Betrayal - From Donald Debose - A Death Row Inmate

BETRAYAL By: Donald DeBose The sound of footsteps echoed through the house as Samuel lay sleeping with his girlfriend cuddled in his arms. Because of the life Samuel lived every night he slept with a 9 mm Baretta under his pillow. Suddenly, he was awakened by a noise. Samuel bolted upright, pistol in hand. As he listened, the intruders climbed the stairs. Samuel covered his girlfriends mouth, so she wouldn't say a word as he shook her awake. She looked at him with eyes filled with terror. He whispered, "Shhh, somebody's in the house. Go into the bathroom and lock the door behind you." She immediately got out of bed and ran into the bathroom. Samuel got out of bed, took a deep breath, peeked around the corner in to the hallway;. He saw two men approaching the bedroom, pistol's drawn.. Samuel knew he had to turn the tables and be the aggressor instead of the victim. Kneeling on one knee, he stepped into the hallway and fired three quick rounds that hit their target, knocking one of the intruders off his feet. The second intruder opened fire, one of his bullets found its mark in Samuel's shoulder, but that didn't stop Samuel from unloading his clip at his attacker. The second perpetrator fell to the floor face down. Samuel paused, listening for intruders, then gave the entire place a security check. He rushed back upstairs to check on Kathy, whom he figured was pretty shaken up. Moments later, the police and paramedics arrived. Samuel refused treatment from the paramedics and insisted his girlfriend Kathy drive him to the hospital. In the car Samuel's thoughts began to race, the more his shoulder throbbed, the more he wanted revenge. Kathy glanced over at him and felt something had to be said, but said nothing. When they arrived at the hospital they were confronted by L.A. Homicide Detective Simms. "Well, well, Mr. Jones, we meet again. What can you tell me about what happened tonight?" Detective Simms knew Samuel knew quite well. For years he had been trying to get Samuel off the streets. He had a hunch Samuel had something to do with knocking off the top drug lord in California. "Basically I woke up and they were in my house, and as you can see, they came to spill blood," Samuel lit a cigarette. He pretty much knew who sent the assassins, but kept the information to himself. Frustrated, Detective Simms threw his hands into the air and stormed out of the emergency room, leaving Samuel and Kathy alone. Kathy had a dumbfounded expression on her face. Samuel tried to comfort her, but she didn't want to be touched. "Samuel this crap has to stop! Not only are you jeopardizing your life, but mine as well." Samuel sat stone faced for a minute then replied, "Kathy you knew the type of life I lived when you got with me, so I don't want to hear that shit. These son of bitches come in my house, shoot me and you think I am supposed to let it go? You must be crazy!" Samuel gritted his teeth in pain. After a moment Kathy responded, "0kay these guys that came in the house are dead, now just let it go for Christ's sakes" she continued. "Samuel, if you really love me and want a future

together like we've discussed you'll stop this madness." Tears of frustration rolled down her face because she knew once Samuel set his mind on something it was final. "This doesn't have anything to do with us, it's about respect and the boundaries of respect has been crossed. You know how I operate. When a person draws first blood I will hunt day and night until my mission is completed, bottom line." Kathy didn't bother saying another word. Samuel was finally seen by a Doctor. After a brief examination the Doctor stated "Your gonna need some stitches to close that wound and I'd like to admit you overnight for observation because you've lost quite an amount of blood." "Look Doc, I'm fine just give me a few painkillers and I'll be on my merry way," Samuel got to his feet. Kathy couldn't believe he was refusing treatment. She was reminded of a similar situation involving her ex-husband, Keith. She had long ago ended her marriage with Keith, Samuel's ex -best friend. She talked with Keith from time to time concerning their son whom he had custody of. Their marriage ended after Kathy caught Keith in bed with another woman. After their divorce Kathy turned to Samuel for comfort. Their late night talks quickly grew into more. Keith had a hard time accepting the love him and Kathy once shared was over. When Keith discovered Samuel was the man standing between him and Kathy getting back together, he felt betrayed. He had grown up with Samuel, and considered him his best friend. The thought of Kathy with Samuel made Keith furious. Samuel came to Keith in an attempt to try to explain. His attempt didn't go as smoothly as he had planned. Keith had hit Samuel in the mouth, calling him every name in the book. The encounter turned to gunplay, luckily no one was shot. Samuel understood Keith's pain, so he gave him a little space. Besides, Samuel was under federal surveillance, and didn't want a feud between him and Keith to escalate. Just when he thought the feud was over, Keith's boys had popped up. The F.B.I. also wanted Samuel for knocking off Tom-Cat one of their informants, but they didn't have enough evidence to pin the murder on him. From sun up to sun down, Samuel was watched which he was very well aware of. Kathy had been at Samuel's many times when agents raided his home looking for narcotic's but came up empty. When they exited the hospital the sun was peeking over the horizon. They were unusually quiet during the ride home. As soon as they arrived, Samuel placed a call to his boys. An hour later they arrived at the house. "Kathy get me a pen and pad," Samuel ordered. "Want anything else while I am up?" She asked sarcastically. "Since you asked, pour everyone a shot of Hennessy on the rocks." Kathy felt Samuel sometimes took her for granted, especially when he conducted his "business". Samuel never conducted any business over the phone it had to be face to face. When Kathy returned with the drinks, and pad, Samuel noticed she had written a note on it. It read; "Samuel, remember my son is in that house so your boys better be careful". Samuel turned to her with a smirk on his face and quietly said, "Don't worry, I have this under control." He mapped out Keith's place on the pad and gave the instructions to Jimmy, his right hand man. Samuel and Jimmy occasionally were mistaken for brothers because they both stood six feet tall and were dark complected.

The crew looked over the plans and nodded their heads in agreement. Standing to leave, Jimmy turned to Samuel, "Baby boy take care of yourself and I'll call you A.S.A.P ." Once Jimmy and the crew left, Samuel went into the bathroom to bathe. Kathy quietly ducked into the bedroom to make a phone call. Samuel shouted from the tub, "Kathy pack a few outfits we're going to the mountains for a few days." Kathy didn't want to leave until she knew whether her son was safe and out of danger. But she didn't argue with Sam, she began packing. A few hours later they arrived at the Pine Tree Resort. The resort wasn't as crowded, but the few people there would provide Samuel with the perfect alibi. Kathy had been to Pine Tree's twice before with Samuel, she loved the outdoors. The bellboy carried their bags to the cabin after they signed in. "Thank you," Kathy tipped him five dollars. "This cabin's much better than the one we had before," Kathy said as she flopped down on the king size bed. "Yeah, it's nice; let's get unpacked. We still have to put some food in the refrigerator," Samuel replied. He seemed distracted. He stepped outside for a breath of fresh air, taking a seat on the front steps, he watched the squirrels running up trees and deer foraging near the cabin. Sometimes Samuel wished he could run free in the wild without any worries, but that wasn't to be. The deck was stacked. In his line of business, there was a code, a plan, a matter of respect for the game. Deep down something troubled him, but he couldn't pin point it. "Baby, are you 'alright?" Kathy asked sitting next to him. "Yeah, I'm just enjoying mother nature," Samuel said. "Are you ready to go?" He asked. "Yep, ready as ever," Kathy replied kissing him on the neck. "Don't start something you can't finish." "I always finish what 1 start." Kathy teased as she kissed him again. "Okay, easy baby, 1 was just teasing," Samuel said throwing his good arm in the air. When they returned from the market with groceries, Samuel was exhausted and wanted to lay down. Kathy put the groceries away while he took a nap. It had been a long day for the both of them, but Kathy was full of energy. She began to prepare dinner. Kathy hoped their night at the cabin would be romantic. Meanwhile Jimmy and the crew sat in his living room finalizing the plan. "Any questions," Jimmy asked. There were none. "Alright, let's do this." Everyone stood up and headed for the door. As Jimmy and four other men stepped outside the house they were surrounded by Federal Agents.

"Put your hands in the air, we have the place surrounded," one of the agents yelled through a bullhorn. "Shit," Jimmy sighed. He knew they were busted red- handled. There were drugs in the house. There was no way he'd go down without a fight. Jimmy's mind began to race. He had to act fast. He figured it would be a losing battle, but would die first before becoming anybody's prisoner. "Back in the house now!" Jimmy ordered the crew. "Freeze, don't move god darnmit!" The agent yelled. Jimmy and the crew ignored the orders and backed into the front door. Prepared for bad situations, the crew broke out the heavy artillery and took their post. "Tim, get the gas masks, while we hold off these pigs," Jimmy ordered. In the chain of command, Tim was Jimmy's Lieutenant, and an ex-weapons specialist for the military. Tim had been with Samuel's organization over ten years and loved the excitement. He never asked any questions, he just did what was asked of him. The crew waited patiently for the agents to make their move. They put the gas masks on that Tim returned with. "Look fellows, every shot must count," Jimmy said. The crew took aim, looking through scope's, they begin firing. That's when all hell broke loose. "Let's send these pigs on a ride to hell!" Tim yelled tossing two grenades out the window. Meanwhile Kathy prepared a candlelight dinner. Before awaking Samuel, she slipped into her favorite nightgown. Walking to the bed she leaned over and kissed him. "Baby, dinner is ready." "Um! You smell good," Samuel responded raising up looking around the room. "Did you sleep well, sweetie?" She asked. "Yeah, like a baby," he replied. "What time is it?" "It's a little after seven. Come on and let's eat before the food gets cold." It had been a long time since they sat down together and had a romantic dinner. Samuel couldn't believe he had allowed himself the indulgence of getting involved with his best friend's ole lady. He knew it was wrong, but loves comes in all shapes and forms. Looking deep into Kathy's eyes from across the table, he remembered what made him take that chance. After dinner Samuel and Kathy sat in front of the fireplace drinking red wine. "It's been so long since we really had a chance to sit down and enjoy each others company, " Kathy said. "I know," Samuel agreed. "This is romantic, I must say." He leaned over and kissed Kathy's neck. In a matter of minutes, their kissing grew more intense. It was a prelude to a full night of passionate lovemaking.

Back at the house with Jimmy and the crew, one by one Jimmy was losing his men. The remaining few began to lose their composure, exposing their positions. Within a matter of minutes Tim and Jimmy stood in the living room watching their last soldier slowly die, choking on his blood. "Damn, Damn, Damn!" Jimmy roared. "What now Jimmy?" Tim asked. "We can't turn back! We're in too deep, " Jimmy responded. "When those son of bitches bust through the door let them have it." Tim looked at Jimmy and smiled. "See you in hell comrade," Tim said. "We won't be going alone." The two waited patiently with assault rifles pointed at the front door. Together they opened fire when the door came crashing down. The exchange of firing lasted a few minutes and ended with Jimmy and Tim laid face down in a puddle of blood. Federal agents secured the premise. Homicide detectives appeared on the scene and amongst them was Detective Simms. Entering the house he circled around the living room viewing the bodies that laid on the floor, lifeless. "Hello detective, I'm Agent Bruce." The two exchanged handshakes. "Detective Simms. This is a mess." "Yep!" Agent Bruce replied. "They put up one helluva fight, killing a few of my men." Bruce reflected on how that day had begun. He was sitting at his desk filling out reports when he received a phone call. The caller refused to give their name, but had lots of information about a big drug dealer. Agent Bruce immediately jumped on the case, it had been months since he had made a big bust. His commanding officer's were beginning to get in his ear. Agent Bruce stood six three and weighed two hundred and fifty pounds. There was a darkness in his blue eyes and he made sure his presence was felt everywhere he went. Detective Simms knew he had to bring Samuel down and close the chapter of this madness. Simms figured it wouldn't be easy, but he sure was going to give it a try. "Okay fellas let's load these bodies on the meat wagon," Agent Bruce ordered to the coroners. After a weekend in the mountains Samuel and Kathy decided to return to the city. "Everyone hold your positions and wait for my command," Detective Simms spoke into the walkie talkie, as Samuel and Kathy pulled into the driveway. Upon them exiting the blue sedan, undercover officers ran toward them with pistols drawn. "Get down on the ground," officers yelled. "What's going on?" Kathy asked putting her hands up. "Jones don't make the situation any harder get down on the ground, now!" Detective Simms yelled.

Samuel did what he was asked and laid down on the front lawn. Officers approached with caution and placed Samuel in custody. "What am I being arrested for?" Samuel asked. "Just shut-up!" 'Detective Simms replied. "F... you pig!" It was a long ride down to the station. Federal Agent Bruce awaited Samuel arrival. Once booked Samuel was escorted to the interrogation room. "Mr. Jones, before we get started, you have the right to remain silent anything you say will be used against you in the court of law, you have the right to an attorney..." "You can stop there, get my attorney," Samuel said. Samuel kept his composure, He knew they didn't have any evidence against him. An hour had passed before Samuel's attorney arrived at the station. "Hello Samuel," Mr. Leonard greeted him with a handshake. "What's going on?" "Well, they claim you put a contract on Keith McBuggs over some drugs," Mr. Leonard stated. "Also, they claim they received a phone call from an informant." "That's a bunch of bulls hit!" Samuel replied, "Will you be able to get me out tonight?" "No," Mr. Leonard replied. "You're classified as a threat and with the Fed's involved it's just not possible." "I can't believe this!" Samuel yelled. "That's the way it is for now, especially when they lost three agents in that shoot out with Jimmy and his boys." "Did Jimmy or anybody give a statement," Samuel asked curiously. "Jimmy and the others are dead." Samuel couldn't believe Jimmy was gone, The news shocked him. It took him a minute to gather himself. "Mr. Leonard, thank you for coming down. Make sure you keep me updated." "Don't worry, I'll do just that." Samuel was arraigned the next day in Federal Court and was given a preliminary hearing date. Kathy was released. While in federal detention Samuel got himself in a few physical altercations. The federal detention center became a living hell for Samuel, but through it all he kept his head held high. For the fIrst six months

of his stay his visitation was limited to only visits from his attorney. Once the suspension was lifted Kathy came to see him. Seated at his assigned phone booth, Samuel waited for Kathy's arrival. At the sight of her, he had a painted smile upon his face. Picking up the receiver, he gave Kathy a compliment. "You look nice sweetheart." "Thank you." Kathy had a depressing look on her face. Immediately Samuel sensed something was wrong. "What's up with the long face?" Samuel asked. "Sam, I have something to tell you." "Go ahead you can tell me anything, you know that." "Baby when we were in the mountains I called Keith and told him that you were sending Jimmy and the boys over to whack him..." she was cut off. "What the hell do you mean you told Keith!" Samuel yelled. "Samuel, Baby, I'm sorry I didn't know he was gonna call the fed's. I felt obligated because he's my son's Father. "How naive can you be?" Samuel asked hitting the glass with his fist. "When those guys broke into my house do you think they were just coming for me? They were coming to whack the both of us, use your damn head!" Samuel yelled into the phone. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me," Kathy cried and pleaded. "I can't, you done betrayed me. Go back to the man you really love," Samuel said coldly, hanging up the receiver and walked out the inmate visiting room. Kathy knew it was over between them. Samuel went back to his cell block and laid down, he was raging mad. For the remainder of the day, until deep into the night he sat and pondered his situation. The battle was far from over. He remembered the old cliché, "What comes around goes around." On that thought, Samuel drifted off to sleep... Donald Debose P.O. Box P-48000;5E31 San Quentin, CA 94974

About the Author of Betrayal I am Donald DeBose. I spend a lot of time reading and writing. I've been on death row for about 4 years now and have a long time to go. I'm a 26 year old African American from Los Angeles, California. I've been convicted of murder/robbery, attempt murder/robbery and arson. I was convicted on circumstantial evidence with the assistance of police corruption. 1. I was not identified in my live line up. 2. I was at work when the crime took place. 3. No fingerprints of mine were found. 4. The police threatened my witness to take her baby and lock her up for an outstanding warrant if she did not testify against me. 5. The jailhouse informant was facing 3 strikes that was impeached placing himself at the scene of the crime. So I was cheated out of life for something I had nothing to do with. Hopefully in due time the truth will surface and give me my freedom.

Phenomenal woman Greetings! Hopefully this notation brings some type of joy to one's day,upon allowing yourself to keep an open mind while taking this time out to enter my world. Before,I go any farther allow me to properly introduce myself and give a brief summary of my characteristics. My name is, Donald, I'm 6'1” tall, 210 pounds (muscular built) light brown complected, out of , Los Angeles, with a smile that sparkles any room. In my spare time outside of studying law, politics and world history, I enjoy writing in my novel, I'm composing, reading and drawing. Being that I'm outgoing, my enjoyment comes by placing a smile on the next person face, upon sharing life experiences, from all walks of life. Throughout my personal journey and struggle,many bricks of my pyramid has fallen but realization struck that brought me to the conclusion that it was important to start with self, to understand self which has given me a broad look on life. Therefore my intentions now is to remain mentality and spiritually balanced as this walk of mine continues. In the mean-time, hopefully along the way, I be given opportunity to embrace a friendship with a sophisticated woman that understands herself be receptive and willing to share knowledge, upon keeping a positive and productive view on life, through the good and bad times. On a basis, I'm constantly faced with different obstacles but through strive and determination the negative is off-setted by the positive. This enables me to remain grounded and reach out in hope to connect with someone on my level in the most define way. With everything said and honesty, trustworthy and understanding lies within your meaning of a friend, feel free to write and allow something beautiful to blossom.