Chapter 29 Mekhi
“I know you busy.”
Steel’s voice flooded the car. I already knew it was about to be some shit, and I rubbed an impatient hand over my face. I was headed to the old factory, ready to question this Saquin nigga. I was hoping he’d lead Trell right to us. But from the way Steel sounded, that might all have to wait.
“Yeah, I am. But what’s up?”
“Your sister and your mama are here early.”
“What? How the fuck they get from the airport?” I snapped, aggravated as fuck.
“I don’t know. Mekhayla was the only one here, at first. I had to send someone to pick up your mama. Khayla says they came earlier cuz she was homesick.”
I blew out a long breath. Wait until I got to Khayla’s hard-headed ass. I hadn’t told her exactly what was going on, but she knew something was up. That’s probably why her ass had headed back earlier than planned.
“Where they at now?”
“At your house.”
“Good.”
“With Farrah.”
Something about the tone of his voice had me sitting up higher. “Why you say it like that?”
“Didn’t look like that shit was going over well. Farrah and Khayla were both trying to make each other leave. I came outside til they settled that.”
Fuck! This was just what I needed. Three bossy ass women under my ass.
“Make sure nobody leaves,” I said. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
I disconnected before I cursed out loud, frustrated by all the shit happening around me.
It was time for me to stop playing with Trell.
I needed to crush that nigga and all these problems ASAP.
I had to quit stumbling along, following his messages, and make a plan of my own.
That shit would start with Saquin. If that nigga didn’t bring Trell to me, he was going to take me to Trell.
Seth and a couple of other niggas were waiting for me when I pulled into the factory parking lot.
For once, not even Seth had anything funny to say.
He looked at me and nodded once. Good. That meant Saquin was here.
I strode into the building, past the old machinery, to the area we mostly used in the back.
The nigga who I assumed was Saquin was there, kneeling with his back to Luca.
I sat down in the folding chair across from him and smiled.
“You got something to tell me?” I asked.
“What you talking—”
I moved forward quickly, my fist coming up and bashing his ass across his left jaw. Tilting my head, I glared down at him.
“You gon’ fucking waste my time? Tell you what. I could always go back and see what me and Ms. Aline could get into—”
“Nah! Nah, you ain’t gotta do that. What you wanna know?”
“Who is this Trell nigga?” I demanded.
He shook his head fast as fuck, his breath coming fast. “I don’t know. Ramón Black hooked me up with him!”
Same shit that nigga Jarmon had said before we got rid of him. What did Black owe this nigga?
“Why?”
“I don’t know! He said he owed him a favor or some shit… I just took the job because I owed Black.”
“Where the fuck is Black?”
Tex had been searching for that shady ass nigga for days and we couldn’t find him. I refused to believe he was my only key for getting to Trell, though.
“Black… Black left and didn’t say where he was going. I figured he’d be back when all this shit blew over,” Saquin stuttered.
I laughed then. “Y’all fucked with me and thought it all was just gon’ blow over?”
I hit his ass again for insulting me. He spit out a mouth full of blood but stayed quiet.
“You told Trell you were about to meet me?”
Again, he shook his head. “I swear I didn’t—”
“You should have. But that’s all right. You still gon’ take me to him.”
His eyes snapped up to mine. “What?”
“You met with that nigga somewhere. Where?”
Mouth tightening, he looked away again, like he was refusing to answer. The punch Luca landed on the back of his head sent him sprawling onto the concrete floor. I raised my foot, about to stomp him to get my point across.
“Wait!” he cried.
Seth grabbed my arm. I paused, my foot lifted, my eyes pinning him to the ground. This shit better be good.
“If I tell you… he gon’ kill me,” Saquin whined.
I lowered my foot and squatted so I was closer to him.
“No, he’s not. Because I’m gon’ kill you. But what you tell me will decide if Ms. Aline follows you or not.”
“P-p-please don’t… man... Not her. I’ll tell you everything I know. You want me to set that nigga up? I’ll set him up, but you gotta promise that you won’t touch her,” Saquin begged.
“You fucking with me?”
He shook his head quickly. Nodding, I sat back down and waited. He struggled to his knees, silent until he met my eyes again.
“I only met up with that nigga three times. Twice was at Black’s spot.”
“And the third time?”
Swallowing, he looked at me like he was debating trusting me or not. I swear if I didn’t need this info, I’d separate his head from his body for making me wait. Instead, I tapped one foot as I grilled his stupid ass.
“My grandmother—”
“You got my word that she’ll be taken care of. Now, talk.”
Finally, he sighed and mumbled something.
“What?”
“Meridian Suites!” he repeated louder.
I looked up at Seth, and he nodded before walking off, pulling out his phone. I knew he’d be calling Tex to get the hotel’s registry.
“When was the Meridian Suites meet up?”
“Last night. He’d been looking for somewhere else to get close to that girl and he found out she was at the club.”
“How did he find out?”
“I—I don’t know,” he stammered.
I narrowed my eyes. “You sure about that?”
“Yes! He didn’t tell me that. He had me follow her a couple of times, but not last night. All he told me last night was that we finally had our chance.”
“So, he probably had somebody else following her?”
“Yeah.”
“Was he by himself when he met with you last night?”
“Yeah.”
“He say anything else about her?”
“Nah, not to me! I swear.”
“You—”
I stopped as my phone buzzed again. Looking down, I saw that Steel was calling. I answered only to be pissed off again.
“Man, you need to get here ASAP! It’s some shit brewing in your house with all of this damn estrogen, and I’m not fucking with it, my nigga. Hurricane Gillian and Tsunami Farrah have met, and the shit is not pretty. Move your ass,” Steel warned.
I wasn’t even in the mood to deal with this shit, but it had to be bad if Steel was talking that much. Both my mother and Farrah had strong personalities. If I didn’t get there soon, I knew it was really going to get ugly. I looked up at Luca as I disconnected the call.
“Put him up. I’ll be back to handle him,” I said, standing up.
“You good?” asked Seth.
“Yeah. Just some shit with Farrah and my mother.”
He let out a low whistle. “Those attitudes—”
I nodded, making my way to the front of the building. I was almost to the door when Seth called my name. I turned around and waited.
“Tex called. That nigga Trell was definitely at the Meridian. There was a room registered in your mother’s name. Whoever was in there checked out an hour ago.”
Fuck!