Thin Ice 4 - Resurrections (13 page)

“
Ice, what, man, you’re dead,” Markell sputtered looking at the man standing in front of him, and the other one across from him.

Damn, they could pass for twins,
he thought as Ian walked over to the table, closing the dope filled attaché and motioning Pirate to remove it.

“
As you can see Markell,” Ian began. “Reports of my death have been grossly exaggerated,” he added chuckling at the astonished look still on the man’s face. “This is what you owe me,” Ian told him. “There is however the matter of interest,” he began again as Markell got a very bad feeling.

“
Ice, look, I need time to get that,” he tried as Ian nodded thoughtfully. “I mean, shit, I thought, I mean,” Markell continued flustered.

Ian gave Creeper a look and Markell watched his boy catch a bullet to the chest. Swallowing hard as the man dropped to the floor, Markell regarded Ian again, blinking rapidly.

“
Ice, come on, please,” he began to plead.

He opened his mouth to speak again but the words never materialized as Ian shot him twice, point blank, in the chest with the .380 he held. Markell’s mouth moved a few more times as he too slumped over the table, sliding down to the floor. Turning to Jalen, Ian spoke again.

“
You did well,” he said simply ignoring the incredulous look on his brother’s face. “Let’s go,” Ian told him, as they all left the warehouse, dope in hand, two more bodies added to the count.

*****

         
Kaitlyn enjoyed her workout tremendously. She was heading for the shower when trouble stepped in her way.

“
Excuse you,” Diva told her rudely, looking her up and down.

Kaitlyn sighed lightly. She didn’t know the woman’s real name, everyone simply called her Diva in accordance with the snotty behavior and over inflated sense of self importance she arrogantly displayed every time she came to the gym.

“
You stepped in front of me,” Kaitlyn replied calmly.

The woman seemed to have it out for her from the day she’d met her.
Because she wants your man,
her mind threw at her. Kaitlyn had caught the woman on more than one occasion eyeing Tariq, even openly flirting with him once.

“
No, I didn’t,” Diva threw back haughtily. “You should watch where the hell you’re going, bitch,” she added nastily, brushing past Kaitlyn, intentionally bumping her.

         
Taking another deep breath and blowing it out slowly, Kaitlyn went into the locker room heading for her locker, wanting to shower and change before leaving. She saw Diva enter the shower and almost changed her mind.
Don’t let this bitch run you off,
her mind threw out again. Kaitlyn grabbed her towel and soap, pinning her hair up and entering the shower area. Diva rolled her eyes as Kaitlyn entered the area, turning on the shower on the opposite end of where she was. Stepping under the steaming spray she closed her eyes.
Why are you letting that nasty trick disrespect us like that,
Lauren hissed in her ears. Kaitlyn put her face further under the spray hoping to drive the voices away. Her head was beginning to hurt again.
I’m gonna teach the bitch a lesson,
Lauren told her as Kaitlyn turned and walked out of the shower, naked and dripping.

“
Hey bitch,” she snarled angrily as Diva turned, startled at her sudden appearance.

She took the woman in standing in front of her. There was something very sinister about her at the moment.

          “
What do you want,” Diva threw out, trying to sound brave. “I don’t do chicks,” she told her nastily, looking over Kaitlyn’s naked body.

“
From the looks of your saggin ass, you don’t do anybody,” Lauren returned angrily, punching her hard to the stomach.

Diva sank to her knees from the force and unexpected pain of the blow. Before she could recover she felt another punch to her face, then kicks to every part of her body. “So I’m a bitch huh,” Lauren growled straddling the woman as the shower continued to rain on them both.

She punched Diva again and again in the face until the woman almost lost consciousness. Still not satisfied, Lauren picked up the bar of soap and smiled malevolently.

“
I’m going teach you not to fuck with us you snooty bitch,” she chuckled shoving the soap deep inside Diva as the woman moaned in her semi conscious state. Finally sated, Lauren rose and went back to her stall, finished her shower and dressed.

*****

         
Ian regarded Jalen as they arrived at the house and went inside. “You handled yourself very well,” Ian told his brother. “We’re going to handle some other business,” he went on. “It would seem that you need a little time to recuperate however, so you stay here,” Ian added amiably. “We’ll be back soon,” he added in passing as the three men left once more.

Jalen sighed deeply putting his head in his hands as he recalled the murders he’d just witnessed and been an accessory of.
What the hell have I gotten myself into,
he thought, his mother’s reaction to his questions screaming in his mind.
I should have listened to her,
Jalen continued to think. If he’d never asked Creeper to find out about either of them, he wouldn’t be in Atlanta right now, worried to death about spending the rest of his life in jail.

“
Ian is crazy,” he murmured rising and wandering through the house.

         
Jalen stumbled into the study and found the file folders Ian had been perusing earlier. He picked up the thickest one, opening it. “She’s pretty,” he said aloud looking at the recent photos of Kaitlyn. Jalen sat and began reading her file, repulsed at the information he found.
Is he gonna kill her,
he wondered becoming slightly afraid for the woman. Hearing the truck returning, Jalen hurriedly put the folder back where he found it and returned to the den, turning on the TV. His mind was still whirling and spinning as they all came inside, laughing and joking. Creeper and Pirate joined him in the den, as Ian headed to the study and closed the door. Jalen’s mind immediately returned the woman’s folder and he said a quick prayer for her safety, knowing his brother was indeed insane and no one was safe from his wrath once he made up his mind to eliminate them.

*****

          “
What the hell is going on,” Kaitlyn wondered seeing the emergency personnel going inside the gym. She didn’t recall seeing anyone hurt on her way to the car. She’d finished her shower, dressed and left.
Guess Diva left before I did,
she thought of the woman who’d taunted her earlier. Kaitlyn was also a bit concerned about the memory lapses she was having. She remember sitting on the locker room bench, drying herself, but she didn’t remember the shower at all. It was like she’d slept through it. Sighing deeply Kaitlyn started the car and pulled out of the parking lot missing the stretcher as they wheeled Diva out and into the waiting ambulance, rushing her to Grady. She was in deep shock and her blood pressure was plummeting as she hemorrhaged from the soap embedded deep inside her.

         
Kaitlyn drove aimlessly for a while, having no real destination. Normally she would call Jaleesa and they would have lunch and shop. Sighing sighlty she called Tae. “Hey girl,” she greeted her friend.

Tae returned her greeting asking what she was up too.

“
Nothing, you wanna hang out,” Kaitlyn asked.

Tae giggled and told her sure. “Shoe sale at Macy’s girl,” Tae told her as Kaitlyn laughed.

“
Shit, we’re late then,” she returned as Tae laughed this time.

“
I’ll pick you in 30,” she added as Tae told her that was straight and disconnected. Kaitlyn stopped at the convenience store grabbing some cheetos and a coke. She opened the drink, removing the prescription bottle from her purse. She took out one of the small pink tablets and swallowed it with the coke.
Please, no headaches or blank spaces today,
she prayed quietly. Her cell rang and she smiled seeing her husband’s name on the ID.

“
Hi baby,” Kaitlyn greeted Tariq sweetly as they began to talk, clearing her mind and temporarily chasing all the ghosts away.

14

         
Tariq was still smiling slightly after disconnecting. Talking to his wife always had a calming and soothing effect on him.
I hope we can hurry up and find out what we need to know,
he mused as they entered the courthouse and asked to see the death records. The clerk directed them to the correct section, giving them each a form to complete. When Tariq told her they were together, she smiled and told them they only needed one form. Completing and returning to the desk, Tariq was given a log-in and password to access the computer that held the files. The three men headed to the solitary computer located at the back of the long gray hallway. The building was typical government decorated. Laws and ordinance signs littered the walls, concealing the worn and chipping areas of the steel gray paint that covered them. Tariq typed in the information they were seeking and hit enter. The computer whirred and beeped for a few seconds before the screen flashed the results of their query.

         
There were several Ian Bailey’s that were deceased, however none of them within the last two years.

“
Sonofabitch,” Tariq murmured.

Rising he headed back to the front desk, Ramell and Jaron right behind him.

“
Excuse me,” Tariq began politely. “Are these death records on the computer complete,” he asked. “Even if the person wasn’t buried here, would the records still be there.”

The clerk assured him if the person died in the state of Louisiana, the record would be there.

“
Thank you,” he told her and walked away.

“
What’s next,” Ramell asked, looking him in the eye.

“
Hospitals, but I dunno how we’ll find any information,” Tariq replied tiredly.

Ramell grunted slightly thinking a moment before speaking again.

“
What kinda injuries would he have,” he asked as Tariq described all the bullets Ian would have taken. “Hmm ok, so let’s say he made it to the hospital,” Ramell began. “Eventually he had to be released and with that many bullets and even one to his head, I’d think some rehab was in order,” he threw out as Tariq nodded.

“
That makes perfect sense,” he added as they began walking toward the entrance of the courthouse once again.

Deciding they would start with rehabilitation centers, Tariq decided they needed a picture of Ian. “Maybe show it around, slide some $50’s and $100’s in some palms,” he told them as both Ramell and Jaron agreed.

         
They made another stop at a public library they were passing, using the computer to access archived newspapers. They found the story about the shooting after forty minutes of searching.

“
Say’s he was the sole survivor,” Jaron noted as Tariq grunted.

I’ma decapitate his ass this time,
Tariq thought venomously.
Bet he won’t come back from that shit.

“
OK, here’s the hospital name,” Ramell said pointing at the screen. “Let’s go there, see who they feed their rehab patients too,” he continued as they printed out the article containing Ian’s photo and made copies. “Let’s hope we get lucky and this muthafucka is still in rehab,” Ramell remarked as Tariq sighed deeply and echoed the sentiment. The men headed back to the highway, following the directions from the GPS, arriving moments later at Sweetwater Medical Center and praying they found a lead.

*****

         
Jacoury was regarding Tyashia as they ate. He’d given her the knife back and she thanked him.

“
What’s on your mind,” he asked, watching her closely.

Tyashia smiled slightly. “What do you want from me Jacoury,” she threw out calmly.

He smiled himself now at her directness.

“
To get to know you much better, on a seriously personal level,” he replied without hesitation.

“
I might be someone you should stay away from,” she replied, almost sad.

“
Tyashia, we all have a past,” he told her plainly; sure that’s what she was alluding too. She smiled at that statement and said nothing else for a while.

“
So you’re single,” she asked. “Or you just looking for a plaything on the side?”

Jacoury did laugh this time.

“
Damn girl, you just put it out there, don’t you,” he chuckled as she shrugged slightly and continued eating.

          “
I’m single, and I would never have a woman as sexy as you for a sideline screw,” he told her plainly as Tyashia smiled slightly.

“
So if we didn’t hook up, I’d still have a job,” she asked again.

Jacoury smiled once more and she continued thinking how utterly sexy the man was. “Yes, Tyashia,” he told her giving her a crazy look. “If you wanna leave now you can, no hard feelings,” Jacoury teased as she giggled slightly. “So now that you’re finished with the third degree, can we get to know each other a little better,” Jacoury asked as she told him yes.

They talked for the next two hours before rising to leave.