I was about to organize the bills for him. But then I noticed one of the envelopes had a different address on it.
Zuri Carter.
It was addressed to Zuri but it came to Kaseem by mistake. The mail carrier must have gotten confused with the properties. It happened sometimes, I’m sure.
I should have just set it aside. Should have left it for one of the staff to handle. But something made me pick it up. Something about the return address: "Ancestry.com - DNA Results and Family Connections."
I stared at it for a second.
Zuri had taken a DNA test? That was news to me. That was news to probably everyone. Why would she do that? What family was she trying to connect with? From my knowledge, all she had was her husband and kids.
Although we had made amends, something wouldn’t allow me to fully trust her. She had held dirt over my head, now this was my time to shine. I wanted to know, nah.. fuck that… I needed to know what she had going on. There was a strong feeling that I couldn’t shake. A feeling that told me she was up to something and that this letter was only supposed to touch her hands.
I opened it.
The letter was formal, professional. It explained that Zuri had taken an ancestry DNA test and that she had a biological match. A son. A blood match confirming parent and child relationship.
My hands started shaking.
There was another letter included. Handwritten this time. The envelope was labeled "Personal Message from DNA Match."
I pulled it out.
"Dear ZC,
My name is Demontae Sullivan. I'm reaching out because the ancestry site connected us as a biological parent and child match. I was given up for adoption when I was a baby and I've spent most of my life not knowing where I came from or why I was given up.
I have questions. A lot of them. I want to know about my family. I want to know about you. I want to understand my story.
The site won't give me your full information, only your initials. But it gave me enough to try to find you. I’m sending them this letter in hopes that they’ll get it to you. If you're willing, I'd like to know more about where I came from. Why you made the choice you did. What my family is like.
I'm not angry. I'm just searching.
You can reach me at 214-555-0147 or [email protected] if you're interested in giving me answers.
Your son,
Demontae Sullivan"
The letter fell from my hand.
No.
No fucking way.
Demontae Sullivan. Brick Boyz. The man who'd been Kaseem's enemy. The man who'd fathered my daughter. The man who Kaseem had just discovered was a rat working with the feds.
Demontae Sullivan was Zuri's son.
My mind was moving so fast it couldn't keep up with itself. This couldn't be real. This had to be a mistake. An error. Some twisted coincidence.
But the letter was right there. His name. His words. His plea to know his biological mother.
Zuri had given up a son.
And that son was the Brick Boyz leader.
Oh my God. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.
