“How the hell do you know Trent?”
“Nevermind that, do you know anything about his whereabouts?”
“No, and he was supposed to meet me today. What’s going on?”
“You didn’t kill him?”
“No! I just told you, now what the hell is going on?”
“Tony Trent is a DEA agent named Steve Szabo, and Steve Szabo is a friend of mine.”
“Trent is DEA? Hell, I should have figured. I mean I like him, and I don’t like anyone else I have to deal with.”
Tyler grew quiet and thought for a moment.
“Darnell Hopkins,”
“Who’s Darnell Hopkins?”
Tyler chuckled. “He’s the king of Detroit,”
***
Detroit, July 1992
Darnell Hopkins hissed anxiously as he watched the dog darting in and out of traffic on Woodward Avenue. The teenager had spotted the dog when a flurry of horns caused him to turn around.
The dog, barely more than a puppy, was trailing a leash behind him, and when a car rolled over it, the frightened dog would yelp in pain as the collar around its neck jerked it backwards.
“Bruiser! Oh God, baby come here!”
The words came from a girl standing across the street, just off the curb, and when Darnell spotted her, he forgot all about the dog.
The girl was tall, with golden brown skin two shades lighter than his own. Her curly hair fell past her shoulders, and her wrists and neck glistened with gold. It was a summer day in the city, and so she was dressed in a pair of red shorts with a white, sleeveless top. Darnell took in her shapely legs and full breasts, but when his eyes fell upon her face, he was instantly in love.
The sound of the screeching horn, followed by the heart-rending yelp, shook him from his trance and he saw that the dog was now lying in the middle of the avenue, a crimson streak at its hindquarters. The girl fell to her knees and began crying, as Darnell rushed out into traffic.
More horns blared as he ran towards the injured dog and he was nearly run over twice, but he reached the dog, cradled it in his arms, and waited for a chance to carry it to the girl.
When nearly a minute passed without relief, he looked down at the whimpering hound and saw that it was bleeding badly from a nasty cut on its side.
His patience at an end, Darnell shifted the dog fully into the crook of his left arm, and with his right hand, he took out his gun.
KaPow! KaPow! KaPow!
He fired three shots into the sun-softened street tar and then pointed the weapon at the driver of a blue Honda Civic. The man driving the car came to a sudden stop that caused him to slide right and block the other lane, in which a Ford with a wire hanger antenna slammed on its brakes and ran into the rear corner of a parked car.
With the traffic on that side of the avenue at a standstill, the girl was able to reach him, and she did so, to take her dog from his arms as she cried.
“Oh Bruiser, oh baby,”
Darnell, even at sixteen, was a veteran of the streets and had long ago stopped being nervous around girls, but when he looked into the crying eyes of the girl holding the dog, he found he had to swallow before speaking.
“The dog needs a vet, how far is the nearest one?”
The girl sniffled.
“It’s all the way down the other end of the avenue.”
Darnell raised the gun again and aimed it at the face of the Honda driver, who already had his hands up.
“Out of the car, now!”
The man bolted from the car so quickly that he fell on his hands and knees.
Darnell ignored him as he climbed in the car, and then looked out the windshield to find the girl still standing there.
“Get in. Your dog can’t wait.”
The girl hurried over, sat in the seat with the dog held tight in her arms, and then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
“Thank you.”
Darnell smiled and floored the gas pedal.
“I’m Darnell, what’s your name, girl?”
“Naomi Dawkins.”
Darnell stared at her. There was only one Dawkins in his world, and that was Tyrese Dawkins, the leader of the gang in which Darnell was a lowly foot soldier.
“You Tyrese’s daughter?”
“Yeah, you know daddy?”
“No, but I’m in the gang.”
“I know that, I could tell by your colors, oh wait, there’s the vet on the right.”
He dropped the girl off at the front door of the vet’s office and drove the car two blocks away, where he parked it at the rear of a diner. He wiped it down after checking it for valuables, and then ran back to the vet’s.
When he went inside, he was surprised to find Naomi standing by the reception desk, crying, and still holding the dog.
“Why ain’t they take the dog yet?”
“The vet said that Bruiser’s too injured to fix; he wants to put him to sleep.”
“That dog ain’t that bad off, he just needs that cut stitched and some medicine. Where’s the doctor?”
The receptionist spoke then, she was an older black woman with a compassionate face.
“There’s a veterinarian on Wyoming Street that will treat your dog, and he’ll be much cheaper.”
“Lady, the dog don’t need cheaper, he needs help, and right now.”
The woman checked the door leading into the back, then leaned forward and whispered.
“He doesn’t think you can pay.”
“Why, because we’re black?” Darnell shouted, and the man seated behind him holding a poodle moved to the far corner.
“Get that asshole out here right now.”
“Sir, please, just leave,”
“What’s going on?”
The voice came from the doorway, where a ruddy-faced man in a white smock was standing.
“You the vet?”
“Yes.”
“Then treat this damn dog,”
“As I explained to the young lady—” the man began, and Darnell’s hand flew to his pocket.
Naomi’s eyes grew wide. “Darnell no!”
When Darnell’s hand reappeared, it was clenching a wad of bills. He tossed several hundred dollars onto the reception desk.
“Fix the fuckin’ dog!”
The doctor frowned, then stared at the bills as if he were counting them. Afterwards, he spoke to the woman at the desk, as he took Bruiser from Naomi’s arms.
“Angela, please start a file for this young lady.”
“Yes sir.”
“I’ll do the best I can for your dog.”
“Word,” Darnell said,
As they sat together waiting, Naomi reached over and took Darnell’s hand.
“I thought you were gonna shoot his stupid ass.”
Darnell laughed, even as he enjoyed the touch of her hand.
“Guns are good, but money is real power, you know?”
“I know something even better than that.”
“What?”
“This,” Naomi said, and kissed him on the lips.
***
Naomi’s dog was going to be fine, but needed to stay at the veterinarian overnight.
To thank him, Naomi insisted that Darnell come home with her to stay for dinner and to meet her father.
Darnell had seen Tyrese Dawkins many times but had never spoken to him; he was too far down the food chain for that.
As they walked in the door, a man greeted them. He was a few years older than Darnell and wore a suit; beneath the jacket was a shoulder rig with a silver gun. He was Darnell’s height, but wider, and his face was marred by past battles.
“Hi Mr. Brown, is my father in?”
Brown smiled at Naomi warmly, and then eyed Darnell with suspicion.
“I remember you leaving here with a dog, Naomi, but I don’t remember it being such a mutt.”
Darnell sent the man a “Fuck you.” look, and the man smiled.
“I’m just playing with you, brother
, and no honey, your daddy’s not here, but he’ll be back soon.”
Naomi took Darnell by the hand.
“C’mon, we’ll wait in Daddy’s office.”
Mr. Brown called to Darnell.
“Hey, brother, don’t go getting too comfortable.”
Darnell stared back at him.
“You talking about the office?”
Mr. Brown’s eyes slid to Naomi, and then back to Darnell.
“I think you know what I mean.”
“We understand each other.”
“Yeah,” Brown said, “I think we do.”
***
The Present
Tyler adjusted the binoculars and then passed them across to him.
They were downtown, on West Grand Boulevard, lying side by side atop a roof and looking down on the Fisher Theatre, as the patrons gathered outside.
“On the left, near the curb, the couple talking with the mayor,”
“Is the mayor the short, black man with the afro?”
“Yeah, and Darnell and Naomi Hopkins are right in front of him.”
He gave the binoculars a final adjustment, and the couple seemed to be standing directly before him. Darnell Hopkins was six-foot-two with an athletic build and a handsome face. He was dressed in a tuxedo and the watch on his wrist cost more than most automobiles.
He shifted the binoculars slightly to the right and zeroed in on Naomi. She wore a dazzling display of diamond jewelry, which came in second to her face. She was as beautiful a woman as he had ever seen and she and Darnell had their arms locked together, as their bodies touched at the sides.
“The mayor looks as if he’s pleading for something.”
“He probably is, money for next year’s campaign, Darnell Hopkins could make or break him, him or any other politician in the city.”
“He’s that powerful?”
“Yes, and it’s not just money and influence, Darnell and Naomi have done more for the poor in this city than all the politicians combined. He and his wife fund over a dozen shelters and food kitchens, and his building projects employ hundreds. He bought up tremendous amounts of distressed properties for pennies on the dollar and his investment firm will make him a billionaire someday.”
“Investment firm? A gangbanger with an investment firm?”
“Hopkins started as a gangbanger but he was far too smart to ever stay one. Hopkins Investment Corporation is more than a cover for his drug business; it’s his passion, that and his wife.”
“I can understand the wife, she’s beautiful,”
“And deadly, she grew up in the drug world, and she got her hands dirty more than once to help her husband’s rise to the top.”
“And you think that he knows where Szabo is?”
“I have no doubt, and if he doesn’t know, he can definitely find out.”
He thought for a moment, and as he did, he scanned the theatre crowd.
“I count four bodyguards including the limo driver,”
“Right, there are two in a tail car and one plus the driver, but you better make that six, Darnell and Naomi count too.”
“If we do this, it will start a war, won’t it?”
“There’s one coming anyway. It’s what I’ve been working towards all year; still, I wanted to lay a bit more groundwork before it began.”
“What’s your plan?” he asked Tyler.
“Attack them as they return home. Hit them hard, fast, and... do what we need to in order to get Darnell to talk.”
He rubbed his chin, thinking again,
“What if we could do it without bloodshed?”
“How?”
“I have access to certain resources... federal resources.”
Tyler turned his head and stared at him.
“Are you CIA?”
“Not exactly,”
“Interesting, but what did you have in mind?”
***
He stood in the middle of the street, watching, as the limo grew closer.
In his hands was a semi-automatic grenade launcher. The specialized rifle held four rounds of gas grenades and was effective at a range of about a thousand feet. It had been delivered to him with seven rounds, but he used three of them while learning to use it effectively.
The limo was traveling at forty miles an hour, that meant that it would be upon him seconds. When it came close enough for him to see the driver’s outline, he stared into the laser sight and fired a round at the vehicle’s hood.
The heavy shell passed through the car’s hood with ease and embedded itself in the engine, then the plum of gas erupted and the car began to slow.
The vehicle that had been following behind stopped hard and the two men inside came out.
There was the Rata Tat Tat of a machine pistol, and the two bodyguards fell to the ground, allowing Tyler to step in and take their weapons, before binding their wrists.
A car approached from the opposite direction, and he took out a handgun and fired a shot into the air. Whoever was driving received the message and hung a U-turn before speeding away.
The shell embedded in the limo’s engine was leaking gas into the passenger compartment, and the driver emerged holding a gun, while coughing.
Tyler shot the man twice in the back just as two more grenades entered the hood, and enveloped the car in a fog. Three more forms emerged from the Limo and two of them promptly fell to the ground, the third one, the one that was Darnell Hopkins, charged at him while firing a pistol.
The three shots went wide, and Darnell at last succumbed and crumpled to his knees, and then his back, as the gun fell from his hand.
He walked over and stared down at the man through the lens of the gas mask, and saw eyes filled with hate.
Tyler ran over to him as the eyes finally closed shut.
“Did he hit you?”
“No, not even close,” he said, and then he grabbed Darnell under the arms and lifted him onto his shoulder.
“I thought that gas was supposed to knock them out quick?”
“Not all men were created equal,”
“Yes, so I’ve noticed,” Tyler said.
“What about the other bodyguards?”
“They’re cuffed, but are you sure about those rubber bullets? One of them looks to be in bad shape. I think his arm is broken.”
“Still, it’s better than being dead.”
“And better than they deserve,” Tyler said, as he opened the back door of a van.
***
Naomi felt the tug at her neck, but the fog in her head was dissipating slowly, and it was a struggle just to open her eyes.
When they did open, she recoiled in shock at the knife in her face, and realized that she was being robbed.
“Darnell?”
“Shut up bitch, and give me that bracelet too.”
As she undid the catch of her diamond bracelet, Naomi studied the thief. He was young, black, not yet twenty, and was missing two teeth in the front. When she heard a sound behind her, she looked back to see another boy glaring down at her, but this one had more than a lust for diamonds in his eyes.
“This bitch is bangin’ man, why don’t we fuck her too?”
“I just want this jewelry; do you know how much this shit is worth?”
“We already got the jewelry, now I want something else.”
A moan came from the left, and Naomi saw the chauffeur, Tyrone, begin to stir, as the effects of the gas wore off.
“Let’s go! These other bitches are starting to wake up.”
The second thief stared down at Naomi as he grabbed his genitals through his jeans.
“You would have liked it.”
The two thieves moved away just as Tyrone sat up.
“Shit, what happened?”
“Give me your gun.”
Tyrone looked at Naomi blankly for a moment, but then reached under his jacket.
“It’s not here, oh wait, it’s over there.”
Naomi followed Tyrone’s gaze and
saw the gun lying just beneath the limo. She grabbed the weapon, stood up, and took aim at the departing thieves.
The gun held fifteen rounds and she fired all but one, then, she strode past the two bound bodyguards from the second car to walk over and stare down at the thieves.
The first thief, the one with the gap in his teeth was dead, but his amorous partner still survived with two wounds in his back, and he gazed up at Naomi with a look of pure dread.
She aimed the gun at his crotch.
“Oh, don’t worry; you’re going to like it.”
As the sound of the final shot dissipated, the limo driver reached her side.
Naomi turned to look at him with eyes blazing.
“Get my husband back, and kill anyone who touched him.”
CHAPTER 3
He and Tyler were inside an abandoned house in a city that was all but abandoned itself.
There were no streetlights on outside, just empty shells, the valuable cooper wiring that once powered them had been stolen long ago, along with the wiring in the home’s walls.
Ski masks covered their faces, with only their eyes and mouths visible, and their only source of illumination was a single battery-powered lantern that sat on the floor.
Darnell Hopkins was propped up in a metal chair with his ankles and left hand cuffed to it. Beside him, sitting atop an overturned trashcan was a satellite phone.
Darnell’s eyes fluttered, but then opened fully and he looked at both of them carefully before speaking.
“If my wife is dead, I’ll kill you and everything you love.”
He gestured towards the phone.
“Call her.”
Darnell picked up the phone and dialed, when he heard his wife answer, he smiled.
They let him talked for nearly a minute and then took the phone away.
“Naomi tells me that no one was killed, and that you used rubber bullets.”
“We did that to prove that this isn’t an act of war, we’re hoping that you can see that.”
“You want something and you want me to give it to you, what is it?”
“It’s a who,” Tyler said. “Tony Trent,”
Darnell’s eyebrows rose up.
“Trent wouldn’t be valuable enough to anyone to go through all this, that is, unless he’s not really Tony Trent. He’s DEA, isn’t he?”
“That doesn’t matter, what matters is his safe return,” he said.
The TAKEN! Series - Books 9-12 (Taken! Box Set Book 3) Page 10
