Shot in the Dark, page 30
“I’m sorry… I gotta go.” She blinked back tears. “I’m going to help you get out of here.”
She ran her fingers along the chimp’s fingers that clutched the iron bars so tight, then snapped a few more pictures and left the room, locking the door behind her. Now that she’d uncloaked Bannon’s dirty secret of exporting exotic, illegal animals, which alone brought the man millions of dollars each year, she packed up her things in her purse, slung it over her shoulder, and made her way to the back door on the opposite end of the big, dark room. As she was typing in the code to exit, relieved there was no surprise door panel sprung on her at the last minute, she heard footsteps.
FUCK.
This was not the time to make mistakes.
This was not the time to panic.
…But she was. Oh hell, she surely was!
She heard her father’s voice as she struggled to get the code in without making too much noise. COME ON, HONEY!!!! YOU’VE COME TOO FAR TO MESS THIS UP NOW! She heard Archer’s voice. She heard Chasity’s voice. She heard Irish’s voice. The door buzzed, then opened, and in that moment she could hear someone say very faintly, ‘Did you hear that? Was that the door?’
She ran with all she had in her, clutching her bag to her body. Don’t give him any reason to look at those cameras. You can’t afford to be seen!
If she didn’t get to and inside the car before they came to the door and peeked out, and they caught her ass running like an Olympic marathon champion across the lot, she was done for.
She caught sight of the truck and pushed herself all the more, unlocked it and tossed herself inside, then slammed the door closed. She sat in the driver’s seat, her chest rising and falling like torrential ocean waves crashing against a beach. Her body was covered in sweat. Eyes swelling with angry tears born of sadness and pure adrenaline.
Sure enough, the door of the building cracked open, but she was so far across the parking lot, sitting quite a distance away on purpose, there’d be no way they could make her out in that sea of cars. There were too many neighboring businesses that shared the same lot. She just needed to remain perfectly still. A man peered around, looking to and fro, then shrugged and disappeared back inside the building. Filled with relief, she waited a few seconds before starting the engine. She slowly eased out of the parking space and drove off the lot.
About two blocks away from Bannon’s office, she spotted Archer’s decoy car. He gave her a little wave and she smiled at him as she sailed on by. He was about three cars behind her when her phone rang. Before she could say hello, he began to speak.
“I’m proud of you. You really are the shit.” And then, he hung up. That was it.
She tried to push back the emotions that almost drowned her. The poor animals, the door that wouldn’t open, the alarm that was almost set off, her about to get busted leaving the building. Her thighs still burned from the endurance contest she’d just been through. She leaned forward and turned on the radio. ‘Nuthin’ But a G Thang’ by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog was playing. She smiled, then burst out laughing. This had been one of her father’s favorite songs.
“Is this your way of tellin’ me that you’re proud of me as well, Daddy?! I LOVE YOU, TOO! I’m a rebel with a cause because of you, Mr. Brooks. Love you forever, Daddy… Thank you for still always being by my side!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The room was dark and smelled like lavender—the fragrance of the supplies the cleaning crew used in the man’s home. Archer waited patiently, dressed in a blue silk vest over a crisp white shirt, and black dress pants. It was a special occasion after all. A funeral in the making.
The front door to the lavish abode swung open and the big, bold motherfucker noticed his alarm was already off. Disarmed like an extinguished candle. He probably wondered if he’d forgotten to set it before he’d headed out that morning. Billy hurriedly turned on the light to get a closer look. When his back was towards him, Archer cleared his throat. Billy swiveled like a spinning top. Their eyes locked.
Archer was sitting on Billy’s large suede couch, legs crossed, sipping a shot of Whiskey from the man’s supply. His lips curled at the sight of the traitorous fucker standing there, his hand drawing closer to his gun that rested on his hip.
“Ah. Ah. Ah. I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Billy boy.” Archer waved his finger at him. “I’ve got Rita on my right. Jessie on my left. A few of their family members have joined us, too, fully loaded like drunks on a Saturday night. They’ll turn you into a fuckin’ strawberry, all red and full of fucking holes, before you can say a one-word prayer. Amen.”
“What are you doin’ in my house?” Billy barked.
Archer set his drink down and leaned forward.
“Your house? The one I bought you?” He looked around the impressive estate, then rested his gaze back onto Billy. “This house… the house that without me, you wouldn’t have at all?”
“I’ve worked like a dog for you. I earned this house.”
“What you’ve earned, you two-faced, conniving, weaselly, snitchin’, fraudulent ass motherfucker is a bow right through the fucking heart. Now, you sit your ass down if you can.” He pointed in the direction of the loveseat across from him. “Probably even sold that to the highest bidder, too. Everything on you, near you, or a hundred miles from you is for sale, isn’t it?”
Billy’s expression changed to a mix of fear and uncertainty.
“Come on, now! Right across from me.” Archer waved Rita at him, a lovely Smith and Wesson known to have a hair trigger.
Billy made jerky, hesitant movements toward the man, until he got right in front of him.
“Now empty your damn pockets.”
Billy’s complexion deepened as he took out his wallet, slammed it on the table, then his gun.
“The knives, too.”
The man huffed and removed two knives from the inner pocket of his jacket, placing them onto the coffee table and pushing them closer to Archer.
“Guess what, Billy? I’m a psychic! Can you believe it?” He chuckled. “When I looked into my crystal ball, I found out what you’ve been up to. I’ve known since our last lil’ run-in, when you came to my house and tried to boss me around, like you were the supervisor of my life. The head motherfucker in charge. Okay, okay, let me be serious… my crystal ball actually was modern technology. I’m no Sylvia Brown, but I am a damn good judge of character. I didn’t go to sleep until I had things in a way that allowed me to watch you closely. After all, a person like you, who has done what you’ve done, can never—under any circumstances—be trusted.”
“What are you talkin’ about, Archer? I haven’t done anything.” The guy threw up his hands. “Just ’cause you and I haven’t seen eye-to-eye lately doesn’t mean—”
“You can hold it right there. I don’t want to hear any more lies, so let me help you stop in your tracks. Ya see, I’ve had a tracker on your Mercedes, your computer, and your cellphone for a mighty long time. In fact, my sister took care of it upon my request before she went to prison. Just in case. I had hoped I’d never need it. Hope and reality don’t always jive though, isn’t that true, Billy?”
Billy’s nostril flared and his brows rutted.
“I’ve never felt the need to check on you until your current strange behavior. So, let’s cut right to the chase. You’ve been changin’ out of your school clothes and having playdates with Bannon… been enjoyin’ yourself? Y’all play Pickleball and dominoes then drink lemonade and eat bologna sandwiches with mustard?”
“It wasn’t… It wasn’t what you think, or what you might imagine. I’m undercover, Archer. It was my way of tryna fix our relationship, get this bastard out of the way. He’s caused so much damn trouble, I figured you’d be happy once I offed him. You have to believe me.”
“Oh, dear Billy… silly, silly Billy… This ain’t got shit to do with beliefs, but everything to do with what I know. I don’t believe shit about you. I don’t believe shit that comes out of your mouth. But I know everything, and then some.”
“This is crazy! I’ve still been comin’ to work, Archer, doing what you wanted. I just talked to him is all. Asked him not to get in our way, as a favor to you. I was gonna handle him once and for all! All the shit he’s done. Hell yeah. It was time. Anything you heard was just an act! I must’ve been convincing, because you believed that I, of all people, would betray you.”
“Billy now, let’s not go insulting my intelligence. You know that’s a pet peeve of mine. When motherfuckers play dumb, they forever go numb….” Archer ran his hand—the one holding the weapon—over his knee. “The only reason why I didn’t fire you after you made a scene at my house and spit on my fucking handmade kitchen table is because I wanted to wait and see what you’d do after that little stunt. I figured you might lead me to something important. And lo and behold, you did. People show who they really are in the dark, when they think no one can see them. You’ve never been good with keeping your emotions in check, and that’s been your downfall. For the past couple of years, you’ve tried to take over here and there.”
“You’re paranoid. I told you that wasn’t true. I was only trying to—”
“Shut up. You’ve tried to tell me how to run my company. You wanted to be a partner, an equal on paper, but I don’t split anything I created from the ground up. I used the seed money that my father left me, to start my box business. I then used the profits from that business, to do what we do. My father died for that money! I was there by my fucking self, setting up those routes years beforehand. It was me, taking the little money I had to invest in this fucking company. It was me, trying to find a way to employ convicts while also running a legitimate business so my sister and mother, and grandmother at the time while she was still living, would never struggle or want for anything—and they’d have somethin’ to fall back on should I get killed in this business. At least my box company would still be there, and they could run it. Irish needed a job, something for her and my nephew. Keep it in the family.
“That’s why you could never be partner. That was my sister’s spot, and it would be hers as long as she got her gamblin’ under control. I told you that early on, that I wanted to leave a legacy, and even though I wouldn’t make you partner, I treated you like a partner all the same.”
“You could’ve split it three ways!”
“You’re ungrateful and greedy. You got millions of dollars for years, not excluding the perks of free cigars, premium liquor, fine beers, and cigarettes. You took it all for granted. You threw it in my face. Now, you and I both know that you talked to Bannon about my plans, told him my business strategies… but I took it one step further.”
“Further in what?”
“I did something I hate doing in order to get the truth. I started to lie, to see if those lies would pop back up in mysterious ways, and they did. For instance, I made sure you overheard me talking to Edger about some stock trading that an insider let me in on. Only the three of us were in that area of the warehouse. I was giving him some pointers about investing. I later told him not to do it, but I didn’t warn you…”
Suddenly, Billy looked as if he’d swallowed something sharp and jagged. Something that tore him up from the inside out.
“All of a sudden, a bunch of shares were purchased using your company computer—from the very company I encouraged him to invest in. I made mention of some small assets I partook in, too. Same outcome. It was all bullshit, lies, and you fell for the bait. I wanted to see if you were truly paying attention to me while pretending not to. Showing a sneaky hand. Then, I created several fake documents detailing my routes. I had them postdated, as if they’d been written months and years prior, just like the originals. Mixed everything up. Bannon has wanted my route information for years. My ability to keep the crew out of the hands of the cops is truly my greatest achievement in our business.”
“You… you made fake routes?”
“Yup. Fake routes only you saw. Well, Billy, sure enough, someone tried to access the system after I’d already changed the passwords—someone using their employee I.D., but then, I let you get into one document the next day. I knew you’d try again, not believing I’d actually block you from access. I let you get to a doc that was purposefully not password protected. Looked like an oversight. A glitch. Before I knew it, that shit was copied. Put on a thumb drive. All of this is traceable. Every step you took. Every keystroke. You know once Bannon figures that out, he’s going to kill you, right? Those routes are all fast tracks right into the arms of the police. His delivery guys are screwed. All thanks to you.”
They glared at one another. Billy swallowed, then motioned to his jacket pocket.
“May I take out a cigarette?”
Archer cocked his gun and nodded. Billy tapped the cigarette out of the pack, lit it, and leaned back against the loveseat. The only sound was his choppy, heavy breathing, and the hum of the pump in the fish tank.
“All right.” Billy shrugged while a small smoke cloud billowed from between his lips. “You got me. I sold you out. I want to tell you why. Please let me explain before you do anything crazy.”
“I’m sure your version of the truth is riveting.” Archer chuckled.
“Archer, there’s no long, complicated tales to weave, okay? My reasons were earnest, and sensible. Ya killed Tone. A guy who practically worshiped you. You’ve kept a prisoner around and shared secrets with her. This Honey lady shows up outta nowhere, and you put her before everyone else! You put all of us at risk because she had footage and connections that could get us sent away for life. She’s a damn reporter. You haven’t been on your A-game because you’re distracted by a woman. It’s not like it used to be… I was angry.”
“You don’t have the first clue as to what I was doing, and why. The fact that you believe I’d allow just anyone to get that close to me, especially if they hadn’t earned it and proven themselves, is amazing to me. You don’t know me at all. You’ve always had a problem with a lack of foresight. You’ve been trying to impersonate me, but failed miserably, so you resent me for it and have done so for years. I gave you the most important role in my company, and you fucked it up. I would never put my men in peril over pussy. No one, and I mean no one, was at risk of getting made, because let me tell you something—I know this woman, my fiancée, almost better than she knows her own damn self.”
“Your fiancée? What?!”
“Yeah. I’m getting married, and you would have been the best man had you not shown your true colors. You were due for a raise, had you not turned into a Judas. I cared about you like a fucking brother, until I felt the sharp object in my back. You might as well have done it for real, because to me, it felt just the same…” His eyes narrowed on the bastard. “You were jealous. Afraid. Resentful. You and Tone were close… real close.” Billy looked away, breaking eye contact. “Billy, I don’t judge nobody. We like what we like. I don’t give a shit about any of that. I’ve known the truth for a while, without you ever having to a say a word. I saw that you two had something going on.
“That’s your own private business, so I left it alone, but I’m tellin’ you that your feelings for him made your thinking foggy. You were projecting onto me. Pussy didn’t make me lose my mind, but your feelings for Tone, made you lose yours. That makes you volatile. I killed your special friend, your lover, and you wanted my special friend and lover killed, too. My Honey. You wanted me to feel your pain.” Billy dropped his head. “You hated her even more once you realized I was attracted to her… feeling something for her… protecting her from myself even, and from others. This wasn’t about work ethic. This was about truth. I’m not the one living a lie…” Billy looked at him. Darkness. Remorse. Hatred in his eyes. “Just like I had your number for a long time, I knew to not hesitate to get your ass under surveillance, pronto. I trust my gut. I don’t hesitate. I’ve had your back when some of the others talked behind it!”
Archer jumped to his feet, his anger soaring.
“I stood up for you when deep inside of me, I wasn’t certain if I should! But I did it because you were my best friend! You have no idea the kinds of shit people were saying about you at the warehouse! Complaining to me. Telling me that you’re power hungry. A control freak. Disrespectful. A hot head. And what do you do in return for the loyalty I showed you, you son of a bitch? You go and rub elbows with the motherfucker who killed our friend. You get chummy with the guy who put my fuckin’ sister behind bars, and now she can’t see her son, and she can’t get a job to support herself despite her being able to run circles around most other I.T. Security professionals with her damn eyes closed! She’s had a terrible life, and she’s fucked up a lot in that life of hers, but she was good to you, man, and she was always there to help.
“Bannon has cost us men! Had them killed. He has cost us money. He has cost us time. You say you care about the company, but actions speak louder than words. You made an alliance with a maniac whose doctor’s license should have been revoked, but he always manages to slip and slide away from prosecution. He is congenial with far too many politicians. He has his grubby hands in all sorts of cookie jars, all to make a buck from the suffering of others. He’s not a smuggler because he believes in it, like you and me… thinking we’re being overtaxed, and people are bleeding financially due to this greedy ass government of ours. He’s doing it because it’s a big money maker, and he wants in. He was born rich, unlike me and you, and he wants the power and prestige of always havin’ more cash than his neighbor. You and I were supposed to be fightin’ for the workin’ man. The guy that the elite in this country shit on. The one that keeps the lights on, the wars fought, the toilets flushing, the trucks driven, the warehouses up and running, the cement mixed, the cars fixed, the children taught to read and write, the computers blinking, the clothes sewn, the nursing homes clean, the theaters bright, the dinners served—the poor, lower and middle-class, blue-collar man and woman just tryna fucking make it!
