Page 85 of Kandie Shoppe

“How about we get what’s left in my truck and make do with that?” I whisper in her ear, leading her over the truck where we kept more cakes and confections in coolers in anticipation of the crowd and her selling out.

“You know what?” She stops, turning to me, her eyes ablaze with determination. “Let’s do it. I won’t give them the satisfaction of thinking they’re keeping Kandie Love down.”

I love her words, but for the first time, I have to admit at least to myself that her name doesn’t sound right to my ears — at least the last one.

A few hourslater and endless lines of people she turns to me. “I just saw Joi’s trifling ass over there talking to Natalie from Mathias’s campaign. I don’t like that green eyed heffa, but I hope that she’s given her hell for almost derailing Mathias’s campaign.”

“A lot of good it’s doing. He’s brought a whole lot of people over to his side today. Look.” I nod to the stage where he’s taking the mic. As soon as he launches into his speech, I know he’s going to win. My cousin is the real deal. What originated as the ultimate revenge against his father has turned into a true calling. He has a heart for the people and truly wants to serve them. Just like Sebastian. Their hearts are in the tasks much more so than mine. The position was bequeathed to me on the death of my father and though I was too young to take the reins all those years ago, I’d be lying if I say it’s grown on me. It hasn’t. I never wanted it. I still don’t.

Kandie leans into me, listening to Mathias. I can tell despite all the opacity of what really happened between him and Nikki that he has her vote.

When he’s done, there is a roar of applause before people start going back to the different activities and food available. Our line returns with a vengeance and does not let up.

“Aye, have y’all seen Nikki?” Summer comes over with Sebastian’s twins in tow.

“Uh-uh, what’s up?” Kandie pauses after giving a little girl and her brother extra cupcakes for her parents or for later as she winks putting them in the bag.

“Kiyoshi has his men fanned out looking for her. Seems Mathias couldn’t find her after the speech,” Summer says, tugging the little girls behind her.

“Listen up. The rest of this is free. Y’all don’t be greedy. Share some with your neighbors.” Pulling off her smock, Kandie tosses it in the rear of the truck bed we’re selling from. She doesn’t even bother to wait to see if I follow. She doesn’t have to. I’m on her heels as she stomps toward my cousin.

“You lost my sister?” Kandie yells, running up to Mathias shoving him in the chest. Caught unaware, his arms pinwheel. He turns to glare at her. I step in front of her, blocking her from another assault charge.

Spinning on me full of unmasked fury, she yells at me, “I told you to keep that crazy bitch locked up. That she has some kind of weird fixation on my baby sister, but you let her go.”

“Who?” Mathias looks as if dread is latched onto him like a tick.

“Joi, that’s who,” Kandie says, hugging herself and shaking with gut-wrenching sobs. I want to hold her so bad in that moment, but I know she’ll only fight me like the wildcat that she is.

“I-I remember her getting me to drink and grilling me about Nikki’s business. I didn’t know anything about y’all, but she wanted to know all about how she grew up and who our mom was. Like she was writing a book or something. Then when all that stuff was coming out, I caught her going through my stuff and taking pictures. Then when the thing about the birth certificate happened, she came back to steal it for evidence she said, talking about how she was saving Nikki from you.” Shakingher head and looking defeated, she turns from us, heading in the opposite direction.

“We’ll take the south,” I tell my cousin before following behind Kandie’s determined steps. She knows her cousin best. She knows where she’s most likely to go.

Another half hour passes with still no sign of her. Folks are taking a break, drinking water and trying to recall the last place they saw her. Angel has his men fanned out on their bikes covering areas we can’t reach on foot and that are too wooded for trucks. I’ve called out the county ATVs and they, too, are on the search.

“I thought I saw Joi lurking around, but I can’t be sure,” Mimi says, handing little Mateo a bottle of water. “I was too busy in the medical tent. But I could have sworn I saw her.”

“She was here,” Kandie says, pulling out a flask. She takes a fortify sip before sliding it back into her jeans pocket. “I looked her dead in the eyes. If I didn’t have a double line, I would’ve walked her tail down.”

“The clubhouse?” Mimi asks and Kandie shakes her head. “Too obvious.” Her shoulders slump and she looks at me, her expression so hopeless. I feel lower than dirt on the belly of a slug for not being able to help her save another sister. I can’t help but thinking she feels the same way.

“Pire, PIRE, Mommy.” Mateo points west in the direction, but farther than I know, Angel and his men were searching. We all look at the billowing black smoke coming through the trees.

Running like hell on our heals, we all set out in the direction of the blaze. I’m on my walkie, calling all available volunteers to the fire station. Soon alarms sound. We cut through the field, coming up upon an old barn. It’s old but obviously a working barn or at least used for storage of hay, which is highly incendiary. The whole building is a loss. My heart drops because I know that’s where she is. We all seem to think Nikki is trappedinside that building, which does nothing to slow the speed of my cousin’s approach.

“Mathias, no.” Kiyoshi tries to grab him, but Mathias throws him off, continuing to barrel toward the barn.

Ignoring the screams of his name and the sweltering heat, he rushes forward. I eat the distance behind him, gaining every step, not letting the blast of heat stop me. Thoughts of my dad rushing into a similar situation do nothing to deter me. Trauma realized is sometimes the best antidote. I speed up and reach for his collar to yank him back.

We are steps away from our likely deaths just from the heat radiating from the outside doors as we are knocked off our feet by what seems like an eighteen-wheeler.

The momentum causes us to tumble head over ass, then ass over head. I’m tossed away from the grappling men. Angel has Mathias locked in his strong arms he can’t fight his way out of.

“Let me go.” I hear my cousin scream at his best friend. Veins are popping out of his neck as he strains against the protection of the man he calls his best friend.

“It’s too late,” Angel says in a tone I’ve never heard him use for anyone aside from his wife, Easy and his sister, Lourdes.

“Let me go, motherfucker.” I watch him buck, elbow, claw, swing. Catching him on the side of Angel’s face. He takes it all.

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