“In a stunning twist,investigators have also uncovered evidence of a secret romantic relationship between Mayor Banks and the victim. Text messages recovered from Coleman’s devices reveal an intimate affair that had been ongoing for several years.”
They flashedscreenshots on the screen—texts between Vivica and India, some of them clearly sexual. I caught phrases like “can’t stop thinking about last night” and “I need to taste you again” before they blurred out the worst of it.
Questdamn near spit out his drink. “Yo! They put her freaky texts on the NEWS?!”
“That’s crazy,”Justice muttered, but I caught the slightest hint of amusement in his voice. The anchor continued.
“The natureof this relationship has led investigators to theorize that the alleged murder may have been a crime of passion. Federal investigators also discovered falsified travel documents at the mayor’s residence, suggesting she may have been planning to flee the country. Due to the severity of the charges and the flight risk, bail has been denied.”
Justice raised his glass slowly. “Checkmate.”
I clinked mine against his.Quest damn near knocked the table over trying to join in.
“To the downfall of Vivica Banks,” Quest said, loud enough that the bartender glanced our way. “May she rot.”
“Keep your voice down,” Justice said calmly. “We’re not supposed to be celebrating.”
“Man, fuck that. I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life.” Quest was grinning like a kid on Christmas. “That woman made our lives hell. Manipulated us, controlled us, tried to tear apart everything we built. And now?” He gestured at the screen. “Now she’s gonna spend the rest of her days in a cell, thinking about how she fumbled.”
I didn’t say anything. Just watched the footage replay—Vivica in handcuffs, Vivica being put in the back of a squad car, Vivica’s mugshot flashing across the screen.
My mother.
The woman who gave birth to me but couldn’t be bothered to raise me. I’d spent my entire childhood trying to please, trying to earn love from, trying to understand her.
And now I’d destroyed her.
“You good, Prime?” Justice asked quietly.
“Yeah.” I took a long drink. “Just processing.”
“You regretting it?”
“Nah.” I set the glass down. “She came for Zainab. She came for my family. I just returned the favor.”
Quest leaned forward. “Walk him through it again. He needs to hear every detail.” He looked at Justice. “You wasn’t there for that part.”
Justice nodded,settling back in his chair to listen. I glanced around the bar, making sure no one was in earshot.
Then I started talking.“It started when me and Quest went to see India.”
Justice already knewthe broad strokes, but he wanted the details. The full picture.
“After we gaveher the choice—flee or die—she chose to flee. Smart girl. But we couldn’t just let her disappear. We needed Vivica to take the fall.”
It was a big move. The planning. The precision. The way every piece had to fall into place exactly right.
“So we waited. Told India to call Vivica, get her to come over. Make it sound urgent. Scared.” I smiled slightly. “Which wasn’t hard, since she WAS scared. Of us.”
“Where were y’all when Vivica showed up?” Justice asked.
“Closet. Bedroom closet.” I shook my head. “You know how hard it is to stay quiet for forty-five minutes while your mother is twenty feet away? I could hear everything. Vivica asking what was wrong. India crying. Vivica getting suspicious, asking if someone put her up to this.”
“She didn’t check the closet?”
“Nah. She was too focused on India. And India played her part perfectly—upset, emotional, saying she was scared but wouldn’t say of what. Kept Vivica there long enough for her to touch everything. The kitchen counter. The couch. The doorknobs.”
“The knife,” Justice added.
