It was late when they crossed the GWB and entered New York, and even later when they made it back to East New York, Brooklyn. This area was hit or miss with Oshun. She technically was in enemy territory, but that seemed to be an occurrence happening often lately.

It didn’t matter. She drove an unmarked car with tinted windows, making certain not to draw attention to herself in any way possible. Anonymity was the name of the game she was playing tonight.

She glanced over at a tense Masaki as they sat at a stoplight. He hadn’t given her a genuine smile since he’d heard about his mother. She couldn’t blame him. He needed to hone every thought he had right now and focus on how to get them out of this situation safely.

She turned onto Fountain Avenue and drove until she came to the intersecting Flatlands Avenue. A left turn, and by the time she was in the middle of the block, she saw her invited guest waiting in a dark sedan.

Oshun parked the car and killed the engine on the vehicle before she turned to Masaki. “You ready to do this?” Her question first seemed to fall on deaf ears, his stoic facade unmoving as she waited for his answer.

“I’m not happy about this, Oshun. But then you told me I wouldn’t be when you first thought up this crazy scheme. I still think we should reconsider. There has to be another way.”

Oshun patted his arm as she noticed the two passengers of the car parked in front of them get out, and walk toward Oshun and Masaki’s vehicle.

The pair was comprised of a man and a woman. Both African American, each with a badge swinging from a metal chain around the neck. Both were obviously packing as they popped the button on their holsters, gun-hands resting on the butt of their weapons, ready to draw if necessary in the blink of an eye.

“All right, Oshun,” the woman’s rough voice spilled from her mouth in a growl. “I could be at home in bed with my fine-ass husband. You wanna tell me why I’m out here with you instead?”

Oshun nodded her head and answered, “I sure do.” Oshun turned to Masaki briefly as she spoke. “Masaki, please meet my old friend Captain Heart Mackenzie Searlington and her Lieutenant, Bryan Smyth. They’re going to help us end this mess.”

* * *

Masaki sat in the passenger seat with his arms folded across his chest, and his finger tapping against his bicep. It was a nervous tell of his. Something he only did when his instincts put him on alert.

He was a criminal, was born into this way of life, and would more than likely die that way too. Trusting a cop, someone who was a decided enemy, didn’t sit right with Masaki.

“Are you certain about this, Oshun? Fucking around with your cop friend, we could both end up in irons.”

He could see the easy curve of her smile from the side of her face as she navigated through the dark Brooklyn streets. She was obviously comfortable with this situation, or either insane. The truth was, he wasn’t exactly certain which at this point.

“Heart and I go way back. We grew up in the same church together. We still see each other on occasion during church functions. We chose different paths in life, but she’s always there to help me when I’m on the right side of the law.”

“You think she’ll turn you in?” The captain didn’t seem like someone to turn a blind eye because of friendship. The few minutes he’d been in her presence, she’d been brooding, focused, and intimidating.

“If Heart ever caught me doing anything illegal, she’d bust me in a heartbeat,” Oshun answered. “That’s not what this is about. She’s not going to catch me, or you, doing anything. She’s simply going to back us up.”

Oshun took her hand off the wheel, and reached across the console until he felt her fingers stroking his thigh. He didn’t know why, but whenever she took the time to touch him, it calmed him, eased the natural paranoia he carried like a second skin.

“Do you trust me, Mas?” It was a big ask, especially considering all they’d been through. And although he’d had a momentary lapse of judgement where she was concerned when he discovered her identity, deep down, he knew what the answer to that question would always be.

He pulled her hand from his thigh and raised it to his lips. He placed a gentle kiss there before lowering it to his thigh again and giving it a loving squeeze.

“With my life,” he muttered. “I trust you with my life, Oshun.”

She smiled again, locking her fingers with his as she continued driving. “Good,” she answered. “Because the feeling is completely mutual.”

“So, what's the first move? I know you’ve got some sort of plan,” he stated. The one thing this entire fiasco showed him was that Oshun was capable and prepared. He’d been unnerved and scattered when she was shot. He had no idea what his next move was supposed to be beyond making certain she was okay. But even in her debilitation, she’d found a way to execute an escape plan all before she’d come fully out of sedation.

“Heart and her team,” she answered. “They’re the first part. We’re going to lay low for a few days while she sets things up. When she’s done, we’ll move to the second phase of this plan, springing the trap. A few days, Mas, and this will be over. I promise.”

Masaki nodded, and leaned back against the headrest. Nothing about this situation made him feel assured, especially with his mother’s safety in question. But, his faith in Oshun eased the tightening around his heart, and gave him leave to breathe a little.

He smiled, as the first promising thought since they’d left their mountain hideout crossed his mind. He turned to her, watching her as she focused on the road in front of them.

“Finally,” he breathed. “We get to kill them all.”