Page 6 of Maceo

Skull masks.Gloves. Black shirt. Black pants. Black boots.

That was tonight’s attire.

I sat crouched down behind the shipping crates, patiently waiting for the delivery I knew was to come. The crew was already in place and composed of Sloan, Miko, Zeno, Tiny, David and me. They were a few niggas I knew from around the way who were ex-military. When I first signed my contract, it was my job to get a reliable team together. I found them through my family’s charity for ex-military members who needed jobs after coming home.

Most of them were hating civilian life and were having issues finding fulfilling jobs after years in the service. They needed action, and I needed a crew that could follow orders, get shit done, and were down for the cause.

So far, we’d been on a total of ten missions, and shit always ran smoothly, so I expected tonight to be no different.

“Headlights approaching,” Miko said into the earpiece.

“Everybody in position. Wait for your signal. Baby, you good?”

“I’m set.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, daddy.”

I chuckled to myself. That part had become a habit with us being on missions together. We made up before we left out because I’d be damned if we went on a mission without our heads in the game. Anything could happen, and one of us might not make it home. The last thing that needed to be between us was anger if one of us met our demise.

Bright headlights forced me to refocus my attention on the task at hand. A large black van pulled up and came to a stop behind the building. When the doors opened, I counted the men that jumped out. There were five, and they all had assault rifles. An additional three came out of the building to greet them.

“Miko. Tiny. Y’all got clear shots from the roof?”

“Yup.”

“Take out as many as you can. The rest of you, be ready to move in.”

“Copy that.”

The minute I saw the first two bodies drop, I came out of my hiding spot, with the rest of the crew coming from different angles. One by one, headshots took the targets to the ground. It was all of thirty seconds before they were all laid out. I snatched the keys from one of them.

“Miko and Tiny, cover me from your position. The rest of y’all, sweep the building. Anybody that ain’t bloody, bruised, or broken gets a headshot.”

They nodded and headed into the building while I unlocked the back of the van to find the six terrified faces of four menand two women, all handcuffed and shackled at their feet. They shook their heads as I stepped into the van.

“You’re safe,” I said calmly. “Nobody is gonna hurt you. My name is Maceo. Me and my team are here to help.”

Just then, the guys crowded around.

“The building is empty,” David informed me. “There are quite a few bodies down there, though.”

“I’ll send word.” I spoke into the earpiece. “Baby, you can bring the van around.”

“Coming.”

“How—how do we know we can trust you?” one of the women asked.

“You don’t know that,” I answered. “I promise, I have no reason or desire to bring harm to you. I just want to help you. Let me get those cuffs and shackles off you.”

They looked around us at the bodies on the ground and then at each other. Hesitantly, the woman who asked the question stood and shuffled over to me. She eyed me curiously as I searched through the keys until I found the one that unlocked her cuffs and shackles. Zeno and David helped her out of the van just as Shar was pulling up.

She looked around at the carnage, an audible gasp leaving her mouth.

“Oh my God…”

She began to cry as Zeno ushered her over to the van and helped her inside. After looking at each other with silent communication, the others stood and waited their turns to be set free. We got them loaded into the van, and I climbed in with Shar in the front seat. She looked back at them with a sympathetic smile.

---