Chapter 47

I would hate to be the captain of this sinking ship. I can't imagine what Caesar is thinking when Ace and his girl walk through the door.

"Damn, y'all don't miss a nigga. I been gone for six months and y'all don't show me no love? Don't tell me y'all prefer the change in management," Ace says.

He glances around the room. His smile drops when he locks eyes with me.

"Candy," He whispers.

Seeing the way his eyes soften when he looks at me melts my heart. It really hits me that my big brother is home. I run to him like I'm two years old again, and he's just started school for the first time. I cried when he got on the bus, and I cried when he got home. I asked him to promise never to leave me again.

Even that young, Ace knew the weight of a promise like that. Instead of lying to me, he said, "I have to go to school again tomorrow, Candy. But I'll be back. I'll always come back for you."

I'm reminded of those words when I crash into his arms.

"Ace," I breathe.

He wraps me up in his arms so tightly I stop breathing.

"Oh my god, I missed you," He says.

He laughs into my shoulder. His whole body vibrates with it. I soak it all in.

"I missed you too," I say.

Ace releases me. He plants me back on the ground and kisses me on the forehead. I smile up at him like a little kid.

"What you still doing hanging 'round here? I thought Angel woulda been laid off his hunting party," Ace says.

I look at the floor.

"We got bigger problems than Angel," I say.

Ace lifts my chin up with his finger. His eyebrows pull together as he stares me in my eyes.

"What could be worse than somebody threatening yo' life?" He asks.

I bite my tongue. I don't know how to tell him that I've been through so much that that's become the norm for me.

Ace furrows his eyebrows deeper.

"Where the fuck you get all these bruises on yo face from?" He asks.

I step out of his grasp.

"What you doing back?" I ask.

He doesn't answer right away. He just stares at me, but it's more like he's trying to see through me. He's acting like staring me down is gonna' bring him up to speed about all that's happened since he left--as if my body is made of today's newspaper or something.

"I heard you needed me," He says.

That's gotta be the understatement of the year.

"Where'd you hear that from?" I ask.

Ace points at Caesar, "Who else?"

He slowly walks around the rest of the room. It's like he's finally seeing the mess he walked into.

He stops near Daz and Dr. Amin on the couch. He looks down at them.

"From the looks of things, he was right," He says.

Ace turns around. A mug decorates his once smiling face. He looks dead at Caesar.

"What the fuck happened?" He asks.

Caesar sighs. I wouldn't know where to start either.

"Somebody better start explainin' why a fuckin' coke runner needs surgery. Since when do we need Dr. Amin for anybody but the hitters?" Ace asks.

Everybody avoids his gaze as he looks around the room. He walks over to Caesar.

"Caese, bro, explain to me how I find my shit in worse shape than I left it. When I left, the Feds was breathing down our necks. Angel wanted my sister dead. Now she tellin' me that ain't the biggest threat. So tell me what is," Ace says.

Caesar stares Ace down. The entire room is silent as we watch the exchange of power.

Eventually Caesar gives in.

"I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but Cam betrayed us. He joined forces with some lil' niggas that's been plotting against us since--" Caesar starts, but Ace interrupts him.

"Hol' on, hol' on, hol' on. Cam betrayed us?" Ace asks.

Caesar doesn't say anything. Ace stares at him dumbfounded before he looks around the room.

"How the fuck that happen?" He asks.

Caesar clears his throat. Ace turns back around.

"I guess he felt played when you handed over the reins to me instead of him," Caesar says.

"He felt played? You telling me Cam did all this 'cause he felt played?"

Ace shakes his head.

"Nah, I know Cameron. He don't act off emotion. He use his head more than his heart, that's why I made him my number two. Something else must've happened. Something you not telling me."

"Let's just say he ain't handle the change in leadership well. We bumped heads and one of those times ended up with me bustin' him in the mouth with my gun," Caesar says.

Ace's eyes bulge out of his head.

"You busted Cam in the mouth with yo' gun?" He asks.

Caesar nods his head.

Ace laughs, but it's not genuine. It sounds more sarcastic than anything. He folds his hands in front of him.

"And what happened next?" He asks.

"I broke his nose. It must've did something to his pride 'cause he teamed up with Simon and started plotting against us," Caesar says.

Ace pulls his head back.

"Simon?" He asks.

Caesar just stares at him.

"My Simon?" Ace asks, pointing to his chest.

Caesar nods. Ace shakes his head.

"Nah, now you ain't making sense. First you say Cam switched up 'cause he felt played. Now you saying he teamed up with my brother...to do what exactly?" Ace says.

"Steal everything we got," Caesar says.

Ace scoffs.

"Steal everything we got?" He repeats.

"That's what I just said," Caesar says.

Ace chuckles.

"What the fuck is you talkin' 'bout, bruh? You mean to tell me Simon--who was playing video games when I left--is now in the drug game? And Cam--one of the most solid niggas I know--put him in the game just to take down everything I built?" He asks.

"I never said Cam put him in the game," Caesar says.

Guilt riddles through me. Ace looks around the room.

"Well who the fuck did?" He asks.

I step up to him and Caesar.

"I did," I say.

Ace looks down at me.

"What the fuck you mean you did?"

I cross my arms over my chest.

"Just what I said," I say.

Ace raises an eyebrow, "And who the fuck put you in the game?"

"I did," Caesar says.

Ace turns back around to look at him.

"You did?" He asks.

"You gon' keep repeating everything I say or you gon' shut up and listen?" Caesar says.

Ace braces up to him.

"I don't think you got a good enough explanation for why you dragged my sister and brother in the fucking game. But if you think you do, by all means, let's hear it," Ace says.

"We ain't like the summer job Candyce found on her own, so I put her up in one of the storefronts. That way she could keep making money, stay out of trouble, and I could keep an eye on her. Plus, I thought it would keep her mind off Jonah," Caesar says.

Ace turns his head, but not before I notice the guilty look on his face.

"By her birthday I started to see the potential in her. I never wanted her on the front lines of this shit. I just thought she deserved to be her own boss. She had big shoes to fill with you being gone. All the bills fell on her shoulders. I helped out when I could, but it wasn't much I could do. I was tryna' keep a low profile after the Feds ran you outta' town, so we wasn't seeing as much money as we used to. It wasn't a decision she made lightly, but she agreed to it," Caesar says.

Ace mugs him.

"So how did you keep her off the front lines?" He asks.

"I'm right here. You could just ask me," I say.

"I'm not talkin' to you. I'm talkin' to the nigga I left in charge of taking care of you," Ace says.

"I don't need anybody taking care of me," I say.

Ace looks at me.

"Is that why you don't wan' tell me who did that shit to yo' face?" He asks.

I cower under his eye. Luckily Caesar is here to take the attention off of me. I shrink back from them while he finishes explaining himself.

"I put her up in a club. It was Candyce's idea really, and it was good one. So good that I bought her a club of her own. Now she don't have to touch the dope at all. She got other bitches doing it for her," Caesar says.

I look up at him. We catch each other's eye. I smirk hearing the way he boasts about me.

Ace looks between the two of us. I quickly drop the smile on my face.

"And this club--" Ace says.

"The Penthouse," I interject.

"What?" He asks.

"It's called The Penthouse," I say.

Ace rolls his eyes.

"Aight, The Penthouse. How it's doing now?" He asks.

I shrug, "Good."

I leave out the part about how it seems like something bad happens every time I open the doors or that we haven't been open since Tory died.

Even after I omit the truth, Ace still isn't convinced.

"Well I hope it was fun while it lasted 'cause it's getting shut down today," He says.

"What?!" I yell.

Caesar smacks his teeth.

"C'mon, now, bruh. If you mad at me, then take that shit up with me. Don't punish her for some shit that's working," He says.

"You don't get to tell me how to deal with my sister when you been putting her in harm's way for months, nigga! I haven't heard one solid argument about why you put her in the game. So I ain't got no problem taking her out," Ace says.

"You can't do this," I say.

Ace looks at me.

"I can and I will."

"The deed to the club is in yo' name, Candyce. He can't do shit unless you let him," Caesar says.

Ace pushes Caesar.

"Didn't I just tell you to stay out this, nigga?! You got bigger shit to worry 'bout than Candyce's fucking playhouse!" He yells.

"It's called The Penthouse!" I yell.

"Whatever the fuck it's called, consider it sold. You might as well say yo' goodbyes while me and this nigga figure out how we gon' get back what Cam took. What the fuck did he take anyway?" Ace says.

Caesar finally recovers and pushes Ace back.

"I just told you everything!" Caesar says.

Ace pushes him again.

"Fuck you mean everything?!" He yells.

This time, Caesar doesn't return the favor. He gestures around the room.

"Look around you, nigga. I know you been gone a while but you can't tell me you don't recognize these faces. Cam hit the stashouses. He didn't even need to hit the traps 'cause we moved all the money and product to the stashouses over the holidays. Cam knew that. He picked the right time to snake us," Caesar says.

"So you mean to tell me everything is gone? The product? The money?" Ace asks.

"And most of the guns. The only thing we got left is what's here in The Loft, and it ain't much," Caesar says.

Ace shakes his head. He pulls his phone out his pocket while he starts to pace the room.

"I'ma call Cam. Maybe I can talk some sense into him before this shit really get outta hand," Ace says.

Caesar chuckles lowly.

"You really not hearing me, huh?" He asks.

Ace looks up from his phone.

"Ain't no gettin' it back unless you ready to go through yo' brother to get it. And believe me, Simon ain't the same lil' nigga you left. He ain't just gon' hand the shit over to you. If you ain't ready to kill him, then you might as well count yo' losses," Caesar says.

"Kill him? Nigga, that's my brother you talkin' bout. Watch yo' fuckin' mouth," Ace says.

Caesar shakes his head. A small smile plays on his lips.

"You don't even know who you defending right now. This the same motherfucka who ain't think twice about stealing from you today! The same lil' nigga I had to defend you against! But you comin' at me like I'm to blame. Like I ain't put everything on the line for you and this fuckin' business," Caesar says.

"From where I'm standing I'm the only one who had sum'n to lose and I lost it all by putting it in yo' hands!" Ace says.

"You talkin' 'bout some fuckin' coke, nigga? Some money? Nigga that's shit you can get back! I lost my potna! I can't get Reese back!" Caesar yells.

Ace furrows his eyebrows. Surprise washes over his features. He fixes his face quickly though.

"Reese died? Well, it's a good thing I was keeping busy while I was laying low. I got product shipping in from another plug as we speak," Ace says.

"This ain't about replacing no fuckin' plug! Reese was my brother!" Caesar yells.

"Then maybe you should be the one to go to New York to tell his family. Either way, you ain't needed 'round here no more," Ace shrugs.

Caesar wastes no time closing the distance between them. They brace up to each other like they're about to fight, but I'll be damned if I let that happen. I've seen them fight before, but this feels different. The tension in the air is almost palpable. I'm worried if I let things escalate, they won't be able to come back from this.

It's bad enough they've said some disrespectful shit to each other. I'm determined to leave it at that. So when Caesar steps up like he's ready to make a bad situation worse, I step in between them.

"Move out the fuckin' way, Candyce," Caesar growls.

"Stop it!" I yell.

I look at Ace.

"Do you really wanna' start beef with the one person who held yo' business down while you was away?" I ask.

"Shit, if what y'all saying is true then I'm already at war with one brother. What's war with one more?" Ace asks.

A look flashes across Caesar's face. I could be wrong, but it looked like he was hurt.

He nods his head.

"It's like that?" He says.

"Yeah, it's like that, nigga," Ace says.

Caesar slowly nods his head as he backs away from Ace. He walks past me without another word. I feel torn watching him walk out the door.

I wanna' follow after him, but I can't. Not after Ace just basically declared him an enemy.

Is this Deja'Vu? First I had to choose between Munch and Caesar. Now I'm caught in the middle of two people I love yet again. I may not be able to make my own choice this time, but I can speak up for myself.

I wait 'til Caesar slams the door behind him to confront Ace.

"Hey! I know you been out of the loop and all, but I dated Reese for four months! Try showing a little fucking respect!" I say.

Before he can say anything, I head to the door.

"And where the fuck you think you goin'?!" Ace yells.

"To talk to Simon! Where else?!" I yell over my shoulder.

I slam the door behind me as I leave. If I hurry, maybe I can catch Caesar before he gets on the elevator.

Candyce and Reese? What type of shit was Caesar lettin' go down while I was gone?

I shake my head.

I ain't even 'finna get into that right now. Like I told Caese, I got bigger shit to worry 'bout than Candy's poor decision-making. We'll be here all day and I'm already on a time-limit.

I was supposed to meet Keela on New Year's Day for the drop, but she pushed up the deadline on me. She said the shipment got here faster than she expected, and she didn't wanna' waste no time getting it off her hands. Of course she was already on her way here when she told me, so it's not like I had a choice.

We're scheduled to meet in two hours for the drop. I thought I would just use the money from one of the stashes to pay her off for the shipment, but if Cam really took everything, then that means he left me with nothing. I got product on the way from a ruthless bitch who cut off her own brother's head for double-crossing her. I know she ain't gon' show no mercy to me and mines if I don't give her what I owe her.

This shit got me stressing but I've never been one to show my hand. I keep Keela's threats in mind but to myself. Fuck I look like telling my soldiers I let a bitch threaten my family and live to see the next day? Nah, all I tell my hitters is that I need to get my hands on some money and I need to do it quick. I can worry 'bout the how and why. I just need to know if they still down.

"So what's the move then? We can't handle shit like we normally do with yo' brother involved," Keezy says.

"You really think Simon had sum'n to do with this?" I ask.

Keezy shakes his head.

"I don't know, Ace. I been around that nigga. He ain't shy 'bout his hate for you," He says.

Damn. I know we never really saw eye to eye, but I thought that was mostly 'cause of our differences. While our pops was teaching me the rules of the game, Simon was on his XBox learning rules of his own. I always thought that was a luxury he got to have as my younger brother. I was putting in work so he didn't have to. If I'm being real though, the only reason Simon didn't follow me off the porch is 'cause Simon don't follow nobody. I could never make him do shit--he was worse than Candy in that way. She was stubborn, but she would come around eventually. Simon was a different breed altogether. He's always moved to the beat of his own drum. So if it's true that him and Cam really did plot against me, then I know it had to be Simon's idea. I'm just hoping it ain't true.

I guess I won't know until I talk to him. That's never been an easy feat and right now I don't have time to break down Simon's walls to have a heart-to-heart. I'm racing against time and right now, I'm losing. I gotta stay focused on one thing at a time.

"I'll deal with Simon on my own time. Him and Cam off-limits 'til I say otherwise," I say.

Despite what Caesar said, I refuse to believe Simon changed that much in six months. No way my lame ass brother is suddenly capable of being my number one enemy.

"Instead we put our eyes on somebody else. Somebody who had this coming for a long time," I say.

"Who?" Keezy asks.

"Angel," I say.

That nigga still gotta answer for what he did to us, and I need to put my hands on some money. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.

To say I came up with it on the spot, I think my plan is solid until the hitters start looking at each other.

What the fuck I'm missing?

"What?" I ask.

"You sure you wanna' fuck with that?" Bee says.

"Aww, don't tell me you bitched up while I was gone," I say.

"Nah, it's just Caesar made that shit sound like a suicide mission," He says.

"Shit, I'm here for a good time not a long time," Cutta says.

I reach over and dap him up.

"Now that's what I like to hear," I say.

"I'm just saying, we don't know who comin' behind him," Bee says.