Secret Admirer

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Where the fuck is she?" Ray shouted angrily. He wanted Gabriella and these losers are coming up empty. No one has seen her since the day she was arrested by the cops on his payroll. Tossing the apartment, nothing was found inside. There was no secret stash or any indication that there ever was one. The little family that she has left on this earth claim they haven't seen nor heard from her since her grandmother died.

"We don't know. It's like she vanished off the face of the Earth." One of the flunkies stated.

"The last Rob found on the traffic cam, she was getting into a cab. The cab was unregistered and no matter how many drivers we have roughed up, no one knows anything. The tint on the cab was so dark, a visual of the driver was impossible."

"The bitch didn't just vanish. Someone has her hidden and I want her ass found. This is some bullshit." He threw a chair against the wall. Gabriella needed to be found like yesterday. It took all of his restraint not to put a bullet in the attorney's head. The bastard knew what was at stake. "What about that big muthafucka she was seen with a few times?"

"No hits, no one has a clue who he is and your cousin never got to the bottom of her backer. Without a name, we are chasing a ghost. According to the inside, there is no one working for the department that meets that description."

"Man, I say fuck that bitch. For all we know, somebody got a hold of her ass already. We need to focus on what we are going to do about our living situation."

"You ain't lying. We all are being uprooted and there is nothing any of us can do about it."

"What the fuck are y'all talking about?" Ray asked.

"You haven't heard?"

"..." The look he gave everyone in the room said it all, he was lacking patience.

"Some developer has come through the hood buying up every piece of land they can get their hands on. We have less than one week to vacate the premises."

"I don't understand how any of this is legal." One of the flunkies commented.

"Obviously it is very legal if you all are homeless. I'm sure the city wouldn't allow anyone to start evicting people at will without proper cause."

"Taj didn't tell you about this."

"I haven't talked to Taj since she decided to take matters into her own hands. When they jumped Gabriella at her job, all sorts of eyes have been trained in this direction. She couldn't hold off a minute longer or until she was away from nosey ass white folks, now she is under investigation."

"It's so much more than that," a chick from around the way commented. "The state has taken custody of her son."

"What, why?"

"Something about her being an unfit mother for submitting him to violence and some other bullshit excuses," was her reply. "She isn't the only one being blackballed. From the city to CPS, they all seem to be attacking at one time." The chick added.

"I don't need this shit," Ray exclaimed. "Either you muthafuckas get me results or I find someone who can. That means I will no longer need any of you."

"We are trying. We are fresh out of places to look. Her cell phone is not on anymore and she was fired from her job. The apartment she lived in is now vacant and her family could give a fuck about her. NO one has seen a hair on her head. Nothing resembling her has come about either."

"Everyone, GET. THE. FUCK. OUT!"

None of them needed to be told twice as the filed out, with some practically running out. To see Ray in such disarray was not a pretty image. The years that he has been in charge of distributing weight, things have been moving smoothly. When Darnell was in charge, the weight was consistent but his love of women left the ground too shaky. Someone was always threatening to expose him if they didn't get money, more time, or a title as odd as that may have been.

All the boys knew where he laid his head at and who was the "main chick" but he still moved around. Sadly, Ray never could figure out why he didn't just settle with Gabriella. If given the chance, that was exactly what he would have done. She would have been the cream of the crop for him. Her loyalty alone was remarkable. No matter how many times he flaked on her she never stepped out on him.

Ray was indeed jealous of all that Darnell was fortunate enough to have and the main reason he wanted the bastard dead. When he started snitching and shuffling stories around to keep his ass off the chopping block, it was a given that he be taken out. The sick fuck had the balls to snitch on his beloved uncle, the man who made it possible for him to be half the boss he claimed to be. What kind of shit was that?

The saying 'no honor amongst thieves' should have read 'no loyalty amongst family.' That was the icing on the cake, he had to die. Using the silly bitch Taj to have him in the right place at the right time was priceless. Making his so-called boys turn on him, even better. Then there was little ole Gabriella, Ray just knew she would need someone to turn to or a shoulder to lean on when the truth was revealed about Darnell.

Ray rushing to her side proved pointless as her place was being watched by an unmarked car. There was no way in hell he was willing to put himself under the radar, not even for her. He instead basked in the little patience he had left and waited until the time was right. When she suddenly moved it actually through him for a loop but it wasn't hard to find her since his cousin was her only friend. Sending flunkies in to watch her every move, he got wind of someone else vying for her attention as well.

That pissed him off royally. How the hell could she switch playing fields so easily when he has been there all alone? Hearing that the mystery man was all but sponsoring her new car and new sense of security caused Ray to see red. He was the one that was suppose to give her that and so much more. He made arrangements with that corrupt fuck Russo to keep her under wraps to be sure she never found out who she belonged to.

There were perks that came along with the knowledge of who she was related to and keeping her preoccupied. The endless supply of guns at a discounted price was well worth it not to mention the hookup with a reputable connect. Since Darnell passed, the hard work it took to continue as if things hadn't changed was rough. Ray needed funding and that was in Gabriella's possession. Darnell was predictable, he may not have told her specifically what he left behind but Ray wasn't dumb enough to believe there was nothing.

He knew better. Getting access to her place was easy once he had her falsely arrested on suspicion of murder. Too many of his men were coming up missing when trying to snatch her. That was far from a coincidence, something wasn't adding up and she definitely was not the culprit. Somebody else was in the game and Ray was getting angrier by the second because he didn't know who it could be. The thought of it being Russo crossed his mind but that was derailed when he realized the man wanted her dead.

"Yeah?" Ray answered his ringing cell.

"Ray, you disappoint me." Russo's voice rang loud and clear over the line. An instant chill raced down his spine at the upset he could hear. "You have not owned up to your end of the bargain."

"Don Russo, we have a lead. It won't be long before..."

"Stop your lies!" The disgruntled man shouted. "You have no idea where she is or you would have done what you were told. If you would have killed the bitch as I suggested, I would not be taking the choice away from you all together."

"What is that supposed to mean? I told you I will find her and she will be by my side. Once we are together, I will keep her out of the know."

"That is no longer your concern," he stated calmly. "I have hired someone very capable of ridding me of this burden. Your services are no longer required."

"What about our arrangement?" Ray desperately asked the question he already knew the answer to but he had to at least try.

"As for our arrangement, it is no more." He said. "If I were you, I would stay far away from the cunt because my guy won't miss nor will he hesitate to take out any casualties near." With that being said, Russo ended the call.

"FUCK!" Ray shouted to the air and tossed his phone to the nearest wall, shattering it to pieces. Like the idiot he was, he destroyed his only means of communication. Without a phone, he was up shit creek, now he would know nothing that was happening on the outside world nor would he be able to call for help if he needed it. This situation was becoming more and more stressful by the minute.