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Prologue
EASTON
Four Years Ago
The streets were eerily quiet tonight.
The lamplights flickered above, barely lighting a path for us. Mosquitos buzzed in our ears, and humidity weighed us down a little more with every step. Beads of sweat lined my forehead and dripped down my back, clinging to the thin fabric of my t-shirt.
Summers in Florida were brutal during the day, but somehow, they were even worse at night when a warm breeze would brush my sticky skin, bringing the promise of another unbearably hot day ahead.
“Boss said it’s our last run.” Gray’s hoarse voice filled the silence with a puff of smoke from the cigarette between his fingers.
“He says that every time,” I reminded him, studying his ashen face before checking our surroundings. I buried my hands deeper into my pockets, my fingers curled around a blade, just in case someone tried to attack us.
Anything was possible in this part of town.
“I told him we were done. I’ve got a baby on the way. I can’t keep doing this shit anymore.” He coughed, lungs wheezing for air, but instead of breathing in clean oxygen, he stuffed the cigarette back between his lips, inhaling the poison.
I wanted to tell him that he should quit smoking, but we’d had the same argument since we were kids, and now at twenty-two, it wasn’t my job to take care of him anymore.
I needed to get out of this stupid arrangement more than he did. He might have a baby on the way, but I had my future on the line. With a business degree under my belt, I spent the last four years grafting my ass off at a local construction company with hopes of working my way up the goddamn ladder.
My foreman promised me a raise when I graduated. With my diploma out in the mail, I was guaranteed a better life.
“I’m not fighting you. I’ve wanted out for a long time. I’m tired of looking over my shoulder every goddamn day.” Speaking of, I checked behind us to make sure we weren’t being followed, and he did the same. It had become a habit over the years. We both had scars from runs gone wrong.
“I can’t be caught up in this shit. I still haven’t told Anna.” He mentioned his pregnant girlfriend, the one that was far too good for the likes of him, but I didn’t say anything. He never listened to me anyway.
“Where does she think we are?” Thunder loomed above, lightning crackling in the dark sky.
“Told her we were going for drinks.” He threw the butt of his cigarette to the ground and stuffed his hands in his loaded pockets.
He always carried the poison, and I always carried the cash. We were a good team. Coming from the same foster home, we weren’t new to the life of dealing, but it didn’t mean we liked it either. We did what we had to do to survive.
Dealing meant we had a bed every night and food in our bellies growing up, but now it meant our futures were on hold.
Our boss, our former foster father, was a cruel man who only fostered us for a payday and servants to do his bidding. No matter how far we ran, he always lured us back. We were gluttons for punishment and greedy for money.
Coming from nothing meant when he dangled the money in our faces, we pounced like damn lions stalking their prey.
“How do you know it’s the last one?” I asked as the club came into view in the distance. I didn’t trust Bill, our boss. He was a vile man who crossed everyone and anyone when it was in his favor.
“He mentioned that there were some people sniffing around his ring.” He lowered his voice, pulling out his pack of cigarettes and lighting another one.
“Who, Gray?” This man was like my brother. Most of the time, we were thick as thieves, but the other thirty percent of the time, I wanted to bash his face in for being so damn elusive. I hated when he played mind games. I was too old for that shit.
“Who do you think, East? The motherfucking cops, of course. They’re on to him.” We were only allowed in a small part of his drug ring. Bill didn’t let anyone in on all the details. We were movers and nothing more. But I wasn’t surprised the cops were onto him; it was only a matter of time.
I didn’t say anything, mulling over the information. Tonight could be a setup. Gripping the blade harder as we neared the club, I eased a smile onto my lips and aimed it at the bouncer, slapping a fifty in his hand as we shook on an old arrangement. We’d been frequenting this club for years, and getting into a club when we were underage wasn’t easy, so we paid him off. Now, years later, he let us in without a question, and we got to skip the line.
As we entered the dimly lit club, loud bass shook the ground, and bodies swayed to the explicit words bouncing off the walls. We eyed the crowd, looking for our targets.
Gray checked his phone, his face paling.
“I need to do this quickly. Anna isn’t well. She thinks something is wrong with the baby. Can you take half the load?” We’d never done this, but like a fool, I nodded, and he extended his hand to shake, the packet dangling between his fingers.
“See you in an hour,” I told him, and we parted ways with a small nod, understanding in our eyes that we had to sell everything and get out of there.
