Chapter 46
All my senses hit me at once when I wake up with my head on Caesar's chest. Afternoon sunlight pours in through the windows in his room. I curse myself for leaving the curtains open this morning. I love a good sunrise, but I can't handle the sun when its pressed high in the sky like it is now. I squint my eyes and turn over.
As soon as my head falls back onto Caesar's chest, a loud ringtone sounds around us. I groan as he pulls himself free from me. Our bodies are sweaty, sticky and wrapped in covers from sex earlier, so it takes him a moment to untangle himself from the web of sheets. Without the support of his strong chest to lay on, my mess of curls falls back into the space where he just was. I grudgingly grab a pillow and snuggle into it.
I watch him tap away on his phone as he rests against the headboard. I squint one of my eyes as I watch him.
"Who was it?" I ask.
"Daz," He says.
I perk my head up. I wasn't expecting that. It's only been two days since we last saw each other, but for some reason it feels much longer. I guess after spending almost every day with someone, two days apart can feel like a lifetime.
I wanted to see how he was holding up after the funeral, but after talking to Munch, I no longer felt like it was my place. He drew lines in the sand and made it pretty clear which side I stood on. I never got the chance to talk to Daz about it. I wonder if he feels the same way.
"What did he want?" I ask.
Caesar locks his phone and tosses it on the nightstand next to his bed. He settles into bed again without answering me. He grabs me and pulls me closer until I'm back on his chest. He closes his eyes like he's ready to fall back asleep, but I don't let him. I clear my throat and sit up. The time for sleeping is over.
Caesar's sighs as if I'm disturbing him. He keeps his eyes closed while he answers me.
"What you want me to say? I don't know, Candyce. I ain't answer," He says.
"I can see that, but why?" I ask.
"'Cause it's Daz," He says.
I cross my arms and wait for a real answer. Caesar peeks one eye open. He takes one look at the unwavering expression on my face and smacks his teeth.
"It's probably just a problem at the trap with Reese. He's 'posed to help him close up shop until we can find somebody to replace him."
"That sounds like he needs you, so again why didn't you call him back?" I ask.
"I don't appreciate you checking me 'bout another nigga in my own bed," He says.
I don't reward that with a response.
He could save the jealousy act. He may not know much about my relationship with Daz, Munch and Tory, but he knows enough to know that it's not like that between us. I think he still has his doubts about Tory, but so does half the girls at The Penthouse. Little did they know the only girl Tory had eyes for was right under their noses.
"Just answer the question," I say.
"I will if you tell me why you wan' know so bad," Caesar says.
"I haven't talked to him in a while. Not since Tory died. Not foreal anyway. I just wanna' make sure he's okay," I say.
"Y'all close right? Why you can't just call him instead of tryna' find out through me?"
My eyes flicker over to the wall. Guilt penetrates my abdomen. I would be able to call if I wasn't "sleeping with the enemy" as Munch would call it. I mean, I'm not entirely sure Daz has washed his hands with me, but considering he didn't call to check on me after I left the funeral, I'm assuming he has.
It's just better to leave it up in the air for now. As long as I don't know where Daz stands then I can pretend I still have someone on my side.
I clear my throat.
"I would, but I'm not sure he would answer," I say.
Caesar eyes me. There's a question hanging in the air, but thankfully he doesn't ask it. He's gotten really good at respecting my boundaries ever since I got kidnapped. He still thinks my business is his business, but he don't try and force it out of me, which is more than I can say for most men in my life.
"It's always lil' shit with Daz. He prolly just wanna' know if he should move the money and the weight to a safehouse or The Loft. If he think hard enough, he can put his two brain cells together and figure it out without calling me," Caesar says.
I shake my head.
"Back up a minute. I thought the business didn't get started again until after New Year's," I say.
"It don't. The coke runners never really get a day off though. They the only ones Ace trusts to move the product and money besides us, so he taught them to sleep with their phones on 'em. Think of them like on-call doctors with trap phones instead of pagers. We never know when we might need them, so they gotta stay ready, like today," He says.
It all makes sense now. I could never understand why Daz was always on the move. Even when it seemed like everyone else got a chance to chill, he was always running off somewhere. He constantly checked his phone when we were all together like he had somewhere else he'd rather be. Sometimes it was a desperate side chick wanting his attention, but for the most part, it was work that kept him busy. Tory used to tease him about it saying he was waiting for his daddy to call. Daz never entertained him. He was usually gone before Munch and Tory could really set in on him anyway.
"Why Daz though? I mean, he ain't the only cokerunner y'all have, so why you asked him to do it?" I ask.
Caesar closes his eyes again.
"'Cause believe it or not, he the best one we got," He says.
Finally satisfied with my game of 21 questions, I lay back down on Caesar's chest. I throw my leg over his and cuddle up next to him. I close my eyes, ready to get some Z's when Caesar's phone starts ringing again.
"Ughhh, just answer him," I say.
Caesar reaches over to grab his phone from the nightstand. He glances at it before sitting it back down.
"It ain't me," He says.
I sit up.
"It's mine?" I ask.
I follow the sharp shrill of the ringtone to the bottom of the bed. I scoot to the edge of it where the sound gets louder. I peer over the side of it. Our clothes are piled together in a small heap on the floor. They were on the bed at first, but after switching positions one of us must have knocked them off. I sort through them, but by the time I spot my baby blue phone case, the call has already ended.
"Who is it?" Caesar asks.
"I don't know. I missed it. It's probably just Si though. I told him to call me earlier," I say.
At least I hope it's him. I check the time on my phone as I unlock it. It's 3:15 pm. If it wasn't Simon, then I'll be worried, but I won't panic. He still has a couple of hours to get back to me before I start really worrying.
I pull the screen down to check my notifications. I'm surprised to see Daz's name in bright red letters. I press the green button next to his name, and sit up.
He must have a really important question to ask Caesar if he's calling me too.
But wait...how does he know I'm with Caesar?
"It was him?" Caesar asks behind me.
"No. It was Daz," I say.
Caesar sits up as well.
"What?"
"I know right. It's weird," I say.
"What he wanted?" He asks.
"I guess we would know if you just answered him the first time," I say.
The phone rings in my ear for a long time. Just when I think about hanging up, a faint sound comes through the speaker. It's so low I can barely hear it at first. I press the phone to my ear like that'll make it louder. It takes me a minute, but eventually I'm able to make out what the sound is. It's sounds like heavy breathing from a mile away.
"Hello? Daz?" I ask.
All I get in response is more heavy breathing.
"Daz?"
The line crackles with movement. Once the sound has settled, the breathing comes through clearer, and much slower than I heard before.
"Candyce," Daz says.
"Oh, thank God. You scared me for a second. Wassup?" I ask.
"Algiers," Daz says.
"What?"
"I'm in...Algiers," He says again.
That part I already know. I'm more concerned with why he's breathing like he just ran a marathon.
"Yeah, I know. Caesar told me you was helping Reese today. You okay?" I ask.
He doesn't answer right away. He pulls in a deep breath instead. I tense up hearing him struggle to pull in more air.
"What's goin' on?" Caesar asks behind me.
"That's...Caese? Tell him...we got...hit. The Algiers...trap," Daz says.
The color drains from my face. I jump out of bed and immediately start digging through the pile of clothes on the floor.
"Hit? What do you mean you got hit?" I ask.
"Red, put it on speaker," Caesar says.
I do as I'm told. I sit the phone on the bed while I look for the rest of my clothes.
"Daz, did the trap get hit or did y'all get hit?" Caesar asks.
There's a long silence on the other end of the phone. I stop searching for my clothes while I wait for his answer. I catch my breath waiting.
Eventually, Daz's voice comes through sounding exhausted and strained.
"Both," He says, "We both...got hit."
My heart jumps in my chest. Meanwhile Caesar leaps into action. He jumps out of bed and immediately steps into a pair of boxer briefs. I want to follow his lead, but searching for my panties on the floor is a lot harder to do while listening to Daz struggle to breathe. I blink back tears.
"Who all there with you, Daz?" Caesar asks.
"Every...body. Meech...Hasaan...Fai--"
Daz starts coughing up a storm before he can finish. Me and Caesar both stop what we're doing to stare at the phone. It's a matter of urgency, but we can't help pausing to make sure Daz is still breathing once his coughing fit ends. He is, but even more slowly if that's possible.
Caesar walks over and snatches the phone off the bed.
"What about Reese?" He asks.
A sickening feeling forms in the pit of my stomach. That's a good question. One I didn't even think to ask.
"He...he..." Daz starts.
I'm almost scared to hear his answer. Luckily, I don't have to. Caesar becomes impatient waiting for Daz to catch his breath. He throws the phone back on the bed.
"Fuck it. We'll find him when we get there," Caesar says.
We're quiet as we move around the room getting dressed. The only sounds are my heartbeat which I'm sure Caesar can hear from his side of the room, and Daz's ragged breathing. After a minute, his tired voice fills the room again.
"I...gotta...hang...up...Candyce," Daz says.
Panic shoots through me.
"Wait, what?! No!" I say.
I grab the phone off the bed. I cradle it between my shoulder and ear while I kick one leg inside my jeans.
"Daz, Daz. I need you to stay on the phone, okay? I'm on my way. Just stay with me," I say.
"I...gotta...call...my...son...I gotta...say...goodbye Candy..." Daz says.
He never calls me Candy. My name trails off his lips before he can finish saying it. If he's too tired to sound out my name, how the hell is he gonna' be able to hold on until we get there?
I try to hold back my tears, but one escapes down my cheek anyway.
This can't be happening. Not again. Not so soon.
"Red?" Caesar calls.
I don't look at him. I'm too choked up to speak, but I force myself to pull it together for Daz. I need to convince him to stay on the phone.
"Daz?" I ask. My voice shakes with tears.
He doesn't answer, but I still hear him breathing. That's as good a sign as any I guess.
"Candyce," Caesar calls again.
I hastily wipe my tears.
"I'm okay. We have to go," I say.
Caesar throws his T-shirt over his head without another word. Then he opens his nightstand drawer. I turn around to look for the creme sweater I had on earlier. When I find it peeking under the bed, I grab it and throw it over my head. When my head remerges, I see that Caesar is holding a silver gun. He jams a clip into it and cocks it back. A gun shell falls to the floor. Seeing him reminds me to grab my own gun. I fish it out of my purse.
Now fully dressed, Caesar and I face each other on opposite ends of the bedroom.
"Ready?" He asks.
I nod my head, still unable to form any words.
"Let's go then," He says.
He grabs his car keys, and heads out the bedroom door. I grab my phone off the bed before following him out. I can't help but notice his gun sticking out of the waistband of his jeans as I follow him. I follow suit and stick mine in the back of my jeans too.
We speed-walk down the hallway. I wanna' run, but Caesar's leading the way, and I don't think it would do us any good to run each other over, especially on the staircase.
Once we reach the living room, Caesar reaches back and plucks my phone from my hand.
"Where you hit at?" Caesar asks Daz.
I don't expect Daz to respond, but to my surprise, he groans.
"My stomach," He says.
I'm not happy to hear that, but I am happy to hear his voice. It's good to know that he's fighting. Although, I don't get a chance to be relieved. Caesar picks up his pace as soon as he hears what Daz says. I have to run to keep up with his long strides.
We rush out the front door without bothering to lock it behind us. He unlocks his car doors on our way over. We climb inside and Caesar wastes no time skirting off.
I put the phone on mute.
"Why did you rush out when he said he got shot in his stomach?" I ask.
Caesar glances at me. There's a sympathetic look on his face. It reads "I'm sorry for your loss in advance."
I swallow the knot of tears building in my throat. My heart starts racing faster than Caesar is speeding.
"I ain't gon' lie to you, Red. I've seen too many niggas get hit in the stomach and not make it long enough to see the inside of an ambulance, let alone a hospital," He says.
"But you got shot four times and you pulled through," I say.
Caesar nods his head.
"Some do. Daz gon' be straight, we just gotta hurry up and get to him. I won't know how serious it is until I see him. And we still don't know how Reese is doing," Caesar says.
I sit back in my seat, and close my eyes.
"You okay?" Caesar asks.
Before I can respond, Daz calls my name. He sounds more tired than before and we're still an hour's drive away from him not including traffic.
I take him off mute.
"Yeah, Daz. I'm here. I'm on my way. Just stay on the phone, okay? Just keep breathing," I say.
Daz mumbles something incoherent back. I don't care what it is as long as he keeps talking. I put the phone back on mute.
"We're never gonna' make it," I say.
Caesar looks over at me.
"Yeah we will. Just keep him talkin'," He says.
I sigh as I take the phone off mute again. I would be a little more hopeful if it wasn't for Tory dying this week. It's starting to seem like the harder I try to save someone, the more likely it is that they'll die. Calling me for help is like sealing your fate. Maybe that's why Daz called Caesar first.
"You still with me, Daz?" I ask.
Please say 'yes'. Please say 'yes'.
"Mhm," Daz says.
I breathe a sigh of relief.
"Good. Think about Kareem. Think about Vee. Think about Munch. He already lost one brother. He can't lose two," I say.
Caesar glances at me. By this point, the tears have fought their way to the surface. All I can do now is keep it from showing in my voice. I don't want Daz to realize just how serious this is. He already sounds tired. I don't want him to lose hope like I'm starting to.
"Just stay with me."
...
My leg shakes the entire car ride. Caesar swerves in and out of traffic, but we ain't getting there no faster. My phone sits idly in my lap. Daz stopped talking awhile ago. I don't know if it was too much for him to catch his breath and talk at the same time or if he lost so much blood that he passed out. I don't know anything except my friend needs me and once again I'm not able to help.
I failed Tory like this. I won't be able to live with myself if I failed Daz too.
In the spirit of making things right, I think about calling Munch. I'm not sure why he isn't already on his way to Daz's rescue, but if there's a chance for me to make up for the way I handled Tory's death, then I wanna' take it. I wanna' let him know what's goin' on with his brother. He deserves an opportunity to save him--an opportunity I denied him the first time.
I want to call him, but I don't want to risk hanging up on Daz even though he's not talking right now. And I doubt Munch will answer Caesar's call. So for now I do my best to handle the situation as best I can. I'm just hoping when it's all over, Much won't have another reason to hate me.
My mind is racing faster than my heart by the time we cross the bridge into The West Bank. Caesar must sense it 'cause he puts his hand on my knee.
"It's aight. Daz gon' be straight," He says.
"Is he?" I ask.
My voice shakes with tears. I look out at the water as we cross the bridge.
I sigh.
"I can't handle this, Caesar. I can't do this again," I say.
"You won't have to. Daz a survivor. How you think he made it this far without getting shot?" He asks.
I shake my head. I keep my eyes locked on the window as a tear escapes down my cheek.
"Look, Red, me and Daz butt heads so much 'cause he do everything he can to stay out of harm's way. He ain't really a front line type of nigga. If anybody gon' be straight, it's him. Trust me," Caesar says.
"Why do you say that like it's a bad thing?" I ask.
"It's not a bad thing. It just don't make for good character when you in the streets. But that's not the point, Red," He says.
"But he's not in the streets. Not really anyway. Not like you, or Ace, or..."
My throat closes at the hint of Tory's name. Caesar already knows what I'm getting at though.
"No, he ain't a killer if that's what you mean. That's my point though. Daz found a way to cheat the game. Every move he makes keeps him out of harm's way which ain't easy to do in the streets. But he do what he gotta do to survive, even if it mean getting on a nigga like me bad side every now and then. It's a quality that's gon' keep him around for a long time, so you don't have to worry 'bout him," Caesar says.
"And Reese?" I ask.
Last time I checked he was definitely a front line type of nigga. He's put himself in the line of fire for me on more than one occasion. If Daz being Daz could save his life, then what does that mean for Reese?
Caesar clenches his jaw & grips the steering wheel tighter.
"Reese's flight was for two," Caesar says.
I bite my tongue. He wants to believe the reason Reese hasn't answered his phone is 'cause there's no cell service on the plane. I want to reassure him like he did for me, but I can't. I know better.
I take a deep breath as we exit off the bridge. I hold my breath the rest of the way.
My face has probably turned purple by the time the Algiers trap comes into view.
Caesar pulls up next to the curb, but I'm out the car and on my feet before he can even park.
"This damn girl," Caesar grunts as I slam the door closed.
I know what he's thinking. It's crossed my mind too. What if the people who hit the trap are still here? What if Daz calling us was a set-up? What if someone's waiting behind the door to ambush us?
But I don't care about any of that. As long as Daz and Reese are in there, I'm going in.
I pull my gun from the back of my pants as I run up to the house, but I stop before I climb the stairs. And it has nothing to do with Caesar wanting me to wait for him.
My breathing slows as I stare out at the grisly picture painted in front of me. Whoever came through here is an artist, and I don't mean that in a good way. Streaks of blood is smeared on the wooden door. A body is in the doorway, leaving it cracked open. Playing cards are strewn all over the porch and in the front yard. A black fold-out table and two matching chairs are flipped over next to two bodies on the porch.
Based on the look of thing, I know what's inside is worse than I imagined. I don't have time to prepare myself though. Reese and Daz's lives depend on it.
I start to creep towards the house again, but I jump when I feel a hand on my shoulder.
"Hol' up. Them niggas can still be in there," Caesar warns.
I release the breath I was holding. I nod as he takes the lead.
The rinky-dink porch stairs groan beneath our feet. I try not to stare at the two bodies on either side of the porch, but, I can't help it. I glance down and recognize them immediately. It's Meech and Hassan, the two body guards Caesar hired to watch over the trap. On the rare occasion I came to visit Reese, they would show me as much love as they could without interrupting their card game.
I peel my eyes away from their bodies and glance around for the other porch fixture. I realize where he is only as we're crossing over him.
The limp body in the doorway is Faiyaz. The once cocky, young drug dealer is now a doormat. We're careful not to step on him as we walk inside the trap.
My heart aches when I recognize him. Caesar shakes his head. I don't know much about him other than he was flashy with his jewelry and talked too much shit. As far as I know, he left a bad taste in everybody's mouth. But he wasn't all bad in my opinion. Faiyaz reminded me of boys I went to high school with. Just like them, he only had two things on his mind and education was not one of them.
Faiyaz was done with school; he wasn't tryna learn any more lessons. He brushed off warnings from Reese like it was nothing. He ignored the advice Caesar tried to give him. He was making money. When you making that much money at a young age, you start to feel untouchable.
Somebody set out to prove he wasn't.
Money was the motive and it ultimately got him killed. The only other thing he chased after was sex. He always flirted with me, even more so after he found out I was with Reese. Reese tried to teach him respect, but if his mama couldn't do it, Reese damn sure couldn't.
Although I never flirted back, I couldn't deny the fact that he was cute. He was too young and arrogant for my liking, but I used to think somebody would be lucky to have him. Despite his cocky attitude, he was funny. Reese used to side-eye me when I would laugh at him, but what could I say? The nigga was hilarious.
I hope somebody worthwhile got to experince that side of him 'cause whoever stormed through here took no prisoners. I'm just glad whoever killed him spared his face. It ain't much, but at least his mom won't have a problem having an open-casket.
Whoever killed Faiyaz wasn't thinking that far. They weren't doing him or his mom any favors by sparing his face. Judging by the look of things, they probably were just in a hurry.
Caesar holds his gun up in his left hand and uses his right to push the door open. It slowly creaks open. The smell of cooper is ripe in the air. Inside, gold shell casings cover the floor. Single dollar bills are scattered everywhere. Blood splatter covers different parts of the wall. There's a pool of blood next to Faiyaz.
Caesar nudges me. I turn my attention away from the boy on the floor to look up at him. He puts a finger over his lips, then nods his head at the wall where there's a bloody handprint.
I catch my breath.
"Daz," I whisper.
Caesar gives me a look.
I nod when I realize my mistake.
Right. Shut the fuck up, Candyce. We still don't know who's in here.
When Caesar is sure I got the message, he starts walking again.
All I can do is stare at the bloody handprint on the wall. If it is Daz's, then where is he? Why hasn't he called out to us yet?
I try not to let my nerves get the best of me. We're here after all. It's probably only a matter of steps before we come across Daz and...
"Oh my god."
I place my hands over my mouth. Caesar doesn't scold me again 'cause his eyes are just as glued to the horrific scene in front of us. My eyes grow buck wide as I stare at the limp body in the chair in front of us. Blood still drips from the gaping hole in the middle of his forehead. It drips onto the navy blue sweatshirt he's wearing. A sweatshirt I just know will smell of Dior cologne if the scent of blood wasn't all over it.
I know because I spent countless days this summer inhaling that scent. As if that isn't proof enough, I search his face until I find what I'm looking for. Just one more thing to confirm the painful truth.
My heart stops beating when I spot the black ink above his eyebrow.
Reese.
Neither one of us moves. I can't drag my eyes away from Reese to gauge Caesar's reaction. All I can do is stare at the hole inside his head, and the blood dripping down his face. With his head down, blood drips onto the stack of money sitting on the desk in front of him. It's the first real sign of money I've seen in the entire trap.
I hate to do it, but I turn my back on Reese. I can't handle another body on my conscious. Especially not one that looks so similar to Daddy's. Especially not when it's Reese's instead.
"Candyce."
I lift my head at the sound of the voice. It sounded so close. I look to my left, then my right, and find Daz on the floor nearby sweating bullets. I snap out of the trance Reese's body held over me and rush over to him.
It's hard to get the image of Reese's body out of my mind, but I have to stay focused. I gotta remember why I came here. Reese is gone. There's nothing we can do about it now. But we can still save Daz. For now, I jump into helping him as best I can while Caesar takes a moment to wrap his head around what he's seeing.
Reese was my ex, but more than anything, he was my friend. As much as he meant to me, our bond doesn't come close to his and Caesar's.
I glance back at Caesar while I put pressure on Daz's stomach.
I recognize the look of disbelief, pain and rage on his face. I know it all too well. That's the look of someone who's just lost a family member. More specifically, the look of someone who just lost a brother.
I blink a couple times but I still can't believe the shit I'm seeing. I normally don't touch shit when I walk into a crime scene like this, but I can't help myself. I need something to hold onto.
I grip the table in front of Reese, and put my head down. While I'm losing my grip on reality, I also lose my grip on the table. I fall to the floor, and put my head in my hands.
I take deep breaths in and out, but it still seem like I can't catch my breath. My throat burns as the tears find their way out of their hiding places. It's been so long since I cried. The tears feel foreign on my face. I haven't shed a tear since Beatie died four years ago. Back then, I thought I was losing the last member of my family. Now Reese is dead, and I'm feeling that shit all over again.
I can handle losing Haasan, Meech and Faiyaz. Shit, I wouldn't even sweat it if Daz ain't make it out alive. They ain't the reason I rushed over here.
All I could think about was making sure Reese was straight. I almost killed me and Candyce trying to get here before it was too late. I ran every fuckin' light. I swerved in and out of traffic. I know I got at least five speeding tickets heading my way, and for what? So I could save Daz?
I shake my head. Tears hit the ground at the same speed as Reese's blood drops. Even in death we in tune with each other.
"How the fuck did this happen?" I ask.
The only person that could give me some answers is damn near on his deathbed himself. Anger surges through me. A part of me wanna' take it on Daz, but I know it won't help nun'. Candyce would stand in the way before I could really hurt him. Besides, he barely hanging on by a thread. Taking my anger out on a dying man won't make me feel better.
I can't believe they took him from me. We had our differences. We even came to blows every now and then, but that's what brothers do. We fight. But more importantly, we fight for each other.
I know without a shadow of a doubt that Reese would have died for me. Today proved it. He wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me. I asked him to come to New Orleans. I asked him to stay and help me run this trap. I made him miss his flight to help me find Candyce.
I may as well have pulled the trigger myself.
But I didn't.
I pick myself up off the floor. Staring down at Reese, my sadness subsides and something darker takes its place. My tears revert back to their hiding places like even their scared of what I'm about to become. My face hardens, and my grip on my gun tightens.
When I find out who did this, the death toll gon' rise. The way I'm feeling, New Orleans finna' be the murder capital again.
Blood oozes through my fingers with my hand pressed against Daz's stomach. It doesn't take a doctor to know that I'm not helping. I start to panic as his blood trickles down to my wrist. I gotta do something to stop the bleeding, and by the look on Daz's face, I need to do it now before he passes out for good this time.
I take off the cashmere sweater Ace gave me for Christmas two years ago. I don't think twice about the material. I ball it up as best I can with one hand still on Daz's stomach. He sucks in a sharp breath as soon as I press the sweater to his stomach.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I need to stop the bleeding," I say.
Daz groans, but he doesn't say anything. He's too busy trying to catch his breath. I gave Caesar as much time as I could spare, but I need him now or we'll both be losing a friend today.
"Caesar, we need to get him out of here!" I say.
Caesar remains locked in place staring at Reese's body. I don't wanna be insensitive, but at the end of the day Reese is gone, and Daz will be next if he don't snap out of it.
"Caesar!" I scream.
He snaps his head in my direction. He has a menacing look on his face that doesn't go away when he sees me.
"Caesar, please," I beg, choking back tears.
He never loses the mug on his face, but he does jump into action. He quickly moves towards us.
"Back up," He mutters.
I move out of the way as he bends down to pick Daz up.
"Ahhh!" Daz screams as Caesar pulls him to his feet.
He's not gentle about it at all, but he gets the job done. My sweater drops to the floor as Daz stands up. I bend down to pick it up. Daz replaces the sweater with his own hand which is caked in dried blood, so I tie the sweater around my waist instead.
"Hold him up. I gotta check sum'n right quick," Caesar says.
I grip one of Daz's arms and hang it around my shoulders. I'm not as tall as Caesar is, so he falls against me. I wrap an arm around his waist to keep him up, not that it does him any good. Meanwhile Caesar is on a wild egg hunt looking for God knows what.
He eyes the money on the table in front of Reese as he walks past him. He storms over to the file cabinet in the other end of the room. He yanks the drawers out one by one, then slams the last one closed. He looks even more upset as he walks out of the room and into the kitchen next door.
He goes straight for the cabinet under the sink which tells me everything I need to know about this scavenger hunt he's on. I know from experience that we keep the trap's earnings and excess product under the sink until Daz stops by to pick it up. If Daz was still here when the trap was hit, then that mean the money and the coke never made it out of those doors--at least, not by our doing.
Caesar reaches his hand under the sink and feels around a bit before he slams the cabinet closed too. He passes by us as he walks back into the living room.
"They took...everything," Daz says.
Caesar stops. He turns around.
"The shit under the floorboards too?" Caesar asks.
Daz nods.
"They knew...where every...thing...was," Daz says.
They had to 'cause even I didn't know we kept shit stashed under the floorboards of traphouses, and I own one.
"Who was it?" Caesar asks between clenched teeth.
"Kids, man. Fucking...kids," Daz says.
"Kids?" I ask.
Maybe Daz has lost too much blood. He's gotta be delirious 'cause ain't no way in hell children came in here and did all this. I refuse to believe a child got the best of Reese.
I look over at Caesar to see if he's just as confused, but realization is actually dawning on him. Does he know something I don't? 'Cause kids wrecking all this havoc just don't make sense to me.
"Bring him to the car. I'm right behind y'all," Caesar says.
"What you 'boutta do?" I ask.
"I just need to grab something. I'll be right out," Caesar says.
I don't risk staying any longer although my curiosity is killing me. I need to get Daz to a hospital. We've already wasted too much time. Who knows how much longer he has.
We part ways with Caesar and head back to the front door. Faiyaz is still in the way, and Daz has a hard time crossing over him. As soon as he lifts his leg up, he starts groaning.
"C'mon, just one more step," I say.
He takes a second, but eventually he does cross over Faiyaz. I kick a chair out of the way on the porch so he can have a clear pathway to the car. He holds onto the railing when we make it to the steps. Blood smears along the porch railing from his handle on it as we walk down.
Once we're in the yard, Caesar comes storming out of the house with a stack of money in his hand. I don't have time to question him about it 'cause he rushes over to lend me a hand getting Daz inside the car. Together, we get Daz in the backseat and lay him down. I climb in next to him. I lay his head on my lap, and press my hand over his wound again.
Once we're settled, Caesar gets in. He tosses the money on the empty passenger seat next to him. That's when I finally get a good look at it. Splatters of blood decorates the old president on top. I don't need a foresenic team to help me put two and two together.
"Is that the money that was in front of Reese?" I ask.
Caesar starts the car.
"They took everything else, but left that. It was there for a reason," He says.
He puts the car in reverse, then speeds away from the trap. I glance behind us feeling guilty for leaving Reese behind. Then Daz coughs up blood in my lap, reminding me of what's really important at the moment.
"Caesar!" I yell.
"I'm going as fast as I can," Caesar says.
Daz closes his eyes after his coughing fit. His breathing is so shallow, I press my hand to the side of his neck to check for a pulse. I feel two bumps against my finger, but they aren't that strong.
"He's not gonna' make it to a hospital," I whisper to myself.
Caesar switches on his turn signal before he abruptly slides into the next lane.
"It's a good thing we ain't goin' to a hospital then," He says.
I look at him through the rearview mirror.
"What?"
"When me and Ace got hit did you bring us to a hospital? When you got shot did we bring you?" Caesar asks.
"That was different. He needs a doctor, Caesar. He won't make it without one," I say.
"And he'll get one. Just not at a hospital," Caesar says.
He grabs his phone from the console and types his password in. The car swerves while he's busy playing with his phone. Someone honks at us.
"What the fuck are you doing?! Pay attention to the road!" I say.
"Shut up, Candyce! I know what I'm doing," Caesar says.
He dials a number then presses the phone to his ear. I tune him out while I stare down at Daz. I rub the side of his face with my palm.
"It's okay, Daz. We're almost there," I lie.
Tears threaten to fall, so I lift my head up. I quickly wipe them away with the back of my hand. I'll cry when it's all over. For now, I keep one hand pressed against Daz's stomach and two fingers pressed against his neck. There's not much else I can do while Caesar's behind the wheel.
"Aight. I'll meet you there," Caesar says.
He hangs up the phone. Instead of putting it down and focusing on the road, he dials another number.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"The Loft," Caesar says.
"Why?" I ask.
"'Cause it ain't smart to bring him to a hospital right now, and you know that. A doctor's gon' meet us at The Loft," Caesar says.
He's right. I understand why bringing Daz to a hospital isn't the best idea right now. I'm just not confident in my ability to keep him alive. I don't trust anybody's life in my hands, including my own.
I notice Caesar put the phone back to his ear.
"Who you calling now?" I ask.
"The hitters. Somebody gon' pay for what happened today. I need them on standby for when Daz tells us who," Caesar says.
I swallow. The promise of more death should be comforting since it means someone will answer for what they did to my people. But it's not comforting. It's depressing. How many more bodies gon' drop before this week is out? It's only been five days since Tory died. Now once again I'm holding somebody's life in my hands.
I know it won't be long before I'm put in this position again. It's a never-ending cycle. I'm just praying I'm able to change the outcome this time.
...
As we pull into the Loft's parking lot, a group of hitters come running out the front doors. Caeasar doesn't bother parking. He just stops the car in front of the main entrance. Keezy and Cutta rush over to the car while Rondo holds The Loft's door open.
I lift Daz's head off my lap while I slide out of the car. I gently lay his head back on the seat. Then I move out of the way so Keezy and Cutta can pull him out the car.
Caesar gets out of the car and slams the door closed. Keezy and Cutta move fast so they have Daz on his feet in no time. They hold him up between them with one arm over each of their shoulders. His feet drags against the ashpalt as they carry him to the lobby's front entrance.
Mad Max is waiting in the lobby for us when we walk in. He holds the elevator doors open with one hand.
"C'mon! C'mon!" He yells.
Keezy and Cutta manage to get Daz inside the elevator. Then Caesar and Rondo rush inside before I can move my feet. Mad Max allows the doors to close before I can get on so the last thing I see is Daz wincing in pain as the elevator doors close.
Now completely alone in the lobby, I wring my hands together while I wait for the elevator to come back down. I desperately watch the lights above the doors to see which floor they get off on. The light stops on the second floor so I don't have to wait long before the elevator comes back down.
As soon as the elevator dings open, I rush inside. I jam my finger into the "close doors" button a million times before the doors sowly starts to close.
I pace the small elevator while it carries me up. The ride to the second floor has never felt so long. When the doors open, I run down the hall in the same direction I'm always headed when I'm on the second floor. Calvin is perched at the apartment door when I run up. I can hear Daz screaming through the door.
Calvin gives me a solemen look as I run past him. I run inside the room to find Daz bleeding all over the white couch.
"Ah! Fuck!" Daz screams.
There's an Indian man wearing wire-rim glasses laying out surgical equipment on the table next to him. I recognize him as Dr. Amin, the doctor who saved my life. Everybody else is standing around watching them while Daz is withering around on the couch.
"What did you do?" I ask.
Daz was barely breathing when we pulled up. Now he's hollering in pain and nobody is helping him.
"We poured alcohol over his stomach to sterilize the area," Keezy says.
Daz groans.
I run over to him and kneel on the floor next to the couch. I grab his hand and make him look at me.
"Hey, hey, Daz. Daz, look at me. Look at me," I say.
Daz opens his eyes and looks at me. He grips my hand harder.
"It's okay. It's okay. Dr. Amin is here. He's here to help you," I say.
Behind me, Dr. Amin hooks up the metal pole that he used to hook my IV up to.
"If you wanna ask him anything, now's the time. He's going to have to be out during the procedure to keep the bullet from getting lodged deeper inside him. It's his best chance of me being able to pull it out," Dr. Amin says.
Caesar wastes no time stepping up.
"Tell us what happened," He says.
Daz swallows before he starts talking.
...
I went to the trap to help Reese like you told me to. When I got there, Hasaan, Meech and Faiyaz was on the porch. Faiyaz was serving a few feins, gettin' the last dime bags off. Meech and Hasaan was in the middle of a card game. I dapped everybody off then went in the house.
The cookhouse was empty. All the girls were gone. The only thing that was still there was the tables. I walked past 'em and went straight to the back room to find Reese. He had his back to me when I walked in. He was standing at the table putting money in a duffle bag when I called his name.
"Reese," I said.
He turned around.
"Daz. What's good, my mans," He said.
We dapped up.
"Nun', nun'. I was 'posed to help you pack all this shit up, but it looks like you already got started," I said.
Reese smiled.
"Shit, I'm tryna get the fuck. New Orleans been good to me, but I'm ready to get home. My girls already at the airport waiting on me," He said.
I leaned against the wall.
"When you pushin' out?" I asked.
"2," Reese said.
I checked the time on my watch.
"Damn, it's only 12 o'clock, nigga. You got 'em waiting on you already?" I asked.
Reese chuckled.
"Everyboody ain't you, nigga. The only girls waiting on me is my sisters and neices."
"Shit, I was boutta' say. If New York bitches feining like that, then maybe I should take a trip up there. See what the weather is like at this time of year," I said.
Reese laughed.
"You plan on takin' yo girl on this trip too?" Reese said.
"Of course. She can watch the Ball Drop while I meet up with one of yo' sisters," I said.
"If she ever leave yo' ass, call me, aight? I'll take good care of her and yo' jit," He said.
"You talkin' crazy, now. I can't wait to send yo' ass packing. Where you want me to start?" I asked.
Reese laughed again.
"I got some coke under the kitchen sink I ain't touch yet. You can bag that up while I count this rest of this money," He said.
He sat the money down, then tossed me an empty duffle bag. I peeled off the wall and walked into the kitchen next door.
"Caese tell you where he wanted me to take it?" I yelled.
"Nah. Just take it to The Loft. He can figure that shit out on his own time," He said.
I bent down next to the kitchen cabinet. I opened it and felt around the pipes until my hands grazed over a plastic bag. I pulled out a couple bricks and put them in the bag.
"You get that shit from under the floorboards too?" I yelled.
"I ain't get a chance. Won't you grab it for me when you get done?" Reese said.
After I finished loading the coke up, I walked into the living room to get the rest of the coke and money from under the floorboards. I was 'boutta do it, but then Cam walked in.
...
"Cam?" Caesar interrupts.
"Yeah. I thought...he was there...to do inventory. You ain't send him?" Daz says.
"You might want to hurry up. I need to put him under soon," Dr. Amin says.
"Just keep talkin'," Caesar says tells Daz.
Daz takes a deep breath. He's using all his energy just to make it through this story.
...
Cam looked a lil' shifty when he walked in, like he was nervous or something. I peeped it and furrowed my eyebrows.
"Wassup, bruh? What you doin' here?" I asked.
He looked surprised to see me too.
"Wassam," He said.
He walked over and dapped me up. When we pulled away, he was looking everywhere but at me.
"You here to do inventory?" I asked.
"Yeah, yeah. Where Reese at?" He asked.
"He in the back sorting the money. I'm collecting the product. If you wanna' start double checkin' what we have, I left a duffle in the kitchen," I said.
Cam nodded his head.
"Aight. I'ma do that," He said.
He started to walk off, but then something occurred to me.
"Say, Cam."
He turned around.
"Where yo' logs at?" I asked.
"Huh?"
"Yo' logs you write in to keep track of inventory. Where they at?" I said.
"Oh, I left 'em in my car. I wanted to holla at Reese first," He said.
"Oh, aight," I said.
He turned and started heading towards the back. I watched him head into the room Reese was in. He was acting a lil' weird, so I followed him to see what was up. I thought maybe he had some shit to tell Reese he ain't want me to know about. I wasn't 'boutta be left out the loop again after what happened to Tory, so I walked to the kitchen hoping I could eavesdrop.
As I passed, I saw Reese sitting in the chair behind the desk. He was still counting money, but he was doing it slower. It was like he couldn't focus or something. It was probably 'cause Cam was pacing around the room especially by the back door behind Reese. I think any street nigga get nervous when somebody standing behind them, especially if that nigga pacing.
I went to the kitchen. Through the wall I heard them start up a conversation.
"Yo, you good?" Reese asked.
"Yeah, yeah I'm good," Cam said.
"So what you wanted to talk about?" Reese said.
"Oh, um, I just wanted to see what you thought about the trap. You think it's worthwhile for Ace to keep it up and running in Algiers or should he move it somwhere else?" Cam said.
"This yo' city, nigga. Shouldn't you know?"
"But you worked here. I figured you would have more of an insight," Cam said.
"Who got more insight than you? You got the logs. You can compare what we made at this trap to the ones on the East Bank by looking at a sheet of paper," Reese said.
"Yeah, I guess you right," Cam said.
Reese smacked his teeth.
"I'm tryna count this shit so I can get the fuck outta here. You holdin' me up, bruh. Is there sum'n else you need?"
"I'm doing inventory. I left my logs in the car. Let me go get 'em," Cam said.
"Yeah, you do that," Reese said.
I watched Cam walk out of the room looking even more nervous than he did going in. I waited 'til he was outside to walk in the room with Reese.
I pulled a face and pointed in the direction Cam just went.
Reese shook his head as he leaned back in the chair.
"I don't know, bruh. Cam must've hit the bag or sum'n the way he was in here fidgeting. It's like he couldn't keep still," Reese said.
I started to agree, but then shots rung out on the front porch. I turned around at the sound of it.
"What the fuck?" I asked.
This didn't sound like no handguns. It sounded like niggas was armed with AKs. The only people I knew to have guns like that was Meech and Hasaan. I thought maybe they had ran into some trouble and was putting it down. I grabbed my gun from the back of my jeans anyway. You could never be too sure.
It's a good thing I did too 'cause just then Faiyaz came bursting through the door. He ain't even make it cross the threshold before somebody emptied a clip into his back. He fell to his knees first, then the rest of his body went down too.
His body dropped in the doorway, so the door was left open. Through the crack in the door I could see a young, dark-skinned nigga walking up the steps with a choppa in his hand. I started to raise my gun, but I felt the metal sting of a gun pressed against my temple all too quick.
"Drop it, nigga."
With the gun pressed to my head, it was an easy decision to make. I let the gun clatter to the floor. The same nigga who held me at gunpoint pushed me. I turned around to see who he was, and he shot me. I stumbled back, and hit the wall. Blood coated my hands. I was in shock. I coughed up blood, then fell to the floor. The dude walked up on me, ready to finish it. Just as he aimed at my head, the dark-skinned dude from outside walked over and pushed his arm down.
"Not him," He said.
The other dude smacked his teeth.
"Man, why not? Who the fuck is he?" He asked.
"I don't know. That's the point. We ain't got no beef with him," The dark-skinned nigga said.
"So what? We might as well kill all these niggas now," The first dude said.
"Nah. Leave one alive," He said.
They looked over at me.
"He gon' live just long enough to tell them who did this," He said.
"If it ain't the freshman and his sidekick," Reese said.
I looked over at him. I forgot he was there. He was still sitting in the back room, only now he had three guns pointed at his head. The back door was wide open too.
"Don't tell me you forgot my name bitch ass nigga," The dark-skinned nigga smiled.
Reese shrugged.
"I ain't care to remember it," He said.
"I'm Ralo. This Corey," Ralo said, pointing to the dude next him, "I bet you gon' remember it now, huh?"
...
This time I interrupt Daz.
"Ralo? Why does that name sound so familiar?" I ask.
Caesar speaks up from across the room.
"That's the kid I told you about. The one that kept trying me that I kept sparing. You probably heard me and Reese arguing about it the day you came over. Reese kept warning me about 'em, but I ain't listen," He says.
Thinking back, I do remember our first conversation about Ralo. Neither of us knew how dangerous he would turn out to be, but Reese did. He warned Caesar that day at my club, and then again at Keyana's house two weeks later. He even asked Caesar who would have to die to spring him into action.
I guess he got his answer.
"Fuck!" Caesar yells.
I jump when he punches the wall next to him.
"Okay, I've given you all the time I can allow, but story time is officially over. Let's end this now before I have to tend to all of you," Dr. Amin says.
He eyes Caesar, who's knuckles have started to turn bright red.
Then he picks up the syringe from the table and leans over Daz.
"Wait...Let me finish. They should know," Daz says.
Dr. Amin looks between us like he wants to object, but he steps back anyway. It's probably not in the best intrest of his patient, but considering everyone here is armed and dangerous, it's probably in his best intrest to listen.
Daz takes a deep breath before beginning again.
...
"I told you the West Bank was off-limits to y'all East Bank motherfuckas, but you didn't listen. That's why you sitting here now," Ralo said.
"Fuck allat. Nigga, do what you came here to do," Reese said.
I couldn't understand why he was keeping it so G, when this was most likely the last moments of his life. Every second Ralo let him live was a blessing, and he didn't give a fuck about making them count. Every word he said brought him closer to his death. If he was scared, he didn't show it.
"You know how we got here right? Yo' boy Caesar put this all in motion," Ralo said.
"The fuck Caesar gotta do with this? You met him one time fuck nigga. I ain't realize he left that much of an impression on you. Then again, you still young. You still searching for role models and shit. I'm glad to know my boy Caese made the cut," Reese said.
"C'mon now, Reese. I know you smart enough to put it together. Yo' potna ain't leave no impression on me. A broken nose is just hard to forgive," Ralo said.
Reese laughed lowly.
"Cam," He said.
...
"That bitch ass nigga. I fucking knew it," Caesar says.
I shake my head.
"Cam did this?"
Daz nods. He swallows again.
"There's more."
We all crowd around to listen to him tell the rest of the story.
...
"See, I knew you was smart. If only you came to yo' senses a lil' earlier, we might not even be here right now," Ralo said.
Reese laughed.
"Don't tell me you regretting it already. You ain't even do shit yet," He said.
Ralo turned and pointed to the porch where Meech, Hasaan and Faiyaz was.
"What you call that?" He asked.
"Letting other niggas handle yo' problem for you," Reese said, "If you was really with the shits you would've killed me as soon as you walked in here. Instead you putting on a show. For what?"
Ralo pointed at me.
"'Cause I got an audience."
"Man, he right. Let's just do this nigga in and keep going. We got a lot of stops to hit," Corey said.
"Not until they know what's coming. They need to know the city is for the taking, and the Jackboyz gon' always come out on top. If not now, then later. But we always get what's ours," Ralo said.
"Listen to yo' mans. I'm tired of talkin'," Reese said.
Ralo turned to face Reese.
"We told y'all to leave the West Bank alone, you didn't, so now we coming for the East Bank too. We after everything y'all have and we got everything we need to get it," He said.
He raised Reese's gun in the air.
"We got y'all guns," He said.
Ralo uses his gun to point to the duffle bag of money on the table in front of Reese.
"We got y'all money," He said.
The floorboards in the living room creaked as someone lifted it up to reveal the coke, X, weed, and meth we had stashed under the floor.
"And we selling y'all shit," He said.
Reese scoffed.
"And how long you think you gon' last off that shit? Y'all niggas don't even got a plug. What y'all gon' do when it's time to re-up?" Reese said.
"I wouldn't worry 'bout that. My partner got that handled," Ralo said.
Reese laughed again.
"Cam?" He asked.
Ralo raised his eyebrow.
"Who said Cam was my partner?"
His entourage laughed around him. Once they quieted down, Ralo spoke up again.
"Nahhh, he just one half of a package deal. And unfortunately for you, you ain't part of it," Ralo said.
His gun was aimed before I knew what what was happening.
POP!
He ain't even give Reese a chance to say any final words.
Reese's head flew back from the impact of the bullet hitting his skull. Gravity pulled his head back down so it was left hanging.
My eyes grew wide watching the scene play out in front of me. I realized right then that there wasn't nun' I could do but die next without my gun. So I stood up and tried to get away. I didn't get far before I had to hold onto the wall for support.
Ralo laughed as he walked past me.
"Relax, nigga. We ain't gon' kill you. But we do have a couple more stops on this tour, so I can't have you calling Caesar just yet," He said.
...
"Next thing I knew...I was knocked out...I woke up...on the floor...two hours later...and called..."
Daz doesn't get a chance to finish 'cause Dr. Amin slowly pushes medicine through his IV.
Caesar grabs Dr. Amin by the collar of his shirt and slams him against the wall.
"Why the fuck would you do that?!" He yells.
"I-I-I'm sorry, but you called me here to save this young man's life! He just said he's been bleeding out for two hours. He doesn't have much time left, and I can't let him waste what little energy he has left telling you a story! He can tell you when I'm done saving his life," Dr. Amin says.
I stand up from the floor.
"Caesar, he's right," I say.
Caesar doesn't loosen his grip on Dr. Amin.
"Every second we waste, is a second he could have been saved," Dr. Amin says.
"Caese, please," I say.
Caesar holds him there a lil' longer before he finally lets him go. Dr. Amin wastes no time cutting through Daz's shirt. I stand next to him as he gets to work.
"He's gonna' be okay, right?" I ask.
"You're forgetting I'm the one who pulled that bullet out of your shoulder, and you're just fine aren't you? Daz will be too if you guys let me do my job," He says.
"He better be 'cause if I have to attend another funeral, best believe someone from your family will too," I say.
Dr. Amin slowly looks up at me. For the first time ever, I see the same surprise and fear reflected in his eyes that I usually hold in mine. I haven't been in the game a full year, and already I've turned from victim to predator. Even Caesar glances over at me.
Suddenly, the apartment door flies open. Everybody turns that way. Groups of niggas stumble inside with Rico leading the pack. Everybody is either bleeding, or holding onto various parts of their bodies. Caesar and the hitters run over to them.
Caesar rushes over in time to keep Rico from hitting the floor. I run up next to them. I spot a deep gash on Rico's dark forhead.
"What the fuck happened?" Caesar asks.
After hearing Daz's story, Rico's next words come as no surprise.
"Some niggas robbed the safehouse we was at. They ran in so fast, we ain't have time to grab our guns. They pistol-whipped us and took our guns. They took everything, Caese. Our phones so we couldn't call. The money, the guns, the drugs. They cleaned us out, bruh," Rico says.
Caesar grimaces.
"It's aight, bruh. It's aight. Come sit down," He says.
He walks Rico over to the kitchen counter. He leans him against one of the bar stools. I turn my attention to the rest of the room where Keezy, Mad Max, Rondo, Bee, Tony and Cutta are finding spots for everyone else to sit.
Cutta removes someone's arm from over his shoulder as he sits him down on the steps.
"Say, Doc, I think you might be here a while," He says.
Dr. Amin shakes his head while he continues working on Daz.
Caesar stands next to me while I watch more people crowd the apartment. Most of them are people I've never seen before.
I cross my arms.
"Who are all these people?" I ask.
"Niggas who guard the safehouses like Rico," He says.
I turn to him.
"Wait. Are they all from different houses?" I ask.
Caesar nods his head.
"So far I've seen Rico, Sean, Austin, Brandon, and Lovell here. All niggas from different houses. Cam must've gave Ralo everything. Them niggas prolly cleaned out everything," Caesar says.
I swallow. Most of my money from the club came from selling coke on the low. How am I supposed to make ends meet with no money, and no product to sell?
I run my hands down my face. I've never been so stressed out in one day.
"I can't believe Cam did this," I say.
Caesar looks at me.
"It wasn't just Cam," He says.
"I mean I know Ralo is to blame too, but it's not like we knew him," I say.
Caesar chuckles. He shakes his head.
"Earlier you said you told Simon to call you. Why?" He asks.
I squint my eyes. I'm not liking this line of questioning.
"I was worried about him. My mama said he hasn't been home since the funeral," I say.
"Candyce, before you got kidnapped Simon told me you was gonna' need all the brothers you can get. I didn't understand what he meant then. I thought he was just high off his ass talkin' nonsense," Caesar says.
I furrow my eyebrows and cross my arms over my chest.
"And now?" I ask.
"Now I know he was planning on doing some shit he knew you wouldn't forgive. I don't know how I didn't see the shit sooner. The lil' nigga threathen me every time we talk. I just never took him serious. Just like I didn't take Ralo serious," Caesar says.
I wave my hand in the air.
"I'm sorry. What does my brother have to do with this?" I ask.
"Ralo said Cam was one half of a package deal," Caesar says.
"So?" I ask.
"So when was the last time you seen Cam without Simon?"
I pull my head back. I immediately start to defend Simon, but the words get stuck in my throat. I'm so taken aback, I don't even know what to say. Mostly 'cause it makes so much sense.
I think back to all the whispered conversations Simon and Cam would have when I was around. I always thought it was strange the way they would end it as soon as I came within earshot. Not to mention the fact that their friendship sprung up out of nowhere. I never thought they had anything in common except the one person Simon hates most. Even Calvin couldn't understand why Simon would wanna' be friends with Cam. Add in the fact that both Cam and Simon hate Caesar, and both have a reason to betray Ace, and I'm almost forced to take off the rose-colored glasses.
All of it adds up so well that I'm at a loss for words.
While I recover from the truth smacking me in the face, the front door opens.
I just assume it's more niggas coming in with horror stories about Ralo and his men, so I don't look over there. Besides, I'm still processing what Caesar is suggesting.
But out of nowhere, the entire room goes quiet. I have no choice but to pull myself out of my thoughts to see what's going on.
I look around the room to see that everyone's eyes are pointed in one direction, so I turn to the front door too.
I'm convinced this entire day has been a bad dream. Either that or Earth has shifted on its axis. Whatever the deal is, I know this can't be real.
Like everything else that's happened today, I can't believe what I'm seeing.
Walking through the front door is a familiar boy holding hands with a pretty light-skinned girl. She wears a shy smile while he sports a wide grin.
He doesn't bother reading the room when he steps inside. He just drops his bag in the middle of the floor like he's at home.
If my eyes are to be believed, then I guess he is.
"Damn, I know y'all miss me, but y'all ain't have to throw me a Welcome Home party," Ace says.
In light of everything that's happened, I can't even begin to feel happy.
All I can think is, Oh shit.