Chapter 14
Kofi strode past the pizzeria, well aware he couldn’t hit the same place again so soon. His gaze snagged on a woman sitting at a table near the window. He recognized her, then his gaze shot to the man sitting across from her, and he sucked in a hasty breath. It was the man who’d chased him and Ramzi a few weeks ago with the woman from the center. His initial glare softened as the memory resurfaced. He had to admit that the man could have caught them or called the police. But she’d stopped him, and the man allowed her to toss them some food without reporting them.
Kofi’s stomach rumbled, a painful reminder that he hadn’t eaten since yesterday, and his meal had only been a slice of bread and some cheese. He couldn’t stand the thought of eating when Ramzi wasn’t able to.
He hurried away from the pizzeria, avoiding any chance of being seen by anyone who might recognize him from his previous visit, especially not with the woman or the man inside.
Regret gnawed at him for foolishly deciding to steal the pizza. There was too much he had to lose, and it could’ve made things a hell of a lot worse for Ramzi. He snorted as he dropped his chin against the wind and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. It was hard to imagine things getting worse, but sometimes, there was no choice.
As Ramzi’s older brother, it was up to him to ensure their safety, and he’d failed. Ramzi had taken another risk on his own, grabbing money from an older man, and had come dangerously close to being caught.
Eliza and Cory Halston were infuriated by the incident, and for the past two nights, they had locked Ramzi in the basement cell. Kofi had begged them to let him take the punishment, but the Halstons weren’t about to give any mercy. It was how they maintained control. Ramzi was enduring his punishment without making a sound, knowing that crying for help would end in a beating for Kofi.
The Halstons appreciated having siblings work for them. Most people could ignore the bond of someone they didn’t share blood with because, when push came to shove, it was truly a dog-eat-dog world.
Kofi had already completed his assignment this afternoon, placing a skimmer and camera on his targeted ATM. That would get him his regular payout from the Haltons, but if he could score big tonight, he could earn a reprieve for Ramzi and get him out of the basement cell early.
Kofi didn’t know how Cory Halston figured out how to steal from ATMs—all Kofi knew was that Cory made the kids working for him do all the dirty work, then he’d sit at his computers all day and night, moving money from one account to another.
Kofi sighed. He and Ramzi earned very little from the Halstons. Not enough to ever get ahead and away from them.
Walking along, assuming the appearance of a kid just trying to stay warm, he spotted the man dressed in ragged jeans and an old Army jacket. The man had alighted from a shiny, black pickup truck and walked into a laundromat known among the street people to be more than just laundering clothes. Kofi had no doubt the man was getting ready to launder drug money.
Slipping around to the side alley, he waited until the man came out of the laundromat and passed him by. Desperation drove him as he jerked his knit cap down over his face, exposing only his eyes and nose. He grabbed the man and jerked him back into the alley, shoving his face against the brick wall. Digging his hand into the man’s coat pocket, he prayed he didn’t encounter any drug needles. Thankfully, he wrapped his fingers around the packet, jerked it out, and then shoved the man to the ground before turning and running as though the hounds of hell were after him. For all he knew, they might have been.
He ran for blocks, moving in and out of alleys before finally slowing and pulling his cap off his face. He jerked off his coat and turned it inside out, changing the color of his jacket from black to green. He didn’t stop to count the money until he got closer to home.
Home. That’s a joke. He once heard that home was where the heart was. That was where Ramzi was, so he supposed it was as much a home as any place. He went around the back of the dimly lit house, where secrets and power played a dangerous game. His normal confidence was missing, knowing he held his brother’s fate in his hands. Moving through the back door, he stopped in the kitchen. It was clean because Eliza made sure the kids kept it that way. But it stank with age-old cigarette smoke that was etched into every crevice.
Eliza sat at the kitchen table, her over-bleached blond hair teased out and sprayed until it never moved. But then, she rarely did either. She was almost always sitting at the kitchen table, ruling her little kingdom from the room where she could keep an eye on everything and everybody coming and going.
Her eyes narrowed to slits, landing on him until her gaze dropped to the packet in his hand. “Tell me no one saw you. Tell me this isn’t gonna come back on you.” Her gravel words had to filter through her pack-a-day cigarette habit.
“No one saw me.”
“Where’d you make the hit?”
He licked his lips, uncertain if he could get away with lying. She’d be pissed that he hit a place she hadn’t sent him to. But then, he hoped she’d be satisfied with the amount. Glancing at the packet now in her hand, he began to doubt what he’d done.
“I asked you a question, boy,” she said, slowly standing. Her bone-thin body with her head of blond teased hair made him think of a matchstick, always ready to ignite. And with her volatile temper he’d witnessed many times, she could go from calm to blazing inferno in an instant.
“I hit the laundromat over on Market Street.”
Her eyes narrowed first with doubt, followed by a flash of anger. “Are you fuckin’ shittin’ me?”
As the tension thickened, the heavy stomp of boots coming down the hallway announced the arrival of Eliza”s better half… or rather just her other half. If Kofi had to decide which was better, it would be a complete toss-up. Both were equally as vicious.
Kofi’s heart quickened its rhythm, beating in sync with each footstep reverberating down the hall until the large man entered the room. Cory Halston might have been fit in his prime, but he had succumbed to the years of hard living and a mostly sedentary job. His gut protruded, and his physique was more flab than muscles. But his meaty fists could instill fear and obedience. His dark gaze moved from Kofi over to Eliza, down to the package in her hand, and back to Kofi. “What the fuck is going on in here?”
With a cigarette held between her fingers, she jerked them toward Kofi. “This asshole hit the laundromat on Market Street.”
Kofi had never seen surprise written on Cory’s face, but his wife’s words caused him to jerk slightly and then blink as he looked at Kofi.
Quickly, Kofi said, “No one saw me. No one followed me. You said if I scored big, I could get Ramzi out of the cell. So I was smart. Followed the rules that you taught me. And I think you’ll find that”—he inclined his head toward the package clutched in Eliza’s hand—“to be just what you need.”
Still holding her cigarette with the ash threatening to drop, she used her long fingernails to slice through the paper and unwrapped a stack of ten-dollar bills. Even with limited experience, Kofi knew she was holding a thousand dollars. Eliza plopped her ass back onto the chair and managed to drop the cigarette expertly into the ashtray while keeping her fingers around the money.
“Plus, I got the skimmer on the ATM at Garden Street. The one near the department store,” Kofi rushed to explain.
Eliza’s thinly plucked brows lifted. Kofi wanted to beg that they let Ramzi out of the basement immediately. He also wanted to beg that they give them the percentage that they promised. But he’d learned that there was a time to stay quiet, and considering he’d taken a big risk in getting the money where he did, he didn’t want to give them a reason to back out of any deal.
That was one thing about the Halstons. They generally kept their promises because they knew if they screwed over the kids in their care, they wouldn’t get very far. Allegiance was the best way for them to stay safe.
His heart continued to pound, and sweat trickled down the side of his face. But he waited quietly, giving them the respect they demanded, even though they hadn’t earned it. Everything Kofi did, he did for Ramzi.
Eliza cleared her throat and looked up first toward Cory and then at Kofi. “Okay.” Looking back up at Cory, she said, “This buys Ramzi out.”
Cory rubbed his chin and eyed the money before shifting his gaze to Kofi. “You did it, so we’ll uphold our end of the bargain.” Then he leaned forward with a mean glint in his dark eyes and added, “But remember, you’re responsible for his training. I don’t want any more fuckups, or we’ll decide you’re not worth the risk.”
“Understand, sir,” Kofi said, working to keep his voice steady. He hated to give the title to a man like Cory Halston, but he knew how to play the game. His gaze dropped to the money still in Eliza’s hand.
She picked up her cigarette and took a long drag before exhaling along with the bitter breath that almost made him gag.
“You know that you won’t get a full cut. Part of your cut goes for Ramzi’s freedom.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She snickered, then ended up in a coughing fit.
Cory shook his head. “Those fucking things are gonna give you cancer and kill you one day.”
“Everyone’s got to die somehow,” Eliza sneered.
Kofi’s face remained blank, but he couldn’t help but think the world would be better when those two were gone.
“Your cut is five percent,” she announced, skillfully peeling off the bills. It struck him that she handled money like an expert, but that was probably the only thing she’d ever worked hard at.
With a mixture of excitement and relief, he pocketed the fifty dollars she handed him, discreetly hiding the surge of joy that threatened to overcome him. What he’d just brought in was more than what any of the other kids ever stole, yet he’d only been given half of what he normally would have earned. Yet the fact that he’d succeeded in securing Ramzi’s freedom caused the tightness in his chest to ease.
Kofi was different from the other kids in this grim house. He had a talent for saving his earnings, spending only when necessary. He taught Ramzi the same principle, knowing the money they saved was their key to escaping the Halstons” clutches. Many people wouldn’t understand his choices—robbing someone and then saving the money as though it was a good thing. He knew it wasn’t right, but trapped in a life he didn’t know how to get out of, taking care of a sibling he would die for, he was doing the best he could.
He followed Cory down the basement steps, the dank smell and dim light making his fists clench with the desire to wrap his hands around Cory’s neck and squeeze the life out of him. Fighting to control the urge to rid them of the abusive asshole, he stepped into the basement. The space was divided into smaller cells, each made of wooden boards with wooden doors, so the world was dark for the days you were punished. Cory unlocked the padlock and threw the door open. Kofi noticed no one else was in confinement. While he was relieved that no one else was imprisoned in these foul conditions, it also meant that Ramzi had had no one to talk to. His brother stumbled out, eyes red from crying, and his clothing rumpled.
Ramzi’s gaze blinked as he looked in fright at Cory, and then his eyes shot toward Kofi. Ramzi opened his mouth, and Kofi knew his brother would assume he was trying to take his place. Not wanting him to say anything to anger Cory, he quickly shook his head, and Ramzi’s mouth snapped shut.
“Hope you learned your lesson, you little shithead,” Cory chided. “Learn from your brother. In fact, from now on, stick with him. Don’t make any dumbass decisions on your own and bring the law down on us. That’s the fastest way you could end up with a bullet in your head.”
Ramzi nodded, his eyes wide and fearful.
Kofi jerked his head to the side, indicating that Ramzi could follow him. Neither spoke as they ascended the stairs. In the kitchen, Eliza barely spared them a glance as she muttered, “Get a piece of bread if you want something to eat.”
Ramzi seemed frozen in place, so Kofi walked over and grabbed several slices of bread and cheese. The two boys turned and hurried out of the kitchen. Kofi wanted to get away from the Halstons as quickly as possible. They moved to the stairs of the house and headed up to the second floor.
Glancing into one bedroom, Kofi saw the two prone figures moving under a blanket as the sounds of grunting filled the room. One of the girls offered herself for an extra percentage of money. Kofi hated what she felt like she needed to do and never took her up on the offer.
Steering Ramzi away from that bedroom, he looked in the next one, but it was filled with kids already sleeping. At the end of the hall was a large closet with a mattress on the floor. There wasn’t a window, and it was next to the bathroom, so the room would sometimes fill with unpleasant odors when the toilet backed up. However, it was the one place where Kofi and Ramzi could be alone.
Nodding for Ramzi to sit on the mattress, Kofi walked into the bathroom and grabbed a handful of toilet paper before returning to the closet. He handed it to Ramzi to let him wipe his eyes and blow his nose. Sitting with his back against the wall, he kept the door partially open to ensure he would be aware if anyone was out in the hall. His brother leaned into him, finally letting out a long sigh.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fuck things up and make it harder on you or get thrown into the basement,” Ramzi apologized.
Kofi’s heart ached. “I’m sorry, too, little bro. I should have been with you. From now on, we stick together.” Heaving a great sigh, he shook his head. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”
Ramzi jerked around, his eyes filled with guilt as he shook his head. “It’s not your fault. You’re the best brother anyone could ever have.”
Kofi snorted, thinking how far from the truth that statement was.
After a moment, Ramzi spoke in a low voice. “That’s what I told the woman at the shelter.”
He startled at Ramzi’s words and looked down at him. “The shelter?”
“The woman who didn’t let the man come after us when we took the pizza. The one who works at the shelter.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I told her about you.”
Icy-cold fingers gripped him as he wondered what his brother might have disclosed to the woman. “Why the hell did you talk about me?”
“No, no, it’s okay,” Ramzi reassured. “I didn’t say anything bad. I just told her you were the best brother anyone could have, and you’ve always cared for me.”
Twisting on the mattress so that he was facing Ramzi, he stared, dumbfounded. First, that Ramzi would have had the guts to go to the center, and second, that he’d told her that his brother was a good person.
Ramzi shrugged. “It was after that night. Do you know the name of it? Bright Futures Home. I thought that sounded nice. I’d seen her go in there before when some kids were getting off a bus.”
Kofi knew the place and knew the woman who ran it. If ever there was a name of a place to draw in someone, that would be it. “Why did you go there?”
“I wanted to thank her for… you know. She gave us leftovers.” Ramzi ducked his head and shrugged. “Not a lot of people do stuff for us without asking anything in return. I just felt like I should do it.”
Unlike the irritation he’d felt a few minutes ago, Kofi was overwhelmed by a surge of emotions. Shame crept in, settling in his gut. His brother had done something that he should’ve done. Sucking in a deep breath, he exhaled slowly. He leaned back against the wall again and placed his arm around Ramzi. “You did the right thing.”
They shared the bread and cheese and cups of water filled from the tap in the bathroom.
“How did you get me out?” Ramzi’s voice was barely a whisper as though afraid of the answer.
Kofi chuckled softly. Shoving his hand into his pocket, he pulled out the fifty dollars Eliza had given him. “I made a big haul. It was enough to get you out and also get this.”
His brother’s eyes were wide. Then he lowered his voice again. “Are we close?”
He knew exactly what Ramzi was asking. They’d been saving their money for the past year to get a small efficiency apartment somewhere that was theirs. He’d be eighteen and could get a job that might not pay as much but would be legal. “We’re getting there.”
After a moment, Ramzi’s eyes began drooping, and Kofi assumed his brother had almost no sleep for the past two nights. Sighing, he said, “You know it’s not right to steal?”
Ramzi hesitated, then finally admitted, “Yeah, I know.”
“I promise I’ll get us out of this place,” Kofi said fiercely. “And when I do, we won’t steal ever again. But for now, don’t make a move without me. We gotta be smart. We gotta stay safe.”
“Okay, whatever you say, Kofi. I promise.”
Ramzi fell asleep, but it didn’t come for Kofi. He’d never imagined this would become their lives. Stealing money for a little percentage. The Halstons giving them just enough to keep them dangling on the hook. He’d accepted that prison might be in his future. But now, looking down at his slumbering brother”s sweet and innocent face, he knew he couldn’t live with himself if something happened to Ramzi.
Making up his mind, he lay down next to the door on the mattress so no one could get to his brother without him knowing. Getting out of this fucked-up situation would feel like freedom. Maybe, just maybe, it would be a bright future.