“Mila,”—he softly pushed her off of him—“you’re drunk.”
“Just a little.” She giggled as he helped her off the ground after he got up. “What I have to tell you is important.” She put her finger over his lips.
“Let’s go upstairs, and you can tell me when you wake up, baby.” He wrapped his arm around her.
“I just thought you may want to know that Boss is out.”
“What did you just say?” Levi grabbed her face as his expression changed to a serious one. “Boss is out? The man that used to run shit is out? The Boss from Oakcliff?”
“Yes.” She kissed at him through the air. “I heard him talking to his daughter, who is my best friend.” She pointed at herself.
“All right, baby.” He walked her to the stairs and watched her walk slowly up them. “I’ll be right up.” He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “We got a problem.” He paced to the kitchen.
“What kind of problem?” Scooter’s voice came through the receiver.
“Boss is out of jail.”
“Who told you this?”
“Mila just showed up drunk.” Levi sat at his dining table. “She told me he was at the club talking to Aphtan.”
“Aphtan knows about this?” Scooter asked as he turned at a red light.
“That’s what Mila said.”
“I’ll test her loyalty and see if she tells me.”
“What if she doesn’t?” Levi put the blunt in his mouth and let it hang loosely as he talked. “It’s blood over mud in these streets, cousin.”
“I’ll handle it either way.”
“If he’s out, he’s coming for you.”
“I got it. Good looking out.” Scooter hung up the phone.
Scooter parked in front of his house as his heart raced just a little. He had an uneasy feeling come over him after hearing the news. He didn’t fear Boss, but he knew the power he had in the streets before he left. The magnitude of respect was still unreachable to him.
He sat inside his car as he played a game of chess in his mind about what his next move should be. Aphtan couldn’t get involved. That was the only thing he was sure about. No matter what, he wanted her to remain safe, no matter the cost.
Scooter shuddered from the cold as he got out of the car. He walked across the parking area. He quickly noticed it was deserted; no one was around. It was almost eerie, for it was beginning to darken; the warm light from the better part of the day was long gone. He bit against the gut feeling that something was wrong and continued to walk.
The rain pouring down on him gave the pavement a shimmer, almost like black water. Wind whistled against the trees that lined the lot. He sucked in a quick breath as he saw a dark shadow dart in front of him. But then it was gone, just as fast as it had appeared.
The urge to get his gun out became strong, and before he could reach for it, a bag was shoved over his head. He fought as his hands were held. His body was lifted into the air, and he could feel the men who grabbed him walking. The sound of tires screeching played in Scooter’s ears after his body was thrown into the back of a van.
Ropes were tied around his hands and feet as the bag was loosened around his neck. He could feel hands searching his body, and all of his belongings were taken out of his pockets. He could hear the doors close, and the feeling of motion was present. He had been kidnapped, and there was nothing he could do about it.
* * *
As Scooter’s eyelids fluttered open, the thick smell of must filled his nostrils. He tried to open his mouth to exhale and take a bigger breath, but something was slapped across his mouth that was sticky and tight. He tried sitting up and bumped his head on a metal roof. Using his hand, he grappled around. No door. He was definitely in a trunk. The lid of the trunk lifted rapidly, and he was pulled out.
Scooter’s white sneakers hit the ground, and dust flew up as the bag was lifted off his head. He could see trees, and a large white building, but the world was still shaking way too much for him to focus enough to tell what it was. He closed his eyes and squeezed them tight. He heard a car door shut, and for a moment he wondered where Aphtan was. It hurt his head, though, so he stopped.
His hands were being held behind his back, and he was being pushed forward. He tried looking at his white sneakers so he could walk straight. His entire body felt way too heavy.
“Fuck y’all,” he said. It sounded like water in his ears more than words. “I can’t walk,” he tried to say, but he couldn’t understand the words. His hands were suddenly let go of, and he fell to the dirt. He tasted it on his tongue and gagged.
Scooter tried to get up, but all he could manage with his hands bound as they were was to turn on his back. The sunlight hit his eyes, and he tried to think why it was wrong that the sun was shining. He could finally see the blue of the sky, and that seemed even more wrong.
He heard a second pair of footsteps approach. Calm down, a tiny voice inside him whispered. He tried to obey, but all that came out was a small croak, something like a tiny frog trying to sing. He heard the sound of two sets of feet behind him, followed by laughter.
Scooter recognized one of the voices, and he could understand them, but he couldn’t focus on the conversation long enough to give it any meaning. “Too much drug” and “soldier” were the two phrases he caught before the world began to tilt again. He turned his head to the right and retched out his guts.
The men, or at least the manly voices, stopped laughing. He felt a foot turn him over to the left, and a giant hand picked him up by the ropes on his wrist. He heard a popping in his shoulders and knew it should have hurt, but he couldn’t remember how it felt not to hurt. He couldn’t tell the difference.
His feet dragged along the ground, and one of his shoes fell off. His toes hit the gravel, and he was literally thrown onto the steps of the building. He managed to turn over as Boss hovered over him with a smile on his face. He sat down next to him, giving his men a look that demanded that they walk away.
“My young bull.” Boss looked up at the sky. “You’ve looked better.”
“You didn’t have to do it like this.” Scooter struggled to sit up. “I would have met with you if you would have asked me to.”
“I know.” Boss looked at him. “I like it better this way.” He stood up. “I have a few bones to pick with you, Christopher.”
“I’ve always been loyal to you, Boss.”
“Loyalty.” He leaned down and pulled a picture out of the front pocket of his blazer. “You call this loyalty?” He held the picture up to his eyes. “I know this is your father, but you know this game.”
“I couldn’t kill my father.” Scooter looked into his eyes. “Anything else you’ve asked of me, I’ve done it.”
“The only thing you’ve done for me is let my daughter work at Pearl Tongue, showing her ass.” Boss pulled a gun out, pointed it at his foot, and shot. “And kill my wife.” He shot a bullet into the other foot as Scooter screamed out in pain.
“I didn’t know that was Simone. I didn’t know Aphtan was working there, either. I promise you that.” His teeth ground against each other as the pain became unbearable. “If you’re going to kill me, then do it.”
“Don’t tempt me.” Boss put his gun away. “The only thing saving you is the love my daughter has for you.” He grabbed his face. “I won’t tell her that you killed her mother. However, effective immediately, I run these streets. You got it?”
“I got . . .” He paused and closed his eyes as his feet burned with pain. “I got it.”
“We are at the back of a small clinic.” Boss walked off. “Crawl to a door and get someone to look at those wounds. Open flesh and the sun don’t mix well.”
Scooter sweated heavily as he saw Boss get in the back of a Suburban before it drove off. He panted while he watched the blood slowly rush out of his feet onto the hot pavement. His vision blurred, and before a thought could cross his mind, he fainted.
CHAPTER 16
Tears fe
ll from Aphtan’s eyes as she threw the phone into the vacant passenger seat. She made a U-turn and sped in the direction of the hospital. Her hands shook so bad that she couldn’t get a firm grip on the steering wheel.
Her stomach did somersaults as the hospital came into view. She parked at the entrance and jolted through the large double doors as they opened for her. Bumping into strangers, trying to find the information desk, the tears kept running away from her eyes.
“Excuse me?” She waved her hand in the face of a security guard. “How can I find out what room a patient is in?”
“Over there.” The woman pointed.
Aphtan walked as fast as she could to the desk. Quickly, she gave the name of who she was looking for, tapping her foot impatiently as she bit back the sadness that was swimming through her veins. The woman behind the desk was typing, and Aphtan was waiting, grinding her teeth together, unclenching and clenching her fist too many times. Her nails dug into her palms.
After what seemed to be an eternity, the woman gave her the room number, and she muttered a thank you, dashing past people who only gave her curious looks, and toward the large set of stairs, seeing as she had no time for the elevators. The stairs glistened in mocking with their shiny tiles and she sped up them, the muscles in her body aching ferociously as each step took forever for her to reach her destination.
Taking a deep, shaky breath, she took a moment to collect herself before walking up to the door. She gathered her thoughts and slowly opened it as darkness met her at the entrance. She peeked around the room as Cole, Levi, and Mila all stared at her from where they stood around Scooter while he lay in the bed asleep. Their eyes made her feel even more uncomfortable as she walked up to the bed.
“What the fuck is she doing here?” Levi spat.
“I called her.” Mila shoved him. “She deserved to know.”
“Who did this?” Aphtan softly rubbed Scooter’s leg through the covers.
“Boss,” Scooter whispered.
“I told him to relax.” Aphtan walked to the top of the bed and ran her finger across his cheek. “I’m sorry, Scooter.”
“Let’s give them a minute.” Cole blew out his mouth. “They need to talk.”
“Find out her loyalty, cousin.” Levi walked to the door behind Cole.
“I’ll be right outside.” Mila gave her a hug before she walked out of the door.
Aphtan grabbed Scooter’s hand. “I didn’t know he was going to do this. I didn’t even know he was out until yesterday.”
“I know.” Scooter made room next to him as he patted the rough, hospital sheets. “I believe you.”
“You not mad at me?” She climbed into the bed.
“Your father is responsible for his own actions.” Scooter eased his arm around her. “I love you, and that’s all that matters. Besides, I was looking for a reason to get out of the game. I have enough money to take care of us for the rest of our lives.”
Aphtan laid her head on his shoulder as she thought about how life would be with Scooter. With him out of the game, things would be better for them. There would be no choosing. There would be no beef between the man whom she was in love with and the first man she had ever loved.
“I heard about that dancing shit.” He forced her to look at him. “That shit ends now. I can’t have my future wife dancing at no fucking strip club. I can take care of you.”
“It’s over with.”
“That’s what I needed to hear.” He kissed her forehead. “You need to move in with me, and we can go through this thing called life together.”
“Are you serious?” Aphtan kissed him softly as the door opened.
“Dead ass serious.” Scooter kissed her back as his eyes went to the small, dark hallway to see who the visitor was.
“Son?” Money walked deep enough into the room that he could be seen. “How are you doing?” He took a seat in one of the hard wooden chairs in front of the bed as he cuffed the jacket of his tuxedo under his arm.
Scooter leaned up in the bed. “Pop, what are you doing here?”
“Uncle Money?” Aphtan squinted as if she had seen a ghost.
“Romeo and Juliet.” Money turned his ring straight on his finger. “I guess it was inevitable. I used to tell Boss to keep you two away from each other.”
“You shouldn’t have showed yourself.” Scooter shook his head. “It’s not safe.”
“I’m sick of hiding like some bitch.” Money stood up and placed his jacket in the chair. “Boss knows I’m alive. The compound I was living at was shot up. One thing about my dear old friend Boss is, he’ll find you, if he wants you.”
“You really did betray him?” Aphtan jumped off of the bed.
“It’s business, little girl.”
“Pop, what do you think is going to happen? I don’t want to start a war. I just want to grow old with Aphtan.” Scooter grabbed Aphtan by the arm to make her sit back down.
“The war started before either of you were born. This rivalry between me and Boss has been around since we were kids.”
“Y’all need to let that shit go.” Aphtan’s voice began to rise.
“In this game”—Money pulled out a gun and pointed it at Aphtan’s foot—“it’s an eye for an eye.”
Scooter blocked Aphtan’s body with his own. “You can’t shoot her. She doesn’t have anything to do with this.”
“Sometimes people are guilty by association, Scooter.” He put the gun away. Money grabbed his jacket and walked toward the door. “There will be no neutral in this war. Pick a side, and soon.”
Scooter grabbed Aphtan’s hand to let her know everything would be all right. They didn’t exchange words; they just lay there, stuck in each other’s presence. They weren’t getting in the middle of the war. That was something that was for certain. They were going to be together, and nothing would stop them.
* * *
“Are you all right, Aphtan?” Cole parked in front of her apartment building. “You look a little worried.”
“I am,” she admitted as she opened the door and got out. “Wouldn’t you be?”
“No,” he replied as he got out of the car. “Whatever is going to happen is going to happen.”
Aphtan walked into the breezeway of her building with Cole following her every move. She crept up the stairs slowly. She was excited to grab her stuff and move in with Scooter, but she hoped that her mother would be okay if she returned and she wasn’t there. It was a bittersweet moment.
The soft scent of lilac and roach spray took over her senses as she opened the door and walked inside. It bothered her that everything was exactly the same as the last time she was there. That meant her mother hadn’t been there, and she was still missing.
Aphtan grabbed everything she needed before sitting on the couch to get one last look at where she had spent the last eight years of her life. She wanted to leave all those memories in the past. Everything bad started happening then, and the apartment was the start of it all.
“You were born into this life.” Cole leaned back on the couch. “You didn’t choose it.”
“I know that.” Aphtan snapped out of her daydream.
“Being with my brother is a choice.” He looked down at his phone. “You know what comes in this lifestyle.”
She stood up. “I’m well aware. I know all too well.”
“I’m just reminding you.” He reached down and picked up the box of the belongings she had packed. “I just want you to make sure this is what you want. I would hate to see you get hurt behind this decision.”
“Thank you.” Aphtan held the door open and let him walk through. “But I got this, Cole.”
“I know.” He walked up on her as she closed the door behind them. “I just think that you deserve better.”
“What is better to you?”
“Us,” he replied. The box in his hand was the only thing separating them from each other as Aphtan’s back hit the door.
“Stop playing.” She eased by him. �
�We’re not talking about this.”
The only thing Aphtan heard was the box hitting the floor as she felt Cole’s hands spin her around. He looked into her eyes; deeply, passionately. There was not a fragment of falsity in those hazel orbs, but rather they held the dreams of their future. How so little could reveal so much, she wasn’t certain. But, as he moved his face nearer to hers, she let out a shaky, nervous breath.
As those pink colored lips hit her own, she felt a burst of emotion fly forth from every inch of herself, overtaking her very person. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she felt more secure and safe than she had in longer than she could remember.
It was as though in his arms nothing could hurt her; nothing. His lips seemed to cascade over hers in glorious feeling. She felt his mind meet hers, and suddenly she could hear him. Hear his thoughts, his emotions.
As he pulled back, she winced. It had only been a few seconds that had lasted minutes. “Scooter” managed to escape her lips as her eyes remained closed in awe.
“What about him?” Cole grabbed the rail along the wall. “He doesn’t have to know.”
Aphtan opened her eyes as reality hit her. She eased down the stairs. She needed some fresh air. Everything was happening too fast, and there was too much on her mind. She needed to scream, and she didn’t care who was around.
“My bad.” Cole caught up to her with the box in his hand.
“Please.” She held her hand up as she walked away. “Just give me a minute.”
Her attention was easily on Cole. It didn’t surprise her that the whole projects were paying attention to them. They were practically dying of questions, in hysterics over the altercation. And, even if you hadn’t met Cole before, you could tell he was a mystery.
She stumbled around, fanning her face, trying to decipher what it was she was thinking. She squeaked when the air tickled her nose, teetering over into a parked car. She leaned against it as her eyes met Cole’s as he stood by the entrance to her building with her box in his hand.
Aphtan looked up at the clear, crisp, blue sky with a few fluffy white clouds scattered intermittently throughout the firmament. A bright, warm sun shined on her as she tried to figure out how to handle the situation with Cole.
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