Chapter Seven – The Loyalty Test
1987 Words
Ty had a plan.
A simple one.
Tell Jazmine one thing. Tell Vanessa something completely different.
Sit back. Watch which lie made its way to the streets first.
With Jazmine, it was easy. He took her out for tacos — her weakness — and casually dropped:
Ty: “Yeah, I’m meeting a connect Thursday night. Big cash deal. Real hush-hush.”
Jazmine’s eyes lit up. “How big we talkin’?”
“Big enough to disappear for a year.”
She giggled, sipping her margarita. “Mmm… don’t tempt me.”
With Vanessa, the setup was more formal. Dinner at a quiet Italian spot, candlelight on the table, soft jazz in the background.
Ty: “I’m moving some product Saturday morning. Out by the docks. You know, early before the sun comes up.”
Vanessa didn’t even look up from her pasta. “Is that wise?”
“Sometimes you gotta take calculated risks.”
Her eyes flicked up, sharp. “Just make sure you calculate the fallout, too.”
Two lies. Two dates. Two very different reactions.
Ty figured he’d just wait. But the streets don’t wait.
Thursday night, Ty parked two blocks from the fake “deal” spot he told Jazmine about — an empty parking garage.
Sure enough, an unmarked van was idling by the entrance.
Inside, two men sat in the front seats, scanning the lot.
One of them was the bat-swinger from the warehouse.
Ty grinned to himself. “Bingo.”
Except… he still had Saturday to get through.
Saturday morning, just for the hell of it, he drove by the docks before sunrise.
And his grin disappeared.
Another unmarked van. Different crew.
Waiting. Watching.
Ty (narration):
“So either both of ‘em sold me out… or I’m dumber than I thought. And I’m not ready to admit the second one yet.”
He was still processing when his phone buzzed. Unknown number again.
Text: Nice moves, Ty. Keep playing both sides. We’ll see how long you last.
Ty’s jaw tightened. Whoever this was, they weren’t just watching him… they were enjoying the show.
And the scariest part?
Both women were still texting him like nothing happened.
Chapter Eight – Hunter’s Mind
Pops was in the living room, halfway through a rerun of Law & Order, when Ty walked in. No “hello,” no small talk — Ty just stood there, looking like a man with too many open tabs in his brain.
Pops muted the TV. “Uh-oh… you got that ‘I messed up’ face.”
Ty dropped onto the couch. “Messed up ain’t the word. I ran a test on Jazmine and Vanessa… told them both two different spots I’d be at.”
Pops leaned forward. “And?”
“They both sent people after me.”
Pops sat back and laughed so hard he had to wipe his eyes. “Boy… you out here tryin’ to find one snake, and you sittin’ in a whole nest.”
Ty glared. “It ain’t funny.”
“Yes it is. It’s hilarious. ‘Cause you think this is about two women fightin’ over you. This ain’t about love, son… this is about position.”
Ty frowned. “Position?”
Pops pointed at him. “You the bag. The prize. The meal ticket. And when you the bag, people don’t fight fair — they fight to own you. That’s what you ain’t understandin’.”
Ty rubbed his face. “So what, I just cut them both off?”
Pops shook his head. “Nah… you stop playin’ like a hustler and start playin’ like a hunter. Right now, you reactin’ to them. A hunter? He makes them react. He controls the bait. He controls the ground. And when it’s time, he controls the kill.”
Ty looked over. “That’s kinda dark, Pops.”
Pops smirked. “So’s the alley you almost died in last week.”
Ty leaned back, thinking. “So I set a bigger trap?”
“Exactly. But this time, son… you don’t just watch who shows up.”
Ty tilted his head. “Then what?”
“You make sure they don’t leave.”
Across the city, in a dim apartment lit only by a laptop screen, someone replayed security footage of Ty from the parking garage and the docks.
They zoomed in on his face.
And smiled.
Chapter Nine – The Bait
Ty wasn’t built to sit still.
Once Pops planted the “hunter’s mind” seed, Ty spent the next 48 hours designing a setup that would make even the most careful snake stick its head out.
The bait?
A fake high-value drop — cash, product, the works — staged to look like a one-time, can’t-miss score.
Step one: location.
He chose an abandoned textile factory on the south side. Plenty of shadows, two entrances, and — most importantly — cameras he’d already planted the night before.
Step two: word on the street.
He didn’t tell Jazmine or Vanessa directly. Instead, he “accidentally” let it slip to a loudmouth runner he knew couldn’t keep a secret if you stapled it to his forehead.
By Friday night, the trap was set.
Ty parked across the street in a borrowed sedan, hood pulled low, watching through binoculars.
At 10:12 p.m., the first car rolled up — blacked-out windows, slow approach.
At 10:14, a second vehicle.
By 10:20, there were four cars, engines idling, doors still closed.
Ty’s phone buzzed. Unknown number.
Text: Nice to see you finally making moves. Shame it’s the wrong move.
He looked up just in time to see a figure step out of one of the cars — heels clicking against the cracked pavement.
It was Vanessa.
She wasn’t alone.
Ty’s chest tightened.
Three men got out with her — armed, scanning the area like they’d done this a hundred times.
She spoke to the driver, then pointed toward the factory’s side entrance.
Ty grinned. “Gotcha.”
But across town, Pops was sitting in a diner, stirring his coffee, speaking low into a prepaid phone.
Pops: “Yeah… they took the bait. But remember — we ain’t lettin’ Ty close the door on this. Not yet.”
He hung up, slid a folded envelope across the table to a man Ty had never met… and walked out.
Back at the factory, Ty watched as the first group went inside.
The cameras caught everything.
But Ty didn’t notice the fifth car that had just pulled up, lights off, crawling to the back entrance.
And in that car… was Jazmine.
Chapter Ten – Double-Cross Night
Ty’s heart was steady.
Eyes on the factory.
Cameras rolling.
Vanessa inside.
Everything was going exactly to plan… until his rearview mirror caught movement.
Headlights — low beams, creeping slow.
A car rolled past, then stopped at the back entrance.
Jazmine stepped out.
Ty (narration):
“See, the problem with hunting snakes is… sometimes you realize you’re sitting in the middle of a nest before you’ve even drawn your knife.”
She wasn’t alone either — two guys with hoodies and duffel bags slid out behind her.
Ty’s stomach dropped.
Vanessa was already inside with her crew. Jazmine was coming in from the back. If they crossed paths, this wouldn’t be a setup anymore — it’d be a war zone.
Ty got out of the sedan, moving fast across the street toward the loading dock. But just as his hand touched the rusted handle —
A voice behind him: “Don’t.”
He turned.
Pops.
“Pops?! What are you doing here?”
Pops looked calm, hands in his coat pockets. “Stopping you from making a mistake you can’t unmake.”
“They’re both in there, Pops. This is it. I’m about to end this.”
Pops shook his head. “No. You’re about to walk into somebody else’s plan. You think you’re the only hunter? Boy… there’s been a hunt goin’ on for months, and you ain’t been the one holding the rifle.”
Before Ty could answer, shouting erupted inside the factory.
A gunshot.
Then another.
Ty and Pops sprinted to the side door and looked in.
Vanessa’s crew had guns drawn, yelling at Jazmine’s guys to drop their bags.
Jazmine, heels kicked off, had a pistol in her hand, pointing right at Vanessa.
Vanessa: “This is my play, Jazmine! Step back before I bury you here!”
Jazmine: “Your play? Girl, you’ve been eating off my plate for months!”
Pops pulled Ty back from the doorway. “Let it play out.”
Ty glared. “Play out? They’ll kill each other!”
“That’s the point,” Pops said quietly. “One leaves breathing, we know where the real threat is. Both leave breathing… you got bigger problems.”
Another gunshot rang out. This time, someone screamed.
Ty didn’t wait — he pushed past Pops into the factory.
But by the time he reached the main floor, both women were gone.
No bodies.
Just blood, empty duffel bags… and the briefcase Ty had planted, wide open.
Empty.
Ty stood there, breathing hard. Pops stepped in behind him, looking around like it was just another Tuesday.
“You still think you the hunter?” Pops asked.
Ty didn’t answer. Because right then, his phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
Text: Nice try. Next time, bring bait worth keeping.
Chapter Eleven – The Aftermath
The factory was dead quiet except for the drip of water from a broken pipe.
Blood on the concrete.
The empty briefcase.
No Vanessa.
No Jazmine.
Ty crouched, running his fingers over a smear of blood. Still warm.
Ty (narration):
“It’s one thing to lose bait. It’s another thing to lose control of the whole damn line.”
Pops lit a cigarette like they weren’t standing in the middle of a crime scene.
Ty: “You knew they weren’t gonna kill each other.”
Pops exhaled smoke. “Knew? Hell, I hoped. Saves me the trouble.”
Ty: “Trouble from what, Pops? Why are you even here? Why are you in this?”
Pops gave him that look — the one that meant Ty was asking questions he wasn’t ready for the answers to.
“Those women,” Pops said, “ain’t just chasing money. They’re chasing leverage. And that leverage? It’s tied to me.”
Ty froze. “What do you mean tied to you?”
Pops took another drag. “Back when I was inside… I ran numbers for a man named Preston Cole. Dangerous man. Rich. Ruthless. Had half the block in his pocket. When I got out, I walked away clean — or so I thought. But Preston had people watching me. He knew I had a son.”
Ty: “You’re saying they’re working for him?”
Pops: “Maybe. Or maybe they’re playing him and me at the same time. Either way… Preston Cole’s been trying to get back something I took from him.”
Ty stepped closer. “And what’s that?”
Pops flicked the cigarette away. “A ledger. Names, dates, payoffs — every dirty cop and politician Preston owns. It’s worth more than cash. With it, you can ruin or run a city.”
Ty’s jaw tightened. “And you’ve been sitting on this the whole time?”
Pops: “Son… you think your little hustle’s the center of the universe. You’re just a piece on the board. I’ve been keeping the king in check for twenty years.”
Ty turned away, running both hands over his head. “So let me guess… Jazmine and Vanessa are just pawns?”
Pops’ voice was low. “Pawns with knives. And now they’ve got your scent.”
Outside, a black SUV rolled slowly past the factory. In the passenger seat, Vanessa. Behind the wheel, Jazmine. Both staring straight ahead.
Together.
- Writer
