Christmas in the Hood (17 page)

“Batman is nowhere
near
as sexy as you are,” he joked. He found that joking with Noelle kept her calm.

“Thank you, Parker. For everything. I couldn’t do this without you.”

“All right let’s get you your mic and your camera. If you have to talk to me, remember to whisper. I’ll be able to hear you loud and clear.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll get to Gray’s house fifteen minutes after he calls, but you know I’ll really be only three minutes away.”

“Okay.”

“And Noelle …”

“Yes?”

“Breathe.”

Noelle checked to make sure she had everything. She left her purse and cell phone at Parker’s house. She didn’t want to risk losing
something if anything happened that wasn’t according to plan. She checked herself in the mirror one last time and went out the door.

“See you soon, baby. Just stick to the plan no matter how nervous you get.”

Noelle nodded her head then went down the steps. The cold air hit her in the face, but she relished it. Being cold kept her from sweating from nervousness.

During the fifteen-minute drive from downtown to Pikesville, Noelle began to focus her mind and go over the plan, slowly building her confidence. She knew everything she had to do. She couldn’t fuck up. She
wouldn’t.
Paris’s life depended on her.

She breathed deeply and thought about spending Christmas with Paris. For the first time in her life she wanted to celebrate the holiday. And she wanted a relationship with Parker. She didn’t want to grieve for her mother, sister, and new relationship all at the same time.

Noelle parked around the corner from Gray’s home. Parker told her not to park on Gray’s street, which made sense. She didn’t want Gray knowing the make of her car or her license plate number.

She cut the ignition and tucked her keys into her pocket. The block was silent and cold, but Noelle didn’t hear or feel it. She kept trying to quiet the roaring in her ears and cool the inferno raging through her body.

Calm down!

Noelle took a deep breath, got out the car, and started down the street.

“I’m right here with you, baby,” Parker told her through her earpiece. “Stick to the plan, and I’ll be there with you very soon.”

“I can’t wait,” Noelle whispered.

Once she made it to Gray’s front door, she took out the appropriate tools to unlock the door. Unlocking the door was easy, just like Parker said it would be. Gray thought he was such a powerful man that no one would dare to break into his home; therefore, he didn’t use extra precautions such as dead bolts or home alarm systems. His prized possessions were in a safe that no one knew about. For all intents and purposes, Gray felt secure.

“You’re doing great,” Parker whispered. “Now, make your way through the house and into the kitchen.”

She walked quickly but quietly through the house. Once she made it to the kitchen she took a look around. Wineglasses and an empty bottle of vintage Merlot were on the kitchen counter.

Noelle turned suddenly when she heard laughter coming from an upstairs room. She began to panic immediately. Gray should have been asleep at three in the morning, but he was awake, and it sounded as if he had company. In fact, she distinctly heard a woman’s moan, and then the woman calling out Gray’s name in a high-pitched, shrill tone that would have grated on any man’s nerves had he heard it at any time other than during sex.

“He’s awake up there,” she barely whispered to Parker. “And he’s having sex with a woman.”

“Stay focused and get into that safe. He won’t hear you until it’s time to hear you.”

Noelle took a deep breath and stood at the sink, staring at the tiled backsplash. The safe that she had to get into was back there.

She pressed the painted green pear on the center tile and heard a soft hissing sound. She grabbed the bottom corner of the tile and pulled. The infamous safe loomed before her eyes.

“Now, open the safe just as we practiced,” Parker instructed.

Noelle held her breath as she disabled the voice recognition program, then began clipping the wires around the safe.
So far, so good
, she thought. The hardest part was done. When she went to type in the combination, her mind went blank.

“Parker, the combination.”

Parker immediately rattled off the numbers at the same time she heard Gray’s voice at the top of the stairs.

“He’s coming down,” Noelle said quickly.

“Move fast and get the jewels.”

“Gray, come back, baby,” the upstairs female voice called out.

Thankfully, Noelle heard Gray retrace his footsteps. She worked quickly and finally held four black velvet pouches in her hand.

“Fifteen seconds, Noelle.”

She knew that was how long before Gray would come running downstairs with a Glock, ready to fire. By removing the jewels, she had purposely tripped the silent alarm that was triggered once the weight of the jewels was removed. Now the real plan was beginning.

“What the fuck?” Noelle heard Gray shouting upstairs, and she knew he was on his way downstairs.

“He’s coming,” she whispered.

“Stay focused and tell him exactly what happened.”

She took off toward the front door as if she were trying to escape just as Gray ran down the stairs, the Glock aimed toward her head and his finger on the trigger.

“Hold it right there, motherfucker,” Gray said through gritted teeth.

Noelle immediately stopped and held up her hands. “Don’t fucking shoot,” she told Gray. “I had to break into your safe or he’ll kill her.”

“What the hell is going on?” asked the woman who stood at the top of the stairs wearing a red silk robe.

“Get your ass back upstairs, Miranda,” Gray told her as he moved closer to Noelle.

She had evidently piqued his curiosity enough that he hadn’t shot her yet.

“Start talking, bitch, or you’re dead,” Gray yelled. “Who’s going to kill who?”

“Carlos killed my mother and kidnapped my little sister, Paris. I have to pay back my mother’s debt, or he’ll kill Paris.”

Noelle slowly sat the four black velvet pouches on the floor in front of her.

“How much does Carlos want?” he asked.

“Twenty-three thousand.”

“Do you know how much those stones are worth?”

“No, I don’t. I’m sure it’s much, much more than twenty grand. I just want my sister back home. She’s only eleven.”

“Why the fuck should I believe you?” Gray asked as he lowered his gun.

“How else would I know where your safe is?”

“Go into the living room and sit down,” he instructed.

Noelle cautiously moved into the living room and took a seat. So far things were going according to plan. Gray seemed to believe her. “Here comes the call, baby,” Parker said through her earpiece. She was glad that Parker was with her. It was scary enough
having a gun held on her twice in a matter of days. It felt like she was living someone else’s life.

Gray picked up a sleek silver cordless phone and dialed a number. She knew who he was calling.

“Get your ass here in fifteen minutes.”

Gray set the phone down and began to question Noelle further.

“How long have you known Carlos?”

“I just met him the day he killed my mother. He was waiting in my house for my sister and me to return home.”

“Why did your mother take out a loan?”

Noelle shrugged her shoulders at first, but remembered she was to be as truthful as possible.

“I thought my mother was clean, but she relapsed. She wanted the money for drugs, I’m sure. While she was high, someone stole her purse, which had the money she had borrowed in it.”

“Gray, is everything all right?” Miranda yelled. “Yes, honey. Go back to bed.”

Gray asked a few more questions before the doorbell rang. “Don’t move,” he ordered, and went to answer the door.

Chapter Sixteen

“
T
his will be the last time that motherfucker tries to steal from me,” Gray announced.

“I know you’re pissed, Gray, but you don’t need trouble right now,” Parker said.

“I don’t have to be there, but there will be trouble. Count on it. You get anything else from the girl?”

Parker glanced over at Noelle sitting on the couch wringing her hands nervously. She was holding up like a champ.

“No, nothing more. I made a few calls. Everything she said checks out. She just wants to get her sister back. And from what I’ve learned, she needs to get the little one now. It seems Carlos’s cousin has developed a thing for little girls.”

Gray glanced at Noelle, who shuddered upon hearing about the cousin. He was getting too old for this bullshit. He regretted not taking care of Carlos years ago. But he wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

“Call Cocoa. Tell her I have a job for her,” Gray told Parker.

“What time and where should I tell her to meet us?”

“One hour. But she’s not meeting us. We’ll meet her. She’s to call me when she gets situated.”

Parker pulled out his cell phone.

“Noelle, you ready to get your sister?” Gray asked.

“Yes. That’s all I want.”

“Well, call Carlos and tell him you have the money. Tell him that you’ll be there in an hour and that you’re bringing your friend Cocoa with you because she needs a loan.”

“I hope you don’t mind my asking,” she began, “but who is Cocoa?”

“A man’s worst fucking nightmare,” Parker stated with a smile. Cocoa was one goddamn foxy bitch.

*  *  *

Noelle turned around when she heard a woman call her name. She had almost missed the sound because she was concentrating so much on keeping her legs from giving out on her. She was terrified of what was about to happen. She didn’t know the whole plan, but, ultimately, Carlos was going to get fucked up. And she had to make sure Paris was safe in the process.

“Morning, I’m Cocoa.”

Noelle looked at a woman who seemed as if she should be in Hollywood. She wore designer labels from head to toe. Prada sunglasses caught the beginnings of sunrise, a mink jacket kept the morning chill away, Apple Bottom jeans were tight enough you could count the change in her back pockets, and black Jimmy Choos adorned her feet. She looked damned good. And she certainly had the best weave Noelle had ever seen. That’s if it was a weave at all.

That might actually be the bitch’s hair
, she thought, staring at Cocoa’s shoulder-length curly black hair with the brownish gold highlights.

“I’m Noelle. Thank you for coming.”

“When we go inside, tell the bastard you want to see your sister first, then let me take it from there.”

Noelle rang the doorbell and waited. A few seconds later Ronald answered the door. She had found out that he was a friend of Parker’s working on the inside to keep an eye on Carlos. She remembered his being at the house the day Carlos kidnapped Paris.

“Noelle, Paris is okay,” Ronald said hurriedly. “Cocoa, good to see you, baby.”

Ronald opened the door wide to let them inside. They followed him into Carlos’s office and took seats in front of his desk.

“He’ll be in here in a minute,” Ronald told them. “Cocoa, I’ll be close by.”

“That’s good to know, handsome,” Cocoa said with a smile, and blew him a kiss.

Once Ronald left, Cocoa issued Noelle a reminder. “Remember to get Paris in here before you show him any cash.”

“But I don’t have any cash,” Noelle whispered.

“He doesn’t know that. Just get him to let you see Paris.”

Noelle and Cocoa sat silently for a good five minutes before Carlos came into his office. He wasted no time, except to stare at Cocoa for an extra ten seconds before sitting at his desk.

Since Carlos wanted to stare, Cocoa gave him something to look at. She inserted her index finger into her mouth, bobbed her head up and down a few times, then made a loud smacking sound as she pulled her wet finger out of her mouth.

She batted her eyelashes, gave Carlos a smoldering stare, and said, “I’m sorry, it’s just a lil’ ol’ habit I have to keep my lipstick from getting on my teeth. It works wonders.”

“You are delicious,” he said to Cocoa, then turned to Noelle. “Where’s the fucking money?”

Carlos cut right to business, making himself forget that he’d just seen probably the most beautiful, erotic creature of his life.

“Let me see Paris first,” Noelle told him.

“I don’t have time to play any fucking games. Where’s my god-damn money?”

“No money until I lay eyes on my sister, Carlos.”

Carlos smiled. “If your mother was half the woman you are, she would probably be alive right now, and you wouldn’t be in this situation.”

Carlos picked up the cordless phone on his desk and placed a call. A few short minutes later an overweight man came in with Paris in tow.

“Noelle!” Paris started across the office but was stopped by a big grubby hand.

“Paris, baby, are you okay?”

“I’m okay.”

“Touching,” Carlos mocked. “Now where’s my money?”

Cocoa sprang into action so fast that she actually looked like a female action hero from the movies. She vaulted over Carlos’s desk, reached inside her mink jacket, and produced a syringe filled with a clear substance. Cocoa plunged the needle into Carlos’s neck so fast that if Noelle would have blinked, she would have missed it.

“What the fuck are you doing?” the fat man shouted.

Cocoa pulled a 9 mm with a silencer on it from her waistband and silenced Carlos’s cousin with a single bullet to the head, then turned her attention back to Carlos.

“You have been injected with a paralyzing agent,” Cocoa told him, and laughed seductively. The sound was so melodious that Noelle thought she could probably sing like Patti LaBelle if she wanted.

“I’m sure you’re really pissed right now, but no one gives a fuck. I’d ask you if you had any last words, but you can’t talk, so fuck you.”

Carlos tried to move but couldn’t. Noelle could see the panic in his eyes.

“Paris, come over here.”

Paris had remained frozen the entire time. She kept staring at the bullet wound on fat man’s head. She was glad that he was dead. Especially because he had a thing for little girls. “Noelle!” Paris ran to her sister.