Iso Brooks

Chapter 1

ONE

Iso Brooks

Like a phoenix, he rose from his own ashes. He was a dead man coming back for everything he was cheated of. A dead man who had returned to take the soul of everyone who had a part in his death.

They said when you die, you either enter pearly white gates or go to hell. I feared death until the moment I’d died. Everything about it was peaceful, then I was snatched from it. First, by a priest.

It’s not your time, son.

How did he know that? He didn’t even know me.

After him, by two zealous paramedics on the way to Briar Memorial. Death invited me into its gates, but something held me here. While they worked to keep me alive, I wanted to seep into the very streets I had sacrificed my life and sanity for. It wasn’t that easy though.

According to Briar South city records, I died that night. They couldn’t bring me back after they lost me, so they never took me into the hospital but instead called it in the parking lot and delivered my remains to the morgue in the basement. The rest was a blur.

I leaned against the hood of the Dodge Durango, watching the small gathering in the cemetery.

Even from this far back, I saw the pain in my mother’s eyes.

I hated that it had to be like this, that she had to mourn me.

I never wanted to hurt her this way, or in any way, but if the snake ass motherfuckers who’d tried to kill me knew I was alive, they’d use her or my son to get to me.

My eyes immediately jumped to my junior.

He sat on my cousin’s lap playing with his green toy car.

Junior was three and probably didn’t know what the hell was going on.

Baby boy just knew his grandmother was crying and Cousin Lucky wasn’t smiling like normal.

Lucky was the only brother I knew in this world, the only nigga I knew would have my back through thick and thin. No matter what.

Pain lived in his eyes too. The last time Lucky and I talked was that night, when I told him I was going to meet RJ.

He was iffy about it, which he had every right to be, but I didn’t allow him to back me up.

With everything that happened, I’m glad I didn’t have him come with me.

Had we both died, who would have held it down? His position was where he was.

The sound of dramatic screaming filled my eardrums. Even from afar it still irked my nerves.

My eyes immediately landed on Adrian. She was Junior’s mother, and from what I saw, a good actor.

She was putting on, dressed in all black with a big ass hat and tapping her foot like she didn’t have a part in me being here.

I watched the whole ordeal, six motherfuckers in attendance, including the fucking pastor.

I didn’t expect some showstopping situation, but I expected something.

I put a lot of food on niggas’ tables and this was the thanks I got.

I couldn’t lie and say I didn’t feel a way.

That hood rich mess didn’t mean a damn thing when a man died.

At the end of the day, he was in the ground while life went on for others.

Junior’s toy fell out of his hand, tumbling into the freshly dug plot.

He cried to get it, but Lucky didn’t allow him, seemingly soothing him while the pastor continued to speak.

Mama was God fearing and very active in the church, so this was to be expected, even though I hadn’t stepped foot in a church in years. Me and the big homie had some beef.

Shortly after the service was over, I watched my family say their final goodbyes then pull off. I was about to pull off when I watched a black-on-black Range Rover pull up. I knew who it was before the heavyset flunky even opened the back door for him to exit. The fuck was he here for?

Rich Jordan Sr. stepped out of the truck then looked around the space before he proceeded toward the plot.

While he stood there, he stared into the grave for what felt like forever.

Then he wiped something from his face and returned to the vehicle.

That was the least he could do since he knew his son was behind this.

He pulled off a little bit after, leaving me alone with the plot. It was a few feet from my grandfather and right above my grandmother. Too bad the plot held no body and it wouldn’t for a while.

I didn’t pull off immediately but instead grabbed my son’s toy from the grave.

When I secured it in the back seat, I headed to my next destination.

One of the only people who knew I was alive was Lee Pierce, the owner of the old strip mall on Hollis.

He handled things like this for a living and owed me a favor for something I’d handled for him way back when.

In the strip mall were a few storefronts—his pawn shop, an old flower shop, a laundromat, and a corner store.

When I pulled up, I didn’t park out front like a mark, but in the back, real close to the door. I needed to be in and out. For a dead man, I was a busy motherfucker. Not only that but I couldn’t be in one place for too long.

I knocked on the door, then stood back and waited for Lee. Seconds later, Lee opened it, stepping back.

“Told you to just walk in.”

I laughed. “Ain’t nobody ’boutta be just walking in here, old man. I know you keep it on you.”

He laughed. “You're probably right about that.”

I was about to respond, but there was commotion in the front.

“No, bitch. I told you I wanted two grand, not one.”

Lee wasn’t quick to move, instead taking his time getting to the three screens that showed clear visuals of the front of his shop.

It was one of those high-definition viewing systems. My eyes immediately locked on the screen.

A woman stood with her arms folded across her chest behind the counter.

It had to be one of Lee’s daughters because he didn’t trust anybody else.

The nigga in front of the counter banged on the glass display, yelling all types of obscenities with a fat nigga next to him. Through all of that, shorty stood calm. I glanced at Lee and he didn’t even bust a move. He watched with amusement in his features.

“When a motherfucker doesn't see me behind that counter, they think it’s game time. They see a woman and think they got a mark.” He laughed, then walked away from the monitors like this was a show he’d seen before.

I was confused as fuck at his calmness until I watched shorty throat the man in front of her at the same time she brought his face down hard against the glass and pulled a piece on the other one.

She had the pistol aimed while she said something, easily making sure he heard her.

Ol’ boy who wasn’t against the glass had his hands up in surrender, nodding and backing up.

“Yo, she jus—” I started.

“She has it.” He laughed, not a lick of worry in his tone. “That’s my oldest girl. She’s home to help an old man out for a while. Been all over the fucking world doing God knows what.”

When she let the one on the glass go and pointed to the door, I finally looked away from the camera, giving Lee my undivided attention. As far as I knew, he had three daughters: a paramedic who’d helped me out, a flower shop owner, and the one he always bragged about, the soldier.

Lee tapped away on his screen before he sighed. “They’re always updating all these damn programs and systems. Trying to put an old man like me out of business.” He laughed and put a walkie-talkie to his lips.

“When you’re done up there, lock up for a minute and come help me out right quick.”

She didn’t respond and he didn’t flinch. His attention was on me instead. “So, how’s death treating you, son?”

I laughed. Lee had this dark ass humor that folks only understood when they got to know him.

“Well. Went to my own funeral today.”

“That’s cathartic, considering the way you died, huh?”

I was about to respond, but the door opened and all of my attention rested on the beauty who entered. I recognized the long, Pop Smoke type braids and shape from the camera. No way this little motherfucker was who just put both of them on alert.

“What do you need help with, Pops?” she asked, her voice just as alluring as her visual. She gave me a brief glance before her eyes were on her father.

Brown skin, slightly slanted eyes, full, two-toned lips, and a presence out of this fucking world. Damn.

“City records. I need to make sure the changes I made are in effect.”

She nodded, then leaned next to him and took control of the computer. Unlike him, she seemed to know what she was doing.

“Damn, my bad. Liora, this is an associate of mine. Associate, this is my daughter, Liora.”

She laughed at her father’s ploy at ambiguity. “Damn, Associate can have my name, but I can’t have his?”

I chuckled.

“It’s the business we’re in, baby girl.”

“Nah, old man. That’s your business. I don’t operate on American soil.”

He laughed, but she didn't, which let me know there was some seriousness to her words. She popped up seconds later and looked from me to him.

“System update. Their security must’ve been updated. I need ground access to restore it here.”

That threw me off.

“Nah, that's too risky. I’ll go through a different channel.”

“I’m not you, Pops. I’ll handle it.” She sighed.

He tilted his head to the side, eyes on her for a minute before he nodded. “Thought you didn’t operate on American soil.”

“As far as you and Associate here know, I don’t.” She leaned forward and pulled a USB from the desktop computer and turned to leave through the same door I’d come in. “It'll be a few hours.”

Lee shook his head, watching the door close behind his daughter before his eyes landed on me. “Well, like she said, it’ll be a few hours. You are welcome to chill around here, but I gotta go up there and open the shop.”

I nodded. “Nah, I gotta handle something. I’ll come through a little later or in the morning.”

“Okay, handle yours and stay outta sight, son.”