Chapter Thirty-two
The larger of the two Irish henchmen scanned the area left to right as the black Suburban cruised down the downtown Portsmouth strip, while his partner played a game on his phone. He peered over at his colleague, whose fingers were moving a mile a minute, and shook his head. The information given to them by their boss led them to the unfamiliar area. For the past few days they had been patrolling the area to no avail.
“Hey look.” The Irish henchman pointed to the left side of the street. The passenger looked up from his phone. Josh stopped what he was doing in the back seat also.
“What?” He was in the middle of sending a text message and wasn't paying attention. He hadn't even realized that they had come to a stop.
“Isn't that one of them?” the driver asked. He was pointing out the window to someone across the street. “Isn't it?” This time he tapped his partner on the shoulder.
The hit forced the passenger to stop, follow the direction of the driver's finger, and take notice of the same thing that he had. “I'm not sure,” he said with hesitation.
“Well, be sure!” Joshua Black slapped the passenger upside the back of his head. He was now on full alert.
The passenger scrunched his neck from the sting of the blow. He flung around and shot Joshua a murderous look, but he knew better than to do anything other than just shoot looks. He knew exactly what Joshua Black was capable of. That's why they were driving him around and not the other way around.
“Is there a problem?” Joshua Black asked stone-faced.
The driver was trying to get his partner's attention to give him a look of reason. But the passenger knew. He cleared his throat. “No, not at all, Josh.” His words came out a little choppy. “Let me see if I can see her better with this.” He turned his camera phone in the direction that his partner had pointed and slid the slide to zoom in.
Joshua Black squinted to try to zero in on the female figure.
“I think it is.” The passenger nodded his head. “Yeah, I think so. But I don't know. I'm not sure. Where's the picture? Let me see the picture.” He stared at the picture. Both Joshua and the driver kept their eyes on the figure until the passenger confirmed. They watched the female figure seem to be going back and forth with another woman.
The passenger still was unsure. He decided to snap a picture to send to Sammy Black for confirmation. The men watched while waiting for a reply.
“Holy shit!” the driver chimed.
“Yeah, that's her,” Joshua followed up with.
They watched as the female figure drew a gun on the driver of the Hyundai. A half a minute later a text came through his phone. “He said pick her up.”
Joshua Black nodded. It took everything in him not to jump out and end her right then and there. Instead they continued to watch from a safe distance as the scene played out across the street.
“Look at this shit right here.” The sight surprised the passenger.
Seconds later, the Hyundai had pulled off and so did who they were watching.
“Follow her,” Joshua said.
Once the bike zoomed off they pulled out behind it. The driver made sure that he kept back by several car lengths.
“Don't lose her at the light.”
“I'm not.”
The light turned red just before the bike reached the white line. The two men watched Baby plant her feet on the ground.
“You want to get her now?” the driver asked Joshua Black. He waited for Joshua's response, looking at him through his rearview mirror.
“What you gonna do. Knock her off the bike?”
“Why not?”
“Not yet.” Joshua shook his head. “Wait until she gets on the highway.”
The driver frowned disappointedly. He didn't agree with Joshua's decision but he knew he had to abide by it. When the light turned green, he waited until Baby drove onto the ramp leading to the interstate. He continued to trail Baby from a safe distance. Minutes later, she veered off onto the next exit.
“Slow down,” Joshua instructed him. He felt they were getting too close to Baby. The last thing he wanted was to tip her off to their presence. The driver did as he was instructed. Joshua saw the left blinker of Baby's motorcycle light up. “Okay, go for it,” he announced abruptly. It was either now or never, he thought. The path she had turned down had given them the break and opportunity they needed.
The driver smiled devilishly. He scrutinized their surroundings. It was filled with mostly trees that stood in front of houses that sat back away from the main road. The lights were few and far between and it seemed like they were the only living beings out at that time of night. It seemed to be the perfect moment. Baby didn't seem to be paying much attention to them or anything else for that matter. They noticed that she was deliberately making the shape of the letter S with the bike.
The driver floored the SUV. “Look at this bitch; she don't even hear us coming.” The driver was excited and ready to put Baby down. He gunned the engine. Within seconds the Suburban's speed had hit eighty.
“Come on, come on. Hurry up before she do.”
“Fuck, look.”
“Yeah, she seen you. Hit it.”
The gas pedal of the SUV was now to the floor. This drew them closer to Baby.
Baby attempted to speed up again. The roar of the SUV's engine had come out of nowhere. She was in such a zone that she was oblivious to it until it was right up on her. By the time she could react, it was too late. They had already closed in on her.
She did, however, manage to retrieve her gun from her waist.
The front of the Suburban just barely tapped the back tire of the bike. That one tap caused Baby and the bike to tilt to one side. The jerk caused her weapon to fly out of her hand. Baby attempted to regain control of the bike to no avail. The back wheel was already into a full slant. The sound of it rolling across the tar was only heard by them and the trees. The metal began to scrape itself along the pavement, along with Baby's left leg and arm. The bike kept moving with no regard to her being pinned under its weight. The only thing that stopped it was the curb that it hit.
“Damn, she probably fucked up,” the driver announced.
“You better hope she not dead,” the passenger stated. “Or you will be,” he continued with a chuckle.
“Go check on her,” Joshua Black demanded. He found no humor in the matter.
The two men jumped out of the car and ran over to where Baby lay. They knew that they had to be quick. So far there had been no one on the road but they didn't know how long their luck would last.
The driver stood over Baby. He bent down and felt her neck. “She alive.” The driver was relieved. He did not want to face the wrath of Sammy Black and lose his life over a mishap.
“You lucky,” the passenger confirmed his thoughts.
“Whatever, let's get her up.” The driver lifted the bike, while the passenger pulled Baby from under it. “Roll that shit over into the grass so no one can see it.”
Baby was out cold. The left side of her body was completely scraped up and bloody.
“Come on, man, let's go. Go open the truck.”
The driver ran back to open the truck. They tossed Baby in the back.
Joshua Black turned and peered back at the trunk of the SUV. He watched as the two Irish henchmen worked together to bind and gag Baby. “So, this is one of the niggers who robbed our family and killed my uncle,” he stated more than asked. Still the two henchmen nodded as they secured Baby.
Once they were back in the SUV, the passenger grabbed his phone from the seat. “Sammy texted me back. Said he wants us to meet him at the pub.”
Joshua Black nodded. He figured that's where his cousin would want to handle the matter.
How appropriate,
thought Joshua Black, knowing what the pub signified. “Yeah, let's go,” Joshua Black instructed them.
He sat back and closed his eyes. As the SUV navigated back to the highway, Joshua Black prepared himself to get ready to do what he was known for and best at.
Chapter Thirty-three
Arthur Love stood listening as the young black cashier replayed the tape for him and Andre Randle. “And then what?” Arthur Love asked. He had yet to jot down anything pertinent on the notepad he held in his hand.
“Nothing really. After she purchased a couple sodas and some snacks, she left.”
“Was she alone?”
“Yes.”
“What was she driving?”
“She was on a motorcycle,” the young cashier replied.
Arthur Love nodded. It sounded like Baby to him. “What made you call the police?”
“Well, I recognized her from the poster you guys had been passing around to local businesses.” The young kid cleared his throat. “And the reward money really caught my eye.”
Arthur Love raised his eyes from the notepad to the young cashier. Andre Randle let out a light chuckle. He respected the kid's honesty.
“We'll get to that if the information you provide pans out. So, what else happened?” Arthur Love continued.
The young cashier nodded. He was already leery about snitching for money, so he didn't want to press the issue. “She and another woman exchanged words in the parking lot.”
“Did it result in an incident?” Arthur Love questioned.
“No, not nothing physical.” The young black cashier paused. “But the girl did pull out a gun.” He began chewing on his fingernails after he spoke.
“Which girl?” Randle jumped in for the first time.
The young cashier looked at him and then back at Love as if he was seeking approval to answer the question. Love flashed a grin and nodded. Randle fought back his laughter.
“The one you lookin' for,” he replied. “That's what made me pay close attention to her. When she pulled the gun,” he added.
Arthur Love wrote down a few notes for the first time. “What happened next?”
“I called and spoke with a Detective Bellini.”
A look of disdain appeared across Arthur Love's face. The mention of Neiko Bellini caused the hairs on the back of his neck to rise. He maintained his composure still. “I mean before you contacted the police, what else happened?”
“Oh. That was pretty much it,” the young cashier stated. “After she pulled that gun, the girl she was arguing with got back in her car and pulled off.”
“You know which direction she went?” Randle asked.
“That way.” The young cashier pointed to the left of him.
“Thanks.” Love closed his notepad. “Anything else you can think of?” he then asked.
“Um . . .” The young cashier put his hand under his chin and looked to the ceiling as if it knew something he couldn't remember.
They were both growing annoyed with the cashier's slow-motion rendition of seeing Baby at the store. They did not want to pry but at the same time no one had time to stand there and pull teeth to get information that should have been flowing freely. They both hoped the trip would provide some valuable information that would lead them in the right direction of finally bringing Treacherous and Baby in.
Arthur Love pulled out his business card. As far as he was concerned, the interview was over. “If you can think of anything else, give me a call.” He handed the young cashier the card then made an about face.
“Thanks. We will be in touch.” Andre Randle nodded before doing the same.
“Kids these days.” Arthur Love shook his head once outside the convenience store.
Andre Randle laughed and nodded in agreement. Arthur Love reached for the unmarked car door's handle. As soon as he got in the car and placed the key in the ignition, his cell phone rang.
“Hello, Detective Love here,” he answered. He was met with a distorted sound and commotion on the other end of the receiver. He looked at the phone then placed it back up to his ear. This time, he heard voices.
“Hello?” Arthur Love boomed into the phone. His voice became more aggressive.
“What's wrong?” an alarmed Andre Randle asked.
Arthur Love threw up his hand to silence his partner. “Hello?” he repeated. “Hello! Is someone there?” Arthur Love questioned. His frustration was apparent.
Randle watched as Arthur Love became irate behind the call he'd received. The call ended and Arthur Love punched the steering wheel.
“What's the matter?” Randle was eager to know.
Arthur Love looked over at his friend. He sighed then took a deep breath. “I'll tell you in a minute,” he promised. He scrolled through his phone until he reached the station's number.
“Yeah, this is Detective Love,” he informed the dispatcher on duty. “I need to get a trace on a call.”
Andre Randle sat on the passenger side shaking his head. It was killing him not to know what was going on.
“Okay, gimme a sec.” Arthur Love pulled out his notepad and pen. He scribbled the address down given to him by the dispatcher. “Got it, thanks.” He ended the call.
“So you wanna tell me what's going on?” Andre Randle wasted no time asking.
Arthur Love inhaled then exhaled. “I think that was my daughter,” he confessed.
The look on Andre Randle's face was indescribable. “Who? What? How?” Andre Randle rambled. For some reason, he could not put his words together. He was just as surprised to hear who the caller was as Arthur Love was to be receiving the call.
“I think she's in trouble,” he offered.
Andre Randle frowned. He knew there was only one person who could have Arthur Love's daughter. “You got an address?” he asked. He could see the pain written all over Arthur Love's face.
Arthur Love nodded.
“Well, let's go get her then.” Andre Randle placed a reassuring hand on Arthur Love's shoulder.
“Yeah.” Arthur Love nodded approvingly. “Let's go get her.”
His words lingered in the air as he threw the unmarked car into drive and sped out of the parking lot.