Chapter Thirty-Seven

The Hitman - Rexton Street, Charleston

Morris stalked Kyle Bradley from the shadows as he pulled into his driveway. The fixer said to make it look like a gang hit. To achieve this, he would drop a King of Diamonds card next to Kyle’s body. The card would push investigators toward the Onyx Angels crew. Onyx Angels was the most feared gang in South Carolina. Riding chopper motorcycles, they became known for the thunderous sound of their bikes echoing through the streets. They ran all the illegal gambling in Charleston, and they controlled the drug smuggling market. Their ties to the drug trade often meant conflicts with rival crews. Morris had dealt with the Onyx Angels before. They’d once left him for dead, and so framing them for the murder he was about to commit made things even.

Autumn leaves crunched under his boot as he stepped out of the bushes, treading softly across the street. He gripped his Glock handle once he was in the middle of the road. Kyle’s attention was on his garage door. He crouched to wrestle the lock. All Morris had to do was roll up on him and aim for the sweet spot. The sweet spot was the cliff at the back of the head where the skull and neck connected. It would be a quick and clean kill.

Kyle stood up, raising the garage door in his hands. Just as Morris raised the gun, something unforeseen occurred that wasn’t part of his plan.

*

Malik Shawn (aka Masha) - Rexton Street, Charleston

Masha grabbed the hitman by the back of the head and slammed it onto the car bonnet so hard that the alarm went off. Unbeknownst to the stalker, he was also being stalked. The hitman’s body slipped onto the floor like a doll. He was out cold.

Kyle stared at Masha from the garage, his eyes bulging. “Looks like I saved your life,” Masha said. “Now you owe me some answers.”

Kyle stepped forward and tapped the button on his key to silence the car alarm. After, he gazed down at the man lying in his driveway. His hand went to his waistline, swiftly drawing his gun. He aimed down at the man’s chest.

Masha snatched the gun from his hand. “Not on my watch.”

“This man was about to kill me, bruh! He knows where I live. It’s kill or be killed out here. You know that.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Is that why you had my brother killed?”

Kyle’s eyebrow shot up. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

Masha grabbed Kyle by the collar and pressed him against the side of the car. “Don’t play dumb. Tell me exactly what happened or I’ll wake him up and let him finish the job.”

“I don’t know nothing, man.”

Masha struck him across the face, drawing blood from his nose. It was all it took to force Kyle to start speaking. “One of your people from COG came to see me. He said he needed Jason to get hit. You know your brother was in these streets before he got himself together, so the hit was fair game, man. He slid on our people before.”

Masha tightened his grip on Kyle’s collar and shook him. “Who did the hit?”

Kyle paused, staring Masha in the eyes. Masha could tell he was reluctant to speak, but he had no choice. “One of my girl hitters did that. But ay, don’t do anything to her. She was just doing the job we were paid for. It’s your people that are the problem.”

Anger and disappointment surged through Masha. The betrayal was undeniable. He’d suspected the truth after fighting Zella, but hearing it confirmed cut deep. He pushed the pain aside for now. “Who spoke to you from COG?”

“I don’t know, man.” Masha raised his hand threateningly, and the mere anticipation of the blow made Kyle blurt out, “That Quinn dude!”

Masha tapped Kyle’s pockets, searching for his phone. “Where’s your phone? Give it up now.” Kyle slipped his fingers into the pocket of his hoodie and handed him the phone. Masha unlocked it with Kyle’s face and then turned off the security. “I’m taking this. Be thankful you have another shot at life.”

Masha used rope from Kyle’s garage to bind the hitman, who was now waking up during the process. He used Kyle’s phone to call in the attempted murder, making sure the Glock was secure for evidence. He knew Kyle wouldn’t dare harm the hitman with the cops already on the way.

When Masha got ready to return to his car, Kyle called out to him. “Hey, man. Can’t you wait till the police get here and talk to them about this?”

Masha gazed at him, devoid of any emotion. He knew a man with Kyle’s reputation didn’t want to be seen as a snitch. In the streets, it was a death sentence. “Like I said, Kyle. This is another shot at life for you. I should kill you myself as payback for what you’ve taken from me and my mom. I'm not taking that path only because someone compromised you. So, I want you to take this as a sign. Leave that gangster shit alone.”

Masha returned to his vehicle, which he had parked a block over from Kyle’s house. He thumbed through Kyle’s phone. Searching for anything sent from Quinn. The call logs showed a missed call earlier that day from someone labeled Q*. After cross-referencing the number with his own contacts, he found it was indeed one of Quinn’s numbers.

He searched for all correspondence with Q* on the phone and found a payment that matched the date of Jason’s murder.

Masha tossed the phones onto the seat next to him and breathed heavy through the lips. A sequence of horns blared from the vehicle as he punched the steering wheel repeatedly. Motherfucker.

The truth weighed heavy. One thing was for certain, his days with the Seers were over.