When Ahottie began walking away, AD damn near turned over the table getting up to go after her. When she got out of the VIP room and began heading for the door, she looked back and saw AD pushing his way through the crowd to catch up.
“Gamma to Omega,” she said.
“Go ahead.”
“Moving toward the door with one.”
“Acknowledged. Alpha and Delta are in position.”
“Acknowledged,” she said as AD caught up and grabbed her by the arm.
“You aren’t trying to get away from me, are you?”
“Oh no, never that,” she said and looped her arm in his. “Not until you show me what you have, and I find out if you can give me what I need.”
“I got what you need,” AD said as they passed the front door security station.
“You out, AD?” Calvin asked as he passed, but AD didn’t answer.
He stepped outside of The Booming System and before he could take another step, Monika shot him in the head.
As Monika packed up her rifle, Fantasy kept walking toward the street where Zavier had just pulled up in a car. Fantasy got in and they drove off leaving AD’s body lying dead on the concrete outside The Booming System.
Chapter Twenty-two
Garon sat patiently in the living room of Rona’s apartment waiting for her to get off the phone and come out of her office. Not that it was going to be any surprise to her since she predicted it, but he was there to tell her that AD was dead. He also hoped that it would lead to a discussion about his future. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by him that Rona had been grooming him to take AD’s position.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Garon,” Rona said when she came out of her office. “I am in the middle of two different market research studies for clients, one involving the effectiveness of internet advertising in the Middle East and the other related to real estate preferences. Both are due end of week and both are online surveys. So, I had to check the quantity of responses and their demographic breakdown to make sure we have achieved the right quantity and then mix for the two surveys.” She looked at Garon. “But you don't care about any of that, do you?”
“Always interested,” he said, and Rona rolled her eyes. “But, I do have something that I need to make you aware of.”
“AD is dead.”
“How did you know?”
“I know my adversary. Never go to war unless you know your adversary.” It was something that she heard her father say a very long time ago. Rona sat down. “And the swiftness of it tells me that Mike Black is now firmly in control of the situation.”
And that was important to her.
The last few days had been a bit of a reality check for Rona. She understood clearly that she could and probably should still be in jail, being held without bail and awaiting trial. If Eisenbraun hadn’t gotten himself out, that’s exactly where she’d be.
She got lucky.
And that caused her to think.
Rona now realized that it was an ill-advised move to go all out against The Family, not just poorly executed by Barnes, Hawkins and Mobley. Although it had accomplished one of her objectives – Black losing confidence in Rain – her proxy war was largely unsuccessful.
So they lost a few men and it cost them some money.
They were
still standing and were now poised to come after her and everything that she had patiently spent years rebuilding. But Rona was committed, and she had no intention of turning back now.
Rain Robinson has to pay.
Although she wanted revenge against both Black and Rain for the deaths of her father and brother, her anger was always focused squarely on Rain. She didn’t like to admit it, but Robert was responsible for the death of Black’s son’s mother. That was family and for that reason and for that reason alone, Rona had accepted it.
But not Rain.