Page 53 of His to Have
My grip tightened on the knife. “What time was that?”
“E-Early. Probably eight or nine.”
“Hmm,” I hummed thoughtfully. “And, you thought abandoning your post was smart?”
“I thought I would be back before anyone would notice,” he admitted. “How could I know I was being set up to be the fall guy.”
I nodded, piecing together the timeline, all the players, and their motives. The text came a full day after I already had Roland. At eight that morning he was bleeding out in one of my stash houses, tied up and terrified. He hadn’t sent any texts, which meant someone else had. Yanna’s boutique was hit well in the afternoon giving someone time to move her security.
Someone knew Roland’s operation. Knew to continue his mission even when he was no longer a player in the game. They knewall about Yanna’s invisible protection — the men employed to watch her business, home, and her routes from a distance. And knew sending her security on a wild goose chase would leave her shop open.
This had to be the money man.
I leaned forward. “Show me the text.”
Jeremy’s heavy breathing and panting filled the room as he fumbled for his phone. His bloodied hands trembled as he struggled to unlock it before stretching it out to me.
“It’s from the unknown number,” he said, pointing to the screen.
I studied the messages closely, noting the plethora of unknown numbers all starting the same exact way -- ‘Yo, it’s me.’ All of them were short and to the point. Same format, same tone, same style. I scrolled through the list of messages, my eyes narrowing with each identical phrase. Finally, I found the one from the day in question.
929-987-0001- Yo, it’s me. Remember that favor? Today @ 2172 Fairs Pkwy. 3pm. Grab the package and hold until I contact you further.
Odd.
Same format, but different. This text didn't wait for a confirmation from Jeremy before giving details.
I looked up from the phone, my expression blank. “This wasn’t Roland who texted you.”
His eyes went wide. “W-What? Yes it was. It says—”
“I know what it says.” I cut him off. “For starters, Roland was in the same place you’re about to be when this text was sent.”
The color drained from his face and I leaned back.
“But… the text is different. Did you ever deal with anyone else from his crew?”
“No! Just him every time.”
“And you don’t know who would’ve known how his operation worked?”
He shook his head aggressively.
“Think, Jeremy.” My voice dropped to a low menacing growl. “Who would’ve sent you this text?” I tossed the phone close to his feet, watching as it clattered to the ground.
“The only thing I know is he was back and forth up north all the time. That’s it. That’s all I know.”
I nodded standing leaving him squirming in the floor.
“Keep going through his contacts. See if there’s anything else we missed.” I told Keem and he dipped his chin.
“On it.”
Turning my attention back to a frantic Jeremy, I smirked. “You’re not off the hook. Your death will be long, slow, and painful.”
His panicked breaths quickened, and I watched as he realized the truth of my words.
With a tilt of my chin, I nodded toward Keem, giving him a silent command. “He may be useful. Take him to the spot.”
