While the guys got suited and booted for the deal tonight. Montel, Leo, Joey and I made our way to Reese's house. The dude from the house party was still there, and I had questions. The guys were conflicted and didn't want me to get my hands dirty. The thing was, I had been her target, so that fact there put me in to the hilt.
"What if we have to torture him?" Asked Montel.
"I'm with it," says Leo.
"Guys, we are going to try to get through today without having to torture anyone," I looked at them as we stood on Reese's front porch, "Any of y'all ever tortured anyone?"
They all looked around, no one saying yes. "Well, no reason to start now." I said, sitting on the stoop. "Has he had anything to drink or gone to the bathroom?"
"No," was the unanimous answer. "Good, he should be pretty desperate right now. Maybe he will just talk. If not, we can try it your way, Leo. I don't have any enemies. It's weird that he would try to kill me and in my hood."
We walked into Reese's house using the key on top of the doorjamb and made our way to the basement. His mom was at work like mine and no one else was home. In the basement, the dude was hog-tied with duct tape. He was already bruised up and her hair was dirty and sweat streamed down his face. I squatted low so that we were eye to eye as much as possible with his belly being on the ground. He looked pissed, which was good, but he didn't look desperate to me. Just mad as hell.
"You know who I am?" I asked him while jabbing my thumb towards my chest. He nodded.
"Interesting, because I sure as hell don't know you. Were you sent to kill me?" Another nod.
"I bet you're uncomfortable like that," I said, getting lower to ground, sitting cross leg before him. "If I release your legs, you are to sit as I am. Don't struggle or make a sound." Again, he nodded. Honestly, I was surprised he was cooperating. I expected more of a fight. I was definitely going to take advantage of her openness.
"Montel, please cut his legs loose," I said, still staring straight at him.
He came forward and did as I asked. I waited patiently as the dude too sat cross legged before me. I leaned forward to take off the tape from his mouth, but Leo hurried and ripped it off in one swift move. I looked at him and he hunched his shoulders. "Keeping your hands clean," he said, and stepped back.
Our guest was quiet as I looked into his dark eyes. He hadn't even filched when Leo ripped off that tape. Yeah, he was accustomed to pain. Torture would do nothing for him.
'Why were you trying to kill me?" I asked calmly. Truth was I was anything but. My blood was loud in my ears, rushing with anxiety.
"Sins of your father," He answered, he tilted her head to the side as if he was accessing me.
"Is that so?" I asked. I heard the boys moving around the basement, but I didn't break eye contact. What he said didn't surprise me in the least. My father was in jail for the rest of his life. He was not a model citizen, and I knew he had a lot of enemies. I had always worried about those wrongs coming back to haunt me, but there was a part of me that had hoped that it was a done deal. He was doing his time, and I was innocent in the whole thing.
"Did my father hurt you?" I asked. He shook his head, so I continued to ask questions. "Your parent's maybe? A sibling?" Again he shook her head.
"Then who?" I yelled.
"I was hired by a man. He's about your age. He wants you dead. He says your father killed both of his parents in cold blood and left him for dead in a burning building. Luckily, he was rescued by firefighters. That pretty little head has a price on it, and I'm not the only one after the bounty."
"Are you telling me that there is a price on my head?" I asked.
"Ten thousand is the going rate," he hissed.
"What the fuck" Exclaimed Joey.
"I'm worth that much dead?" I asked. That was a lot of money. He was big mad.
"We are going to need more guns." said Leo, looking serious.
"Is that why I have been having all these incidents in the last few weeks?" I asked, getting pissed. I had a real life mortal enemy.
"You can't blame me for trying. It's what I do." He said seriously.
"Let's kill him now," Leo said. I could tell he was getting angry, but I held up my hand to him, asking him to wait.
"Why are you telling us all this?" I asked. I have to admit, it scared the hell out of me to think I had a price on my top. However, he had failed at his attempts. I kind of figured I could dodge a few more in finding. That person could only be one man. I knew from the newspaper article I had that he was the sole survivor of the crime that had landed my father in jail. He was just a baby at the time of the murders. He must have carried that torch for years. He wanted revenge.
"Well, in exchange for not killing me, I can help you." He said.
"Yeah right," Leo said, stepping forward, "Bitch, you're a hired hitta sent to kill my sister. Why the fuck would we trust you?"
"Yeah," I said as I laughed. "Why would we do that?"
"Because of the G code. Yeah, I'm a killer, but I aint ever smoked nobody that didn't have it coming. I didn't wanna kill you. It felt wrong from the jump, but I got a family too. I got kids and shit and today is my old lady birthday. If you spare me, I will owe you my life." He bowed his head and waited.
"Where you from bruh?" says Montel. "Do you work alone?"
"I am never alone," He said simply. "I'm from NC, Buckoutboyz."
"North County." says Montel.
"He a county nigga." Joey said, laughing.
"You know them?" I asked.
"No, but I will." Montel asked.
"Fuck that, that nigga got to go," Leo yelled. "I don't trust this bitch."
"Give me a reason," I said to him.
"My name is Donovan, and I give you my word. I won't touch a hair on your pretty little head and will kill anyone else who tries." He said, like she was declaring an oath. "My word is bond. Ask about me."
"Ann, I know you're not buying this shit." Leo grumbled.
"Anybody else know how to locate Hawthorn?" I asked. Crickets. "That leaves him." I looked him in the eyes. "I don't trust you. Hell, you could have slit my throat last night, and today you tell me everything I want to know about the person after me. Except for where I can find him." There was no need to tell the boys who my enemy was. They all knew my story, and they all knew my fear.
"I met him in Spanish Lake, not too far from here. He has a house there, and he is a local firefighter for that city." He rushed out. I didn't even have to ask. Yeah, very little loyalty to this one. I stood up and dusted off my pants.
"Tie him back up and put the tape back. Leo and Montel go check out Hawthorn. Joey, you and I will be going to my sister's club house. I got to talk to her about some storage space." I looked at the dude now laying on the ground, allowing them to tape him back up. "If your story checks out, I'll let you go. I don't need any favors. I just never want to see you again. Like ever."