Page 73 of Collateral Love

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Heavy.

Pained.

“Kenya?” a weak voice croaked.

My stomach dropped.

“Talia?” I said.

“Yeah,” she whispered. “It’s me.”

“What happened?” I asked, already reaching for my bag.

“They caught me,” she said.

My blood went cold.

“Who?” I demanded.

“Some crew who said Fuck the King Brothers.”

“Where you at?” I ordered, grabbing my keys.

She hesitated.

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “Somewhere off campus. Smells like… old wood and mildew. They kept asking who I work for. I told ‘em nobody. I told ‘em I was just meeting a friend.”

My mind raced.

I’d moved the routes.

Which meant the old route was now empty.

Which meant somebody else had stepped into the space we left.

Rival crew.

Opportunists.

Predators.

“Can you see a street sign? Hear anything?” I asked.

She went quiet.

I heard a door creak, footsteps, and a muffled curse.

Then the line went dead.

I stared at my phone, heart pounding.

This was my mistake.

Mine.

Not Zayden’s.

I didn’t have the luxury of panic.

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