chapter 3


Naturally, nothing went according to Huey's plan.

An hour and a half later, the three landed in Woodcrest, in the southern part of Maryland. It felt like they'd been in the air for an eternity, and a sense of dread filled their stomachs when the plane finally landed. It was an overwhelming feeling that they couldn't shake as they gathered their luggage and headed outside. The cool, crisp Maryland weather made the brothers shiver as they scanned their surroundings, searching for a taxi service.

As soon as they'd exited the airport and began trying to call up taxi services, a bright, cherry red convertible pulled up alongside them. They thought nothing of it as the driver exited the car, but it was Riley that looked up and audibly gasped in shock. It made Huey glance up, and his eyes widened and his jaw nearly dropped.

A woman stood in front of them, her eyes shielded by a pair of large, black sunglasses. A manicured hand reached up to remove them, revealing a pair of familiar, sky blue eyes.

"Sarah?" Robert was the first to speak. At her name, her pink lips parted into a smile, "Robert!" She greeted him, extending her arms out for an embrace.

Sarah didn't even look like Sarah anymore. Huey and Riley had remembered Sarah as a calm and serene mother, who was often annoying despite her efforts to be sweet, but now that they were standing face to face with her, they were hit with the reality of change. Sarah had tossed aside her homely, stay-at-home-mom clothes and now donned tight blue jeans and an even tighter red shirt. Her blonde hair had grown out long and shiny and cascaded down her back, and she wore black heels and ample makeup.

"Oh my goodness, Huey, Riley?" She looked shocked to see the two young men, "Is that really you?" She approached them and enveloped the two into a hug, "Oh my goodness, it's been so long!"

Riley glanced over at Huey, who shrugged. He shot a look at their grandfather, who only shrugged in response.

"I thought my grandfather told you we'd be fine catching a taxi?" Huey said as he pulled away. Sarah only continued to smile at him, "Oh? I didn't get a text from him or anything?" She plastered a confused expression on her face. It wasn't a genuine reaction, and both boys could see right through it.

"Oh come, I'm sure you're tired and want to rest. Where do you need to go?" She asked.

"We're staying at a hotel not too far from here," Huey was hesitant to go with her, but Robert was already helping her with their bags. He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose; he didn't have a choice now.

The two helped Sarah with the rest of their things before hopping into the back seat of her car. Robert took the passenger's side, and Sarah jumped into the driver's seat. After making a few adjustments, she took off.

"Damn Mrs. Dubois, when did you get a car like this?" Riley whistled as he admired the inside of the convertible, which looked brand new, "Did you and Tom hit the jackpot in the lottery or what?"

Sarah only chuckled nervously as she exited the airport parking lot, "Oh no, Riley, Tom and I divorced a few years ago."

This caught the three off guard, "Whoa, really?" Riley's eyes went wide. Everyone knew that Sarah's and Tom's marriage was slowly declining ever since Jazmine was a little girl, but nonetheless, Sarah seemed to want to stay anyways, even though Tom could be a whiny crybaby. For whatever reason, she liked being smarter - and more mature - than Tom.

Sarah nodded, "Yup. Signed the divorce papers and never looked back." She said it with such ease that it sounded like she'd never even liked Tom. However, she suddenly seemed nervous, like someone was listening to her. She glanced around a lot as she drove, and her turns were sharp and hard.

"So…how are things?" Huey asked casually. Sarah nodded, "Things have been going great for us. I'm sure you've already heard about Mayor Greene; Mr. Wuncler left Woodcrest a few years ago, but I think his grandson still lives around here somewhere. Oh my, but have things changed! There's a whole new mall that was built two years ago that has literally everything in it, and so many new neighborhoods have popped up all around the city…,"

"Speaking of Ed," Riley casually interrupted her, "do you know where he's at?"

"Hmm, well, I know he doesn't live in the old Wuncler Mansion anymore. Come to think of it, I haven't heard from any of the Wunclers for a while now. I know he still lives in the city, but I can't recall where…," she trailed off. Huey caught her taking peeks of them in her rearview mirror, prompting her to keep her eyes on the road.

Riley was staring out at the scenery around them, and it wasn't an understatement to say that the city looked...rough.

There were lots of places that they passed that were vacant, run down, and overrun with graffiti and homeless people, and when they had left those exact same buildings had been up and running. It seemed that every street they turned onto, there was something off about it. There were stray dogs and cats running around, men standing on the corners of the streets with signs asking for work, small shops that didn't even look open, and there was litter almost everywhere. Most yards had dead grass and dirt instead of the familiar lush green Huey and Riley had been used to when they were growing up. The same streets they walked as children were now deserted, vacant.

"So...how's Jazmine been?" Huey asked absently, trying to sound nonchalant. They'd already come this far, he might as well ask.

Sarah, however, came to an abrupt stop at a red light, sending the three Freemans forward in their seats. She seemed agitated now, like he'd asked a forbidden question. Was the question forbidden?

"Well...I don't know how she's been," she answered slowly, "she's been...on her own for a few years. She doesn't...live in the area anymore."

Riley cocked up a brow, "What about Cindy?"

"I haven't seen Cindy in years," she admitted, shrugging. Huey and Riley glanced at each other, "So they're not friends anymore?" Riley prodded.

Sarah shook her head as she continued driving, "Oh, no, they've always been best friends." She now smiled at them from her rearview mirror, "They lived together for a few years after Cindy graduated high school...but I can't really say what they've been up to since then."

The boys frowned, "So, do they not live in Woodcrest anymore then?" Huey questioned.

Sarah seemed uncomfortable answering, but she shook her head, "They still live in the city, just not where they used to."

Huey inhaled sharply; she was being noticeably dodgy with her answers, like she was trying to be careful about what she was saying. Riley noticed, too, and gave his brother a quizzical expression. Huey eyed his brother and pressed a finger to his lips - they needed to wait before discussing anything.

The four continued on, passing by more neighborhoods, each a little more run down than the last. After a little bit, they began to enter the nicer part of Woodcrest, with nicer, larger homes, less homeless people, greener grasses, and bigger, cleaner stores.

The car suddenly stopped, and Sarah smiled brightly at the trio, "Well, here we are!" she said, gesturing outside.

Huey and Riley glanced out of the windows; it was a Marriott, the hotel Huey told Sarah to drive to. It was pretty big, and looked very clean and organized. She pulled up to the front of the hotel and helped the three out with their bags. They walked inside and approached the front desk. Huey was the one who handled the fine print, and they were escorted to their rooms.

Sarah only stayed with them long enough so that they could retrieve their luggage from her trunk. As soon as they had, she took off, barely tossing a 'goodbye' over her shoulder.

They rushed to their hotel rooms; one for each of them. They pushed their grandfather into Huey's room and quickly shut the door behind them, locking it.

"Yo, what the fuck was that about?" Riley gawked at Huey, "What the fuck did she mean that they aren't here anymore?!"

"Well, you couldn't expect them to live in the same neighborhood forever," Robert pointed out, "maybe they moved into a nicer area." He hobbled over to a chair and slumped down into it.

Riley shook his head, "Naw Granddad, were you even listening to her? Did you hear how she said it? She barely even mentioned the girls, like she has no fuckin' idea as to where they are!" Huey had to agree; Sarah's behavior was beyond strange, and it was something that he hadn't been expecting, "Plus, if they were in a better neighborhood, why wouldn't she just say it? It's not like we're gonna hunt them down!" Huey had to agree to that, too.

Robert shook his head now, "Boys, I'm sure y'all are exaggerating. We'll probably see the girls at the funeral later, you'll see." Robert waved off their worries and stood up from his position in a chair, "Now I need to go lie down, my back is really starting to kill me." he announced. Riley decided to help him into his room, grabbing his things and opening a door that connected Huey's room to Robert's.

Huey stood in his room alone for a moment, utterly confused. He had only been back for less than an hour, and he had so many questions, and had no answers. Why was Sarah acting that way? What was going on? Where was Jazmine? She was the only thing on his mind, she was the only person he actually wanted to see. He needed to see her.

His thoughts were interrupted by his phone ringing in his pocket. He pulled it out to look at it, and read 'Nicolette' on the screen. Sighing, he answered, "Hello?"

"Hello, Huey!" Nicolette's voice oozed with false positivity, it made him want to vomit. He groaned inwardly as she continued to speak, "Did you land in Woodcrest already?"

"Yes, we did." His reply was short, simple.

"Great! I hope the two of you have a wonderful day in Woodcrest." Huey could practically see the smug smile on her face; she knew they would not be having a fantastic time, and she was reveling in it.

"We're attending a funeral later today." he said.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Who's funeral?" Nicolette asked.

"He was a friend of my grandfather's when I was younger," he answered shortly, "he died a few days ago."

He could hear Nicolette click her tongue, "I'm sorry for your loss, Huey." She sounded almost robotic now, like she was reading off of a script, "Nicolas and I look forward to seeing the two of you in New York again. Take care!" And she hung up.

Riley had managed to get Robert settled into his room, and then proceeded to grab his things and enter into his own room, which was connected to Huey's room but on the opposite side. As he settled in, Huey entered the room, "So, how're we gonna find Ed?" he asked.

Riley shrugged, "Well, I was gonna try to call up an old number...do you think we'll see them there?"

"It's at twelve…," Huey pulled out his phone to check the time: it was nearly ten. They still had two hours to get ready and find the cemetery, "Did Ed know Ruckus like that?"

"I mean, he knew Ruckus 'cause of me." Riley shrugged, "I'm pretty sure everyone knew Ruckus, man. He worked every job he could in town."

"Let's wait until after the funeral to try and contact him," Huey suggested, "you'll have more time to weasel your way back to his good side, if you can."

Riley scoffed, "'Course I can, I'm Riley Freeman!" But even he didn't sound too sure of himself. If anything, he sounded more nervous than Huey did, which was pretty rare.

An hour later, the three were dressed up in black suits. Riley picked at his tie and collar, not used to wearing such stiffening clothes like this. Huey helped their grandfather with his outfit, tying a bow tie around his neck and helping him with his black suit jacket. After adding some finishing touches, the three headed outside, where they called a cab and began their search for the cemetery.

It took thirty minutes for them to reach their destination. It looked like a newer cemetery, and it was well kept. It had grass so green it looked fake, and large oak trees that offered shade from the sun. Once on the grounds, a golf cart pulled up to take them to the funeral. Huey told the driver who they were there for, and the three piled in and it took off.

It wasn't hard to see where Ruckus's burial would be; there was already a small crowd flocked under a large, white pop-up canopy. As they got off of the cart, Huey recognized a few faces, although vaguely, from his childhood. He spotted Ruckus's mother, Bunny Ruckus, who still sported the same blonde hair and blue eyes after all these years. Huey remembered that she had always wanted to be known as the first "natural" blonde black woman with blue eyes, although everyone knew that she dyed her hair and wore contacts. She was crying into the shoulder of one of Ruckus's two brothers, whom Huey could not remember the name of.

In the crowd, Riley spotted mainly unfamiliar faces, "Who are all these people?" he asked.

Huey shrugged as they found their seats, "His employers, maybe? He did work at a bunch of places across town. Maybe they came to pay their respects."

The people were restless; they wanted the funeral to start. Huey and Riley didn't want to admit it, but they wanted it to be over with, too. Women had brought fans to air themselves off, there were children squirming in their seats and babies threatening to cry. The men pulled at their collars and would stare aimlessly at the ground. A few people carried bottles of water, and one woman who worked for the cemetery was passing a few out to vying guests.

Finally, a preacher stepped up to a podium, "Good afternoon, "he said loudly, "Please, if you would rise for the bringing of the casket."

The crowd rose, and a melodic tune began to play on a small radio perched by the podium. A casket was being brought in by a few men, who looked somber. It was a simple, black casket; smooth and clean. They set it down in the front, on tall wooden planks, allowing the casket to be level with one's waist. They quickly sat down close to the front, and the ceremony began.

The preacher droned on for twenty minutes about life and death, and so on. After his speech, the preacher stepped off and took a seat besides the podium, and Bunny took the spotlight. She was a mess: her eyes were big and puffy, mascara streamed down her cheeks, and she held onto a box of tissues. Shakily, she leaned over to speak, "M-my son was taken from me," she said, her voice wavering, "my son, my sweet boy, died an unnatural death. My son fell victim to a horrible crime, and he paid the ultimate price." She took out a tissue and blew her nose into it loudly before continuing, "I will never get to hear my son speak again, or see his number on my phone. I will never get to hold my son, or eat dinner with him. His brothers will never get to share their lives with him, and the lives of their children. My son will never get to see another sunrise, sunset, or moonlit night. My son...my sweet boy, did nothin' wrong. This world has lost a son, brother, uncle, and a hard worker." she paused.

Her testimony was so powerful that it almost made Huey shed a tear. But of course, he didn't. However, in the crowd, several people were brought to tears, and Huey and Riley could hear a few sniffles and sighs. Even Riley wiped a tear from his eye, but he didn't shed anymore, "There is no justice for my son, and as his mother, it is my duty to make sure that he does receive justice." There were several 'amens' in the crowd, and Bunny nodded, as if those amens bolstered her, "I will make sure my son is avenged, that justice is served, so that his soul may rest in peace."

After her final words, she stepped off of the podium, clenching her tissue box in her hands. The whole crowd was obviously moved by her speech, but out of respect for her, they remained rather silent, with a few people nodding and mumbling praise. The preacher retook his place on the podium and said one final prayer before the family was invited up to the front to lay single red roses on the casket. After that, a few workers came over and picked up the casket, and it was lowered into a hole in the ground.

Everyone watched as the grave was filled with dirt with somber expressions. Bunny's occasional outcry was the only real noise in the crowd. After a few minutes, the workers stepped aside, and allowed for the onlookers to place their gifts and flowers atop the newly placed grave.

Robert hobbled over to the grave, where a gravestone had already been perched. It read: "Here lies Uncle Ruckus, no relation. Beloved son, brother, uncle, and worker. May he rest in peace".

He sighed as he touched the freshly carved stone, and placed his flowers atop the dirt, "Farewell, old coot," he murmured, a hint of a sad smile on his face. Robert had so many memories with Ruckus, both good and bad. Ruckus may have been a racist man, but he was still a hard working man, and a dear friend, despite the fact that he was rather obnoxious.

Gently, Huey and Riley led him away from the grave. They approached Bunny, who smiled at the three, "Well hello there," she said kindly, but there were tears in her eyes, "I remember y'all."

Robert nodded and spoke: "Ma'am, I'm so sorry for your loss," he spoke softly, timidly; Huey and Riley knew he was growing tired.

Bunny nodded, taking a hold of his hands with her own, "Thank you so much for comin' all the way out here for his funeral." She gave him a tight-lipped smile, "You don't know how much this would mean to Uncle." Robert smiled, and he coughed. He leaned on Riley, "Excuse us," Riley said, "we gotta get him back to bed. He's been out too long."

"Of course," Bunny nodded, "please, take care, and thank y'all so much for comin', it really does mean so much to us." She gestured to the rest of her family, and the boys nodded, "Take care." Huey extended his hand in a handshake, and she took it, "Y'all take care now, too." she replied.

The three stepped aside so others could pay their respects, "Where're we goin' now?" Robert asked.

"Back to the hotel." Huey answered in a low voice, "Riley's gonna try to call up an old number."

"Whose?" Their grandfather was full of questions that day, but in the midst of asking them, he began to cough. They had to stop and step off to the side so that he could catch his breath.

The brothers glanced at each other nervously as Robert took long sips from his water bottle. Finally, after he regained his composure, the three continued on. They were taken back to the main office at the cemetery by another golf cart, where Huey called a cab. They quickly piled inside and headed back to their hotel, eager to get away from the sadness of the funeral.

Once safely in their hotel room, Huey and Riley helped Robert into bed for a nap before meeting in Riley's room. Riley was staring at a number he'd punched into his cell phone, undialed. He seemed hesitant to press the call button, "What're you waiting for?" Huey asked, his voice sharp.

Riley fidgeted with his phone, "What if he don't answer?" he asked, "Or what if...he answers and gets pissed off that it's me? You know I didn't get a chance to tell him goodbye when we left, d'ya think he'll still be mad at me?"

Riley rarely ever displayed emotions like fear. He tried his hardest to remain nonchalant and indifferent to stressful situations, but this one was making his stomach do somersaults and his heart skip beats. Ed was once one of his closest friends, one of his best friends. How would he react to hearing from him after all this time?

"Just dial the number," Huey ordered, "or I will."

Frowning, Riley gripped his phone tighter in his hand, "Aight, damn." he mumbled. With a shaky finger, he pressed the 'call' button, putting it on speaker.

The phone rang a few times, each time bringing an overwhelming sense of dread. Riley was ready to hang up when the line finally connected.

"Hello?" A voice asked groggily. Riley held his breath, "Hey...is this Ed? Ed Wuncler III?"

"Yeah, who's this?" Ed asked, a little more awake than before.

Riley inhaled sharply, "I-it's me, Ed. It's Riley...Riley Freeman."

They heard Ed audibly gasp, "Riley? Riley Freeman. You forreal?"

Riley chuckled nervously, "Yeah, Ed, it's me…,"

"Dude, no way!" To their surprise, he didn't sound angry or upset, he sounded excited, "Man, you disappeared off the planet like seven years ago! Where've you been? We thought y'all died or something!"

Riley felt a little bit relieved, but he was still shaking, "Well, it's a long story, man. We...got caught up in some shit," he glanced up at Huey, who nodded sternly, "that's all I can really say about it."

"Damn, but are you back in Woodcrest?" Ed asked.

"For the day, we're headin' out tomorrow. We came in for Ruckus's funeral." He wasn't going to lay out a sales pitch just yet; he still didn't know if he was in the clear or not. Ed didn't sound angry, but he could've been hiding his true feelings.

"Word? Where you at, I'll come by and scoop ya up." Ed said, "I'm here with Rummy, we can go grab a drink or somethin'. Your brother with you?"

Huey and Riley looked at each other in surprise, and Huey nodded vigorously to his brother, as if telling him to say yes to Ed's offer, "Y-yeah, he's here. We're staging at this Marriott near the airport."

"Oh, I know where that is. I'll be there in like fifteen." And he hung up.

The brothers stared at each other in disbelief, "That felt...surprisingly easy." Huey commented.

Riley nodded, "It felt too easy. I thought for sure he'd chew my ass out about leaving the way I did...you think he gonna try some shit when he sees us?"

Huey shrugged, "We should be ready...just in case."

They changed out of their suits to more casual clothes and told Robert of their plans. They specifically instructed him to not leave the hotel room, and they locked him inside, taking both keycards.

They headed outside into the crisp afternoon air. It was now around three, and Woodcrest looked rather peaceful, at least this part of it did. They waited outside the front doors to the lobby when an Audi pulled up. The boys eyed it curiously, becoming rigid as they held their ground.

The car came to a stop, and the passenger's door opened. A man stepped out, tall and broad shouldered, with red hair cropped close to his head and large, mischievous green eyes that studied both brothers. A red brow cocked up, "Riley? Huey?"

"Ed!" Riley felt his heartbeat quicken as he saw his friend for the first time in seven years. However, he didn't make a move to approach; instead, he watched Ed's body language, waiting for him to become hostile.

When he didn't, Riley finally decided to take the first step, approaching Ed carefully, "Man...you ain't changed a bit." Riley commented softly.

A goofy grin spread across Ed's face, "My man! It's been too long!" He fist bumped Riley, who grinned back. Huey walked casually down the steps and met them at the bottom, fist bumping Ed as well.

They slid into the backseat, "Where to?" Riley asked. Rummy began driving, "There's a bar not too far from here we can hit real quick," he explained, "Ain't no way we missing out on drinking today."

Ed began blaring rap music through the radio, and Riley sang along off-key. Huey cringed at his brother, but was secretly glad his brother looked at least a little happy. It took them another fifteen minutes to reach the bar, which was called the Perfect Place. They parked in the back and made their way to the front. There were a few people inside, but since it was so early in the afternoon, it wasn't too busy. It was a rather nice bar; there were pool tables and other games in the back. There were some booths to the side, and TVs hung all around. Some were turned on to football, others were showing actual TV shows, but almost every TV was playing something different.

The four sat down at the bar and ordered a few drinks, :So, y'all finally decided to come home, eh?" Ed commented, running a hand through his hair.

"We thought the worst when y'all just disappeared," Rummy added. The bartender poured the four shots, and they took them together, "What made y'all call me up after all these years?" Ed asked after taking his shot.

Riley shifted around in his seat uncomfortably, "W-well, I remembered I still had an old number of yours, I just didn't know if it worked or not."

"So, you had a way to contact us after all this time...and y'all just didn't?" Huey and Riley could hear the growing tension coming from Ed's voice as he spoke, and both began to stiffen up, "Look man, like I said," Riley continued, "we got into some shit a few years ago and...needed to leave."

"Yeah, leave without tellin' anyone." Rummy murmured, taking another shot. Both men turned to give the boys hard stares, "Y'all had everyone worked up all those years ago, we eventually just had to assume y'all were okay and...move on." Now, Ed sounded upset, like he'd been waiting to get the two along to dump out his anger on them.

"The girls definitely didn't handle it well." Rummy added. Almost immediately, Ed slapped up upside the back of his head, as if trying to shut him up. Both boys stared down at their drinks on the counter, "Yeah, we know." Huey spoke hoarsely, downing his shot.

"We really fucked up with them." Riley said sadly, his face now downcast, "Are they at least doin' okay?"

Neither Ed nor Rummy said anything for a moment. They just looked at each other, as if trying to communicate whether or not they should say anything. The anticipation intrigued the boys, "Y'know, we saw Jazmine's mom, Sarah," Riley noted, "she wouldn't tell us much about the girls, either."

Rummy snorted, "You saw her?" He sounded surprised, "I'm not surprised she didn't say much, she likes to pretend the girls don't exist anymore." Again, Ed slapped him upside the head, only this time a little harder.

"What do you mean?" The brothers asked at the same time.

Ed shot Rummy a look, who only shrugged, "What? They might as well know, they said they ain't staying very long anyways."

"Exactly why we shouldn't have even mentioned it!" Ed shot back.

Huey was content with just knowing the girls were okay, but now he wanted to know what was going on. They might have had their own secrets, but why would there be any secrets involving Jazmine and Cindy?

"We noticed this place's...changed," Huey said slowly, grabbing their attention, "I looked up some stuff about Woodcrest before we came here and...I was surprised."

"So you didn't keep tabs on home?" Ed asked, "Well, you're right, this place has changed a lot. It's exactly why my grandpa and my old man left town a few years ago and let this new mayor take over."

The men were silent for a moment, "After y'all left, shit hit the fan in Woodcrest," Rummy continued on for Ed, "these huge crime waves just came outta nowhere and started fuckin' things up in the city. Drove the Wunclers away because business here started declining, and y'know that's all they're ever after. Everything in Woodcrest started changing...including everyone that stayed."

"The girls...they aren't the same anymore," Ed's voice sounded haunted, like he was troubled by this, "a lot's changed over these seven years, and they weren't an exception."

"Y'all actin' like they killed someone or somethin'," Riley said it jokingly, but both men gave them a serious look, "Whoa, I was just jokin', man, are you forreal right now? You telling us they got in some shit?"

"It's more than 'some shit'," Rummy answered, "Jazmine and Cindy had to grow up pretty fast after the first crime wave hit Woodcrest. Shit went down, Ed and I were in touch with them for the first few years. Now they're pretty much on their own."

"What happened during the first crime wave?" Huey asked.

Ed shrugged, "A bank robbery." he muttered.

At this, Huey nearly spit out his drink, "A what?" He sounded more than shocked. Ed chuckled at his reaction softly, "Yup, ya heard it right. A whole bank robbery. Happened a couple months after y'all split town. Y'all know we did robberies and heists for side money, but one day we got a job that was too big for the two of us," he glanced at Rummy, who nodded, "so we invited the two along."

"But…why would they even agree to that?" Huey asked.

"Cindy, I can see Cindy doing it," Riley admitted, "but Jazmine…?"

Rummy shook his head, "Jazmine was pretty torn up about the break up," he said slowly, "Cindy went weeks calling us up, asking if we could get ahold of y'all. Of course, we never could, and I think it just crushed Jazmine even more, y'know. To know that there was no way to contact y'all." He pursed his lips together. He glanced up at Huey, whose facial expressions had softened into sadness, "Jazmine isn't Jazmine anymore. Neither is Cindy. They fell into our world, a little bit deeper than us really, and they never tried to get back out."

"Is that why Sarah divorced Tom?" Huey then inquired.

"So she told y'all about that?" Ed chuckled, "I haven't seen her in a few months. Yeah, she divorced Tom a few years back. Jazmine raved all about it for months. 'Course, Jazmine keeps her mom's up to date. She buys her all kinds of shit, like she's tryna make up for her mistakes." He shook his head, "Personally, I know for a fact Sarah doesn't care about any of Jazmine's mistakes, or whatever she calls 'em." Rummy nodded in agreement.

"Does Tom know about all this?" Huey pressed.

Ed nodded, "Yeah, but there's not much he could've done about it. I remember when the first crime wave hit, Tom got a lot of business, and it drove Sarah crazy." he chuckled, "We saw him on the news all the time, defending criminals that had come outta the shadows. He took on every case, naturally, but Sarah couldn't deal with it I guess." he shrugged, "I mean, from what I could tell he was makin' pretty good money. I thought Sarah would've loved it. But from what I remember Jazmine tellin' me, Sarah hated those first few years."

The four were silent for a moment as the brothers processed this new information, "Why did y'all leave?" Rummy asked in a hushed voice.

It was the one question they didn't want to answer, but the one question that they knew they needed to answer. "Like I said, we got into some shit," Riley answered slowly.

"What kinda shit?" Rummy prodded.

Riley turned to Huey, as if waiting for his approval. Huey sighed, "It was my fault," he admitted, "I did something I shouldn't have done, and I dragged my family into it. I can tell y'all more…," he knew he was being irrational now, but his mind was clouded by the idea that Jazmine was in trouble, "after I've seen Jazmine."

Riley looked surprised by his words, and Rummy chuckled, "I don't know if that's a good idea." he said, "All that tension after seven years? C'mon, Jazmine holds grudges now."

"I can imagine," Huey replied, "but I have to see her. Not even talk to her, just see her. I never...we never...," he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. Rummy only nodded, "Yeah, yeah man. I know."

Ed took one last shot before standing up. He fished out a wad of cash from his pocket and slapped it onto the counter, "Drink's on me," he said, eyeing the three. He turned around and began walking away, balling up his fists and sticking them in his pockets. Rummy followed, and Huey and Riley were forced to leave, too. They exited the building and climbed back into Rummy's car, who took the driver's seat once again and took off after everyone had ambled their way inside.

The ride was mostly silent. Rummy drove them back to the hotel, where Huey and Riley got off. Before they could walk away, Ed rolled his window down, "So, we know a place that they go to every once in a while," he began, "and they should be there tonight."

"Where?" Huey felt his heart skip a beat in his chest.

"It's downtown. It's unknown to everyone but the people that know about it." Ed answered, "We can take y'all there...but I can't promise y'all will see the girls."

The boys nodded together, "We don't need to talk to them," Huey said, "I just need to see Jazmine...and know she's okay." Riley nodded in agreement.

"Alright, then we'll come back here around nine." Ed said, "Dress nice, and if y'all have a gun or two, I'd recommend y'all bring 'em."

With that, the car took off, leaving Huey and Riley standing on the steps to their hotel, "You sure about this?" Riley asked his brother, "You heard Archie, we're not even in the clear yet."

"I'm not gonna talk to her," Huey assured him, "I just wanna see her and know she's okay. Don't you wanna see Cindy?"

Riley couldn't disagree.

Meanwhile, Ed watched the hotel disappear in the rearview mirror, "You think we'll actually see them tonight?" he asked Rummy.

Rummy shrugged, "I mean, I really think we will. They're always there on Saturdays," he replied, making a turn, "You know they'll freak out when they see 'em. It has been seven years...all that pent up anger? Shit...,"

Ed chuckled, "All hell's about to break loose."


I'm officially a college student now, and I'll try to update as often as I can.

xoxo, Queen