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My mind spun listening to him. I wet my lips and tipped my head back to get a better view of him in more ways than one.
“Your family has been keeping this city pretty for generations…” I shook my head and let out a hollow laugh. “Here I thought all of you Godwins had this insane god complex and were vigilant about saving the lives of the broken.”
“We are. There are always two sides to every coin, though, Sanai. You had to know that money was the other side of the coin. My family practically built this city. But we built it by saving lives. I can’t remember a generation of Godwins that weren’t doctors.”
“Then why do you hate my family so much if yours is just as seedy, nigga?” My forehead wrinkled with a frown.
“Because you deceive and kill. We deceive and save. We’re doing good for everyone.” His nostrils flared as we stood nearly chest to chest with only a sliver of space separating us. Silence squeezed us for a few beats. Then Bakari said, “That’s how I used to feel, though. Before I had men attack my family in the Temple. Before I watched Rob get killed. Now, I don’t know what the hell morals are. My head is all fucked up and I find myself not caring who lives or dies.
I just want to make sure my family and the people I care about are straight.” He curled his fingers under my chin and tipped my head back.
“Are you saying you care about me, Bakari?” I tried to steady my heartbeat, but it was fierce and noisy. I swallowed, trying to bring moisture to my parched throat but nothing worked.
“Maybe. I don’t know yet.” His eyes flitted over my face and then the rest of me in that way that heated my entire body. “I know that you being here for me when I needed someone is something I don’t plan to forget.”
“I’m damn sure not going to let you forget it.” I sniffed, rolling my eyes. “So, you’re really going to open the Temple in the middle of the day?”
“Yeah. I need to do something. I have to take my mind off things. Might as well see some patients.”
“You can do that at the hospital,” I hissed. Anxiety swelled in my chest, making it uncomfortable to breathe. I wasn’t an anxious person but knowing that my mother was out there unaccounted for and that Bakari planned to go to the Temple had me on edge. I wouldn’t be able to protect him or help him if I wasn’t there.
“I’m not scared of your mother, Sanai. Stop looking at me like a puppy dog.”
“She’s missing, Bakari. That doesn’t scare you a little? She’s the head of a fucking hit family and you want me to feel comfortable with you going to the Temple in broad daylight where you’re an easy target?”
“I said I’m not scared. I’m going to do what I have to do, and I don’t give a fuck who’s out there looking for me. I know how to handle myself and if your mother comes…” He lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “I know how to handle her ass, too. I’m not a lightweight. Just because I don’t broadcast what me and my brothers are capable of, doesn’t mean shit can’t go down.” There was something in his eyes that hadn’t been there in all the time I’d known Bakari. He had a new edge.
It was sharp and deadly.
…
Our family’s church wasn’t small by any means, but it wasn’t a megachurch either. It was one of the oldest churches in Bellmore…but it wasn’t the oldest. The Temple was. Maybe that was why Mother was so hellbent on getting it as a notch in her belt.
When I walked in, Zee, Ken, Eli, and Father were all seated in the first pews. The sound of my heels popped and clicked on the shiny floor as I made my way to the front of the church. Kenya turned her head to look at me first and the cold glare she offered told me all I needed to know. That bitch warned Mother and was the reason she was able to pack up and leave like it was nothing.
“Hey, Sanai,” Father greeted me with a tight smile and a nod. I took a seat beside Zee since I knew she was one person I could always trust.
“Hello,” I returned his tight-lipped smile since we were being unnecessarily cordial in this motherfucker. “So, can we get started?” I looked to the side at my siblings, landing on Eli’s bruised and swollen face. “The Temple is open if you need to go get that checked out.” I pointed to his face then sank into my seat.
“Fuck you, Sanai. You’re the reason this shit happened in the first place. You can believe Breeze is going to get what’s coming to him.” He had to hold his jaw while he spoke, wincing from the pain.
“This is my fault? Mine? Not you and your fucking mouth? Because that’s what I saw last night. You talked shit and you got hit. How is that my fault?” I asked, my voice sweeping the vaulted ceilings.
“Alright. That’s enough,” Father said, clapping his hands together. “I didn’t call you four here to squabble. Your mother has packed up and left without a word. She left behind her cell phone and her wallet. She also cleared out her office. She’s officially on the run and I want to know who told her we were on to her?”
“We already know who told her to run,” I said, not bothering to hide my attitude.
“I told her.” Kenya cleared her throat and pulled her shoulders back, making her spine erect. “I didn’t tell her to run but I did tell her that we needed to have a family meeting about the coke and asked if she had anything to do with Rob’s murder.”
“You’re fucking kidding me!” Zee exploded. “Why would you ever say all of that to her over the phone? You knew she would run and that’s exactly what you were hoping for.”
“Zara,” Father spoke, holding his hand up signaling for her to be quiet. He turned his attention to Kenya, eyes narrowed and focused. “Why did you call her and tell her anything if you didn’t want her to run? If you didn’t want to protect her from what you know her fate has to be!”
“She’s my mother!” Kenya shouted back, tears glistening in her eyes. It felt like a punch to the gut because I’d never know the version of our mother that she knew. The caring, kind, guiding mother that I should have had.
“Are we really going to punish Kenya for doing what we all thought about doing?” Eli asked, grunting through his words and holding his ribs.
“Whaty'allwanted to do. I didn’t want to warn her about shit. She lied to the family for…we don’t even know how long. She had no sympathy in killing anyone who disobeyed her rules so I’m extending her the same courtesy,” I stated.
