Page 25 of Collateral Love
“Yes.”
“Why?”
I didn’t hesitate.
“Because now,” I said, “you know what it costs when shit goes wrong. And so do I.”
The silence that followed was thick and deliberate.
Zayden finally spoke.
“You know,” he said slowly, “most women come to me trying to be chosen.”
I nodded. “I know.”
“You ain’t doing that.”
“No,” I said. “I’m choosing myself.”
That earned me a look I felt in my bones.
“Tell me something,” he said, voice quieter now. “Why are you really doing this?”
I held his gaze.
“My brother,” I said.
He stiffened slightly.
“Jared,” I continued. “He’s doing life. He didn’t do it,” I said. “I need to get him counsel, keep him comfortable, and help with his kids who are on the outside. I also know the Niggas who set him up are still breathing, and I need to change that.”
Zayden leaned back, exhaling slowly.
“That so?”
“Yes.”
“And you want them handled,” he said.
“I want them erased,” I replied. “From the board and from all of Crestwood’s fuckin’ memory.”
Zayden was silent for a while, then he nodded once.
“I remember X talking about what happened with Jared some years back.”
“And?” I asked.
“And he said the same thing,” Zayden replied. “Them boys still walking.”
My pulse kicked up, steady but alert.
“We should take em out together.” He stared me in the eyes.
He studied me for a long moment.
“You know what that means,” I said.
“Yes,” he replied. “Blood on both our hands.”
