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  He watched the detectives hurriedly leave the crime scene and jump in their unmarked car. He had a good idea where they were off to. The Buick zipped up the street and passed Animal, catching him in its headlights. As they passed, Animal made fleeting eye contact with the Puerto Rican detective. There was a brief moment of recognition, then the detective turned away as if he had never seen him. Animal smiled and kept walking toward where he had the rental car stashed.

  He felt better after finally being able to spill the blood of his enemies, but Slick had only been an appetizer to the main course. His wrath would be the stuff of legends, and his enemies would feel what he felt—pain. He knew before fleeing to New York that the situation was bad, but he had no idea how bad. Though Tionna had tried to assure him that what had happened wasn’t his fault, he couldn’t help but to feel like it was. Had he been by her side instead of caught up in the madness of K-Dawg and Los Negro Muertes, he could’ve been there for Gucci. His only solace was that he had gotten to see her for a little while when he returned home, but the homecoming was a bittersweet one.

  TWO

  ONE MONTH EARLIER

  AS PROMISED, RED SONJA’S PLAN WAS TO get Animal safely out of Puerto Rico and on his way to New York. It was no easy task, and he had to go the long way, via ship, because the airports were too risky. When the ship he was hiding on reached Miami, Animal was to meet a cat named Diamonds who would provide him with firearms and the means to make the rest of his journey. His brief stay in Miami had been anything but a vacation, and he’d barely made it out with his life and his sanity, thanks to the twisted games that Diamonds liked to play. But even as twisted as Diamonds was, he kept his word and helped Animal, providing him with a piece of information that would prove invaluable for what he needed to do in New York.

  Diamonds had offered Animal an entire arsenal, but he passed on the heavy firepower and opted only for a few handguns. They were easier to conceal in the small rental car than a bunch of machine guns. The last thing he needed was some overzealous state trooper to find them and create a whole new set of problems. There was no doubt in Animal’s mind that he would hold court in the streets before he allowed anyone to cage him again, but he figured if he could save himself the headache he would.

  The drive from Miami to New York was over twenty hours, but he didn’t mind. After what had happened with Diamonds and his crew in Miami, he needed time to think and plan his next move. The plan had been for him to go directly to his safe house in New Jersey, but he had to see Gucci. Sonja had sent word to him about what hospital she was staying in and her condition. Thankfully, she was alive, but she wasn’t doing well at all. It wasn’t a smart move for Animal to go to the hospital, but he wasn’t thinking with his head; he was thinking with his heart, and his heart longed to be reunited with his lover.

  As soon as Animal crossed the George Washington Bridge, he rolled the windows down and inhaled deeply. His nose and lungs were filled with the familiar scents of exhaust fumes, rotting trash, and money. He had finally made it home, but he was still a fugitive and had to tread very carefully.

  Slipping into the hospital proved to be easier than he’d thought. Security paid little to no attention to him. They had their hands full helping the doctors and paramedics deal with the heavy load of patients that were coming in from what Animal was able to pick up while ear hustling. There was some sort of drug war taking place on the streets of Harlem. Normally, he and his crew would’ve been on the streets doing recon to see how they could capitalize on the feud, but Animal had more pressing issues to deal with than street beefs.

  Thinking back to his running partners, Brasco, Nefertiti, and Ashanti, it filled him with great sadness. They had been all each other had when things were good, but the events leading up to Animal’s arrest tore them apart. Secretly, he blamed himself for the decimation of their crew. Had he only listened to Gucci and left the streets alone everything would still be good, but his unwillingness to let go of old grudges had ruined everything. On more than one occasion, he had wanted to reach out to his comrades to let them know that he was okay, but he knew it was impossible. The police knew how close the four of them had been, so there was no doubt that they were being watched closely.

  Animal had spent many sleepless nights worrying about his friends and how they were holding up. Nef had never really been cut out for the streets, so it wouldn’t have surprised him at all if he’d squared up and gotten a job somewhere. Brasco was a warrior, so there was no need to fear about his fate. Whatever Brasco was up to it was probably centered on chasing a dollar. Those two were good, but it was little Ashanti that worried him.

  Ashanti had been the runt of their crew. He was the smallest man but had the biggest heart and the most to prove. Much like Animal, Ashanti had lived a very hard life, which is probably why they took to each other the way they did. In Ashanti he saw what Tech must’ve seen in him and took the boy under his wing, protecting him and teaching him to defend himself. Ashanti was a very quick study and proved to have a knack for violence that you didn’t see in the average teenager, but as he had proven time and again, Ashanti was anything but average. From an early age, hardship and the streets had turned his heart to stone, and he loved nothing or no one but his crew. Thinking of his mischievous face made Animal smile, and he was going to make it a point to try to get word to him that he was okay.

  Moving as quietly as possible, he entered the room. Sitting in a wooden chair next to the bed was Tionna. She was hunched over the bed sobbing. Knowing how close Tionna and Gucci were, he knew Tionna had to be taking it hard, just as hard as he was. He and Tionna had never really seen eye to eye, but they both loved Gucci so they tolerated each other. Looking past Tionna, he saw Gucci’s sleeping form. Seeing her hooked up to all the machines monitoring her vitals almost made him cry, but he had to be strong for her.

  Tionna must’ve felt his presence because she turned around and scanned the room nervously. Animal pressed himself further into the shadows behind the door and watched as she cautiously approached. She looked into the hallway before closing the door and turning to go back to Gucci’s bedside. Animal thought about calling out to her, but he didn’t want to startle her and risk drawing the attention of the hospital staff, so he moved behind her and clamped his hand over her mouth. Tionna struggled and tried to scream, but Animal had a firm grip on her.

  “I’m going to remove my hand, and you are not going to scream, do we understand each other?” a familiar voice whispered in Tionna’s ear. She nodded. “Good,” he released his grip. As soon as he moved his hand she shrieked and broke for the door. Before she could get it open, she was grabbed roughly from behind and forced against the wall. “Damn it, Tionna, shut up before hospital security comes,” Animal told her.

  Tionna turned as white as a ghost when she saw Animal. “But you’re dead; everybody said you were dead,” Tionna blinked, thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her.

  “No, I’m very much alive, which is more than I can say for the men who did this to Gucci.” He approached her bedside and stared down at her. She was just as beautiful as he remembered her, if not more so. “How long has she been like this?”

  “For over a week now. The doctors say she had a mild stroke during the last surgery,” Tionna explained.

  Animal took her hand in his and kissed her cold fingers. “My poor baby.” Tears fell from his eyes and splashed on her arm. “Look what they did to you. Don’t worry. I’m here now, and I’m gonna make this right, I promise.” Animal leaned in and kissed Gucci on the lips before turning to make his exit.

  Tionna followed Animal to the door. “What are you going to do?”

  He looked over his shoulder at her. “What do you think I’m going to do?”

  Tionna nodded. “Can I ask a favor of you, Animal?”

  “I’m all out of good will, T,” he said seriously.

  “It ain’t for me; it’s for Gucci . . . well, kinda. I know I might be wrong for saying this, but I d
on’t care. When you find the ones who did this, punish them.” Tears welled in Tionna’s eyes. “Make them suffer for what they did to my girl.”

  “That I can do.” Animal agreed. “Get word to your friends and loved ones, T. Tell them that they might wanna stay off the streets for a time. The sky is gonna rain blood over Harlem, and I don’t care too much who gets wet.”

  Tionna nodded. “Animal, I’m not gonna ask where you’ve been or what happened because I’m sure it’s a long story, but I’m glad you’re alive, and I know Gucci will be too.”

  Animal cracked a half smile. “I hope so. I was afraid she wouldn’t want to see me after all that’s happened.”

  “Boy, you know Gucci loves you more than anything. No matter how much we all tried to get her to go on with her life, she never gave up the hope that you might come back to her one day.”

  Animal ripped a piece of paper off one of the hospital charts and scribbled down the number to one of the burn-out cell phones he had. “Here,” he handed it to Tionna, “this is for your eyes only. Try to only use it in cases of emergencies. Keep me updated on her progress, and I know I don’t have to tell you not to give it to anyone or tell anybody you’ve seen me.”

  “Animal, I’m not stupid.” She put the piece of paper in her pocket. “I’ll call you the minute there’s a change in her condition. Now you better go before—” The words hadn’t completely left her mouth when the door to the room opened.

  “Oh my God,” Ms. Ronnie gasped, her mouth falling agape. The bag of Chinese food she’d been carrying dropped to the floor. She had intended to surprise Tionna with the late-night meal, but she ended up being the one surprised to see her daughter’s boyfriend who had risen from the grave.

  “Hey, Ms. Ronnie,” Animal said sheepishly.

  There was an awkward silence, and then Ms. Ronnie moved cautiously toward him wearing a shocked expression. She touched his arms, then ran her hands along his baby face to make sure what she was seeing wasn’t some warped dream. Ms. Ronnie’s lips began to tremble, and she tried to speak but couldn’t. She smiled at Animal, before slapping him viciously across his face twice. She raised her hand a third time, but instead of slapping him, she pulled him into an embrace and broke down into tears.

  “Do you know how worried you had us?” she sobbed into his chest. “We all thought you were dead.”

  “I was for a time,” Animal said honestly.

  “Well, at least tell me where you’ve been.”

  Before Animal could answer Ms. Ronnie’s question a portly, dark-skinned nurse came into the room. She was so focused on the clipboard in her hand that she literally walked into Animal. When she looked up at the wild-haired young man she took a cautionary step back. “What’s going on in here? Visiting hours were over at 8 p.m.” She was talking to all three of them, but her eyes were locked on Animal. He looked familiar to her, but she couldn’t place him.

  “Sorry, Nurse Jenkins.” Ms. Ronnie stepped up. Nurse Jenkins had been Gucci’s attending nurse over the last few weeks, so she knew Ms. Ronnie and Tionna and let them bend the rules from time to time. “I was just checking in on Gucci and bringing Tionna some food because she’s been here half the night.”

  “That’s fine, Ms. Ronnie, but you know we can only allow immediate family in here after a certain time.” She cut her eyes at Animal.

  “Oh, this is Gucci’s—”

  “Cousin Mike,” Animal cut Ms. Ronnie off. He flashed his winning smile at Nurse Jenkins, and she softened a bit.

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Cousin Mike, but like I said, only immediate family can be here after visiting hours. I could get in trouble if one of the doctors finds all of y’all in here.”

  “We wouldn’t want that, now would we? My apologies, Nurse Jenkins, and thank you for letting me check on my cousin,” Animal said.

  “You’re welcome, sugar, but you got to be going now. As a matter of fact, I need all of you to step out so I can check on Gucci and change her dressings.”

  Animal took one last look at Gucci and walked silently into the hallway, followed by Ms. Ronnie and Tionna. He could feel tears welling again, so he placed his head against the wall and closed his eyes to compose himself. A few seconds later he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. When he turned around and saw the sadness written across Ms. Ronnie’s face he couldn’t hold it back any longer, and the tears rolled freely down his cheeks. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  “It ain’t your fault,” Ms. Ronnie wiped the tears off Animal’s face.

  “But it is. If I had been here, then Gucci wouldn’t have gotten shot. I could’ve stopped it,” Animal said emotionally. “I gotta make ’em pay, Ms. Ronnie. My heart won’t let me rest if I don’t make this right.”

  Ms. Ronnie took Animal’s hands in hers and spoke softly to him. “Tayshawn, I know you’re hurting; we all are, but flying outta here mad at the world ain’t gonna change nothing. Let go and let God.”

  Animal laughed menacingly and snatched his hands back. “God? Where was God when they hit my baby up?”

  “Tayshawn, even when it seems so, God never abandons his children.”

  “Then I must be adopted because he sure left me for dead when I needed him most. Ms. Ronnie, I respect your faith in the higher power, but I’m gonna put my faith in firepower.” He patted his waist. “I gotta go, but Tionna knows how to reach me if y’all need me.” Animal redonned his hood and started for the exit.

  “Tayshawn,” Ms. Ronnie called after him. Animal stopped but didn’t turn around. “I’m gonna pray for you.”

  Animal nodded. “Thank you, but I think the ones who done this are gonna need those prayers more than I will.” And just as silently as he had come, Animal was gone and the wheels of murder were set into motion.

  THREE

  PRESENT DAY

  THE CORNER OF 114TH AND BROADWAY WAS lit up like the Times Square strip. Expensive-looking cars were double-parked as far as the eye could see, while people dressed in their Sunday’s best crowded the sidewalk in front of what had once been a small bistro until it had come under new ownership and undergone its grand transformation. The entire front was covered in a black tarp and guarded fiercely by rough-looking men in black suits. Drivers of passing cars rubbernecked, and residents of the neighborhood stood around talking about what was going on. The solemn look on the faces of the staff of the neighboring pubs and restaurants said it all. It was last call and all their asses were out.

  Two cars pulled up to the curb, the first being a sleek black Benz and the other a black stretch limo. From the passenger’s side of the Benz emerged a well built young man wearing black shades and a black silk shirt. Dangling from his neck was a white gold and diamond cross. He braced his cane on the ground and took a step onto the curb where he was immediately swarmed by paparazzi. The young man smiled and adjusted his collar as his picture was taken from all angles.

  The second man to step from the Benz was older and slightly taller. He wore a smoke gray suit and simple gray fedora. From beneath the brim of his hat he scanned the crowd of people for familiar faces and old scores. When one of the cameramen snapped his picture he barked something that made him clear out so fast that he almost fell. Unlike the younger man, Holiday, Angelo did not crave the spotlight. He had lasted as long as he had in the game for flying under the radar and didn’t intend to change it, no matter what the rest of his crew chose to do. Both Angelo and Holiday positioned themselves at opposite ends of the limo just as the valet was opening the back door.

  Swann stepped out first, sporting a red Armani button up and a pair of shades. That night he wore his hair out and pulled into a ponytail as opposed to his signature braids. He gave a nod to his partners and extended his hand to help his lady Marisol out of the whip. She was dressed in a cute red strapless number and some mean heels that were killing her feet, but she endured for the sake of making a good show of it. Through her man she was a member of the royal court and had to be on her A-game at all times. Swan
n escorted Marisol to the front of the establishment, where security was posted up, before returning to the limo and taking up his position as the third guard. This was the inner circle, and all three of them had pledged to live and die for the man who was just climbing out of the limo.

  To say that Shai Clark stepped onto the curb would’ve been an understatement. He moved with such fluidity that his body appeared to be missing bones when he walked. He wore a three-piece black suit that hugged his wiry form like a second skin. There were more people out that night than Shai had thought there would be, but Sol had told him as much and he didn’t listen. No matter, the more that were on hand to witness it the better it was for his rapidly growing legacy. The streets knew what time it was with Shai, but he was still fighting tooth and nail to strengthen the Clarks’ stronghold in the legitimate business world. The move he was making that night was a power one, and he wanted everyone to know it.

  Making it a point to avoid the cameras he busied himself helping Honey from the limo. She was wearing a cute black dress that was trimmed in sequins along the shoulders and around the waist. As usual, her golden silk locks were flawlessly curled. Around her hairline was a handmade headband that was sprinkled with little yellow and white diamonds. Honey’s face was so flawlessly made up that she looked like she had just stepped off a television set. The cameramen swooped in and started snapping pictures of her. From the crowd she heard someone shout, “Madam Queen,” to which she just smiled.

  As Shai pulled her through the wall of flashbulbs, she placed her hand protectively over her ever-growing stomach to try to sooth the child growing inside it, who was reacting to her nervousness. Honey knew how important this was to Shai, and she wanted to make sure she was the epitome of the perfect fiancée, supporting her man. Shai must’ve picked up on her nervousness because he squeezed her hand and gave her a little wink, letting her know everything would be fine.