Out of Control (13 page)

Perry looked around the room and knew he had been out-voted. “Okay, but where will you take him?”

“I don’t know, anywhere but here,” Rain said.

“I have a suggestion,” Glenda offered. All eyes in the room turned to her.

“I’m listening,” Rain said.

“There’s a convalescent home not far from here. The administrator is a friend of ours. You can move him there and he can still get the care he needs.”

Rain looked at Jap and he nodded his head. “Okay. How would we get him there?”

“I’ll call an ambulance,” Glenda said.

Rain took out her phone. “Call three,” she said and dialed a number. “Chance, this Rain. I need a van.”

“Nick was by here last night and he had me outfit three vehicles.”

“What you mean?”

“He said he wanted a van, a car and an SUV all reinforced and with bulletproof glass. After I heard what happened I put a rush on them. The van and the SUV are ready. You want those?”

“Yeah, send the van to Perry’s and I’ll be by later for the SUV.”

“You got it Rain.”

“And Chance. Paint some type of medical supply shit on the side of the van.”

“I’m on it, Rain,” Chance said. “How’s Nick?”

“He’s gonna be fine. You just do what I told you and I’ll see you later,” Rain said and ended the call.

She turned to Jap. “I need you to do something important for me.”

“Whatever you need Rain,” Jap said.

“I need you to protect Nick. I’m trustin’ you with his life. Get as many people as you need. I’m talkin’ ‘bout niggas you know you can trust.”

“I got that handled,” Jap said.

Within the hour, three ambulances pulled up at Perry’s office and each one left under heavy escort in a different direction. Shortly thereafter, Rain and her men left the building and headed for Clay’s Garage. A half-hour later, a medical supply van arrived at the office. Under Jap’s watchful eye, Nick’s body was loaded in the van and headed for the convalescent home. During the trip, Nick opened his eyes and saw Jap. “I’m taking you someplace safe,” Jap said.

“Where’s Rain?”

“I think she’s going to Clay’s Garage to pick up the SUV you ordered. We’re in the van now.”

“I want you to keep an eye on Rain.”

“She wants me to stay with you.”

Nick shook his head. “You make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.”

“Like what Nick, killin’ Wanda?”

Nick didn’t answer.

“Look, once I get you settled I’ll call Rain and tell her not to do anything without checkin’ with you first. But I ain’t leavin’ you,” Jap said defiantly and Nick didn’t argue. He closed his eyes and hoped that Rain wasn’t on her way to kill Wanda.

When Rain arrived at Clay’s Garage, Chance was ready for her. He handed her the keys to a Chevy Suburban. “It’s got double reinforced steel all around and the glass is bullet proof.”

“Thanks,” Rain said and got in the Suburban with Chris Toney.

“Where we goin’?”

“Take me by the club,” Rain said and Chris Toney put the Suburban in drive. Memphis, Donavan and Brandon followed behind them. She was tired, but Rain knew it would be a long time before she could sleep. Right now, she wanted to go by the club to get more guns and ammo. If she got caught in a firefight, she didn’t want to come up empty. Then she searched Nick’s office. “What you lookin’ for?” Memphis asked.

“I know Nick got some flash grenades in here somewhere,” Rain said and looked until she found two. Once she had armed herself, they hit the streets again.

“Where to now?” Chris Toney asked as he drove. Rain didn’t answer and tired to think about what Nick would do. The only thing on her mind was killing Wanda, but she knew that was more for personal reasons so she tried to focus. Then it hit her. “Nick got somebody snitchin’ for him inside Cynt’s.”

“What makes you think that?”

“’Cause he knew we was there last night.”

“Who you think it is?”

“I don’t know.”

“You wanna ride by there, ask some questions?”

“Hell no. We roll up in there now, we gonna end up havin’ to shoot our way outta there.”

“So what you wanna do?”

“I don’t know nigga. Let me think.” Rain thought for a minute. “What about your girl at Grant’s?”

“Yeah, but don’t the same logic apply?”

“Can’t you call her ass and get her to come out?”

“I guess we’ll find out,” Chris Toney said and headed in that direction.

Once they got close to Grant’s, Rain saw something that got her excited. “Drive around the block and park up the street,” she ordered.

Chris Toney parked the car and Rain got out. “Where you goin’?”

“To look at something. You wait here. I’ll be right back.” Rain walked down the street and as she got closer she knew she was right. Parked across the street from Grant’s was the van used to shoot Nick. She recognized the three-bullet holes she had put in it plus the others it got when her and Memphis opened fire.

Rain went back to the Suburban and signaled for the rest of her men to join her. “That’s the van they used to try and kill Nick.”

“What you gonna do?” Donavan asked.

“Brandon, you and Memphis go get me five gallons of gas.”

“What you want gas for?”

“What you think I’ma do? I’ma burn the bitch down. Now go,” she said and thought about the promise she made. She took out her phone and called Jap. She explained what she had found and Jap told her that the doctor had recently given Nick something for pain and he was asleep.

“Don’t wake him up.”

Jap laughed. “I don’t think I could even if I wanted to. That nigga is out cold. So what you gonna do?”

Rain took a deep breath. “I’ma do what needs to be done.” Rain ended the call. “Chris Toney, you stay here and watch. If Grant comes out you call me. Donavan, you’re with me.”

She walked down to the store on the corner and bought four forty ounce bottles of beer and some dishtowels then went back to the Suburban. Rain took a bottle out of the bag, unscrewed the top and began to pour out the contents.

“What you doin’?” Donavan asked.

Rain smiled. “What, you want some?”

“Ain’t no point wastin’ good brew,” Chris Toney said.

“Grab a bottle, but I need them empty.”

“That’s no problem,” Donavan said and turned up the bottle.

“I don’t need you niggas drunk either,” Rain said and with that said Chris Toney and Donavan drunk some and poured out the rest. When Memphis and Brandon returned with the gas, they filled the bottles with gas. “What now?” Brandon asked.

“Now we wait,” Rain said and made herself comfortable.

“You still want me to call Cashmere?”

“No. But when you see her come out, grab her.”

When people started leaving Grant’s, Rain knew that the dancers would be out soon and then she would make her move.

“There she goes,” Chris Toney said and got out. He bought her back to Rain.

“How many men Grant got in there?”

Cashmere looked at Rain and knew what was about to happen. Grant had slapped her around pretty good for some shit she knew nothing about. He deserved whatever he got as far as she was concerned. “Grant’s in there with four of his men.”

“Where are they?” Rain demanded.

Cashmere told Rain where each man was when she left the building and then Rain told her to go. “And you need to forget that this conversation even happened, understand?” Rain said and counted off five hundred-dollar bills.

“What conversation?” Cashmere said and took the money.

Once she was gone, Rain got out of the Suburban and got the pump shotgun out of the back. “What’s the plan?” Chris Toney asked.

“Four of them, four of y’all. It ain’t rocket science. But leave Grant to me.”

Rain approached the door and shot the lock. Then she threw in the flash grenades. Grant and his men were disoriented by the bright light and loud noise from the grenades and were easily picked off one by one.

Grant grabbed his gun and shot back until his gun was empty. Once that happened, he tried to run, but Memphis and Donavan caught him. Rain sat down at a table and they sat Grant at a table with her. “Did Wanda order you to kill Nick?” Rain asked.

“Wait a minute. You think I had something to do with that?”

“The van they used is sittin’ outside.”

“That don’t mean nothing. Somebody is settin’ me up, Rain, I ain’t have nothing to do with it!” Grant yelled proclaiming his innocence. “I know we had our differences, but I swear on my mama’s grave, I ain’t have shit to do with what happened to Nick.”

“Then tell me who did?”

“I don’t know nothing about it!”

“You’re a fuckin’ liar,” Rain said and stood up. She aimed the pump at Grant’s head. “And I hate a fuckin’ liar,” she said and pulled the trigger. “Go get the gas can.”

When Memphis returned with the gas, Rain had him pour half of it around the room and over the bodies. Then took what was left and poured it out around the outside of the building. She returned to the Suburban and got the bottles she’d filled with gas and stuck a dishtowel soaked with gas in each one. Rain lit the towel and threw it inside and watched as the room caught fire before she walked outside and threw the three other bottles at the building.

Rain walked slowly back to the Suburban and got her blonde wig out of her bag. She put it on and turned to her men as a crowd began to form to watch the fire. “Y’all get outta here. I’ll be all right.”

Chris Toney started to argue with her but he knew it would do no good. They got in their vehicles and left Rain standing there. Once they were gone, Rain blended into the crowd and watched as the firemen arrived and put out the fire. After the fire was extinguished, the firemen went in and eventually came out with five body bags.

Rain had hoped Wanda would show up there so she could put one in her head, but she never did. It didn’t matter.

“It’s your move now, bitch,” Rain said and walked away.

Four days had passed since Harry sent word that he was willing to accept their offer and he still hadn’t heard from either Black or Jamaica. It had been quiet and during that time, business had picked up a bit. Harry and Deidra were in their office talking about how strange they thought it was that they hadn’t been contacted. “Just don’t make no sense. None of Jamaica’s men have come tell me nothing,” Harry said.

“I know. And that’s odd ’cause before they killed Dexter they were in here causing trouble every night. Now we get nothing,” Deidra added.

“I would have, at the very least, expected them to send somebody to carry me to this Mike Black.”

“Yeah, so did I.” Deidra was confused and she looked away. At least that’s what she was told.

“What you think we should do, Deidra?”

Deidra looked back at Harry like he was crazy. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Absolutely nothing. We are going to act like none of this ever happened until somebody tells us different.”

“I think I should go round to see him at The Grill.”

“No, Harry, that’s exactly the wrong thing to do. What? Now all of a sudden you in a rush to give them our money? ’Cause I damn sure ain’t in no hurry.”

“It’s not right to make a man wait,” Harry said. He had sacrificed his pride just to make the deal. He thought making him wait was just to further humiliate him.

“Right or wrong, that’s just what were gonna do. We’re gonna sit right here and wait. When they’re ready to get this money they’ll be around. Besides, now that Jamaica’s men ain’t out harassing them, last couple of days, girls been bringin’ in more money. Not like they was, but its better.” She got up and put her arms around Harry. “It’s gonna be all right.”

“I hope so, Deidra. I hope so.”

It would have done Harry no good to go to The Grill looking for Black. He was spending the evening in the company of Jada West at Paraíso. That was the name of the place Black bought for Jada to operate out of. When Jada arrived on the island with eight beautiful women ready to apply their trade, Black knew that he had to get Jada a place that was worthy of both the talent she brought with her and the clientele he knew he could attract.

The day after she got there, Black and Jada were out looking at properties. “You look very nice today, Ms. West,” Black said as he helped Jada in the car.

“Why thank you, Mr. Black.” Jada was wearing a Carolina Herrera Italian Silk Faille off-the-shoulder boat neckline dress with three-quarter sleeves and wide pleated ruffles with Jimmy Choo marble suede and mesh stiletto sandals. They’d been at it for a couple of days and had seen some that they thought were promising and with a little work, would meet their needs. That’s when Jada met Jason Carroll, a local agent. He took them to a five-acre water front estate in the heart of Cable Beach. The minute they saw it, they looked at each other and knew they had found what they were looking for.