“OK.” Sekani nodded and backed out of the room.
Just outside the house, on that very street, about three doors down, Finn sat parked with Jonah beside him. Jonah squinted through the darkness at the house, peeping that the lights were indeed on. These motherfuckers had no choice but to exit the front door to get to their cars in the driveway.
“Looks like somebody is moving off the block,” Finn muttered, fishing his phone so he could Rose again.
“What’s good?”
“Meet us on Troup. We got action,” Finn said, then hung up.
“How you want to do this?” Jonah shot him a glance, but his focus was on everything moving up and down this block.
“I think we need to go around the back.” Finn checked his rearview as a black SUV cruised around the corner.
Shit was suspect as fuck, especially since they didn’t have their lights on and were doing like 5 mph, like they were looking for something.
“The fuck is this?” Finn asked, staying glued to his sideview mirror.
As the truck crept past them, Finn could’ve sworn that he saw a Hispanic mothafucka. His thoughts flashed back to the conversation he’d had with Rose earlier tonight. The fucking cartel was in town, sniffing around too. Maybe their luck was about to change. Jonah was anxious. He had other things on his mind. Staring out his window, he kept thinking about Mila and where she was. If something had happened to her, he knew he wouldn’t be able to come back from that. Max would kill him if he failed at protecting what was left of his family. Jonah’s cell buzzed, and he had a text come through from an unknown number.
Unknown: Meet me at the location.
Jonah sighed and shook his head while checking the time. Fifteen minutes. He was giving Rose that while they tried to get at these niggas as they were in transition. Tapping his fingers against the car door, he stared off at the house with Finn as the brake lights on the van suddenly lit up. Finn perked up in his seat and watched as a dude hopped out from the side like a fucking ninja, blending in with the night before slipping into the shadows.
“You see that shit?” Finn asked, shooting his eyes at Jonah.
“I’m not missing a beat, nephew.” Jonah stared ahead.
Things moved swiftly outside of the house as their crew loaded up their vehicles. The truck continued to roll down the block and then quietly rounded the next corner. Finn and Jonah’s eyes locked across the front seat. Eirian and Sekani stepped onto the porch first. She toted a trash bag in one hand, and her brother slung one duffle across his chest with another in his hand as a carry along. Gannon brought up the rear. Closing and locking the door with his back to the siblings , they had no idea across the street a shooter took position behind a section of trees. Gannon spun right as the red dot hit Eirian’s back. Eyes stretching, they darted across the street to where the assailant was parked. Gannon went behind his back for his weapon when a round shot across the street.
“E!” His voice felt like it was being held hostage within his throat, and he was too late with his words. Eirian was struck with the bullet, and his body was thrown back into the truck waiting on them in the driveway.
“Eirian!” Sekani screamed, watching in horror as her only living sibling caught a shot to his chest.
She rushed to his side as he slid down the side of the truck, his body hitting the ground. Another shot punctured her middle, right between her ribcage. At first, shock paralyzed her. Here she was, knelt at her brother’s side, panicking as she covered his wound with her hand, and he had to watch as she was hit too. The anguish on her face mirrored his, and her upper torso fell against him.
She coughed and choked, struggling with her words as she held his stare, and he did the same. No words would come. From the porch, Gannon shot back, avoiding the gunfire erupting while ducking and making his way toward the truck. Instinct and adrenaline was all he had in that moment to keep himself a live. Tires squealed around the block and no sooner that they rangout he spotted a black vehicle speeding down the block with the side door open.
“Fuck!” Gannon wanted to get the money and run, but the bullets had his name on them.
There was a target on him as bulled from the van also shot at him. He climbed into the driver’s seat of the truck, which was left running. Slamming the door shut, he quickly shifted it to drive so he could back out of the driveway. Without so much as a glance behind him, he cut the van off and hit the corner. The shooter that hopped out slid back inside the vehicle, and sped after him. Finn and Jonah watched it all unfold, completely stunned at the turn of events.
“The fuck you doing?” Jonah hissed when Finn hopped out.
“Getting the money, the fuck? They don’t need that shit.” Finn jogged across the street, and Jonah climbed over in the driver’s seat.
Finn snatched the bag from Eirian’s shoulder first, and when his hand suddenly seized his wrist, he snatched away from him. “Mothafuckas—” Eirian grumbled, glaring at Finn as his own blood suffocated him.
“You should know better than anybody the streets ain’t got no love.” Finn snatched away and reached around Eirian.
Picking up the bag in his other hand, Finn’s ears perked up to the sirens wailing in the distance. Gripping both bags, he took one last look at Eirian and Sekani, the shadow of death looming over them. Finn turned to go, making a dash toward his car as Jonah wheeled it down the block. Once he was inside, Jonah put his foot to the gas and cleared the scene.
Jonah arrivedoutside a small fourplex-type building and parked behind it, out of sight. Finn soaked in his surroundings with a frown. He knew the neighborhood; he just didn’t know what the fuck they were doing there. He was paranoid because Gannon was out there, and after shooting a text to Rose that they would be popping in soon, Finn rode shotgun while they whipped through the streets. Arriving on the south side, Jonah shut off the lights.
“Why we stop here?” Finn asked, swinging his head toward Jonah.
“I have to check on some other shit. Sit tight.” Jonah was about to get out of the car when Finn reached for his arm.
Jonah paused, staring down at another man’s hand on him. When he brought his striking stare back to Finn, he released him. Jonah was moving funny, and he didn’t like being left in the dark.
