Crimson affairs (Hiatus)

Chapter 3

Time doesn't heal all wounds. In fact, it never heals the ones that really matter. Every morning I find myself coming back to reopen my deepest wound. It never heals. Instead, I feel like it matters less as time passes.

I come back to this private graveyard every day, on every holiday, and I stand here until I can't look at the tombstones any longer. The marble gravestones remind me why I'm head of my family. They remind me why someone had to step up and take control of the Cortez family name. Above all else, the graves remind me what will happen if Jupiter Cortez, or Mr. Crimson, go soft. If I do, then my tombstone might not be as polished as the ones in my backyard.

~

"I'm telling you boss. Something ain't right with them. They've been too quiet! Too easy!" Connor informed me during a game of pool. I'd recently had the pool table brought into my office to replace my broken desk. Connor and his twin brother stood facing me on the opposite end.

"You think the state police are planning something? Those little blue-shirts have got you spooked?" I didn't hide my amusement from the bodyguards. The police force in my city has a long-standing agreement with my family. "They don't touch us; we don't shut them down. That's how it's always been. I doubt anyone of those rent-a-cops has it in them." I smacked the eight into the corner hole, ending the game.

"I sent a boy in to ask around. Apparently, there are some new faces in the force. They started stirring things up a few weeks ago, but your cousin johnny stepped in to knock them down a peg. They went quiet real quick after that." Joshua stepped into the talk. I didn't see a problem with that, but they had my attention now. My twin hands were big, but not stupid. If they went to the trouble of looking into something, I'd be stupid to ignore it.

"Ok, so? Johnny's good at handling suits like that. They're supposed to go quiet after he visits." Connor looked tenser than usual, while Josh kept eyeing the window behind me. I stood up straight and set the pool cue down. "Who are these faces?"

"A couple of graduates from some special school in DC. They got transferred, and one rose straight to the senior chief officer's position. That crap doesn't happen with random scrubs. Yet, one word from Johnny and they chill?"

Josh jumped in right after, "Johnny says that he barely had to talk to them. They just took it and went on like nothing happened. No threats, no bruises, no reason to be this afraid yet. Something's not right, Boss." I could see their point. If these guys were whipping up a plan against me, I needed to know.

Just then, my office pager went off, and Cindy's voice came through. "Mr. Crimson. There's someone here to see you. It's the Chief of- wait, stop! You can't go in yet!" a second later, there was a knock on my door, and my boys flinched. I could see their hands bracing for a shootout if that's what it came down to. I stayed cool and watched as the door opened slowly.

When a dark-skinned woman walked in wearing a dark blue officer uniform, calling me surprised would be an understatement. She smiled at me curtly and nodded to my twins. We gave her nothing but poker faces while she entered the room and faced me. "My name is White, Senior Chief White. I wanted to have a word with Mr. Crimson." She gestured to my red suit and said, "I'm assuming that would be you."

"That's right, sweetheart. Have a seat and we can talk." She didn't move, and I took the chance to look her over. Her black hair was long and woven into a single braid that fell behind her. Her eyes were an emerald green which stood out against her brown skin. It was the second time I'd seen someone with that unusual contrast, and she instantly reminded me of the lady in white. But this woman wasn't the same. She looked at me like she was ready to start a firefight right here and now.

"I'd rather stand if it's all the same to you. I won't be here long." Her voice was strong and clear. Not too different from my own.

"By all means, how can I help the chief of police? I know you're new, but my family typically operates on a separate end of the political spectrum."

"No, I understand...Mr. Cortez. I only came here to give you a fair warning. I'm bringing you down, along with your entire operation. I didn't get why I was sent to this city at first, but things have been made clear since I've arrived.

"You've bribed, blackmailed, extorted, and murdered innocent people to get where you are now. You've evaded legal punishment for your crimes by using this flimsy alias and strong-arming the local police. You've managed to intimidate every citizen, officer, and politician that's entered this city up until now. All of that will end now that I'm here. I will shut down your collection days, your transporting routes, and your immunity. I will put an end to this alias of yours that lets you rampage into city hall whenever you decide. I will find a way to punish you for all the crimes you've committed until now.

"When I'm done dealing your own personal crimes, I will move onto your company. I still don't know how you've managed to keep Cortez manufacturing in the legal green-zone, but mark my words. I will bring down your entire world for your crimes Jupiter Cortez." Every cell and fiber in my body told me to pull out my gun and shoot her right then and there. That kind of declaration of war should have earned at least a bullet in every limb. One snap of my fingers and my twin hands would draw their own guns to end her as well. Before I gave that command however, she added, "If you think I've come unprepared, allow me to save you the confusion. I currently have this building surrounded by the department.

"It took me a long time to put all of this together. Believe me, you put the fear of god in the force. But I'm an atheist, Mr. Cortez, and I hate to lose an argument. I can't bring you in yet, but I'll be damned if you can clean my body out of here without getting slammed in maximum security first." I was at a loss for words for a moment. No one had posed a threat to the family like this woman before. If I didn't know better, I'd have considered leaving town before my world came crashing down. But I do know better. I started laughing in her face. An honest, pure laugh that filled the room.

"Alright, chicka. You want to play rough? Be my guest. Shine your badge, polish your guns, and bring that pair of handcuffs up to my front door. I will wreck it! You think you want war? Chicka, you don't know what the color crimson means around here, do you?" she looked at me without giving anything away. "It means blood that's spilled and fire that's burnt. I am Crimson. I am the man who spills whatever goes against me and burns whatever stands in my way!

"Go ahead and start a war! I will win, because no one will be left to say I lost!" I could see in her eyes that she was surprised by my outburst, but she didn't show it on her face in the slightest. She nodded her head and walked out of my office without another word. After she left, I faced my twin hands. "Contact the main family."

"Bring everyone in?"

"No, not yet. Just send the message: the police want war."

Ok, so, this chapter took us in a more serious direction. It was just a single conversation, yet the situation has clearly become more tense now. We have our new character, Chief White, and she's a badass! I've always thought, if you want a good hero, then you need an awesome villain. I'll let you decide who is what in this story. We've got our family boss, Mr. Crimson (a.k.a. Jupiter Cortez) going head to head with Chief White (a.k.a. Julia White)!

If you liked what you read, and want to see more, leave a vote and a comment :)