Chapter 11
SOSA
“You sure this the right one?” I asked Tray with a stern look as soon as we pulled up to the middle-class neighborhood.
He was our tech guy and was supposed to be helping us find the muthafucka who had scrambled our computers for the robbery.
So far, he’d sent us to the wrong location twice, and the neighborhood we were in alone had me doubting him this time too.
“It is, man! Vega, get this nigga! I can’t work under these types of conditions with muthafuckas doubting me and shit!” His whiny ass complained like Vega was going to do shit. He was probably doubting his abilities, too, to be honest.
“Technically, it’s your fault they were able to slip in undetected with that faulty ass system you set us up with,” Vega chimed in quietly, never taking his eyes off the crib.
I turned around to give Tray a knowing look.
“See, this nigga even know you a fuck up.” I pointed out, and he instantly started grumbling.
“Yeah, whatever. I’m telling you this the one. Is y’all gon’ go in or not?” Him trying to get buck had my eyebrows bunching.
“Nigga, don’t rush us!”
Vega stopped me from slapping that nigga upside the head with a backhanded tap on my chest. “Leave that nigga alone, and let’s go.
” He barely gave me time to pull my ski mask down before he stepped out onto the street, immediately blending into the darkness in all black Nike Tech from head to foot.
I didn’t even know what the fuck shoes he was wearing but I’m sure he thought they were Ayite since they had the Nike symbol.
I was gone roast his ass once we made it out, though.
Hurrying, I followed him and crept up to the house, using the darkness as a shield.
I looked around confused when I didn’t see any type of surveillance considering that whoever lived there was doing illegal shit with camera systems. Despite knowing he couldn’t see me, I still turned back to the van and mugged Tray through the windshield.
Real shit, I didn’t care what Vega said.
If his ass was wrong again, I was beating his ass!
“Bring your ass on!” Vega hissed at me through the darkness.
I followed him around the back of the house.
It was only around ten at night, but there wasn’t even a small amount of movement inside, which was rubbing me the wrong way.
Tray had already given us the rundown on who was renting it out, and I would’ve thought a family of four would have something going on.
It wasn’t even a TV light on in that muthafucka!
I didn’t wanna think it was an ambush, but I was prepared to shoot first and ask questions later if it was.
Vega moved silently up the back deck stairs and flashed a light inside. My jaw tightened. There wasn’t shit inside but a bunch of trash like muthafuckas had left in a hurry. “Man, let’s go. Ain’t nobody in here!” I spat, flashing my own light inside the room to show just how empty it was.
“Hold up. Go back that way.” Vega ducked his head through the small opening and pointed behind the kitchen island where some boots were lying straight up like they were on a nigga’s feet.
That must’ve been what he originally saw because, without hesitation, he crossed the threshold with me right on his heels.
“Nigga, what the fuck! Why you ain’t tell me it smelled like that in here?” I went off as soon as the smell of death hit my damn nose.
Vega swore because we were into illegal shit that meant we should be immune to certain things, but I wasn’t ever gon’ get used to the way a dead nigga smelled no matter how many muthafuckas I killed!
He was walking through there like he didn’t even have a nose while my damn eyes were watering.
Instead of going any further, I backed up to the door so I could have some fresh air while he stood over the body with the light on.
“I can’t recognize his face like that, but that definitely looks like the ring Bear’s ass was always wearing,” he said, pulling his mask up to get a better look. “You think the tech guy is here too? Obviously, they’re killing off loose ends.”
“Nigga, I don’t know, and I ain’t tryna come no further in this stinky muthafucka to find out!” I was already standing halfway out the door, but it felt like I could still taste the smell. It was literally taking everything in me not to throw up.
Vega had crouched like he was on CSI or some shit, but he stood when he heard me gagging. “Nigga, grow the fuck up!”
“I’m grown as hell. You just a sick ass muthafucka!”
“I’m bouta go check the rest of the house.
Stay your weak stomach having ass here!” I waved him off, but he was already making his way further into the house.
A few minutes later, he returned, shaking his head.
“Ain’t nobody else here, but it’s a whole bunch of papers and shit all over, and I found this damn family picture.
” He held it up and flashed the light on it.
“Fuck all that. Have Tray’s ass look them up so we can get the fuck up outta here,” I grumbled, walking off.
Nobody in that picture looked like they were capable of highjacking our cameras or even being involved with anybody who could.
If Vega had found that shit so easily, it was probably left there on purpose to throw us the fuck off, but I couldn’t even think with a straight head in that smelly ass house.
I was still feeling like I was about to die when we finally reached the van. Almost instantly, Tray was on us, irritating the fuck out of me. “Well, was it the right house?” he asked, looking between the two of us.
“Bear was in there, so it’s connected somehow, but other than that, it was empty.
I found this picture, though, so see what you can find out about these people,” Vega answered him and handed over the picture.
I hit the air and let the window down like air would help wash away the smell as Vega finally pulled off.
I wasn’t able to shake that shit off until an hour later when we pulled up to our parents’ crib.
Our pops was expecting us, so he was already at the door when we made it, and I pushed past him to get to the kitchen.
My stomach was still turning, so I couldn’t eat shit, but I knew their old asses had some ginger ale on deck.
I quickly grabbed one out the fridge and downed it fast as hell, letting out a loud belch once I’d finished.
Getting another one, I cracked it open and headed back up to the front to find my pops and Vega.
“Don’t be in here drinking all your mother’s pops, nigga! I oughta knock you out already for the way you bum rushed yo’ ass up in here!” My pops got on my ass as soon as I found them in the living room, looking like they were in the middle of a debriefing.
“Man, I know that nigga told you he had me around a dead ass body! Ma ain’t gon’ trip about the nasty ass pops if she know I got an upset stomach.” I mugged Vega’s ass as I sat on the couch opposite him, but he just snorted.
“So, the tech was a dead end, and Bear been dead for what looks like about two weeks, so we’re back where we started.” He turned to our pops, who looked like he was in deep thought.
“They’re tying up loose ends,” Pops mumbled and scratched at his beard. “It was a five-crew team, and without Bear and a tech person, it’s gon’ be a five way split. Whoever’s in charge is probably gon’ start picking off his team, too, though.”
“How you figure that?” Vega leaned up, resting his elbows on his knees. My eyes traveled back to Pops, wanting to know my damn self.
“It’s no honor among thieves, and he’s already picking off his people. I bet whoever did the camera shot probably knew that, too, and they’re in hiding if they’re not already dead.”
I shared a look with Vega. It made sense that whoever was behind it was going to try to walk away with everything, but we still didn’t know who that was.
Our only two leads were either dead or in the wind, and we still weren’t any closer to finding out who we were looking for.
There wasn’t even an influx of spending around the hood to try and lead us in the right direction.
“I got Tray looking into the missing family. We gon’ have to just put this shit on ice until I hear back from him.” Vega shrugged, already climbing to his feet. I did the same, still slow sipping my pop since it was beginning to help.
“Ayite, keep me posted.” Our pops finally stood, leading us to the door as my phone buzzed in my pocket. I waited until we were outside before checking the screen and grinned when I saw that Bliss had messaged me.
We’d been talking for the last couple weeks, and it was beginning to be a ritual to hit each other up.
Whenever she hadn’t heard from me, she was on my line cursing me out and vice versa, even though she had yet to let me take her out anywhere.
I was playing it cool, but just like with her number, I was going to take matters into my own hands if she kept ducking me.
“How Essence doing?” I asked out of nowhere, gaining Vega’s attention and instantly started cracking up at the look on his face.
“Where the fuck that come from?”
Shrugging, I leaned my seat back. “I’m just asking, nigga. I can’t be interested in your love life?”
“Fuck no!” His frown deepened, and I realized he was looking like that because of my choice of words.
“My bad, let me rephrase that. I can’t be interested in my future sister-in-law?”
That didn’t make his expression ease up in the slightest. “How is that shit any better?” His ass tried to front, and I gave him the side eye. He’d been on some other shit since he met Essence, and it was even worse after he’d hemmed her up at the club so he could try that shit on the next nigga.
“So, if you not planning to marry her, another nigga can?” I asked, knowing that shit was going to send him over the edge, and it did just that.
A vein in his forehead popped out, and he hit the accelerator like a mad man.
“Exactly, muthafucka! Let me find out you in love and shit.” I continued teasing as he calmed down.
It was obvious he hadn’t considered things going that far, but as soon as I saw him with her at the casino, I knew what was up.
Instead of acknowledging what I said, he skipped right over it. “Essence is straight. Why you being nosy?”
“I might’ve met a shorty, but she giving me crumbs and shit. Won’t really see me in person, and she fighting hard not to let me take her on a date.”
“You’re too damn old to be getting catfished, Sos. Don’t tell me you out here sending money to fake people and shit.” He finally cracked a smile after that lame ass joke, but I didn’t find shit funny.
“I met her in person when I picked up Quick,” I grumbled, already flipping through my phone so I could show him her profile.
Yeah, I’d been stalking her shit just to make sure she wasn’t out here playing me to the left but entertaining other niggas.
So far, she seemed like she was going through some type of spiritual journey like women do after a heartbreak, judging from all the quotes on her page.
I wasn’t worried about a nigga from the past, though, and since he wasn’t making himself known on her page, then he was just that, a nigga from her past. That shit still had me wondering why the fuck she wasn’t trying to fuck with me like that.
It had me more than irritated, and as much as I liked her, she was about to get put on the back burner.
I wasn’t even out here fucking off. I was too busy chasing her ass.
“Ayite, so if she really exists, what’s the problem?” Vega kept his eyes ahead, so he didn’t see how my nose turned up.
“Who said it’s a problem?”
“Nigga, you did when you brought this shit up to me.” He laughed. “You been acting like a lil bitch all night. Man, let me find out whoever this girl is got you in your feelings like that.”
“Ain’t nobody in their feelings.” I stopped short at the lie.
I was feeling some type of way. “I just ain’t fuckin’ with her playing games and shit.
” I finally pulled up her pictures and scrolled through for the best one, but I stopped when I landed on one with Essence.
Checking the caption, it confirmed just what I’d been thinking, and I quickly showed him the screen.
The sisters standing side by side had him swerving as he snatched it from my hand to get a closer look. He tossed it back with a snort and shook his head. “What’s the fuckin’ odds yo’ ass went out and found my shorty’s sister? Copy catting ass nigga.”
“Shit, I ain’t do it on purpose. I told you I met her ass at the hospital.”
He side eyed me in disbelief, but what could he say?
“Well, I was gon’ tell you to just keep doing you until she comes around, but now that I know it’s Essence sister, nigga, definitely don’t do that shit.
You gon’ fuck around and have me more in the dog house than I already am.
Just-just try harder or some shit.” He tried to advise, but that was some bullshit.
I didn’t give a damn about that nigga being in somebody’s doghouse.
I wasn’t about to keep chasing Perfect’s ass.