Jade: Chapter 1

“I believe we have a mutual enemy.” A man laid a manila folder on the desk.

“Adebayo Conteh, if you value your life, you will not waste my time with falsehoods.”

“Since you are aware I value my life above all else, it would behoove you to read the report before you.”

Aja Karoo looked up from her desk to stare at the man. “I do not deal with the likes of you. My security team tells me you are aware of this. Yet, you enter my country without the proper authorization then dare to enter my home.”

“Since I am still breathing, I can only surmise that you are interested in what I have to say.” Adebayo Conteh took a seat.

“You appear to be rather confident in your assumption.” Aja exhaled. “You have two minutes.”

“It is your belief you are the only one angered by the Americans’ interference in our… shall we say, way of life. The cousin, whom I considered more of a brother, Naftali’s body was returned from the United States in a box.”

“Naftali is dead?” Aja asked.

Bayo, as they call him, nodded, “Leaving a wife and daughter behind. Your vengeance is on the man responsible for your family’s demise. My vengeance is on the country he serves.”

“My condolences to your family.” Aja’s glare bore into him. “You still have a sister-in-law, a niece, and your parents. The American I seek took all of that from me.”

“This is where we have common ground. The American you seek, I believe is the sibling to the man I seek.”

Aja sat back. “You have identified this American? How?”

“Conteh had many connections in America. Now that he is dead, those connections are open to me.”

“Is that so?” Aja asked.

“Take a look at the folder,” Bayo nodded. “A few years back, Conteh was involved in a…let’s say, opportunity with the Royal family of Emure. This photograph was taken of the man who invaded Conteh’s home. My connection in the States has access to a facial recognition program. He was able to give me the name of the man in the picture. A dive into the man’s background proved to be fruitful. While we could not gather professional information, we were able to get a bit of personal intel.”

Still not looking into the folder, Aja asked. “How does any of that assist me in my quest?”

“The picture on top, inside the folder, will answer that question for you.” Bayo sat back.  

Aja hesitated then picked up the folder. The face staring back at her caused her chest to contract. It felt as if a knife had stabbed right through her heart. She sat forward.  “Who are all of these people?”

Bayo smirked. “The Lassiter family in all their glory.” He pointed to a face in the photograph. “If I am not mistaken, that is the man you seek.” 

“All of these people are members of the immediate family?”

“Yes,” Bayo smirked then pointed. “Allow me to introduce them all to you.” He pulled out his tablet, then placed it on the desk in front of her. “The parents, Joe and Sally had twelve children.”

“Joe and Sally, how quaint,” she smirked. 

“First born,” Bayo continued. “Samuel Lassiter, he has a wife, Cynthia and three children.  Second born, Joshua Lassiter, wife, Rochelle, has one child and one on the way. Third, Ruby Lassiter-Upton, husband, Devin, two children, twins. Fourth, Pearl Lassiter-Prentiss, you may recognize her as the Press Secretary to the President of The United States. She has a husband Theo, one child and one on the way.”

“They do believe in multiplying, don’t they?” Aja smirked.

“I am nowhere near done,” Bayo continued. “Fifth child, Diamond Lassiter-Davenport, husband, Zackary, two children with one on the way. Sixth born, Matthew Lassiter, not married, but the woman in the picture is the fiancée, Leah. Seventh, Luke Lassiter, single. Eighth and ninth up are twins, Opal Lassiter-Hutchinson, husband, Grant, no children. Timothy Lassiter, wife Denise, no children. Ten and eleven, another set of twins, Jade Lassiter, single, Adam Lassiter, wife, Amber, no children. Last, number twelve, Sapphire Lassiter, single but she does have a significant other, LT. Palmer.”

“Is that it?” Aja glanced up at him.

Bayo nodded. “That ends the intel.”

“Why aren’t you able to get more about them? Other than the President’s Press Secretary, what do the others do?”

“Funny you ask,” Bayo shrugged. “The intel on Samuel, Joshua and Adam Lassiter is under seal. It cannot be accessed without Presidential approval.”

“They are covert agents,” Aja exhaled. She pulled a photo from her desk drawer, then glanced up. “This is the man who destroyed my family. Twenty years ago. I believe this man,” she pointed to the picture, “and this man are one and the same.”

“I believe he is as well.”

“When was this picture taken?” Aja asked.

“At the family home on Thanksgiving last year. It was posted to a social media page by a local Mayor’s office, then removed. But not before my person was able to make the connection.”

Aja nodded. “Now that we have identified the man, my people will take it from here. You will be rewarded accordingly.”

“As I said, this is not about the monetary reward. I want revenge same as you.”

Aja sat back. “What do you propose?” 

“You have the financial resources, but limited manpower. I have unlimited manpower, with little financial resources. I say we combine our strengths to become an insurmountable force to take out both of our enemies.” Bayo stood. “You stated you wanted this man’s entire bloodline eliminated. It is not going to be an easy mission to accomplish by one entity. Your mission and mine can be accomplished if we work together.”

“It is true, I want his bloodline eliminated. I do not want a family member seeking revenge as I do now.”

“That can be done, however, this is not a family that can be easily destroyed.”

“Why? They bleed just like every human.”

“They do,” Bayo agreed. “It is more difficult to make them bleed. A good number of Lassiters work for the government in various capacities. They are trained to protect and serve. Taking out protectors can be complicated.”

“Are you of the mindset that this man cannot be brought down?” Aja questioned.

“Anyone can be brought down once you find their weakness,” Bayo smirked. “I believe family is theirs.”

“You are embroiled in a number of illegal activities, Bayo,” Aja cautioned. “Are you able to set aside your greed for this mission?”

“I will receive my reward at the end. There will be no agenda before the mission is complete.”

“I do not wish to wait another year to see justice done. Are we clear?” Aja glared at the man.

Bayo responded with a slight nod of his head. “Clear.”

Aja sat back in thought. “How would you go about accomplishing the goal?”

“The first step is to dispatch a team to put surveillance on each family member. We need to know their patterns to determine the optimal time to strike.”

“Would it be more prudent to catch them all in one location to eliminate the lot of them?” Aja raised an eyebrow.

“Eliminating them one at a time would give us the joy of seeing our enemy suffer with each kill.” He smirked.

“I would prefer shooting the lot of them and calling it a day,” Aja replied.

“The problem is the Lassiters do not only shoot back. They create ways to annihilate.”

“As I said, they are human. They bleed like everyone human.”

“They may bleed,” Bayo replied, “But…I implore you. Do not underestimate the Lassiter family as a whole. What this man did to your family will be nothing compared to the damage his siblings can disperse.”

“More reason to take them out all at once. However, the opportunity to see him suffer at the death of each member of his family, as I did, is compelling,” Aja smirked. She reached across her desk to pick up a pen and piece of paper. She wrote down a number then slid it across the desk to Bayo. “Is this sufficient to begin the process?”

Bayo looked at the number and smiled. “More than sufficient,” he nodded.

“Bring me video footage of each kill and that number will be doubled.”