My only response was the bullets that pierced his skull. His body twitched and collapsed to the floor. I was tired of hearing him speak. I looked down on his lifeless body and sent two more through his skull for good measure.
Bitch ass nigga!
He could serve as a lesson to anybody thinking they could fuck with anything connected to me. I stalked back to the car and peeled off. As I caught a good speed on the highway, I spoke into my hands-free “Call Chris.” I commanded as the phone connected. He picked up on the second ring.
“What you got for me?” I asked, hopeful. I was tearing my hair out trying to find Kole. He was a ghost in every sense of the word. It was never a person I couldn’t touch. I even had to admit this nigga was testing my reach.
“Some interesting discoveries, but I may need a few more days to connect the dots. Does Marvin Bates ring a bell?”
My brows knitted together as I switched lanes. I searched my memory to think of a possible acquaintance, but came up empty. “No, it doesn’t, and what does that matter? I’m trying to find Kole. I need you to look him up. I pay you too much for you to be fucking around! It’s already been too long.”
“You do pay me well. I’m connecting dots. Give me twenty-four hours, and I’ll have you something concrete. Have I ever let you down?”
He hadn’t, but I had never had this much on the line either. I spun into the parking lot and cut off my ignition before I responded. “Twenty-four hours and that’s it.” I disconnectedour call and lay my head back against the headrest. I checked out my peripheral, and I saw her pull up. I snatched the blunt out of the ashtray and inhaled deeply. It wasn’t enough weed in the world that could calm me. Even when she knocked gently on the window, I still didn’t respond. I needed a minute, and I was going to take it for both of us.
Finally, feeling like I had myself under control and focused, I got out and looked at Crystal. She was dressed in sweats and a plain white T-shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and I fixed my eyes on the bruise that was on the side of her face that was on its way to healing. This was my first time seeing her without makeup and dressed like a runway model. All I could think of was how much more beautiful Dyami was naturally. Dyami didn’t need any of those things to keep my attention. I could only guess where the bruise came from, but that was only speculation. I didn’t know what the fuck she was into for sure, but I needed answers from her.
“Where is he?”
“You think I know? He is the one who did this to me,” she said quietly.
“I told you already. If that nigga shows up, you are to call me. You act like you don’t even want to fucking see your son again. You really on some bullshit.” I felt my temper rising, and I took a step back.
“You act like I wanted this nigga to beat my ass! He stayed there long enough to beat my ass and leave! I left as soon as the coast was clear. I haven’t seen him since that day. I booked another hotel and I've been laying low. I only come out if I need to.”
“Fuck it! I’ll take care of it on my end.” I was done with the conversation. She was just about as much help as I thought she would be. She was taking up my time.
“WAIT! Terror, please wait.” Hearing her call me put a mug on my face. I didn’t understand why my name sounded so harsh on her lips, but I hated it. I looked in her face, and her eyes were desperate. She gripped my sleeve to prevent me from getting in the car and started pleading her case. “I understand you probably hate me right now, but you can’t keep me away from Junior. Please, Terror, I know he asks about me.” That she was right about, he asks about his mother on a daily. I didn’t know how I would be able to do shit going forward. This situation was complicated as fuck. For now, MJ’s safety was my main priority.
“I told you as soon as I get Kole, we can work on that.”
“And when will that be? Kole is crazy as hell! He ain’t one of these niggas you used to. He won’t be found unless he wants to be. I know MJ misses me. I’m his mother. I am scared out of my mind, Terror. I don’t know when or where he is hiding. Just take me back with you. I will stay out of the way and tend to MJ. I promise you won’t even notice I’m around.”
“I ain’t got shit for you.”
That’s when the floodgates opened for her. She turned into a mere puddle of herself, snotting and crying. “Terror, I know you hate me, and you have every right to. But that is my son, too. I need to see him. I need to hug and kiss him. Please!”
“Aye, chill that shit! I’ll let you see him. Call my mom later this week, and y’all can organize something, but you go with my people with you.”
Feeling like I said enough, I left her there to sort out her own feelings. I had a woman to tend to, and the place between her thighs was calling my name.
Chapter 31
Kole
We certainly have quite a situation here. After some digging, I was able to find some critical information that helped me find the answers I needed. Even though I knew what I would ultimately do, it was something about the unknown that drew me in. I had to understand why people made the decisions they made. See, I could’ve killed Terror already. He wasn’t as protected as he thought he was. I could’ve easily ended him at the restaurant, but I was having fun fucking with him. Above anything, there was one more thing I needed to know before I finished all this shit and took my son away from this place.
The chess piece I was seeking walked into the visiting room. The room was slow since it wasn’t a holiday. Most people here were serving life sentences, and most times it started with plenty of visitors. After a few years, people faded and fell off. That was the nature of the beast. Life goes on, and when there was no hope of seeing someone outside of these walls, it was easy to forget about them.
He rounded the empty tables and towered above me as he glared at me. I had never met this man before, but our featuresgave our connections away. He was the spitting image of Terror. His tall frame and his smoothed-over facial features were a dead giveaway that he was the man responsible for him. As I looked deeper, I saw something else. I saw a bit of myself.
“Aren’t you going to sit down, Unc?” I smiled.
“What the fuck does your bum ass daddy want?”
“He doesn’t know I’m here. He didn’t send me.”
He eased into the seat across from me. His eyes were trained on me. I could tell he was a man full of pride. He wasn’t a bitch by a long shot. I don’t know if prison hardened him or if he was just that way to begin with. I had only been around him a few minutes. My curiosity brought me here after my father called me again to make sure I was staying off of Terror’s ass. He wouldn’t tell me why, and I knew what he was hiding had to be big. That’s when I went through his finances. I went through a few of his accounts and noticed he was sending money here. Not just a few hundred dollars either. This man was raking in huge amounts of money on his books. He had to be the richest nigga on the inside. I dug through his background, but I couldn’t find shit. Just a bunch of crimes and sentences, along with his alias, Ice. I looked all night because I knew I was missing something. It wasn’t until about 5:00 a.m. that I found a connection. Twenty years ago, there was a big bust. So much cocaine was found that it made the newspapers.
