"You give me anxiety," sighed Maddox as he turned his car into an unfamiliar neighborhood.

Karmin had just filled him in on her plan, and well, he didn't seem very thrilled. Instead, he looked as if he wanted to strangle her.

"I think it's a great plan," Karmin said in defense, but she didn't believe those words either.

"Great as in it's going to get us killed? Then yeah sure, it's great," he replied bitterly.

She rolled her eyes, glancing at him as he parked his car onto a driveway. "Everything is going to be fine. I'm going to take care of it."

"That's exactly what terrifies me. So much anxiety," muttered Maddox to himself.

Karmin glared at him as she stepped out of the car, making her way to the front door with Maddox trailing close behind. It was a two-story house that looked like every other home on the street, except for the unusual gnomes littering the front yard. She swore one of them looked like Mariah Carey.

She knocked on the door, and after a few moments of shuffling from inside, it swung open, revealing a tall, muscular man dressed in luxurious silk pajamas that stood out against his rich ebony skin. A small baby clung to his chest as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Hi," grinned Karmin widely. "I'm looking for Zara."

He turned around, shouting over his shoulder, "Little Z, your friends are here!" The man settled his eyes back on them, offering them a smile. "Why don't you guys come on in? I'm Atlas by the way."

Karmin nodded, stepping inside to be greeted by Parker, who merrily made his way over to them.

"Hey Parker," she greeted with a wave. She pointed over at an awkwardly standing boy beside her, and said, "This is Maddox."

Parker stuck out his hand, grinned. "It's nice to meet you, man."

Maddox cleared his throat, throwing in a stiff smile. "You too."

"Zara should be done here any second. She's just looking for her gun," Parker explained casually, but only for his eyes to widen. "I mean, her Gun's N' Roses t-shirt."

"Right," chuckled Karmin, eyeing him carefully.

"So," interjected Atlas, "what are your plans for today?"

Karmin opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, Maddox nudged her in the side. "Just hanging out. Going out for some Chinese food," he replied.

She scoffed internally, side-eyeing him. It wasn't like I was going to tell him that we were meeting up with some mob boss, geez.

Atlas hummed. "Just make sure this idiot over here doesn't start a fire," he remarked, poking Parker on the head.

Parker smacked his hand away. "You know what? I'm not babysitting Nailah tomorrow night," he fired back.

Atlas patted his tiny daughter, who slept in his arms. "I don't want you too anyway. You would probably drop her on her head. I don't want her to turn out like you."

Karmin stifled a laugh, her eyes moving back and forth between the two.

"You mean handsome and intelligent?" asked Parker haughtily.

"No, I mean clumsy and scrawny," deadpanned Atlas.

Before he could think of a comeback, Zara, along with a man wearing a button-up and khaki pants, stumbled down the stairs.

"Dale?" whispered Karmin, and surprisingly enough, Maddox had the same question.

"Has anyone seen Lucinda?" shouted Dale as he walked into the kitchen.

"How do you guys know my Dad?" wondered Parker, his forehead crinkling in question.

"I volunteer at the senior home with him," she answered. Now thinking about it, she hasn't been there in a while. Whoops.

"He runs the book club that my grandmas go to," mentioned Maddox.

"What a small world," Parker commented.

"Your Dad's a... cool guy," complimented Maddox shyly. "He's always trying to get me to join his cloud watching club."

"I am so sorry," sighed Parker.

Maddox let out a small laugh. "Nah, it's cool. I've learned a lot about nimbostratus clouds."

Zara quickly sauntered to the group, offering Karmin a small smile and a nod at Maddox. "It's nice to meet you, but we should really get going," she announced as she grabbed Parker's hand and pulling him out of the door.

Karmin agreed, waving back at Atlas. The four of them got into Maddox's car with Zara and Parker in the back. He immediately backed out of the driveway, beginning their drive to the restaurant.

"When we get there, I need you to be careful when talking to Cesar. He isn't as bad as the last guy, but he isn't a saint either," warned Zara.

"How do you guys know Cesar?" asked Maddox as he peered at them through the rear-view mirror.

"Um, he dated my Mom," said Parker airily.

Oh, there was definitely more to the story.

"How did you two meet him?" wondered Zara.

Karmin and Maddox glanced at one another with unease. She didn't know how to answer the question. She couldn't exactly tell them the truth.

"You don't have to tell us, but whatever happens, do not agree to join his company," Zara added, her tone grave.

Karmin swiveled her head as she said those words. The look on her face was dead serious, almost as if she had firsthand experience.

I just hoped I could heed this warning.

***

Chinatown BBQ had its own beauty to it. Although it was small and placed right across a gas station and a vape shop, it felt homely. The yellow walls were lined with nature pictures, and from the ceiling hung crimson bamboo lamps. It smelled of soy sauce and sesame oil as waiters took orders.

Karmin had been here several times before to order take out. The people who worked here were always kind but guarded, and she guessed she knew why. The owners were a mystery and till this day, she still had no idea who ran the restaurant.

"We have to find Kai and order the Ferrum special," Karmin whispered to the group.

Parker scoffed. "How clever."

She looked at him weirdly but shook her head. Instead, she focused on the waiters that passed by them, staring intently at their name tags. But everyone who walked by wasn't Kai.

"I don't see anyone named Kai," mentioned Maddox.

"Let's go ask the woman at the counter," suggested Zara.

Karmin walked up the front, seeing a woman, who was eating noodles out of a plastic bowl. "Excuse me. We're looking for Kai."

The woman glanced at them lazily, slurping the pasta. She didn't look so happy to be disturbed, but alas, she placed down her lunch, disappearing into the back.

A few moments passed when a large man walked out, wiping his hands on a rag. She caught a glance of a tattoo on the palm of his hand. It resembled the same sign on the card. "What can I do for you?" he demanded, his voice deep.

"We would like to order the Ferrum special," Karmin said in a hushed tone, quickly flashing the card.

A smirk curled at his lips. "Follow me," he said, flipping over the counter to let them in.

Karmin exchanged a nervous look with Maddox. He shrugged as if it was too late to back out now. He stepped aside to let her in first, the rest trailing behind her. They followed him into the back where chefs fried and seared food, working like a well-oiled machine. No one paid them any mind, and she wondered if they knew what went on here.

They got to the end of the kitchen for Kai to open the door to the freezer. Condensation and ice stuck to the walls and against the boxes filled with meat and vegetables. Her breath transformed into clouds as she rubbed her hands together. All four of them shuffled inside, peering over at Kai in confusion.

"This is an interesting meeting place," remarked Karmin.

Kai sniggered, but then slammed his fist against a metal refrigerator twice and then another three times like a pattern.

"Please don't let it be underground," mumbled Parker as he hugged Zara close to him.

As he said that, a click was audible as the doors of the refrigerator opened, revealing a set of stairs that led underneath the store. It was pitch dark to the point Karmin couldn't see anything in front of her.

"Take the stairs. Cesar will be waiting for you down there," Kai explained, ushering them inside.

Karmin took the first step, only to be stopped by Maddox. "Let me go," he grumbled as he sulked down the stairs.

She rolled her eyes but agreed. Zara and Parker were close behind her as they cautiously made their way downstairs. The entire way down, Parker was swearing, mumbling incomprehensible things along with Maddox complaining under his breath.

"I could be home right now, reading, but nope. Here I am walking in a dark fucking tunnel," Maddox cussed.

At the bottom, they were greeted by a man in all black blocking a metal door. Without as so much a word, he pulled it open, letting them inside.

Karmin muttered a quick 'thank you,' scurrying into the office. The walls were made of solid concrete with no light except for a small ceiling fan. A metal desk filled with files and stacks of money sat at the other end, and by the alcohol stand stood Cesar. His tattoos covered every inch of his skin visible underneath his suit with his hair slicked back.

"Isn't it a little too early to be drinking?" remarked Zara slyly.

Cesar shrugged, taking a sip of his bourbon. "It's happy hour somewhere."

"That sounds like alcoholism to me," retorted Parker confidently.

"Not another Karmin," muttered Maddox.

Cesar exhaled sharply, turning his gaze to Karmin. "I wasn't expecting this many people."

"I had to be careful," she fired back.

"Smart," he mused. "How do all you know each other?"

Karmin and Zara glanced at one another, smirking. "Mutual friend," they said in unison.

He hummed in response, leaning against his desk. "So, what seems to be your problem?"

"I'm not going to waste your time, so I'll get straight to the point. I want Ares gone," Karmin announced.

"As in dead?" Cesar asked with an arched brow.

"No. Gone as in jail, and you obviously have the resources to help us," she said firmly.

"And why would I do that? I'm one of his biggest suppliers. He makes me a lot of money," smirked Cesar.

Karmin stared at Maddox helplessly. Now what? This plan lasted less than two minutes, and it was already going to shit.

"Because you owe me," Zara interjected. "Without me, you'd be dead. Without my family, you wouldn't be here sitting behind this desk."

Both Karmin and Maddox jolted in shock, staring at her. What did she mean by that?

Cesar gritted his teeth, swallowing his drink in one gulp. He wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, glaring at her. "I don't like being in debt to people," he said to himself.

"Then help Karmin and Maddox. If you do that, we're even."

"You don't have to take down the entirety of My Brother's Keeper. Just Ares," added Karmin.

"Then I'll kill him," said Cesar simply.

"We don't want him dead," denied Maddox as he shook his head. "We want you to work with the local police, especially my Mom. She'll help."

Cesar burst out laughing as if it was a joke. It died down when he saw the somber expressions on their faces. "You're not serious, are you? Everything I do is illegal."

"We just need your manpower to take him down. The police will do the rest," Maddox explained thoroughly.

"And does your Mom know about this?" Cesar asked.

"We'll set up a meeting once you agree to this," he replied.

Cesar nodded, tapping his fingers against the metal desk. "Then I want something in return. You do one job for me and I'll make it happen."

"One job?" question Zara.

"Just one," he assured.

Karmin turned her gaze over to Zara, who gave her a subtle nod. "Okay, what is it?"

"It's not murder, I promise you that," Cesar poked with a smirk. "Do you know who Kenneth Becker is?"

"Isn't he the Secretary of Defense?" chimed in Parker.

"Exactly. Tomorrow, at the London Café at 10, Kenneth Becker will be there. I need you to steal his laptop and download all of his information on this USB drive," Cesar explained, pulling out a small chip from a cabinet desk. "Then give it back as if nothing happened."

"That's it?" Karmin asked.

"As simple as that," Cesar mused. "We'll give you everything you need. Table number, reservation time. Everything."

"Don't worry. We'll help," Parker whispered to her.

"Oh, no. That's not happening," rejected Cesar firmly. "I don't need the entire family coming after me. If you two help, the deal is off."

"I'm sorry," mouthed Zara unapologetically.

Karmin smiled reassuringly. She glanced at Maddox, who nodded at her.

"Besides you don't want this idiot to help anyway," Cesar commented, nodding his head towards Parker.

"Kiss my ass, Cesar," fired back Parker. "And now, you're not invited to the family dinner."

"I was never invited in the first place," Cesar deadpanned.

"Well, you're definitely not getting an invite now," he exclaimed, flailing his arms.

Cesar rolled his eyes, to turn back to Karmin. "So, do we have a deal?"

"Consider it done."

***

Author's Note:

Hey hey!!

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and the Zarker cameo! I definitely missed them along with the rest of the crew.

Happy New Year by the way!

Until next time – m.k.t