Page 26 of Juke (DeLuca Brothers #4)

Boom

I couldn’t shake the way I left things with Nessa.

That was my sister… my blood. No matter how much we argued…

no matter what words got thrown around, she’d never go against me.

Not for real. Not after everything we lived through together.

She was the one who stayed when everybody else dipped.

The one who knew what it was like growing up in that house, watching Mama nod out in the kitchen or curse us out drunk because she was drunk as hell.

Nessa was the one I protected, the one I fed when Mama forgot, the one I swore I’d always look after.

So, even after that argument, I told myself she’d cool down. She always did.

By the time I pulled up to the Airbnb, her car wasn’t out front.

I didn’t even think twice. Rio had been driving it like it was his.

That nigga acted like he owned everything.

I shook my head and brushed it off as I walked up to the door.

It was unlocked. That made me stop dead in my tracks.

Nessa never left the door unlocked… ever.

My gut twisted. I pushed it open slow, calling her name, “Nessa!”

Silence.

I stepped in, glanced around. No TV playing, no music, no nothing… just quiet. The kind of quiet that you knew led to something you wish it didn’t.

I checked the kitchen and then the hallway. That’s when I saw her sprawled out on the living room floor. Her head was turned to the side, and her eyes were half open, but there was no life left in them.

“Nessa!” My voice cracked as I rushed over and dropped to my knees. I grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. “Aye, stop playing with me. Wake up!”

Her head lolled, lifeless. I shook her harder, desperation setting in. “Come on, sis. Don’t do this shit.”

When she didn’t move, I pressed my fingers to her neck, confirming what I already knew. She was gone. My stomach dropped, my chest tightening like I had a ton of bricks sitting on it.

“Fuck!” I roared, slamming my fist into the carpet.

I wanted to call somebody, and I didn’t fuck the cops, but who else was I gone call?

I couldn’t move her, and I damn sure couldn’t just leave her laid out like this.

My hands shook as I pulled out my phone, dialing 911.

The words barely made it out my throat when they answered… “My sister… she’s not breathing.”

Minutes later, the house lit up with flashing red and blue. EMTs rushed in, checked her anyway, but I knew before they said it.

“She’s gone.”

Just like that, like her life didn’t mean anything. Like she wasn’t the only one left who knew me better than anybody. The cops pulled me aside, questioning me, but I didn’t shit to tell them.

“I came to talk to her, and found her like that.” My voice was flat and empty, like I’d left half of myself in that living room with her.

One of the officers squinted at me, recognition sparking in his eyes. “Ain’t you the one fighting Juke soon?”

“Man, fuck that nigga.” I growled.

I shoved past them before they could ask anything else.

Out in the night air, I stopped, fists balled, and my heart pounding like a war drum in my chest. My sister was gone, and now somebody had to pay for that shit.

I was starting with Rio for dragging his bullshit into her life, and Juke because everything bad that happened in my life was because of him.

For standing in my way, for making me feel like I was beneath him…

for always being the nigga in the spotlight while I was left in the shadows.

I was drowning in rage. No grief… no tears… just rage. They were both dead men walking, and I was going to be the one to bury them.

***

The ride back to Tina’s was quiet, but the thoughts in my head were loud. I couldn’t stop replaying it. My sister was laid out cold, my voice cracking calling her name, and the weight of her body when I shook her and she ain’t move.

My baby sister was gone. All the arguing, all the petty shit…

and that’s how we left it. By the time I pulled into Tina’s driveway, my hands were damn near trembling on the wheel.

When I made it inside and she came out to meet me, smiling at first, but the second her eyes locked on me, the smile faded.

“Cardell… what happened?”

I tried to brush past her, but she stepped in front of me. “Nah. Don’t do that. Talk to me.”

Something inside of me cracked. My chest felt like it caved in, and I broke down right there. I couldn’t stop the tears if I tried. I dropped onto her couch and put my head in my hands.

“Nessa’s dead,” I forced out, the words scraping my throat raw.

Tina froze. “What?”

“She gone, T. I found her… in the Airbnb. The paramedics came and called it. She dead.”

Her hands went to her mouth, tears springing into her eyes. She slid next to me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders as my body shook against hers.

“I should’ve—” My voice cracked again. “I should’ve done more. I left her like that after that argument. She was my baby sister and I—”

“Stop,” Tina cut me off, her voice firm but gentle. “Don’t do that to yourself. This ain’t your fault. You loved that girl. You always protected her. Whatever happened… it’s not on you.”

Her words softened the edge for a second, but the rage came back quick. I stood, wiped my face rough, and pulled out my phone. I shed enough tears… it was time to shed some blood.

I dialed Dre and waited for him to answer. “We’re moving early,” I said as soon as the call connected. “I wanna make sure that nigga Juke never steps foot in that ring again. And find Rio… he’s in Nessa’s car. He thinks he slick? Nah. I want his head too. Both of ’em. I’m out for blood.”

When I hung up, the silence in the room pressed in heavy. I stared at the wall, jaw locked, and fists clenched. My sister was gone, and somebody was gonna pay for it. Juke… Rio… it didn’t matter who went first. This wasn’t gone stop ’til one of us was buried, and it damn sure wasn’t gonna be me.