Mia touched my shoulder gently. “You good?”
“No,” I said, feeling the numbness break open into pure fire. “I’m not good. I’m calling my brothers.”
Kay’Lo thought this shit was over, but I had something for his ass.
DAYS LATER…
I didn’t give a fuck how long it took, my brothers was gon’ find Kay’Lo and get on his ass for puttin’ his hands on me.
We had been riding past his shop for two days, circling the block like sharks, and every time we slid up, his car wasn’t there. On the third day though, right when I was starting to think he done found a new hideout, his ass walked out the shop with ablunt lit, pulling his shirt down like he just clocked out of a nine-to-five he hated.
Rioh parked so hard the car jerked.
Him and Jaqwon hopped out before I even unbuckled my seatbelt.
I stayed a few steps behind them with my arms folded, waiting for Kay’Lo to get humbled.
Rioh approached first. “Aye nigga, my sister said you put yo’ hands on her. What’s up with that?”
Kay’Lo didn’t even look surprised or thrown off, and he didn’t bother stopping his walk. He just blew smoke out, cut his eyes at me for a second, then looked right back at my brothers like they were some shit he was tired of stepping over, and he told them to get the fuck away from his shop. That was it, no explanation, no denying anything, no attempt to clear the air, just pure dismissal like none of us mattered enough for him to give even one extra word.
Jaqwon moved closer like he wanted him to say something else. “We asked you a question, nigga.”
Kay’Lo let out this low, irritated laugh. “I’on give a fuck what y’all askin’. Y’all got five seconds to get the fuck on.”
Rioh stepped up like he didn’t hear a damn thing. “Five seconds for what? You think we?—”
Kay’Lo pulled a gun out mid-sentence so fast and quiet it didn’t even register at first, and the casual way he did it made my whole stomach drop because it was clear from the look in his eyes, he wasn’t pulling it to scare nobody. He was pulling it because he was done talking.
He pointed it right at both of them and said, “Three seconds.”
I felt my whole body lock up. “Rioh—Jaq—let’s just go, please?—”
They ignored me like their pride mattered more.
Rioh took another step. “Man, that shit don’t scare?—”
“Two,” Kay’Lo said.
My legs started shaking so bad I thought I was about to collapse. Sweat slid down my back instantly. Everything in me told me to run but I couldn’t move. I felt frozen in hot fear.
Jaqwon shook his head. “Nigga, you not gon’ shoot?—”
“Three.”
Kay’Lo didn’t blink or flinch or even take a real breath before he fired, like the decision was already made the second they walked up on him.
The sound cracked through the air so violent my ears rang. Rioh’s head snapped back and his whole body dropped to the concrete like God cut the strings holding him up.
I screamed so loud my throat burned raw, but before I could even reach for him Kay’Lo had already lifted the gun again and fired, the shot clean and merciless as it tore into Jaqwon’s back twice while he turned to run, sending him crashing face-first into the concrete without so much as a twitch.
I choked on my own breath as the world spun around me. The smell of gunpowder mixed with the hot pavement had me gagging. I tried to scream again and nothing came out but this broken sound full of terror.
“RUN, ECHO!” I heard Jaqwon wheeze, but he couldn’t even lift his head.
My legs finally kicked in and I took off, stumbling and screaming, shaking so bad I could barely keep my balance. Sweat soaked my shirt. I wiped my face and my hands came back wet with tears and spit because I was screaming so hard I couldn’t breathe.
I didn’t dare look back because I didn’t wanna see blood or bodies or Kay’Lo standing over either one of them or even coming for me. Yet, even with my feet stumbling and my vision blurry from tears I could still hear him behind me, the echo ofhis footsteps and the weight of what he had done chasing me harder than I could run.
