by Mike Dagons
Ceylon waited until she reached his rear bumper, and then he opened the door, and got out rushing her.
He punched her in her face with his right hand, while he doubled tapped her partner with his left. Before she could recover from the blow, he grabbed her by her throat, put the gun to her chest and shot her through the heart.
It took about twenty seconds, and he was back in the car speeding away. “Are you crazy? They were cops.”
“Crooked cops,” he glanced at her through the mirror.
“How you know that?”
“I got a scanner, and they didn’t call in the stop.”
He drove another three blocks, and then pulled into an alley and parked. He opened his weapons drawer and took out a new clip for his Glock.
Ceylon opened the back door, and gave Severe Roc’s gun. She put it in her waistband with the one she took off Rabbit.
Ceylon lifted Roc out the truck and carried him upstairs, and she followed.
He knocked on the door twice, and a minute passed, and then a man dressed in a white smock opened it. He didn’t exchange words with the man. He followed him back inside the apartment, and into what looked like an examination room. He put Roc down on the table. “You can stay with him,” he told Severe, and then he walked out and into the living room.
Ceylon took out his cell, and called his father back. “You called?” he asked when James Battle picked up.
“I haven’t heard from LaRue and the men. Did you kill them?”
“They were dead when I arrived. Some big dude with dreads cut their heads off with a machete. Severe killed him after we learned the snatch was about the hit on Lincoln Scott. I know I’m not telling you anything that you don’t already know, but it looks like they planning to go to war about it. I’m letting you know that I’m going to lend Genesis a hand. Before you veto it, remember they killed your men, and kept your money. You know the truth about what happened now, so please don’t send anymore people after me.”
“Those cops were just going to bring you home. I thought you had killed your own men when I sent them. They had strict orders not to engage you.”
So much for your fucking orders, he thought. “I know how you feel about Genesis, dad, so I won’t ask for your help. I am asking you not to accept anymore contracts to side against them on this. I don’t know who is running that crew, but they owe Viper some money,” he declared.
“Okay, son,” he said. “So, you intend to claim our payday?”
“That’s my objective, but in any case, I’m going let them know just how deadly it is to double cross a Viper.”
“I’m glad you still consider yourself a Viper.”
“The California Viper is who I was raised to be, and it’s who I am. I will always be a Viper no matter which way the wind blows.”
“You can stay the night at Doc Keith’s. I figured you might show up there if Roc or the girl was hurt, so I had men posted to watch for you. Is she hurt?”
“No, she’s fine, but he’s hurt pretty bad.”
He didn’t express any sympathy for that, but Ceylon hadn’t expected him to. He said, “I’ll do some digging and find out as much as I can about them muthafuckas. I’ll forward info as I get it, and you call if you need Viper resources. I’ll make sure that whatever you need is available to you. I love you, and I’m happy you saved the mother of my grandchild. The family is looking forward to meeting her. Especially your mama,” he ended the call.
Ceylon looked at the phone in his hand. His old man never stopped amazing him. He was expecting pushback on working with Genesis even if they did have a common interest in the job.
When Severe came out of the examining room, she had a shopping bag full of medical supplies. “Roc is sleeping comfortably,” she sat down on the sofa next to him.
“Good,” he gave her a nod and a smile.
“The doctor gave him IV pain meds, and antibiotics. He has a broken rib, a bruised kidney, but no internal bleeding. The doctor says he has strong stomach muscles to thank for that. I thank God Roc was knocked out before the doctor cleaned those burns on his feet. He had to scrape the blisters off with a betadine solution before he could bandage them. It was ugly, and it looked so painful. He’ll be ready to go in a few hours, but he’s going to have to stay off his feet at least a week, and God only knows how long it will be before he can wear shoes,” she sucked in air, and then released a ragged breath before she burst into tears. “I thought they were going to kill him,” she cried. “I thought I was going to have to watch him die.”
Ceylon pulled her into his arms and hugged her to his chest. “He’s going to be alright, you know. His face is pretty beat up. Does he have a concussion?”
“No, Roc has a really hard head. He got hit in the head with a fast ball when we were kids. It knocked him out for a second, but it didn’t even give him a headache.”
“I’m not surprised to hear that he’s got a rock head,” he laughed.
“Thank you for saving us,” she snuggled closer to him because it felt safe being in his arms.
Ceylon rested his chin on the top of her head. “I talked to my father while you were in there with Roc. He got some men on the building, so it’ll be safe for us to stay here the rest of the night. It’ll give Roc more time to rest, and we can catch a couple hours of sleep, too.”
“I thought your father ordered the snatch. You sure it’s safe for him to know where we are.”
“They double crossed him, and kept his money. He wants retribution for it.”
“The money is in your truck. Why don’t you just give it to him?”
“I’m going to use it to buy you and Roc new identities. I know you got your own hide, but I don’t want you on the street until this shit blows over. Doc has the equipment right here to do it, but the problem is Roc’s face is so swollen, he won’t be able to take a picture for a few days.”
“I appreciate you trying to protect me, but my team is under attack. I can’t just hide out until it’s over. When Roc wakes up, I’m going to get him someplace safe, and then I’m checking in to find out where I’m needed.”
“Severe, I’m not letting you—”
“You’re not letting me?” she pushed herself up off him, and stared at him in amazement. “What am I, your child now?”
“No, baby,” he cupped her cheek tenderly. “But I sort of told my father that you were having my child to get him to tell me where they were taking you and Roc.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Nope,” he shook his head.
“Your father thinks I’m pregnant?”
“Yep, I lied to get his help, and I was going to say I can’t let you leave Roc. He’s going to be sedated most of the time, so he’s going to need protecting. We know they want him, and who’s to say they won’t send another team.”
“He’s not going to want me sitting on my ass babysitting him while our team is under fire.”
“It’s why you’re going to call whoever you need to call, and tell them that I’ll be standing in for you and lending Genesis a hand.”
“You’ll lend them a hand? You would do that for me?”
“Baby, my hand is tied to yours. Fucking with you is the same as fucking with me.”
“Your father is okay with you working for Genesis?”
“My father approved it because they took his money,” he smiled.
“I had no idea you were so manipulative,” she grinned.
“I am the California Viper,” he reminded her, and she laughed.
Chapter 27
“This skinny white boy is the one who killed so many of my men with just knives?”
Anakin heard the voice, but he did not move. He tracked the footsteps as the man they belonged to strolled around the room to where he was flex tied to a steel chair that was bolted to the floorboards. “Your agency seems to be seriously lacking in its ability to provide adequate service,” he said after he stopped in front of him.
“I must remin
d you that you contracted with us to provide strategic support, not manpower, and you did so against my advisement.” A second voice in the room answered. It was all business, and carried no malice, just arrogance. “You elected to cut cost by using your own men, and you were warned about the danger of using inexperienced men to apprehend Anakin Fury. It was also your decision not to allow those men to carry guns, which is understandable after the unfortunate incident with the girl.”
“My men are not inexperienced. They are well trained and skilled, and certainly capable of capturing one man and bringing him to me alive.”
“Would it be pointless to remind you that they failed to capture an untrained woman?”
“That is because you failed to supply adequate background information on the woman. You did not tell us that Monique was a skilled fighter, or that she was going to be armed!” his reply was heated.
“There is no evidence of either, and only the men who fucked it up can attest to what happened. It is my experience that you get what you pay for, and you didn’t pay for the whole package. If you would like it done neat, then I advise you to let me take over the operation. I’ll bring my own team in, and we’ll deliver him to you in a week.” His response was unemotional.
“Thanks for your offer, but it wouldn’t be frugal to pay your exorbitant mercenary fees when I already have enough military trained men on my payroll to do the job.”
“Point taken,” he conceded, not willing to continue arguing the merits.
“Let’s see the man’s face that you think I should have employed your men to apprehend,” he said mockingly before he pulled the bag off Anakin’s head.
Anakin didn’t move when he gripped his chin and lifted his head. He turned his face from side to side inspecting it closely, and then he released it with a gentle slap and stepped back, and allowed it to drop to his chest again.
“I know that you are awake, so open your eyes.”
Anakin wanted to know what he looked like, so he only had to ask once. He lifted his head and looked directly at him, before he turned his head to his left and looked at the dead man strapped in the chair next to his. He had also been stripped naked to the waist, and his chest was covered with nasty cuts. The flesh on his hands and feet looked like it had been eaten away by something erosive. He could see bone in some places, and guessed sulfuric acid had been used.
He could tell from the smell that the man hadn’t just died, and he understood the reason why he’d been deliberately left sitting in the chair beside him. It gave him a close up of what was in store for him if he refused to cooperate.
It was easy to see the man’s death had been very slow and painful, and now his body was being artfully used to provoke fear. It was actually a very persuasive visual.
“I thought you would be bigger,” he said, drawing Anakin’s attention away from the dead man, and back to him.
“I am Luther Scott, the man in charge,” he stepped forward. His voice, a rich deep baritone, had the musical tone of an islander. “And you’re here because I want some information from you.”
Anakin had seen his face before, but he wasn’t wearing it. Luther Scott had the same rich brown complexion and frosty blue eyes as his brother, Lincoln. His golden mane of coarse hair hung straight, brushing the tops of his broad shoulders. He was tall, at least 6’3”, and muscular like a body builder. He was showing off his magnificent physique with a tight fitting white silk t-shirt, and white loose fitting flowing pants very similar to women’s palazzo pants.
The other living man in the room walked up, and stood shoulder to shoulder with him. His complexion was dark brown like Luther’s, but he was very handsomely dressed in a monogrammed shirt, and tailored slacks. He wore his hair cropped low, and sported a neatly trimmed goatee that made him look pimpin’.
He was holding a thick folder in his hand, and at a glance, he looked like a man in charge, but a closer inspection revealed he was not. He didn’t like the way things were being handled, and his body language said as much. His arms hung loosely at his sides; one hand cradling the folder, the other strumming fingers on his thigh. He looked disinterested and bored while waiting for Luther to finish talking.
“I am Jeffrey Basins,” he introduced himself when he was certain Luther was finished, and then he opened the folder and started reading.
“Mr. Anakin Farid Fury, thirty four year old mixed race male, and the only son of crackhead, street whore, Lena Phillips, and research physician, Dr. Ivan Fury. You inherited a fortune from your daddy, and added to it when your cousin was murdered and you became the sole heir to his estate, which included his sizable lottery winnings. You own two pleasure houses, your woman is a beautiful ex-hooker, and together you’re raising your dead friend’s son as your own,” he stopped reading and closed the folder.
“Although it is entertaining reading, I won’t bore you by continuing to read it. After all, there is nothing in here that you don’t already know.” He dropped the folder on the table next to him, and then gazed into Anakin’s eyes. “As you probably heard while you were pretending to be out cold, my firm has been contracted to help find your friend, Isaak Charles Edwards, or Ice, as he is better known.”
“I don’t know where he is,” he answered in the voice of a man who was terrified, and Luther’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Anakin, I only showed you this thing,” Basin paused to tap a manicured finger on the closed folder for emphasis. “Because I want you to know that it is pointless to lie to me, or to try to fool me with your, ‘I’m just a scared white boy’, routine. I know everything about you that there is to know, including the fact that you’re as black inside as you are white outside. You are a fearless, cold hearted, sadistic killer, and a true sociopath. What you should know is our business is not with you, and it is why MY men were instructed not to stop Chanay when she drove out of that secret underground garage at your home. We let her go as a show of good faith.”
Anakin figured the real reason they let her go was because they didn’t see her come out. The exit she’d been instructed to use during an emergency was not the one on the blueprints.
“We need to find Ice, Mr. Fury, and I believe, given the right incentive, you’re the man who can help us do that.”
“Is that right? And what would be the right incentive? Besides allowing Chanay to escape, I mean,” he answered in his natural bass tone voice. No point in keeping up the act if they knew it was a charade.
“Whatever you want it to be. You can name your price.”
“Why are you looking for him?”
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but he recently completed a contract kill at the Federal building. The victim was my client’s brother, Mr. Lincoln Scott.”
“The news reports said he died of a heart attack.”
“I know, I know, but once again, the media got it wrong. Ice killed him, and understandably, my client wants him to pay for it with his life.”
“I see, and may I ask where you got your information?”
“The guard he used to get inside the prison is sitting next to you. He took money for my brother’s life, and he paid for it with his own, after he gave us the name of the man who paid him. It was your friend, Ice,” Luther snarled.
Jeff Basin rolled his eyes in frustration, and Anakin knew exactly why. Luther Scott had just told him that he killed the guard after he got the information he wanted. If all he had to hope for was a painful death regardless, then there wasn’t a reason in hell to give him what he wanted. It was not a smart move.
“Anakin, your situation is not the same as the guard’s. He helped Ice kill Lincoln by granting access to him in lockup. You are not an official member of Genesis, and you had nothing to do with the hit.” He took a shot at patching Luther’s blunder.
“So you don’t plan to kill me like you did this guy next to me?”
“No, we don’t plan to kill any innocent people. My original plan was to kidnap his woman, and make him come to me, but there
was an unfortunate mishap, and she was accidentally killed,” he sighed. “I know that his father and brother would die before they helped me to find him, so questioning them would be a waste of precious time. It makes you the next logical choice.”
The casual way he talked about Monique’s death, if he could believe she truly was dead, made Anakin mad enough to tear his throat out, but he kept a rein on the anger roiling in his gut, and devoted his energy to planning a way out.
Allowing Basin’s voice to become a low background hum, he closed his eyes and tuned his ears into the many sounds he was hearing on what he presumed to be a midsize yacht.
Basin had a thick dossier on him, but only a select few knew who he really was…a man who was born dead, and resurrected by a miracle serum his father invented.
He received regular doses of the serum for the first eight years of his life, and it augmented his five senses, making him faster, stronger, and smarter than the average person.
Dr. Fury was the man who saved his life, and loved him like he was his natural son. No one knew that he was not, nor was any person privy to the true origin of the child he raised as his own.
Anakin’s own life made him a believer in nurturing over nature. Dr. Fury proved that environment was very important when molding a child’s personality. It’s why he and Chanay worked hard to give Trevarid a healthy balance of exposure to the good and bad the world has to offer, and an abundance of loving memories.
Anakin had lost Dr. Fury early in life. He believed that it was the lost of that kind influence and compassion before he matured. Coupled with the cruelty he’d encountered as a ward of the state that made it so easy for him to revert to his true nature. The goodness in him warred constantly with the traits he inherited from his biological parents. At times it was a struggle, but he wouldn’t change any of it because sometimes, like now when he was forced to deal with men like Luther Scott and Jeff Basin. He needed to walk on the dark side.
The information they had compiled on him was thorough, but clearly missing some very important facts. Before he met Trevor Brown, he’d only felt genuine empathy for one person, Dr. Ivan Fury. When he met Trevor, he transferred those feelings to him. He’d met Ice when he hired his brother, Ryan, to protect Trevor. There were so many similarities in their personalities, they cliqued right away, and had since become real close friends. He had genuine feelings for Ice, and by association, for his family.
