Chapter 26
Kofi”s gaze swept the room, taking in the faces of the men who held his fate in their hands. Agent Meckle’s countenance was unsmiling, but his eyes gleamed with a sharpness Kofi recognized as hunger. Not the gnawing hunger of a missed meal but the craving of having something just out of his reach that he desperately wanted.
On the other hand, Oliver’s FBI agent, Landon, shared a similar intensity in his eyes, but it was laced with sympathy. Kofi had learned to recognize sympathy, having noticed it when he and Ramzi were on the streets and a kind-hearted person would offer them money.
He glanced to the side at Oliver, whose expression was the hardest to read. There was anger, but Kofi discerned it was anger for Kofi’s situation, not directed at him. This was a new sensation. Something he couldn’t remember ever having other than experiencing it with Charity. It was the feeling of not being alone anymore.
Returning his focus to Agent Meckle, Kofi felt the heavy weight of his situation bearing down on his shoulders. He wanted to make sure everything was said exactly right in front of Agent Sommers and Oliver.
“So if I go back to the Halstons’ house, convince them that last night Ramzi and I were just hanging out with a friend and that I’m ready to put in a new skimmer and do so, then that’s all I have to do? I won’t be arrested, and neither will Ramzi. You’ll leave my brother and me alone, and we’re free to decide where to live. You won’t try to take Ramzi away from me and put him in some foster home. Right?”
Agent Meckle’s jaw clenched, and he nodded. “That’s right.”
Oliver interjected. “Kofi, you still don’t have to do this.”
Turning his attention to Oliver, he held the gaze of the man he’d come to respect. “I understand. But you have to understand that I want to do this. I want to put them away and not have the Halstons hanging over my head. It’s time for me to man up and figure out ways to take care of my brother that don’t involve something illegal. I know that you and Ms. Charity will help us, but until the Halstons are put away, the threat of them will always be around, dragging other kids to do their dirty work.”
Oliver nodded slowly, but it was evident to Kofi that Oliver struggled with the decision. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he once again realized it had been a long time since he and Ramzi had ever had anyone at their backs.
“I got this, Oliver. I can do it, and then it’s done.” Blowing out a long breath, Kofi leaned closer, abandoning his need for personal space, and held Oliver’s gaze. “But if anything happens, I need your word that you’ll take care of Ramzi.”
Oliver”s quick inhalation showed how hard Kofi”s words had been to hear. Oliver’s jaw was tight, and his eyes narrowed. “Not one fuckin’ thing is gonna happen to you. But, no matter what, you have my promise.”
With that, the four men in the room began to plan.
* * *
Hours later, Kofi bounded up the back steps into the house. He wasn’t surprised to see Eliza sitting at the kitchen table. He began to wonder if she ever did anything but sit at the kitchen table and gripe about everyone and everything.
“Where the fuck were you last night, boy?” she bit out before beginning to hack the cigarette cough he’d grown used to.
“Ramzi and I were hanging out in the park.”
Her overplucked brow lifted. “What the fuck are you doing at the park? And why the fuck did it take all night?”
“It was nothing,” he protested. “We ran into someone we knew from school.” He chuckled, adopting an easy attitude and shaking his head. “Course, that was years ago when we were in school. Turns out this guy dropped out at the same time we did.”
“In the park? He was probably selling drugs, right? Was he trying to convince you to do that? You know we’re not putting up with that shit. One thing in this house, you don’t use drugs. We need you clear-headed and sharp to be able to do shit for us. You’re supposed to be here every night. Are you too stupid to remember that simple rule? So if that’s what you think you’re going to do, you can just?—”
“We didn’t do no drugs,” he argued. “He was just someone to hang out with for a little while.”
She stood, tapped her cigarette into the ashtray, and, with narrowed eyes, leaned forward. “Then why the hell didn’t you come home last night?”
“Because some cop showed up at the other end of the park, so we got the hell out of there. The last thing I figured you wanted was for some cop to follow us back here.” Throwing his arm out, he continued, “We spent the night in an abandoned house just so no one would follow us back here. Geez, fuck, I think you’d be grateful.”
“Where’s Ramzi?”
“He was still sleepin’ in. We got to sleep late. I woke him up to tell him that I was gonna come here, grab a piece of toast, and see if Cory had another job for me. I’ll get him when I finish, and then we’ll be back in later.”
“You got an answer for everything, boy,” she sneered. “I can’t tell if you’re dumb as shit or smart enough to lie your way through life.”
Before she had a chance to berate him further, Cory stomped into the room. “Wondered where you were. The skimmer on the ATM over on River Road is fuckin’ up. I got a replacement I need to go in.”
Kofi nodded. “I’ll get it done.”
“Get it done fast, and get it done right,” Eliza warned sternly, her gaze piercing.
“Don’t I always get it done?”
“Don’t you get smart with me, boy. And you make sure you stop by to see that fuck of a brother gets home. I don’t trust that boy to be out all night again.”
“I’ll get him to go with me so that he can do a lookout. Then we’ll come back together,” Kofi lied. He kept a straight face—if there was one skill Kofi could do well, it was lie when needed. And there was a second thing Kofi knew how to do—protect Ramzi.
Eliza continued to regard him with suspicion, ready to argue further, but Cory intervened. “Come on.”
Following Cory down the hall, Kofi watched as Cory picked up the new skimmer. He looked around at the various computers Cory had set up in the room. He’d never paid close attention before because it wasn’t important to him. But now, he realized Cory was the technical brains of the operation while Eliza was the enforcer who kept the kids in line with her dragon lady threats of the basement cells.
Cory turned to him. “I checked this one myself, so it should be good. Removing the bad one and putting it in might take an extra second. Don’t fuck it up.”
Kofi extended his palm and was thankful Cory simply dropped the thin skimmer into his hand. He walked out into the hall and, with a quick glance, could tell he was alone. Retrieving a small box from his pocket, he dropped the skimmer inside without smudging any of Cory’s fingerprints that would have been left behind. Shoving the box in his coat pocket, he avoided the kitchen and Eliza and slipped out the front door.
Refusing to back out from fear that one of them would come racing after him, he walked casually to the corner of the street and then broke into a jog. With each step he moved away from their house, he breathed a little easier and felt the weight ease from his shoulders.
He glanced across the street and spied the black vehicle carrying Landon and Agent Meckle. Now, to get the job done and finally find freedom for him and Ramzi.