Page 77 of Quasim III: King Inferno

“Kobe, you run that mouth too much,” Capone said as he plopped down beside him and nudged his shoulder.

He looked from me back at them, confused. “Why the fuck is everyone all hush and quiet like this man is a child? He’s not a baby, and he needed to know that Ellis was killed.”

My chest burned when he repeated the sentence. I remained quiet as the words echoed through my ears and my feet remained flat on the floor, no longer cold. I thought he made a mistake. Started desperately praying that he made a mistake and Ellis wasn’t dead. Ellis couldn’t have been gone, and Kobe was talking shit like he usually did.

That’s what I wanted to believe.

As they all looked at me with sorrow in their eyes, I knew he wasn’t just talking shit like before. My guy was buried and gone from this earth, and I wasn’t there for Ezra and Evan. They needed me and I was down for the count, unable to be there for them.

Corleon shoved himself between his brother and Kobe. “You talk too much… I ain’t helping you with your ex-boyfriend now.” He pulled one of Kobe’s curls, and he slapped his hand.

“Did I talk too much or did you three fail to tell him the truth? Hmm… Kang is a praying man and you three all up in here lying like hell.”

“Blair asked for us not to say anything,” Cappadonna informed him, tossing a rubber glove at his head.

Kobe bit his knuckle as he looked over at me. “I’m sorry, Kang.”

I felt the pressure from the squeeze that Capp delivered as I remained seated. My mind was telling me to run out the room and go find the triplets. Praying that they were all alive, and this was all a misunderstanding.

“Tell me.”

Capone leaned forward. “Took bullets protecting your brother.”

I dropped my head, feeling the burn in both my chest and eyes as I processed what Capone had told me. It was one thing to hear every God tell me that they would take a bullet for the Inferno family, and another to actually be in the aftermath of the words and vows that they gave.

“He didn’t even become a God yet… why the fuck would he do that?”

Cappadonna sat beside me. “Had he not… you would have been waking up to the reality that your brother, and my sister’s husband didn’t make it. We all fucked up about Ellis, but any of us would have done the same thing, King.”

Capp rarely ever called me king, so hearing the words come from his mouth as he continued to rub my back, hit different. I looked into his eyes. “Doesn’t make shit any better. I was responsible for him… how the fuck you think that make me feel?”

“Like your wife is on the news,” Kobe said with his eyes glued to the TV, and both Capri and Blair were dressed in red as Capriwalked behind whoever they had arrested and escorted them to the car.

Capri was talking to someone in the background while my baby played the back. The news reporter on scene was chatting, but the TV was on mute, because a bunch of sounds were overstimulating along with this stupid ass beeping from the machine.

“Good evening, I’m reporting live from the charity gala for underprivileged children, where tonight’s festivities have taken a shocking turn. Just moments ago, Dr. Edward Mercer, the surgeon general, was arrested on-site in connection to the ongoing egg farming investigation and scandal. He’s also being connected to disturbing allegations tied to last year’s high-profile child pornography case involving Governor Johnson, who was ultimately acquitted. New information has reportedly been submitted to federal authorities, linking Dr. Mercer to a broader investigation involving the Surgeon General’s office and potential child abuse cover-ups. While full details have yet to be confirmed, sources close to the FBI indicate that newly surfaced evidence has reignited the case and brought national attention back to the state’s highest levels of leadership. For now, I’m Amaria Robinson, live from midtown Manhattan.

“I know there’s somebody that don’t play behind Ms. Mamas,” Kobe laughed as he watched the camera continue to catch her as she walked back to the news van.

“He doesn’t.” Cappadonna replied.

Kobe, thirsty for some gossip, was ready to sit and pick Cappadonna’s brain about what he knew about Amaria Robinson, as if I gave a fuck about her right now.

“What the fuck is going on with Mercer?” I looked around for the answers.

We were in real time watching them put Mercer, handcuffed, into the back of a black SUV.

“Consider it a thank you for all you’ve done for me.” I heard a familiar voice and turned.

Hassan was standing in the doorway. The somber look in his eyes and his expression told me he was being strong. He had been hanging on, and seeing me in person, it was becoming harder for him to be strong.

“San… you involved in this?”

I hadn’t seen Hassan since I had woken up, and my feelings were starting to become hurt because he hadn’t come to see me. Ramos told me how he saved me. Wouldn’t stop until I was stable and argued him down that he was going to save my life.

You don’t forget shit like that, and you damn sure don’t move on in life without properly thanking the person. “What’s up, King?”

I tried to stand up, and Cappadonna spotted one side while Kobe got the other, allowing me to stand with their help. “You saved my life, Dr. King.”

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