Saturday, September 12th
JORDAN
9:42 a.m.
I had just finished getting ready for the day. Instead of my usual business attire, I opted to wear custom made dark blue boot cut jeans that had red and black paint splatters on the legs, which I paired with a simple white t-shirt that I left untucked. I put on my black Timberlands and just as I was about to call Sydney in the hopes that she might answer, my phone rang, startling me in the process.
When I seen the name on the caller ID, I answered quickly. "Hey Vinnie, what's up?"
"No time for chitchat. We found the guy we've been looking for. My men are tailing him as we speak. Once they stop, they're going to give us the location. Are you still ready to do this?" My heart started racing as the sudden news began to sink in. I could only hope this would be the break we needed. I was more than ready to do this.
"Of course, I'm ready. I have to talk to my dad. Once I'm done, I'll meet you at your place. Text me if you hear of something in the meantime." I said in a rush, if I had a choice, I would leave to meet Vinnie in a heartbeat, but I couldn't leave my dad without him knowing. It would be better if I told him in person. I started to make my way to the closet.
I was about to end the call when I heard Vinnie's voice. "Yeah, yeah, of course. And Jordan,"
"Yeah?" I stopped in my tracks.
"Bring protection. Just in case." Normally, I don't like to use guns in a fight, but this wasn't going to be a hand-to-hand combat type of situation. Especially, when you're dealing with gangsters and practically every type of criminal element in the city. And just because I don't like to use guns, doesn't mean I don't know how to use them. I just prefer not to.
"Gotchya. See you in a bit." I hung up the phone and put on my black leather jacket then went up to penthouse to talk to my dad.
I knocked on his door and a few moments later, I seen Oscar in the doorframe, dressed in his usual attire. "Good morning, Miss Jordan." He smiled as he stepped aside, letting me enter the room.
"Good morning, Oscar." I returned his smile and turned to him once I was a few steps in the entryway. "Is my dad here?" My breathing had become a little labored due to the information I just received.
"Yes, he is. I believe you find him on the balcony." I could tell Oscar noticed this, but he didn't draw attention to it.
"Okay. Thank you, Oscar." I turned away and made my way to the balcony.
As I stepped through the sliding glass doors, I seen my dad seated at the table eating breakfast. I calmly walked over to him and then sat down in the chair across from him. I grabbed a piece of bacon from his plate and put it in my mouth. He just looked up from his plate and smiled. "Good morning, Kiddo." He said as he put the fork and its contents in his mouth.
"Good morning pops. I just got a call from Vinnie." This seemed to intrigue him. He put down his utensils and gave me his full attention. I leaned back in my chair and stretched out my legs, putting one over the other, then intertwined my fingers.
"Really? What did she say?" He leaned forward, indicating for me to continue. One of his sly business tactics that I picked up on whenever I had to help my parents complete a business deal. It worked like a charm.
"She said they found the guy they've been looking for. Their men have a tail on him and their gonna call her when they stop and then we're going to meet with them at the location. I'm going to go over to meet Vinnie at the estate." I reiterated the information I was given no less than 15 minutes ago.
"Alright, sounds good." I could see the hope in his eyes.
"What are you going to do?" I inquired, curious as to what else might be going on.
"I'm going to wait here until I hear from Angelo. He thinks there might be another lead, so he wants to check it out." He admitted. I knew I could trust my father, but if I'm being honest, I feel like there's something that he's not telling me. I have never been to pry into my parent's checkered past, mainly because I always felt that if were that important than they would tell me when the time is right.
Deciding to let my questions go for now. "Okay. Well, I'm going to take off." I stood up, indicating that this conversation was coming to an end. "I'll let you know if anything pans out." I walked towards my dad and gave him a hug.
"Okay. Just be careful." He whispered into my ear.
"I will." I said as I let him go and made my way towards the sliding glass door.
"Jordan, wait!" He managed to stop me before I stepped back inside. He got up and walked towards me. "Before you go, there's something I want to give you." He gestured for me to follow him inside. He guided me to his temporary bedroom. I watched him as I stood in the middle of the room while he went to his closet and removed a medium sized mahogany box. With an acquired regal grace, he met me in the middle of the room. "I bought this for you thinking this might come in handy. I thought about giving it to you as a graduation present but since all this happened with your mom, well, I just wanted to wait for the right time and there's no better time than the present."
I wasn't prepared for what was inside. "Wow. It's beautiful." It was all I could say as I stared at the sleek design of the all black Beretta APX Centurion, surrounded by protective foam. "Thanks pops." Leave it to my dad to be 10 steps ahead of me. I couldn't believe he got this for me, then again, it shouldn't surprise me knowing that we're going into a dangerous situation.
"You're welcome." I could feel his eyes watching me as I continued to stare at the Beretta. I seen him walk away on the corner of my eye, then I heard him shuffling something around. A moment later I felt his presence near me. "Here, I got you these to go along with it." He handed me 4, 9 mm magazines. I took them and put them in my jacket pocket, then I took out the pistol, checked the safety and tucked it into the back of my pants. Making sure to cover it with my shirt and jacket.
"I'll see you later, pops." I said as I gave him a hug and then walked out of the room.
10 minutes later, I was on my way to the Vega estate to meet with Vinceta.
1:22 p.m.
After waiting with Vinceta and 2 of her bodyguards at the Vega estate for what seemed like forever, we finally got the call we'd been waiting for. Carlos and his men were keeping a watchful eye on the guy who I now know is Anthony Powell. As of now, we're about 15 minutes from where we're supposed to meet Carlos.
The anticipation is mounting with each passing moment. The atmosphere in the matte black Rolls-Royce Phantom is in utter silence. As if everyone is mentally preparing themselves for what's to come. I can only hope that this fucker is still there when we get there. Another cause for concern for me is my dad, he called me about an hour ago letting me know that Angelo called, and now they're out following the lead Angelo found.
I can't believe that after over a week of waiting, everything seems to be falling into place. Patients is certainly something that's needed in situations like this.
As we pull up to the building in a run-down area of Brooklyn, Vinnie calls Carlos to let him know we've arrived. The 4 of us exit the vehicle and make our way to Carlos' position.
"Do we still have eyes on him?" Vinnie asked as we approached Carlos and another guy I haven't met.
"Yeah, he's still in the apartment on the 4th floor." He replied, pointing in the direction of the apartment building. "Dorian and Jimmy are camped in the North side stairwell and Conner and Diego are covering the rear entrance, all 4 are awaiting our signal." He continued.
"Good." She said, nodding her approval. "So, here's what we're gonna do. I want 5 teams of 2 to cover all the 4th floor exits. Carlos, I want you and Jeremy to cover the south side exit. Michael and Kevin, I want you to cover the main front entrance. Me and Jordan are going to take care of whoever is in the apartment. If everything goes according to plan, there should be no casualties or injuries. On my signal, I want everyone to be ready to escort this piece of shit out of the building. Once he's secure, you know where to take him. Jordan and I will be right behind you."
"You got it boss." With that, Carlos and Jeremy took off to take their position. A moment later, Michael and Kevin went to take their positions as well.
Vinnie and I waited for Carlos to let us know when they were ready. We didn't even have to wait 5 minutes when we heard Carlos on the coms. Me and Vinnie made our way into the outdated building. As we walked through the entrance, I noticed Michael standing next to the elevator while Kevin stood next to the stairwell exit.
We stepped into the elevator; I pressed the button to the 4th floor. As we ascended, it felt like the longest elevator ride of my life. I grabbed my new pistol from the back of my jeans, I took out a magazine from my jacket pocket and put it in the magazine well. Once I was done, I put back where I had previously stored it.
I hadn't noticed that Vinnie was watching me until she said something. "Where'd you get that?" Vinnie asked, nodding her head towards my newly acquired weapon.
"From my dad. It was supposed to be graduation present, but he decided to give it to me early." I said as I shrugged my shoulders.
"That really is a thing of beauty." Vinnie shook her head in slight admiration.
"Yeah, that was my thoughts exactly." I managed to say as the elevator doors opened. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask. How did everything go with that brunette the other night?" I inquired as we cautiously made our way to apartment 42D.
"Pretty good, actually. Better than I thought it was going to." I seen a hint of a smile play across her features.
The closer we got to the door, the more I could feel my heart start to race. Like it was going to burst through my chest. I took a deep breath to try to calm my nerves, until we finally reached the apartment door.
Vinnie and I shared a look, then nodding to each other to signify that we were ready. Vinnie knocked on the door and at that moment, it was like the whole world went quiet and all that could be heard was the beating of our hearts. After a minute, Vinnie knocked again, but this time it was louder. Then we heard a man's voice yell on the other side of the door. "Who is it?!" His voice was harsh and annoyed.
I inhaled deeply. "I have a delivery for Anthony Powell!" Vinnie said loud enough that her voice carried through narrow hallway. A moment later we heard loud footsteps starting to approach the door. I took out my Beretta hiding it behind my back and readied myself for whatever might come.
It didn't take long for the door to open and before we knew it, a huge caucasian burly man who I was assuming Anthony Powell was standing in the doorway. The guy was dressed in a dirty white tank top and jeans, he also had on a beat-up pair of dark brown work boots. His hair appeared to be greasy and disheveled. If I had to guess by the smell of him, he probably hadn't showered in a week, possibly even longer. Gross. "Are you Anthony Powell?" Vinnie asked, looking equally disgusted as I was.
"Yeah, that's me." His scruffy voice still holding annoyance. And before he could say anything, Vinnie and I took out our guns and pointed them at his face. For a spilt second shock crossed his face, then anger, and then finally he laughed. Causing my rage to boil over.
Without giving it a second thought, I pistol whipped him in the side of the head, we watched as he stumbled back as he grabbed the side of his face where I struck him. A small amount of blood trickled down the side of his face, he wiped some of it from his cheek and looked at it. An all-too-common mistake when you're in the middle of a violent confrontation.
Because he was busy assessing his blood, I took the opportunity to rush him, leaping into the air as he stood in the middle of the room, I was able to connect my knee to his chest while simultaneously striking him on the top of his head with both of my elbows. This caused him to topple to the floor, stunned at the blows he was given as I stood over him. He tried to lift his head, but in doing so, he became disoriented.
I looked at the body beneath me and could tell from the many times of being the in ring, that he was knocked unconscious. Just then I could feel Vinnie's presence beside me. "Carlo, we're gonna need help carrying this asshole out of here." I turned my attention to Vinnie; she had a look of disbelief as she stared at the man lying on the floor. "You know, I really thought that was gonna be a lot harder." I let her words sink in for a brief moment and chuckled at her admittance.
A minute or 2 later, Carlo and 3 others were there to pick up the body on the floor. It didn't take long to load Anthony Powell into one of the SUV's. All 4 vehicles drove to the next destination.
5:38 p.m.
We've been here for a little over 2 hours. The office of the warehouse located on the second floor. Vinnie and I sat in silence as we ate our burger and fries. I had just taken another bite of my burger when I heard a scream coming from the ground floor, this has been going on ever since Anthony woke up which was about an hour ago. Vinceta gave her men strict instructions not to ask him any questions until we were ready. She also instructed them to torture him until he passed out and continue once he woke up.
This was meant to be a form of psychological torture as well. Another scream erupted throughout the warehouse as me and Vinnie continued to eat our late lunch. I took the last bite of my burger and chewed it carefully then stuffed the last 2 fries in my mouth. I swallowed the remaining contents and took a big drink of my strawberry milkshake.
As I waited for Vinceta to finish, I sent a quick text to my dad, asking how everything was going, to which he replied that their lead turned out to be a bust. Well, that's disappointing. I thought as I put my phone back in my pocket.
A moment later, I heard a throat clear and looked up to see Vinnie stand up from behind the desk. "Are you ready?" She asked as she started to come from around the desk.
"As I'll ever be." I deadpanned.
"Alright then, let's get this over with." Her expression matching my own.
I stood up from my chair and then tossed my wrappers in the trash can. Vinnie walked ahead of me as we left the office and walked down the staircase. Another scream echoed through the warehouse. In which if I was being completely honest, were starting to become music to my ears. Not because I was becoming a psychopath, but because it was getting us one step closer to finding my mom.
I glanced at my surroundings, it was your typical warehouse, crates were stacked around the 4 walls of the building. But leaving just enough room in the middle to devise a makeshift torture arena.
Once we approached the area, I seen Carlo and Jeremy standing in front of Anthony, both were holding torture devices. Carlo had a pair of pliers, while Jeremy was holding an icepick. When we got closer, I noticed that Anthony arms and legs were strapped to a metal chair. Anthony's dingy tank top was stained with blood, his left eye was practically sealed shut with black bruising and his cheeks were also black and puffed out from the beating they gave him.
Carlo and Jeremy moved out of the way once they heard us come up from behind them. I was still walking a safe distance behind Vinnie when she came to a halt a few yards in front of Anthony. "Hello, Tony. May I call you Tony?" Vinnie said in a smooth low businesslike manner.
"Fuck you!" Anthony replied, as he seemed to find a semblance of bravado.
Vinnie just chuckled at his response. "Very well then. Tony, I would like to introduce you to someone." She didn't let his false bravado deter her resolve. "Her name is Jordan Hawkins." As she spoke my name, I took a step forward, standing next to Vinnie. "Now Jordan here, has something she would like to say." She announced, then politely took a step back while gesturing for me to step forward and take her place.
I took a moment to look at the man that may have possibly been involved in kidnapping my mom. One way or another, I was going to get some answers. When he was able to actually look me in the eyes, I could see a flash of terror in his expression, as fleeting as it may have been, I still managed to catch it. "Good evening, Tony." I said glaring at him, hoping that in some way he could feel the animosity emanating from every fiber of my being. "It has come to light that you have some very important information that I wish to know." I said as I began to pace back and forth a few feet in front of him. I paused briefly in my speech in order to gauge his reaction. "Now, whether or not you tell me what I want to know now or later is of no concern to me, but one way or another," I paused briefly in my speech in order to gauge his reaction. Suddenly stopping in front of him, looking him dead in the eye, as I continued the next part of what I wanted to convey, "you are going to tell me."
"My friends here are going to continue torturing you regardless of what you say or don't say." I revealed as I patted Carlo and Jeremy on their shoulders. Then continued, "and they're going keep doing it until I decide to come back and get the answers I'm looking for." It was at that moment that I started to get a strange feeling, one that I never thought I would ever feel in my entire life. I could feel myself beginning to enjoy the power that went along with inflicting the psychological torture. I could see why some people enjoyed being in criminal organizations. I could lose myself in this feeling, I could succumb to it, be consumed by it. I knew I had to fight that urge, but for now, I had to keep this up in order to find my mom.
"In the meantime, I am going to leave you to think about what it is you're going to say to me." I stopped in my tracks as I turned to man strapped to the chair, helpless to leave. "11 days ago, 4 men were seen and heard taking a woman in front of a very well-known Recording Label. All 4 men were dressed in black and forced the woman into the back of black utility van. Now, unbeknownst to these men, they took a woman whose family who are willing to do anything and everything in order to find out where she is." I watched as he began to squirm. The terror in his eyes didn't falter this time. This time, he knew I how serious he fucked up. "And you, Mr. Anthony Powell, are going to tell me, where my mother, Raquel Hawkins is."
It was at this time; I turned my attention to Carlo and Jeremy. "Don't take it easy on him." And with that, I walked away with Vinceta following behind me.
Sunday, September 13th
JORDAN
11:13 a.m.
We had just pulled up to the warehouse entrance. The bodyguard who I now know is Michael, put the Rolls-Royce in park. Without waiting for Michael to open our doors, me and Vinnie both exited the vehicle. The sun was beating down and not a cloud was in sight. The air was thick creating a heatwave throughout the atmosphere. Not even a breeze would we find comfort. I put my sunglasses on to shade my eyes.
I straightened out my red Italian silk dress shirt and brushed off my black cashmere Armani dress pants. I listened to the sound of my black Armani patent-leather oxfords hitting the pavement as we neared the building. My beretta tucked safely away in the back of my pants, covered by my Armani cashmere blazer.
Vinnie and I entered the building and as soon as the door closed that's when we heard a scream echo throughout the building. A sound that I was becoming all too familiar with. Whether if that was good or bad, at this point I honestly couldn't tell you.
I walked along side Vinnie as we made our way to our captive, the bright lights illuminating everything around us. Once we made it to the center of the warehouse, the prisoner was nowhere to be seen, just as I was about to ask where Anthony was, another scream erupted, alerting us to their location. This time, it sounded like it was coming from the corner towards the left side of the warehouse, just under the metal balcony that ran along the wall.
I don't know what I was expecting to see when we made it through the small maze of crates, either way, it didn't bother me. As we came to another clearing, the first thing I noticed was Anthony's shackled wrists, his arms strung up with chains that were attached to a long thick metal bar that ran at least 20 feet across the warehouse wall and protruded out by 4 feet. Then I noticed the smell of blood and sweat, it was pungent, but I wasn't going to let any of that impede what I had come here to do.
Carlo was delivering blow after blow with his fists to Anthony's sides. Carlo must not have heard us approaching, Vinnie cleared her throat to get his attention. When Carlo stopped and turned to face us, I caught sight of the damage inflicted to our captive's body. On any other given day, the sight of him might have been disturbing, but surprisingly to me, it did nothing.
I felt nothing for the man shackled, bruised, and bloodied. Something in my gut told me he had something to do with my mother being taken. Either he helped in some way or he at the very least, knew something. I could tell by the look of terror in his eyes when I spoke my mother's name.
I glanced at Carlo who seemed to look at Vinnie, awaiting further orders. I then searched Vinceta's expression, to which she seemed deep in thought. As brief as the interaction was, I knew it was critical. Vinnie took a step forward, I put my hand out to stop her. The look we shared was one of understanding. Her and her father had already done enough, it was my turn to do something.
Carlo backed away while Vinnie stepped aside. Steadily, I neared Anthony's battered body. "Good morning, Anthony." I addressed. Not saying anything further until I caught his attention. Anthony appeared to be struggling to lift his head for a moment. I waited patiently, until finally he looked up at me, a beaten and broken of a man. A once seemingly fierce and intimidating thug, who now is at the mercy of me and my associates.
"Have you had a chance to think about what it is that I seek?" I queried, my tone calm and calloused. He didn't say anything, I was unsure if it was because he didn't want to or because he'd been beaten so badly that he couldn't. He just looked at me with a blank expression. I turned to Carlo, "Get this man some water." Carlo nodded and walked away to do as I ordered.
In the meantime, I had a job to do. I turned my attention to Anthony, examining him further. He seemed a little surprised by the order I gave Carlo. I may have a personal objective but that doesn't mean that I'm a monster.
"Here's the way I see things turning out for you," I finally stated, making sure to look him directly in the eyes. "This can go one of two ways. The first being that you tell me what I want to know, and you walk out of here, or limp, whatever. The point being is that you get live." I said emphasizing the last part. "The second way this could go, is that you remain silent and then unfortunately for you, I kill you." Even in my articulation of the sentence, I couldn't believe that those words came out of my mouth.
I had never threatened to kill another person, and hearing myself say it, surprised even me. Because this time, I knew I would do it if I had to. And from the look in Anthony's expression, he knew I would too. "So, what's it going to be, Mr. Anthony Powell?" I questioned.
Carlo approached my right side with a cup of water in hand. He went over to Anthony and pressed the cup to his lips; Anthony leaned his head back as Carlo tipped the cup and let Anthony drink. Again, I waited patiently once Carlo was finished. Anthony looked up and did his best to direct his gaze towards me. "How can I be sure that you'll let me walk out of here if I were to tell what I know?" His questioned, his voice hoarse.
"Well, how can I be sure that what you tell me is the truth?" I countered.
"Because honestly, after the night I had, I just want this to be over." He admitted as his head hung low in defeat.
"Alright then. Let's test that shall we?" I challenged. My body language softening just a little. "Who ordered my mother's kidnapping?" I demanded. Preparing myself for either way this could go. All I could hope for is for him to give me a name. Or something that could lead us in the direction of the person or people responsible for taking my mother from me.
It took a few moments for him to gather his thoughts. The longer he waited, the more my patience was wearing thin, "I don't know what the guy looks like, all I know is his name." He was lucky he answered, or I was going to start torturing him myself.
"Who is he? What's his name?" I interrogated. The ball was in his court, and he knew it. This could either way. I was prepared to do whatever it took. I could feel the anger within begin to rise. I was bound and determined to get the answers I sought.
When he finally looked in my direction, I knew he could see the threat that I truly was. Just as I was about to walk over to grab a torturing devise, He all but exclaimed, "Franco Berarducci." And there it was, the answer I had been waiting for. The name given meaning nothing to me, aside from it, him being the one responsible. I had to call my dad to see if he could connect the dots.
As I started to walk away and be done with him, I heard Anthony say to my back, "You know?" I stopped in my tracks with my back still facing him. "I have to say, it was worth it. Kidnapping your mom." He admitted, I turned around to face him again. Enticed by what he might say next, "I never heard a bitch scream or fight so hard, after all of us had our way with her." His confession wasn't lost on me. I knew the meaning behind it.
But I couldn't help to ask, "What did you just say?" I walked up to him, until I was just inches from his face.
"You heard me," he spat. "Your bitch of a mother, was the best I ever had." Where his bravado came from all of sudden was of no concern to me. It was his idiotic revelation that perplexed me.
I calmly strolled over to him. Anthony's face once again just inches away from mine. I pulled out my beretta from the back of my pants and put the barrel of the gun under his chin. "That was your first mistake." I proclaimed my voice dripping with enmity. Then the next thing all of us heard was a loud bang echo throughout the building. I felt blood splatter over my face and clothes.
I released my finger from the trigger, "Telling me was your second." I said to the lifeless body in front of me.