Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
MAKARI “HAVOC” SANCHEZ
Today was the day I finally laid my brother to rest, and it was an experience I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
From the moment I woke up, I felt this heaviness in my heart.
I didn’t want to do it, but at the same time, I wanted my brother to have a proper send-off.
I was split in two, but still, I put on a brave face and did what I needed to do, telling myself that he was in heaven watching me.
I had to make him proud, even if I would happily switch my life for his.
I was the rejected son, the one nobody noticed unless they needed something. My life wasn’t my own and would remain that way until I died, with hardly anyone noticing. It wasn’t a promising life like the one my brother had, so I was struggling with understanding why he went while I remained.
The church was packed, and I found a corner by myself. I just didn’t have the heart to face anyone. I was hurting—in more pain than I’d ever felt before in my life, and I didn’t want anyone near me.
I watched Orlando as he sat up front with Kelechi’s mama and wife, Ella. He didn’t even reserve a seat for me.
Ella waved me over and moved to make space for me, but I shook my head. I wanted to stay where I was.
I felt a headache coming on, and I rubbed at my head.
Sony was also here with Viper, keeping an eye on me. I could see that he was scared but also trying to play like he wasn’t. Every now and then, he would turn to look at me.
As long as he kept his ass away from Kairi, we wouldn’t have a problem.
I immediately started thinking about her and sighed heavily.
I’d not seen her since that night because I’d been busy with Hell’s funeral, but she’d been on my mind.
I knew the only way to protect her was to either walk away or get deeper into it with Sincere.
Both options put her at risk, and I wasn’t sure which path to take.
If I left her alone, which I didn’t think I even had the strength to do, I knew sooner or later, Sony would try his luck when I wasn’t looking. And if I took Sincere’s hand, I wasn’t doing shit but putting a huge target on her head for being affiliated with me.
I wasn’t stupid. I knew being the boss wasn’t all riches and glory. It came with enemies and more mothafuckers trying to kill you than support you, and she would be an easy target for them.
Even Shakur warned me, telling me to make sure I knew what I was doing. But I didn’t.
Dare I say it, my protection came from Kelechi because I already knew that Orlando wouldn’t give a fuck even if a nigga tried to shoot me right in front of him. Most niggas stayed away from me simply because I was Hell’s little brother. But now I was alone.
“You look deep in thought. Care to share?”
I turned to my left and frowned when I saw Sincere sitting beside me. He had been calling me a lot lately, and I hadn’t been answering, but I didn’t expect him to turn up at my brother’s funeral.
It was almost as if every pair of eyes was now locked on us, and I hated that shit.
“You could have sat anywhere else,” I said to him. Sincere laughed.
“Damn, can’t an old, sick man take a seat to rest?”
He turned to look at me, and I couldn’t help laughing, knowing he was full of shit.
There were two dudes sitting in the row behind us who immediately moved somewhere else. Sincere just watched them, snorted a laugh. I looked around the church to see that it was completely silent and all eyes were on us.
“I’m sorry again for your loss,” he said.
“Thank you,” I said, looking his way, trying my hardest to ignore the stares.
“I, uh, I asked a friend of mine who works at the hospital to do an autopsy on your brother. I hope you don’t mind,” Sincere informed me, confusing me because I thought it was Orlando. I heard that an autopsy was ordered and just assumed that it was him, but it was Sincere all along.
I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering how the fuck he was able to do something like that without Orlando’s consent. That move showed me that he was a lot more powerful than I first imagined.
For some reason, I looked over at Orlando and saw him looking at us. This unreadable expression was on his face, but I was pretty sure that he was scared. Even Sony and his ugly ass pops looked like they were seconds away from shitting themselves.
Was that the type of pull Sincere really had?
Everybody looked like they had something to say, but nobody dared to open their mouth.
“Why did you request an autopsy?” I asked. Sincere looked at me.
“I heard about you and your brother. Y’all stayed ready for anything, but how come Hell wasn’t?” he asked a question I didn’t even think about. That immediately made me think about that night.
One thing about Hell was that he could hold his liquor. It took a lot for him to get drunk, and even then, he was good. He wasn’t even drinking a lot that night, so he should have been quick on his feet, but he wasn’t.
When I saw the security footage, because I had my back to them, I saw how my brother didn’t even react to the nigga being in his face.
He would have pulled his gun, but he didn’t. He was too busy coughing, and that was how that nigga shot him so easily. It didn’t occur to me that someone might have spiked his drink beforehand.
But I guess that was why Sincere was who he was.
“He let me know that he has the results—that’s why I’d been calling you, but I will get him to call you,” Sincere let me know. I thanked him.
“It was the least I could do, but it would have been an easier move for you if you were sitting in my seat,” Sincere said.
I didn’t answer, and he chuckled.
“If you decide to take my place, I will need you to get married. A stable man is a strong one, you understand?”
“Yeah.”
I looked around the church again to find that everybody was still looking at us.
When I felt Sincere put a hand on my shoulder, I turned my head in his direction.
“Think about it, Havoc.”
I sat back and watched as he walked out of the church. Murmurs broke out around me, but I just ignored them.
My eyes landed on my brother’s casket, that sense of loss and loneliness encased me again.
Now what do I do, bro?