Beware

by Shanora Williams

  “Yeah, and it’s been long enough.” I sigh. “Look, I understand you don’t want to hear it. I understand that you don’t want anything between us to change— and neither do I—but… I care about you. And it’s my fault you’re even in this situation.”

  “Ace.” She shakes her head, bringing her hands to her hair. She plants her elbows on the table, groaning. “Please.”

  I need to… of all the bad things I’ve done, I can’t have this one weighing on my shoulders or gnawing at my conscience.

  “I first saw Jonah at a mansion party,” I start.

  She groans louder, but I know she can still hear me.

  “It was for an old friend. I’m not sure how Jonah heard about it, but he was there. He was sort of in the shadows. I take notice of suspicious people, and he was one of them. I watched him most of the night. About two hours into the party, when everyone was drunk and careless, I saw him duck off. So, I followed him. He was going up to the bedrooms, checking each room.” Her groaning stops, but her hands are still covering her ears. “He went in one of the rooms, and it took him a while to come out. So I walked by, and through the crack of the door, I could see what he was doing.” I pause. “Wanna know what he was doing?”

  She shakes her head, groaning again.

  I continue. “He was breaking into a safe.”

  She slams the palms of her hands on the tabletop, standing to her feet. “That’s a lie, and you know it.” She rushes towards the bedroom, but I get up and chase after her. Before she can slam the door, I’m already inside.

  “Two days later, we all got a text from the mansion owner asking if anyone had seen someone go into his office. Funny thing is the office was locked and the only way to enter was with a code that only he knew, so he couldn’t figure out how the hell someone had broken in.”

  She shakes her head, eyes watering. “Stop… Ace. Please,” she begs.

  “He stole ten-thousand dollars’ worth of jewelry, London. And twelve-thousand in cash. And didn’t get caught or seen by anyone but me.”

  “What does this have to do with you and him?” she snaps.

  “I found interest in Jonah’s skill. I knew if he could break into a locked room and into a safe without anyone knowing, he could do so much more. So, I started watching him. No one knew I was watching him. He didn’t even know. I found out that he worked with a watch company, and I’d seen him with Bridges a few times, but his time around him was slim.

  “Then one night, I followed him to a jewelry store on 24th. He waited all night for the store to close. I waited, too. I didn’t have shit else to do. Business with Crow wasn’t going well. When the shop finally closed, I don’t know how he did it, but he broke in. No alarms went off. Nothing was damaged. He just stole what he could carry and went home.” I snap my fingers. “Just like that. Like he’d done this a million times before. Jonah was a thief, and not the simple kind. A diamond and jewelry thief. He was smart.”

  “Jonah wouldn’t do that,” she whispers. “He’s good. He had a job. Why would he do that?”

  “Because he was broke, London! He was penniless and was about to be evicted from his apartment! He had a lot of shit on the line… a lot you didn’t even know about. And he never would’ve told you.”

  “Why wouldn’t he tell me?!” she shouts, as if I’m him. “I could’ve helped.”

  “He didn’t want you worrying about him. No man wants a woman worrying about him, whether it’s his mom, his girlfriend, or even his baby sister. He lied to you to keep you happy. He bought you things so it wouldn’t look like he was struggling. Jonah was on his last limb, so he did what he had to do. Not only for himself, but for you, too. I know it’s not something that any normal person would do, but he did what he had to do in order to survive. And I could respect that because I know how it feels to be broke… to struggle. You’ll do anything to get by. Anything.”

  “But… stealing from jewelry stores? No. How would he have learned that anyway?” she asks, her voice hoarse.

  “Must’ve hung around some people that were good at it before he came to New York. Or maybe when he was a teenager. He did run away from home when he was seventeen, right?”

  She nods slowly. “Yes. But he visited often and seemed fine.”

  “It was to please you. Jonah was skilled, which was why I wanted him. I wanted him to steal for me. I wanted him to work for me so I could be home free.” I cup her face, staring her in the eyes. “I know I shouldn’t have let him get into this, but I swear it was only supposed to last for a few months. I wanted him to get a few diamonds here and there for me, and then let him go. I didn’t want him to become a part of this, but he got addicted. He killed men for no reason. Whenever he’d get drunk, he’d just… kill them. I mean, most of them were like enemies, but we only offed them when necessary. But Jonah…” I give my head a quick shake. “He turned cold… heartless.”

  Her bottom lip trembles, and tears skid down her drained cheeks as she pulls her face away.

  “He tried to blackmail me when I told him I no longer needed him. Since none of my men knew I’d recruited Jonah for my own personal reasons, he threatened to snitch on me if I didn’t keep him in. He also wanted to move up in position, become someone who gave demands. I couldn’t let him snitch on me, and although I could’ve killed him, I didn’t because, at one point, I trusted him. I cared for him like a brother. Before he turned cold, Jonah was a good man. And I could tell he was doing whatever he could to keep a roof over his head and food in his stomach. But it seemed like when he got deeper into Crow, ice smothered his heart. Like Bianca said… this business changes people. It turns them into monsters. It makes them deadly. And we don’t even realize it until everything we love is gone.”

  “But… how did he die? Why did he?” she asks, pulling her face out of my hands.

  I step back, swallowing thickly. Taking her hand in mine, I lead her to the edge of the bed, and we sit. “You know Krane… he watched over you for a day or two.”

  She nods. “Yeah…”

  “Well, Krane had a party about two weeks before Jonah and I came down for your graduation. We all decided we needed to get drunk since we’d just made a big deal and scored a heap of money, courtesy of Jonah. Well, the party only lasted for a few hours. We had work to do the next day, but the next morning, Krane came to my place pissed as hell. I’d never seen him so angry. He told me that someone had broken into his safe and stole all of his jewelry. His chains. His watches. His diamond earrings. Everything. Wiped him clean. I hated hearing that because I knew exactly who’d done it, I just couldn’t figure out why. And the sad thing is, Krane found out about a week later.”

  “How?” she asks, almost in a whisper.

  “He saw Jonah pawning his watches downtown.”

  She gasps. “What?” She presses her lips together. “I don’t understand. Why would he steal from Krane if he had his own money? Enough money?”

  “That’s what I was trying to figure out. He made more than enough money with me. He was the reason we were getting so much the past two years. Jonah had connections. He was good with people. He put his business manners and knowledge to good use, but I think he became addicted to breaking into safes. He made it a habit. I thought he’d given up on it, but I was wrong. I guess the money he was making with me wasn’t enough for him. He got greedy. He wanted more.”

  “So… Krane is the reason he’s dead?”

  I snatch my gaze away from hers. I don’t want to admit that one of my men is the reason her brother is dead, but I have to. I’ve already said so much.

  “Krane hates when people steal from him. He hates that it was Jonah because he trusted him, just like the rest of us. Krane knew that I knew about Jonah and his bad habit. Krane is smart. He didn’t tell anyone else. He kept it to himself, but he made sure to tell me to stay out of his way because nothing was going to stop him from getting his revenge. I didn’t even know what he had planned or when he’d attack. He’d let two weeks pass a
nd hadn’t done a thing. Krane was on cocaine—still is—and wasn’t thinking straight. I did everything I could to stop him, but my words weren’t getting past his anger. I could’ve fired Krane, but that would’ve meant firing Jonah, too. And I couldn’t do that. I needed both of them. We needed money. And I didn’t want the other boys to find out about why Jonah was in or about him stealing from Krane. I didn’t need the extra drama from them too.

  Jonah stole from one of our men. He broke a rule, and I was never going to tell anyone that. Krane knew I wouldn’t tell. With an order of guns and cocaine Jonah had set up with Pablo, Krane was in charge of that shipment, and he purposely delayed it. The shipment didn’t come until the afternoon after Jonah was murdered. He knew that it was never wise to fuck with Pablo. He also knew Pablo already didn’t like or trust Jonah because he was new to the group. I was the only one Pablo trusted. I grew up with that man, but I wanted Jonah to handle that deal. I had other deals to figure out and handle. Fresh ones. Pablo said it was cool, but deep down, I knew he wasn’t okay with Jonah handling his stuff. That’s why I figured it was best for me to be around while the transaction happened… you know, to keep the peace.”

  “Pablo…” London breathes.

  “Krane delayed the shipment Pablo needed before going back to Brazil and got him killed. Krane played a part in it, but he didn’t kill Jonah. I honestly believe Krane just wanted Pablo and his men to beat the shit out of him… not kill him. It backfired. I didn’t even know what Krane had planned. He never said anything. I thought he’d gotten over it, but I still wanted Jonah to watch his back.”

  “So why is he still here?” she asks, anger in her tone. “Why does he get to be alive if Jonah can’t?”

  “Because Krane is a good man. I can’t just get rid of him.”

  “How is he a good man?” she snaps. “He had one of your best men killed!”

  “It’s business. And it was an accident! Shit happens that we don’t want, and I know he’s a good man because he hasn’t taken his anger out on you. If I’m not mistaken, Krane is the nicest to you. The most lenient. And if there’s one thing I know about him it’s that he doesn’t fake his kindness. If he wanted to, he could’ve hurt you, just to feel good about himself. But he didn’t.”

  “But… he killed Jonah, Ace.”

  “He didn’t mean it, London,” I say slowly. “And I did all I could. I didn’t even know Krane had control over the shipment, but regardless, I told Jonah to stay here to handle the shipment with Pablo. He didn’t listen. He wanted to see you. He wanted to be there. He could’ve missed the graduation and drove down after handling the transaction, but he didn’t want to. From there, shit went downhill.” I look up into her petrified eyes. “You don’t think I threatened Krane? I did. I told him he’d pay if anything happened to Jonah… and he did.”

  “What’d you do?” she whispers.

  “His last day with me is Thursday. I could’ve killed his girlfriend, the girl he loves so much, but he doesn’t deserve that. He did what any one of us in this group would’ve done. He sought his revenge. I’m no saint. I love getting even. I love getting revenge, but he cost us a good man. And he cost us the trust of Pablo’s men, our biggest, richest client. He caused a lot of money to go down the drain. This is the biggest punishment for Krane because he loves this… being bad. Being rich. Doing whatever he wants. Torturing people. Doing drugs whenever he feels like it. He loves it, and to take that away from him will kill him in the end. He won’t know what to do with himself without Crow in his life.”

  London goes still, her eyes wide and nearly bugging out of her head. Then she finally says, “So that’s what you’re looking for… diamonds. Jewelry. That’s why I’m here…”

  I blink quickly, grabbing her hands. “Yes, I used Jonah. And yes I used his death to get you to come here just so I could get those diamonds, but you have to understand me… getting those diamonds means getting out of this business. It means freedom. Life… something I’ve never truly had.”

  “Yeah… and what about me?” She hops to her feet. “What do I get, Ace?”

  “You get what I get. You come with me. We stay together. We start over.”

  “Why would I want to be with you after hearing all of this? After admitting that you and a man you work with are to blame for Jonah’s death?”

  “I didn’t kill him,” I mutter.

  “Oh, right, Krane did… God!” She turns around, stepping towards the window. “I can’t be around this,” she murmurs. “I can’t be around you. This lifestyle. It’s… terrible.”

  I stay quiet. And deep inside my heart is splitting.

  She turns to face me, eyes hard on mine. She looks me over repeatedly, her face in a tight grimace. She looks disgusted. I feel fucking disgusting.

  “Were there ever any men coming after me?”

  I nod and swallow. “At first, yeah. But they gave up a week and a half later. They’re back in Brazil. I had someone in Atlanta keeping tabs.”

  She sighs. Silence showers the room. We stare at one another uncomfortably until she says, “Take me back to Jonah’s place. I’ll find the diamonds, give them to you, and then I’ll go home. You’ll be rich and living whatever life you’re trying to live, and I’ll be back to living mine.” She shakes her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Did you think that maybe, just maybe, those diamonds weren’t what you needed to live your life? Did you think, even once, that maybe it was something else? Not a material thing…?”

  Her questions are obviously rhetorical because she turns her back to me in an instant and storms for her closet. She snatches down a pair of jeans and a grey shirt and then rushes out of the room to grab her purse. She stands at the front door, arms crossed tight.

  I get dressed, and as I step out of the room, she opens the door, and I follow after her. Not a word is said as we make it to my car in the parking deck. Her arms are folded tight as she stares out the window. I start the car and drive silently to Jonah’s loft with so much on my mind that I don’t even know what to do with her or myself anymore.

  I can’t tell how she’s feeling. I don’t even know how she feels about me anymore. What I do know is that I’ve fucked up, and today might be the last day I ever see her face again.

  When we get to Jonah’s loft, I’m still quiet.

  I’m not quite sure how to react to all of this. I see Jonah way differently now. It’s crazy how you think you know so much about someone then something drastic happens and you soon find out you only knew so little. It’s a hurtful feeling—one that I hate. I hate it even more because I’m taking my anger out on Ace.

  It’s not all Ace’s fault. He didn’t make Jonah change. Jonah decided to change. Like he said, Jonah became greedy. Greed is one of the major underlying causes of death. I just wish I would’ve known. I wish we would’ve talked more. Maybe I could’ve convinced him to hold onto his humanity… to realize that money is just an object and that there’s so much more out there.

  Although Ace was selfish about bringing Jonah into the lifestyle he had, I see why he did it. He wants out. He wants to drop this business. He wants a normal life, and I can understand that because I want a normal life, too. After being here for so long, I feel like all eyes are on me and I’ll never be safe. It’s the feeling you get when you’ve been around someone that’s done so much wrong in his life.

  But I hate liars. And I hate that he was using my brother and me. He’s a selfish man… was… is…? Whatever.

  What he did wasn’t fair.

  I enter the living room, taking a slow scan around the place. I don’t see anything that rings a clue. Now that I’ve heard all Jonah’s done, I feel like our entire bond was fake. Our relationship, our time together, fake.

  I walk to the kitchen as Ace sits on the arm of the worn down sofa. He watches me as I open a few cabinets and cupboards. I check each one, but don’t see a thing. Everything looks like it’s where it should be.

  “I don’t think they’re here,
” I say.

  “Where would they be, then?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know.”

  Ace sighs. “I checked the car when it came in. Nothing was there. No hidden compartments or anything.”

  “I took everything out of the car before letting valet park it. There wasn’t much. And his car would be too obvious.”

  “So is home.” He stands to his feet, walking into the kitchen. I take a step back and he notices, so he stops inching towards me. “But it’s the only place he’d probably have you look. Just to make it easy for you. Just… think. Think of a place that only you’d look. Or something that only Jonah would give you. You knew him best.”

  I scoff. “Feels like I didn’t know him at all.”

  “Focus,” Ace orders.

  I look up at him.

  He sighs, running his fingers through his hair. “You consider him a bad guy after hearing the truth, but he isn’t. He got caught up. It’s what happens, London. Yeah, he’s to blame for a few things, but you can’t hate him for that. Trust me. I’ve done shit ten times worse than Jonah’s ever done. Shit you may not ever know about. Plus, with you, he never changed. His love for you was unconditional. Nothing could break the bond you two had. I know. He talked about you almost every single day.” I swallow hard, staring down at the floor. He lifts my chin with his forefinger, staring me in the eyes. “He’s still your brother,” he murmurs. “And he loved you. Risked so much shit for you. The reason he got into it was to take care of you.”

  A tear creeps to the corner of my eye. I pull my face away before it can fall.

  “I know.” I shake my head, lowering it again. “I just wish I would’ve known… or helped… I don’t know.”

  “It was his life. You wouldn’t have been able to control it if you wanted to, Red.”

  I glance up at him. I want to say so much. I want to blame him, but I can’t. He isn’t to blame for everything. He can’t control what people do. I know he didn’t want Jonah dead, no matter what kind of shit he did… but it still hurts. And I can see in his eyes that it hurts to even be a part of this.