49

It was two in the morning when YB and Ray-Lo drove across the G.W. Bridge. There was no traffic, and even from a distance the city was so bright and alive with movement.

YB had no time to sleep. He tried to call the apartment but got no answer. That worried him. He told Ray-Lo to hurry, fearing that they might be too late. He feared that Danielle could already be dead.

YB checked the ammunition in his gun quickly and was satisfied that everything was in working order. He knew that he hadn’t been gone for too long, only a day or two. But those four days had been enough time for Harlem to destroy his whole family starting with Magic.

The car raced down the Major Deegan Expressway doing eighty miles per hour. YB kept calling his home, hoping that Danielle would pick up the phone. Unfortunately, there was still no answer and that made him furious.

“Hurry this shit up, Ray-Lo,” YB exclaimed.

“Nigga, I’m trying! Shit, it ain’t like we in a Porsche,” Ray-Lo shot back.

YB stared out the window, trying to keep tears from escaping and trying to be strong. Now was not the time for him start tearing up and getting emotional. In the past year, he had developed a profound love for Danielle. She gave him some insight on what happiness could be, and he wanted to be there for her. He wanted a family away from the streets with a caring woman under his arms, a child to love and raise, and a life away from the drugs and gunplay. He was gradually changing and maturing. YB remembered the advice that Magic once gave to him, and now it was beginning to take root in his heart.

He wanted his life with Danielle to continue and prayed that Harlem didn’t snatch her and the baby away from him. YB gripped the deadly steel in his hand, feeling his heart race. He couldn’t help but shed tears for the lost of his mom, Magic, and his cousin over the past four days. There was a deep fear in him that it would be all over soon. He also feared that he would be too late and Danielle and his unborn daughter would be dead.

YB continued to clutch the fully loaded steel of death and his breathing became heavy. The more he thought about Harlem murdering Danielle he knew he was going to kill Harlem when he got the chance.

“We gonna catch this muthafucka,” Ray-Lo assured YB as they got off at the exit closest to his home.

YB didn’t respond. He continued to stare out the window, crying in silence, missing his family and praying that it wasn’t too late.