37. Cairo
THIRTY-SEVEN
cairo
They’re both dumb as fuck, for their own reasons, and Torin and Reeve are both going to get torn apart in the process if they don’t stop there.
Apparently, my best friend has already delved into the danger zone, trying to prove a point, I’m sure.
Except he doesn’t know her as I do.
That shit stemmed from long ago when we were kids, and she was a wild child with a point to prove—Bay wasn’t scared of anyone.
And she’s just like Vivian.
Beautiful.
Smart.
Big mouthed.
And the power to cripple a man with just those three things.
However, Bay is from the streets, and she’s savvier to people within her midst to fuck some shit up if she needed to. And she’s going to for herself if she’s completely serious with this whole reconciliation with Emilio because he’s fucked up and cruel.
I don’t know what Emilio and Ramsey’s plans are, but she seems to hate Emilio almost as much as we do for whatever reason outside of the obvious.
Nonetheless, if Bay’s the enemy, she’ll need to be taken down—no matter how gorgeous she grew up to be. Because if she fucks up my plans, I’m screwed and dead before the bullet that Emilio is going to put there is planted.
My father is Emilio’s right-hand man. Been dealing with him since I was adopted and brought into my new family’s life.
And since then, and over the years, my dad has discovered things.
That Emilio did, in fact, rat out Penn Northcott while throwing my father under the bus as if he had something to do with it. That’s how we ended up in The Landings in the first place.
I’m originally from South Shore.
My family fled because there was a headhunt on who turned Penn Northcott in and dissolved the Titans as being one group, working together to bank, support, and help the community. No matter if it was doing it illegally or not. My dad worked with Penn, helped grow the Titans, and apparently, his name was spoken as a possible suspect.
And with my two older sisters, and Mom, Dad didn’t want to take the risk that he’d leave us all on this Earth without a head of household so he dipped.
Then Penn threw a hit on all of us—Torin, Ramsey, Reeve, his sister Rosalie, and myself.
And it was safe to say that Emilio not only betrayed a man who wanted everyone’s best interest at heart, but threw my family and Reeve’s under the bus.
However, my father isn’t afraid of Emilio and his threats, but the pigs in his pocket will cause a problem if we’re not careful. Emilio signs the check to Sherriff Muncy and his band of crooked cops. We’re obviously not looking for that kind of heat. So my dad has been playing nice with Emilio until a chess piece moves.
And we’re hoping South Shore is going to be the answer.
If I can grab a seat on the Titans, we’ve got a better chance. The issue with obtaining it, is that Dad—who currently holds Wharf Bay—isn’t as young as he used fto be. Give him a poker game and he might have a chance.
Throw Matteo De Leon in—this little shithead in Shoreline Peaks that has been making it a point to grab it—and it’s gonna be a fight. Dad can deny the offer, but then Matteo will ask for guns or knives, being the fucking pussy he is, and I’m not risking that.
Someone will have to fight Matteo.
And Matteo is a threat all to himself.
Since you can be called out at any time, you still have to defend it or have someone do it for you. However, Dad being the muscle and second in command of The Forsaken Crew is looking to step down and eventually out. I’ve been built, bred, and trained to take over for him.
And when I do, I’m going back to where we came from.
We got no problem with South Shore. In fact, my dad respects the loyal and faithful community. But it’s like an exclusive club and since my dad signed his name next to Emilio that relationship took a shit. However, The Landings are tainted by Emilio and his brutality, and South Shore is where we want to go. If we can offer safety, we might be welcomed back in.
But if I set foot in South Shore now, I have a pretty solid feeling so will a target on my back for anyone who knows my name.
Striding back from a food truck, because Reeve has to eat every two minutes, we all head back to the sidelines to watch the races.
Mainly, because Reeve wants to watch Bay in whatever it is she’s doing. I’m just here because I was asked, not wanting to be. Knowing that Bay was going to be here because a little bird told me. She’s got half her claws in Reeve already, and if Torin doesn’t fuck off literally, he’ll be in the same boat.
Me, she can’t come for me like that.
I got too much on the line and I’m set to marry some rich bitch from Mystic Hallows to get my family set up and out of The Forsaken Crew. With her dowry—yeah, those things apparently still exist—we can build in South Shore. We’ll have something to give South Shore. Because if we win the seat in the Titans, and we pull from Emilio, they’re gonna need the soldiers. Emilio is going to fucking rage when we break from his grasp.
And I’m taking Torin and Reeve with me.
Bay is next up to race when we get to the grassy sidelines. The road is completely shot with cracked cement and a pothole on the right side of the street, but this is what the ghetto is. A city maintenance crew probably hasn’t come by here in years and isn’t going to unless a sinkhole develops or some shit.
She rises on her tiptoes, her toned legs extended in her black tennis shoes and those fucking jeans that ride up to cup her ass, to our mortal enemy with dark hair that kinda spikes up and tattoos covering every inch of skin I can see.
She whispers something in Levi’s ear and smirks when she lowers herself down.
Yeah, she’s something alright.
Bay.
A small body of water set off from a main and that’s exactly who she is. She’s an element and an entity all in her own right and she doesn’t even realize it. She’s fucking fierce, determined, and a pain in the ass.
And she got herself in with the wrong fucking guy.
Just like she did when she got picked up by the cops when we were kids and she tried chucking a shoe at one of them.
From the first moment I saw her in that rusted-out van Torin and I found her in, I couldn’t believe it was her when Torin gave me the heads up that we were tracking some broad carrying around dope through the streets. Then again, it didn’t surprise me that she was still in the hood causing trouble. However, messing with the shady-ass Emilio Wildes wasn’t playing the best card game, and I see clearly that her mouth hasn’t chilled.
Then I found out the other night what happened in that bar and those motherfuckers are dead—literally. No one gave them the order to lock her in a burning fucking building and now she thinks I’m suspect number one. Which serves me alright if she keeps her distance from me.
“I think they’re planning something,” Torin states at my side, watching the scene of Bay play out because I’m not stupid. He thinks she’s hot, and he’d have to be blind to deny the fact.
“And you deciding to fuck her was going to do what exactly to solve that?” I glance over at him, still watching Bay like a hawk that’s going to swoop in with his long talons and carry her away.
He shrugs dismissively. “Felt like it at the time.”
“And you’re just as stupid as Reeve.”
“Didn’t say I was gonna fuckin’ marry her,” he snaps back. “I was feeling her out.”
“Literally.”
“I need ten bucks,” Reeve announces, huffing and puffing out of breath, as he comes up to my right and extends his needy hand at me.
“For what?” His gaze slides to Bay like a lovesick puppy to its owner. The dude’s only spoken to her, like, what, twice? How and why he thinks he’s gonna settle with one pussy…I think I need to make sure he’s not snorting cocaine again.
“I want nachos.” I shove my hand into my back pocket to grab him cash, when he says, “Well, lookie there, Torin’s lookin’ a little green with envy.”
I nudge Torin to answer him, and he cranes his head over to us.
“ What ?”
I jerk my head to Reeve and sign, “ He wants to know why you’re staring at her like you’re jealous. ”
Torin rolls his eyes, clearly upset about the shit. “I’m not. I just know we’re coming up to some shit we don’t have time for.”
I look back over at Reeve. “ He’s pissed that fucking her didn’t stop her from planning a counteract. ”
Torin forcefully punches me in the bicep while Reeve’s nose wrinkles in disgust.
Since we keep our ASL fluent—since Torin’s been fully deaf in his left ear since he was a kid—Emilio has treated him differently because of his disability. Torin has been sensitive about it, and his nanny as a kid learned and taught him sign language to communicate when he’d shut down. Sometimes, he goes back there, signing when he’s too pissed to speak or when he can’t hear what someone is saying. Instead of asking them to repeat it, we’ll sign for him.
And Reeve and I are the only ones who know his secret besides Ramsey and Emilio.
Slapping a twenty into Reeve’s still outstretched palm, he doesn’t move, too interested in whatever’s going on in his head.
“She’s more trouble than I thought she’d be,” Torin sneers through his teeth. “Something just…it doesn’t feel right.”
“Doesn’t mean she’s up to something,” Reeve offers up. “She didn’t ask to be related to Emilio. There’s a reason why Roger Astor took off with her.”
“I mean…” I look between the two of them. “That shit is obvious.”
“Are you stupid?” Torin snaps, glimpsing around me to look at Reeve. “Stop letting your dick keep talking for you. She’s beautiful as fuck, we all see that. Still doesn’t mean shit when we’re trying to make moves.”
“Might be helpful. She takes out Emilio, we’re all free.”
“Just for Ramsey to possibly step right up.”
Torin has a point. Ramsey is yet another issue we’re dealing with. And if he steps up, we’re worse off than we are now.
However, Emilio would never allow his oldest son to fuck with us like he wants to.
“Then we should get closer to her to find out what she’s doing,” Reeve says. “She hates your guts, Torin. So fucking her again isn’t going to be in the cards for you, homie.”
“And stalking her at her little race here isn’t going to win you brownie points, is it, Reevie .”
“ You want me to fuck you up now or later ?” Reeve signs it just to be a dickhead, even though his voice is loud and clear to which Torin steps in front of me to face our best friend head-on.
“Chill,” I order, thankfully still standing in between them. “You both weak-minded fucks won’t have to worry about her screwing up plans because you’ll just kill each other over shit we don’t know yet.”
“Well, you’re out,” Reeve bristles. “You’re the one she thinks tried to kill her.”
“I’m not an option,” I sneer. “Vivian will have a full-on fuckin’ bitch fit.”
Reeve and Torin both grumble under their breath because they hate the idea that I just won’t make her disappear and be done with this whole fucking stalking thing.
“How about we plan on offing Vivian after my honeymoon to Bay?” Reeve mutters the moment Bay bends over, checking the air pressure of her tire, but she bends over.
My answer of no doesn’t leave my lips for obvious reasons, and I clench my teeth. This chick is going to be the breakup of all of us if we don’t stop imagining her on her knees.
“What are you talking about?” I finally ask.
“After I marry McQueen.”
Torin steps around me and in line with Reeve. “You’re not marrying shit.”
Bay rises and high-fives Levi Wallace at her side, and I study him closer.
“We sure your pops is right about all this shit?” Torin asks me. “I know we want South Shore, but those two hate us. We don’t like them?—”
“Speak for yourself, Wildes,” Reeve interjects.
Torin shakes his head and ignores him. “Levi’s never gonna let us in. And I’m starting to double-guess that idea. Being neighbors with my fucking stepdad? Yeah, I’ll be the next Wildes with a hit on my head.”
“Your stepdaddy is probably gonna be dead by the time we’re done,” Reeve points out. “So is your brother. No other way around it.”
“That’s if we can get to him,” Torin retorts, and I furrow my brows at the honey-colored eyes in front of mine.
“You think we’re gonna dip out without making a mess? When I win against Matteo De Leon and take my father’s place at the Titan’s table, Emilio’s gonna try to move against South Shore if he gets that fucking hacker to side under his payroll. The longer we stay while I’m there, the harder it’s gonna be to get out. And I’m not looking to take orders and fight with your old man.”
“Didn’t you already when you went to that shit bar Bay works at?”
“That was my father who sent me. If Emilio can trust me, he fucks off.”
“And if he likes you,” Reeve states, “the bigger the betrayal is gonna be. Then it’s all of our heads. He thinks I’m a fucking playboy because that’s all I allow him to see.” Torin scoffs, but he continues. “To him, I’m dumb. You’re reliable.”
“My family needs me to be,” I grind out. “What are my sisters gonna do if one of us dies by Emilio’s hand? My mother?”
“No one is dying,” Torin says confidently. “We’ll keep at it until we can’t no more. Until we have to make some serious moves.”
We fall silent and back in a line amongst each other and that’s when the squealing of tires scrapes against the concrete, and Bay is off, ahead of a Thunderbird as she drags off to the finish line.
In another world and place, I’d still be in South Shore.
I would’ve kept tabs on her.
I would’ve done a whole lotta other shit, because with her growing up like that…I can only blame Torin and Reeve so much.
“Well, well…” a male voice says in a slow and taunting voice. “Looks like we found Torin Wildes, Cairo Black, and Reeve Stanton, boys. I’d say we might never get this chance again. What do you think about taking a few stabs at them and seeing if something sticks?”