Josh took his finger and placed it lightly under Kenya’s chin. He moved her head to where her eyes fell on his.
He said to her, “Then I’ll make all the promises for both of us. I promise you that I will make you my wife… and you will be the mother of my children, and I will make sure you finally get the family that you’ve always wanted, surrounded by people that love you unconditionally for the rest of your life. I will put my life on that promise.”
Josh leaned in and captured her mouth in a seal the deal type of kiss. Kenya moved her arms around Josh’s neck and deepened the kiss. When they finally broke apart, both were fighting to bring air back in their lungs.
“Do you know how much you mean to me?” Kenya said softly.
“I think I have an idea…” he replied.
“Promise me no matter what you’ll never forget that.”
“I promise.”
He picked her up and carried her to the car. He wanted to show her how much he would never forget all night long.
Josh opened his eyes the moment he felt the plane land in Newark. They had made the flight in no time and had two Suburbans waiting for them on the tarmac. Misty, Shane, Stanley and Junior piled into one truck while Josh, Malcolm, and Ivan climbed into the other. Josh got an update from Nickels that he didn’t like on his way to Kenya’s parent’s home. As a matter of fact, he told Malcolm to drive faster.
Junior called him that moment and told him he needed him to stop.
“Junior, can’t you tell me what you need to over the phone?” Josh barked.
“No, I can’t. I need you to see something, and it can’t wait,” Junior replied, his voice pensive and agitated.
Josh took deep breath and told Malcolm to pull over. Junior jumped out of the back seat of the truck and moved quickly to the truck Josh was in. He jumped in, and Josh told Malcolm to drive, but Junior stopped him telling him it wouldn’t be a good idea until he saw what he had. Josh turned in his seat to a pale–faced Junior and stared.
Josh’s reluctantly asked, “What do you want to show me?”
Junior hit a few keys on his computer then handed it to Josh who was in the front seat of the truck.
“Nickels said this just happened about an hour ago. He said they tried to bargain for more time.”
Josh wasn’t listening anymore. On the screen in front of him was Kenya. She was tied to a chair with a cloth covering her eyes. There was a large man next to her with a mask covering all but his eyes. To Josh he seemed to be about six three, three hundred pounds.
Next he saw another man, smaller in height and weight, with the same mask on his face, say into the camera, “You think I’m a fool? What do you take me for? I’ve given you enough time, but it seems you take me for weak. Well, now I will show you how weak I can be. Say goodbye to her.”
The camera went back to Kenya, and Josh watched in horror as the man next to him punched Kenya on the side of the face knocking her sideways. She screamed as she was savagely beaten with no prejudice or restraint. The large man kicked her in the stomach, on her legs and every other place he could.
Josh could feel the anger rising, he could feel his only strand of restraint break as he watched the woman he loved curl up trying to protect herself from a beating he had no doubt she wouldn’t recover from if it didn’t stop.
“Do you see what happens if you fuck with us? We will beat her within an inch of her life. Maybe we’ll do what you failed to do and make money off her, but first we’ll each fuck her good, starting with Rafael.”
Josh couldn’t see the man that was talking. The camera stayed focused on the man and Kenya. When Josh noticed the man went for his belt buckle, he was about to hurl the laptop out the window but stopped when he saw Kenya kick out, hitting the man in his testicles. The man fell over, and Kenya scrambled for safety.
Josh watched, trepidation running wild in him as he saw her run out of sight. He could no longer see her, but he heard her scream for help then she said the weirdest things that maybe to Junior it didn’t make sense, but to Malcolm, Ivan and himself it was golden.
He hoped she got out, but when he saw the big man get up and go out of the room, he knew she hadn’t. Seeing her dragged back in and beaten more made him close the laptop and without saying a word got out of the truck.
He left the door open for a second, and Malcolm thought he would be okay. Josh had a huge temper, Malcolm knew, and from what he saw, he was waiting for the bomb to drop. It did two seconds after he was clear of the car. Josh closed the truck door so hard it shook the entire truck violently, causing the passenger’s window to shatter.
Josh walked away from the car as Malcolm climbed out. Josh felt the agony bellowing in him. He needed to explode. He wanted to explode. Malcolm watched his brother walk back toward the truck, and he could see the storm brewing in his face. He came around to the passenger side of the truck and saw Shane coming up on the other side of Josh.
Suddenly the most agonizing and murderous yell that either of them had ever heard, erupted from Josh as he slammed his fists on the hood of the truck. Pain rocked his body with ferociousness and savagery. He’d never felt this kind of pain in his life. His heart ached, his breathing became labored. Instead of anger, he felt weakened and sadness… He kept his hands on the truck and was immediately surrounded by his brothers.
Misty was outside of the car instantly, ready for anything. She knew how volatile Josh could be, and seeing what happened to Kenya, she couldn’t help the murderous feeling that was sating her as well. Watching both brothers surround Josh made her catch her breath. Josh yelled again but kept his head down between his stretched arms. Shane had his hand on the back of Josh’s neck, and he had his head bent as well, no doubt trying to calm him she thought.
Malcolm, who Misty always labeled the peacemaker, seemed to be seething with rage as well. He was quiet and just kept a supporting hand on Josh’s shoulder. So she hoped Shane would be able to calm him instead. If there was anyone that could at least limit the amount of carnage that will undoubtedly happen now, it would be one of his brothers. Misty was shocked however to hear what Shane was saying to Josh. It wasn’t by any means soothing.
“We’re going to get those sons of a bitches. Do you hear me? We’re going to make them pay for what they’ve done, Josh. I promise you… one by fucking one, we are going to rip them the fuck a part, piece by fucking piece. They won’t get away with this shit. I promise you they won’t.”
Shane kept saying things like that over and over again until the blood gutting sounds from Josh ceased.
Josh couldn’t breathe. He was trying desperately to catch his breath, but he kept hearing her screams and seeing blow after blow connect with sickening thuds. Control and logic was no longer in his vocabulary. He was out for blood and revenge. He needed it, his body thrived off it. Hearing his brother repeat over and over his promise was adding fuel to an over charged fire. Josh knew for a fact he was going to do more than just kill them, especially to the big man who laid his hands on her.
Josh finally stood and nodded his head to Shane. Shane squeezed Josh’s neck in acknowledgement, and Josh could tell that whatever he had planned for this cartel, he wasn’t alone. He looked around at everyone assembled, and yeah, he definitely wasn’t alone.
Josh took a few more breaths, getting mentally ready for the war that was about to be unleashed.
“You ready?” he heard Malcolm ask.
He looked over at his brother.
“No,” Josh replied because quite frankly he wasn’t.
Curtis and Jesse both pulled up to Curtis’ family home from about five years of being stationed overseas. Curtis couldn’t wait to see his family. He’d been away for a long time, actually too long. He purposefully stayed away, not wanting to see his father kiss so much ass in one minute, and in the next talk shit about the very people he was sucking up to.
He hated his father for thinking that kissing ass was a way to show power and success. His father would do anything for money, he knew. When Curtis decided to join the military, his father went ballistic. He wanted Curtis to get into the family business, but Curtis had no desire to do that. That was his sisters’ thing, mostly Kenya.
Kenya was smart and had the gift for investments, and the financial shit that he had no desire to learn much less do. But he commended his little sister. Seeing how accomplished she was at such a young age touched him, made him proud.
He admitted to himself one day that he needed to truly get to know his sister better. She was such a good person with a heart of gold, and his father treated her like shit, which was another reason why he left home and stayed away. He hated witnessing the way his father berated his little sister when all she wanted was his acceptance, his love.
There were many times, when he got older, he would talk to his father about the way he treated Kenya. But his words went on deaf ears. His father had a thing for light skinned Blacks and Caucasians, period. He wanted to make sure Kenya never thought she was better than him or anyone darker than she. Kenya would never treat anyone that way, and he knew it, and Curtis knew his father knew that as well. He just felt his father needed to vent and take out his frustrations and twisted thinking out on someone, and unfortunately it was always Kenya.