Chapter 22 #3
“I knew she was gonna call you. Soon as I left, I said that old lady about to call Lev and make me sound crazy.”
He lost his fucking mind. I saw exactly what BJ was talking about. “Nah, you made yourself sound crazy.”
“Nah, y’all trying to play me.”
“Nobody playing you. The fuck you talking about.”
“Navy playing you.”
My grip tightened. On the wheel. I had to use the other to light the joint before he pissed me off. “Leave her out of it.”
“That’s your problem right there. You so busy sniffing behind her you can’t see what the fuck she doing. You think I don’t know. I ain’t stupid nigga, look how ya’ll disappeared thar night at the restaurant.”
“Man fuck all that, what she doing?”
“I know these bitches.”
“You don’t know her though.”
“What? You gonna beat me up over some bitch Marv had first?”
The words came fast, tangled with whatever chemical was racing through him. I forced my voice lower. “You need to get some help. You losing your fucking mind.”
“Nah. I see clear.” His breathing came hard through the phone. “Paper working for Rome. Rome playing with us. Navy playing with you. Everybody wanna hide and move sneaky, we need to make a statement.”
“What statement?”
“Fuck her up.”
Everything inside got cold and dark. “What the fuck you just say?”
“You heard me. Put hands on her, scare her, whatever. Make that nigga come out from wherever he hiding. Niggas wanna play, stop playing fair.”
“There ain’t shit player about what you saying.”
“She ain’t innocent.”
“She ain’t got shit to do with whatever you think Paper doing.”
“She the leader’s wife.”
“Not for long, and again that ain’t got shit to do with her.”
“Oh, so that’s what this is?” He laughed wildly. “You saving her now? Captain Save-a-Hoe?”
“You need to listen to me carefully.”
“Man, fuck—”
“If you go near Navy, speak to Navy, call Navy, or even park your car where she can see it, I’m gone deal with you in a way neither one of us can come back from. That’s the same for BJ until you get yourself right in the mind.”
The noise behind him seemed to fade, or maybe he had moved away from it. “You threatening me?”
“I’m warning you.”
“Over her.”
“Over you putting an innocent woman in something she ain’t got shit to do with and disrespecting BJ like you lost your mind. You ain’t about to give my grandma a heart attack cause you weak nigga.”
“Innocent,” he repeated, dragging the word out. “Ain’t none of these bitches’ innocent.”
“That powder got you talking like a fucking fool.”
“You think you better than me because you corporate now?”
“This ain’t about being corporate.”
“You forgot where you came from.”
“No, I remember exactly. That’s why I know where you headed.” I continued before he could cut in. “Until you get your mind right, you can’t fuck with me.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“So you cutting me off?”
“I’m not letting you drag me down with you.”
“We family fool.”
“Then act like it.”
“Family don’t turn they back.”
“Family don’t call they grandma no old bitch either.”
“Man, you pussy.”
The line went dead and I stared through the windshield, with my pulse beating hard at the base of my neck.
For several seconds, I considered turning around and finding him myself.
I knew most of the places he would go, most of the people who would let him sit around sniffing until he convinced himself every bad thought in his head was true, but BJ’s words returned.
Don’t let him pull you back. I set the phone down and kept driving.
I handled two errands I had already put off for days.
Stopped at a property on 7th avenue where a contractor had ordered the wrong windows and tried convincing me nobody would notice.
Then I picked up documents from one of my attorneys, signed what needed signing in the truck, and left them with the receptionist before the building closed.
By the time I finished, Marv’s voice still echoed in my head. I called Navy once while sitting at a red light and she did not answer. I told myself she was probably driving. Milan called before the light changed.
I considered letting it ring but answered. “What’s up?”
She sighed dramatically. “When am I getting invited over again?”
I pulled through the intersection. “I don’t know.”
“You been acting funny.”
“I been busy.”
“You’re always busy. That never stopped you before.”
Her voice carried the playful irritation she used whenever she believed she could pull me back toward her with enough persistence.
Milan was beautiful, smart, and familiar in a way that required little effort.
She knew when not to ask questions and had once been content with whatever time I gave her.
Lately, content had turned into curious and curious always became complicated.
“I got a lot going on,” I told her.
“So do I and I still make time.”
I rubbed a hand over my beard. “Milan.”
“No, it’s fine. I know when I’m being phased out.”
“I’ll call you later.”
“Lev—”
I looked toward the passenger seat as I turned into another lane. That was when I saw the wallet wedged between the center console and the seat. My attention shifted completely realizing Navy had left it.
I ended the call with Milan, and I picked up the wallet at the next light and turned it over in my hand.
Navy must have pulled it from her tote at the café, then placed it in the console when we got back into the truck.
I called her but no answer so I tried again and it went straight to voicemail this time.
An uneasy feeling overcame me I couldn’t explain.
I checked the time; she should have been home by then.
Her apartment wasn’t far from where I was, and returning the wallet gave me a reason to warn her once again about Marv.
I made the next turn, and the drive should have taken twelve minutes, but I made it in eight.
As I entered her complex, my eyes swept the first row of parked cars automatically.
Nothing stood out until I turned toward her building.
Then I saw Marv’s whip from a distance parallel parked crooked along the curb, with the back tire half on the grass.
The driver’s side sat farther from the curb than the passenger side.
I felt the anger trying to overtake me. “Fuck.”
I pressed the accelerator, moving deeper into the lot.
I prayed Navy hadn’t let him inside. She didn’t know everything about Marv.
She knew him as my cousin, as the man she talked to before any of this became complicated.
She believed whatever had passed between them had been casual enough for him not to care about me and her.
She hadn’t heard his voice on the phone nor the paranoia through every sentence.
She hadn’t heard him suggest using her body to send a message to her husband.
I reached for my phone, but before I could call her again, the apartment door flew open and Navy came running out.
From what I could see, one shoe was missing and her hair had come loose, and fear was all over her face.
Even from across the lot, I could see it.
She looked like somebody had attacked her.
Marv burst through the door behind her. He moved like a wild man, with his arms swinging and mouth open as he shouted something I couldn’t hear through my closed windows.
He stumbled off the curb, caught himself against a parked car, then ran toward his own.
I slammed my foot down honking the kids out of the way who acted like they didn’t want to move.
The truck surged forward, with my tires gripping the pavement as I cut across the parking lot toward Navy.
She looked in my direction and for one second, our eyes met through the windshield.
I saw her mouth form my name but somebody else got to her first. Then something so sudden happened, something so violent, that every sound around me seemed to disappear.
My truck was still rolling when I watched it unfold right in front of my eyes before pulling my Glock out and busting at the car.