Ty

 

Ty’s mind spun faster than a CD inside a player as he stood at his window watching his block. He’d read that text ten times, trying to decode the message, but it wasn’t necessary, the man had made himself clear. He was coming whether Ty was ready or not.

Don’t worry. I’m ready.

Ty checked his watch, it was almost eight and he was getting hungry. He’d only had breakfast and it was too late for him to order. There were no deliveries in his neighborhood after dark. Since he’d been home, he’d wiped down his place and packed anything of importance in his large duffle. If he had to make a run for it, he was ready for that, too. He wouldn’t gamble with his life. His mother needed him. She was precious to him and he was the only man she had left to care for her. He wouldn’t desert her because of a problem a man thought he had with him.

People moved back and forth along the sidewalk, heads turning and eyes looking for any suspicious movement. Here, a man had to move differently. Cautiously. There was always someone who was hungrier, greedier and had no qualms taking from an easy mark. Ty was about to go back into his kitchen when he felt the rumble from the V8 in his chest. He closed his eyes and went over his plan one more time. The man in black had come for him. Ty was going to make sure to give him a proper greeting, deserving of a stalker.

Ty placed his bag in his bedroom next to the window. He pulled on a black bomber jacket over his dark hoodie then checked the laces in his black, high-top Converse. He tucked his Glock in the small of his back—it was the only weapon he was able to legally conceal. He’d waited until it was dark enough on the streets that he could creep. He wasn’t gonna let this man wait until midnight to come for him in his own home. Ty’s plan was to catch this guy slipping and turn the game on him. Make him the prey.

Ty ignored the curious stares he got as he made his way down Crumley toward Formwalt Street. Usually, no one saw him out past nine. There was nothing on the block at that time except for men wanting trouble. Ty didn’t hear the rumble of the Mustang any longer, but all that told him was that the man in black had abandoned his intimidating vehicle and was lurking. Ty casually cut through side streets, back alleys and even climbed onto the rooftop of the apartment building on Pryor. A prime look-out point. Nothing. No one. The lighting was shit on this street, but that didn’t matter, he was used to the darkness, he’d recognize anyone who didn’t belong. He waited up there for forty-five minutes. If anyone was searching for him, they’d surely have run out of patience by now. Ty pulled his hood lower and started the trek back to his place. He was hungry, tired, and sleep-deprived but his mind was still sharp. He took the long way around to his apartment and entered through the back stairwell. His steps were quiet down the short hallway until he got to his door. He slid his key inside and unlocked the knob, then the two bolt locks above it, entering then closing himself in.

As soon as he bolted the last lock… he knew.

The man in black was in his home.

Ty played the part. He couldn’t let on that he was aware of his presence yet. Instead of reacting without thought, Ty yawned loudly, pulled off his bomber jacket and hung it in the closet in his tiny hallway. He didn’t turn on any lights. He knew his place, the intruder didn’t. He went inside the kitchen just off the entranceway and took a pack of popcorn out of the drawer and unwrapped it. He opened the microwave door—the brief second of lighting confirming Ty’s suspicion that he had uninvited company—tossed it inside and turned it on high. He had about forty-five seconds. Hopefully, the man would fall into his trap and try to corner him in his little kitchen.

He saw exactly where he was hiding. Or not hiding. The man sat in the chair closest to the window, half his hard face illuminated by the small amount of light filtering in from outside. Ty didn’t look or acknowledge he knew he was—

“I know you know I’m here. You’re too smart not to,” The man said roughly.

Ty turned to leave the kitchen, his right hand already easing behind his back when he caught another feeling. The man in black wasn’t alone. Ty didn’t hear footsteps, or commotion from elsewhere, it was just a gut feeling. The kind he didn’t ignore.

“Easy, Jenkins,” the man said, as if he knew him. “I also know you won’t pull that weapon unless you are intending to use it.”

Oh, I intend to use it.

Ty moved back into the kitchen and looked through the opening over the breakfast bar. The dark man sat alone with his hands steepled together in front of his mouth as if he was deep in thought.

He kept track of the seconds as they ticked away on the microwave. He only had a few of them left for his plan to work, regardless of the fact that he hadn’t counted on taking on multiple men. Ty was realizing his critical error now. The man who had invaded his home without permission hadn’t come solo as Ty assumed he would.

“Don’t ever assume, son. You’ll only make an ass of yourself.”

Now it was him against… he didn’t know how many. He was good but he wasn’t over-cocky to think he was invincible, he couldn’t take on a gang when he hadn’t made allies in his hood. He’d chosen not to trust anyone or make acquaintances in a place riddled with disloyal men.

“You have ten seconds to tell me who you are and why you’re following me,” Ty said calmly, still watching the other two doors in his apartment. The man’s partner was either in his bedroom or in the bathroom.

“I’ll need at least sixty seconds,” the man countered.

“Non-negotiable. Five seconds now.”

The next three seconds went so damn fast Ty wasn’t sure how he kept up. As soon as he uttered the last word of his response the man in black’s partner was out of the bathroom with a bright yellow and black handgun pointed at his head. He came at Ty as if protecting the man in black was personal. He was in the tight confines of the kitchen faster than Ty could blink. Never one to hesitate, he pulled his blade from behind his back and simultaneously leaped through the small opening of the breakfast bar. To his surprise, there was another man, about the same height as him posted in the corner, with another one of those weird-looking guns aimed at his chest. Fuck! Ty didn’t pause. A second later, the explosion from the microwave sounded and the stainless-steel steak knife he’d placed in there, alongside the popcorn, burst out and lodged itself in the cabinet just beside the other man’s head.

“Motherfucker,” he growled, staring at the blade only inches from his left cheek.

“Ford,” the second man in the corner gritted out.

Everyone stopped to see exactly what predicament they were all in now. It didn’t appear good for any of them. Ty still had two guns pointed at his head, but he had his sharp blade securely pressed against the dark man’s throat as he crouched behind the chair he sat in. Ty had an unforgiving grip on the back of the man’s neck. If he moved or tried to buck, Ty’s blade slicing across his jugular would be the consequence for his stupid action. No one spoke, no one moved. The man in the kitchen looked ready to spit venom.

“Get that goddamn blade away from my brother’s throat.” He bristled so hard his hands clenching tightly on his ’deathmaker.

Brother? So, it’s very personal. That would work to his advantage. “Last chance.”

“Didn’t I tell you he would react,” the man in black spoke, making Ty’s blade sink a bit deeper into his large Adam’s apple. “I’m here, Tyrell, because your father sent me. I’ve never disobeyed one of his orders and I never will. My name… my name is King. Brian King. You may remember—”

Ty almost fell back on his ass at the mention of his father. King! He knew exactly who he was. He’d been his father’s right-hand man, his most trusted comrade. Also, the only man who’d been invited to his father’s home and sat at his dinner table. Ty remembered his father sharing stories of this incredible man. He’d entrusted his life to him.

And he’d failed him.

Ty got back on his feet and walked around to the front of the chair. “What happened to my father? Answer that question now or we can all die here tonight.”

Brian didn’t waver. “He died in my arms in a cave, after we’d been held prisoner for months.”

The air in Ty’s lungs rushed from his mouth like he’d been sucker-punched. He dropped his hands to his sides, the blade he’d held so confidently a moment ago clanging loudly onto the hard floor.

“Breathe.” He heard someone say in a muted bass that barely registered in his mind.

Ty backed up and sank down onto his sofa before his knees could collapse. It was far worse than he’d thought. A prisoner? For months. To die thousands of miles away in a foreign land in another man’s arms.

Oh, father.

Ty was still reeling painfully over what he’d heard to notice how the men hurriedly moved around him, around his home, checking windows and the hall. It took him a moment to gather himself as the man in black—Brian—sat staring at him the entire time. Barely blinking. He appeared to have the same look of horror and regret that Ty felt inside. All the betrayal and animosity he’d felt toward the government flooded back to the surface, times ten. Why didn’t anyone protect him or save him? His father had been an important man in the military.

“You have a lot of questions and I promise I can answer all of them, but we have to go now. Someone’s coming for you,” Brian said

“Not coming… already here.” The brother said, closing the blinds and hurrying back into Ty’s bedroom. He came out a second later with Ty’s duffle bag strapped over his back.

“We gotta go now, Brian,” the other one said, while tucking away the interesting gun and pulling out one that would guarantee the funeral was closed-casket.

Who the hell are these guys? They were dressed in all black as if their gang was called, ‘El Negro’. Ty could tell they were packing serious heat and were dressed as if going into combat. Cargo pants, black tees, and heavy leather jackets. Whoever they were, one of them had the answers to his many questions, so he’d go with them.

“A good man knows when to lead and when to follow, son.”

Brian was up on his feet watching him carefully. He was tall, and at first-hand appeared unapproachable. His eyes were dark as midnight, and his face told a hundred sad stories at once. His voice was stern and direct when he spoke, “you failed to execute a critical move before making an enemy, Tyrell.”

Ty glanced back at the window then got on his feet, standing taller and more solid than he felt. It wasn’t time to—

Realization dawned on Ty. Brian. He’d just quoted the moral of a lesson his father taught him when he was sixteen.

“What move did you fail to make?” he asked, sensing Ty understood.

“I failed to build an army,” Ty responded gravely.

“Three going to the back and four staying at the front.” The man with the serious weapon went to the door and opened it, his head swinging from left to right, his firearm pointed at the ground. “On five we go.”

He began his countdown without anyone affirming his command. He was younger than the two brothers, but sounded as if he was in charge.

A heavy hand landed on Ty’s shoulder. “This was your father’s last wish. For you to come with me. I’m out of time. I need to know now. Are you in or out?”

“I’m in,” Ty said straight away. His father didn’t make mistakes and he didn’t trust easily, but Ty knew his father had respected and trusted this man wholeheartedly. Ty would too.

“Now you’ve got an army,” Brian said.

Ty nodded once and moved to the door with the rest of them.

“Towards the rear on one, there’s only two of them back there.” The commander said then finished his count, “two, one—”

“Wait,” Ty cut them off as soon as they got ready to charge and pointed toward the stairwell in the opposite direction. “This way.”

“Watch this,” Brian mumbled to his brother.

Ty didn’t know what he was telling them to watch. But he had a plan to get them out of there without encountering his new enemy. Not until he knew what he was dealing with. If Black Rock and his guys were coming for him, then the man had made a grave mistake, because Ty had already fixed the error he’d made.

He led the men down the hall toward Alejandra’s apartment. No one questioned him or disputed the new plan. He knocked as the three armed men with him stood quietly but cautiously. Alejandra opened the door in one of her standard you-can’t-resist-me outfits. Her see-through blouse was unbuttoned to her navel, revealing a lacy bra. Her jeans were so tight and had so many tears and rips that Ty wondered how she even got them on. Instead of staring like most men did, Ty looked into her excited brown eyes.

“I’m sorry about the hour. I don’t mean to be disrespectful,” Ty started.

“Ahh, Papi. You bring me so many at one time.” She smiled, peeking around Ty to get a better view at the giants standing with him.

“We’re trying to avoid an unnecessary meeting. May we use your fire escape?”

Her smile got wider and so did the opening of her door. “Yes. For you, I will do this.”

“Thank you.” Ty stepped aside and let the men in first. He noticed none of them, not one, gave Alejandra a second glance. Either they were immune to her sumptuous beauty, already smart enough to see her con, or they were that damn focused. He liked both reasons. Ty pointed toward the dining room. “Toward the kitchen. She has the only window on the side of the building, her fire escape will put us in a decent position not to be seen.”

“Good thinking,” Brian commended him, quickly getting the window open. The men moved like they’d been doing this together for years. As if it was choreographed, the commander stepped up and peered down to the street, before he gave the ‘all clear’ signal. Brian followed next and then his brother.

Ty turned to Alejandra who stood by the window expectantly. “You will remember I did this for you, yes?” she said in her thick accent. “I’m your woman. Your ride-or-die chick.”

“I will remember,” he promised. And that was all he could say. She wasn’t his woman, not even in the sense that she wanted to be. She was a free spirit and incapable of being tethered. She gave many men her time, claiming she had enough goodies for each of them. Ty didn’t want some of a queen, he wanted all or nothing. “No blood will be shed on the block tonight because of you. Thank you.”

Ty climbed out of the window and hurried down the steps to his awaiting army. They loaded into a large black F350 parked at the corner, the commander in the passenger seat with the business end of his Smith and Wesson pointed in Ty’s direction. He almost smiled to himself. It looked as if the weapon was pointed at his head, but he knew the man was watching for anyone trying to sneak up on Ty’s back. Just that thought had him walking with a new level of confidence.

He was a part of a brotherhood, now. These men weren’t stalkers. They’d come for him, but not for the reasons he thought. They’d come at his father’s instruction. After all the years he’d been gone from Ty’s life, he was still watching over him. He’d sent Ty an army as havoc descended on his head. Perfect timing, Dad. His father was even more powerful as an angel.