Page 41 of Forced Into Your Arms
I locked the door behind me and set my bag down, but the uneasy feeling stayed.
My eyes moved around the room until they landed on the kitchen counter.
A white piece of paper sat in the center, and I didn’t remember leaving it there.
Every part of me stiffened as I walked closer. A single bullet rested on top of the note, and for more than a few seconds, I couldn’t make myself reach for it.
The words were written in thick black ink:YOU SHOULD’VE MINDED YOUR BUSINESS.
My hands started shaking instantly. I backed away from the counter and grabbed my phone from my bag, nearly dropping it as I searched for the business card I’d tucked inside one of the pockets.
I dialed Vice’s number before I could think about what I was doing and held the phone to my ear, keeping my eyes on the bullet.
He answered on the second ring.
“Yeah?” My mouth opened, but nothing came out. “Yo’… Hello?”
“Vice…”
There was a brief pause before he asked, “Who this?”
“It’s Milan.”
His tone changed immediately. “What happened?”
I swallowed hard, but my mouth had gone dry. “Somebody’s been in my apartment...”
6
VICE BLACKWELL
Iwas already on my feet before she finished her sentence, grabbing my keys and heading out.
“Where you at?” I asked.
“At home.”
“You inside the apartment?”
“Yes.”
I clenched my teeth as I grabbed my keys from the desk and headed for the door. Somebody had gotten inside her apartment, and instead of getting the hell out, she was still in the mothafucka.
“Get out...”
She got quiet for a second before saying, “Vice?—”
“Milan, get the hell out of the apartment.” I tried to keep my voice calm, but the thought of somebody still being inside had already put me on edge. I didn’t know who had been there, how long they’d been gone, or if they were even gone at all. The only thing I knew was that I needed her out of there. “You don’t know if whoever broke in is still inside.”
“I don’t think anybody’s still here.”
“You don’t know that,” I told her. “So stop trying to figure it out and get the fuck out of the gotdamn apartment.” I pressedthe phone closer to my ear. She was quiet on the other end, and that shit made me move faster. Huffing out a heavy breath, I then asked, “Where are you in the apartment?”
“The kitchen.”
“Leave everything where it is and go downstairs. Don’t touch nothing else.”
“I didn’t touch anything.”
