Page 74 of Juke
23
Boom
I sat in the dark, bottle half-empty on the table, staring at the wall but not really seeing it. All I could see was Nessa laid out cold, lifeless, like the light had been snatched right out of her. My baby sister… my blood… was dead. She ain’t deserve that shit. She ain’t deserve none of this shit. The more I replayed it, the more the fire in my chest spread. None of this would’ve happened if it wasn’t for Juke. Mr. Perfect. Everybody’s golden boy. Every fucking thing I lost—Nessa, my name in these streets, my respect—it all circled back to him.
“Boom!” My mama’s voice cracked through the silence before her footsteps dragged into the living room. She reeked of liquor, as always.
I ain’t look up. “What?”
“You sitting here drowning yourself in liquor while I’m still waiting on what you promised me. Where’s my money?”
I clenched my jaw. “I told you, Ma. I ain’t got it right now.”
“You ain’t got it?” She laughed bitter, stumbling closer. “You always ‘ain’t got it.’ Meanwhile, you out here playing gangster, getting your own sister killed.”
That made my head snap up. “Watch your mouth.”
“No, you watch yours. Nessa gone ‘cause of you. ‘Cause you always think you harder than you really are. Look at you—sitting here, broke, bitter, and worthless. Juke always been better than you. Always.”
The words hit like cold steel, and before I even thought about it, my hand came across her face, sharp and loud.
She staggered back, holding her cheek with wide eyes.
I stood over her, chest heaving. “Don’t you ever put his name over mine. Ever.”
Her silence burned worse than her words. I grabbed my jacket and stormed out the door, the night air slapping me in the face. I could still hear her voice in my head, still see Nessa’s body on that floor. And right then, I swore I was gonna kill Juke. If it was the last thing I did, he was dead. I drove aimlessly for a minute until I found myself pulling up at Tina’s.
“Cardell,” she said when I walked in, voice soft. “What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing,” I muttered, kicking off my shoes and dropping onto her couch like the weight of the world was on my back.
She followed me and sat on the armrest. “Don’t do that. You’re walking around with your face hard, eyes wild. That ain’t nothing. Talk to me.”
“I said it’s nothing, Tina. Drop it.”
“Cardell…” her hand slid to my shoulder, squeezing. “You can’t keep this bottled up. Not with me.”
“Gah damn, I said drop it!” I snapped.
Her hand stilled, her face falling like I slapped her with the words alone. I went to say something else, but my phone buzzed in my pocket.
“Wassup?” I answered.
“Just spotted that nigga Rio,” he said. “Couple blocks off Burton. He’s at some house and still in Nessa’s car. You want me to move?”
My whole body shifted, adrenaline cutting through the liquor still sitting in my veins. “Nah. Don’t touch him. Stay put. I’m on my way.”
I hung up, stood quick. Tina looked at me, worry written all over her face.
“Cardell… who was that?”
I grabbed her face with both hands and pressed a hard kiss to her lips. “I love you. I’ll be back.”
Before she could stop me, I was out the door, the fire back in my chest.
If Rio was dumb enough to let himself be seen, tonight might be the night I finally made him pay.
I ain’t even make it ten steps from the car before my rage boiled over. Seeing Rio leaning there, alive and breathing after what he did to Nessa, made my chest lock up.
