“I get it now,” he stated, staring at his brother dead in the eyes. “I get why you came to my house and threatened to kill me if I had touched Savvy before she was even your wife. I would do the same shit.”
Shabu laughed as if the lowkey threat meant nothing to him because it didn’t.
“Yea, that shit doesn’t feel too good, does it?”
Before Relic could respond, what sounded similar to a bomb exploded out of nowhere, causing a faint ringing in his ears. Time stopped, and that boulder dangling over his head dropped, as his home’s foundation shook and rattled like his insides before another explosion went off. Screams followed.
He and Shabu took off downstairs as voices boomed around the house’s perimeter, while boots stomped across his clean floors. Relic had barely hit the bottom step when one of the SWAT agents yanked him the remaining way to sling on the ground.
“Back up! Stay back!” the agent ordered Shabu, who glowered while retreating a few steps.
Relic grunted as a knee dug into his spine while his face was squished against the floor. His arms were bent in excessive force that he didn’t complain about while being handcuffed and read his Miranda rights. Shrill cries sent his attention toward the foyer, and he spotted Savvy being escorted to the door with a bawling Michi rushing behind her as the agents shoved her back. Pierre followed her in a set of cuffs with Los yelling that he’d get him straight, and Treasure stood off to side hugging herself while her sister and man were taken into custody.
“Whoop!” Shabu hollered, leaning over the railing to see Savvy better as she was pushed toward the door.
Relic frowned when she glanced back with damp eyes and a frightened but assured nod of her head to signal that she was fine.
“I’m okay. I know you got me.”
“It’s forever up about you, Whoop. Hold tight, and don’t fold on me! You won’t be in there long.”
Relic craned his neck to peek up at Shabu, who glared back with a look of indifference, telling Relic all he needed to know. Shabu had warned his wife about her arrest well before that moment.
His body jerking to one side before being hoisted up in another stole his attention. Relic stood tall, chin up and chest to let them know they couldn’t break him. Then the smallest voice in the room did it for them, and made him want to fall to his fucking knees.
“Relic! Don’t take him. Relic!” Jahleel called out for him, knocking the wind out of his lungs as his chest caved from the pressure of leaving without a goodbye.
Before Relic had time to think better of it, he yanked away from the agent detaining him and darted toward the stairs. Jahleel jumped down the steps he had left, crashing against Relic’s chest and holding tight as additional agents rushed over to break them apart.
“I’ll be back. I won’t let them keep me from you. You hear me?” he whispered to his son before his head jerked back like someone attempted to snap his neck.
A hard punch landed to his face next, and Shabu flew down the steps just to end up tackled, while Jahleel swung his little fists at the agents blocking his path.
“Don’t hurt him! Don’t hurt my dad!” he hollered in a fit, and Relic swore his fucking heart combusted inside his chest. “Dad! Please, don’t leave me. Daaad!”
“I’ll be back, Jah! I’m fucking coming home for you!” Relic vowed and meant every word.
His body was slammed into the wall and then tossed outside onto the porch, scraping the side of his face before they pickedhim up again and dragged him to the sprinter they happily tossed him in back of. Relic felt nothing.
His eyes were open, but he couldn’t make out a thing inside the vehicle, and the sounds around him were no more than buzzes in his ear. Jahleel’s cry for him not to leave overpowered it all.
Relic would take his last breath ensuring that his son got what the fuck he requested. He’d been checked, but it was nowhere near a checkmate.
“I’m paying it.”
Shabu stared between the unnecessary ass call on his dash screen and the dark road he’d only been on twice but had recollected to memory for the most part. He should’ve been in bed, but instead, he was driving to Relic’s cabin to grab six fucking figures because they’d led him to believe his wife would get out on bail easily.
They were wrong.
His brother was neck deep in shit, and they wanted his ass so bad, that they’d beat Savvy over the head with her bail, knowing she wasn’t a goddamn flight risk or a danger to anyone but herself if she didn’t get out of that fucking jail soon.
“Mr. Blaise, I understand you’re upset, but you have to think logically.” Morrone tried to reason with him. “If you walk into a court or precinct with a large sum of cash, it’ll make mattersworse, and nine times out of ten, they’ll do a source hearing to make sure the funds are legitimate before they release her.”
“What the fuck are you good for, huh? What?!” He bellowed, slapping a hand on the steering wheel, beyond enraged.
Shabu was on the verge of killing everyone, his damn brother and Morrone included, if they didn’t figure it the fuck out and fast.
“How should I pay it, then? Let me know, so I can go pick up my fucking wife.”
