Page 136 of Justice II

“The other Banks. Quest.” I could almost feel him smirking through the phone.

I sat up despite the pain in my face.

“Why do you have Julian’s phone?”

“We got your brother-in-law here. He’s okay for now,” he replied.

“Okay, then put him on. I need to talk to him!” I shouted.

“You won’t be seeing him again.”

I stared at the coffee table, trying to understand why he would say that to me.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Just like you won’t be seeing your husband again.”

“Wait. What did you do to Roman?”

He hung up before I finished saying my husband’s name. Tears began to stream down my face. What was happening right now?!

I called back immediately, but nobody answered. I kept trying until my fingers started shaking. Eventually the phone calls just went to voicemail.

What kind of shit were these Banks men into? I wasn’t all that familiar with them. I was tempted to go to the cops but I remembered Roman telling me never to go to the cops. That he didn’t trust them. And that he had illegal ties. If we went to the cops he would just get arrested too.

And that lie Melody told about Roman setting the fire. Mommy and Daddy died in an accident. Roman held me at the funeral while I cried. Melody would say anything to hurt me.

I needed to hear Roman’s voice. I needed him to tell me there had been a misunderstanding and that he was on his way home.

I called him even though I already knew he wouldn’t answer. When his voicemail came on, I couldn’t get anything out but his name before I started crying.

“Roman, please call me. Please.”

I ended the message and held the phone against my stomach. Our daughter moved beneath my hand, and I bent over as far as I could, sobbing into the bloody tissue.

I never thought I’d see the day where Melody grew a pair and struck back. She used to be a powerful lawyer but Roman knocked her ass down a peg. But now she’d bounced back, and somehow with the help of that Banks family.

And now I was all alone. There had to be a way out of this.

43

Justice

When Melody told me that Julian called her, I knew for sure that he wasn’t going to let his brother’s disappearance go. He’d try to get revenge on her. He was a loose end that needed to be tied. I quickly set the wheels into motion.

If she and her son were ever to be free, Julian had to be removed. I’d done some digging into them and they had their hands in all kinds of illegal activity. Julian had a few kills under his belt and I had no doubt that he would add Melody to that number.

After I dropped Melody and Keenan off, I met back up with my brothers at the warehouse.

“Justice, please. We can work this shit out,” Julian cried out.

Julian shifted in his chair as I came closer, trying to turn away from what was left of his brother. Roman’s mangled body, pulled out of the freezer for the occasion, was on the concrete beside him. He had been staring at it since Quest and Prime brought him back here to continue their little business meeting.

“I won’t say nothing,” he promised. “Whatever happened between you and Roman, that ain’t got shit to do with me.”

I looked over at Quest, who shook his head.

“Your brother would be hurt to hear you say that,” Prime told him.