“But the crazy thing is, I’ve known him for years. He’s like a brother to me. I care about him. I have love for him. But he did me dirty. He stabbed me in the back. He did something that I never would’ve thought about doing to him, no matter the circumstances.” I look up, meeting the pastor’s eyes. His face is still the same—even, unreadable, but genuinely understanding. “I’m here because I don’t know what to do. I have no guidance here. I can’t hurt the people I care about. I may say it, but I can’t. I’ve had many opportunities to hurt people I care about in the past, but I never saw them through. That is my only weakness because, once I let someone in, there is no going back for them. They’re in my heart for life, and he knows this. And I feel like he knew once I returned, I would find out it was him. He’s prepared. He has some kind of plan.”
“What are your plans for him?” he asks.
I keep my lips sealed for a brief moment. “I don’t think you wanna know the answer to that question.”
“Okay… let’s take another route. What will you accomplish by committing your sin?”
“I hope to feel peace. He’s the only thing holding me back from a carefree life. I can’t have the weight of his betrayal on my shoulders because the longer I hold my anger in, the more I will lose the peace I already have.”
“Hmm.” He turns forward, staring ahead at the burning candles. “Donovan, there are things that we have no control of. You are here for a reason. You were guided here. You were seeking an answer to a question you had no response for. You were at a dead end, but this place is an open door. It’s a gateway. Why do you think you’re here?” He looked at me, matching my gaze.
“Not sure. I’ve been wondering why myself. Probably because it was only an hour away. Wanted to see it again.”
He smiles wholeheartedly. “It is because of the guilt you feel, son. You think you’re here for advice on your friend, but it has nothing to do with that. You’re here because of how much you’ve done wrong, and now that you’re at a dead end, you’re remembering that you didn’t have to accept this life. I will be blunt about this. You were wrong. You knew better, yet you took the terrible opportunity of running your father’s bloody business, and now you’re paying the price for it.”
Silence consumes me, and I lower my head in what I know is shame.
“There is a woman?” he asks.
I whip my head up, narrowing my eyes. I don’t say anything though.
“Ahh, yes. There is a woman. A woman you love. That is why you’re seeking peace. For her. For a better future.”
“Perhaps.”
He laughs, sitting back and placing his arm on top of the wooden bench. “I will tell you what I’m being told from Him.” He sighs, placing one leg on top of the other. “I am being told that what you went through was fate. People thinking you were long gone. Your friend betraying you… all fate.”
My eyebrows stitch, confusion masking my face. “Fate?”
“Yes, fate. You were knocked down because He had to knock you down. He had to bring you to your knees. He had to make you defenseless again. Open. The only way He could do that was by taking everything you love away from you. By He I mean God. Our God is a very smart one. He knows what he’s doing.” He points up with a waving finger, half-smiling. “You won’t gain peace from committing a sin, and you really won’t gain it by holding onto unnecessary anger. Jesus was betrayed by Judah, yet he forgave him. He became stronger. He moved forward.
“You do what you have to do, Donovan, but remember… peace is what you make it. Peace means bliss, no hauntings of your sins. Peace means happiness. For once in your life, for that woman you love so dearly, do the right thing. Follow your heart, not your mind. The heart remains true and loyal, but the mind can be unreliable. Your mind will trick you into thinking you’re doing the right thing, but all it’s doing is deceiving you.” He forms a smile. I lower my head, absorbing the wisdom. He then caps my shoulder and stands. I pick my head up again. “You know I’m right, son. Move forward. Not backwards. Run away with that woman and never look back. Accept the good in life. Get away from all the evil while you can. That is all I can tell you.” He smiles. “I must get going now. It was great seeing you, Donovan. Be careful.”
He squeezes my shoulder, and with that, he walks away, leaving me with an even more confused mind and an extremely heavy heart.
Come Away To The Water – Maroon 5
I call Bianca repeatedly. No answer.
Either she’s busy, still mad at me and doesn’t want to talk, or she’s in Maurice’s clutches, and he’s filling her head with lies. He’s probably the reason she no longer wants anything to do with me. He knows I’m onto him. He’s planning his escape, and he wants her right by his side. Motherfucker.
All this fucking time I was telling him what happened to me, how it was a nightmare to go through, and how I would take down the fucker that did it and it’s been him all along.
His business, it’s still alive and thriving more than ever. His boats are still at the docks. Men are still watching his area. His men. They never went anywhere. Since my disappearance, he’s prospered. He’s the one that wanted everything I worked so hard for. He’s the one that wanted to take me down.
What’s with the men of my past? Why do they want to see me suffer? Why do they want to tear me down when all I ever was to them was loyal and respectful? I trusted him. I helped him come up. He was close, too close, and I was foolishly blinded by his smile and the way he pretended to care about what happened to me.
Those were his orders. Being beaten by Nixon but still kept alive—that was his call. I told him about Nixon once. I told him he and my father were on bad terms and he’d been threatening us. I told Maurice so fucking much. Things I hardly ever shared with anyone else. I guess the saying is wise when they say keep your friends close but you enemies closer.
I walk through the airport, dialing London’s number. Nothing.
I call five more times.
No answer.
“Shit,” I hiss, calling one last time and getting her voicemail. I’m heated. I’ve been betrayed, yes, but nothing feels worse than this. This man, he dates my cousin, yet he sneaks behind her back and fucks around with Baker? This man we grew up with, that grew up with my child? Made London and my son trust him? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
Vibrating with rage, I snatch out Baker’s cell phone and dial his number again. This time, he doesn’t answer by saying her name. He says mine.
“Ace.” He’s gloating. I can feel his Cheshire cat sneer through the phone.
“Where the fuck are you, Maurice?”
“Oh, just hanging out with the family here in Creole. You know, cherishing time.”
My heart stills, face going blank. He has them? So he didn’t run away. I knew he was low to want to take me down, but I didn’t think he would go as low as taking my family and threatening them. Using them as bait. Then again, it makes sense. I would do the same thing, and I fucking hate myself for thinking that way. “Let them go.” My voice is dark, full of anger.
“Can’t do that.”
“What the fuck do you want from me?!” My abrupt tone catches the attention of a few by passers.
“You know exactly what I want! I want you gone! I want my fucking money! I want everything you controlled! Didn’t Nixon beat the shit out of you for it, asking you everyday?”
“Fuck you,” I spit. “He’s dead, just like you will be once I get back.”
He chuckles, still gloating. “Oh, hold on. Someone wants to say hello.”
The line swooshes and rustles, clear that he’s moving around. “Hello?” Aden answers.
My heart, the one that stilled just moments ago, drops. “Aden,” I breathe.
“Who is this?” he asks.
“It’s Ace, kid. Ace. Remember me?”
“Ohhh yeah!”
“Are you okay?”
He doesn’t respond.
“Aden, are you okay?” I ask ag
ain, eyes burning.
“Mommy was cwying,” he murmurs. “She got hurt.”
Hurt? “Aden, tell your mom I’m coming for her. Tell her everything will be okay. For both of you. Do you understand me?” I cling to the phone, awaiting a response, but I don’t get one. Instead, I’m greeted with Maurice’s voice again.
“She won’t be okay if you don’t follow my rules. This is what’s going to happen. You’ll come to London’s house in Creole with all your money, a list of the connections for the trades, and their code words, and you won’t come armed. If you do come with anything, and I mean anything, I will kill them one by one. Starting with your precious Bianca.”
Bianca?! Fuck! He has her too?
“Greg… well, I’ll let him handle London and Aden.”
Are you fucking kidding me? I knew that motherfucker couldn’t be trusted!
Clenching my fist, I lean against the wall, jaw locked, way too much anger built up inside me. I’m at my boiling point, but what really gets me is that I’m not there. That I’m halfway across the country. He acted as soon as I left. He was waiting for the opportunity to arrive. With a singsong voice, one that really pisses me the fuck off, Maurice says, “You have until four PM tomorrow. See you soon, Crow.” And then he hangs up.
I drop the phone, slow and weary, tears burning my eyes, nostrils flaring to avoid them. I shut them, fighting the unwanted tears off. My family is in danger—in danger because of me. Because I was stupid enough to run off the first chance I got to settle loose ends. My worst nightmare. Somehow, he knew I’d find out about Baker and that I’d go hunting her down. She was bait as well. She thought he was helping her when, in reality, he was only using her. Selfish bastard.
When I open my eyes, Trent is coming my way, his fingers tucked in his front pockets. “Where do we go from here, Boss?”
I study him, my best driver.
A loyal man.
He doesn’t deserve to get mixed up in my shit, and if anything happens to him, his family damn sure doesn’t deserve to be without a husband and a father. “I’m letting you go, Trent. Go back to your family. Back to your life. This is between me and him.”
His eyes narrow, eyebrows stitched. “Ace, you know that’s out of the fucking question. This job isn’t finished.”
Stepping forward, I cap his shoulders before pulling him in for a brotherly hug. When I pull away, I tell him, “It’s over. Live your life, Trent. Be carefree. Enjoy that shit, man. Don’t end up like me… having to pay the price for your wrongdoings.”
Trent’s eyes glisten, but he blinks and steps away, bringing his sunglasses up to cover his eyes. Nostrils flared, he says, “I’ve always had the highest respect for you, Crow. I’ve never worked for a man with priorities as high as yours, and I’ve never had a boss that treated me like a brother… like I belonged. You may not feel this way, but I feel like I owe you my life. You picked me up off the streets and took me in. You gave me money to start a life—to build it. You’ve done so fucking much for me.” His head drops. “I’m not letting you go back without me.” He tilts his chin. “You had my back, and now I have yours. It’s not over until it’s over.”
I look away, unsure of what to say to him.
He remains in place, snatching off his sunglasses. I see the sincerity in his eyes. The loyalty. The need to destroy the man that destroyed us and his former family. Our men.
“I can’t have anymore innocent blood on my hands. I have to give him what he wants. That’s my family he has. The whole game has changed, Trent. They’re not safe. I’m done playing games.”
Trent scoffs. “Games? This isn’t a fucking game! Like I told you, he fucked with the wrong person, and we’re gonna show him just how much he really fucked up! The Ace Crow I know wouldn’t be giving up and giving in,” he says, straightening his back. “The real Ace Crow would be ready to go through anything to get back what he deserves. Through hell and high water. He’s the one that should be afraid.”
Trent’s face is hard, his body upright and steady. He’s ready. But am I? What if something goes wrong? I know myself. I’m stubborn. When it comes down to the wire, I make dumb decisions. If one of them dies because of me, I don’t know what the fuck I will do. But he’s right. I know he’s right.
My wrath is much stronger. I’ve been through it all, and this shit won’t stop me. Fuck Maurice. Fuck his crew. Fuck it all. I’m going back for mine. I wonder if Pastor Wyatt would tell me to follow my heart if he knew Maurice, a threat, has my family and is holding them hostage? He wouldn’t condone me going to kill him, but he would understand me if I did.
He was right about me paying the price for taking over Crow. With a business as such, there’s always a price. Always something that goes wrong. It’s why I went into it without feelings, without wanting to care for anyone, especially a woman. But all of that changed when I met London. She created a new man in me, and I never thought it was possible.
Inside, I’m suffering.
Dying.
I won’t be revived until they’re all safe in my arms.
And trust me, they will be back in my fucking arms. Alive and safe.
“Alright.” I nod.
Trent sighs with relief, pleased with my response.
I push off the wall, making my way towards the door that leads to my old jet. “Lets get back to Creole.”
I won’t let this one slip away from me, but I need to be smart. I need to stay vigilant. Stay wise. I have to gather a plan. He’ll expect me to arrive hours before four, and he’ll most likely take me down on sight, but I can’t let him read me. I refuse to let him win.
Not today.
Not ever.
My life is just getting back on track.
He will not steal the only happiness I have left.
My Blood- Ellie Goulding
My head rolls to the side, and I jolt, sitting up straight, breathing unevenly. I stare around the dark room, eyes wide and frantic.
I can’t make out much. The room is large with one window on the east wall and a ceiling light by the door. I start to go for it, but my body is yanked back, and I tumble to the floor. Pain seizes my wrists, and I hiss, staring down at the silver metal around it. Handcuffs. Most likely the same cuffs I used on Greg. I lick my dry lips, tasting a trace of blood. My tongue runs across a small, painful cut. Was I hit? I don’t remember.
When I think of Greg, I remember all that happened. Them stopping my car, trapping me in my own neighborhood. Taking my son away. Something sharp stabbing me in the neck. Most likely a needle.
Tears threaten to spill when I recall how frightened Aden was. I don’t know where he is or what the hell they did with him. I pull my arm, hoping to break the railing, but I know it won’t work. It’s cemented into the wall. I’m not strong enough.
Bringing my free hand up, I swipe the tears away and stand, sweeping my surroundings. There’s nothing I can use. The room is completely empty. The window allows some of the rising sun to shine in, but not enough.
Rustling sounds in the dark corner across from me. I step back. Has someone been watching me this whole time? The person groans, and I realize it’s light. Girly. “Bianca?” I call in a whisper. She groans again and then a hand falls into the light, a trace of blood on her fingertips. “Shit! Bianca!?”
“London?” she croaks.
“Yeah.” I nod as if she can see me. I can’t see her. It’s too dark in her corner.
Pulling her hand out of the light, she murmurs, “I tried to get him to stop.”
“It’s okay,” I tell her.
“No.” Her voice cracks and something rattles on her side. A chain most likely. “It’s not. I trusted him. He lied to me. All these years, London, he lied to me. I thought he loved me. Like, really loved me.”
I blink in her direction. “Let’s not talk about that right now, okay? Are you alright?”
“Yeah,” she whispers. “Just a little cut on my arm. Put up one hell of a fight.” I can tell she wants t
o laugh, but with the ache I’m certain she feels in her core, it isn’t going to come out. Not anytime soon.
“Is this why you wanted to leave us behind? Because of him?”
Silence fills the dark room for several seconds. Then, she responds with, “Yes.”
Oh.
“He was telling me all these bad things about Ace, and deep down, I didn’t want to believe them, but they sounded so true. Like things the old Ace would do.”
“Things like what?” I ask.
“Like how he killed someone before he arrived. How he was the one that faked his own death and how he’s only here now because he rebuilt Crow and wants to take you and Aden back to New York with him. Start fresh. He said Ace no longer trusted his men after he found out about Krane, so he was glad they died during the process. A bunch of wild shit. I mean, it sounded like something Ace would do, but then again—”
“You believed that?” I hiss, my eyebrows furrowing.
“No I didn’t believe his shit! I knew from the moment he started telling me things about Ace that he was lying. He started acting strange when Ace returned. He had some kind of guard up. He wouldn’t talk to me like he used to, and now I see why.” Her voice breaks. “I feel like he used me.”
“He used all of us, Bianca. He used my son. He used Ace! You thought Ace was the monster,” I scoff, “No. Maurice is the fucking monster.”
“I know.” She sniffles. I wish I could hug her. She’s in pain. A lot of it. You spend three years with someone and they stab you right in the back—or as I recall, the neck. “I think he was onto me not believing him, so he told me he would get rid of Ace if I didn’t leave with him. He wanted to go to Belgium early. I think he was trying to escape before Ace figured things out. I mean, we all know Ace is going to find out eventually. He didn’t want me to be around him, and every time I asked why, he would never answer me. We got into this heated argument at our hotel when he let Greg take Aden without my permission while I was in the shower. Before that, he’d been acting strange, making calls on his phone, and walking out of the room to take them.
Beware 2: The Comeback Page 19
