Greer clasped his hands over his stomach, yawning. “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t play me.” Stone pointed to himself. “This is me you’re talking to. You did that old man on Tango Road didn’t you?”

Greer swayed in the chair. “What old man?”

“Don’t fuck with me.” Stone leaned over him. “You swore you wouldn’t rob him.”

“I didn’t swear shit.” Greer pulled on one of the short, frizzy twists on his head. “If I recall you chickened out, so I had to find me another partner to go with.”

“Who?”

“None of your damn business. I don’t rat, nigga.”

“Where is the collection?”

Greer smacked his lips. “It might be here. It might not.”

Stone grabbed him by the neck.

“Get the fuck off me!” Greer tossed punches but Stone kept his hold. “You choking me, man. Thought we were boys.”

“You beat that man. I told you I didn’t want anyone getting hurt.”

“You didn’t wanna go.” Greer pulled at Stone’s hands. “After that what happened has nothing to do with you.”

“It has everything to do with me.” Stone squeezed his neck. “My sister’s life is in danger. I got to get this mess cleaned up.”

“That’s what I was trying to do for you.” Greer grunted. “Damn, Stone. The collection is in the closet. You can have it for your debt, man. I did this for you.”

Stone loosened his grip.

“We’re brothers. I couldn’t let Fusco get you, right?”

“It’s in the closet?”

“Yeah.” Greer stumbled when Stone let him go. “You can have it and you and Rachel don’t have to worry about nothing.” He got a wooden box with a gold clasp out the closet. “Had someone look at it, man. There’s at least half a million worth of coins in here.”

Stone opened it and observed the treasures. “Damn, didn’t even know they made coins in some of these eras.”

“Shit, it might be worth a million.”

“Why you beat that old man? You didn’t have to do that.”

“Hey, you are more important than some old white dude.” Greer playfully slapped Stone. “Dario Fusco is all you need to worry about.”

“Let me ask you a question.” Stone closed the box. “If you really did this for me then how come you didn’t tell me before now?”

Greer gulped with a blank expression.

“Lying, motherfucker.” Stone took out his gun and aimed it at him. “You stole this for yourself.”

Greer laughed. “Put that down and stop playing.”

“I’m not playing.” Stone held the box to his side. “I told you not to do this, and I meant it. It caused more trouble than it helped.”

“We’ve known each other since we were teenagers. I’ve been down for your ass like nobody and you gonna do this? Thought we were family.”

“Rachel is my family, and I’m doing this for her.”

“No wonder Fusco’s after your ass.” Greer pointed at him. “You ain’t got no loyalty.”

“It’s my fault all this got out of hand, but I’m fixing it now. Get on the phone, call the cops, and confess to this robbery.”

“Say what?” Greer bent over, laughing. “What shit you on?”

“I’m dead serious.” Stone raised the gun. “If you don’t make that call then a bullet’s going through your forehead.”

“You ain’t got the guts.”

Stone shot the computer.

“Okay, okay!” Greer leapt on the bed.

“Get on the phone.”

“You gonna pay for this shit.” Greer got out his cell phone.

“Put it on speaker.”

“I got friends from the pen that just got out,” Greer mumbled as he dialed. “If I go back inside, I’m gonna make sure they get your ass.”

“Tell ‘em to wait in line.”

* * *

Later that night, Scott met Bobby outside the interrogation room in the police station.

“I got here as soon as I could,” Scott said. “Tell me about this guy.”

Bobby lowered his file. “His name is Greer Pierson, and he has a record long as the Mississippi River.”

“I wanna see this bastard.” Scott reached for the door.

“You can’t go in there.”

“I want to see him.”

“Calm down.” Bobby pulled Scott away from the door. “Let Detective Sassoon handle this. She’s investigating the case. I can’t question him because it’s a conflict of interest.”

“How did you get him?”

“He confessed, and we got the coin collection. He won’t give up the other suspect though, but we’ll get him.” He broke eye contact. “Sometimes I hate being right.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Pierson is a friend of Rachel’s brother, and Pierson says Rachel knew about the robbery before it happened.”

Scott’s jaws filled with air. “That’s a lie.”

“This isn’t coming from me this time. Pierson said it. We did a background on Pierson and he and Stone Howard go back a long time.”

“Jesus.” Scott leaned against the wall, rubbing his head. “He’s lying.”

“Why would he lie? Stone’s here too. He’s talking with another officer down the hall.”

“I’ll kill him.”

“Wait.” Bobby grabbed him. “You need to face the truth about Rachel now.”

“I don’t have to face shit.” He snatched his arm away. “Rachel would’ve warned us about that robbery.”

“Even Stone says he’d planned to do it but didn’t after Rachel begged him not to. It’s true, Scott.”

A skinny black man wearing baggy jeans with a sharp crease and a black skullcap strolled past.

Scott balled a fist. “Is that Stone?”

“Yeah.”

Scott jumped on Stone’s back, locking his arm around his neck.

“Scott!” Bobby pulled him off.

“You crazy?” Stone turned in a circle, trying to break free.

“Enough, Scott,” Bobby warned.

Scott shoved his brother and slammed his fist into Stone’s jaw.

“Motherfucker.” Stone leaned over, holding his face. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“You’re what’s wrong.” Scott panted. “Napoleon was almost killed because of you.”

Stone stood straight, batting his droopy eyes. “His crazy ass attacked me,” he addressed Bobby. “I wanna press charges.”

“It’s because of you someone I loved got hurt.”

“Scott.” Bobby got between him and Stone. “Calm down before you do something you’ll regret.”

“Scott?” Stone squinted, pointing. “Are you Scott West?”

“You damn right I am.”

“So this is your brother?” Stone glared at Bobby. “I see the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Both of you crazy.”

“You ought to be ashamed of yourself for the danger you put Rachel through,” Scott said. “How do you sleep at night?”

Stone exhaled, swaying. “Not good. I tried to do the right thing. I got Greer to confess, and I brought back the dude’s coin collection. I’ll do all I can to make sure Rachel is okay.”

“Why am I wasting time talking to you?” Scott turned toward his brother. “Arrest him.”

“I can’t arrest him.” Bobby hit the folder against his leg. “He didn’t do anything.”

“Since when? He’s a criminal.”

“He might be, but Stone didn’t rob anyone and in fact, he brought in the coin collection. If it weren’t for him, Pierson wouldn’t have confessed.”

“I don’t believe you, Bobby. You give Rachel hell but defend this asshole?”

“I’d lock Stone and Rachel up and throw away the key if I could.” Bobby’s nostrils flared. “As an officer of the law, I actually have to wait until someone breaks it to arrest them.”

“Hey.” Stone held his hand out to Scott. “I appreciate what you did for my sister.”

“Tell me this.” Scott slapped his hand away. “Did Rachel know about this robbery before it happened?”

Stone exhaled, his cigarette breath hitting Scott’s face. “Look—”

“Did she?”

“Yeah, but not who the guy was.”

“Wow.” Scott chuckled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“She’s the reason I didn’t go along with it,” Stone said. “She begged me not to do it.”

Scott’s gut ached as if a big rig ran over him. “She played me.”

“No.” Stone shook his head. “Rachel cares about you. She wants a life with you. She doesn’t even want anything to do with me anymore.”

“I can’t believe anything you or your lying sister says.”

“She loves you.” Stone’s eyebrows flattened. “Please, don’t blame her for my mistake.”

“If I never see either of you again, it’ll be too soon.”

Scott bumped into Stone when he passed and kept walking.