Page 85 of Maceo

It was time to head to the venue space. Maceo’s mother, Deja, Aunt Karen, and Ms. Stephanie had all come over so we could ride together. We piled in the SUVs driven by the Dillinger’s street team and made our way there. In one car was Salima and me. Jaeda, Deja, and Mia rode in the second one. In the other were the mothers.

“Are you nervous?” Salima asked, squeezing my hand.

“Nope. Nothing is changing but my last name.”

She giggled. “I love how you are always so confident. It’s one of the things I admire about you.”

I smiled. “You know what I admire about you?”

“What?”

“The way you always persevere. You sacrificed so much to take care of Aunt Karen. You went through something traumatic, and you never let it make you crawl in a hole and drown in your sorrows. You take everything with grace and strength.”

She swiped at a tear. “You know why I can do that, Shar? Because you’ve been in my corner every step of the way. When I couldn’t turn to anybody else, I always had you.”

“And you’ll always have me, boo.”

We shared a warm embrace, both of us fighting back tears.

“Look at y’all being all sentimental and shit,” Amp said, chuckling.

I playfully swatted at him. “Shut up.”

“I’m just saying. Y’all been attached at the hip since I’ve known you. What y’all have is solid. I respect that.”

“Thank you, Amp,” Salima said.

“You’re marrying into a good family, Shar. I know some shit is a little unorthodox, but the Dillingers really are for their community. I’m sure you know that.”

“I do,” I confirmed.

Salima’s phone rang, and she picked it up to answer.

“What’s up, Jae?”

I watched as she listened. The expression on her face went from one of elation to fear.

“What? Yeah, yeah, okay. Hold on.” She handed the phone to Amp.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

She looked at me as though she didn’t know how to tell me what was said on the other end of the phone.

“Salima, what happened!”

“There was a shooting at the venue, Shar.”

“What! Is Maceo okay? Oh my God! My dad and my brothers went to meet him!”

“He’s fine. They’re all fine. It’s just… the rest of the men that you two were working with. Shar… they’re dead.”

My lip trembled. “All of them?”

She nodded. “I’m so sorry.”

I felt my chest begin to tighten. Sloan? Tiny? Miko? Zeno? All of them were dead? That just left me and Maceo. Charity and Blane really were picking us off one by one.

Amp hung up the phone and handed it back to Salima. “I’ve been instructed to take you to the compound.”

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