Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 129571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Scar stuffed his hands in his pockets. “That guy the boy stabbed. It doesn’t make any sense how he was in their house in the first place.”
Scar was using a lot of words that didn’t put me at ease. The more he had to say, the more chances I would want to kill someone. “What doesn’t make sense?”
Scar rubbed at the puffy gash under his neck. “You said that the kids told you Sophia has been dating him?”
“Yeah.”
“That can’t be true.”
I looked down at Troy. “Is it true or not?”
“Yes, sir.” Anger skittered across Troy’s face. “He started coming around for a few weeks. Mom brought us to him and that Omar was her new boyfriend.”
I tensed at the name. “Omar?”
Scar frowned with me. “That’s right.”
But Troy had more to say. “The first night he stayed over, he snuck into our room. Jazz told me that he just peeked in, and she was afraid to say something. I went to Mom. She said it was fine. He did it again and again, but she said it was fine. Then he would wait to come home in the evening, when Jazz had to shower. Mom said I was worrying too much, that Jazz don’t have nothing for no man to be sneaking over to look at.”
Rage bubbled underneath my skin. “Troy, go ahead and get in the passenger seat.”
Scar and I waited for him to do as I said. He did, but I could tell the boy would’ve rather stayed right next to me. Troy’s love calmed me down a bit.
When he shut the door, I stared back at Scar. “Is this the same Omar that I had you look into years ago?”
“Same one. When I walked in the house, I recognized his face. I don’t have the brains like you, Benny. I’ve never tried to pretend to be smart, but Sophia was up to something tonight.”
“Talk to me.”
“Omar ran South End. And almost everyone in South End doesn’t like him, not because of the drugs, but because he’s a fan of candy strippers.”
I grimaced.
Around these parts, people called candy strippers the little girls that sold their bodies in the front of the neighborhood corner store. The only men that bought from them were the vilest sort. Half of those girls were barely fourteen. Most were found in dumpsters by the time they reached eighteen.
“So Omar is a pedophile?” I asked.
“Yeah, and everyone knows.”
“So then why would Sophia bring him into her house?”
“Sophia doesn’t make mistakes.”
“No.” I glared back at her apartment. “She plans everything.”
“There’s news all over the block right now.”
“What’s the news?”
“Omar is dead. His people are scrambling around to see if that is true. Everyone is saying that only the Montgomery boys will be providing highs in South End from now on.”
“Only Sophia’s boys.” I wondered why I hadn’t seen Neil around the house. Sophia’s two oldest sat in jail, due to get out in a few weeks for small charges. Still, it was so late in the morning, Neil should’ve been tucked away in his bed.
“Anybody know where Neil is?” I asked.
“Someone said he shot up a supplier’s house tonight.”
“Omar’s supplier?”
“Yes.”
“Anything else before I lose my shit.”
“I’m not sure.”
“Do they think Sophia is involved with Omar’s missing status? I don’t want any more problems for Jasmine and Troy.”
“News is that Sophia could never get rid of Omar. He has strong connections to a Cartel. They’ll definitely be up here to find out what happened, once he’s gone missing. No one thinks a regular person would’ve killed him. Nobody in South End has the resources like that to mess with the Cartel.” Scar ceased with talking.
There wasn’t anything else to say. It all came together in my mind. I couldn’t pinpoint every step Sophia had played, but I knew damn well, she’d executed clear moves to make sure I had a hand in getting rid of Omar.
Who else could go up against the Cartel? I would be the only person she knew. I had contacts all over. In fact, I probably had Omar’s head boss on speed dial. If they had something to say, I’d smile, put my gun in their mouths, and pull the trigger.
She brought Omar into my house and pranced my kids around him. She waited for something to happen, so bad that I’d come down like a fucking deadly knight in shining armor and take his life away.
Neil gunned down a supplier tonight. That wasn’t a coincidence. Sophia had planned this entire evening. Probably even got herself so high she couldn’t intervene. I’d tried myself to wake her up, and all she did was mumble out incoherent words and roll over.
“Wrong move, Sophia.” I spat on the ground.
“I could ...” Scar licked his lips. “I could go in there and deal with Sophia.”
“No. Jasmine and Troy just saw a dead body for the first time tonight. They don’t need to bury their mother this year.”