Page 14 of No Gemini Does it Better (BLP Signs of Love #2)

“And just so you have your fuckin’ facts straight, I didn’t break out of nowhere. I wasn’t driving the bus when it crashed, and I damn sure didn’t piss Mother Nature off. That bus accident gave me and my brother a second chance at life, and we took that shit without hesitation.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”

“You more mad or scared?” he quizzed, his tone stoic.

“I’m not scared of you. I’m also not trying to go missing or to prison. I have a life that I love,” I replied with a scoff.

“You can keep it, too, as long as you help me find my twin.”

My brows bunched together. “Help you? Don’t you think I’ve done enough for you since you’ve been here?”

“Look, I know it was fucked up to lie to you about my situation, but look at how you actin’ right now. I couldn’t have you tossin’ my ass outta here in the middle of a fuckin’ hurricane.

“Just put the fuckin’ bat down, and I swear we can talk all this shit out.”

“You think I’d believe anything you have to say? Your fuckin’ mugshot is all over the news, Kareem! The police don’t know if you’re dead or alive,” I shouted.

The rise of my voice caused Butta to start barking inside my bedroom, curious as to what was going on.

“Which is why I need to find my brother.”

“Find him? Where is he?”

Kareem’s shoulders rose and fell. “I don’t know. We split up after the crash to find shelter. That’s why I’m going to out find him as soon as this rain slows down enough.”

My heart unexpectedly sprinted up my throat. “You’re going back out into the storm? Are you crazy? It’s not safe.”

“I’ll be straight.”

“It’s a hurricane, Kareem. No, you won’t,” I acknowledged, swinging my head in a no.

“That’s my blood, shawty. What do you expect me to do?”

My head was spinning. I didn’t know what to believe or what move to make next. On the one hand, I respected the fact that he was willing to risk his life for his brother. I knew if the shoes were on the other foot, I’d be willing to face down anything to find Soleil, and she’d do the same for me.

“I don’t know . . .”

“You worried about a nigga or some’? Wasn’t you just about to call the law on me?”

I pushed out an aggravated huff. I didn’t know why I felt like my hands were tied.

Apprehension washed over me like a dark tidal wave as I looked down at the bat in my hand.

He hadn’t bothered to try and take it, and I hadn’t bothered to swing it.

He hadn’t so much as raised a voice or a hand to me since the news report came on the TV.

“If I’m being honest, I don’t know what I am right now. I have way too many questions.”

“Like?”

“Like, what did you two do to get locked up in the first place?”

“We played the game and lost,” he said nonchalantly.

“Which means?” I probed.

“What do you think it means?”

“That you got caught doing some shit you weren’t supposed to be doing in the first place.”

He dipped his chin. “We used to run the entire city of Atlanta. I’m talkin’ money, cars, jewelry—whatever your brain can imagine, we had it.”

“And then?”

“Kadeem used to handle all the logistics and shit when it came to our operation. Things got fucked up for us when he recruited somebody to traffic our product from Texas to Atlanta. The nigga got pulled over in Alabama and squealed like a fuckin’ pig to the Feds the first chance he got.”

“How much time did y’all get for that?”

“Fifteen years.”

“And how many have you served?”

“This sentence? Five.”

My brows heightened. “There have been others?”

“Me and my twin been hustling since we were playing in the fuckin’ sandbox, shawty. This shit ain’t nothin’ new. It’s just how the game goes.”

“So you’re like career criminals?” I inquired.

“If that’s what you want to call it.”

“Well, what do you call it?”

“Hustlin’, shawty. It’s as simple as that.”

His authenticity inspired me to nod. “Why were you on the bus in the first place?”

“We were being transferred to a facility in Sumterville.”

“Sumterville? That’s over two hours away.”

“There was no doubt in my mind that we’d make it there, too, until that storm hit.”

“I guess things aren’t going to go the way either of us planned,” I concluded.

Kareem sighed. “I didn’t want it to be like this.

When I broke into this bitch, it was only a means to an end.

I was supposed to get shelter before linking up with my brother and getting the hell out of here.

Then you happened. If somebody told me I would’ve been in here sopping you up like a fuckin’ biscuit, I wouldn’t have believed them, but here we are. ”

“Yup. Here we are.”

“Look, we both know shit is too hot for me to move right now. But, if you help me find him, I’ll be that much closer to getting out of the city and getting out of your hair for good.”

His statement sent a pang to my chest. I’d gone from never wanting the rain to stop to wanting to call the SWAT team on Kareem’s ass.

But now that I knew a little bit more of his truth, I was visibly torn between saving myself and the hero complex I had to save the people around me for the greater good.

“What’s on the other side of the woods?” he inquired, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Um, the interstate and a couple of gas stations. Why?”

“That’s where I’m starting my search.”

“Okay. Let me get dressed. When the rain stops, I’m coming with you.”