Chapter 22 Adore
Walking back into my house felt strange. Like I had stepped out of life for a second and came back to find everything still in place, but nothing the same. The air in the house felt heavier. Love stayed close to my side like I might fold at any second.
“I’m good,” I told her, even though my body still felt weak from all the alcohol consumption.
“Girl, hush and let me help you,” she replied softly.
The moment I stepped fully in the living room, I felt the tension.
Hollow stood at the window with his arms folded, watching everything.
On the other side was Whodie, moving around like he belonged here, because technically, he did.
This was his house too. He looked exhausted.
Not just physically but mentally as well.
The second he saw me, he pushed off the counter and walked over.
“Come here,” he said.
His arms wrapped around me tight, pulling me into his chest like we hadn’t felt each other in forever.
“You scared the fuck outta me.”
“Shit, I scared myself,” I replied.
For a minute there, everything felt normal, then.
“Aight,” Hollow’s voice cut through. “Enough of the fake love shit.”
I could feel Whodie’s heart rate speed up. When Love told me that these niggas fought in those people hospital, I didn’t believe her at first. It wasn’t until the nurse came in and confirmed it. They both got disorderly conduct charges. Something neither of them needed.
“Hollow,” I sighed.
“What? I’m supposed to just stand here and act like everything straight between me and this nigga?”
“Muthafucka, you in my shit. You can get the fuck out, too,” Whodie said.
“Okay, y’all,” I said, standing between them.
“I’m just makin’ sure we’re on the same page,” Hollow said. “And I ain’t I’ outta shit, lil’ ass nigga.”
Whodie pushed me to the side.
“What page I need to turn to, old ass nigga?”
Love finally stepped in and shoved Hollow back. The room was quiet for a second as they mugged each other.
“Sit the fuck down! Everybody!” Love demanded.
I slowly sat down, and Whodie sat across from me with his hands clasped and his leg tapping. Hollow continued standing.
“Look, I ain’t got time to beef wit’ yo’ brother and protect you too. We have a serious problem and I’ into wit’ him is only wastin’ my muthafuckin’ time,” Whodie stated.
“It’s problem after problem. That’s why I was in the hospital. Because of fucking problems.”
“I wasn’t goin’ to say shit ‘bout it. ‘Cause I didn’t wanna add any stress. Lately, I’ve been movin’ quiet so I could see what the fuck was really goin’ on.”
Hollow scoffed, “Or you could’ve just–”
“Let him talk,” Love cut in.
Whodie turned the television on and connected his phone.
“Watch this,” he said, and hit play.
Zhane was sitting in one of our new trap houses with her phone in her hand. She looked a fucking mess. The cuffs on the floor let me know why she looked a mess.
“What the fuck is this?” I asked.
“Just watch,” Whodie replied.
Her phone started to ring, and Zhane answered.
“Hello?”
“Where the fuck you been?” A male voice boomed through the video.
“I told you I went out with Kayla,” Zhane said casually. “We ended up taking a trip. I just got back.”
She could lie smooth. Now I see why Whodie could’ve believed it was his son.
“You couldn’t answer your phone when you got a child at home?”
“My phone died. You know how it be when I’m out.”
“Put me on FaceTime,” he told her.
“I look a mess, Rico.”
She said his name. For the life of me, I had never heard of a damn Rico.
“I didn’t ask how you looked.”
Zhane switched the phone to FaceTime.
“Where the fuck you at?”
“I’m in her guest room.”
“Doesn’t look like a guest room to me. No bed and shit.”
“Rico, I’ll be home shortly.”
“Zhane, if I find out you’re lying to me…”
“Rico, I’m not lying.”
The call ended without him saying anything else to her. Whodie shut the video off, and just like that, I had a name.
“So, to catch y’all up to speed, I got the bitch high and had someone drop her off to me.
I chained her ass up for two days to see if she would talk.
At first, all she said was Rico owned some clubs in Texas.
Yesterday she told me that he had some money to get here, and they ended up back here.
He’s been watching, and I think it’s him. ”
“Is this a muthafuckin’ theory? The nigga ain’t said shit on the phone to make me feel like it’s him. Besides, we all just seen how easy that hoe just lied to that nigga,” Hollow said.
Whodie looked at Hollow, “You done?”
Hollow waved him off and paced the floor.
“Aight, so I had my boy look this nigga up. I’ve been to their house outside the city.
The nigga shit is laid with security cameras and all.
Nothing comes up for a Ricardo Castillo.
It’s like he’s a ghost. Nothing on his background or anything.
Zhane said, besides the clubs, he’s moves big money.
How else a nigga making big money if it ain’t drug money? ”
I took all this in and was still trying to figure out where I knew a Rico from.
“So what do you plan to do with yo’ bitch?” I asked.
“Don’t start the bullshit,” Whodie replied.
“She’s the entry point to him. The only reason she’s still alive is to help me get close to him. He called yesterday, so he knows who I am. Shit, probably knows all of us, and we don’t know shit about him.”
“Let me tap into my resources,” Hollow chimed in. “We have a back way of findin’ out shit if a muthafucka hidin’.”
Whodie nodded, and for the first time, I could see them attempting to get back to what it was.
“We stop reactin’ and start playin’ the game better than him. This is our shit, and who the fuck kno’ it better than us?” Whodie looked at me.
“Let her go home to him, but I’m going with you to release her.”
“No!” Hollow said.
“Hollow, please! This is my shit this man is trying to take. Who’s to say he’s not the witness that’s going to take the stand? If I can get to the bottom of this and stay free, that’s what I’m gonna do.”
“So, the only way for you to stay free is to kill him. Do you plan on doin’ time for murder?” Hollow asked me.
“Says the nigga that was a murder for hire for our uncle. That’s where you come the fuck in,” I told him.