Her facial features relaxed as she bobbed her head. “Okay.”
They shared one more kiss. “I gotta go.”
Lo headed around the home where one of the soldiers stood next to a black truck.
“Aye, Dev said take this one.” He held out a key.
Lo grabbed it and the two shared a brotherly hug. Getting inside the truck, he exhaled then headed to rescue his mother.
Sunset
The drive was far. Over an hour to be exact. Traveling down the long, lonely road prompted an array of thoughts to surface in Lo’s mind. He didn’t know what to expect but he was ready for whatever. Like Dax said back at the house, he’d raised him for moments like this. Lo had survived a lot, and this shouldn’t have been no different. Unfortunately, this felt different. He couldn’t put a name on it, but his spirit wasn’t as troubled as before. Most of it was due to Bria. She’d stripped him like a dancer from Magic City, taking away all the armor he had spent years shielding himself with. Initially, he hated the feeling but now he craved it. Every cell in his body needed to come back to her but again, his reality wouldn’t allow him to think it would happen.
“The destination is to your right.”
Lo followed the GPS and hit a right. There was a building before him that resembled a barnyard. The siding was rotted with old paint cracking. Carefully, Lo put the truck in park and got out. Moments passed by, and three burly men emerged from the inside, carrying shotguns.
Lo stood stoic, hand cupping the other while angling his head. Two of them walked over to him.
“Raise your fucking arms!” the bald one ordered.
Lo did as he was told and allowed them to frisk him. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe he would get inside with a gun, so he left it inside.
Bald Guy looked over his shoulder and hollered, “He’s good!”
The guy by the door then nodded. Bald Guy stepped out of the way, and Lo proceeded toward the door. After he took the first step, a sharp ache spread through the back of his head as he dropped to his knees. Soon after a torrent of kicks battered his back as Lo shielded his head with his arms. The pain felt like a sledgehammer had been thrown into his body. His teeth gritted, wondering what was to come next.
“A’ight, that’s enough. Bring his bitch-ass inside.”
Lo panted as they forced him onto his feet. They held his arms, practically dragging him inside the building. His head was down, mentally building himself up to take the licks. They weren’t done with him, and he needed to make sure his stamina could withhold him.
“I see your bitch-ass follow directions well.”
Lo lifted his head at the raspy baritone. Luco stood, holding a smile while another man leaned against the wall with his hands inside his pockets. His presence was commanding yet quiet. Like he was a silent storm waiting to touch down and wreck shit.
“Where my fucking mama at?” Lo demanded, swallowing back the agony spreading through his frame.
“Oh, her old ass.” Luco looked at a guy near a door. “Bring her ass out.”
The man opened the door and dragged Ada’s lifeless body out. Lo peered at the scene, feeling a sharp pain radiate through his chest. He stared at her, hoping she would show some sign of her existence but the longer he looked, the more it became evident that she wasn’t there.
“Oh, nigga don't look like that,” Luco teased. “Especially after how you did my brother. Did you really think I wouldn’t have fun with this old-ass bitch.”
Lo retreated to the part of his mind where his regrets resided. Ada was gone, and he was ultimately the culprit. His heart hurt because they would never get that one-on-one that she had been begging for. He’d turned her down with no sign of resolution. A part of Lo would never forgive himself for not laying their issues on the table. Then, there were his brothers. They would detest him for this. If anything hurt more than losing Ada, it was the impending dismissal Meco and Devyn would do to him. This was all his fault. Lo could’ve walked away from Bria and let her indiscretion go. Instead, he nursed his punctured ego and went after Dough. Now, Luco had come to cash in on a debt that Lo had caused.
“You see, my general, Noble, told me to handle your ass without emotion. He told me to hit you where it hurt, and you fell right into the trap. I must give myself credit. Snatching your mama up was genius. I know you ain't see this shit coming, huh, my boy?”
“So, what the fuck you waiting on, pussy? Shoot, bitch!”
Lo was irate. The veins in his neck had become more pronounced with every word he spat. If it was his time to go, he was prepared to go out like a G.
“I don't know why you think you're in control. I call the shots, nigga. You’ll die when I decide. Shit, I may do you like you did my brother.”
Lo smirked. “You wanna know his last words?”
The smile on Luco’s lips was eclipsed by a scowl.
“He told me how pussy he was just like you.”
