“Oh, hell no,” Glenda said. “I’m just getting ready in case …” Glenda’s voice trailed off.
“In case what?” Yarissa needed to know.
Now that the odds were a little more even, the plan turned to retreat. Jake and his men began shooting their way back to the van. When Porter and Dozier got up from the ground, they started running toward the van as well. Wanda fired and hit Dozier in the back as he ran.
Jake took aim and shot Clinton on his way to the van and he went down. Fish was able to get one of the men with a shot to the head just before he got in the van. Jake shot Fish in the chest and he and his man got in the van.
Rain hopped on one leg to the front of the Tahoe and took aim as Porter ran for the van. She launched another grenade at the van. But since her shoulder was killing her, Rain missed. The grenade hit right in front of Porter and he was blown to bits.
As Jake drove away with the remaining shooter, Rain saw that the cargo van had Truckload Freight Transportation markings on it.
Day Three
Chapter Twenty-two
After spending the night at The Peninsula with Jada, Carmen got up early the following morning and went home. After she showered and changed, Carmen headed back out. Her destination for the day was going to be Ingram International to talk to Winston Darby about the shipping manifests that she found in Richard Castor’s house.
When she was leaving her building, Carmen stopped and looked around. In her current situation, she thought that being a little more aware of her surroundings was a good thing. Not seeing anything or anybody that gave her pause, Carmen stepped into the street to hail a cab. She had been standing there for a minute or two at most as cab after cab passed her by, and Carmen considered driving her own car.
When she glanced down the street to where it was parked, Carmen saw the man that she now knew was her bodyguard sitting in a parked car. She very quickly turned and began walking in the opposite direction. When Carmen saw a bus coming, she knew it would block his view. But only for a second or two, so she had to be ready.
As soon as the bus passed, Carmen dropped behind the cars that were parked along the street. Then she peeked through a car window and watched as he got out of his car and looked around for her. Carmen waited patiently as he looked to his left and then to his right. She laughed when he kicked the tire on the car, before he got back in.
Carmen took that opportunity to rush across the street. From there, it
was easy for her to blend in with her fellow New Yorkers, work her way down the street, and surprise him at his car window.
“Hi.” Carmen said and startled him.
“Hi.”
“Can I get in?”
“Sure,” he said, feeling embarrassed that Carmen could first lose him and then sneak up on him. But her sister, Desireé, didn’t call her Carmen the sneak for nothing.
“Well, I guess introductions are in order.”
He smiled in response.
“You already know who I am, so why don’t you start.”
“My name is Kamau Garner, and for the last two years I’ve been your bodyguard.”
“Kamau,” Carmen paused and rolled it around on her tongue. “That’s a very unique name.”
“It means quiet warrior in Kikuyu.” He smiled when he saw the puzzled look on Carmen’s face. “The Kikuyu are the largest ethnic group in Kenya.”
“Oh. Are you from Kenya?”
“No, I’m from Brooklyn. I was named after my great grandfather; he was born in Kenya.”
“I see,” Carmen said and stared into his intense eyes.
“My friends call me Kay-Gee.”
“No, I think I’d like to call you Kamau,” she said, and a million things ran through her mind, but she had questions, lots of questions that she needed answers to first.
“Okay, Ms. Taylor.”