Chapter 14
Ihadn’t heard from Aaliyah since the morning before, when I left her crying on the floor. That was fine by me. All of these hoes were getting out of pocket. They could all kiss my ass. I had something special for Solae, though. I had no mercy for her. She was about to kiss the ground six feet deep.
I needed to shower, change, and get my shit out Aaliyah’s crib, though. The house was in Aaliyah’s name, so she could figure out how to keep up with the mortgage for all I gave a fuck. I had enough bread to get my own shit now.
I knew it would be some beef with her as soon as I walked through the door, so I prepared myself for it. What I wasn’t prepared for was the empty house that I walked into.
It was too early in the morning for Aaliyah to be outside, especially with the baby. I walked into the bedroom and noticed that everything was still on the floor from our fight. Since she hadn’t attempted to even pick up anything, I knew that she had split.
It was fine by me. That house could have gone up in flames. It was her problem. Not mine.
It did, however, become a problem for me when I went into the stash to grab some cash and noticed that the garbage bags were gone.
“Shit!”
Aaliyah had to have taken them.
I punched the walls over and over again, until drywall collapsed around my hands and my knuckles bled.
“Fuck, man!”
I heard the back door open. I hadn’t locked it behind myself. I hoped that it was Aaliyah. I walked towards the kitchen, where the back door was. I was prepared to stump a hole in this bitch.
Unfortunately, it was Fabe who emerged from the kitchen.
“What’s wrong with you?” Fabe looked at me like I was crazy as I stood in the middle of the living room floor with my fists balled up, flared nostrils, and bleeding knuckles.
“You seen Aaliyah?”
“Nah.”
I immediately took my cell from my pocket. I dialed her number as Fabe followed me into the living room and took a seat on the couch.
My call went straight to voicemail.
I called again.
And again.
And again.
Each time, it went straight to voicemail.
“Fuck!”
Fabe jumped at the sound of my voice as I fought the urge to throw the phone across the room.
“What the hell is wrong with you, fam?”
I exhaled long and slow as I tried to keep myself from freaking out. Since Aaliyah had the cash, once she heard about Carlos’ murder, she would put two and two together. Since she had the balls to take it, she didn’t plan on letting me find her. I knew it.
“Aaliyah’s gone.”
My brother’s mouth dropped. He looked just as thrown off as I did.
“Why she leave?”
“I hit her.”
Instantly, Fabe’s face changed from confused to pissed, which shocked the fuck outta me. I’d hit my girl, not his.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, man?” He was actually waiting for an answer to that question, sitting on the couch, looking at me like he was disappointed in me.
“Man, she was trippin’! All in my face because Felicia’s dumb ass sent her a picture of me in her bed sleep Christmas day.”
Fabe dramatically shook his head. “I done told you about playing with all these chicks, man. When are—”
I interrupted his sermon. “Fuck all that! I need you to call Aaliyah and talk to her. She’ll talk to you. I need to know where she is.”
“I’m not getting in the middle of this bullshit, man.” His tone was discerning. He was over me and my bullshit.
He stood, ready to leave.
“Bro, listen,” I said, meeting him where he stood. I softened my tone. I wanted him to see that I was his brother, not the ignorant dude that he was despising right then. “I need your help. It’s a lot in it for you.”
“Like that bank robbery?” He even had to laugh as he waited on the answer.
His laughter rubbed me the wrong way. I had asked him to help me with that bank robbery, and he refused.
When he heard Carl had gotten killed, he rubbed it in my face.
No, I wasn’t as successful with the robbery as I should have been.
Yet, the way he mocked me was the same way Carlos had.
These niggas was sleep on me. I woke up Carlos by putting a bullet in his head.
I had to wake my brother up to my level of power as well.
“The bank robbery went south, but I hit a better lick. Aaliyah took the money, though, when she bounced. That’s why I need you to find her. You find her, I get my cash back, and its twenty–five thousand in it for you.”
Honestly, I wasn’t going to give him a gawd damn thing. But if that’s what he needed to hear, so be it. Sure enough, he stopped his exit long enough to listen to me.
His brow rose high. “Where did you get that type of cash from?”
“I killed Carlos.”
Fabe lost it. “The fuck?!”
He looked at me like I was a stranger. He even backed away from me in disgust. “Are you fucking serious?!”
“I had to! He would have killed Moses because he didn’t have the money to pay him back for that work!”
Fabe shook his head over and over again as he cupped his face. “Carlos wasn’t that type of dude. He was your best friend.”
“Exactly, so you don’t know him like I did.” Fabe was stuck. He didn’t know what to believe, so I continued to beg. “Bro, please? I need you to find Aaliyah and my money.”
“If you killed him to keep him off of Moses, why take the money?”
“Because it was there. The police would have just taken it. I can use it to take care of my family. Solae and the kids need that. Aaliyah and Junior too.”
I had him. Finally, his eyes were done judging me. He was looking at me like I was his big brother.
He sighed and gave in. “Alright, man. I’ll call her. I got you.”