Chapter 7
Ishmael
The final bell rang and I grabbed my backpack, slinging it over my shoulder as I headed out of the classroom.
I kept my head down, weaving through the crowded hallway toward the exit.
Kids were laughing, talking shit, making plans for after school like they ain’t have a care in the world. I used to be like that.
Now I felt like I was carrying a weight on my chest that wouldn’t let up.
I pushed through the double doors and stepped outside into the afternoon sun. The parking lot was packed with students heading to their cars or waiting for rides.
And there they were. Stone’s men. Two of them, posted up across the street in a black Escalade with tinted windows. They weren’t even trying to hide. They wanted me to see them, wanted me to know they were watching.
I felt my jaw tighten as I walked down the steps, my hands gripping the straps of my backpack. I didn’t look directly at them, but I could feel their eyes on me.
Every single day.
It had been like this for two weeks now. Ever since they dragged me out of that warehouse and dropped me off at home, telling me to keep my mouth shut and stay the fuck away from the drug game.
They were making sure I did.
I turned left and started walking toward the bus stop, my sneakers scuffing against the pavement. My heart was pounding, but I kept my face neutral. Can’t let them see you scared. Can’t let nobody see you scared.
But I was. I was scared as hell. Not for me. For Indie. My sister had been gone for two weeks, and I ain’t heard shit from her. Ain’t seen her. Ain’t talked to her. And it was all my fault.
***
I thought back to the day after they’d let me go.
I’d come home from school that evening, exhausted and anxious, hoping maybe Indie would be there waiting for me. That she’d cuss me out, beat my ass, and then everything would go back to normal.
But when I walked through the door, I knew something was wrong.
There were voices coming from Indie’s room.
I dropped my backpack by the door and walked down the hallway, my stomach twisting into knots.
When I got to her room, the door was wide open. Two men I ain’t recognize were inside, packing up her stuff. They were pulling clothes out of her closet, folding them into boxes. Her shoes, her purses, her jewelry. Everything.
“Yo, what the fuck y’all doing?” I said, stepping into the room.
One of the men was a tall, dark-skinned dude, and he looked up at me with cold eyes.
“Handling business,” he said, his voice flat.
“That’s my sister’s shit,” I said, my voice rising. “Why y’all packing it up? Where y’all taking it?”
The other man, shorter and stockier, didn’t even look at me. Just kept folding Indie’s clothes like I wasn’t even there.
“Where’s my sister?” I demanded, stepping closer. “What the fuck did Stone do to her?”
The tall one straightened up and turned to face me fully. He was at least six-three, built like a linebacker, and the look he gave me made my blood run cold.
“You need to back up, lil’ nigga,” he said. “And mind your business.”
“This is my business!” I shot back, even though my hands were shaking. “That’s my sister! Where is she?!”
He took a step towards me, and I instinctively took a step back.
“Your sister is fine,” he said, his voice low and menacing. “And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay the fuck out of it. Stone got this handled.”
“Handled?” I repeated, my voice cracking. “What the fuck does that mean?”
The shorter one finally looked up, his expression bored.
“It means shut the fuck up and let us do our job,” he said. “If anyone asks where your sister is, you tell them she went out of town. That’s it. That’s all you say.”
“Out of town?” I said, my voice rising again. “Man, that’s bullshit! Where—”
The tall one stepped even closer, getting right in my face.
“You got a problem with that?” he asked, his voice deadly calm.
I stared up at him, my heart hammering in my chest. I wanted to swing on him. Wanted to fight back. Wanted to do something. But I couldn’t. Because I knew if I did, I’d end up dead. And then Indie would be alone.
So, I swallowed my pride, clenched my fists at my sides, and stepped back.
“Nah,” I muttered. “No problem.”
The tall one smirked. “Good. Now get the fuck out.”
I turned and walked out of Indie’s room, my whole body trembling with rage and helplessness.
I went to my own room, slammed the door, and sat on the edge of my bed with my head in my hands. I could hear them moving around in Indie’s room for another hour, packing up her life like she was never coming back.
When they finally left, the condo felt emptier than it ever had before.
***
I shook the memory away as I reached the bus stop and sat down on the bench.
The Escalade was still parked across the street, watching. Always watching.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through it, trying to look like I wasn’t bothered. But my mind was racing.
Where was Indie? What was Stone doing to her? Was she okay? Was she even alive?
The thought made my stomach turn.
I knew Stone was a killer. I’d heard the stories. Everybody in the streets knew who he was and what he was capable of, and I’d put my sister right in his path. All because I wanted to be a man. Wanted to take care of myself. Wanted to stop relying on Indie to carry the weight.
But now she was gone, and I was stuck here, lying to everyone who asked about her, pretending like everything was fine.
It wasn’t fine. Nothing was fine.
The bus pulled up and I got on, sliding into a seat near the back.
I stared out the window as we pulled away from the school, watching the Escalade follow at a distance. They were always there. A constant reminder of what I’d done.
When I got home, the condo was quiet. Too quiet.
I dropped my backpack by the door and walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge to grab something to drink.
Indie used to always have the fridge stocked. She’d cook dinner most nights, even when she was tired as hell from working at the club. Now it was just me, eating cereal and takeout, trying to keep it together.
I grabbed a Gatorade and closed the fridge, leaning against the counter as I took a sip.
I thought about calling Aurora.
She’d been blowing up my phone for the past week, asking where Indie was. I’d been ignoring her calls, but I knew she wasn’t gonna let it go. Aurora was Indie’s best friend. They’d been tight since high school. If anyone was gonna see through my bullshit, it was her.
I was about to head to my room when I heard a loud knock on the door.
I froze.
For a second, I thought it might be Stone’s men again, coming to check on me or deliver some new threat. But then I heard a voice.
“Ish! Open the door!”
Aurora.
Fuck.
I set the Gatorade down on the counter and walked to the door, my heart pounding.
I looked through the peephole and saw her standing there, arms crossed, looking pissed as hell. She knocked again, harder this time.
“I know you in there, Ish! Open the damn door!”
I blew out a breath and unlocked the door, pulling it open.
Aurora stood there in a crop top and jeans, her dark skin glowing in the afternoon light. She was slim thick with an innocent face that didn’t match her wild-ass personality.
Right now, though, she didn’t look wild. She looked worried.
And angry.
“Where the hell is Indie?” she demanded, pushing past me into the condo.
I closed the door and turned to face her with my hands shoved into my pockets.
“She ain’t here,” I said.
“No shit,” Aurora snapped, spinning around to glare at me. “I been calling her for two weeks and she ain’t answering. I been by here three times and nobody’s home. What the fuck is going on, Ish?”
I shrugged, trying to keep my face neutral.
“She went out of town,” I said.
Aurora’s eyes narrowed.
“Out of town?” she repeated, her voice dripping with disbelief. “Indie ain’t tell me she was going nowhere. And she damn sure wouldn’t just leave without saying nothing.”
“Well, she did,” I said, my voice flat.
Aurora stepped closer, her arms still crossed.
“Bullshit,” she said. “Indie wouldn’t do that. Not to me. Not to you. So where the fuck is she really?”
I felt my jaw tighten.
“I told you,” I said. “She went out of town.”
Aurora stared at me for a long moment, her eyes searching my face. I could tell she didn’t believe me. But I couldn’t tell her the truth.
If I did, Stone would kill me. And probably her too.
“When’s she coming back?” Aurora asked, her voice softer now.
I hesitated. “A week or two,” I said.
Aurora’s expression didn’t change.
“A week or two,” she repeated slowly.
“Yeah.”
She stared at me for another long moment, then shook her head.
“You’re lying,” she said.
“I’m not—”
“Yes, you are,” she cut me off. “I can see it all over your face, Ish. Something’s wrong. Something happened to Indie, and you know what it is.”
I clenched my fists in my pockets, my nails digging into my palms.
“She’s fine,” I said. “She just needed to get away for a minute.”
Aurora’s eyes filled with frustration.
“Get away from what?” she demanded. “Indie don’t run from nothing. She’s the strongest person I know. So if she’s gone, it’s because something bad happened. And you need to tell me what it is.”
I looked away, unable to meet her eyes.
“I can’t,” I said quietly.
Aurora let out a sharp breath and ran a hand through her hair. “This is some bullshit,” she muttered. “If something happened to her—”
“She’s fine,” I said again, my voice firmer this time. “She’ll be back soon.”
Aurora stared at me for a long moment, then finally shook her head.
“You better hope so,” she said. “Because if something happened to Indie and you ain’t tell me, I’m coming for your ass.”
She turned and walked to the door, pulling it open. Before she left, she looked back at me one more time.
“Tell her to call me when she gets back,” she said.
“I will.”
Aurora gave me one last look that was half worried, half pissed, then she walked out and slammed the door behind her.
I stood there in the silence, my heart pounding, my hands still clenched into fists. I walked over to the couch and sat down, dropping my head into my hands.
This was all my fault. All of it. If I hadn’t tried to sell drugs on Stone’s corner, none of this would’ve happened.
Indie would be here right now, cussing me out about something stupid, making dinner, telling me to do my homework. But instead, she was gone.
Trapped with a killer.
And I didn’t know if I’d ever see her again.
I thought about the way Stone had looked at her in that warehouse. The way he’d stared at her like she was something he wanted to own.
My stomach twisted.
What was he doing to her? Was he hurting her? Was he forcing himself on her?
The thought made me feel sick.
I’d wanted to be a man. Wanted to take care of myself. Wanted to stop being a burden on my sister. But all I’d done was put her in danger.
Now she was paying the price for my stupidity.
I sat there on the couch, staring at the wall, the weight of my guilt crushing me. I didn’t know how to fix this. Didn’t know how to get her back.
All I could do was wait, and hope that she’d come home soon.