Page 68 of Quasim II: King Inferno

Capone knew better than to argue with his brother. He allowed them to help him up, making sure he was stable on his feet, but not allowing him to walk alone. “Fill me in on everything… I gotta get my brother to the hospital.” I could hear the emotion in Cappadonna’s voice.

It was the same emotion that could be heard in any of our voices when it came to your sibling. “I’m coming,” Capri grabbed her heels and bag to chase behind her brothers.

I nodded and Meer left behind her.

We all sat in silence. “That was so scary… I’ve never seen Capone like that before. God.” Aimee held her chest, and Capella pulled her into him and kissed her head. “It hits different because that could be you, baby.”

He held her while kissing her head, because the truth of the matter was that Capella had sickle cell, and he was epileptic. “Don’t even think about that, Grasshopper. Capone is strong, and he gonna be straight… you alright, baby?”

She shook her head no, and he comforted her. “Anything new, I’m gonna update you.”

Forty and Devon both remained silent. “I can’t even fucking focus.”

“To be expected.” Devon leaned on the table. “Elijah is Rich’s son… does that change things?”

I looked at Devon. “Elijah ismyfucking son. He was fucking neglected before I even killed Rich… some fucking father. Nothing changes, he’s an Inferno. I need to know where that junkie is because I’m gonna snap her fucking neck with my bare hands.”

Corleon dug into Skyler’s bag and tossed the thick envelope onto the table. “All new documents for him with Inferno as his last name. They’re legal, too… what I did to get it done and switched into the system wasn’t legal.”

I grabbed the envelope. “Appreciate you.”

“Never mention it.”

Forty looked at me. “Lucia is the puppet master and Thea is the puppet. She got her doing her dirty work… why? We may never know. You cannot go after her now, King. Let her sit and handle your other pressing issues with Polo.”

“I hear you.” I replied and got ready to bounce.

They sat me down and crammed a bunch of fucking information down my throat, and I didn’t know how to process that shit right now. I was ready to go home to my Anjo and Elijah.

God was funny.

I send his biological pops to hell, and He sends me his son to care for and love. Funny how shit worked out.

Thea

Past

“Rich,are you here? I cannot stay long because my mother has Harley.” I heard a woman’s voice, and my heart started racing.

Sweat poured from my body as I stood in the closet and tried to get my breathing under control. I knew why she was here, and what was expected of me. When I moved here from Minnesota, I never expected my life to take a turn in the way that it had. I wanted to escape my small town and all the bad memories I had made there.

I needed something new and fresh, so when I found an ad for a live-in housekeeper, I jumped at the chance. The pay was decent, and I wouldn’t have to pay for an apartment. After cleaning, I could live my life whatever way I wanted.

The money was the most important part.

My parents were done with me. They had washed their hands with me, and I couldn’t blame them. They worked hard to provide for me, and I ruined it by following the wrongcrowd. The amount of bail money and lectures I received should have sent me fleeing sooner.

When the couple I would be working for told me they would send me money for a bus ticket, I jumped at the chance to leave that small town. I packed my things in the night, caught a ride from a friend, and hopped on a bus to head to New York City.

The nice couple was beautiful, until they shoved me into a room and left me locked there for three days before I was moved to another location. That nice couple happened to be Vincent Morgan, and a federal judge.

I was tortured and pumped full of hormone medicine. They treated us like animals, and if one got out of line, you never saw her again. We were handed scraps to eat, and I was stuck, with nowhere to run.

My parents didn’t know where I went, and they would chalk me up as running away. I wanted so badly to be rescued until Rich Parker came to the house one day. He was charming and handsome, and he always smelled nice. He didn’t look down at us, he actually smiled.

You never realized how long a smile could go until you didn’t see one for some time. He was always nice when he came over and was shown around. The more time he spent here, the closer we became.

He would bring me small things, like my favorite candies. If no one was around, he would allow me to watch TV in the main room. I fell deeper in love with him every time we were together.

---