“Now, get the fuck out.” They all moved in silence and left the house. I looked at my brother and cousin, then poured myself a drink. “Once you niggas are acquitted, I’m stepping down from this shit.” I could feel Mill and Mook’s gazes fixed on me. “I’m fucking done. Too many fucking snakes, too much disloyalty and malice in this game. I’ve been at this shit for twenty years, and I’m not making this shit a lifetime goal. I’m exhausted of killing motherfuckas and having people around me who don’t mean me no good.” I took the shot to the head and poured another before I heard Mill speak.
“I knew it was coming,” he said in a low tone. “I apologize for being reckless, bro. I knew when Poppa made you the head, it was for a reason. I probably would have already been serving time had it not been for you, E. I’m sorry I put this stress on you and Mook. I wasn’t thinking, and now I feel like it’s going to cost me and Mook’s freedom.”
I was more shocked than anything, hearing this nigga apologize and take accountability for his actions. I wanted to kiss his forehead and pat him on the back like my son, but all I could do was smile on the inside at his growth.
“Y’all not going down for this shit, Mill. I guarantee you that. And once Yumi clears you niggas, I want one hundred thousand from both of y’all for legal fees and pain and suffering.”
“Nigga, you fucking our attorney. You ain’t paying no damn legal fees!” Mook exclaimed as he and Mill laughed.
“Bench pressing her on this dick is more payment than you think, my nigga.” We all laughed before I became serious. “I’m fucking with y’all. Contrary to what you believe, my baby isn’t a partner yet, so I still had to come out of pocket for you niggas. Since I want us all to win, including my wife, I’m going to make sure she wins this case, and y’all walk away free men.”
“And how you gon’ do that? Clearly, they took Larkin off the case.”
“No worries. I always get what I want.”
“And the bitch ass witness?” Emil asked.
“I’m going to find out who she is, too. As I said, don’t worry yourselves. I got this.”
“Appreciate you, brodie.” Emil and Mook lifted their glasses, and we tapped them, taking a shot for their impending freedom.
“It’s sogood to have someone who cares about others in the community. We don’t get a lot of chivalry these days,” Olivia said as she set a piece of pumpkin pie in front of me. I gave her a soft smile when she took her seat across from me.
I stared at the pie as if it had legs growing out of it because black people didn’t eat no fucking pumpkin shit. Maybe a pumpkin spice, but never a fucking pie. If they did, I was convinced they tortured animals in their basement.
“That is true. As a civilian and upstanding citizen, I took this job so that I could bring unity to our communities and ensure everyone stays safe in their neighborhoods.”
“And I love that. I tell my husband all the time that we need more people like you to keep the crime rate down.”
I laughed at her on the inside because she was sitting across from the biggest criminal in the metro area. While she thought I was here as a detective, I only had one purpose for being in her home.
The door opening paused me from replying, and in walked who I was looking for.
Judge Samuel Cason.
“Honey, I’m home!”
“In here, Sammy.”
I set the plate down and waited for him to appear.
“Smells good in here. You must have made my famous p—” His words halted when he saw me sitting on his couch as if I were part of the family. He frowned in confusion as he looked from me to his wife, then back to me. “Who the hell are you?”
“Honey, this is Detective Liam McCoy. He’s in the neighborhood, investigating that armed robbery that happened at Norman’s store.”
I stood and held out my hand. “Nice to meet you, Your Honor. I only have a few things to tell you in private before I be on my way.”
“Let me see your credentials,” he said. I smiled, pulled out my fake badge, and handed it over to him. He looked at it, then back to me, and handed it back. “Which department do you work for?”
“West Bloomfield.”
“I’ll give them a call about that later. Follow me to my office.”
I gave a curt nod and followed him through the house. I made a mental note to pay Amari extra for his spectacular skills. Wewalked into his office as he set his briefcase on his desk, then extended his hand for me to sit. We both took a seat with him sitting behind his desk.
“I don’t know much about that robbery, but Norman is a good man. I thought they found who did it already.”
“This is just a follow-up. But I do have some things to show you before I go.” I reached inside my suit jacket, pulling out an envelope, and handed it to him. He used the letter opener to open it. He pulled out the contents, and I watched his face go from curious to mortified. His eyes snapped up at me as I smiled.
