Playing their games, p.22
Playing Their Games,
p.22
“Now I’m getting worried,” I acknowledged.
So many things started running through my mind, and I couldn’t come up with a plausible answer as to what was going on. While Agent Tracy continued to brief Special Agent Petty through her listening device, I became a nervous wreck, wondering where Simon and Troy were, and why Aaron flagged Noah to join him behind that side door.
Then two more minutes passed and the side door opened again. This time, Noah peered out from behind the door and flagged me to come to him.
“Oh my God! Do you see this?” I started off saying after realizing what Noah was doing.
“Is he motioning you to come to him?” Tracy asked me.
“Yes, he is. What should I do?” I asked her. My stomach was bottled up in a bottomless pit of nerves.
“If you don’t go, he’s gonna think something is wrong,” Agent Tracy advised me.
“But what if I don’t come back out?” I noted.
“Noah is standing at the side door, motioning for Yoshi to come to him,” Agent Tracy reported into the device.
“Oh my God! He’s walking toward me,” I told her. My freaking heart was about to jump out of my chest.
“Petty, Noah is walking toward us right now. What should we do?” Tracy continued to brief Agent Petty through her mic.
“He’s still coming,” I informed her, pretending to look in another direction. I had my peripheral vision working overtime.
“Hey, Yoshi, do you mind coming with me?” Noah asked as he nudged me in my left arm.
I turned around and faced him as if I were shocked to see him. “What’s going on?” I replied, acting as clueless as I possibly could.
“Just come with me,” he said flatly.
“Can you tell me where the women’s restroom is?” Agent Tracy inquired.
“Yes, where is it? I’ve gotta go to the little girls’ bathroom too,” I chimed in. I knew that I needed to do everything within my power to prolong going with Noah alone behind that door. In my mind, Troy was back there with Aaron, and the only reason why Noah wanted me to join them was because they wanted me to answer for the photos that Troy stole from Aaron’s office, nearly a week ago. It wouldn’t surprise me to know Troy was throwing all of the blame on me.
“The ladies’ room is in the back. I can escort you both back there,” he said eagerly.
Relieved that I wasn’t going to be with Noah and the other guys alone, I exhaled and followed Tracy and Noah to the partially opened door.
As we approached it, it opened and out came Simon, running. He was able to drag Troy to the doorway. “Troy has been shot! Aaron shot him and he’s dying!” he shouted. He was heavily winded.
Startled, I stopped in my tracks. “Arrest Noah! He shot and killed Aaron,” Simon added as he hurled strong allegations about Noah’s involvement.
Immediately after Simon made these accusations, Noah took off running in the opposite direction. He didn’t get too far, because Agent Tracy shot off in his direction and tackled him, ending in a scuffle with him falling down on the floor. Everyone in attendance stood by in awe.
“Get off me, you fucking bitch!” Noah roared. He was angry that Agent Tracy had him pinned down on the floor.
I bolted toward Troy as he lay in the entryway of the door. Simon moved to the side so that I could get down on the floor and cradle Troy in my arms. He blinked his eyes while gurgling the blood in his mouth. I discouraged him from talking, but he wouldn’t listen to me.
“Aaron wanted the photos and shot me when I didn’t give them to him,” he said. “Noah killed Aaron. Noah said that he was tired of Aaron bringing attention to the firm. He said that Aaron was tearing down everything that Noah built, so he had to stop him because he wasn’t going down with him.” Troy paused then, like he was thinking of something else to say.
I rocked him back and forth while shedding a few tears.
“I’m sorry for the way I’ve been treating you.”
I told him that I accepted his apology, and while I was with Troy, I glanced over at Agent Tracy, who by now had lifted Noah up from the floor and placed handcuffs on him.
“You better have probable cause for arresting me, because I will have your job at the peak of dawn,” Noah threatened her.
“Let’s talk about the two men you had murdered in one of your sacrificial cleansing ceremonies,” I heard Agent Tracy ask him.
“Murdered? I don’t know what you’re talking about, young lady. Do you know that you are completely out of line?” Noah continued to gripe. He was both angry and humiliated that he was standing in the middle of the floor of his annual gala handcuffed in front of all his guests. Everyone was standing in huddles, whispering to one another.
“Maybe I am, but you are going to jail tonight,” Agent Tracy announced to him.
“You are not taking me anywhere,” he spat out. Within minutes of this fiasco, twelve FBI agents walked through the front door and had the place surrounded. Special Agent Petty was front and center. Arrests were being made throughout the room. Five of the firm’s senior partners were taken out in handcuffs. Noah was taken out next.
By then, Troy had passed away in my arms. Here I was, losing someone else to death. If I had gone with Noah, would I be lying here? Why was I always escaping death? Was I next?
I knew one thing for sure. When I started the next chapter of my life, things were going to be different. It was time to take charge of my life. No matter what.
See how it all started in
PLAYING WITH FIRE
And catch up with where Yoshi Lomax is now, with
PLAYING DIRTY
And
NOTORIOUS
Available now
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Kiki Swinson, Playing Their Games
