A Sinner’s Prayer

Chapter 1

Kannon

“Kannon, why do you keep asking me the same question? I won’t be home for a few days. What the hell are you up to?”

My eyes raced to my brother’s name shining on my digital dashboard. “Seriously, Junior? A girl can’t call and check on her big brother?”

“Fuck no! I do the checking ’round here. I better not hear about you sneaking around my shit, Kannon.”

“Sneaking? My name holds weight. I don’t have to sneak and do a damn thing.”

“Yeah, okay. I want you to remember how much weight your name holds the next time you cut up. You’re not bigger than the program; you’re a part of it.”

“All right. You’re turning this into something deeper than it needs to be. I’ll see you when you get back. Bye!” I groaned while ending the call. “He gets on my damn nerves.”

My best friend, Nola, leaned forward and squeezed my shoulder from the back seat. “You’re sitting here dressed like a hoodlum. Stop acting oblivious to why he’s on your case.”

“Wow. I thought you were my best friend. Are you on my side or his?”

“Yours, and as your partner in crime, it’s my job to tell you shit you don’t want to hear.”

I sucked my teeth as my back met the cool, leather seat. Though she was down to ride, Nola was a princess. The Instagram model didn’t like to get her hands dirty, and she called her brothers whenever she needed to be rescued. She only tagged along for ratchet shit when she was bored.

“Nola, if you’re going to whine, we can drop you off at home,” my cousin, Yari, spoke from the passenger seat. “You act like we’re going to rob a bank. We’re just going to rough a nigga up for being a dog. We look good too.”

Like a pack of hyper teenage girls, we danced in our seats and rapped along to Cardi B’s new single.

Though I had two siblings, the bond I shared with Yari and Nola fulfilled my desire to be a part of a genuine sisterhood.

Being first cousins, Yari and I were tight like white on rice.

Nola and I met in high school and had been besties since the ninth grade.

In the middle of our turn-up session, Yari lowered the music. “Kannon, what happened to Alisha coming with us?”

“She changed her mind once her man called and mentioned dinner.” I rolled my eyes. “We don’t need her. We can handle this. We’re doing a simple shakedown, then we’ll be on our way.”

Nola’s peal of laughter reached the front of the truck. “I still can’t believe you got me out here bussin’ a mission for your homegirl. I’m not mad though. I love doing damage to a no-good nigga.”

“Then you’re in the right place, baby.”

I turned down the block of our destination at midnight, then cruised up the street. For a Thursday night, the street was busy, yet considering the neighborhood was a dopehead’s oasis, I should’ve known better.

“Damn, it’s a lot of people out here,” Nola complained. “Y’all sure it’s a good idea to handle this tonight?”

“Nah. Tonight is the night.” I grabbed the folder from my glove compartment. “I did a little research on dude. He fucks the lady who runs the motel, picks up money, then he leaves. We shouldn’t have to wait long for him to show face.”

“Good.” Yari chimed in. “What’s his name? I don’t remember you telling us.”

I stretched my neck and opened my mouth, prepared to be as elusive as possible, but I got tongue tied when my target came into view. A few addicts hanging in the alley called out to him, yet he kept moving. There was no urgency in his stride, so I assumed he had a gun on him.

“It’s showtime, ladies,” I announced as I pulled up behind the car he approached.

On our bully shit, the three of us covered our faces with black ski-masks and hopped out the truck with the engine running.

The man reached for his waistband when we got close, but Yari kicked him between his legs before he could get ahold of his pistol.

As solid as he was, it was comical to watch him drop to his knees and wince in pain.

“You weren’t fast enough,” I teased while lowering myself so we were eye level. “Are you hurt, pretty boy?”

He grimaced. “Bitch, have you lost your muthafuckin’ mind?”

“Maybe, but the moment you reneged on what you owe my brother, you lost your fucking life.”

With a smile on my face, I pulled my hands from the pocket of my hoodie. No one questioned my moves until I stuck the needle of my latest concoction into the side of his neck, sending the large man to the damp pavement.

“Kannon! What the hell?” Nola snatched me back by my shoulder. “Why did you put him down?”

I stepped away from her and moved toward the back of my truck. “We don’t have time to talk about that. I’m going to place the seat down in the back so he can fit in the trunk.”

We struggled to get the dead weight in the car, but the three of us managed between sharp words and evil looks. Yari even agreed to drive so I could watch him.

“Kannon, what do you have us mixed up in?” my cousin questioned me. “You said we were running down on some loser who did your friend wrong.”

“More like my family. He owes Junior for a loan. Wrong done to the family is wrong done to me.”

“That’s bullshit! I’m about to call Junior.”

“No, you’re not,” I said between tight teeth. “You know how hard I’ve been working to prove to him and my daddy I can handle being a part of their team.”

“This stunt is going to set you back. You went through Junior’s files to get information about this nigga.”

“I took initiative, and we can’t back out now. Pay attention to the road, and take us to Junior’s spot. The one in the dirt.”

For the first time since we got on the road, I released a sigh of relief.

I was deliberately vague about saying too much in the company of the comatose man.

He was larger than I expected, which meant the concoction I gave him would only last so long.

The last thing I needed was for him to wake up and repeat everything I said.

“Your stubborn ass may not want to hear this,” Nola restarted the conversation, “but you are going about this the wrong way, best friend.”

“The only way to prove myself to a group of hard asses is by putting actions behind my words. My daddy and Junior want to keep me in a bubble. I’m not going for it.”

“They’re trying to protect you, Kannon. Epilepsy is serious, and seizures are stress-induced.”

I gasped. “What? Really? Tell me more about something I’ve been living with for twelve years.”

“Then act like you fucking know,” Yari spat out. “You done had us kidnap some bum who your brother is probably already planning to snatch up. I’m telling you now, if my uncle presses me about this, I’m snitching!”

I waved off the red-haired bombshell. “If you’re so concerned with my stress levels, then stop talking. This nigga is big, and you’re distracting me. I need to concentrate.”

Once an unnerving quiet fell over the space, I sat up on my knees and peered into the back of the SUV.

Kidnapped and all, the man looked at peace.

His skin was a gingerbread brown, yet a blotch of vanilla outlined his right eye.

Curly lashes—the same texture as his tapered fade—protected a pair of eyes I noticed were the hue of cognac before he drifted into a temporary slumber.

His all-black Nike Tech and his diamond chains weren’t as flashy as the shiny, black racecar we stopped him from hopping into, but they proved he wasn’t as broke as he led on to be.

Under different circumstances, the bearded man would be someone I let buy me dinner and lick between my legs.

The big man was still knocked out when we pulled up to my brother’s place.

The property was an hour from the city and surrounded by open space, dirt, and a few trees.

At one point, the structure was a single-family vacation home, but once Junior moved up in the family business, he converted it into a slaughterhouse.

Along with Yari and Nola, I joined the starlit night and roamed to the rear of the truck.

“Let’s get a fucking move on it.” Yari rolled her eyes. “You started this shit, but you’re standing next to us like we’re calling the plays.”

I ignored my cousin and snatched a pair of gloves out of my back pocket.

I tried to appear unfazed when I tugged on my ski-mask, though my mouth went dry as I pulled it over my face.

Apprehension caused me to move slowly, but no amount of fear could make me rethink my plan.

I pressed a button under the trunk’s handle and swallowed the knot in my throat as the door lifted.

To my surprise, the man was awake. There was no panic on his face as he blinked away what I perceived as confusion.

“Get out the truck—slowly!”

He lifted his hands as if to remind me his wrists were bound together.

“You don’t need your hands to walk. I’m sure you can use those long legs for more than just running from your debt.”

A host of emotions crisscrossed over his face. He may have believed the expression was intimidating, but it only pissed me off. I had been around plenty of men who believed their dominance, power, and money were enough to put me in my place. Most times, it made me want to test their gangsta.

I inhaled a gust of dirt riddled air, then cleared the distance separating us. I yanked the sturdy man forward by one of his chains. As toned as he was, the gesture barely caused him to move.

“If you don’t get out, I’m going to shoot you with another sedative.” I tapped the tip of his Nubian nose. “But this time, I’m going to stick the needle in your balls. Now, move!”

It took him a minute to stand, but once he was on solid ground, we headed to the house. As soon as I opened the door, a waft of pine hit us, reminding me of the days I hung in Junior’s spot while he and his henchmen punished a bum who couldn’t afford to pay back his loan.

“Are we taking him to the basement or the guest room?” Yari quizzed.

“Guest room,” I replied, stepping to the side so my girls could lead the way.