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  Machumu found herself sitting at the beauty salon getting the full works: hair, manicure and facial. She was having a ball, indulging in the ladies’ talk and listening to the music. It had been awhile since she treated herself to a woman's day out. But if Li'l Will was going to be all depressed, she was about to start treating herself more often.

  Someone had entered the salon and caused everyone to stop talking. Machumu couldn't see who it was because of the cucumbers over her eyes, but when the woman spoke, her voice was undeniable.

  “Hello, Machumu. Welcome to Valaire, one of my humble and humbling establishments,” Renika said, using her professional tone of voice.

  Machumu couldn't resist taking the cucumbers from over her eyes. It took a few seconds for her eyes to readjust to the brightly-lit salon. When they did, Renika, surrounded by three of her personal bodyguards, was standing directly in front of the station she was at.

  “How are you feeling, Renika?” asked Machumu.

  “Alicia, take ten,” Renika demanded.

  The young Asian woman walked off from the station without hesitation. Machumu noticed how fast she had obeyed her employer. “I see you have respect amongst your employees,” Machumu said.

  “Call it what you want to. My employees get paid whether they show up to work or not.” Renika replied.

  Her comment caused Machumu to take a good look around her for the first time since coming to Valaire. Every employee's body posture was the same as the bodyguards with her husband's daughter. “Dammit, man. I've been coming to a lion's den all along. Nice,” Machumu stated.

  “Yeah, it can use some improvements.” Renika replied while surveying the salon. Everything was actually on point. There were twenty stations, all of which were one stop shops. You could get the hairstyle you wanted while getting a manicure and facial. Not to mention there was music, television, and a mini bar.

  “Looks pretty laid to me,” Machumu replied. She was a regular customer when she did treat herself.

  “Thanks. Enjoy your day,” Renika said and walked away, followed by her bodyguards.

  Machumu placed the cucumbers back over her eyes as she saw Alicia returning to the station. She sighed, trying to relax. But it was kind of hard, knowing she was surrounded by undercover killers.

  ***

  Li'l Will was sitting on the front porch smoking a blunt when his mother and the rest of the family came back from church. As always, Ruby was fired up. If nothing else got her to moving, a good church sermon always did the trick.

  “Son, you missed a great sermon today. The reverend was filled with the Holy Spirit,” his mother said. She looked at him, and could tell something was wrong. “Willie James, what's wrong with you?”

  He took a deep drag and exhaled slowly. “Uncle James and DeQuan told me to tell you they love you. I sent them $300 apiece.”

  Dee, Li'l Bee, and his youngest daughter, Tara, tired from sitting for hours and eating so much food, walked on inside of the house, speaking as they passed by Li'l Will. His mother sat down beside him, holding her pocketbook in her lap.

  “Well, that was very nice of you. Those jokers should be coming home in a few months.”

  Li'l Will nodded. “Yup. Seven months, to be exact,” he reminded his mother before puffing on the blunt again.

  “Who was it, that heathen wife or my granddaughter?” asked Ruby.

  Li'l Will tried to hit the blunt again, but it had gone out. He sat the roach in the ashtray while saying, “A combination. By the way, Renika left today, and I don't think she is coming back again.”

  His mother could hear the hurt in his voice. She stood up. “Well, Willie James, count your many blessings. She's in good hands with the Lord. She's right to feel the way she feels.” Ruby patted him on the shoulder. “Mama going to let you sit out here and figure out what you need to do. Whatever you deicide, just think about your family.” She walked on into the house.

  Once the front door closed, Li'l Will picked up the blunt roach out of the ashtray and fired it back up. His mind was really blank when it came to trying to reconcile with his oldest daughter. He knew it had to be done, but at the moment, it wasn't happening.

  Chapter Nine

  Nicole was up early the next morning. She skipped breakfast and did not have the usual conversation with her husband before she decided how she was going to spend her day. She already knew. She grabbed the miniature size touchscreen cellphone out of her personal safe and the keys to the Range Rover and started towards the front door.

  “Where you headed?” she heard Mark ask from behind her.

  Nicole spun around on her heels wearing a serious facial expression. “Where does it look like I'm going?” she replied sarcastically.

  By the looks of her, Mark could tell Nicole's outing was all business. She had on a forest green Ralph Lauren women's pantsuit with the six inch heels to match. “Have a safe business trip, luv,” Mark said before kissing her on the lips.

  She smiled. “I will. Just be ready to put me back in the mood your kiss just sparked when I get home,” she replied before turning around and walking off.

  As Nicole got behind the wheel of the Range Rover, the phone rang. She checked her personal phone first. Seeing it wasn't ringing, she immediately took out the miniature touchscreen cellphone. The screen was lit up with an incoming call that she answered after typing in the password.

  “Hello?” Nicole said politely.

  “Hi, my friend. It's Oman Jharez. I'm calling on the behalf of Valaire Perfecto,” he replied in a serious tone of voice.

  Nicole pulled out of the driveway. She waited until she was off of the premises to Bluetooth the phone where she could set it down and hear him through the speakers inside of the vehicle.

  “Oh, hi Oman. I see you made it to safety. What do you have for me?” she said.

  “Type in the code I'm about to send you via message. A road map will pop up on the screen, indicating the route to your destination,” Oman replied.

  The new text message icon popped up on the screen. Nicole pulled over on the side of the road. She opened the text message and memorized the three digit security code. She pulled up the number keys, typed in the code, and pressed enter.

  A map with a line drawn through it appeared on the screen. There was a red blinking dot at one end of the line and a bullseye at the other. “Okay. I'm in,” Nicole said.

  “Good. I would like to thank you again, Nicole,” Oman said with a hint of emotion sounding in his voice.

  “If the shoe ever gets on the other foot, just return the favor,” she replied while looking through the rearview mirror, making sure she wasn't being tailed.

  “You're too smart of a woman, so I doubt if that'll ever happen. Besides, Valaire Perfecto Dominica wouldn't spare the bloodline of whoever tried to put on those shoes,” he said, complimenting her.

  “Understood. Let me get to the destination. I'll be in touch,” Nicole said before ending the call.

  The road map popped back up on the screen. As Nicole started driving, the blinking red dot began to move. She found a good instrumental disc to listen to while she drove. The music helped her prioritize her thoughts.

  Nicole was going through what could possibly be the questions and answers conversation that awaited her when she looked through the rearview mirror and saw the black sedan on her tail. She could tell by the distance they stayed from her that whoever it was worked for her uncle. It made her smile. “Okay, Uncle Demetri, you just lost yourself a good tracker,” she said out loud.

  Nicole waited until she entered a zone where there wasn't any traffic before pulling in behind a mini market. She left the Range Rover gassing as she quickly jumped out and crept to the opposite side of the redbrick store. Just as she suspected, the sedan pulled in and slowly rode around to the rear of the store. She grabbed a blue and white LA Dodgers baseball cap off a sales table out front and put it on as a disguise.

  Nicole crept up behind the sedan, which was a few feet from he
r vehicle, with her head down. She walked up to the driver's side and tapped on the window. The window slid down slowly, revealing the face of a Caucasian male, who looked to be in his early thirties.

  “Yes, can I help you with something, ma'am?” asked the driver.

  Nicole kept her head down so her face wouldn't be visible. She leaned on the door with her arms inside of the car. “Yes sir. I have a one way message to be delivered,” she said before chopping the man in the throat.

  He grabbed his neck, wheezing. Nicole got a glance at the pistol with a silencer on it inside the holster on his right side. She grabbed it and shot him twice in the head at point blank range.

  “Teach you about sending someone to tail me,” Nicole thought out loud as she hopped back in the Range Rover. She tossed the gun on the floorboard on the passenger side and drove off.

  Back en route, she relaxed. Since her uncle had gone to the extreme of having someone watch her moves, Nicole knew something was wrong.

  As she came to a complete stop at a red light, the phone rang. It was Valaire Perfecto.

  “I'm on my way,” Nicole answered.

  “This I know, Nicole. I see you had made a pit stop. Is everything alright?” Dominica asked out of concern.

  “Your husband sent one of his fucking cronies after me. I ain't mad because he sent him. I'm mad because he sent one damn person.”

  Dominica couldn't mistake the anger she was hearing in her niece's voice. “That's your Uncle Demetri. Always out to undermine those who he can't control or influence. I was just calling to make sure you didn't need any assistance. You're only an estimated thirty minutes out. I'll see you when you arrive,” Dominica said and then hung up.

  The light turned green, and Nicole mashed the gas. She was ready to hear what her aunty had to say.

  ***

  Noon had come, and Mark was having a drink with Demetri, Thaddeus, and Damien. The four men sat at the mini bar enjoying each other's company. Damien, knowing his uncle, could tell Demetri was in deep thought because he was drinking clear instead of brandy. And he was knocking back shot after shot.

  “Uncle Demetri, you feeling alright today?” asked Damien.

  “That's a million dollar question,” Demetri replied. He cut his eyes at Mark, saying, “Where the hell is your wife? Did she lose track of time?”

  Mark hunched his shoulders. “She had some business to tend to. Don't ask me what or where because I have not a fucking clue.”

  “Mark, my man, you need to get that woman under control. She's a loose damn cannon. Ain't no way I would keep a hotheaded-ass woman like that around,” Demetri said in a slurred voice.

  Mark waved him off, not even trying to entertain his last statement. His gesture actually struck a nerve with Demetri.

  “Boy, did you just brush me off?” asked Demetri as he stood up. “Answer me, dammit!”

  Damien, not being much of a drinker, was still sober. He stood in between his uncle and brother-in-law. “Chill Unc. Mark, don't pay him any mind. He's had too much liquor.”

  Marked nodded and returned to the barstool. Demetri slapped his nephew's hand down. “You taking up for this nigger?” he said angrily.

  There was complete silence in the room other than Thaddeus's glass slipping from his grip, shattering on the hardwood floor. “Demetri, what in the hell has gotten into you?” Thaddeus yelled.

  “You should he asking Damien that, not me! I'm not going against family for a nigger!” Demetri held his left hand to his forehead, saying, “Oh, I forgot. Damien, you're half nigger yourself.”

  It took everything in Damien not to kill his uncle. “I'm going to pretend like I just didn't hear what you said. You’re drunk and, for some reason, upset.”

  Demetri pushed passed him and stumbled over to the bar. “You ever heard the saying a drunk man never lies? Well, here is the truth. You and your half nigger sister and her nigger husband can stay the hell off my property.”

  Thaddeus had heard enough. He walked over to his twin brother, and punched him square in the jaw, causing him to flip over the barstool. “Demetri, how dare you insult family like this?” Thaddeus turned around to face his nephew and niece's husband. Shame was written all over his face. “Damien, Mark, I apologize for the behavior of my brother. He has truly brought shame upon us.”

  Mark, angry, but well-composed, nodded. “Thanks, Thad, but the shame belongs to Demetri alone. One thing he is right about: a drunk man always shows who the fuck they really is.”

  Damien grabbed Mark by the right shoulder. “Come on, bro. Let us niggers, as he called us, leave this miserable old man alone. Uncle Thaddeus, you know where to find us if you need us. But Demetri, fuck you,” Damien said coldly before he and Mark left.

  Thaddeus looked upon his brother with disgust. He didn't bother helping him up. Instead, he walked out of the room, leaving Demetri lying on the floor.

  Chapter Ten

  Nicole looked at the road map on the miniature screen. She was about three minutes out. She looked back up to see a row of Victorian style homes on her left, but there was an estimated fifteen foot high wall to her right, blocking the view to whatever was behind it. When she drove alongside the entrance gate, where two armed uniformed guards stood stationary, the phone made a chiming sound.

  Nicole turned the music off and settled into her business frame of mind before steering the Range Rover up to the closed gate. She rolled down the window as one of the guards approached the vehicle. As the guard lifted her head, Nicole quickly noticed she was black. The awareness caught her by surprise.

  “Name and identification?” asked the guard.

  Nicole had purposely brought her maiden identification card. She passed it through the window to the guard. “Nicole Citural.”

  The guard had a smirk on her face while looking at the ID card. She handed it back to Nicole and said, “You were expected thirty minutes ago. Anyway, don't look so surprised when you get inside.”

  The guard stepped away from the vehicle while radioing for the gate to be opened. Nicole got a good look at her 5'9” frame, and could tell the woman was athletically built. The electronic gate slid open from the right. She drove on in.

  Nicole had seen a lot of nice homes and had lived in quite a few herself, but not quite like this. “Dammit, man,” she said in a low voice. Before her eyes was a compound. Not the usual styled compound, but a compound of mansions as far as her eyes could see.

  The passenger side door opening and closing startled Nicole. “Don't need you getting lost. We all live peacefully here, but not all take too kindly to new faces, especially faces not as dark as theirs,” The guard thrust her right hand out towards Nicole. “My name is Josephine Natalia Sylvan.”

  Nicole embraced her hand in hers. “I'm - “

  “I already know who you are. Drive. Take a left at the next turn,” Josephine said, cutting her off.

  Nicole followed Josephine's directions as she continued to provide them. She pulled up before a solar power paneled three story mansion that she could tell was just as long as it was wide. Two guards, a man and woman dressed in deep forest green fatigues, stood at ease on each deck. Other than that, people of African descent seemed to be going about their day in a normal fashion.

  A young man, who looked to be twenty years old, dressed in a valet's uniform, approached the vehicle. He opened the door for Nicole to get out. She grabbed her shoulder bag and got out. Remembering the pistol she'd thrown on the floorboard, she turned around just as the man was getting behind the wheel. “Hold on a second.”

  Standing on the other side of the Range Rover, Josephine held the gun up, causing her to stop in her tracks. “I'll hold on to this for you.”

  “Actually, you can get rid of it. It belonged to a dead man,” Nicole replied.

  Josephine nodded. “Hence the reason you were late. Come on, before your tardiness finds us both in trouble. Nobody bullshits around when summoned by Valaire Perfecto Dominica.”

  Nicole follow
ed Josephine inside. Thinking the outside was nice, she was awed by the inside of the mansion. Artifacts, portraits, and paintings of different sceneries in different countries lined the walls, all illuminated by candlelight.

  The hardwood floor was a swirl of coffee brown, maroon, and burnt orange that complemented the same pattern on the hardwood walls. Nicole could tell the mansion held priceless history. She was so caught up in the art, she found herself bumping into Josephine, who had stopped before a set of double doors.

  “Excuse me. This is one laid crib,” Nicole said.

  Josephine allowed a light smile to play upon her lips. “That it is. However, everything can be improved,” she replied modestly and then opened the double doors. “Right this way.”

  They walked into the room, where a black woman, who looked to be in her mid-thirties, sat behind a large smoke grey marble top desk. Her long, silky black hair cascaded about her shoulders. From sitting position, she was about 5'10”. The dark brown blouse she was wearing complemented her brown skin complexion.

  “Your guest has arrived, Valaire Perfecto Dominica. Nicole Citural, meet Valaire Perfecto Dominica Citur,” Josephine said by way of introduction and then left, closing the doors behind her.

  Nicole remained standing until she was asked to be seated. “If I didn't know any better, I would say your curiosity brought you here. On the other hand, you weren't expecting to see what you see,” Dominica said.

  Nicole looked around the room. There were portraits of young and old people of African descent on the wall directly behind the desk. On the wall to her left were paintings of estates, lighthouses, seashores, and things of the nature. The wall to her right she found interesting because there were paintings of a younger version of Dominica and Demetri together.

  Dominica followed her gaze and, with a straight face, said, “That was then, Nicole. A memory that I'm not too fond of. I'm sure you have your questions.”

  That she did. Nicole got comfortable in the high back leather padded chair. “Excuse my French, but I haven't seen one damn Turk since coming here. What's this bullshit about the Turks?” asked Nicole.