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And I needed a shower.
But I didn’t care.
I drove as fast as I could to Cuisine to pick up Freeze. As I drove, I couldn’t help but think about the story I’d just heard.
"Wow."
&nb
sp; That was about all I could say about it. "Wow."
I had to reconcile within myself the fact that Chilly hadn’t killed Jake or Lisa. He probably didn’t have anything to do with Rocky, Pamela, or LaShawn either. I pretty much figured that LaShawn’s death was, like everything else, an accident. She more likely than not just got hold of the wrong package.
It was Gee who dominated my thoughts. I couldn’t turn her over to the police. She had been through enough in her lifetime. Her life to this point had been filled with nothing but betrayal and violence. For the rest of her life, she would have to deal with the site of Jake’s dead body, staring at her. Hearing his last words, "Why, Gee?" over and over again. She would have to live knowing that Chésará killed Lisa so she could be free. And all this was the result of her association with Chilly.
That to me was punishment enough.
But now Chilly was dead.
I killed him.
He had caused so many people so much pain. In a way, he was responsible for all the deaths. Maybe he deserved to die, maybe not. It wasn’t for me to judge. I understand now why it was so important for Mike to get out of the drug business and go legit. He had too much of a conscience, too much love for life to continue with the legacy that André set out for us. The path Chilly followed. I respected and appreciated Black more now than I had at anytime in the last ten years. When all this is over, I have to call and thank him, not only for bailing me out, but for giving me so much to remind me of who I am and where I came from. Maybe I would even swallow my pride and make peace with Bobby. It was long overdue.
When I got to Cuisine and went inside, I found Freeze sitting by the door, ready to go. "What took you so long?"
"Traffic."
"Well, let’s go," he said practically jumping to his feet.
"You drive." We started out the door. "Wait! I need three clean weapons."
"Three .9’s?"
"No, .45’s."
"You? Packin’ a .45? Why the change?" he asked as we got in his truck.
"Kirk knows that a .9 is my weapon of choice. And I’m tired of talkin’ to him."
"Oh by the way," Freeze said. "Wanda came here looking for you."
"Did she really?"
"Yeah, she did. She said if I saw you, I should tell you not to do anything stupid."
"Okay, you told me. And I’m not goin’ to do anything stupid. I’m goin’ to kill somebody. And you’re goin’ to make sure that I don’t do anything stupid."
"You startin’ to sound like the Nick I used to know."
"I’m startin’ to feel like him too."
"It’s good to have you back, Nick. I don’t want to sound soft or nothin’ like that, but I missed you man."
"I missed all of you."
We stopped at Cynt’s; one of the gambling houses we’ve run for years. "We." I felt a part of all this again. Maybe this is what Wanda meant when she said I needed to recognize.
"Hey, Freeze. And who is this fine ass man you got with you?" Cynt said as she twisted her hips in our direction.