Page 118 of Wings of Ebony
“The world wanna pretend like we not here being hunted because what we look like, where we live. We’ll show them. And with all the evidence we’ll have recorded, plus his confession, when I’m through with him he’ll havenowhereto hide.”
In either world.
I pull out the phototrifiters and pass them out.
“I’m gonna get Litto himself to confess and this little device will record it.”
I hand a phototrifiter to Bo. He examines it and passes it on. The next does the same and the gadgets move down the line.
“You can use your phone if there’s not enough to go around, but these buggers are invisible, so he and his dawgs won’t even know we’re collecting evidence.”
“There’s a white boy at my school, a big snake tat on his neck,” says Kid. “He’s always flashing his bankroll to his boys, talking about all Litto’s pushing.”
“Yes! Video clips of that would be great, Kid. We can get him on drug trafficking, theft, all the stuff he gets away with. With proof, the world willhaveto listen.”
I press a button on the recorder and it glows green a second, then vanishes.
Gasps echo around the place and someone mutters, “Oh shit.”
“It’s recording everything around me, my voice, my face, the entire scene,” I say. “When you’re done, just touch it and it’ll reappear.” I swipe the spot where it vanished and the slender metal chills my fingers, flickering back into view.
I mash the replay button and a sliver of orange light bursts from its center like a laser and contorts into the shape of my face. The hologram glitches a moment and in seconds, an image appears like a 3D movie, saying everything I just said.
“See, easy.”
Mouths gape open around the room. Kid’s enthralled. The game he was playing sits ignored on his lap as he fiddles with the recording gadget. “This is dope.”
“Oh nah,” someone says from the back. “I don’t want nothing to do with no voodoo shit.” He puts on his cap. “If you’ll excuse me.” The door shuts behind him.
Sigh.My people, I swear. “I-I promise in time I’ll explain e-everything.” Everything I can. “Ole Jesse?”
The man with the cans looks up. “Yea, ma’am. Still here.”
“I want you outside Dezignz recording everything you see.”
He nods and slips the phototrifiter in his pocket. Something about the way he’s chewing his tongue makes me think he’s contemplating how much he could make on it at the place he sells his cans. I ain’t mad at the hustle. Long as he does the recording first.
“And Kid, you’re a good size to sneak under their back gate. Get that recorder inside the warehouse where they keep those stacks of moving crates. It might look like industrial goods, but it ain’t. That’s all their drugs disguised.”
He gives me a thumbs-up.
“Bo, I want you posted up outside against Ms. Leola’s. Eyes on everything.”
“Got it,” he says, wrapping himself tighter in his tattered coat. “They’ll think I’m sleep.”
“Everyone else, I want you keeping eyes out for Litto’s boys. The snake tat is the most obvious mark, but they don’t all have that. Keep your eyes peeled for people who just don’t belong here.” Heads nod and a murmur of voices agree.
I turn to Julius. “I need you to get to Dezignz. Take Ole Jesse and Kid. I’m going to make sure all Litto’s roaches show up. Hold them there, play along, whatever you need to do to keep them waiting there.”
“But how you gon’ get all his boyz—?”
“You trust me?”
“It ain’t even question.” His gaze is soft, tender.
“It’s better if you know less right now,” I say. “Just do this, please.” I should tell him everything. Show him, at some point. After… after this is all done I will explain. Julius nods and his eyes flicker with something that twists a knot inside me.
He’s a ride or die if I ever had one.
