32. Bay
THIRTY-TWO
bay
“If I get one more condolence, I think I’m going to shoot myself.”
Levi chuckles on the other end of the call, as I balance my cell on my shoulder and lift a box of crap I gathered up from Juice.
“Give me that,” Hot Rod lightly chides, ripping it from my arms and sending a withering scowl at me that has zero effect.
“People care, Astor,” Levi proclaims. “Let them take care of us.”
“It’s hard,” I reply honestly, because it’s been all morning and night. “It’s like harping on it over and over again that he’s gone.”
“I know.”
This is my first public gathering with my sisters since Dad died, and everyone has been flocking specifically over to our table to send their sympathies.
It’s been fucking nauseating, but I appreciate it all the same-ish.
Or, I did after an hour of it.
“But it won’t be for too much longer,” my best friend continues. “We’re about halfway there to our mark after I split the shit from New York with some of the guys.”
Halfway to our mark.
I swallow down some of the guilt that’s been slowly decaying our idea of leaving South Shore. Of all people, I didn’t think it’d be Cairo who would have me second-guessing everything I was so confident in days ago.
“How’s that going?” I ask.
“I’m meeting a supplier tonight. The boys scoped out the area, looks clean.”
“Did you make sure it wasn’t a sting?”
“Can’t do that until later when I’m supposed to drop the shit off. However, I have a plan for that. All is well.”
I hear him. I trust him. I’m just not fully sold on the idea.
I’ve had Levi taken from me once. The idea of it happening again preaches that I’ll lose my shit in its entirety.
“So, you gonna tell me what you were doing at Breeze Bar?”
My blood immediately runs cold as a wave of goosebumps line my skin in its wake. I didn’t tell Levi about the other night. I didn’t want to worry him. I know I should have, but…he wasn’t here, and it wasn’t as though he could help.
“I, uh…” Fuck, fuck, fuck. “Can we talk about this when you’re back here?”
Ellie and Mae are literally feet away, selling cupcakes we spent all day making yesterday so they could make some money. Today is flea market day at one of South Shore’s ports. It’s where people sell their junk, their products or crafts, and anything else they might want to get rid of.
“I’m gonna keep my cool,” Levi promises impassively. “I just need to know.”
“I have a feeling…you already know.”
A few ticks of dreaded silence go by before he says, “Why do you think De Leon didn’t follow you out? He couldn’t.”
My brain halts on a dime before I mutter a whispered, “What?”
“You’re on suicide watch,” my best friend claims evenly and in an authoritive tone that I don’t hear too often. “You have The Nameless on you at all times. Discreetly, of course.”
“Explain,” I hedge anxiously. “I mean, I know what that means, and don’t call it suicide watch, but…what about Matteo?”
“The Pistol Posse starts peppering bullets off at my girl,” he says matter-of-factly. “They die. I just wish I was there to see Matteo run.”
“You’re mad.”
“Furious.” But his tone is flat, the exact opposite of that word.
“Lev, I?—”
“No more rescue missions. Promise me.”
I immediately bob my head. “I promise.”
“And I’m gonna make you promise me again when I get home tomorrow.”
My whole body and mood light up. “You’re comin’ home tomorrow?”
“Yep. Now that Lorenzo Black is trying to weasel his way into your heart, I need to step in and act as a roadblock to that.”
You are the answer to all my fucking prayers for ending a reign of terror that’s only going to get worse. Because, my sweet little South Shore princess, Emilio will kill you. Especially when you don’t fall in line with all his plans.
“He wants to help take down…” I don’t have to finish my sentence. Talking about murder and throwing reigns of power isn’t ideal or smart.
“Lorenzo has been wantin’ to do that for years. He’s not in Emilio’s fan base.”
“And you never thought to side up with him? For an extra set of hands?”
“For the briefest of seconds. However, I quickly shut it down. But it was something Roger wanted me to try…one day.”
“Dad was a smart man.”
“He liked Lorenzo.”
“He made it sound mutual .”
“Yeah, well…I guess so since Roger never threw a couple of bullets in his head. I remember Lorenzo in South Shore a few times talkin’ to Dad on business. It wasn’t something I liked, however, I trusted Roger’s judgment.”
“But not enough to side up.”
I hear Levi sigh a bit. “No. Maybe I should’ve. But I have a hard time trusting the man who built the Forsaken Crew and has been up in my shit ever since.”
“He’s deep,” I confirm. “He had pictures of me as a kid. Said that, I guess when Paisley and Dad separated for a minute, Dad had me under Lorenzo’s watch and care for a while.”
“You remember that?”
“No.”
“I don’t either. I may have not been around.”
“I think they know,” I vouch under my breath. “Cairo does, at least. He confirmed it. Us leaving and shit. He’s also not sold on this being the best idea I’ve ever had?—”
“And when we start giving a fuck about what Cairo Black says, I’ll personally let him know,” Levi carps out. “He needs to stay in his fuckin’ lane where he belongs.”
I lower my voice so my sisters don’t hear my next words. “What if Emilio finds out? What if he finds me, like he did before?”
“Astor—”
“We might be fuckin’ ourselves harder if we leave. You won’t have The Nameless there. What if he gets to Ellie or Mae first to get us to comply?”
“Bay—”
“Can we even make it out there? California is expensive. I found a few places, but the median income is insane. And we haven’t told?—”
“I lied about the job.” My eyebrows clash together as an impending silence wafts between us for a few seconds. “It’s not just one stop, it’s several. Four, actually. I’m in Detroit. I have a meeting in about an hour with one distributor and then another tonight. Then, I come home. It’s a hundred grand, but after I split it with the guys, we’ll have our money and then some. Then, whatever we make with races until we leave, we’ll bank. And I have some more money saved.”
I’m speechless.
There’s nothing that formulates in my brain to say back to him, but I’m not mad.
I’m just shell-shocked that Levi didn’t tell me before. That he’s throwing everything on the line to make sure our idea is carried out.
That we’re safe.
“On a scale from one to ten, how pissed are you?”
“I’m not,” I reply. I seriously can’t think of one thing he could do that would get me to go off.
I don’t think I even have the energy for it anymore, for one. And two, what Levi is doing is honorable. It’s for our family.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I’m sure. I just want you to be careful?—”
“Bay, do you have change for a fifty?”
I glance over at Ellie, who is waving a piece of money in her hand, and notice a woman standing in front of their cupcake with a smile.
Mrs. Cooper.
She’s already given me two hugs today and had a whole five-minute conversation about Dad and all the memories she has of him. It’s like once she remembers one, she comes over and tells me.
“I’ve gotta go,” I quickly tell Levi. “Cupcake duty.”
He chuckles lightly. “I’ll call you later.”
“Sounds good, be careful.”
“I will.”
I hang up and stride over to my sisters to help with their change, and Mrs. Cooper starts going off.
“Oh, Bay, sweetheart, I was just tellin’ your sisters about the time I pied your father in the face at the South Shore Summer Festival.”
My lips coil into an immediate smile. “Oh yeah? That sounds…rewarding.”
“Oh, it was. The man thought no one was gonna get him.”
I count out fifty bucks and hand it over to Ellie. “I would’ve loved to have seen that.”
My cell phone buzzes in my hand as Mrs. Cooper starts off with another story. She gets one more before I save my sisters from her rattling off. I know her heart is in the right place, but it’s still a bit overwhelming at times even though the girls have been taking Dad’s death in impressive stride.
UNKNOWN: Hi, Bay! It’s Luisa, Cairo’s sister. I was wondering if you’d like to come to a party with me tonight. Free booze and college kids.
Whoa.
How did chica over here get my number? And, I know she said she wanted to see me again, but I didn’t take it seriously.
BAY: Hey, girl. Sorry, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it.
It’s a lie.
I’m not ready to make friends with Cairo’s family like that, and I feel scheme written all over it.
Lorenzo might be pushing for the girls to become my homies so I stay in South Shore and get them the ally Wharf Bay has been obviously wanting so much.
LUISA: I completely understand. I know it’s not my place, but I figured you could sell your “candy” there to make some extra money. The kids are rich and shit. You could probably triple your price.
LUISA: And the only reason why my noisy ass is talking about it is because I know you’re trying to do better for your family. I’m not on board with you staying and taking a Titan seat even though it’s about time a woman stepped in.
Huh.
Luisa Black isn’t all power tripped up?
BAY: Thanks for the invite. I appreciate the tip.
LUISA: You’re welcome.
LUISA: And sorry. I know this was out of the blue. I didn’t mean for it to sound weird.
It did.
This girl doesn’t know the correct protocol to not making it sound weird, but I can’t blame her for trying.
However, triple the money on pills, that’s sticking with me.
BAY: Got an invite from Luisa Black about going to a party with her to sell. A bunch of rich kids.
LEVI: Where at?
BAY: She didn’t say. I guess she heard her daddy was trying to get me to take over the Titan seat, and now SHE knows we’re leaving too.
BAY: Emilio is going to find out.
LEVI: Don’t worry about Emilio. How is she?
BAY: Nice and rich. Asked if I could teach her to drive stick the other night at dinner. Rode Cairo’s ass all night.
LEVI: No, I mean how IS she?
BAY: Who the hell cares?
LEVI: Smh. Party is probably in Brighton. College town.
BAY: You still got some stuff left over?
LEVI: Yeah, but don’t go alone. Bring Shorty and Dino. They’ll fuck off and give you space, but I’ll know you’ve got someone.
BAY: Okay.
LEVI: Don’t leave without them.
BAY: I won’t.
LEVI: I’m serious.
BAY: I got it. Don’t lose the babysitters.
LEVI: Text me every thirty minutes.
BAY: Lev…I’m not putting on a timer to make sure I meet that highly unreasonable request.
LEVI: Then, I’ll tell Dino. He knows how to tell time. But I want reports from you FREQUENTLY, or I’m pullin’ you out.
BAY: Roger that.
LEVI: Be careful. I’ll have Hot Rod stay back with the girls.
BAY: Okay.
LEVI: You got this?
BAY: Yes, sir, I’ve got this.
LEVI: Alright. Go rip off some rich kids then.
Pulling up Luisa’s text message thread, I try my best white girl voice when I respond.
BAY: No, it’s sweet, thanks. If I can find someone to watch the girls, I’ll maybe hang out for a little bit and get out of the house.
LUISA: OMG, that would be so great! I can point out a few assholes that might be interested in your suckers.
At least she knows to be discreet, I’ll give her that. It must be from being the daughter of Lorenzo Black. You always have to be careful.
BAY: Send me the addy when you can. And I’ll keep you updated.
LUISA: I will. I hope to see you soon!
Oh, you will.