Page 32

I barely had time to wipe the blood from my face before I heard the heavy stomp of boots behind me. The door slammed shut like thunder, and I knew from the weight in the room before I even turned around that my Unc was pissed.

“You dumb motherfucker!” Otis growled, voice low and full of fire. “Tell me I’m not looking at what I think I’m lookin’ at.”

I turned slowly, hands up, trying to keep my tone steady. “Look, Unc?—”

“No, you look!” he yelled, pointing a thick, calloused finger in my face. “You brought that bitch here? To my fuckin’ house? I told you to forget about that hoe! Do you have any idea what you just did? I’m a fucking detective.”

He stormed across the room, glancing at Olivia, zip-tied, blood on her lip, fire still burning in her eyes even though she was trapped in that chair. She put up a fight, clocking me in the mouth and balls, but I was happy Unc had my back before she could get away.

My Uncle Otis looked back at me with something I hadn’t seen in years: real rage.

“You kidnapped her? This ain’t some corner beef, boy. I did my research on who Bo runs with. That nigga is connected to some powerful people. I won’t be surprised if they haven’t tracked her here already. I swear… my brother should’ve made your mama swallow your slow ass!”

That pissed me off. No one speaks on my mama—family or not. I don’t play about my mother, and this egg-shaped head nigga knew that.

“Don’t talk about my mama!” I spat, my voice filled with rage.

“Don’t talk about my mama,” he mocked me. “Look at you? Sounding like a bitch. And you call yourself a hustler. You better pray I can fix this before that man shows up.”

“So what now?” I muttered.

He looked at Olivia one more time, jaw tight. Then back to me. “Now, we clean this shit up.”

The look in my Uncle's eyes told me everything I needed to know. He was about to kill Olivia. That was my plan at first,but now, I wanted to try and convince her to leave that nigga Bo and come back to me. If she declined, I was going to keep her ass locked away until she came to her senses. I know she still loved me. We’ve been together too long for her to just turn that shit off.

He grabbed Olivia by the arm like she weighed nothing and jerked his chin toward the back of the house. “Come on, little lady. We are about to have some fun.”

I followed behind, silent. My palms were sweating, and my heart was thumping a little harder now.

I’d never been in the basement before. He never let anybody down there.

Always said it was “off limits.” But now?

Now, he was unlocking the heavy door near the kitchen, pulling it open to reveal a pitch-black stairwell that dropped into the floor like the mouth of a cave.

I had been curious over the years what lie behind the steel door, but I wasn’t ready for what I saw next.

Unc flipped a switch, and a dull, yellow light flickered to life.

The stairs creaked as we stepped down, Olivia dragging her heels and struggling the whole way.

What hit me the hardest wasn’t her fighting to stay alive, it was the basement itself.

The walls were covered in foam padding and thick plastic sheeting.

Industrial shelves lined the sides, stocked with tools, rolls of duct tape, cleaning supplies, and boxes.

There were a few box already assembled. Housing items I didn’t even want know about.

There were floodlights in the corners, aimed low, casting long shadows.

A camera was mounted high on the wall, blinking red.

In the middle of it all: a queen-sized bed bolted to the floor.

Some straps were attached, and I swore I saw some dried blood on them. My stomach turned.

“The fuck is this, Unc?” I muttered.

He didn’t even look at me. He shoved Olivia onto the bed and started tying her down without hesitation like he’d done it before.

“You wanted to handle her,” he said, voice flat. “This is how it’s handled.”

I stared at him. This nigga was crazier than I thought. “Unc… what is this place?”

He tightened the straps on both Olivia’s wrists, then finally looked at me. His eyes were calm—empty. “It’s where things go when I need them to disappear.”

Olivia looked at both of us, blood leaking from the blow I gave her to her head. She was shaking like a leaf and crying. I knew that she was scared, and for the first time since this whole thing started, I wasn’t sure I had control anymore.

“Any last words, little lady?” he asked Olivia with a sinister smile.

“Wait! We can’t kill her yet!”

“Why? Don’t tell me you getting cold feet. You started this.”

“No. I called that nigga Bo and asked for ransom.”

“You did what?! Are you dumb? Of course, you are. He probably traced your call, you idiot!” Unc shook his head, pissed. “You really think he’s going to just hand you money, and you took his bitch?”

I shrugged my shoulders. Now, thinking about it, I realized it was a rookie mistake.I honestly just wanted him to know that I had her. I wanted him to see that she belonged to me and always would.

“Josh, why are you doing this?” She was crying, but I could see the hate and the fire in her eyes.

“Because! We were doing fine until you fucked with that nigga!” Now I was getting angry all over again just thinking about her giving my pussy away. I slapped her across the face so hard that blood leaked from her nose.

“Fine? Nigga, we haven’t been fine in a long time!

We ain’t fucked in over a year, Josh! That should have told you something.

I would’ve been left your crazy ass if you weren’t blackmailing me to stay with you like a little bitch!

So, fuck you! And fucked your fat fart of an uncle!

Both of y’all niggas are going to die a slow death when my nigga gets here!

Oh, wait. I mean, my baby daddy.” She smirked, pausing to let her words sink in.

“Because he’s coming, and he ain’t coming alone!

” she yelled, fighting against her restraints.

My fists clenched on instinct, and I snapped.

I lost it. “You let that nigga nut in you?!” I roared, stepping forward and slamming a punch across her jaw.

She gasped, her head snapping to the side, but she didn’t cry out or scream.

Her resilience only pissed me off more. I hit her again, then drove a hard shot into her stomach.

She folded in, twisting her body, trying to shield her stomach.

BOOM!

A deafening crash echoed from upstairs. The whole basement seemed to shake, and I froze mid-swing, breath catching in my throat. My ears rang with silence for a second, then footsteps heavy above our heads could be heard.

“What the fuck was that?” I asked, knowing who it was.

“Shit! We need to get out of here!” Uncle Otis shouted, already reaching for the bag stashed by the door.

Before I could move or even blink, Bo made his appearance along with who I knew was Deuce and Boston.

“The only place you goin’, nigga, is hell!” Bo’s voice cut through the tension like a blade. Shots rang out, and both me and my uncle were hit.

Fuck!