Chapter 42

None of us try to stop Simon from storming out the door after our talk. My hands would already be around Calvin's neck if I was him.

I'm surprised he kept his head this long.

After we got back from terrorizing the hood, Simon ain't waste no time tellin' me 'bout myself. We wasn't all seated yet when he started goin' in 'bout what I should have done differently. He felt like I should have asked Spring more questions about the niggas that took Candyce. The hitters amen'd him, agreeing that I should have asked her how old they looked and what race they was.

I felt like I was the only one who remembered how old Spring was. I had to remind them fools that she still believed in pinky promises. There was no way I could have asked Spring about race without explaining what I meant first. We would've been in handcuffs by the time she wrapped her head around race not being that thing she does at recess. We was on a time limit and I did what I could with the little time we had.

Besides, it ain't like we came back empty-handed. These niggas just wasn't used to dealing with kids. They thought it was easy getting a straight answer out of a child. They didn't realize that you gotta learn to read between the lines as a parent.

Even somebody as young as Spring is knows the difference between an adult and a child. She called them big kids so most likely it was a teenager or somebody young enough to make her think they was one.

Once I broke it down like that, everybody except Simon got onboard. He tried to fight me on it, but I wasn't having it. I wasted enough time going back and forth with him earlier. I ignored him, and he started pacing the room while we worked through potential enemies.

Although Spring said Candyce was asleep in the car, we ruled out it being a random attack. Since as Munch pointed out, Candyce's car was still parked out front with the keys in it when Daz found it. We all agreed that would've never happened unless niggas knew who their neighbors was. Everybody in that hood had to have known it was a traphouse. That's why everybody minded their business when Candyce got kidnapped and why they left her car alone.

If it wasn't some random niggas lookin' for a quick come-up, then that meant taking Candyce was personal. The only problem was, I couldn't think of anybody I had done so wrong that they'd be stupid enough to take it out on Red.

We was at a dead end until Simon went back to something Munch said.

"Our neighbors knew what went on in the traphouse, but nobody knew better than the niggas that worked there," He said.

"Look, I just told y'all niggas I ain't got none against Candyce," Munch said.

"I'm not talkin' 'bout you. Four other niggas worked there before you," Simon said.

I pulled my eyebrows together while I followed his train of thought. There was four other niggas working there and I know because I put them there.

Then me and Red kicked 'em out.

"One of them niggas is standing outside the door right now," I said.

Simon was on his feet before the rest of us knew what was happening. We all exchanged looks before we scrambled to follow after him.

Now, we jog to catch up to Simon as he throws the front door open.

"Tell me it ain't true, Cal," Simon says.

At the door, we see Simon standing next to Cal while Cal chews on sunflower seeds.

He looks at Simon with a funny look as he spits some seeds into a plastic cup.

"What ain't true?" He asks.

Rondo braces up to Cal with a mean mug on his face.

"Don't play dumb, nigga. Ain't nun I hate more than a snake and a liar. You already got one strike against you; don't make it two," Rondo says.

Cal's eyebrows pull together. He looks at Simon to see that Simon wearing a similar look.

He bends down to sit the plastic cup of seeds by his feet. He stands up straight again, looking at all of us.

"What this nigga talkin' 'bout, bruh?" Calvin asks.

"That sound like another strike to me Rondo," Cutta says.

Rondo pulls his glock free from his waistband. I hear another gun cock into place around us.

Calvin looks at me for help, but I'm grilling him just as hard as the next nigga. Calvin laughs to himself as he looks at Simon.

"This what we doing now?" He asks.

Simon shrugs.

"I gotta know, Cal," He says.

Calvin lets out a deep breath.

"Know what?" He asks.

"Talkin' 'bout some 'back so soon'. You knew we wasn't gon find shit," Keezy chuckles.

Calvin still looks confused. This shit is getting real old real quick. I step through the crowd to catch everybody up to speed.

"You know what we talkin' bout, bruh. You had us running through that hood getting shot at when the whole time you knew who took her," I say.

Calvin looks at me like I've grown two heads.

"Candyce? Y'all think I had something to do with that?" He asks.

Rondo tightens his grip on his gun. Calvin notices. He ain't laughing when he looks at Simon again.

"You can't be serious, bruh," He says.

I don't know what kinda friendship they have but whatever it is, Simon ain't budging. Cal starts to plead his case to me.

"I been right here all fuckin' day! Caese you know I ain't move from this spot. You saw me when you came here with Candyce this morning," He says.

I cross my arms, nodding my head.

"Yeah, we saw you. Then you told Simon 'bout it after I asked you not to. Clearly you can't be trusted. We just tryna see where yo loyalties lie," I say.

Calvin looks at Simon.

"I called you 'cause I thought you was dead. Candyce had all this blood on her clothes and she was too fucked up to tell me whose it was. I wanted to make sure you was straight," Calvin says.

He pouring his heart out to the wrong person. I'm still mad that he went behind my back like that.

"So why you still went ahead and told him what you saw after he picked up the phone?" I ask.

He leans against the wall, shaking his head.

"I told you that shit 'cause I thought we was potnas. I ain't feel right ending that call without telling you about Candyce. I risked my job 'cause I thought I fucked with you harder than that," He says.

Ain't no way his ass was bold enough to say that in front of me.

"It sound like you need to be working for Simon then," I say.

"See what I mean? I'm risking my job to put you on game. Now you coming at me with the rest of these niggas like you'on even know me," Calvin says.

Simon takes his aggression down a notch. I side-eye him, but I don't say nun'. We got all the aggression we need with these hitters surrounding us.

He drops the demanding tone in his voice and tries talking to Calvin like it's a regular conversation.

"Curry 'nem," Simon says.

"Man, what about 'em?" Calvin asks.

"When's the last time you talked to them?" He asks.

Calvin holds his rifle straight up in his lap while he's leaning against the wall.

"I don't know, probably the day Caesar promoted me," Cal says.

"What you mean?" I ask.

"Tell Rambo to put his gun up and we'll talk," Cal says.

I nod my head at Rondo to stand down. He backs out of Calvin's breathing room.

"'Preciate it," Cal says, giving me a dry look.

"Talk," I say.

Calvin sighs.

"Curry had this idea that we was all gon' get put on together. We all felt the same way but Curry lived that shit," He says.

"Who is we?" Reese asks.

"Ask Twin. He knows," Cal says.

Simon looks around at us.

"Neco, Maj and Curry," He says.

Everybody nods their heads, satisfied that our tactics finally got us a name.

"Coming up together was Curry's corner boy dream. He wanted to eat with the same niggas he starved with. Munch know how it go," Calvin continues.

"What is this, a job interview? Ain't nobody asking you for all these references, nigga. Just talk," Munch says.

Calvin takes his time dumping the bag of sunflower seeds into his mouth. Rondo moves towards him, but I reach my arm out to stop him.

Stalling is all Calvin can do to show us he still got a pair on him. All of us niggas coming at him at once? I'm glad that's all he doing. He could've been another Simon and talked shit the whole time. Then we would've spent more time beating the truth outta him than it's gon' take for him to break some fuckin' sunflower seeds between his teeth.

"Anyway, my dream was a lil' different than Curry's. I wanted to run my own shit like you and Ace. I knew that in order to do that, I had to climb the ladder of success. So when you asked me to move up, I did. It was one step closer to my dream, but Curry ain't see it that way. In his eyes, one step closer to my dream was one step away from his. He felt like I was leaving them behind. He called me a 'sell-out' and we ain't talk since," Calvin says.

"The only thing greener than envy is money," I say.

So why I ain't get a ransom call yet?

"That sounds 'bout right. Them niggas was turning green in the face when Candyce made us take over for them. I almost took my belt off for this nigga here, but he got his mind right. That other one, Curry, was talkin' like he wanted smoke with Tory. I call dibs on him," Munch says.

"Get in line," I say.

Then to Calvin, "They ever tell you what they plan to do if Curry's dream ain't work out?" I ask.

Calvin shakes his head.

"I was cool with them, but not like you think. I met them on the block. Them niggas been friends. I was only included in Curry's dream 'cause I was around. He the type of nigga to bring everybody along if he can," He says.

Reese steps closer to me.

"Three friends with a motive to move against you. Candyce just got caught in the middle," Reese says.

I nod my head.

"She could've been a target too," Calvin says.

Me and Reese exchange looks. We look back at him.

"Explain," Reese says.

"Caese know what I'm talkin' bout. Candyce told him to fire us from the trap," Cal says.

"They knew it too. We all did," Simon says.

Finally the pieces start to fit together. Now I know why they ain't call for the ransom yet. I've been racking my brain tryna figure out what they could want with Red if it wasn't 'bout the money. The answer was in the question this whole time.

"We've been goin' at this all wrong. We've been sifting through my enemies tryna make sense of this, when really we should've been lookin' at Candyce," I say.

"What you mean?" Reese asks.

"I knew something didn't feel right about the way this went down. They took Candyce hours ago, and nobody even knew she was missing. We ain't know 'cause they ain't let it be known. I expected a phone call or sum'n by now. It's like they wanna prolong this shit. Maybe kidnapping Candyce was as much about getting revenge as it was about getting paid," I say.

Simon shakes his head.

"I don't give a fuck what their reasoning was! I just want my sister back!" He says.

"You think we don't know that? We all want her back, nigga! I'm just tryna make sense of this shit," I say.

"He's right, Caese. Why we drawing our on conclusions when the nigga that could answer our questions is right here?" Keezy says.

"Of course you gon' feel that way. You never had to think through a plan before we sent you out there to kill somebody. All this thinking is how you get yo orders and do what you do best. So fall back and let me do what I do best," I say.

Keezy raises his hands and steps back.

"What else you know about this nigga Curry?" I ask Calvin.

"I know he a spiteful lil' dude. He talk like he Noah tryna put all his niggas on but he don't like when those same niggas get on before him. He really just move on his own agenda and feed Maj and Neco just enough to keep them following behind him," Cal says.

I mark another tally against Curry in my head. So far, he's been accused of being spiteful, jealous, and mad enough to pass words with Tory. That goes to show that we're on the right track. Any low-level nigga willing to step to a hitter is definitely acting on emotion and without sense.

Simon was right. This wasn't a random attack, but it wasn't a professional one either. It wasn't some random hood niggas, but it's not calculating enough to be Angel. It's just the right amount of stupid and desperate to have corner boy written all over it.

"We know it wasn't you, Cal. You got too much to lose. But you gon' lose more than yo spot at the door if you don't tell us where we can find 'em," I say.

"Look, man, I ain't no snitch," Calvin says.

"No, but you just said you was my potna," Simon says.

"That was before you rolled up on me with the Kill Squad. I spoke too soon," Calvin says.

"You right. I wasn't thinking straight. I ain't gon' be in my right mind 'til I find Candyce. She can be a headache sometimes, but I'll go down swinging for her. I don't care who I hit if it brings me closer to finding her," Simon says.

Cal doesn't look convinced.

"Ask Keezy, he'll tell you," Simon says.

"I wouldn't brag on that if I was you," Keezy says.

Simon pays him no mind. He's got a bad habit of testing people then not taking them serious long enough to listen to their comebacks. You really gotta lay hands on him to make him feel you. Unfortunately for Keezy, we don't have time for that.

"So what it's gon' be, Calvin? You protecting Candyce or three niggas who started hating before they turned their backs on you?" I say.

"Choose wisely, nigga," Rondo says.

Calvin looks around at all of us before he sighs.

"I'm only telling y'all this shit 'cause I fuck with Simon. None of y'all niggas put fear in my heart, not even you, Rambo," Calvin says.

Now I'm starting to see why him and Simon are friends.

"I don't know where Neco and Curry stay but I've been to Maj's house a few times. Sometimes he'd leave the block in the middle of a shift to check up on his grandma. She got Alzhemier's and diabetes so be she forgetting to take her insulin. My grandpa died from that shit so I know how important it is. You gotta give it to 'em 'round the same time every day. Maj usually went over there at 3 o'clock," Calvin says.

"What's the address?" Simon asks.

"Y'all gotta promise not to hurt that old lady," Cal says.

"We just making pinky promises to all the kids today, huh?" Munch asks.

"I'm just saying that's not necessary. She don't know who Maj is half the time. She gon' forget what happened and how y'all niggas look while y'all still in the house. Just spare the woman," Cal says.

"We ain't gon' touch her, bruh. Where she live?" I ask.

He tells us the address, then we make our way back inside the loft to talk next steps.

"You can finish the rest of yo shift inside," I tell Calvin.

He leans off the wall and starts to walk inside. I put my arm up to his chest to stop him.

"Phone first," I say.

He smacks his teeth.

"Why you got me working for you if you don't trust me?" He says.

"Cause I ain't know you couldn't be trusted until after that stunt you pulled today. From now on, give me yo phone before every shift. You need to learn how to be a fly on the wall before you ever make it to me and Ace's level," I say.

Cal reluctantly digs into his pocket and pulls out an iPhone.

"You still got that flip-phone on you, huh?" I ask.

"Yeah," He says.

"Good. They got some ringtones on it you can play with until yo shift is over," I say.

I hear him smack his teeth again as I turn around to walk inside the room. Everybody's standing around when I enter.

"Listen up. Maj won't be home until 3pm today. That's a whole 11 hours from now, so go home and get some sleep. Be back before 1," I say.

Munch and Daz waste no time heading for the door.

"That's standard time, not Colored People's Time," I say as they pass me.

"Shut yo light-skinned ass up. It sound racist when you say it," Munch says.

The door slams behind them. The rest of the room fills with quiet laughter. It's like everybody's too tired to put any energy into it.

"I gotta couple free rooms open to anybody who ain't got an ole lady to answer to," I say.

"Thank God. I'm boutta fall the fuck out," Cutta says.

Mad Max already beat him to the chase. I'm just realizing his ass slept through Calvin's interrogation.

Bee walks over and taps his leg. Mad Max shakes himself awake.

"Get yo ass up. I ain't got time for Lashonda to be calling my phone worried 'bout you," Bee says.

Mad Max stands up and stretches.

"What's goin' on?" He asks.

"You can't sleep like you dead to the world. A nigga could've walked down on you just that easily," Keezy says.

Mad Max yawns.

"Shit, anything would've been better than the dream I was just having," He says.

"That's because of them fucking pills you popped," Bee says.

"Tell me I ain't hear that right. It sounded like you said baby boy still needs help doing a drill," Cutta says.

Keezy smirks.

"Aw, man. You almost had my respect too," Rondo says.

"Getting yo respect don't keep me up at night, nigga," Mad Max says.

"Clearly," Cutta says.

Rondo chuckles.

"Fuck both of y'all niggas," Mad Max says.

Cutta laughs to himself.

"I'm surprised you even went to sleep. It took everybody else a couple of days to stop dreaming about their first," Keezy says.

"Shid, speak for yoself. I still see my first one every now and then. It's always when I'm in a good sleep too. Like a part of me know I ain't 'posed to be sleeping like a baby," Bee says.

The rest of the hitters chuckle.

He throws an arm around Max's shoulders.

"You gon' be straight, bruh. You did good today. After awhile pulling triggers gon start to feel like punching a clock," Bee says.

"Like any other 9 to 5," Keezy says.

"Shid, this feel less like work and more like play," Mad Max says.

"You say that 'cause you ain't never worked with Tory. That nigga made every drill feel like an assassination to kill the president," Rondo says.

"You ain't lying, boy. That nigga could play all day long, but wan' turn into Tony when it's time to put in work. I mean, so quiet I'd start thinkin' that he was plotting on me. Imagine me tryna side-eye this nigga and drive at the same time. 'Finna fuck around and kill us both," Cutta laughs.

"Then as soon as it's over he like 'What you so serious for? Nigga catch one body and think that mean he can't smile no more'," Bee says.

Everybody starts laughing. This one sounds more heartily than before. Mad Max gives everyone a lazy smile as he goes around dapping them up.