Page 23 of Desperate Measures
I watchedCrimson day to day, prancing around in sheer happiness. She was still riding the wave from the grand opening a week ago. The flowers from Ms. Genevieve and Lonzo Stratisse lined our countertops in the kitchen, along with cards stamped with their praise. She soaked it up, smiling easy, like the world was hers. And it was.
But I wasn’t smiling. My mind was working in silence, lining up pieces no one else could see. Que, showing up and claiming he wanted to congratulate her and Scarlett, didn’t sit well with me. That was bullshit. I caught it for what it was. It wasn’t random or harmless. It was a calculated move, and now it was my turn.
I could make a move now and make it clear I wasn’t oblivious to his shiestiness. But moves like that come with a trail, and trails get followed. If I stepped wrong, I could lose Crimson and Scarlett. Instead I waited, planned and decided to talk to Crimson one last time so I could be sure.
“Crimson,I’m getting ready to ask you to do something. And bae… please understand, I know this is gonna be hard.”
She looked up, already bracing. “What is it, Jah?”
“I need you to tell me what happened again. The day of the robbery.”
“Jah…”
“I know, but it’s important. Just walk me through it. One more time. Please.”
She swallowed hard and nodded, fingers twisting the edge of her sleeve. “Okay.”
“You got this,” I said gently, reaching over to place my hand on her knee. She didn’t look at me, but she didn’t pull away either.
“It happened fast,” she began, eyes darting to the floor. “They killed my trainee. I tried to run. Everything was loud. Screaming, gunshots. I dropped down, tried to crawl under the counter.”
She paused, breathing raggedly now. Her thumb scraped against her nail.
“They searched around. Then… then they grabbed me for the vault. I…I let them in. They got the cash, and that was it. They brought me back to the lobby with everybody else.”
I watched her carefully. Her hands were shaking, even though she was trying to keep still.
“Something’s missing,” I said.
She blinked fast, a tear slipping out of the corner of one eye. “Then I was snatched up from the floor again. One of them pulled me up and dragged me out the emergency side door. He had a gun on me. That’s it.”
I reached out, brushing the tear off her cheek with my thumb, then cupped her face gently. “You did everything right. You hear me?”
She gave a slight nod, but her eyes were still full of something she didn’t know how to say. I pulled her in, resting my forehead against hers for a beat. “I got you.”
But even as I held her, my brain wouldn’t stop working. None of it made sense. They went straight for her. Out of all the tellers in that building,shewas the one they pulled for the vault. How the hell did they know she had access? Why risk dragging her through the bank in front of witnesses unless they knew what she could do for them?
And that exit through the side door? That wasn’t panic. That was pre-planned.
I leaned back just enough to look her in the eye. “I think Que hit your bank.”
Her whole body jerked. “What? No… Jah, he wouldn’t do that.”
“I pressed him a little. I had that nigga scared and shit. You never know how people act when they’re sweating.”
She shook her head, sitting up straighter. “He’s not like that. He’s a deadbeat and all, but this? I don’t know. I just can’t see him putting my life in danger like that.”
“You really believe that?” I kept my voice calm, but steady. “Crim, the man don’t even see his own daughter. That don’t tell you nothing? I mean, if he don’t care about his seed, what makes you think he gives a damn about you?”
“Why are you saying it like that?”
“Because you need to hear it. I’m not tryna be mean, I’m being real. You keep handing out second chances like they come with a guarantee. They don’t. Not with muthafuckas like him.”
“You don’t know him like I do.”
“You're right. I know him better than you do. And shit, I know his type. Niggas like Que are takers, and they don’t give a fuck who is hurt in the process. Listen, Crim. Imma be real with you. You wanna see the good in people so bad, you ignore the warning signs blinking right in your face. But listen…” I cupped her chin and tilted it up to me. “Your heart makes you an easy target. Everybody around you dirty. And as far as Que, you cangive him the benefit of the doubt if you want to, but that shit ain’t flying with me.”
She said nothing further, just looked away as her eyes swelled with tears. I wasn’t sure if it was the harshness and realism in my tone, or if it was due to the realization that nobody had her best interests at heart. Red trusted too many people, but I knew better.
