“Twizz . . . He wanted to go to a party the other night. I was studying and didn’t want to g-go, but he convinced me to have some fun. It was out in the Ellwood Projects, not far from where we grew up, Cash. It was fun at first, but then Twizz got into a fight with that guy . . . Harold? I think it was over some money, so I stepped in and offered to just pay it so we could get out of there safely, but Twizz punched him. It was a brawl. We got out of there, but I guess the man thought I was still going to pay him—” Ivoree hiccupped because she was so hysterical now.
Cashmere’s blood turned cold. Seeing her sister so upset made ice feel like it floated through her veins. She cut her eyes at Savio, who kept his eyes on the road. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly, she thought he was about to break it in half. His jaw clenched, and he looked even more pissed than Cashmere was.
He didn’t even look at Cashmere when he said, “I’ll talk to him.”
His words calmed her some. If she knew nothing else about Savio, it was that he would handle any threat that came her way. She appreciated that it seemed to spill over to her sister too.
She returned her gaze back to Ivoree and reached back to pat her knee. “It’s okay, Sis. We’ll handle it.”
Ivoree nodded and wiped her tears. The rest of the ride was spent in tense silence as Cashmere wondered what the hell Twizz had gotten her baby sister caught up in.
As soon asSavio made sure Cashmere and Ivoree were tucked away, he left again to find Twizz. Of course, he made sure the security stationed at their house were aware of what went down so they could be extra cautious. He also called the security that was on the scene back at the store to check that they had dealt with Harold. They confirmed that he had been handled. How, exactly, they couldn’t say over the phone.
Savio had been calling Twizz since he left Cashmere’s house twenty minutes ago, but he hadn’t answered. That pissed him off. He didn’t want to believe that Twizz had gotten Ivoree into some shit after Savio specifically told the lil nigga to stay away from the streets. Twizz could be hardheaded, though, just like Savio. They were men and needed to find their own way. Savio wondered if he needed to let Twizz go and let him find his way.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, he spotted Twizz’s candy apple truck parked on the corner of one of Ellway Project’s busiest streets. Savio quickly parked right behind him and thenhopped out. He took long strides toward Twizz’s passenger door before he yanked it open.
“Yo—”
“Chill, nigga. It’s me,” Savio said as he slammed the door closed. Since he raised Twizz, he knew the lil nigga was about to pull a gun out on him in the next second if Savio didn’t announce himself.
When he looked at Twizz, his suspicions were confirmed. The younger man’s hand rested on the middle console like he was about to pop it open and pull something out.
“Fuck, you almost got lit up.”
Savio ignored him. “Why Harold run up on Ivoree while we were out today?”
Twizz’s eyes grew wide, and he cursed under his breath before he ran a hand down his face. “Man, look?—”
“I don’t want to hear shit but an explanation.” Savio tried hard to keep shit respectful, but it wasn’t easy. He’d gotten Twizz set up with this job. The way he looked at it, this was a get out of jail free card. Literally. If Twizz wanted to fuck that up, that was officially on him. Savio couldn’t allow anyone to drag him down.
“Damn, G. I was about to give you an explanation. You good?”
It was Savio’s turn to run a hand down his face as he tried to calm his nerves. He knew he came at Twizz strong as hell, and he needed to find a way to calm down.
“My bad. Tell me what happened. Don’t leave nothin’ out.”
Twizz nodded slowly. “Remember that party I told you about the other day?” After Savio nodded, Twizz continued. “I wasn’t gonna go after we talked. Harold called me and told me they were havin’ a casino type theme, and he wanted me to roll through. He knows I get down on the Blackjack table, and I think he needed a few high rollers on the scene. I told him I couldn’t go and let it at that, but Vee overheard me.
“She was real interested in goin’ to the party and convinced me to bring her for just an hour. Said she never got to go to a hood party since her sister pulled her up out of there when she was sixteen. I fell for the ol’ okey doke, bro, I know. I been tryna make up for it ever since. I wanted to fix this shit on my own. That’s why I’m here.”
Savio looked around in confusion as he tried to process what Twizz said. He wasn’t sure he was following. “I ain’t followin’, T. What happened at that party, and what that gotta do with where we at right now?”
Twizz gestured toward a green house on the corner. “That’s where Harold’s baby mama lives. I been tryna get up wit’ him to pay this debt so he can get off Vee’s back.”
“I thought you were the one with the debt?”
Something wasn’t adding up. Savio needed Twizz to give up the full story.
“What? Man, I know better than to owe niggas in Ellway a debt. Shit, niggas know better than to owe me a debt. I ain’t stupid. When have you ever known me to owe a debt?”
Savio shook his head. He had to give Twizz that. Owing debts was a dangerous game in Ellway. Niggas took their money very seriously because, for a lot of people, the shit was hard to come by, and if a nigga had a lot of money, it became more about the principle of it all.
“You right. Continue.”
“We got to the party, and Ivoree went a bit crazy. She was running up debts but didn’t bring any cash. She didn’t want to take money out of the ATM because she didn’t want Cash to know where she’d been. It was a mess. She and Harold got into an argument when she tried to leave, and I had to intervene . . . Shit got messy. I been tryna link wit’ him to pay off the debt, but I guess he got to her first.”
“That’s yo’ word?” Savio asked as he stroked the hairs on his chin. His eyes bore into Twizz’s eyes.
