“Long story short, it wasn’t a gun that he pulled, but we thought it was, so we both pulled ours.” With a deep sigh, Bird continued. “I put two shots in his torso, and Syn clipped his neck.”
“If it wasn’t a gun in his pocket, then what was it?” Kali asked the million-dollar question.
“It was a motherfucking recording device!” Bird hit the arm of the couch. “He had on a fucking wire the whole time!”
“The nigga probably been wearing it all day!” Syn thought about the conversation they’d had earlier.
Instantly the room got deathly silent as the severity of the situation kicked in. Not only had Syn and Bird committed the murder of an unarmed man in a club full of witnesses, but the police were listening to the entire thing. In fact, they were probably waking some judge up from his comfy bed right now to sign the fucking warrant they needed for Syn and Bird.
“Did he die?” Although Kali had seen the man on the floor with her own eyes, she was now hoping that she’d been wrong. She prayed for a miracle.
“The nigga probably died instantly,” Syn replied.
“So, what do we do now?” Fly asked. Dreadfully she began to remember the night her brother Quincy came home and told her he’d done something bad, and that he would be gone for a while.
“Did you know that your boy was a criminal informant?” Kali asked Syn.
“Nah, man. You think if I knew that shit I would’ve merked that nigga tonight?” Syn was insulted that Kali would ask him that, but he knew her question was legit. After all, he was the one who’d orchestrated the whole thing.
“Yo. Everybody in the room just shut the fuck up!” Bird rubbed his face. “Syn, let’s take a walk!” Without another word, he opened the door, and the men walked out.
The cold wind hit the men’s faces. It felt refreshing as the men walked. Moments of eerie silence passed before Syn finally spoke up. “Bird, I swear on my grandmother and my brother I didn’t know about none of that CI shit.”
“We’re about to go up top for murder, you do realize that, right?” Bird kicked at a rock resting on the sidewalk. Just like that, he saw the rest of his life flashing before his eyes. Not only was his freedom in jeopardy, but he knew his relationship with Kali was over. “You fucked up this time.”
“Fuck! Fuck!” Syn cursed. He was mad at himself but even madder at Bird right now.
“Just like that, you took away your life and mines.” Bird was so angry that he reached out and swung. His fist caught Syn in the jaw. “I asked if you’d done your fucking homework!” He swung again and hit Syn in the stomach.
“Bird, chill the fuck out, man!” Syn wanted to swing back, but he knew it wouldn’t end up good for either of them. They both could lay those hands. The last thing they needed to do was start brawling in the street and wake up some neighbors.
“You want me to chill, really? After the shit you just got us caught up in you want me to chill?” Bird wanted to hit Syn a few more times, but instead, he walked away.
“Bernard, come back in the house, baby,” Kali called from the doorway. Although the night had gone awry, she hated to see such close friends fighting.
“Kali, I need a minute.” Bird continued walking down the street. Steam was practically exploding from his head.
“Baby, come back in so we can figure this out.” Kali stepped outside with Fly on her heels.
Jamaica stayed in the house. Although she was nosey, she definitely didn’t want to hear anything that could implicate her in any way, shape, or form. It was already bad enough that she could possibly be interrogated as a potential witness to what happened in the club. A lot of people had seen her tonight and could easily drop her name to the cops.
“Kali, you need to go back to your parents’ house until I call you.” Bird didn’t mean to be rude, but he needed some space.
“Baby, stop playing with me.” Kali smacked her lips. “You know I’m not leaving you.”
“Kali, I wish I was playing right now.” Bird sighed. “You need to leave and never look back. I can’t let you get caught up in any of this shit.”
“Man, damn!” Syn hollered. He wished like hell he’d never even heard about the lick.
“Syris, is this fixable?” Fly asked with a cool head. She usually stayed calm in the midst of all hell breaking loose. It was one of her stronger qualities.
“It might’ve been fixable if the police weren’t called before we were able to move the body,” Syn replied honestly.
“What about cameras? Did y’all pull the tapes?” Fly continued.
“Janet’s don’t have cameras,” Syn told her.
“What are we going to do?” Kali ran up to Bird, completely ignoring the other couple.
“I don’t know about Syn, but the best thing for me to do is turn myself in before they send the tactical team out.”
“What’s a tactical team?” Kali asked.
“They are basically a SWAT team. They will find names and witnesses and kick in everybody’s door until we’re in custody.” Bird envisioned the chaos in his head. “The last thing I need is for you to get dragged into some shit behind this.” Bird never wanted to put his family in harm’s way. “You need to go home.”
“This is my home!” Kali grabbed his hand. “We will get through this together. Now let’s go back.” Gently she turned around and ushered Bird back toward his townhouse. As they walked away, they could hear Fly and Syn having a similar conversation.
“I’m not going to jail!” Syn stated as a matter of fact. “I’ll go on the run before I turn myself in.”
“How long do you think that’s going to last?” Fly shook her head.
“I don’t know, but I ain’t going down without a fight.”
“What if they kill you out there?” Fly quizzed. Although Syn worked her last nerve, she loved him and didn’t want to see anything bad happen to him. “With all this mess of police killing blacks, the last thing you need is a run-in with the cops.”
“Look, it is what it is! I’d rather die on the streets than behind bars.” Synful was as serious as a heart attack. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small wad of money. “Fly, this ain’t much, but it’s all I got right now. I want you to take this and buy some food and shit for you and Braxton. I’ll hit you up as soon as I can, okay, baby?” He pulled Fly in close and inhaled her scent one last time.
“Syris, don’t leave me.” She wrapped her arms around him.
“I have to, baby, but I’ll be back.” He kissed her cheek. “I’ll hit you up as soon as I can, believe that. If the police try to question you, ask for a lawyer!” Syn scrolled down the contacts in his phone, then texted a number to Fly. “His name is Kenneth Lorton. He owes me one and will take care of anything you need. Same goes for you, Kali.”
“Okay, I’ll call him.” Fly squeezed her man one last time.
“Syn and Fly forever, remember that,” he whispered and she nodded. “I love you, girl.”
“I love you too.” She sniffed.
“Big boy.” Syn turned to Bird. “Word to God, I’m sorry about all this,” he said as sincerely as he could. “I’ll see you on the other side, my brother.” He dapped his man up, bid Kali farewell, and hopped into his whip, disappearing into the night.
As soon as he was out of sight, Fly finally lost it and cried like a baby. She knew she would never see Syn again, at least not as a free man. She prayed to God she’d never have to see him as a dead man, either.
CHAPTER TEN
KALI
For nearly two hours Kali and Jamaica consoled their friend until she practically cried herself to sleep on the sofa. “Tell Fly I’ll hit her line tomorrow,” Jamaica said while grabbing her belongings.
“Will do,” Kali replied as she walked over to the door and held it open.
Without another word between them, Jamaica left the townhouse and Kali closed the door. With a deep sigh, Kali pulled herself together and walked into Bird’s bedroom. He was sitting at the foot of
the bed and had the television on. “Thank you, baby, for being patient and letting me be there for my friend.”
“It ain’t no thang.” Bird looked up at his beautiful woman. “I hope she’ll be there for you too when I leave.”
“Please don’t leave me just yet.” Kali took a seat beside him and placed her head on his chest.
“Kali,” Bird groaned. He wasn’t in a rush to go to jail, but he knew the longer he remained a fugitive, the search for him would intensify. “I’ll stay until morning, but then I got to go turn myself in,” he relented.
“How do you know they’re even looking for you?” Kali remained hopeful until Bird pointed at the television screen. It was on Fox 2 News.
“As we reported earlier, police are still on the hunt for these two men.” A picture of Bird and Syn appeared on the screen. “Bernard Harris and Syris Washington are wanted in connection with the shooting tonight at a popular after-hours nightclub on Plymouth Road. It has been reported that at least one man was killed. The victim’s name is being withheld, but we have reason to believe that the victim is a criminal informant. Gus, what can you tell us about what took place tonight?” the news reporter asked the on-scene reporter who was now on screen.
“Right now, all we know is that members of the Atlanta police department have been working an undercover case here in Detroit for the past year. Harris and Washington were at the center of this investigation,” the reporter read from his notes. “Witnesses here at Janet’s Place say the suspects approached the victim and began having a heated exchange on the dance floor. Seconds later, shots were fired. At this time, it is not clear if both suspects fired or just one.” The reporter adjusted his glasses. “By the time police and paramedics arrived on scene, it was too late, and the shooting victim was declared dead at the scene.” The on-scene reporter looked down at the ground before peering back into the camera.
“Thank you, Gus. If you have any information on the men pictured here, please call the crime stoppers division at 1-800-CRM-STPR.”
“This shit is crazy! You should’ve never gone and done any of this with that fool Syris. None of this would’ve happened.” Kali was pissed.
“I did, and we’re here now. Life is about choices, Kali, and I made mine.” Bird had been raised by his grandfather to be a man of honor. He stood tall even when he was in the wrong. As much as Kali hated it, she loved him for never running like a coward no matter how bad things looked.
Buzzzzzzz. Bird grabbed the phone resting in his lap. It was his mother, Lisa. “Hey, Ma. I know, I saw it. Did they? I know. All right. Come and get me. I’m ready.” With a grimace, he ended the call.
“What did she say?” Kali searched his face for signs.
“Baby, there has been a change of plans. Mom is on the way to come and scoop me. I’m turning myself in tonight.”
“Bird, you said tomorrow.” Kali smacked her lips.
“They just kicked in her door since that’s my last known address. I got to go before they come here.” He stood from the bed. “Take these bags and hide them, baby. Can you do that for me?” Bird handed Kali all of the garbage bags he’d gotten earlier from the robbery.
“Of course I will.” Kali took the bags without hesitation.
“Hide this shit as soon as possible!” Bird instructed. “They may come and interrogate you. If they do—”
“I won’t tell them shit.” Kali cut him off midsentence.
“That’s my baby.” Bird leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“I love you, Bird.” After seconds of silence passed, Kali looked up to see a single tear fall down Bird’s face.
“I love you more,” he mumbled. His heart was completely broken. Just yesterday afternoon they stood in this very spot and got engaged. Now, less than twenty-four hours later, here they were saying good-bye.
* * *
An hour later, Lisa was using her spare key to enter Bird’s condo. “Son, I’m here,” she called from the living room.
“Hey, Lisa. He’s in the bathroom.” Kali stepped from the bedroom with swollen eyes from crying. “I think his stomach is upset.”
“We can’t blame him for that, now, can we?” Lisa snapped. She was a full-sized woman in every sense of the word. Not only did she weigh about 375 pounds, but she stood tall at five feet ten inches. Her large attitude matched her size, and Kali couldn’t stand her.
“Was the door unlocked?” Kali asked as an afterthought.
“I used my key.” Lisa waved her key from side to side.
“What’s up, Momma?” Bird walked into the living room with his shoes in hand. He sat down on the sofa to put them on.
“Negro, don’t ‘what’s up, Momma’ me.” Lisa smacked her lips. “What the fuck is going on with you and Syris?”
“I don’t feel like talking about it right now. Can you just take me to the police station without all the questions, please?” Bernard loved his mother, but sometimes she got on his last nerves.
“Negro, if I can’t ask no questions then you shouldn’t have asked me to come and get your black ass!” Lisa flopped down so hard on the sofa there was a cracking sound in the wooden frame. “I don’t see why Ms. Thang ain’t taking you to the police station.” She pointed back at Kali.
“Ma, please chill.” Bird stood.
“Chill my ass, boy,” Lisa hissed. “I guess she too bougie to be seen there, huh? Her parents would probably die at the first sign of bad publicity, right?”
“Ma, you need to cut this out. Kali is my fiancée, and I need for you to treat her as such until I get back.” Bird knew he had to put an end to the drama before he left or things would only escalate.
“Did you say fiancée?”
“Yes. I proposed yesterday afternoon.” Bird sighed. “I was going to tell you this morning but then this crazy shit popped off.”
“Are you pregnant?” Lisa blatantly asked. “You did put on a little weight.”
“No, I’m not pregnant.” Kali shook her head and sucked in her stomach.
“Um-hm.” Lisa rolled her eyes. “Well, come on, son. Let’s go.” She made a show of trying to get off the sofa. Both Kali and Bird watched her struggle until he finally helped her up on her feet. Her ankles were so swollen that her shoes leaned sideways.
“Kali, don’t forget what I told you this morning. Please take care of that for me.” He walked over and gave her one last hug. “If something happens to me, move on. I love you, baby,” he whispered in her ear.
“I love you too. I’ll have an attorney for you as soon as possible, baby.” Kali squeezed him tight.
“Fa’sho.” With a nod, Bird pressed his lips against hers then pulled away. “If I have to do a bid behind this, move on.” Those were his last words before he and Lisa walked out of the townhouse.
Kali wanted to run behind them and beg him to stay, but she knew it would’ve only made things worse. Instead, she watched from the window as the love of her life left her twisting in the wind.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
JAMAICA
“I’m hungry.” Braxton stood at the foot of Jamaica’s bed poking her through the covers.
“Huh?” Jamaica groaned. She was in the middle of a good dream with Rick Ross.
“I’m hungry,” Braxton repeated. He was an early riser and was used to eating first thing in the morning.
“Go and watch cartoons or something.” Jamaica wasn’t the most pleasant person in the morning. Therefore, she gently kicked at him and turned back over.
“Do you have some Froot Loops?” Braxton wasn’t letting up. He’d already been up for two hours. His little stomach was growling. “Where is my sister?” he whined. Braxton had searched the whole house for Fly and couldn’t find her.
“I’ll take you to her later. Let me at least get one more hour of sleep.” With one eye open Jamaica peeped the alarm clock on her nightstand and winced. It was only 9:03 a.m.
“But I’m hungry!” Braxton slapped the bed. “I need you to call Fly, now
!” he demanded with his arms folded.
With a smile and a chuckle, Jamaica sat up and yawned. “Okay, killer, don’t hurt me.” She laughed. “What do you want to eat? Besides some damn Froot Loops. I’ll cook you something.” Jamaica had never tasted cereal as a child because her mother made breakfast every morning without fail.
“Can I have pancakes?” Braxton asked after pondering for a minute.
“You can only have pancakes if you promise to help me make them.”
“Deal.” With all of his teeth exposed Braxton held out his hand, and Jamaica shook it.
Together they headed down the hallway to the kitchen. “Do you like chocolate chips in your pancakes?” She hit the switch on the wall and turned on the light.
“Yes, I think so.” Truth was Braxton had never had chocolate chips in his pancakes, but he loved the way it sounded.
“What about whipped cream?” Jamaica asked. Braxton smiled and gave her two thumbs-up. “Okay, well, you sit here and I’ll grab the stuff.”
“Okay.” With a big grin, he flopped down on the bench at the breakfast nook and waited patiently.
Jamaica began pulling all the ingredients out and placing them on the laminate countertop. Although she was sleepy as hell, she enjoyed moments like this. It always made her reminisce about her childhood. After Margaret fled Jamaica, they didn’t have much, but the love and care she provided her daughter was priceless.
“Okay, Brax, can you crack eggs?” She slid a bowl and two eggs his way.
“Of course I can. I’m not a baby!”
“Well, excuse me.” Jamaica busted out laughing just as the doorbell rang. “Okay, sir, you handle that, and I’ll be right back.” She patted Braxton on the head before going to the door.
A quick glance through the peephole indicated that no one was there. Jamaica headed back to the kitchen.
Ding dong!
This time she ran to the door and snatched it open. “Who the fuck is out here playing at the door?” she said, hoping to bust the ding-dong ditcher. However, no one was there. In fact, the only evidence that someone had been there was the brown paper bag on her porch that was on fire. Quickly Jamaica ran up to the bag and stomped it out using her house shoe. “Oh, hell no!” she screamed loud enough to wake the dead.
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