Chapter 6

Since Ace is fast asleep and Caesar is no position to go anywhere, we're forced to spend the night by Keyana. I don't sleep. I could never sleep in unfamiliar settings. It was one of the reasons I never slept over at any friends' house. I'm not sure how it was so easy to fall asleep at Caesar's house.

Keyana tried unsuccessfully to get Caesar in the room with her, but his injuries couldn't withstand all that. Meaning, although the bitch didn't like it, she had to leave her man with me for the night.

I'm sitting on the floor next to Ace's armchair. I'm staring into the darkness, trying to figure out how we got to this. As I'm undoing the chain of events, the only thing I keep coming back to is me. None of this would have happened if Ace didn't catch me at Pink Fantasy that night. It's only been two days and so far I've gotten Tony killed and Ace and Caesar almost killed. Not to mention, I've put my brother's whole operation at bay, including all of his men. I was a ticking time bomb. I didn't know how many people's deaths would be on my hands, but I had more than a feeling that this wasn't going to be the end. Angel just tried to murder two of the leaders in charge of some very wild niggas. Shit was about to get hectic. I could just feel it.

"Candy?" Caesar calls.

"I didn't know you was up."

"I know. You was talking to yoself again," He says.

"Again? When do I ever talk to myself?' I say.

"You always do that, fool. People just don't say none cause they don't want to provoke yo crazy ass," He says.

"Oh really? Well if I was talking what was I saying?"

"Dumb shit."

I laughed, "Really?"

"Mhm," He says.

It gets real quiet after that. I start to think he wandered back off to sleep until his deep voice fills the space between us.

"You know this ain't yo fault, Candy."

I don't bother responding. It's not really something I wanted commentary on. If I had known I was talking out loud, I wouldn't have said anything at all.

"I'm serious. This shit with Angel was gon happen anyway. He just one crazy ass Cuban. Ace never knew the right thing to say to him. Out of anybody, Angel is a ticking time bomb. Not you," He huffs out.

I listen to him taking deep breaths in the dark. That was a lot to get out, and his recovery was going well, but it was gonna take some time before he could be back to himself. And that was my fault to.

"Whatever, Caesar," I say, "When you was gon tell me you gotta kid?"

"It was nothing to tell."

"So you wasn't hiding him from the world, you was hiding the world from ya kid?" I say.

Caesar chuckles, then groans in pain immediately after.

"He not really mine. Not like you think at least. Amir's my boy, but I'm not his father. I raise em like he mine though," He says.

Relief rushes through me.

"So why you taking care of a child that ain't yours? I can't believe you letting her play on you like this."

"Aye, Candyce. Chill on her, aight?"

"Look at you bucking for the mother of ya child," I say bitterly.

"Calm that shit down, Candyce. Nah, Amir ain't mine. But is Paryis Ms. Rochelle's?" He says.

I don't answer.

"Alright then. That woman been raising that child like she was hers for years now. Why Keyana gotta be playing on me cause I wanna do the same for her?" Caesar breathes out.

I roll my eyes. He's right but I'm too stubborn to admit it. Caese was a real stand-up guy. Either that, or love made you do some stupid things.

"Yeah, love does make you do some stupid shit. But Amir ain't one of em," Caesar says.

Oh shit I really do talk out loud without realizing it.

"Let me ask you something, Candy. You been in love before?"

The room gets too quiet. You could hear Keyana snoring in the next room.

"Yeah," I whisper.

I regret it as soon as it comes out. The silence thickens. Eventually, the space between us gets awkward and I pray he lets the conversation die. I'm all too happy that he does.

...

In the morning, Ace is sober and all about business. Caesar still grunts in pain here or there but Keyana got him to sit upright on the couch. I washed the blood off my face and straightened my hair as much as I could without any of my hair products. I'm sure I don't look like a model, but at least I don't look like a crime scene victim.

"Wait, so you telling me the trap on Galvez got raided? How?" Ace is asking when I enter the living room.

"I don't even fucking know. Gecko called and said some of the hoes that work there was acting all jumpy all of a sudden. He thought they was stealing some of the product for themselves, cause they was all on edge. He called me down there to light some fire under they asses for the truth but when I pulled up, 5-0 was everywhere. I backed the fuck outta there and came to you," Caesar recounts.

He has to lean back into the sofa when he's done.

"If the girls was acting like that that mean they knew what was boutta go down," Ace says.

"Right. And I saw Gecko getting put in the back of the car so it's not like I coulda asked him," Caesar says.

"Just cause Gecko got pinched don't mean he ain't the one that sung. Nobody knew about that trap but us," Ace says.

Caesar nods his head, but his body is too exerted from talking.

"Gecko better hope he stay behind bars. Cause if I find out he back walking da streets I'ma fuck em up myself," Ace says.

"That ain't even the real problem though. The problem is the Feds seized all the coke. Half of the shit was put in the trunk of one of the squad cars but the other half was handed over to some random nigga in an unmarked car. Now why would they do such a thing?" Caesar says.

It takes Ace a moment to catch on.

"Angel," Ace laughs darkly.

"How can it be Angel? He's a bigger drug dealer than you. If he went to the Feds, that mean they would have locked him up too," I butt in.

"Nah, Candy. You don't get it," Ace says.

"Well explain it to her, nigga," Caesar says.

"Nigga don't tell me how to handle my sister," Ace says.

"She a lil more than yo sister now nigga. She can't keep being some victim we gotta protect from Angel. They shot at her yesterday just like us. He want her ass dead too. You can't force her to contend with all that shit and still not let her know what's going on. That's dangerous for everybody. Play ya cards, Ace. You know better," Caesar says.

"Nigga shut the fuck up. What you think you Santana now? Ion need you to tell me how to handle my sister. I got her. You worry about you and what the fuck you got going on," Ace waves his hand around the house to let him know he means Amir and Keyana.

"Aight, y'all chill," I say.

"All this shit is the reason yo ass sitting over there breathing right now nigga. Since when you start doing all that behind Candyce son. You know she like my sister too."

"Is she?" Ace says.

I know well enough to keep my mouth shut. Ace and Caesar stare each other down.

"If you really feel you gotta ask that, then you shouldn't be sitting in my girl's house," Caesar says.

"Alright, y'all chill, okay," I finally interject.

The last thing I need is these two to get fired up and start fighting. All that would do is leave me with Keyana to clean up the bloody mess that's gonna be left in their wake and I had spent all the time I needed with her.

"I know shit is tense right now. Ace just found out that y'all possibly gotta snitch, the feds, and Angel gunning for y'all asses. Plus, y'all almost died yesterday. Be grateful y'all can still be in each other's faces instead of trying to get in each other's faces," I say.

They both retreat into their corners like the children they are. Ace hobbles back over to the armchair and I sit in between the two on the coffee table. Keyana walks in dressed in black tights and a pink t-shirt.

Caesar opens his mouth to say something but stops when Keyana walked in.

"Finish what you were about to say, Caese," Keyana says.

"C'mon Keyana, now's not the time for this shit," Caesar runs a hand down his face.

"So you can't talk in front me but she can tune in?" Keyana says.

The audacity of this bitch. Was she the one getting shot at? I didn't think so.

Caesar doesn't reply. Keyana throws her hands into the air.

"You know what Caese. It's fine. I'm going pick Amir up anyway. I want all three of y'all gone by the time I get back. I don't want our son seeing his Daddy all bandaged up and asking what's wrong," Keyana storms out the door.

Caesar leans his head against the couch and closes his eyes. Then, with all the strength he has, he pushes himself off the couch. I lean forward to help balance him when I see him wincing in pain, but he pushes my hands away from him. I try not to look as played as I feel. I tell myself he's only doing that cause Ace was watching, but I don't know if that's true.

Caesar takes his time moving across the living room. He pulls the door open and Keyana is standing on the other side of it, crying.

Caesar pulls her into him. A part of me dies as I watch him soothe her and pull her hair behind her ears. Their foreheads press into each other. He lifts her chin and kisses her. I want to take my eyes away from them cause it's taking everything I have not to roll my eyes since I can feel Ace's eyes on me.

"How many times am I gonna have to be the one to bring you back from the dead?" Keyana asks him.

"I'm sorry," Caesar says.

"That's not an answer, Caesar. And that's not a solution to every problem either."

"I don't know what you want me to say, Keyana."

"I want you to tell me who was shooting at you yesterday. If I'm gonna have to be the one to save you, then I need to know what from."

"That's the point, Keyana. You're a surgeon. Not a cop. I don't tell you shit cause it's better if I don't, not cause ion wanna tell you. You gotta back up and let me handle this right now," Caesar says.

That's the last thing I hear cause Ace gets up and closes the door in my face.

"Let them people have they moment in private," He tells me.

"Will you explain the whole idea about Angel snitching to the cops?" I say.

"Ain't much to explain, lil' one. If only we knew about the trap, then that means someone told someone about it. That means we gotta rat problem and we needa exterminate it before shit gets worse. Only thing is, I don't know if they ratting cause they getting the heat pressed against them by the Feds, or cause Angel threathened them personally. Either way it look like Angel making his move. He was serious about cutting us off so he hit me where it hurts. He got the Feds to raid my shit and prolly cut a deal to get half the coke back. "

"What if it's not the Feds or Angel?"

"Then that makes shit worse, lil' sis. That mean the nigga snitching just a hater which mean he prolly been laying ina cut for awhile, waiting for shit to heat up to stir some shit up. We gotta deal with that and Angel tryna take down our organization. That's a lot of bullshit for one nigga to deal with," Ace says.

The door opens at the perfect time cause I didn't know what else to say to Ace. My lil' scenario only seemed to stress him out more. Caesar walks in. Some of the bandage near his stomach is starting to bleed through. I'm not the only one who notices it.

"Well you need to rest and we need to get home. Let's hope this nigga Angel still don't know where that is," Ace says.

Ace and Caesar dap each other up. Before we walk out the door, Ace turns back to Caesar.

"Where this nigga Reese at? And where the fuck is Cam?"

"Reese should be landing today. And Cam should be driving in tonight."

"We'll link tomorrow to discuss the details with Reese. All this shit going on with the Feds, we gonna need product and fast."

Caesar nods, "He gon' deliver."

"Aye, you don't need a ride? Shawty seemed a lil upset," Ace says.

"Nah. She'll be alright. I'll catch y'all later."

I go to help Ace down the stairs but Caesar grabs my arm.

"Thank you for getting us out that jam," He says.

"Of course. I'd do anything for my brothers," I say before yanking my arm away from him.