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I called again.

And again.

And again.

Each time, it went straight to voicemail.

“Fuck!”

Fabe jumped at the sound of my voice as I fought the urge to throw the phone across the room.

“What the hell is wrong with you, fam?”

I exhaled long and slow as I tried to keep myself from freaking out. Since Aaliyah had the cash, once she heard about Carlos’ murder, she would put two and two together. Since she had the balls to take it, she didn’t plan on letting me find her. I knew it.

“Aaliyah’s gone.”

My brother’s mouth dropped. He looked just as thrown off as I did.

“Why she leave?”

“I hit her.”

Instantly, Fabe’s face changed from confused to pissed, which shocked the fuck outta me. I’d hitmygirl, nothis.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, man?” He was actually waiting for an answer to that question, sitting on the couch, looking at me like he was disappointed in me.

“Man, she was trippin’! All in my face because Felicia’s dumb ass sent her a picture of me in her bed sleep Christmas day.”

Fabe dramatically shook his head. “I done told you about playing with all these chicks, man. When are—”

I interrupted his sermon. “Fuck all that! I need you to call Aaliyah and talk to her. She’ll talk to you. I need to know where she is.”

“I’m not getting in the middle of this bullshit, man.” His tone was discerning. He was over me and my bullshit.

He stood, ready to leave.

“Bro, listen,” I said, meeting him where he stood. I softened my tone. I wanted him to see that I was his brother, not the ignorant dude that he was despising right then. “I need your help. It’s a lot in it for you.”

“Like that bank robbery?” He even had to laugh as hewaited on the answer. His laughter rubbed me the wrong way. I had asked him to help me with that bank robbery, and he refused. When he heard Carl had gotten killed, he rubbed it in my face. No, I wasn’t as successful with the robbery as I should have been. Yet, the way he mocked me was the same way Carlos had. These niggas was sleep on me. I woke up Carlos by putting a bullet in his head.

I had to wake my brother up to my level of power as well.

“The bank robbery went south, but I hit a better lick. Aaliyah took the money, though, when she bounced. That’s why I need you to find her. You find her, I get my cash back, and its twenty–five thousand in it for you.”

Honestly, I wasn’t going to give him a gawd damn thing. But if that’s what he needed to hear, so be it. Sure enough, he stopped his exit long enough to listen to me.

His brow rose high. “Where did you get that type of cash from?”

“I killed Carlos.”

Fabe lost it. “The fuck?!”

He looked at me like I was a stranger. He even backed away from me in disgust. “Are you fucking serious?!”

“I had to! He would have killed Moses because he didn’t have the money to pay him back for that work!”

Fabe shook his head over and over again as he cupped his face. “Carlos wasn’t that type of dude. He was your best friend.”