Chapter 6 #3
Remaining casual, not wanting to draw too much attention, Mozzi followed him out.
Justin skipped across the street to the parking lot, slid into a black Impala, and started it.
The engine revved twice before he sped off the lot.
The moment he hit the corner, Mozzi snapped a photo of the license plate.
Already typing a message on his phone to send to his boy, Clue, he returned to the table with Coast.
“You ready to go?” he asked.
He could pull all the info himself, but since he wasn’t home, he put Clue on it so they could get the info they needed asap.
He instructed him that he wanted everything he could find on this motherfucker.
Bank records, addresses, his family, work, school.
Anything so he could track this nigga and get answers.
For months, Mira had been in the wind, and he knew Kong was turning over every leaf he could to track her.
He was coming up empty every time. This was the first solid lead they’d had in months.
“Yeah, what are you going to do?”
“Find this nigga and see what he knows and how we can find Mira. He’s one stupid ass muhfucka to bring his ass back around here after what happened.”
“Maybe he wanted to be seen. How do we know he’s not setting us up?” Coast queried.
“Only one way to find that out,” Mozzi voiced, slipping his phone into his pants pocket. “I need to slide by Pops’ house and talk to Kong. You ready to head home?”
“No, I’m definitely coming. I’m calling Inari too.” Coast picked up her cell off the table to hit her girl.
“Trouble, I need you to fall back on that, at least for now.”
“She deserves to know,” she argued.
“And she will, when the time is right. When we have more information to give her. She’s already been through enough.”
Hating that he was right, Coast sighed.
“Okay, fine,” she agreed. “Just for now, though. The minute you have anything solid, I’m letting her know.”
The front door to his home slammed shut, but Audiemar didn’t react.
Instead, he brought the glass of whiskey to his lips and took a sip as footsteps headed in his direction.
The living room was dark, but the light from outside, from the moon, cast enough illumination for Kong to make out his father near the French doors.
Eerily quiet, he listened to the sounds of the house, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking around.
“You alone?”
“Yup.” Audiemar lowered his glass and faced his son. “Where are the kids?”
“With Bee. She asked if it was okay if they spent the night. I guess she had some project she wanted them to help with for this event she’s working on,” Kong explained. “Sailor is over there. So, lately, they’ve spent a lot of time with her and Marina.”
“That’s good for them,” Audiemar concluded.
“What’s up witchu?” Kong squinted, and Audiemar shook his head before shuffling in his direction. “Something happen?”
“You could say that. I don’t want to talk about it right now. You should know, though… whatever it was with Phoebe… it’s over.”
Kong moved to take a seat on the couch, fishing his pack of cigarettes from his inner jacket pocket. He dug one out of the pack and brought it to his lips, watching Audiemar slide into a chair across from him.
“Where’s Moose?”
“Dropped him off at the house so he could check on Elan. He said he would be here once he got changed.”
“How is he?” Audiemar queried.
The entire time Moose was gone, he hadn’t gone to visit him. They would speak on the phone, but Audiemar wanted him to get better. He also didn’t want to hover. Moose didn’t need that. He hated to be micromanaged, so Audiemar let him do the work himself.
“Seems good. He’s got some news. I’ll let him be the one to fill you in on that, though.
” Kong flicked his BIC lighter at the tip of his cigarette and took a drag.
“One of the warehouses came up with a discrepancy. I talked to our lieutenants. We’re pulling rank.
I think it’s time we reevaluate everybody we’re working with and do extensive checks.
I don’t want any fucking surprises. It’s been quiet for months. Too quiet. Which means—”
“Somebody is plotting,” Audiemar finished for him with a nod.
In the distance, he heard another car pull up and doors slam shut.
All his sons had a key to their home, but he was still surprised to find Coast, Mozzi, and Iara strolling inside so late.
Rising to his feet so he could properly greet them, Audiemar paused in the doorway and kissed Coast’s cheek before embracing her.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, taking the car seat from Mozzi and carrying Iara into the living room.
“We was out getting something to eat, and something happened. I need to use the office so I can holler at Clue about some shit. Kong, let me holla at you.”
With his cigarette in hand, Kong followed Mozzi down the hall. The front door opened, and Moose strolled inside, black distressed jeans on his waist, and a white t-shirt with a pair of black and white retro 7s. He’d pulled his locs back into a single ponytail that hung down his back.
“Mozzi, the fuck is going on?” Moose threw his hands up, bypassing the living room where Audiemar was taking Iara out of her car seat.
Since she’d been born, he’d taken an interest in her as well.
Coast loved seeing how her daughter brought out this softness in the men in her life.
Lord knows they all needed it. Kara was a terror, and she played with the boys all the time, so there wasn’t anything soft about her.
While Iara was feisty, she truly was the sweetest, most spoiled little baby.
His brothers moved ahead of him into the office, but Moose wasn’t far behind after chucking his chin at his father before passing.
He shut the door behind him and lingered on one side of the desk with Kong as Mozzi took a seat behind it and turned the desktop on.
It didn’t take long for his fingers to get moving as he studied the dual screens in front of him intensely.
After gathering all the info that Clue sent, he printed the different files, double checking to make sure he had everything.
Moose paced on the other side of the desk, but Kong took a seat and anxiously tapped his foot.