Wrong Step (Urban Fiction): A Sinister Syndicate Thriller

by Kyle Robertson

  “You bought this car to beat the police.”

  Tyler opened his wallet, and Sheddi saw his volunteer police card.”

  “I’m a former Ranger. My MOS is made to help police, not run from them. Besides, a Hyundai Tiburon may look like it goes light speed, but a police radio beats it every time.”

  She realized she really didn’t know him, and just because he was a hardened Army vet, flashbacks didn’t harm him as much as the other vets.

  As they began to drive off, Sheddi felt better about everything. They went through the dirt of New York, but with Tyler, they came out clean. He knew what he was doing. The good part was no one on either side had to be killed. She just thought of Moira confronting Jabril. That was just an occurrence that wouldn’t happen. At least she was alive.

  While driving, a Camero abruptly cut them off to block them! Tyler screeched to a stop, and reversed. That was impossible, because a Hummer blocked them in!

  “They found us! DAMN!” Tyler yelled, as masked men broke his driver’s side window!

  They took his keys, and shoved an Uzi in his face! The both were covered with sacks, pulled out of the car, and shoved into the Humvee! They both were knocked out, and driven away. It took less than thirty seconds for their plans to drastically change.

  ~~~

  “She’s at LaGuardia, pick ‘er up.”

  Sheddi came to. The voice was Jamaican. She opened her eyes to see a few large black men with dreadlocks. She knew where she was, and it was about to get ugly.

  “Hey, Pop. Tha gal is wakin’ up.”

  Adan looked up from her camera, and recording device to see a scared Sheddi. They both were bound with zip ties. He walked over to her, and put her camera on her lap.

  “Where tha pictchas, bitch?!”

  Sheddi was frightened, but held her demeanor.

  “What pictures? My camera doesn’t have a lock on it. There are no pictures.”

  Adan went to get a bucket of ice cold water, and walked back.

  “I don’t like ta torture gals, so I’ll ask him first.” He splashed Tyler with the ice water, and Tyler jumped violently awake.

  “I asked ya gal, and she lied. Now, I’m askin’ ya tha same question. Where tha pictchas?”

  Tyler had to use his skills to avoid harm. He was interrogated before by Jihad, and never gave up his fellow Rangers, so he wouldn’t give up Sheddi, or the Shepards.

  “You assume too much. We didn’t even get in there before I set off the alarm. What she told you is true.”

  Adan smiled. “Is that so? Julius.”

  Julius walked forward. He began to speak.

  “I was across tha alley in my apartment doin’ surveillance, and I saw ya both break in. It took about ten minutes, and ya came out, messed up, and set off tha alarm. Ya ran through a lot at my apartment, and hid behind a dumpstah. I grabbed my keys, an followed ya blue Tiberon to a dinah. Ya came out about eight minutes latah, and went ta anotha apartment. Aftah ya left this mornin’ we got ya whole crew.”

  That was why Tyler lived by the dance like everybody’s watching rule. Tanaka would be worried about Sheddi, get his evidence from David, and come to rescue them. He just had to stall.

  “So, you saw us breaking in. I was just looking for a Marley record, but I couldn’t find it. The cops pulled up, so I left quickly, and tripped the alarm.”

  Julius walked up to Tyler, and punched him in the stomach with lead lined gloves. As Tyler doubled over in pain, Julius stepped back.

  “Try again, boy. Ya can sneeze, and hit a Marley album in here. You were in for ten minutes, ya blind?!”

  That was a bad idea. He should’ve said the UB-40 Tanaka was talking about earlier. Sublime would’ve been better to say than Marley.

  “They both liahs, Julius. I think they need some motivation ta tell tha truth.” Adan walked out of the warehouse, and returned with Osei.

  “Osei! Don’t hurt him! He just makes tea! He knows nothing!” Sheddi desperately pleaded.

  “I know he knows nothin’. If ya don’t tell me where tha pictchas are, you’ll get him hurt!”

  Tyler intervened before Sheddi broke.

  “You want those pictures?! I downloaded them this morning to my personal account, and destroyed the memory card!”

  Adan looked at Tyler, and shot Osei in the arm! Osei wailed something in Twi.

  “That’s for lyin’, Get those pictchas!”

  I’m afraid you’re going to have to wait. I put a time lock password on my site just in case we were captured. If I type the pass on another computer’s IP, the password locks for another twenty four hours. Don’t hurt any more Shepards, or you’ll never get your pictures.”

  “He’s lyin’, Pop. Don’t let him fool ya,” Julius said.

  “Are you willing to bet?” Tyler asked. I’m sure when you lose, Ganja Pop will forgive you.”

  He knew how ruthless Ganja Pop was, so he wasn’t willing to take the chance.

  “If you hurt my friends, or kill us, the pictures automatically get forwarded to NYPD if I don’t get there by four today. Ain’t technology grand?” Tyler knew how to gain leverage where there was none.

  Adan boiled, and got Julius’ enforcement gloves. He walked to Tyler, and slapped him with the gloves.

  “Ya think ya in control, but ya tied ta a chair wit’ no chance a blockin’ ya face! I won’t kill ya, but I can tenderize ya!” He slapped him again.

  “Tyler!” Sheddi screamed.

  “Tyler spit some blood, and looked at Sheddi.

  “This pain is temporary. Your death is permanent.”

  Adan hit him again, and said, “I’ll make it so ya can’t chew right permanently!”

  As Adan was pummeling Tyler, Maritza walked in. She was wearing a green ruched dress with many gold accessories on her person. She saw Sheddi, and yelled to Adan.

  “Leave tha boy alone, Adan! He’s not the cause for tha shipment bein’ jeopardized—she is!”

  Sheddi had never seen this woman before. She knew it was an international cartel, but she had no clue it was being ran by a woman. In any other circumstance, she would’ve been proud.

  I don’t know you, or about any shipment, lady! My friend was shot by Ganja Pop, and now he wants to kill me because I had a picture catching him in the act! I’m not an operative, I just took a wrong step that Friday!”

  Maritza walked up to Sheddi, bent down, and stared through her.

  “Adan, tha stupid gal is gonna die, an she don’t know why.”

  Adan hit Tyler once more to leave him with a statement.

  “Ya can’t kill ‘er just yet. She broke in, an took more pictchas. I need ta get tha pictchas back.”

  “Ya don’t handle anythin’ right. How’d she break in? Weren’t tha snipahs ordered ta shoot ‘er on sight?”

  Darrian had to come clean this time.

  “The cops came, Ma. We all had ta duck outa sight. She must be workin’ wit ’em, because that’s when they broke in.”

  “Maritza turned back to Sheddi.

  “We hate tha police, but we hate whoevah works wit ‘em more.. Release her! Ma’s gotta teach her a lesson!”

  Julius clipped her zip ties, and stood back to see the fireworks about to happen.

  Sheddi stood as Maritza cracked her neck.

  “Ya know why a woman heads up tha Dread Mambas, and not a man?” she asked Sheddi. “A woman doesn’t just shoot because she likes ta hear gunfire. A lotta men think that’s powah. That’s why they dead. A woman knows how ta hurt ya in othah ways." She swiftly ran to Sheddi, and hit her in the chest

  A surprised Sheddi fell back over her chair. She had only been hit that hard in training! That was an initiation hit, and so was this one.

  I had ta fight all my life in Jamaica. I learned Pancrase and Sambo. You gonna learn what they are!”

  Sheddi knew them. Pancrase was an ancient Japanese wrestling style while Sambo was a Russian grappling attack. Maritza wanted to fold her up! She hoped her Krav Maga w
as sufficient for defense.

  As she was trying to catch her breath, Maritza grabbed her leg, and dragged her to the middle of the warehouse floor. She spun around with her leg, and fell back with an elbow to her chest hyperextending her leg!

  Sheddi screamed in pain, then she got up limping.

  “I’m not gonna kill ya, gal, but ya should learn why ya don’t mess wit’ tha Mambas!”

  Tyler felt terrible putting her in this position. He was going to escape, and return the favor to Adan.

  When they were captured, the Mambas took his pocket-knife, but overlooked another Army trinket.

  When in the desert, you had to eat rations canned to stay edible for months. You needed a can opener. Tyler had an Army P-38 on his keychain. It was small, and sharp. He always carried it.

  As Adan was pummeling him, he finagled his P-38 to his zip tie, and began to cut. It wasn’t quick, but it was effective. He cut one, and went after the other.

  Sheddi got into a stance.

  “All I have to do is stay mobile, and you can’t grab me. Bring it, bitch!”

  Maritza was appalled at her arrogance. This young naïve tramp called her a bitch.

  She advanced on her with those powerful hands.

  Sheddi knocked her well manicured talons away, and she swiftly punched her in the throat!

  “I had to fight in Ghana, and they don’t hug you, they stab you with machettes!”

  Maritza grabbed her throat, coughed, and spat out blood. She realized Sheddi was no pushover. She looked at Adan.

  “Ya shoulda killed ‘er before she took more pictchas, dummy! Now, I can’t shoot ‘er. I’ll just have ta beat her ass!”

  Maritza ran up, and swung. Sheddi blocked the powerful head strike with both arms, but her ribs were exposed, and Maritza smashed those. Sheddi crumpled from the blow. Maritza reloaded, and struck her cheek!

  As Sheddi fell to her knees, Maritza thumbed her nose in victory, and spat blood on her.

  “Ya think Jamaica’s an amusement park?! I’ve fought, and forgotten more people than ya know, gal!”

  This was going to be a war. Tyler hated war, and was almost free. Just a few more swipes, and the final zip tie would be cut.

  Maritza was angry at the disrespect, and grabbed Sheddi by the throat. She wrapped her legs around her waist to put her in a triangle lock, and began to choke her out!

  Sheddi desperately gasped for air, but Maritza applied more pressure.

  “Ya called me a birch ya stupid tramp! Ya need ta be quiet, so just go ta sleep!”

  Sheddi had to keep awake. She flexed her neck muscles to keep her oxygen flowing to her brain, but Maritza was a very strong woman.

  As the others watched the battle, Tyler popped the last tie, and rushed an occupied Adan! He grabbed him, and no one reacted at all, until it was too late.

  “Let her go, Ma! I can break Pop’s neck like a twig! DROP HER!”

  Maritza was surprised Tyler escaped, but she didn’t relent.

  “Snap his neck, boy. It’ll save me a bullet. Adan was fired from life when I had to come ta this pit. He knew tha result ‘o that.”

  Julius turned to Adan.

  “Sorry, Pop. I’m a Mamba, not ya slave. I called Ma when tha homeless started lookin’ around tha buildin’. I’m tha rat leavin’ tha sinkin’ ship.”

  Adan felt betrayed by his enforcer. They’d been through the filth together, and he thought he was a friend.

  “Ya definitely a rat, Julius, but this ship ain’t sinkin’!”

  Adan elbowed Tyler in the gut to get him to release him!

  Sadly for him, Tyler was Army strong, seasoned with Ranger spice. He didn’t move.

  “What, you think this is an action movie?!” Tyler yelled at him. “You slapped me with those brick gloves, and this is your payback!”

  Tyler spun him around, and grabbed his neck. He lifted Adan in a guillotine move hyperextending his spine in a painful stretch. Adan was being choked with his own body!

  Maritza looked at Adan yelling, and smiled.

  “Snap ‘im, boy. He almost messed up millions wit’ his arrogance. He deserves it!”

  Sheddi was about to lose consciousness. She always wanted to see adventure, but she never thought immediate danger was adventure’s spouse, and eventually it would retaliate with her adventure flirting.

  They were in a different, deadly position. Maritza had her folded, and didn’t care about Tyler breaking Adan. Her friends were waiting to be shot in the other room, and she was about to black out. Equivocally hazardous indeed.

  Just when her lights were about to go out, the warehouse door blew open in a raucous explosion, and a flash bang grenade was thrown in to disrupt everyone! They all were disoriented from the flash, and bang.

  “CLEAR!” was heard, and Tanaka stormed in with his team!

  “Check Dedzo, Rivera! Team, arrest these dogs!”

  Sheddi was very out of sorts when Rivera picked her up. Doctor Wineskin almost won the diseased pool.

  As his team picked up Tyler, Tanaka yelled, “Don’t arrest him! He’s one of ours!”

  “We know, sir. Tyler Rodgers met you at the dog park. We’re just helping him up.”

  Tanaka forgot his team already knew Tyler, and walked to Sheddi.

  “Dedzo, you love to give me heart attacks. I was expecting you this morning, and since you’re never late, I panicked. I was about to do an APB search for you when David came in with that envelope. When I saw what was in it, I hightailed it here. I’m glad I wasn’t too late.”

  Sheddi began to clear herself, and saw Tyler being helped up. She had to thank him for being as tough as a Ranger.

  Although he was out of the Army, he kept his skill in interrogation avoidance. He lied believably about the pictures. She almost believed him, and she was there.

  “All of this was Tyler, Knocks. I was about to crack, and he took my punches. I’m really appreciating the military now.” She looked around, “Where’s Mags?”

  “I had to detain him for questioning. When he tried to stop us, I figured he was on the take.” Tanaka smiled because IA was raking Wilson over the coals just then. “You’re liking military because a Ranger helped you, and a SEAL recued you.”

  “I take it in the military, this is just all in a day’s work,” she assumed.

  “Get ya hands offa me!” Adan yelled, as they cuffed him to be sent to the detainment van.

  “Naw, Dedzo. This one came with a bonus.”

  As the other Mambas were sent to the vans, Marnu, and Salom stepped through the shattered door.

  “We always miss the craziness, Tina,” Marnu said.

  “You’re lucky they put us in a cruiser before they went in. Seeing a grown man cry would be horrible for you, but I’d tell Ghana,” Salom jibed him.

  Marnu scoffed, and went to Sheddi.

  “You always leave us out of the action. We’re your friends, but you bring Tyler? You just met him.”

  “Tyler stirs more than soup, Marnu. He is action.”

  The rest walked out from the next room. Abena went to Sheddi

  “We thought you were dead. We heard a gunshot.”

  Sheddi pointed to Osei receiving aid for his gunshot wound,

  “Our tea barista got clipped. I think he can still brew though.”

  Nana, and Mame gave her a hug.

  “After you and Tyler left this morning, they home invaded, and put us in that room. Reggie was lucky he was at work. They didn’t even ask us where you went. After we heard the shot, we thought we were next,” Nana said.

  “I think they already planned this,” Sheddi said. “Thank Tyler for stalling so you wouldn’t be next. I have to tell Moira this is finished!”

  “I’m on the horn with Iroquois General right now.” Tanaka said. “You can tell her in fifteen minutes.”

  Sheddi felt good about completing this. There was just one more they had to arrest.

  Charter Eight: Moira’s Catharsis

  Jabril was l
ying in bed oblivious of the prior events. His recruitment of Jodie didn’t pan out the way he wanted it to. He was in the hospital with a multi fractured tibia trying to do what she did with extreme skiing. He was athletic, but skill and experience played a major role in barreling down the mountain at the Tamarack Club in upper New York State.

  She showed him his arrogance by shooting down the slope without a problem. He thought he could do it as well, but balance and gravity defied him, and he had to be helicoptered off the mountain.

  Jodie had to be let out of her day trading cage, and he needed to hang with her. Unfortunately, he couldn’t.

  As he was watching an evening dance program with stars attempting a tango, he was thinking he could do better than those ‘stiffies’, and began to eat his fruit cup.

  All of a sudden, a woman he thought was dead entered his room!

  “M-moira? Ya alive?!”

  “No thanks to you,” she said. “You can’t kill the Irish so easily.”

  She walked to his bedside.

  “Whatcha doin’ here, and how’d ya find me?!”

  “The NYPD has a very mpressive search network when you have an all-points bulletin on you. The Tamarack EMTs flew you here, and reported you.”

  He was surprised at the all points. He didn’t shoot her, but he was accessory to the crime.

  “Oh, and Jodie won’t be seeing you anymore. After I talked to her, it was her choice, but there is another factor in this scenario. When I got out of traction, Detective Tanaka deputized me so I could do this.” She tossed some papers on his lap. “Jabril Malcolm Wright, you are under arrest for racketeering influence in a corrupt organization, and accessory to an attempted murder.”

  Detective Tanaka came in with cuffs, secured him to his bed, and read him his rights.

  Moira walked out of his room, and joined Tyler and Sheddi.

  “I use to take down guys every day, but the justice for this one is sugary sweet, thanks, Sheddi.”

  “I just took the pictures. Tyler took the punches.” Sheddi smiled.

  “You almost got choked out by Miss Cleo on steroids,” Tyler said, and looked to Moira. “Is she always this modest?”

  “She’s from Ghana. Modesty is in her blood. I think you need to shake it out of her.”