“We’re sure of this?” Raf asks. “I mean…”
“We’re sure,” Les says in a deep voice. “We’re sure.”
“It fucking sucks,” Taz says.
“More than sucks,” I say. “But it’s what we’re facing. It also means we have to be extra careful with everything. I’m not going to say that Mama is wrong about everything she says, but we just have to be sure of it before we act. I can’t stop thinking about the info she gave on Jolie’s old man. We were this close to getting to him. To getting to Jolie.”
I look at Ado again.
His nervous face comes back.
“You have any idea where she is?” Ado asks.
“No,” I say. “And this thing with Mama only makes it worse.”
“Fuck, bro,” Ado says.
Again, relief washes over his face.
I want to fucking kill him right now.
I look down at Taz and I can see him ready to explode.
“That’s all I wanted to talk about right now,” I say. “I’m working on some stuff but it doesn’t matter right now. Everyone just keep an eye on things. Don’t tell Mama anything. If you see her acting different, just go with it and then tell me.”
“At some point though, bro,” Aric says.
“I know,” I say. “We will handle it.” I look around the table and nod. “As far as everything else. Business as usual. Keep things flowing.”
“Done,” Les says.
He hits the table and stands up.
Everyone breaks away from the table.
I carefully watch as Taz walks to the door at the same time as Ado does.
I can already see it happening.
Taz throwing his shoulder and knocking Ado into the wall.
Then calling out oops.
I let out a whistle and get Ado’s attention.
I wave him toward me.
Taz glances back at me, lip curled.
Ado walks toward me and my hands ball up into fists.
I picture him stealing cash, pulling a gun on Jolie, threatening her.
But right now every decision I make doesn’t just hit my life or the crew, but it hits Jolie’s life.
The end of this is me with Jolie.
Holding her on the beach.
Kissing her under the stars.
“How’s your mother?” I ask Ado.
“Still dying,” Ado says.
“You know, bro, In some crazy universal way, we all are,” I say. “Right? Each second is another taken off our life. We just don’t know how many seconds we have.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Ado asks.
“No,” I say. “I’m just making sure we’re on the same page with everything still.”
“Yeah. You’re cold as fuck, Mac. As always. You hate me and can’t let go of what happened. And I get it. I’d probably be the same way. And you miss the fuck out of Jolie. I wish I could help.”
I nod. “Yeah. I’m sure you do. It’ll all work out. Let’s go take care of some business.”
We leave the room and I shut the door behind me.
I walk through the garage and I feel Taz staring at me.
He wants to explode.
We all do.
Aric and Raf are hurting over the news of Mama.
Today is just getting started though.
“Everyone out,” I call out. “Les, Aric, you’re with me. Taz, you take Raf. Ado… hit the track.”
“Yeah?” Ado asks.
I nod. “Yeah. We’re overdue to check on supplies down there. Can I trust you down there?”
“Of course you can, Mac,” Ado says. “I’m tired of these bullshit parties and stuff. I want real work.”
“Then it’s yours,” I say.
We all split off into our vehicles and I hit the button to shut the garage door.
Les is in the passenger seat next to me.
“Where am I texting to meet?” he asks.
“Skatepark,” I say.
“What are we doing?” Aric asks.
“Getting to the bottom of the truth, bro.”
Taz grips the railing and looks ready to rip it apart.
Les is calm and collected.
Peg Leg Mikey is in on the conversation because I trust him more than I trust Ado.
Aric and Raf have to first collect their jaws off the ground from the shock of the story. And then the anger comes in a big wave.
“And we just sat there with him?” Raf asks.
“What the fuck, Mac?” Aric asks.
“Listen to me,” I say. “I know what we want to do. And there’s a way to make this right. We can’t rely on Mama the way we want to. There’s a plan in place for this kind of thing. This isn’t something where you just replace the cash, beat the fuck out of Ado, and toss him to the curb. And this is my fault. So I have to fix it my way.”
“How is it your fault?” Peg Leg Mikey asks.
“Ado was in the middle of a situation a while ago,” I say. “He wanted to overthrow me. Wanted to take control of BC. Not him, but other parts of the crew. He was honest and I kept him around.”
“It’s not your fault,” Aric says to me. “It’s Ado’s fault.”
“He wants to help his mother,” I say.
“Well maybe we should have her meet her grave earlier than expected,” Raf says.
“Fuck, bro, she’s got cancer,” Les says.
“I don’t care,” Raf says.
“I’m with Raf,” Taz says.
“Listen to me,” I growl. “I’ve got it worked out. You just have to trust me.”
“I trust my fists,” Taz says.
“Taz, cut the shit,” Les says.
“Come over here and say that to me,” Taz says.
Les takes a step and I grab his shirt.
“Stop,” I say. “I get it. This is a fucked up mess. But if we don’t do this the right way, it all comes crashing down.”
“What do you need from me?” Peg Leg Mikey asks.
“You just run this place tight,” I say to him. “Any bullshit and you call me. Make sure you work with Van and Clay too. This entire area needs to be safe at all times.”
“Done,” Peg Leg Mikey says.
“I fucking hate this,” Raf says. “All of it.”
“We all do,” Les says.
“I just want to…”
Raf walks by us and goes to the top of the halfpipe.
A skateboarder named Chimmy comes up the halfpipe and stops.
Raf punches him in the face.
“Raf!” Les yells.
“Let him go,” I say.
Raf grabs the skateboard and swings it at Chimmy.
Chimmy screams when Raf hits him with it.
Raf throws the skateboard down the halfpipe and then does the same with Chimmy.
“My turn,” Taz says.
He cracks his knuckles and jumps the railing.
“Before we go destroying the skatepark,” I call out. “Can I tell you the next part of the plan here?”
Taz looks back at me. “It better be good.”
“Trust me, bro, it’s fucking good.”
14
JOLIE