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+ 18

"I'm still sitting here. How long until you guys get here?" I sighed, resting my arm on the passenger seat.

"We're almost there. We met some traffic on our way into Houston," Gator informed me.

"I feel like some shit is really bout to go down," I admitted, "But only for the better. For the cartel."

The line was quiet for a moment. "What happens tonight...I hope you can forgive us."

Gator hung up on me, my phone going dead.

Matter of fact, the entire street seemed to go black at the exact same moment. No streetlights, no house lights. Everything was eerily quiet, even inside of my car. "The fuck is going on," I murmured, picking back up my phone and finding that it didn't have any service.

"Gator," I growled his name, turning on my car.

It sputtered, then stopped.

"Fuck," I hit my dashboard, pulling out my gun, and the one I kept in my Maserati.

What's going to happen to Cielo and Mom if I'm not there to protect them from Dad?

"No," I whispered firmly, I will be there.

But what's going to happen to them if I can't protect them from this unknown enemy?

I got out of the car and made sure my shit was loaded, surveying the perimeter around me as far as my eyesight allowed. I was a few houses down from Zanita's place, but it felt like it was a mile.

Anybody could be hiding in the dark, out to get me.

"I'm sorry we had to do this."

A hand clamped over my mouth while another simultaneously grabbed for my guns. My arms were tied behind me, my wrists handcuffed to make things worse. I fell backwards on my ass, staring up at my betrayer in the moonlight.

"Gator," I snarled.

"It didn't have to be like this. Maybe under different circumstances we could have been pals. Different last names. Different histories. Different treatment."

"I didn't ask to be a Kelley," I whispered, tears burning my eyes even though I didn't want them to.

"But you never denied it either," he whispered back; he leaned down towards me, his dark eyes glittering against the reflection of my tears, "Can I tell you a secret? This wouldn't have happened if it was Jovan sitting in your position and not you."

"What's happening?" I cried.

Three figures came from behind me that I didn't know were there. Pole, Mack, and Camel.

"My friends," I stated, my heart breaking.

"I could never be a true friend to a Kelley," Pole sneered down at me.

"I'm sorry, Ny," Camel looked down at his feet, his gun resting against his thigh.

Mack didn't even look at me.

"The retaliation against a cartel that has terrorized Camphor for decades," Gator said, finally answering my question. "Tearing apart dreams and families all for a debt that got each of you new luxury things. While the rest of us live at the bottom, you guys enjoy the luxuries of kings and queens. Camphor was built to make sure everybody got a plate. Everybody was in on the dough. Then you Kelley's got a little taste of success and decided to devour Camphor with greed."

"I was trying to change things. You know I've been changing, Gator," I argued.

"Maybe in your personal life but not in your business life. You killed Mira. You had Kiati tortured. Countless others, Nyia. Countless others. You denied Ladie and her gang a proper deal that they deserved. You destroyed a way of living for so many of us. Forced to serve every little desire of a cartel member and treated like outright slaves."