Page 55

The drive was far. Over an hour to be exact.

Traveling down the long, lonely road prompted an array of thoughts to surface in Lo’s mind.

He didn’t know what to expect but he was ready for whatever.

Like Dax said back at the house, he’d raised him for moments like this.

Lo had survived a lot, and this shouldn’t have been no different.

Unfortunately, this felt different. He couldn’t put a name on it, but his spirit wasn’t as troubled as before.

Most of it was due to Bria. She’d stripped him like a dancer from Magic City, taking away all the armor he had spent years shielding himself with.

Initially, he hated the feeling but now he craved it.

Every cell in his body needed to come back to her but again, his reality wouldn’t allow him to think it would happen.

“ The destination is to your right .”

Lo followed the GPS and hit a right. There was a building before him that resembled a barnyard. The siding was rotted with old paint cracking. Carefully, Lo put the truck in park and got out. Moments passed by, and three burly men emerged from the inside, carrying shotguns.

Lo stood stoic, hand cupping the other while angling his head. Two of them walked over to him.

“Raise your fucking arms!” the bald one ordered.

Lo did as he was told and allowed them to frisk him. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe he would get inside with a gun, so he left it inside.

Bald Guy looked over his shoulder and hollered, “He’s good!”

The guy by the door then nodded. Bald Guy stepped out of the way, and Lo proceeded toward the door.

After he took the first step, a sharp ache spread through the back of his head as he dropped to his knees.

Soon after a torrent of kicks battered his back as Lo shielded his head with his arms. The pain felt like a sledgehammer had been thrown into his body.

His teeth gritted, wondering what was to come next.

“A’ight, that’s enough. Bring his bitch-ass inside.”

Lo panted as they forced him onto his feet. They held his arms, practically dragging him inside the building. His head was down, mentally building himself up to take the licks. They weren’t done with him, and he needed to make sure his stamina could withhold him.

“I see your bitch-ass follow directions well.”

Lo lifted his head at the raspy baritone. Luco stood, holding a smile while another man leaned against the wall with his hands inside his pockets. His presence was commanding yet quiet. Like he was a silent storm waiting to touch down and wreck shit.

“Where my fucking mama at?” Lo demanded, swallowing back the agony spreading through his frame.

“Oh, her old ass.” Luco looked at a guy near a door. “Bring her ass out.”

The man opened the door and dragged Ada’s lifeless body out. Lo peered at the scene, feeling a sharp pain radiate through his chest. He stared at her, hoping she would show some sign of her existence but the longer he looked, the more it became evident that she wasn’t there.

“Oh, nigga don't look like that,” Luco teased. “Especially after how you did my brother. Did you really think I wouldn’t have fun with this old-ass bitch.”

Lo retreated to the part of his mind where his regrets resided.

Ada was gone, and he was ultimately the culprit.

His heart hurt because they would never get that one-on-one that she had been begging for.

He’d turned her down with no sign of resolution.

A part of Lo would never forgive himself for not laying their issues on the table.

Then, there were his brothers. They would detest him for this.

If anything hurt more than losing Ada, it was the impending dismissal Meco and Devyn would do to him.

This was all his fault. Lo could’ve walked away from Bria and let her indiscretion go.

Instead, he nursed his punctured ego and went after Dough.

Now, Luco had come to cash in on a debt that Lo had caused.

“You see, my general, Noble, told me to handle your ass without emotion. He told me to hit you where it hurt, and you fell right into the trap. I must give myself credit. Snatching your mama up was genius. I know you ain't see this shit coming, huh, my boy?”

“So, what the fuck you waiting on, pussy? Shoot, bitch!”

Lo was irate. The veins in his neck had become more pronounced with every word he spat. If it was his time to go, he was prepared to go out like a G.

“I don't know why you think you're in control. I call the shots, nigga. You’ll die when I decide. Shit, I may do you like you did my brother.”

Lo smirked. “You wanna know his last words?”

The smile on Luco’s lips was eclipsed by a scowl.

“He told me how pussy he was just like you.”

Luco stomped toward Lo, swinging his fist and crashing it into his mouth. The punch was agonizing but not enough to take him off his feet.

“My girl hit harder than that, bitch.”

Luco spat in Lo’s face, which caused him to lunge but he was restrained by his henchmen.

“Bitch, you already know where you’d be if these niggas wasn’t holding me back.”

“Luco!”

The man that had been standing near the wall finally spoke. All he said was one word and Luco nodded.

“You ready to meet your mama in the afterlife?” Luco smirked. “I gotta tell you, that old bitch got some heart. Way more than your pussy ass.”

“Nah, way more than your brother, bitch,” Lo countered.

“Baze, come take this nigga out.”

The man that pulled Ada out of the closet, shuffled toward Lo.

In his hand was a gun that he knew would put him out of his reality.

Surprisingly, Lo wasn’t scared. He was ready to see where he’d end up.

Was it heaven or hell? Most likely, God would turn him away.

He had caused so much hell on earth that his forever home would be where souls were tortured.

It was his price to pay to the universe.

He hadn’t sown good seeds. Only bad ones that grew weeds and diseased plants.

The barrel of the gun pressed against the back of his head.

Lo smiled, knowing this was his last moment.

He had to make it count. Going out on his terms was always one of his goals in life.

He was Kylo Crown. A menace to St. Parklynn, Florida who didn’t give a fuck and still didn’t.

That’s the only way he would go out in the chaotic world.

“I’ll let your brother know that you avenged his death. That way he won’t feel like you're still a pussy-ass nigga.”

Luco snorted and snatched the toothpick out of his mouth. “Take this nigga out.”

Lo closed his eyes, ready to board the plane to the afterlife. He’d live thirty-four years of a roller coaster and after preparing all day, he was finally ready for permanent silence.

POW!

Lo waited in the darkness, wondering when his soul would be shifted. But nothing came about until he opened his eyes. Shockingly, he was still in the same place but this time, he saw Luco on the ground bleeding from a head shot.

“The fuck?” he questioned, looking around at the men who stood in silence.

Noble placed his gun inside his waistband and walked over to Lo. They stood face to face, exchanging gazes while Lo tried his best to read him.

“The nigga turned rat. Been working with the feds for months. It was time for him to go.”

Lo was stunned but remained poised because he knew this man wouldn’t let him leave there alive.

Noble looked over to where Ada laid. “Ya mama on her last leg. If I were you, I’d get her to a doctor.”

Without saying another word, he walked out with the other men, leaving Lo standing in complete shock.

“What the fuck was that?” he whispered to himself.

Lo was certain he was gone. There was no way he stood there wounded but fully intact. Once he accepted his reality, he ran over to Ada and kneeled down.

“Ma, Ma, get up.”

He shook her body and lightly tapped her face to no avail.

“Fuck!” he groused, reaching for his phone and realizing it was inside the truck. Lo was extremely sore but willing to carry her out. His mind wouldn’t allow him to accept that she was gone. Not now. They still had more to do.

The door opened, and Lo’s heart paused momentarily. He knew this shit was too good to be true. When he saw Meco’s face then Devyn’s, relief expelled from his mouth.

“What the fuck happened to her?” Devyn ran over, face marred in rage.

“Man, fuck!” Meco blared with his hands on his head.

“I don't know. We gotta get her to the doctor.”

Lo and Devyn carried her while Meco went over to Luco and shot three more bullets into his face. The only thing on the agenda was saving Ada. Anything else was irrelevant.

Hours later…

The silence was uncomfortable for Lo as he sat in the chair.

It had been a long night of sitting in worry.

The kind that came equipped with an accelerated heart rate and stomach pangs.

The private hospital wasn’t big, but it had everything it needed.

Ada had suffered multiple injuries, including two broken ribs and cuts that required sutures.

She’d been tortured to the point she lost consciousness.

It was only by the grace of God that she was still alive, holding on to her life.

Devyn was propped against the wall while Meco sat next to Lo. Dax was positioned at the foot of the bed, waiting for Ada to wake up. Lo was in pretty bad shape after the beating, but he pushed through, ignoring his own discomfort to ensure that Ada would be okay.

The sudden coughing shifted everyone’s attention. Ada’s chest rose and fell while she hacked uncontrollably.

“Ma.” Devyn rushed to her side. “It’s okay. You good.”

Ada continued coughing as Devyn reached for the cup on the nightstand. She took a few sips and began panting.

“It’s okay, sweetheart, you're okay,” Dax assured.

Lo took note of how sweet his father still spoke to his mother. After all these years, their love hadn’t wavered. It was inspiring to him.