“I hope so, because we need you here with us,” Sheila responded as she smiled at the sound of Ace’s voice. She almost forgot that “Chris” was in the back waiting for her to have sex, and she peeked back toward the back of the apartment and saw him opening the refrigerator. She slightly tensed up. She didn’t even hear him creeping up behind her while on the phone. She placed her finger on her lips once again to remind him to remain silent. She looked away from him and continued to listen closely to Ace.

“Have you been getting that money I’ve been sending you?” Ace asked.

“Yeah, I-” Before Sheila could finish her sentence, a loud blast erupted and her brains were all over the kitchen wall. Mecca stood behind her with a smoking gun as he watched her body collapse and the bloody phone fall to the floor.

“Sheila!” Ace yelled as he jumped at the sound of the blast through the phone. “Sheila! What was that?” he yelled into the phone as his eyes began to shift nervously while he gripping the phone tightly.

Mecca let off another round in Sheila’s twitching body for good measure, and reached down to pick up the phone. He had been waiting for Ace to call for weeks, and his wish had just been granted. “What’s going on, playboy?” Mecca said with enthusiasm as if he was greeting a friend.

“Fuck!” Ace scoffed as he took the phone from his ear and put it on his chest. He already recognized Mecca’s voice and his heart rate sped up. He hoped to God that the second gunshot wasn’t for his son. He slowly put the phone back to his ear.

“Listen real close, okay? Your bitch is already gone to meet her Maker. Now it’s your choice if you want me to send lil’ Ace right behind her,” Mecca said as he went to the back, set his gun on the dresser and picked up Ace’s baby boy. “Hey, lil’ man!” Mecca said in a playful voice while still holding the cordless phone to his own ear so Ace could hear him clearly.

Ace sat and listened to the giggles of his own son, and regretted not taking his own flesh and blood out of harm’s way. “Don’t touch my mu’fuckin son!” he seethed in between his clenched teeth.