Page 63 of Heart of a Savage
“Now, Arieana. I’ll be at the house.” He hung up as I slammed my palm on the steering wheel. As I made a left to go Downtown, instead of a right to go to West Bloomfield, my phone rang again with Messiah’s number flashing on the screen.
“Hey,” I answered.
“What’s up, Juicy? Where you at?”
“I’m sorry. I have one quick stop to make, then I’ll be on my way.”
“It’s three now. They close at six. You think you’ll be here before then?”
“I should be. Or you could just tell me the surprise if I happen to be late?”
“It’s not something to tell. You gotta see it, shorty.”
“Fine. Give me an hour tops.”
“One hour, or I’m coming to find you.”
I tittered. “Like you got the ups on me.”
“Don’t I always find you?”
“You can’t use Paige anymore. She doesn’t even know where I am.”
“She was never my source, mamas. Just get here so I won’t have to pull up. Peace.” He hung up as I shook my head.
Thirty minutes later, I pulled into my uncle’s driveway and got out. His security guards, Leonard and Ronnell, nodded to me as I entered his home. I could hear the Isley Brothers crooning through the speakers toward the back of the house, so I headed in that direction. Finding him in his office smoking a cigar, I walked over to his sound system, turning down the music.
He looked up at me with a slight frown, then sat up in his seat. “What the fuck is up, Amour?”
“Nothing… I’m not going to go through with the hit. It’s becoming too risky to keep putting my life in danger. My club is doing extremely well, and I’m moving into real estate. I really don’t need the murder-for-hire business anymore.”
He looked at me and scoffed. “You know, I can understand why Paige wants out. I mean, she never really wanted in all the way in the first place. She wanted to avenge her parents’ deaths, and she did. The only reason she continued was because of you. Now that she has what she’s been yearning for, she doesn’t need to continue this. You, however, don’t have shit to lose, Arieana.
“Ya moms is secured for the rest of her life, you don’t have children, you hate men, and the only real thing you’ll lose is your club?—”
“And my fucking life, Lamont. What the fuck are you saying?”
“I’m saying, since when do you give a fuck about risk? You were bred for this shit. Now, all of a sudden, you give a fuck? What? You falling in love too?”
“This doesn’t have shit to do with a man. This is about you, and how you’re using me to kill a nigga you stole from! You’re just as equipped to get the job done as I am. Why don’t you take the risk since obviously, you ain’t got shit to lose either!”
“I don’t have intel with the AA anymore. I can’t find out his location, but you still have access. I need you, Arie. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t. After this, you can be free from it all and live your life however you see fit. But I need you to do this one favor for me, niece. If you don’t take him out, his people are going to come for me once they figure out that I was the one to put that play down.
“They already got to Jerrod. I don’t know how much he told them before he died, but since it’s been a few weeks since he left,I’m assuming he didn’t give them much. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t lurking. I need you, Amour.”
I crossed my arms and let out a frustrated breath. “If I do this, you’re done. No more street shit, Unc. Sell those damn pills and get out of the game. You’re getting old. Lena’s about to graduate from college, and Aunt Eva voices her concerns about you almost every other day to my moms. Leave the streets to the young niggas. Your time is up.”
“I’ll think?—”
“No! It’s either you will or I won’t. Make your choice.”
“Fuck it. A’ight. I’ll leave the shit alone.”
“Give me a couple of weeks. I need to check in with the AA, get access, and then start my investigation. You need to lay low on selling those pills right now until the job is done.”
“I got you, baby girl. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” I turned and left his office, heading to meet up with Messiah.
