Murderville Page 0,81

to her steady breathing he felt the same responsibility for her that he had felt when they had run away from home as kids. It was up to him to lead her to a better life and this time he was determined not to drop the ball. She had no clue, but his pockets were dwindling. All of his money had gone up in smoke in the car explosion and all he had left was the paper in his pocket. He eased out of the bed, moving Liberty off his chest before climbing out of bed. He went into the pocket of his suit jacket to retrieve the small knot of bills. He flipped through it quickly, but when he discovered the total he knew that he may as well have been broke: $3,000 wouldn’t get them very far . . . not when they were running from a man whose resources were limitless. A’shai couldn’t even purchase any decent fire power for that amount. Fuck am I going to do? he thought. I’ve got to come up on some paper.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his cell phone ringing. He reached in his slacks and retrieved it. He recognized the name instantly. If Baron had taught him anything, it was to always have your attorney on speed-dial and as the call came up he answered it.

“Don Clarkston,” A’shai stated.

“A’shai, good morning. I’m sorry to call you so early, but it is very important. It’s Baron,” Clarkston said. “He was arrested last night. He was arraigned this morning. He asked me to call you. I need a $50,000 retainer to render services to him, and he says that you are the only one who knows where his money is.”

“Arrested?” A’shai exclaimed, stirring Liberty from her sleep. He knew that it was uncharacteristic for Baron to be caught slipping. “How did this happen?”

“Apparently, Baron was caught with large quantities of cocaine in his home,” Clarkston replied.

A’shai shook his head in disbelief. He knew his father would never bring his business home. “What’s his bail?” A’shai asked, instantly reverting back to his loyal duties as Baron’s son and next in command.

“Your father is considered a flight risk. Bail was denied,” Clarkston said. “Time is of the essence, A’shai. The sooner you can get me that retainer the better.”

A’shai hung up the phone and turned around to find Liberty staring at him.

“What’s going on? What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Get dressed, ma, we have to go,” he stated.

A’shai pulled up to his parents’ home and parked his car in the circular driveway, directly in front of the door.

“Stay here. I’ll be in and out,” he instructed as he kissed her cheek and rushed into the house. He went to the basement and into the cellar where Baron kept his money secure in a safe. He located the large wine rack that hid the industrial wall safe. He pulled down one bottle and pressed the button that was hidden behind it. The entire rack slid to the side, revealing Baron’s hidden treasure. A’shai quickly put the combination in and rubbed his hands together as he prepared to unload the riches. He froze in disbelief when the door popped open and he witnessed the inside of the bare safe. It had been wiped out. The only thing that remained was a single handgun . . . his father’s signature .38. Every dollar that had once filled the space was gone. This can’t be right . . . fuck is all the money?

Liberty sat in the car antsy as she waited for her man to return. Where is he? What is taking him so long? she thought as she looked around nervously, feeling like a sitting duck. She noticed a black Acura pull up to the house, sitting curbside. Liberty tried to peer inside the windows at the driver, but the dark tint hindered her vision.

A bad vibe filled her as she whispered, “Come on, Shai, . . . hurry up.” Her worried eyes were locked on the open door of Baron’s home.

The sound of squealing tires caused her to focus her attention on the car, but before she could even process what was going on the black Acura rammed into the side of the Benz.

“Ahh!” Liberty screamed, terrified as she ducked down as the driver-side window burst from the impact. The car backed up and rammed into the side of A’shai’s ride again. Everything was happening so fast that Liberty didn’t know what to do.