CHAPTER 13
The ladies were pissed. We had wasted a lot of money, and it didn't sit well with any of us. Still, we stayed for two more days, soaking up every bit of freedom while we could, before flying back to the States.
The first thing we did upon arrival was locate Rudolph's company—Atkinson's Pride. He stayed in California. I immediately headed there to observe him, to map out his every move, every routine. I spent a full week tracking him. He'd step out at five in the morning for a jog, return, and leave for work by seven. Lunch was at a nearby restaurant at one, Saturdays meant golf with his brother and colleagues, and Sundays were reserved for church. That was all the information I needed to plan my trap. Afterward, I returned to Atlanta.
Rufus stayed in California too, and this time it was Kora's turn to monitor him. He woke around ten or eleven, headed straight to a casino, and didn't leave until midnight, usually with a different woman each night. Saturdays were the exception—he'd meet his brother on the golf course and collect his allowance. With both fools mapped, it was time to focus on Indira's vengeance.
To find tangible leads, we returned to her old house in Philadelphia. Indira opened the door, and we stepped inside. We sifted through everything that looked expensive, flashy, or suspicious, but came up empty-handed. Just as we were about to leave, Marissa picked up a handkerchief with a skull on it. She handed it to Indira, who smiled knowingly. "Got you!"
On the ride home, she explained everything. Her husband had stumbled into a dangerous racket—a black market dealing in organ trafficking, forced prostitution, and abducted children. He had been tasked with collecting a map from the post office, and that's when he learned the full extent of their operations. He returned home, tried to distance himself from the illegal business, and moved to Philadelphia, where he met Indira.
The map pointed to a place brimming with diamonds. By the time the gang found him, he didn't have it, but Indira did. The gang killed him and their children while she was in prison. She had held onto the map, ensuring the stolen wealth would never fall into the wrong hands. But after her husband's death, it became personal. She had to settle scores—not just for the map, but for her family.
To reach the kingpin, we would have to take down everyone involved in the murder of her family. The mastermind was a man known only as Don Fernandez. Indira didn't know him, and there was no record of him online. To find him, we would have to return to the streets. Marissa scoured the internet and found nothing. Nothing at all.
We were determined. Backing out and leaving things half done simply wasn't in a Black woman's DNA.
We spread out the pictures of the gang across the table, studying every face carefully. My eyes moved from one photograph to the next until suddenly I froze.
"Wait…" I murmured.
There she was.
Pkay.
My stomach tightened as the memory hit me like a slap. When she had nearly killed me in the prison bathroom, I had noticed something—something that suddenly made sense now.
"The tattoo," I said.
The ladies looked up.
"She has a skull tattoo on her neck. I saw it when she tried to kill me."
They leaned closer to the picture, and one by one, they recognized it too.
Pkay was part of the racket.
That meant she was our only lead.
If we wanted to find Don Fernandez, we had to go through her.
Silence filled the room as we all thought about the same thing.
One of us had to go back to the prison.
And not just visit.
We had to squeeze the truth out of her.
Slowly, every pair of eyes in the room turned toward Lupita.
Pkay was terrified of her.
And Lupita knew exactly how to exploit fear.
We debated it for a long time. None of us liked the idea of returning to that prison, even for a visit.
But eventually, Lupita agreed.
The next day, we drove her to the prison and waited in the car.
Lupita carried a small bag filled with toiletries for Pkay—deodorant, soap, toilet paper, and toothpaste. We had also cooked some food for her.
Pkay was a notorious muncher.
If we wanted information, food would help soften her up.
The guards recognized Lupita and allowed her to go in.
She was wired with a small microphone, and from the car we could hear every word that passed between them.
At first, Pkay was stubborn.
"I'm not part of any Mexican gang," she insisted repeatedly.
Lupita leaned forward slowly, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
"You might want to rethink that lie."
Pkay stayed quiet.
So Lupita pushed harder.
"The racket you're protecting just murdered Indira's family. Her husband. Her children. If you don't start talking, Indira is going to come for you next."
Still nothing.
Pkay refused to break.
That was when Lupita calmly placed the food on the table.
Pkay immediately began eating like she hadn't seen food in days.
Then Lupita slowly pulled a small green bottle from her jacket and set it on the table.
Pkay stopped chewing.
"What's that?" she asked suspiciously.
Lupita's answer was legendary.
"The food you're eating right now has been laced with poison," she said calmly. "And the bottle in front of you is the antidote."
Pkay stared at her.
Lupita leaned back in her chair.
"I'm sure you understand what that means. But just in case you don't, I'll explain."
She folded her arms.
"It means you're going to die. Slowly. Painfully. And honestly? It doesn't really matter. You're already serving a life sentence."
She shrugged casually.
"So since you don't want to cooperate, I'll just take my leave."
Then she nodded toward the food.
"And please… keep eating. I made it myself."
She stood up as if she was about to leave.
That was when Pkay panicked.
"Wait!" she blurted out.
Fear had finally cracked her.
She started talking.
Pkay confessed that she didn't personally know Don Fernandez, but she knew where his base—his den—was located.
New Mexico.
But she also warned Lupita about something else.
The den was heavily fortified.
CCTV cameras everywhere.
Security watching every corner.
"Going there," she said nervously, "would be like walking straight into your own execution."
Lupita simply nodded.
"Thank you," she said calmly and stood up to leave.
"Wait!" Pkay shouted again.
"The antidote!"
Lupita burst out laughing.
There had never been any poison.
The food was perfectly normal.
She had only lied to scare the truth out of her.
Without saying another word, Lupita slid the bottle across the table and walked out.
When we got home, the first thing we did was calculate our total savings.
We had more than enough.
Enough to survive in Mexico for two months, with money still left over.
We decided to leave the following week.
Indira made a few calls and managed to book an entire motel for us. It wasn't fancy, but it was cheap and discreet—exactly what we needed.
We couldn't buy weapons before traveling because we would be arrested at the airport.
So we flew out empty-handed.
After checking into the motel, we rested for a while.
While the rest of us slept, Lupita went out to gather everything we would need.
Guns.
Ammo.
Equipment.
She also bought my blades.
She even returned with motorbikes and black leather outfits for all of us.
All except Kora.
For Kora, she bought a silky wine-colored dress that exposed her long legs.
And truth be told…
Kora looked incredible in it.
But before we attacked anything, we had to study the place first.
That assignment fell to me.
My job was simple—but dangerous.
I had to sneak into the control room and insert a tracking chip into one of their computers.
Walking directly into a lion's den would be suicide.
So instead of forcing my way in, I chose another route.
I went indirectly.
Something no one would suspect.
I bought guacamole, coconuts, and tacos from a nearby restaurant.
Then I disguised myself as a street food vendor.
I knew how to greet people in Spanish.
And I knew just enough words to get by.
With my food cart ready, I headed toward the den.
But the moment I saw the place…
I realized something immediately.
That place was heavily guarded.