“Did you and that bitch make the drop off?”
He drops his eyes from mine and my stomach drops just as hard. The fucker knows something, but I don’t have the time to fuck about ripping answers from him.
Turning to Jermaine, I instruct, “Do whatever you’ve gotta do to get what he knows from him.”
“With pleasure.”
I’ve never been one to overreact to situations, ones I have the details about and the ones I don’t know much about. Losing your shit never helps, it’s much better to approach it with a clear head. Tariq knows something and if he’s the reason Amelia is now in police custody, I’ll put him down with my own hands.
Mr. Haynes is pacing outside his house and storms over and throws open my door the moment I arrive.
“Do you know anything about this?”
“I assure you, Mr. Haynes, I know nothing.”
But I’m hoping that shit changes within the next hour.
“Well, I’ll get going. Elsa is asleep in Amelia’s room.” He hands me the monitor in his hand and leaves without another word.
I close the door behind me and head up to Amelia’s room. I check on Elsa-Marie and she’s sound asleep and resting peacefully.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I pull out my phone and stare at the screen waiting for someone to call.
It’s twenty more minutes before Jermaine hits me up and I answer on the first ring.
“Tell me you got something out of him.”
“He’s a little banged up, but he eventually talked. He never made the drop, he and that bitch got into it, and she ran off with the product.”
Fuck me.
“She must’ve called your lamb for a ride. I also called Benson.”
Officer Benson is our bitch, not needing much money to bend to our will. He’s more into coke and pussy and as long as we provide, he pulls through.
“Yeah, what does he know?”
“He looked into it and Amelia’s been arrested on drug charges. She made her call to her father, which you knew that.”
“What about Clare?”
“The only thing he could find out was that she’s in the middle of giving a statement. She’s putting it all on Amelia.”
Clenching my fist, I inhale as deeply as I can and roll the tension out of my neck.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Have Tariq pick her up, act normal, don’t ask many questions and let her think nothing is out of place. For now, wesee where this leads. You take him to pick her ass up and then don’t let them out of your sight.”
“You got it.”
I can’t do anything sitting around here. “I’m gonna come back, I’ll meet you at Tariq’s.”
I hang up and get a bag ready with everything Elsa-Marie will need and settle her into her car seat. I send Mr. Haynes a text letting him know I’m taking Elsa to my house.
I don’t hang around for a reply and set off. There are more cops on the streets tonight and I’ve got a bad feeling and I don’t like it when I have a bad feeling.
Handing Elsa over to my mom, I tell her to keep the doors locked and head down the street to Tariq’s.
