Page 66 of Maceo

“Shar—”

“Maceo, you weren’t listening to me when I told you something was up with that bitch. You and the guys have been on ten missions, and never have you had an issue until this bitch popped up. I’m telling you, she had something to do with this shit. Something ain’t right about that girl. Her and that nigga she’s always with now are on some shady shit.”

“What nigga?”

“This big, dark ass, scary looking nigga. They were in the club when me and Salima went the other night. They were talking to this girl, and I swear I feared for her life. She left with them, and I didn’t see her again. You didn’t see the way they were looking at her. It was like… prey. Maceo, that man sends a chill down my spine. I don’t know what it is about him. You know I’m not afraid of anybody, but him? Babe, there is something sinister about that man. Those cold black eyes… that scar on his cheek?—”

I watched his ears perk up. “Scar?”

“Yes. It’s a big scar that looks like somebody cut him in the face. It starts right under his eye and goes down to his chin. She said his name was?—”

“Blane.”

I looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Yeah. How did you know that?”

“Because I damn near slammed into his car on the way home. He pulled out in front of me.”

“Did he know who you were?”

“He didn’t act like it, but if your suspicions are correct, I’m sure he did.”

“We need to see if Jaeda found anything.”

I went over by the front door and slipped my feet into my slides. Jaeda’s house was the one before ours, so it only took a minute or so to drive over. She opened the door the moment we stepped on the front porch. She looked from me to her brother.

“It’s okay,” I said. “He knows.”

“And we’re gonna talk about you keeping my girl’s secrets, Jaeda Janelle.”

She rolled her eyes. “Come inside. I was just about to text you.”

“You found something?”

“Did I!”

She led us back to her work area. The girl had a whole suspect board laid out with a bunch of shit all over it. Every monitor had something on it.

“You’ve been busy.”

“I have. You sent me down a rabbit hole.”

“What are we looking at?” Maceo asked, sitting at her desk. He tried to touch the keyboard, but she slapped his hand.

“Don’t come in here touching shit. Move.”

He huffed as she shooed him out of her seat. She sat down and started messing with the monitors.

“Okay, first. Charity checked out.”

My brows furrowed in confusion. “What?”

“Everything I found on her seems legit, Shar. Driver’s license, social security number. According to my findings, she was raised in foster care after her parents died in a car crash when she was ten. She aged out at eighteen, worked a few fast-food jobs. It seems like she disappeared from a digital footprint about three years ago. I couldn’t find a phone record, tax record, bank account… nothing.”

I was thoroughly confused and a little upset. Jaeda was the smartest person I knew, but I couldn’t believe that Charity was who she said she was. Something wasn’t right. She clicked away on the computer until Blane’s face popped up.

“I’m gonna do a little more digging on her. Just give me some time. Now your boy here… he has a hefty rap sheet. Take a look at the board.”

We turned to the board, looking it over.

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