Page 1 of Desperate Measures
jahsir
. . .
“Somebody hit Crimson’s bank,”Rashad blurted the second I walked through Venus’s door.
“What do you mean somebody hit her bank, how do you know that?”
“I got an alert on my phone from the Mulholland Tribune.” Rashad was pacing back and forth. He'd finally stopped long enough to grab his phone off the glass coffee table. “Look.”
Quickly, I glanced at the article. I zoomed in onthree dead, others with minor injuries.My stomach sank, and my life with Crimson flashed before my eyes.
Today's plan was simple. First, swing by Venus's crib and give Rashad some cash. He’d been struggling financially for a while now, and hitting him up with bread was more common than not. Then I planned to pick up Scarlett early and take her to my mom’s house. Finally, the quiet, romantic weekend with Crimson I had planned would unfold. She’d been saying she wanted to get away for one baby-free weekend, even if we didn’t leave town. I wanted to make sure it happened. But instead of preparing for the weekend I had planned, I was now trying to figure out who would be stupid enough to rob a bank that my woman worked for.
There wasn’t a nigga in town that didn’t know Crimson belonged to me. Even if I was laying low and barely seen, the people who heard about me,knewI was here. Hitting her bank was a suicide mission, so I'm trying to see who would be reckless with their life like this.
Rashad paced the floor; house arrest was finally getting to him. He couldn’t get to his cousin, and it made him feel helpless. “Bro, you gon’ take care of this?” He asked desperately. “Lemme know if my cousin is good, please. She’s not responding to texts or answering calls.”
“Keep calling, and the moment you reach her, let me know. You keep me posted, and I’ll keep you posted.” I told him trying to maintain my own composure.
“Where are you going?” Venus asked.
“I gotta get Scarlett, then I'm taking her to Zahara.”
“Zahara? Why can’t she come over here?”
“Because Crimson ain’t fuckin’ with you right now. Why would I bring Scarlett here?”
Venus folded her arms and narrowed her eyes as she scoffed. “Typical Crim. Soon as you come back, she drops me like I never meant shit. Now her and Zahara back to being besties? Of course.”
I stared at her. “You think this is the time for that bullshit?”
“Yeah, chill with that shit, Venus,” Rashad interjected. “It ain’t sweet when it comes to Crim. Don’t forget that.”
Venus flinched with anger, barely, but I caught it. She looked away, clenching her jaw. Jealousy and anger were consuming her, for sure, but being checked by Rashad hurt her feelings more than anything. None of that shit mattered to me, though. I was on a mission. Rashad would have to deal with this on his own.
I nodded then exited Venus’s home. Instead of picking Scarlett up myself, I called the center, informing them of whathad happened. And though Zahara wasn’t on the emergency pick-up list, they unwittingly allowed her to pick Scarlett up today, considering all that was going on. Silently, I prayed her mother was still among the living. There were casualties, but we didn’t know who they were. Rashad was panicking and understandably so. But I had my game face on. I was ready to blow the world up if I had to.
Tearing through the streets of Mulholland Falls, my heart thudded louder than ever. All of my organs worked in overdrive. My brain had me running down every possible scenario that I faced. And my lungs kept my breath stuck in my throat, making me feel like I couldn’t breathe. My gut told me she was fine, but without seeing her, I couldn’t be sure. But stopping wasn’t an option. Not when Crimson was in danger. Not when her life might be slipping away with every second.
Sweat dripped down my face as I weaved through traffic. Horns blared, and I got cursed out a few times. My mind focused on getting to the location, but it also focused on calculation, guilt, and revenge. I’d kept my return to this city a secret for a reason. I had enemies and plenty of them. My recklessness had left ghosts lurking in the shadows. This shit wasn’t a coincidence; I refused to believe that. And while I wanted to remain under the radar, I knew that was no longer possible.
The closer I got, the heavier my chest felt. Sirens echoed in the distance. Yellow crime scene tape flapped in the breeze. A thick crowd had gathered outside the bank with their eyes glued to the chaos. They murmured in low voices. Some of them cried, which only pissed me off more. They probably didn’t even know anyone inside the bank, unlike me. I should be the one crying. I quickly surveyed my surroundings. I saw shattered glass, red tape, and Gurneys with body bags on top. My stomach clenched at the sight of it all, as I frantically pushed through the crowd.
Then I sawher.
Crimson cowered near the back of an ambulance with a gray blanket draped over her shoulders. Even with the distance between us, I could see she was shaking. She was probably traumatized, but she was alive. And that was all that mattered. I moved toward her, but before I could reach her, a uniformed cop stepped in my way and pushed his palm out, pressing against my chest.
“Excuse me, sir. We got this. You need to step back.”
I clenched my jaw. “That’s my girl.” I brushed past him without another word.
The cop narrowed his eyes. “Hey…don’t I know you?”
I didn’t turn around, because I wasn’t about to clarify shit for him. Truth is, hedidknow me. My face had been plastered all over the news five years ago for this exact reason.
crimson
. . .
