I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”
“You more mad or scared?” he quizzed, his tone stoic.
“I’m not scared of you. I’m also not trying to go missing or to prison. I have a life that I love,” I replied with a scoff.
“You can keep it, too, as long as you help me find my twin.”
My brows bunched together. “Help you? Don’t you think I’ve done enough for you since you’ve been here?”
“Look, I know it was fucked up to lie to you about my situation, but look at how you actin’ right now. I couldn’t have you tossin’ my ass outta here in the middle of a fuckin’ hurricane.
“Just put the fuckin’ bat down, and I swear we can talk all this shit out.”
“You think I’d believe anything you have to say? Your fuckin’ mugshot is all over the news, Kareem! The police don’t know if you’re dead or alive,” I shouted.
The rise of my voice caused Butta to start barking inside my bedroom, curious as to what was going on.
“Which is why I need to find my brother.”
“Find him? Where is he?”
Kareem’s shoulders rose and fell. “I don’t know. We split up after the crash to find shelter. That’s why I’m going to out find him as soon as this rain slows down enough.”
My heart unexpectedly sprinted up my throat. “You’re going back out into the storm? Are you crazy? It’s not safe.”
“I’ll be straight.”
“It’s a hurricane, Kareem. No, you won’t,” I acknowledged, swinging my head in a no.
“That’s my blood, shawty. What do you expect me to do?”
My head was spinning. I didn’t know what to believe or what move to make next. On the one hand, I respected the fact that he was willing to risk his life for his brother. I knew if the shoes were on the other foot, I’d be willing to face down anything to find Soleil, and she’d do the same for me.
“I don’t know . . .”
“You worried about a nigga or some’? Wasn’t you just about to call the law on me?”
I pushed out an aggravated huff. I didn’t know why I felt like my hands were tied. Apprehension washed over me like a dark tidal wave as I looked down at the bat in my hand. He hadn’tbothered to try and take it, and I hadn’t bothered to swing it. He hadn’t so much as raised a voice or a hand to me since the news report came on the TV.
“If I’m being honest, I don’t know what I am right now. I have way too many questions.”
“Like?”
“Like, what did you two do to get locked up in the first place?”
“We played the game and lost,” he said nonchalantly.
“Which means?” I probed.
“What do you think it means?”
“That you got caught doing some shit you weren’t supposed to be doing in the first place.”
He dipped his chin. “We used to run the entire city of Atlanta. I’m talkin’ money, cars, jewelry—whatever your brain can imagine, we had it.”
“And then?”
“Kadeem used to handle all the logistics and shit when it came to our operation. Things got fucked up for us when he recruited somebody to traffic our product from Texas to Atlanta. The nigga got pulled over in Alabama and squealed like a fuckin’ pig to the Feds the first chance he got.”
