SAVAGE

11

Squad cars covered the entire block. The police officers had to instruct the drivers to take another road since there wasn't a way for the cars to get through. Majority of the residents stood to the side as they watched the officers get to work.

"Wait, Jersey." Kelli instructed her friend as she tried to match her speed. She had parked her car and decided to walk the rest of the way.

"I-I can't." Jersey fretted as she scuttled down the street. She wasted no time getting to the building. Her aunt was busy talking to one of the cops with Shaye right on her side. Tears cascaded down her face as she held her hand over her mouth. When she noticed Jersey, she started crying harder. Jersey wrapped her arms around her Auntie and cried right along with her.

"He's gone! Jersey, he's goneee!" Lisa bewailed. Shaye walked over and carefully rubbed her aunt's back. Jersey didn't say anything, she just continued to cry hard. Honestly she didn't have much to say. She was still trying to process everything in.

When they pulled away from each other, Jersey darted her eyes over at Shaye. They didn't say anything to each other—which was the norm for them. She placed her eyes back on her aunt and asked, "Did they let you see him yet? To make sure he's—"

"I did." Lisa answered with a head nod and said, "My baby's gone..."

Jersey stood there looking as if time was going slow. Her heart was racing, but she felt numb—she could barely move. She looked around and noticed that people were being nosy. 

Residents were outside trying to see Rudy's body while the officers interrogated people. Jersey's mouth gaped when she noticed the stretcher being wheeled out of the building. A white sheet was pulled over the body for many different reasons. Jersey could see Rudy's brown hand dangling from the stretcher and that's when she lost her mind.

"RUDY!" She wailed out while trying to get closer towards the stretcher. The officers noticed her motive to get closer, so they prevented her from doing so.

"Ma'am, you cannot walk over the yellow tape!" The officer informed her as he held his hand out for her to stop.

"But that's my cousin." Jersey croaked in a breathy tone. Her eyes swarmed with tears.

"I'm sorry but you cannot walk over here." He replied while giving the men permission to load Rudy's body in the vehicle.

"Nooo!" Jersey wailed as she dropped down to her knees. The people around her were looking, but she didn't care. Shaye was about to say something to her, but Kelli jumped on the opportunity first.

"I know this is very hard for you, Jay." Kelli whispered in her ear as she kneeled down to her level. "But I need you to pull yourself together, be strong for Rudy. Okay?"

Jersey never replied back, she just stayed on the ground with her face in the palm of her hands. Lisa and Shaye both stood by watching the scene. They didn't know what Kelli was saying to Jersey.

"Come on, get up and wipe your face." Kelli instructed her. She helped her best friend off the ground and wiped her face.

"I came as soon as I heard the news!" Both girls turned their attention towards Vena who had pulled up on them with her sister, Natalie.

"Are you okay, Mamita?" Vena asked Jersey as she voluntarily hugged her.

"I don't even know..." Jersey trailed off as she wiped her face. Her facial expression was calm with a hint of sadness.

Vena placed her eyes on Lisa and made sure to speak to her and Shaye. "I'm so sad to hear about this...I hope you're holding up."

"I'm trying but it's hard for me." Lisa replied back as she pulled out a pack of Newport cigarettes. "So, that's—that."

Before Vena could reply, Detective Newton caught their attention. He stepped over wearing his usual uniform—a collared shirt and some slacks. Obviously, he had just made it since Jersey didn't see him around earlier.

"How are you doing, Mrs. Coleman?" He asked Lisa who was now puffing on a cigarette. Instead of simply answering him, she just pulled hard on her cancer stick and blew the toxic smoke in his face. Newton clenched his eyes and waved the smoke away from his face.

"That's Ms. Coleman." She corrected him.

"I apologize for that. Now, I'd like to ask you a few questions about your son—Rodrick Coleman." 

"Aren't you with the narcotics division? Why are you out here? You're not a homicide detective." Lisa questioned him smartly.

Newton noticed her facial expression, so he cleared his throat and said, "That is true but luckily I'm skilled in both divisions. Plus, the head detective is out sick, so I was able to grab this case."

Jersey just stood back watching him carefully. He would glance at her from time to time. Newton was curious to know why she was out there with Lisa.

"So, can we talk. In private?" He continued.

"I can answer the questions right here." Lisa stated. "I have nothing to hide."

_____________________________

"Your uncle looked upset when he saw me at the bar, why?" Tilly asked Malcolm as she laid beside him. Her satin, purple, sheets barely covered her breasts. She had bed hair, of course, after having some wild s*x with Malcolm.

"You know why." He replied back while staring at the ceiling. He wasn't expecting to come home with Tilly at all. But one thing led to another, and he ended up at her house. "He doesn’t f**k with no police. I told you that before, so I don't know why you even tried him."

Tilly used her manicured finger to draw invisible figures on Malcolm's brown skin. She made sure to look over his tattoos since they were very eye catching. "I wasn't trying him. I just wanted a drink and I wanted to check out that girl who works at your bar."

Malcolm furrowed his eyebrows and darted his eyes over at Tilly. Quickly, she erased the small smirk from her face when she noticed the look, he was giving her.

"What girl?"

"Jersey." She answered and that caused Malcolm to shift in the bed. He wanted to know why she was checking out Jersey.

"Why the f**k are you watching her?"

Tilly sat up while pulling the bed sheet closer to her chest. "Damn, why are you so defensive?"

Malcolm had to catch himself. He almost blew up because he didn't want Tilly f*****g with Jersey.

"I don't need you snooping around my bar." He trailed off while frowning at Tilly.

"But I believe Jersey is working for Newton." Tilly announced.

"Nah..." Malcolm trailed off. If anything, Newton was trying to get Jersey to work for him.

 He didn't believe it at all since Jersey let him know what was up beforehand. But then again, Malcolm felt like she wasn't to be trusted.

"I'm being serious right now." Tilly pressed.

Malcolm leaned his head over and asked, "How do you know all of this?"

"I was looking through the old file—weeks ago. I wanted to mention it to you but, we weren't at our best at the time." She lied. "Newton had it marked in his notes—it said Jersey Coleman—possible informant."

Malcolm cursed under his breath. He wasn't going to let Tilly know that Jersey had already told him everything. Instead of addressing the situation, he just grabbed his phone.

Tilly looked at him before rolling her eyes. "So, what are you going to do about it? You just can't let them get away with this."

"I'll be on the lookout. You just keep your cool and stay away from the bar. I can't have that kind of attention there." Malcolm stated while waking his phone. He noticed a news notification on his screen.

15-year old found dead in Crawford Boulevard Building...

Malcolm had to stop and think everything over since he knew that Rudy used to stay in that building. He had to sit up and rubbed his temples because everything was just moving way too fast for him. He clicked on the news notification and read some of the information which confirmed his suspicion.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Tilly asked, she noticed the immediate change in Malcolm's behavior.

"Nah, I gotta leave." He announced while standing up. Tilly watched as he reached out for his boxers. He slid them on with ease and started putting on the rest of his clothes.

"Why? What happened?" She asked, badgering him with questions. "I thought you were going to spend a night. I don't have to work tomorrow, you know?"

"Something just come up and I have to leave."

"Well..." she trailed off. "Alright."

Malcolm noticed the solemn look on Tilly's face, but he didn't have the courage to make her feel better. He only grabbed his phone and walked out the door.

As soon as he got in his car, he tried to call up Jersey. He frowned when she didn't answer. Jersey allowed the phone to ring twice and then sent him to voicemail. He tried calling her again but this time he went straight to voicemail.

Please leave a message for three—

He ended the call before the operator could finish. Malcolm laid his head on his steering wheel and let out a loud sigh. He knew that Jersey was probably notified about her cousin already. He wanted to see if she was okay, but she wasn't picking up. Instead of pressuring her, he was going to give her some time to grieve.

Come to work when you feel better. Malcolm.

_____________________________

The sound of Looney Tunes could be heard throughout the house. Jersey found herself in the bathroom trying to find an extra toothbrush. She had decided to spend the night over her aunt's place instead of going home with Kelli. It was a little weird to go in the building and walk up the stairs since Rudy was murdered there. Unfortunately, she had no choice. They had no choice but to go back in. Lisa wasn't financially sufficient to move out, so she was stuck there.

"Where are the toothbrushes? I am not walking around with hot breath." Jersey said to herself as she opened the cabinet. Jackpot! She found a whole box of them with the plastic wrapper still attached. Her aunt made sure to stock up on toothbrushes—just in case someone stayed over.

Jersey wasted no time unwrapping the toothbrush and cleaning her teeth. After three minutes of brushing, she made her way towards the front. Her aunt was sitting on her couch with a cigarette in her hand.

Eh, what's up doc?

Jersey looked over at television and watched as Bugs Bunny nibbled on his carrot from his rabbit hole. He was basically teasing Elmer Fudd. She shook her head and turned her attention towards her aunt.

"Auntie, you want me to make you some coffee?" Jersey asked as she leaned over the couch. She had a bad cramp in her back since she had to sleep on her aunt's couch. Shaye had taken her room, so she couldn't sleep in there. Rudy's old room was not for discussion.

"Already got it covered." Shaye announced as she slid her aunt a warm cup of coffee with a bowl of oatmeal. Jersey cringed at the meal while touching her stomach. She didn't understand how her aunt could smoke a cigarette, drink hot coffee, and eat hot, lumpy oatmeal too.

"Thank you, sweetheart." Lisa thanked her niece which caused Jersey to roll her eyes. She didn't understand why Shaye was back in New York. From what she could understand, Shaye had moved down south for a better education and she didn't plan on coming back to cold ass New York anytime soon. Now she was back and kissing Lisa's ass.

Jersey took a seat on the couch and that caused her aunt to look towards her. "You're not hungry?"

"Not really...I can't eat." Jersey replied as she watched her aunt put out her cigarette.

"I can't either but I'm making myself eat something." Lisa concurred while clasping her hands together. She brought her clasped hands towards her face and closed her eyes for a brief moment. "My baby would've been sixteen this month—on the twentieth. April twentieth."

Rudy ran across Jersey's mind. She felt guilty. In her opinion, she was guilty. Jersey felt like she wasn't strict enough on her cousin. If she had put her foot down when he was calling her repetitively about leaving, he would still be alive today. 

But then again, Rudy was hard-headed. He would have done his own thing anyway. That was him. Defiant.

"He was coming back home. He was coming to be with me and... he died. He got killed." Lisa bewailed softly as she wiped her tears away. "I should have—I should have never kicked him out." She stammered. "This is all my fault. I'm the cause of his death."

"You're not the cause of his death." Jersey corrected her while thinking about her cousin's actions. Shaye made her way into the living room with a bowl of oatmeal. She didn't seem too fazed by Rudy's death. Jersey felt like she was acting weird since she was crying right along with them last night.

"I am." Lisa reasoned.

"Auntie, Rudy had a habit of not listening to people. Especially to good people who gives him positive advice. You kicking him out has nothing to do with him getting killed. Rudy got himself killed." Jersey stated, trying to believe everything she had said.

Lisa just nodded her head as she looked over at Jersey. "I need you and Shaye to clean out Rudy's old room."

Shaye wrinkled her nose at the older woman, but she didn't say anything.

"This soon? Are you sure?" Jersey blurted out before she could think. She didn't understand why her aunt was trying to remove her cousin's things from his room so fast. Rudy hadn't been dead for twenty-four hours yet and she was already trying to get rid of him.

Lisa slid her niece a callous look and said, "Hell yeah I'm sure. I can't stand to have his s**t in my house. What part don't you understand?"

"I'll help." Shaye stated as she darted her eyes over at her cousin.

"Good." Lisa replied to Shaye. "I want y'all to gather up all of his clothes. I'm going to wash them and give them away to that girl downstairs. She has about three boys—they could probably use the clothes. As for his other things, gather them up and place them in a garbage bag. I'm going to keep his bedroom set in there."

"When can we do it?" Jersey asked her aunt.

"This Friday."

"I'll be able to do it." Jersey announced quickly. She knew that she had to work, but she wasn't going in this week at all. She didn't even care about Malcolm being upset. Her cousin's death was more important. "I'll be here at twelve in the afternoon."

"Good." Lisa replied. "But I do have a few errands to run Friday. Do you still have that key I gave you?"

"I do."

"No need. I'll be here." Shaye stated.

Jersey just pursed her lips as she grabbed her bag. She said her goodbyes and headed for the door.

_____________________________

Please call me. Tilly.

Malcolm looked down at the text message and quickly slid the notification away from his screen. Out of curiosity, he tapped on the messages app and placed his eyes on Jersey's contact. He clicked on it and read the last message he sent to her.

Come to work when you feel better. Malcolm.

He wanted to know if she read his text, but it was hard to figure that out since she didn't have an iPhone. Instead of letting his curiosity drive him crazy, he decided to close his messages app.

"Do you like this one?" The silvery voice asked.

Malcolm placed his attention on the woman and shook his head in disapproval. The much older woman stood there posing in a plunging, white colored blouse that showed off her cleavage. Her lower half was dressed in some denim jeans with a pair of nude pumps.

"What about the other outfit you had on?"

"What's wrong with this one?" The lady asked as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"...I just like the dress." Malcolm replied back as he glanced at his grandmother. Well, she was his grandmother, but she didn't allow him or her sister to call her that. Her name was Bernadette, but she went by Bernie. Bernie didn't feel like a grandmother, so she didn't like to be called one. Today was her birthday and she was feeling fabulous as ever.  

Malcolm was supposed to be picking her up and taking her to her birthday dinner, but Bernie was taking her precious time getting ready. She couldn't decide on her what she wanted to wear. 

"I don't care what you like." Bernie retorted back as she did a once-over in her floor length mirror. She had a banging body—thanks to her good genes, eating plan and successful workouts.  "I'm keeping this outfit on."

"Do what you want..." Malcolm trailed off. "We just need to get on the road. You live in Jersey, remember?"

"Alright, Alright, Alright. I just need to call Raymond and see if he made it or not."

"You can call him when we get in the car. Just grab your purse and come on."

"Shit." Bernie cursed as she smoothed lotion over her brown hands. "Grab my purse and phone, Max."

Malcolm cringed at the sound of his terrible nickname and the command his grandmother gave him. Instead of rejecting her order, he just sucked his teeth and snatched up her purse and phone.

When they made it outside, Bernie's phone started vibrating in Malcolm's hand. He looked over at his grandmother and noticed that she was busy locking up her house. He examined her phone and read the text that was sent to her.

I'll be in Brooklyn soon. Raymond

Malcolm scoffed at the text, but he didn't say anything about it. He didn't care for the older guy at all. Raymond talked too much about everything. Of course, it was an advantage for him since he was a defense attorney, but Malcolm hated it.  He didn't care for people who talked a lot since he didn't talk that much.

He unlocked his Jaguar, hopped inside, and dropped his grandmother's purse on the passenger seat. As soon as he got himself situated, he unlocked his phone and went straight to Jersey's contact.

She had been on his mind real heavy as of lately. He had been tried to call her twice to see if she was okay, but Jersey wasn't answering her phone. In fact, Malcolm figured she had blocked him. He knew he deserved it. He had degraded her after finding out she was an ex-drug addict. Part of Malcolm felt like he was wrong for blowing up like that while the other half felt like Jersey deserved it. He wanted to put the s**t past him, but it was hard.

He sat there contemplating on whether he should call her again.

Call her.
Don't call her.
Call her.
Don't call her.
CALL HER.

Malcolm was about to press the call button, but he heard the door to his car open, preventing him from doing it.

"Alright, let’s go." Bernie demanded as she chewed on her piece of gum. She smelled so damn good and she knew it. Bernie made sure she checked her hair out in the mirror. She had her long hair styled and hanging over her shoulders.

_____________________________

Jersey laid in her bed trying to get some rest before she went back to her aunt's place. Unfortunately, she couldn't sleep at all. Her body was screaming for rest, but her mind wouldn't let her do that at all; She was antsy from not taking her medicine. Jersey hated taking it since it made her feel...dopey. She wanted to be free from medication, but her mind was starting to f**k with her.

Rudy was on her mind awfully heavy and she couldn't seem to block him from her brain. His death had a horrible impact on her since she felt like she was the cause of it all.

She stared at the ceiling with her mouth gaped as she watched the ceiling fan whirl around.

"Death is a bitch." Jersey cursed out in a deep, sorrowful tone.

Suddenly, a wave of sickness rushed through her body. She started feeling hot, so she pulled her blankets away from her body, letting the cold air invade her space.

Jersey closed her eyes for a brief moment and reluctantly opened them. She huffed before climbing out of bed. The girl couldn't get any sleep, so she figured she could go over to her aunt's place a little early. She rummaged through her drawers to find something decent to wear when her door opened, suddenly.

"You alright?"

"...Fine." Jersey replied dryly.

Kelli stood there watching her friend. Jersey's back was facing her, but she could still make out her friend's face through the mirror.

"I just wanted to check up on you. I've been giving you space and time to heal..."

"I know..."

"Vena and I are um...going to her uncle's house to eat. Want to come?"

Jersey turned around with her clothes in her hand. She looked over at Kelli and shook her head no. "You know I have to help Shaye clean Rudy's room out."

"You're still gonna do that?" Kelli asked with her nose wrinkled.

"I have to help—I gave her my word."

Kelli sighed and said, "Well, alright. I'll bring you a plate back."

Jersey only nodded her head as she continued to gather her things. Kelli stood there for a minute and watched her closely. Jersey was dressed in her pajamas with her hair all disoriented. She knew that Rudy's death was bothering her friend. Jersey had been spending a lot of time in her room and she barely talked to her.

_____________________________

While on the bus, Jersey managed to search her bag for her phone. It had been days since she used it. She needed time to heal from her cousin's death, so she decided to power her phone down Tuesday night. After looking at the AT&T symbol, her phone went straight to her main screen. She had notifications from a couple of people. Majority of them were giving her their condolences through text while the others tried calling her. She noticed two missed calls and a text from Malcolm.

Come to work when you feel better. Malcolm

Jersey shook her head while looking out of the window. She didn't need his permission to get time off. She was going to do it, regardless.

Rain rattled against the bus which caused some people to fuss. The weatherman claimed it wouldn't rain until next week, but the rain decided to make an early appearance. Jersey pulled her hoodie tighter. She stayed wearing hoodies, so the rain didn't catch her.

When the bus came to a halt, she wasted no time getting off and making her way to her aunt's building. Jersey arrived inside the lobby and stood there for a minute. She was basically frozen. From what she was told, Rudy's blood was splattered all over the staircase. His body was found at the top of the stairs. She looked everything over for the second time and dropped her head. It was just hard for her to accept the fact that her cousin was gone. He was gone and she couldn't help him fight his fight anymore.

She decided to take the stairs up to her aunt's apartment. Slowly, she walked up until she was face to face with the door. Jersey took a deep breath and searched her bag for her key. When she found it, she unlocked the door.

"Who is tha—Oh. It's Just you." Shaye opined as she made her way out of Jersey's old room. "Lisa is out right now. She's trying to get an autopsy done on Rudy."

Jersey sucked her teeth while dropping her bag on the couch. She figured her aunt would get one done. "Well, we should get started on the room."

Shaye watched as her cousin walked towards the back. She wasted no time following behind her.

"I'm not sure if I want to clean that room up." Shaye stated as she stood at the archway of the door with her nose wrinkled. The smell of Rudy's room was just that bad.

Jersey just rolled her eyes at her cousin. Shaye was still the same. Conceited. Picky. Bitchy. Too perfect. It was always the same with her.

"Well with or without you...I'm cleaning this room up." Jersey replied as she pushed past her cousin. She made her way into the bathroom and searched the cabinets for some gloves.

Shaye followed Jersey into the bathroom and asked, "So, are we going to act like this forever?"

"Act like what?" Jersey asked as she looked her cousin over. Shaye was shorter than her but thicker. As of right now, Jersey could tell that her cousin was taking good care of herself. She had a long, blond frontal on. Her caramel skin was clear and smooth. She even had her nails and toes done.

"Like we hate each other."

Jersey raised an eyebrow. "Oh, we don't?"

"We're not supposed to. Especially over old shit."

"Why are you here?" Jersey randomly questioned her. She wanted to know why Shaye was back. What was her purpose of coming back to New York?

"To see my family..." Shaye replied back as she shifted her weight on her right leg. "Is something wrong with that?"

"Nothing is wrong with that." Jersey responded dryly with a slight shrug. "I just wanted to know your actual motive. You said Florida was treating you good and that you found a nice job out there. Why did you move back all of a sudden?"

Shaye's eyes darted left to right. She stood there and sighed while folding her arms. "If you must know, Florida has been good to me. I got the opportunity to attend Florida A&M University—for four years."

Jersey stood up straight with a box of gloves and a pail in her hand. Instead of showing any actual signs, she just decided to be nonchalant. Shaye wanted to see Jersey's reaction. She couldn't wait to rub her degree in her face.

"Look, I asked about you moving back." Jersey retorted calmly as she ran her fingers through her short, curly hair.

"I landed a job as a social worker back in Florida. Unexpectedly, I was offered another position out here in New York. I decided to take it because I wanted to be closer to my family. So, you see—that's why I moved back. I was offered a better job with a better pay."

"Humph..." Jersey scorned. "That's your reason?"

"It is." Shaye replied back. "So, what's going on with your life?"

Jersey knew that she was going to fire back at her. She just knew that her cousin was going to ask her about her life and what she was doing with it. It had always been like that between them.

"I'll be registering for school soon..." Jersey trailed off. She didn't want to lie and tell her that life was great. Life wasn't great for Jersey at all.

"Good for you." Shaye replied with a slight smirk. "And you're staying with Kelli?"

Jersey sent her a curious glance and said, "Just until I find my own place."

Instead of wasting anymore time, Jersey handed her cousin a pair of gloves and walked into Rudy's room prepared. She had a pail that was filled with cleaning products.

"I just want us to be cool." Shaye continued. "We're still cousins no matter what. We can't change that."

Blood ain't s**t. Jersey said to herself as she set the pail down on the floor. She scanned Rudy's room for the third time and sighed hard.

"Let's just focus on cleaning the room..."

Shaye gave her cousin a look and sucked her teeth. "Well fine—but I'm not cleaning that messy ass closet out. This apartment has mice and s**t. I don't want no mouse running up on me."

Jersey ignored her cousin's spoiled pleas and started cleaning up Rudy's room. She picked up his clothes while Shaye managed to throw away the empty bottles and containers.

_____________________________

"I was doing what I had to do." Ezra stated as he stood there with an ice pack on the left side of his jaw. It was swollen and bruised badly, thanks to Sawyer. "That nigga just came out of nowhere and started hitting me."

"You were selling on my block!" Sawyer roared. He looked as if he was about to charge at Ezra, but he didn't.

Malcolm stood to the side looking. He wasn't the type to get all rowdy with people around. He held a nonchalant composure as he watched Sawyer blow up in front of Nieko and his nephew, Deshawn. It was embarrassing. He wasn't supposed to act this way—at all. The people who Malcolm associated with were civilized. Sawyer, however, wasn't.

"That was part of the deal." Nieko spoke weakly as he eyed Sawyer. "I'm sure Malcolm explained everything to you."

"I don't give a f**k about no deal." Sawyer snapped. "I don't feel like he should be able to sell on the same turf as me. That's money I'm losing."

"Gaining...it's actually money you're gaining. But you don't understand that because you're too busy throwing a tantrum like a kid." Nieko replied back. "Double the money, double the profits. Step yo' game up and maybe you'll be able to sell something."

"f**k you. You don't know s**t with yo' fat ass."

Deshawn eyed Sawyer carefully. He didn't like the way the nigga was talking to Nieko.

"That's enough." Malcolm warned Sawyer as he sent him a menace look.

Malcolm wanted to explode. He was fed up with Sawyer and his attitude. He wanted to blow the little nigga's brains out, but he decided against it. He tried to strain from hurting people. Killing wasn't something he liked doing. But if it had to be done, it had to be done.

"Y'all shouldn't be fighting—at all." Malcolm spoke up. "Instead of worrying about dumb s**t like your block—which isn't really your block, you should be worried about getting your money. f**k everything else. You niggas need to call a truce and get back to work."

The whole room was quiet which resulted into them getting excused. Both Malcolm and Nieko were left behind. Nieko sat in his chair with his oxygen tank by his side.

"I'm surprised he's working for you."

Malcolm just glanced at him. 

"Businessmen like you don't associate with people like him." Nieko continued. "Get rid of him...he's not good for you."

"I try to give people chances." Malcolm replied.

"Giving people like him chances will only ruin you."

Malcolm thought about what Nieko had said and clenched his jaws. Instead of replying back to him, he just informed Nieko that he would have his package ready for him by the end of the week.

"A few associates of mine are in town. I'm supposed to be meeting up with them for dinner and a friendly game of poker. I was wondering if you would be interested in meeting them?"

Malcolm looked Nieko over. He didn't understand how the man was able to get around with a oxygen tank. He was going to decline, but an idea popped up in his mind. He had been waiting for that moment since he walked inside Nieko's restaurant. He wanted to learn the old man's ropes, so he was definitely going to take the opportunity to do just that.

"Yeah, that'll be cool."

"I'll let you know that details. I hope you can play poker."

"I know a little some, some." Malcolm replied back as he thought about old, card game. Dock had taught him how to play when he was younger.

After they finished their conversation, he walked outside and spotted Sawyer leaning on the building, smoking. Deshawn was outside looking around. He wore a hoodie with the matching sweatpants. They locked eyes for a minute, looking at each other as if they were enemies. In reality, they were.

Malcolm quickly placed his attention on Sawyer. He stood there pulling on his blunt. His left eye was swollen and freshly bruised due to Ezra punching him.

Malcolm stood there sizing the young guy up. His jaw clenched as he thought of the many ways, he could hurt Sawyer.

"I'm not going to preach to you. I just want you to grow the f**k up. It's real out here. You can't always get what you want, Sawyer and you should know that by now. Learn to cope with the plan or walk away. It's just that easy. Don't cause a scene and throw tantrums when you're working for me. It's not a good look. The next time you pull some s**t like this, I won't be so merciful on you."

Sawyer tossed his roach in the grass and stepped on it. He blew smoke from his mouth and scoffed. Instead of waiting around for a response, Malcolm decided to walk off.

_____________________________

"Wow, it smells better in here." Shaye commented as she stood at the door chewing her food. She had a bowl of strawberries in her hand.

Jersey just pursed her lips as she tossed Rudy's shirt in a trash bag. Two hours later and the room was finally coming together. The floors were visible, and it even smelled better; now she realized how nasty and revolting her cousin really was after cleaning his room up. She didn't expect for him to have so much clutter.

Shaye stopped cleaning after picking up the trash. She was way too scared to lift up anything. She didn't want to run up on a mouse, so Jersey had to clean up everything else by herself. Now, she was working on Rudy's closet.

"...I'm almost done. I just have to get these clothes out of the closet." Jersey announced while pushing the container from the closet. Suddenly, a small figure started running from the closet, causing Shaye to scream. Jersey jumped back once she realized it was a mouse. It scurried under the bed in order to avoid being harmed.

"Did you just see that?" Shaye asked her cousin. "See! I knew it was a rat in there!"

"That was a mouse, technically." Jersey opined, being petty. She called mice, rats all the time. "Mice are inside and rats are outside."

"Are you serious right now? You have to get rid of it. It ran under the bed."

"Call the pest control." Jersey suggested as she continued to push the container. Shaye sucked her teeth as she walked away from the room.

While pushing the container, Jersey noticed the carpet in the closet was lifted up. She furrowed her eyebrows as she examined the flap. It was very bulking looking, which was suspicious. Part of her wanted to pull it but the other half of her didn't want to. She was afraid that the carpet underneath had mice. Instead of touching it, she just went on to the next container that contained Rudy's clothes. She pushed it out and couldn't help but to place her eyes back on the carpet flap. 

"GET THAT RAT OUT OF HERE, JERSEY!" Shaye screamed.

Jersey ignored at her cousin's pleas and neared the flap again. Slowly, she reached over and pulled on the flap. The wooden floorboards were revealed. Jersey noticed that one was already lifted up halfway. She pushed it up and immediately backed away from it. A large mouse was sitting on top of a black, duffle bag. She placed her hand over her mouth and gasped lightly. Jersey knew it had to be the money. She jumped lightly when the mouse scrambled away.

Quickly, her eyes darted towards the open door. She looked for signs of Shaye. Fortunately, she didn't see her. Jersey grabbed an old shirt of Rudy's and placed it over her hand. She looked in the closet and took a deep breath. Slowly, she pulled the bag from the occupied space.

Jersey wasted no time unzipping it. Her heart drummed as she surveyed the stack of twenties that filled the duffle bag. She ran her hand over it as she grew anxious.

"What the f**k?" Jersey cursed while palming her face. She looked through the money quickly and realized everything was still there. Rudy didn't spend any of it.

"This is the only neat thing in this room." She stated while looking up at the ceiling. "What the f**k, Rudy? I shouldn't be this surprised."

Jersey knew that her cousin had the twenty thousand dollars. She knew that he was lying about it the whole time. She didn't say anything because she thought he would confess and give it back.

She closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to keep herself from crying. The s**t was emotional for Jersey. Not only did Rudy lie to her, but he left her to fend for herself. She sucked up her tears while thinking of a way to get the duffle bag out of the house. She didn't want to look suspicious at all. She knew that Shaye and Lisa would be asking questions and trying to look inside it.

_____________________________

"What's up with Jersey, how she holding up?" Ryder questioned Kelli.

She sighed while shaking her head. "She's taking it hard. We haven't really been talking lately, but she called me and told me to pick her up from her aunt's."

"Just keep looking out for her."

"I'll always do that. She's my best friend. Oh—I'll have to call you back. She's making her way over." Kelli quickly ended the call while hitting the locks. She had them lock for many reasons. The neighborhood Lisa stayed in wasn't exactly safe.

Jersey tried not to look suspicious as she carried the trash bag in her hand, along with some other things of Rudy. She pulled on the door handle and jumped right inside the car.

"What the hell is that?" Kelli asked. She wrinkled her nose when she noticed Jersey looking over at the building her aunt lived in. She was making sure she wasn't being watched.

"Drive, drive now." Jersey commanded in a hurried tone. Kelli wasted no time shifting gear and pulling off.

"Look, tell me what the hell is going on. Your ass is looking all sneaky and s**t. I know that look, Jay."

"I can't tell you out here. I just don't trust anything right now."

Kelli was weirded out by Jersey's behavior.

"What?"

"Just please...let me enjoy the quietness. I'll tell you what happened when we get to your place."

Kelli sighed while nodding her head. "Okay, just please tell me that's not Shaye's head in that trash bag."

"Girl no." Jersey replied.

Suddenly, her phone started ringing. She pulled it out of the bag and realized Rudy's name had popped up. Her eyes bugged as she stared at the screen.

"Girl, Rudy's phone is calling mine."

"It might just be your aunt. You know they probably gave her the phone."

"No." Jersey shook her head. "If it was on him when he was killed, the police would mostly likely keep it for investigation."

"And if the police don’t have it..." Kelli trailed off as she grew paranoid.

"Then... somebody else does." Jersey replied.

The call ended and her phone started ringing again. The girls grew chills as they sat there listening to it ring.

"What the f**k is going? Who has that phone?" Kelli started panicking as she glanced over at Jersey.

"I don't know, I don't know." Jersey remarked. "I'm as curious as you."

The phone continued to ring, so Jersey decided to answer it. Kelli looked at her as if she was crazy.

What are you doing? No! Kelli mouthed to her as she tried to swat the phone out of her hand.

Stop! Jersey mouthed back as she moved away from Kelli.

"Hello?" Jersey answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Guess who?"

Jersey didn't recognize the voice at all. It was raspy; yet deep. Obviously, it was a man she didn't know; Her eyes wandered in suspense because she felt like she was being watched.

"Curiosity killed the cat." The man called out and ended the call.

Quickly, Jersey pulled the phone from her ear. She looked around to see if they were being followed.

"What is it? What happened?"

"It was a man...on the phone. He was like, guess who and then he said, curiosity killed the cat and ended the call."

"I told you not to answer that phone." Kelli lectured her.

"No, it's good that I did." Jersey nodded her head. "I know what's up against me, now." She grabbed her phone and noticed that it was going on eleven o'clock. She proceeded to scroll through her contact. When she got to the person she was looking for, she tapped on the contact and placed her phone up to her ear.

"Hello, hey...um." Jersey trailed off while looking out the window. "Yeah, I'm fine, so look...I need you to meet me at Kelli's house. Okay, alright then. Bye." She ended the call and looked down at the trash bag.

"Who was that?"

"Malcolm."

"Why did you call him?" Kelli asked nosily.

Jersey just shook her head while looking elsewhere. Instead of asking anymore questions, Kelli decided to be quiet. She was just worried about them being safe.

They jumped out the car as soon as Kelli parked. Both girls wasted no time going up to the apartment. Kelli closed and locked the door behind her. Jersey wasted no time pulling the bag out. Kelli just stood there watching her in suspense.

"The money is in this bag." Jersey admitted while unzipping it. She pushed it open so Kelli could see for herself.

"So, his ass really did have it?" Kelli said as her mouth gaped. She squatted down and grabbed a stack of money that was wrapped together. After surveying it, she tossed it back in the bag.

Jersey nodded her head and said, "He did me like that. I was just t-trying to help him and was holding out on me."

Kelli watched as her friend broke down crying. Quickly, she neared her and placed her hand on her back. Tears dropped and cascaded down Jersey's face as she cried.

"I'm grieving over his death, trying to help his mom by cleaning up the room and I find the money in his closet—underneath the carpet."

"Why was he hiding it?"

"I don't know..." Jersey trailed off. "But what I do know is that I'm tired. I'm tired of fighting this fight. I'm just tired, Kelli."

"I know..." Kelli trailed off as she held her friend. "I know you are, but this fight is going to be worth it. I promise you."

Jersey pulled back from her friend and wiped her face. "Really? Because I feel like it's not going to be worth it."

"It will. You're strong—you've always been. Since we were little. Hey, this is nothing to you. Okay? You've been made it this far, so don't give up now."

Jersey nodded her head in agreement. "You're right, you're right. I love you so much."

"I love you too." Kelli replied while wrapping her arms around her friend. They just sat there hugging each other tightly. The girls eventually pulled away from each other.

"Kelli, I slept with Malcolm." Jersey admitted as she stared at her friend. Kelli sat there with her mouth on the floor. Her eyes were wide as she tried to process what Jersey had said.

"b***h, what? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know how." Jersey answered with a solemn expression.

"I figured y'all liked each other. I knew it!" Kelli continued with a smirk.

Jersey just shook her head with a nonchalant look on her face.

"Well, was it good?" Kelli questioned her. "Your facial expression is telling on you. Oh, please don't tell me that he was trash. He got them good looks—for nothing."

"It's not that. I mean—he got mad at me because he found out that I used to do drugs. I think somebody he hangs told him—Micah."

"Damn..." Kelli cursed while wrinkling her nose. "Who the f**k is Micah?"

"Some guy who's friends with Malcolm. I don't know him, but he told me that I looked familiar, so I'm assuming he said something."

"So, he really got mad when he found out?"

"Very." Jersey answered. "He pushed me against the lockers that we have in the break room. He really did hurt me, but I'm used to that. That's why I despise men sometimes."

"You want me to handle his ass for you? He doesn’t need to be putting his f*****g hands on you?"

"No, I got everything under control. Just let me handle it." Jersey assured Kelli. "I just want him to get his money and see if he can track down the person that has Rudy's phone. I'm not sure if it's possible."

"Alright." Kelli replied, nodding her head. "I just wanted to let you know that Malcolm isn't a man you should want anyway. He's not settling down no time soon."

"Oh, so Ryder is ready?" Jersey retorted back with her head tilted.

"b***h no... he’s not ready either. He's still with Hope and I'm still with Travis. Right now, we're just f*****g and having a good time."

Kelli knew that Jersey couldn't do the same s**t she did. Jersey wasn't the type of woman to sleep around without a title. She had to have some kind of relationship with the guy. Also, she knew that Jersey wasn't mentally stabled enough to handle Malcolm.

"So many s****l fluids being passed around." Jersey joked while shaking her head.

_____________________________

Malcolm parked his Jaguar and headed for Kelli's apartment. As soon as he knocked on the door, it swung open. Jersey appeared on the other side. She welcomed him in, and he wasted no time walking in.

"I heard the news. How are you holding up?" Malcolm asked her as he studied her appearance. She was dressed comfortably in a tank top and some leggings.

"I'm holding."

"I tried to contact you bu—"

"I know." She broke in while walking towards the back. Malcolm didn't know what she was about to do, so he prepared himself. When he noticed her making her way towards the front with a bag, he relaxed.

"Here." Jersey stated while tossing the duffle bag near his feet. "This is what you want, right? There's your money. Twenty thousand dollars."

Malcolm looked down at the bag. He pushed it over with his foot and stooped down to unzip the bag. Surely enough, Jersey was right. He fingered through the money and realized it was the same bag he sent Aaron out with.

"How did you get this?"

"Does it even matter?" Jersey questioned him. "Just take it."

"I asked because this is the same bag, I gave Aaron, that night."

Jersey clenched her jaw as she contemplated on telling him the truth. She didn't want to make her cousin out to be a liar in front of Malcolm, but she didn't want to be called a liar herself.

"I was cleaning up Rudy's room for my aunt and I found it in his closet."

Malcolm shook his head and said. "He had it the whole time."

"Yeah...now hopefully we can part ways and go on with our lives." Jersey said while touching her arm. "You have your money and I can stop working for you."

He furrowed his eyebrows and said, "You need a job though."

"I'll find one. I don't think I should be around you. I don't want to put a negative impact on you and your business with my old drug abuse history." Jersey deadpanned.

Malcolm sighed while touching the side of his face. "About that—"

"You don't have to say anything." Jersey broke in while shaking her head. "I just need you to do me a favor. After that, we can just part ways."

Malcolm tried his best to ignore Jersey's stubbornness. "What kind of favor?"

"I need you to you trace down Rudy's phone. I'm not sure if you can since it's a burner."

"Why do I need to trace his phone down?" Malcolm questioned her with his eyebrows furrowed. He stood there, looking at her with his beautiful, brown eyes.

"Whoever killed him has it. I got a call earlier from the phone. Some guy answered it and said, guess who and then he told me that curiosity killed the cat."

Curiosity killed the cat. Malcolm repeated in his head. He knew exactly what that meant. Jersey was getting too involved in Rudy's business. The caller was basically just warning her to stay away from the situation.

"Yo, you got to leave this s**t alone."

"Leave what alone?" Jersey reiterated. "I haven't done anything."

"The situation with Rudy. You don't need to be out there investigating his death."

"I'm not. I haven't even thought about doing that."

Malcolm shook his head and said, "Somebody is watching you..."