Page 43 of Faded Rhythm

Julian

You’d think a big ass mansion would have better security, but AJ’s man slammed the front door open with a compact battering ram in under five seconds.

Sloppy.

The rest of us breach with precision. We fan out, all of us in matching head-to-toe black gear, tactical boots, and weapons. No talking, just hand signals and adrenaline.

We move through Dime’s home like shadows.

Left is clear.

Right is clear.

Our footsteps echo on the marble floors, but other than that, the place is quiet. Too quiet.

We pass a nurse in scrubs. She shrieks and drops her clipboard when she lays eyes on us. AJ signals for her to get down. His guy zip-ties her hands gently, whispering reassurances that we’re not here for her.

“Is anybody else in the house?” I demand.

In a shaky voice, she answers. “One other nurse. She’s in the room with Mr. Graves.”

I nod and we move along. Upstairs, the other nurse is walking down the hall in our direction, her face in her phone. As soon as she sees us, she drops it and moves to run.

“Aht, aht,” I say, pointing my gun at her head. “Get down on your knees, sweetheart. Make this easy.”

She complies and gets a pair of matching zip-tie cuffs for her trouble.

Dime’s room is at the end of the hall.

He’s slumped in a leather recliner next to the bed, oxygen tubes in his nose, a chenille throw blanket over his lap.

I wasn’t expecting him to look like this.

He was a legend. A lion in the concrete jungle. Now, he’s frail and weak, wrinkled like a raisin.

But I will give him one thing—he didn’t flinch when he saw us.

He just stares like he saw this coming.

I take my mask off. I wanna face him head on when I talk to him.

He squints, then lifts a shaky hand to point at me. “Who are you supposed to be?”

I lower my gun and lean against the dresser. “I did a job for you,” I say quietly. “Eight years ago. Demario Simmons.”

His lips contort, and I can’t tell if it’s a smile or a grimace. “Dash. Yeah. He had to go.” He shifts a little in his seat. “You got the wrong man, though. That was all Brett.”

I stare at him, waiting.

“He came to me,” Dime rasps. “Said he had a problem. I put up the money, yeah. He’s my son. But I stayed out of the details. It was cleaner that way. It was just business.”

“Bullshit,” I say, setting my gun on the dresser next to me. “Dash was sleeping with Brett’s wife. That shit was personal.”

Dime shrugs. “What do you want me to say? He didn’t wanna share.”

“You know he tried to have you killed,” I say. “Sent me after you because he was too pussy to do it himself.”

Dime nods slowly like none of this is a surprise to him. And I guess it isn’t. He knows what kind of man he raised. “I’d ask where my son is, but I’ve been in the game long enough to know not to ask those kinds of questions.

He turns his head to look out the window, but he can’t hide the tears glittering in his eyes. I give him a minute. It’s the least I can do.

Then, he speaks again.

“What is it that you want from me?”

“How’d you find me back then?”

He turns back to me, eyes clear and dry now. He lifts his chin and squares his shoulders. “I’m ex-military. I was in the right rooms when your name came up.”

“And Redd?”

That gets a laugh. It’s soft and short, but his amusement is clear.

“That was before your time, youngin.” He narrows his eyes. “Redd was a problem. Personally and professionally. It was in everybody’s best interest that he go.”

“Even Big Ray?”

Anger creases his face. “Especially Ray.” He’s silent for a moment before he shakes his head. “Mila…” he trails off. “Them Lovelace bitches are treacherous. Ray couldn’t see it. Right in his fucking face, and he couldn’t see it.”

“Uh huh.” I cross my arms in front of me. “Did you do Big Ray? I heard he was gonna take Redd and go independent.”

His whole demeanor changes.

“Fuck you,” he says, his voice breaking. “You not gon’ put that shit on me. That man died in a car accident.” He lets the tears fall this time before angrily swiping them off his cheeks. “That was my brother. Blood or not.”

He swallows hard and looks away. “I would’ve died for that man. Killed for him.” His voice goes hoarse. “I did.”

I study him. I’ve spent my life deciphering lies. I had to for my own survival. I know when a man is lying, and Dime isn’t. Not this time.

I give it a beat, then I raise my pistol.

“King,” AJ says softly behind me.

I squeeze the trigger.

Dime slumps in his chair, eyes wide open, mouth slightly parted like he has more to share. But it’s over.

“Wipe the feeds,” I mumble. “Scrub everything.”

AJ’s men move around the house collecting hard drives. One heads for the security panel. The other handles the house’s cloud connection.

I stare at the man who started all this shit, the domino effect that led to Sable’s pain. The man who raised a little bitch. The man who trained that little bitch to destroy a woman because of his ego.

Oh, well.

I leave the room and head back to the truck.

I walk into the waiting area on the eleventh floor carrying two heavy bags from Soul Kitchen. I have it all—catfish, mac and cheese, collards, yams, cornbread muffins, and peach cobbler for dessert.

Sable’s family sits in a loose circle. I recognize her mom and Ebony, of course, but there are a few other adults there who are new to me. They all look tired and worn out. Hollow, just like I feel.

Ebony notices me first. She gives a weak wave, which Mila notices.

“Who is that?” she asks.

“Him,” Ebony mutters. “The one who—“

“I’m a friend,” I say, cutting her off. “I tried my best to look after Sable. Obviously, I failed.” I set the bags on the table. “I know I’m not welcome here, and that’s fine. I just wanna say I’m sorry for failing to discharge my duty.”

I look each of them in the eye. “I’ll stay out of your way, but I’m here. If you need anything, just say the word.”

I turn and make my way to the waiting room on the other side of the nurse’s station. It’s smaller, and there’s no tv, but it’s all good. I can see the door to Sable’s room. That’s all I care about.

I pop my earbuds in, crank up my music, and pull a bag of chips out of my backpack. I haven’t had an appetite since Sable was taken, but I have to keep my strength up in case she wakes up and needs me.

I close my eyes and say a prayer.