'Dude, look at me. Don't you know who I am?'
Theo let his eyes meet the gunman's, and recognition kicked in. Isaac?
He flashed a big smile. 'How you doin', my man?'
Theo hadn't seen him in almost twenty years. He would have been happy to go another twenty. 'How did you get in here?'
'Come on, dude. It's me, Isaac. The leader of the Grove Lords.'
This was no overstatement. The Grove Lords had once ruled Miami – until every cop in the city made it a priority to land Isaac in prison. Theo searched his memory for old scores that Isaac might want to settle with him – anything that might explain his sudden reappearance after all this time.
Theo said, 'Let's talk about this, all right? Put my gun down.'
'Ain't your gun no more, bro''
'What do you want?' said Theo.
'Can't I come see an old brotha'? Especially one as rich and famous as you?'
'Cut the crap.'
'Serious, dude. The whole world knows about Theo Knight and Sparky's. Even the homeboys in the can.'
It wasn't exactly the clientele Theo was looking for. 'That's where I thought you was. In jail.'
'You got that right' Isaac stepped out from around the tower of beer kegs. He was a good five inches shorter than Theo, but that still put him at almost six feet tall and solid muscle. He'd obviously made good use of the prison weight room. The clothes were definitely fresh off the back of a homeless person, though apparently not without a struggle. Theo noticed a fresh bloodstain on the left pants leg.
'When did you get out?'
'About six hours ago,' said Isaac.
'Your first night out of prison, and you got nothin' better to do than to stick a gun in my face?'
'I guess you ain't seen the news yet tonight.'
'All I watch is ESPN when I'm working.'
'Too bad. You would have seen me all over the local stations, for sure. I bet I'm more famous than you now. Another kid from the 'hood makes good.'
'What did you do?'
'Nothin',' said Isaac, smiling thinly. 'Let's just say I had enough of those jerk-offs at TGK. I put myself on the early-release plan.'
Theo didn't share the smile. A fugitive in his stockroom wearing the dirty and bloody clothes he'd obviously stolen from a homeless guy as a disguise – it was the last thing he needed.
'What do you want from me?' said Theo.
Isaac's expression turned very serious. 'I had the perfect plan, see? New clothes, fake ID, cash, car, gun – it was all supposed to be waiting for me at the 7-Eleven on Eighth Street when I busted out. That was the deal. I show up exactly on time, but it ain't there. I got screwed, bro'!'
Theo glanced at the gun. 'I got nothin' to do with that.'
'I ain't blamin' you,' he said, his voice calming. 'But you know Isaac Reems. He always got hisself a plan B.'
'Should have just robbed the 7-Eleven. That seems about your speed.'
'You think you're the only one who's moved up in the world? The small time is way behind me. And even if it wasn't, I did my homework behind bars. A guy busts out of prison, the first thing cops watch is recent crime reports – stolen guns, cash, cars. Crimes like that leave a trail. I can't be leavin' no trails. So I asks myself: how can I get my hands on everything I need and be sure the cops don't find out about it? Then it hits me. I'll go see Theo Knight. I
'You should have called a friend.'
'Fugitives ain't got friends. You know how they caught the last dude who escaped from prison in Florida? His own momma turned him in.'
'I don't want no part of this.'
Isaac tipped the gun for emphasis. 'It ain't exactly a choice.'
'You think I'm still some teenage punk who wants into your gang?
'Uh-uh. You ain't no gangster, my main man, my brotha'. You ain't nothin' to me. You's just Theo Knight – Mr. Respectable Member of the Community. Which is exactly why you can't report this gun stolen. Or the money. You can't even call the cops and tell 'em I was here.'
'You don't know me no more,' said Theo.
All trace of a smile vanished. 'I know this much, bro'. If I get caught, I'm gonna say it was you who helped me escape from TGK. We had a nice little understanding, you and me. The two of us met up after hours in your bar. You gave me money, a gun. Then you tried to change our deal and pinch me for way more than your help was worth. I said 'Eat me' and left. That's when you lost your cool and called the cops on me.'
Theo didn't respond.
Smugness was all over Isaac's face. 'You know they'll believe me. You like to think you're a new man. You keep your nose clean now that you're outta prison, got yourself a fine tavern. But to the cops, you're still just a homeboy from the 'hood who's stupid enough to help his old buddy Isaac blow the joint and skip town.'
Theo glared, but he didn't argue. Four years on death row for a crime he didn't commit made it tough to trust cops, and Isaac was smart enough to exploit that. 'Just take what you want and go,' said Theo.
He pointed with the gun. 'The cash. All of it.'
Theo scooped it up and started toward Isaac.
'Just leave it right there on the edge of the desk,' said Isaac. 'Then back your ass up against the wall.'
Theo complied. Isaac stepped forward, took the cash, and stuffed it into his pocket. 'Got more bullets?'
'Uh-uh,' said Theo.
Isaac rifled through the other desk drawers, found the extra ammunition, and filled his other pocket. 'You never was the liar your brother Tatum was. Now, where's the car keys?'
Theo pointed with a nod toward the hook on the wall.
Isaac said, 'On second thought, I'll leave 'em right there.'
'Suit yourself.'
'Be nice to have wheels. And I'm pretty sure you ain't gonna call the cops. But if you get weak on me and dial 911, that's too easy a mark, me drivin' around in your car.'
Theo watched as he started toward the door. Isaac opened it, then stopped in the open doorway. 'For what it's worth, that was a shitty thing that happened to your momma. Even shittier that they never caught the guy who done it.'
Theo didn't answer. He simply wanted to strangle him.
Isaac said, 'See you around, Mr. Respectable.'
He closed the door quietly, the sound of his footsteps fading into the night.
Chapter 2
Theo drove home alone and angry. Really angry. There were two things you just didn't talk about with Theo Knight.
His father.
And his mother.
Isaac had thought he was so clever, the way he'd ventured into the maternal half of the forbidden territory. Theo knew he didn't give a rat's ass about him or his mother. Isaac brought her up only as a reminder that the cops hadn't lifted a finger to catch the guy who'd slit her throat – yet another reason Theo shouldn't turn to the police. Little did Isaac know that Theo had shipped off those demons to a place that Trina called the gulag of Theo's mind.
Theo's Coconut Grove town house wasn't in the ghetto, where he'd once lived with Tatum and their mother, but his little hovel wasn't exactly the poster property for Miami 's real estate nirvana, either. In many ways, Theo
