My Brother's Back Ch. 01

(Wednesday)

"Christian," Regina says in a very shaky voice, "I'm in trouble."

"What is it?" I say evenly.

"Can you come down to the Quasar Club? There are some guys who want to talk with you," she gulps. I could say something stupid like 'are you in danger' but that's a given.

"Tell them if I don't see you when I enter it will go badly," I instruct her. I don't wait for a reply. A quick stock of the situation gives me few options. A club during business hours doesn't allow me to go in guns blazing. I'll never get where I need to go. I absolutely can't rely on Cowan so I'm alone. I decide to be punctual for my own funeral.

I walk up to the front of the line to get in. The two bouncers at the door give me a leery eye. I'm not club material.

"Christian Talle," is all I feel is necessary to say. They let me in but I am immediately taken aside and searched. They are good enough to even search my ankles. One of the two large black men brings me deeper into the club.

Up on the second level around a crescent shaped sofa is a view that allowed the privileged to look down on the lesser masses through thick glass is a bevy of hot looking club girls, nine armed men, and the man clearly in charge. Regina sits on the periphery with one of the armed bodyguard's hands on her shoulder. The leader is a strongly built handsome black man with a clear sense of authority and power. He could have been a colonel in the military.

The gaze he sends my way isn't friendly to say the least. The leader doesn't even address me right off.

"Was he carrying?" he addresses the man who'd searched me.

"Nothing Jamal," the man answers. The leader chuckles and shakes his head.

"Well, you are one dumbass," Jamal addresses me. Jamal Foster was Cedric Foster's oldest son and heir to the criminal empire. I gave him this much, he doesn't gloat or taunt me.

"Take him out back, stomp him flat and put him to the Yard," he tells one of his minions. The Yard means the car crusher that has given his old man his name; Cedric Crusher Foster.

I doubt this will be a pleasant way to die. Curtis sits back down with his companions and motions four of his goons to manhandle me toward the back of the club. Thankfully he must have a different fate for Regina because he doesn't send her with us. At the back of the club we enter a narrow service walkway. When we get pass the last storeroom I turn to one of the men who holds me by my upper arm.

"Do you know what I love about gunfights?" I ask smiling. Before he can respond, I answer. "There is always a gun around when you need it." I smash my head back into the nose of the goon behind me. When his grip weakens I break free and smash my fist into the first guy's throat. Everyone is moving but I have the advantage that there is no one in these tight confines I don't want to shoot.

I grab the first guy's gun out of his holster and pump one into the man's chest. The second guy wraps his arms around me so I pivot so that he is between me and the remaining two goons. I push the gun around and shoot him in the side. When his grip slips, I spin around and put a round in his chest too.

Now the second guy begins to catch bullets sent my way but he is big enough to block them. As the dead man's body slumps to the ground I kneel down and put two bullets in each of their chests. I'm a trained killer remember? I drop the first gun, take the second guy's gun, and grab up the third man's gun before going back where I've come from.

Speed is of the essence; there is no way all our shots had gone totally unnoticed. I come back through the door while bringing up a mental map of the room and try to divine where people might be moving. When I pass through the door I notice only one of the bodyguards has turned around, his hand over the holster in his coat but nothing pulled out.

I put two in that guy's chest. Jamal is turning around to see what is going wrong when I put my first bullet downrange. The shot catches him right behind the ear and splattered his brains against the glass wall that was meant to protect him. Three men in the sitting area are moving, but only one is of direct threat, the man who has his hand on Regina. Two shots hit him center mass and he spins away.

I let the first gun drops and I switch the spare to my right hand as I bend over and run to the side opposite Regina. I keep at a run until I came around the far side opening. One guy is looking right at me but his gun is down, the other two have their backs to me and are looking in the direction I've entered the room form.

I put two shots into each of them. The last guy gets a shot off and some girl is screaming her head off. That is not my damn problem. I go over to Regina and grab her by her arm and yank her down the stairs. The bouncer who had escorted me comes running my way. I point a gun in his face and he raises his hands.

"Tell Cedric he's got six kids left. If he doesn't want to lose anymore he'll stop coming for me," I growl. The man's eyes grew wide; I doubt this is what he wants to tell the criminal kingpin. I push past him and storm out of the club.

"It wasn't me," Regina pleads and sobs. I've scared the hell out of her.

"I know," I say eerily serene voice.

"It was Cowan," she stammers then adds, "How did you know it wasn't me?"

"You don't have my phone number Regina and I haven't told anyone else about you. It had to be him," I explain. Regina remains at my side as we make our way home.

"What now?" she asks.

"I make a phone call," I answer. I give Cowan a call.

"How do you want it?" is the first words out of my mouth. No explanation or excuses necessary.

"We can talk about this," Cowan responds. "Meet me at Jewel's and we can talk it out."

"Cowan, get ready to die," I tell him before I hang up.

I give Regina thousand dollars and a choice of running back to the streets or hiding at my place. I don't wait for her decision, I take three handguns and head back out. I check out Jewel's place to make sure the police haven't closed in yet. I come around the back and give Jewel a call. I have her come out back so I can meet her.

"Christian, I need to explain some things to you; we all need to explain some things to you," she insists frantically. Her eyes keep flashing down to the guns in my hands and back to my eyes.

"Inside," I command evenly. I'm not really interested in anything Jewel has to say were Cowan is concerned. Betrayal is usually a pretty clear affair.

I walk into the main sitting area of Jewel's house when I see the whole school gang assembled, Cowan included. I don't like the look of this at all. Only Cowan has the good sense to look frightened.

"Christian, we need to talk," Kris stands and addresses me.

"Make it quick; I don't have long," I tell him.

"Christian you have been working for us since you came back and we want to bring you into the operation now. You have done a lot to establish a presence in the drug market in the city. We've been creating and manufacturing the product, Cowan has been setting up the distribution, and you have been removing those who have been horning in on our action," he explains.

"Dallas is our chemist, Kris handles production, Alton handles the book keeping, and I handle the legal side of things. Cowan does the actually selling of our product," Jewel outlines further.

"You are drug dealers," I clarify with deadly intent.

"The economy has been hard all over," Kris answers.

"I want no part of this," I growl. "Why the fuck did you bring me into something I wanted no part of?"

"We tried to bring you in as Cowan's enforcer when you came back Christian and we needed someone to protect us and our business interests. Cowan said he could bring you around," Jewel says.

"I wanted to work at a damn gym," I snap then things came together.

"There was no ransom; the kid was being held so old man Foster could take your business over," I grind out.

"I knew you could kill Jamal too," Cowan gives me that crazy grin.

"We need you," Jewel pleads. My friends have gotten greedy and short sighted in my absence. Jewel hurts the worst because she had kept up with me this whole time.

"You are going to need our help with Foster now," Alton says as he joins the conversation. He was always the smart one.

"That's right Alton and whose fault is that? Fuck that; there are only two questions that matter: do I join up and who walks out of this room alive?" I tell them all.

"Christian, we are a team; we have always been," Kris points out. My glare shuts him up then I turn and walk out. Killing them doesn't keep me alive. Not killing them won't help much either.

"What does that mean?" I hear Alton ask.

"Since he didn't kill us I imagine he's in," Jewel answers.

"I told you guys this would work out fine," Cowan chortles.

"Shut up," I catch Jewel saying before I exit the scene.