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Jackie’s heart pounded. “What?”
“You said ‘we’re’.”
“I said, ‘they’re’ not, silly.”
Kid and Jackie talked for hours until the restaurant closed. Her watchdogs had changed shifts and she remained. It was like they didn’t exist. The conversation had long ago shifted from Meek, bombings, and murder. They discussed their likes, dreams, favorite foods, politics, religion, how many children each one wanted, and then Jackie got personal. She wanted to know if Kid got aroused and could perform. She wasn’t wearing a wire so she could speak freely.
“Come back home with me and find out.”
“I might sneak out tonight. Just keep your window unlocked.”
“There you go again with the might.”
“Well, being definitive is boring. I like teetering the fine line of uncertainty.”
35
Several NYPD officers, including Emergency Service Units, converged onto the Bushwick property with their guns drawn, ready for anything that came their way. Their daunting toys were out to play—including the battling ram clutched by one officer—and they were there to execute a no-knock warrant on Papa John’s last known address. His baby mama Tina stayed there with her kids.
The sudden police activity outside the front door alerted the neighbors, and they stood there in awe to watch the show. The front door came crashing open, and hordes of cops rushed into the building with their guns pointing everywhere.
Tina and the kids were startled by the sudden disruption. It was early in the morning and she was getting them ready for school. The heavy police presence inside her home halted her plans, and she found herself under siege. They started to ask questions, but she had no idea where her baby father was at. She hadn’t seen him in weeks. They were aggressive with threats to her, but she was clueless as to his whereabouts.
“He shot his own father,” they exclaimed.
Tina didn’t want to believe it. But they were inside her home for a reason, scaring her children, including Papa John’s autistic son.
They made no arrest and left her home a mess. The minute they were out of her sight, Tina hurried to a neighbor friend and used her phone to warn Papa John.
***
Papa John had to go deeper into hiding, fearing arrest and incarceration. The Kid assured him that everything would be okay. He had a plan for them all. He had the perfect method to collect three million from Meek without endangering his crew.
Time was winding down for Maserati Meek. The Kid was ready to make the call and give him the location to meet. His parents were still tied up and being held prisoner in New Jersey. Shahib Abu Mudada and his wife continued to be beaten and tortured by Devon. When Papa John and Kid walked into the basement, the couple almost looked unrecognizable. Asma’s face was completely swollen and bleeding. She was chained to a concrete pillar. She had been completely broken. Her husband was also in very bad shape. For fun, when he was alone with Shahib, Devon had severed his right hand, despite what The Kid had instructed him.
“What the fuck you do to them?” The Kid barked.
“What? They still alive, ain’t they?”
The Kid stared at Shahib and his wife and shook his head in disgust. They were barely alive. He needed to take a picture of the couple and send it to Meek for proof of life. He took a picture of Shahib’s face and made a quick video recording. It was immediately sent to the burner they’d sent to Maserati Meek.
“We need to go. It’s almost payday,” The Kid announced.
Devon and Papa John smiled. They exited the abandoned building, climbed into a van, and drove toward the Bronx.
***
The next morning Agent Moore held a conference with her fellow agents and her superiors. She debriefed the whole room on the intel she had gotten from Kid Kane. Most of what he had to say they knew, but the candid talk had filled in the blanks.
“Are you sure he’s not involved in any way?” Special Agent Hanks, her supervisor had asked.
“He’s not. This guy isn’t involved, and he’s told me everything he knows. He’s terrified. Once we build a case against Akar Mudada we could call him to help corroborate a few loose ends. He’s connected Jessica Hernandez and Mudada, AKA Maserati Meek. Seems a local officer has been looking into Jessica Hernandez too with connection to the bombing, but he is clueless as to who sanctioned the explosions. He’s working with a few of our agents, but I want the credit. This is my case.”
***
Kid was sitting in the window when two unmarked federal vehicles pulled up in front of his home. This was it. They finally had enough to arrest him. He was glad that Eshon was out shopping and hoped that she wasn’t on their radar. He assumed that they had already picked up Devon and Papa John. For a split second he wanted to call them and warn them but knew that his phone would be confiscated and didn’t want to lead them to his friends. Thinking quickly, he took out the phone’s SIM card and flushed it.
The hard knock on the door was reminiscent of better days when Kip was alive. Kid wheeled himself to the door to see Jackie with her identifiable law enforcement gear and two male coworkers. Kid opened the door and wheeled himself backwards.
