dice has a lot of influence and connections. He thinks you’re the only one who can keep him safe. That you’ll protect him as your own. Braydon isn’t safe with me anymore. If anything happens to me…the state will take him and his father will have a hard time getting him back. If someone else has custody…he can get him back and he doesn’t have to worry about his security.”
“And you’re okay with this?” Minnie asked her daughter.
She paused. “I agree with my brother. I’m not giving him up as a way to…not take care of him. I will still continue to do the things I’ve always done. He’s still my nephew and I love him as my own…but it’s what’s best for him. He can never know that I don’t have custody of him. It’s just…security.”
Minnie didn’t know what to say.
“Look it’s all up to you. I don’t mean to spring it on you like this. If you don’t want the responsibility you don’t have to sign it.” She told her.
Minnie thought for a moment. She grabbed a pen and signed it.
Zamora nodded her head.
“You’ll receive more papers to finalize it.” She stood up.
She
walked toward the door to leave, before turning around to say something else.
“This isn’t something I wanted to do. But it’s the right thing. Dice is still his father, and he deserves to have a say in what happens to his son. You’ll have to take him to visit his father from now on. I’ll be the one to tell him why I can’t take him anymore. Please respect that.” Zamora left the room closing the door behind her.
Nikkya quickly followed behind.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Carlos asked his wife.
“It’s already done. I know that we lost a son but I won’t make the same mistakes with him. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him safe.”
“Okay.” Carlos set the papers on the table.
Nikkya followed Zamora into her bedroom.
“Are you crazy? How can you just sign him away like that?” She asked upset.
“You think I wanted to do that? It’s what’s best for him. I can’t keep him safe anymore. Look at my life. There are people after me. God forbid if something went wrong, he would have no one to take care of him. No one that could take him.”
“Did he really want that?”
“Yes. He requested. I know that it’s the right thing. Braydon will be safe with my mother.” She paused. “I didn’t just sign him away. I’m still going to take care of him.”
“But Minnie will legally have the say in what goes for him.” Nikkya reminded her.
“Yes. She will but she can keep him here if I’m not here.”
“I understand. It’s just not fair.” Nikkya calmed her voice.
“No it’s not. It’s just what is.”
Nikkya was left without any more words to say.
“So your brother really wanted that for his son?” Que asked Zamora on the phone.
“Yeah. He did.”
“I think that was the right thing to do. That was a very selfless thing to do.”
“Yeah. I know.”
“You can insure he’s security this way.”
“I’m still going to care for him. It’s only in case something happens.”
“Nothing is going to happen to you.”
“I hope that’s true.”
Que changed the subject. “So did your father tell you what you wanted to know?”
Zamora thought about what to say.
City Culprits (Book 1) Page 10
