Page 95 of Juliet's Echo

“Nah, Joe, you can’t put that damn girl in a cage. Fuck wrong with you, my boy?” I laughed, shaking my head as another bad decision unfolded on screen.

My phone rang.

Barely taking my eyes off the TV, I hit the speaker button.

“Talk.”

“Aye, boss. I spotted Juliet in the bookstore parking lot a little while ago. She looked kind of frantic.”

Immediately, I sat up.

“Let me tell you two ways in which you got me fucked up. Number one, you saida little while ago, which means you reported back late. Number two, if she looked frantic, why the fuck didn’t you approach the situation? You was scared, nigga?”

By now, I was standing.

Seething.

“She was with her usual two friends—”

“So, motherfucker!”

I cut him off with a sound so primal the TV paused itself.

“Boss, chill. Respectfully,” his voice shook. “They ended up hugging and shit. Didn’t look like danger.”

I rubbed my jaw.

“You said it didn’tlooklike danger, but was it?”

“Boss, no. She drove away safely.”

“Then, nigga, you got three point five seconds to tell me why you called me. One of my homeboys just made a terrible decision involving one of his hoes, and I need to see how this shit plays out.”

“Well...” He hesitated.

That hesitation alone irritated me.

“The bookstore lights were still on, so I walked over there. Saw a little honey inside. Thought I’d shoot my shot.”

“Nigga, it sounds like you need to be talking to your father or the free clinic. Get to the point.”

“Boss, chill,” he laughed. “As soon as she saw me, she started throwing books at me and screaming.”

I chuckled.

“You an ugly motherfucker, Carter. I can’t help with that.”

“Boss,” he laughed, “she was screaming for help. Saying the Everettes were trying to kill her.”

The smile immediately left my face.

“What?”

“Yeah. Shorty was losing her mind.”

“Who is this broad?”

As he continued talking, another notification appeared on my phone. It was a text from Optimus.