Page 12 of Heart Of A Goon II

“Bet.”

The camera footage of Inez walking into the kitchen popped up on the computer screen. “Forty ain’t no fucking serial killer,” Corleon said, while watching her.

“She witnessed something.”

“For sure… she was still trembling when I helped her into the car.”

I looked at my cousin aimlessly walking around the kitchen, unsure on what to touch or do.

“Liability, G,” Menace said.

“Don’t I fucking know it. She family, though.”

I continued to watch my cousin, trying to pinpoint the exact moment when I lost her.

* Reminder: Breaking News Email – Mentioned within Capri 3.5 (The judge that Capri and Skyler shared a helicopter with.)

ZOYA

Past

Recommendation: Listen to “Family Portrait” by P!nk

I rushed into Corleon’s condo building, because I knew my brother was here. The front desk already knew me and allowed me to head to the elevator. I’ve slept in Core’s spare bedroom plenty of nights. Menace was always here because he and Corleon were like twins that had been separated at birth. He had always understood my brother more than I had.

I was often jealous because how could he understand a man who I had grown up with? My brother, who I shared the same parents, and lived under the same roof with. I never understood Maverick, no matter how much I tried to. Whenever there was Maverick, you would find Corleon right next to him.

These days, he was going by Menace, and I had to admit the name fit his heartless ass.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, I headed down the hall to his door, slamming my fist on it. My heart was beating a million miles per hour.

I almost wanted to break out in tears because what I had witnessed couldn’t be true. It couldn’t be the result of my brother meeting my boyfriend.

Corleon opened the door, and I shoved right past him roughly, not caring that this was his home and I was barging inside of it like I owned it.

“Where is he?”

“Sleep. What the fuck happened?”

“You know exactly what happened. You always know what goes on in that man’s life!” I screamed.

My vision was blurry as I made my way down the hall, sad and mad all at the same time. The way he was in that hospital… it wasn’t normal. A man shouldn’t ever look like that. Maverick tried to end him.

A bullet would have been easier.

My brother was asleep on his back, his arms at his sides. I could see the bruising on his hands. They reflected what I saw when it came to Danny. His family looked at me like I was a monster. As if I was the one who had done this to him.

In a way, because my brother had done this, in their eyes that was the same thing.

“Maverick, how could you!” I screamed, causing him to open his eyes and stare at me like I disturbed his peace.

The nerve for him to ever think he deserved fucking peace with the shit he had done. He didn’t like Danny, and I respected his opinion, but that didn’t mean I would listen to him. That didn’t mean he had the right to do whatever he wanted when it came to my life.

“Bean, what?”

“Fuck that Bean shit… call me fucking Zoya!” I continued to holler at him, wanting a reaction.

“What?”