“You and sis are not done. You love her, bruh,” Axton tells him.
“Used to,” Akeem counters vehemently.
“Just ’cause you say that shit don’t make it true. God saw fit to take my sight from me but even this blind man knows you love her and she loves you. She’s not Charis.”
“I know she’s not Charis but a liar is a fucking liar and she lied to me.”
“Sounds like she did it to save her life.”
“In the beginning, but why after that? She could have told me the truth before she… It doesn’t matter. She lied. All this shit was a lie.”
“Not all of it and you know it. Hopefully, after you handle this shit, you’ll really think about things and see what’s in your heart.I like her for you. She loves you in a way Charis never did and you deserve that, bruh.”
“I hear you,” is all Akeem says. He hears his brother but just can’t fully process his words. Right now, his heart isn’t the issue. His target and aim are. When Ano’s gold 2021 Escalade pulls out of the back parking lot, Akeem spots it. “He’s moving. I gotta go.”
“Keep me posted and be safe,” Axton says.
“Always.”
When Ano is a safe distance from him, Akeem turns on his lights and follows him. Ano leads him through town onto the Arlington Expressway, past a mall to a motel, the Daily Inn. Ano bypasses the main entrance and pulls around back of the three-floor, unassuming, blue and white motel. After Ano parks, Akeem does as well, on the far end of the row.
As Ano exits and journeys up the stairs, Akeem unlocks the safety on both of his guns and stores them on his person. He pulls his hoodie over his head and pulls the string tightly, partially covering his face. Ano treks to the top floor and knocks on the third door from the stairs. When the door opens, Honey stands in the opening. She greets Ano with a kiss then grips his shirt and pulls him into the room. When the door closes, Akeem exits his ride and heads to the stairs.
He approaches the same third door past the stairs but doesn’t knock. He fires a silenced shot right under the lock then kicks the door in. Honey screams and Ano yells.
“The fuck!” are the last two words to ever come out of Ano’s mouth because a single Gold Dot 124 grain full metal jacket round pierces his head and causes his lifeless body to fall onto the bed.
A scream threatens to fall from Honey’s mouth, but when Akeem turns his gun to her, she slaps her hand over her mouth and muffles it. Tears pour from her eyes and her half-naked body trembles from horror and fear.
Akeem steps closer and places the butt of the gun to her temple. She flinches from the warmth and screams again into her hands. She glances at Ano’s lifeless body then closes her eyes.
“Please,” she begs. “I…have…a son,” she cries.
“Look at me,” Akeem demands. When she hesitates to open her eyes, he presses the gun into her temple. “Open,” he repeats.
Slowly, she lifts her eyes. He removes his hoodie and she remembers him. “Shit! It’s you. You we-we-we’re with Tan at the club,” she stammers. “Tell her I’m sorry and I won’t ask for any more money; I promise. I’m just trying to take care my son.”
He dismisses her words because he doesn’t know shit about any money and doesn’t care.
“Who else hurt her at the club?” he asks and she shakes her head. “The Cove at Peninsula, apartment 112B,” he says and her eyebrows tent as her eyes practically pop out of their sockets.
He found out where I live.
“Please,” she cries.
“Who the fuck else?”
“D-Low! D-Low and Preach. They both work the night shift and will be there tonight. It was just them. That’s it. I swear. Please, oh god, please don’t hurt my baby or my momma.”
“As long as you forget my face, I won’t,” he warns ominously and the threat lands. She’s petrified.
Without any words, Akeem places the hoodie back over his head, pulls the strings, then turns and walks out of the room. Casually, he unassumingly walks down the stairs to his rental. He’s back on the highway, heading to a room so he can shower, get something to eat, sleep, not think about her, and get back to the club later tonight. D-Low and Preach are next.
Chapter
Twenty-Four
Thirty-eight miserable,long ass hours. It’s been almost two days since Sunjiya’s life was turned upside damn down and she still hasn’t heard from Akeem—no calls, texts, and responses to hers. He didn’t say shit in the stupid rental car and hasn’t shit in thirty-eight hours. It’s just her, in his condo, drowning in sorrow, what-ifs, and regret.
