6 AM at Mbare terminus. Cold. Smelled like rain on dust.
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSoYkijwEUB
Tawanda, Blessing, Chenai, and Tinashe were there. I had the file with the case number, printed. No phone, no tricks. If I was going to run a con, it wouldn’t be on them again.
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGVYHYiVRg
Tawanda took the file, flipped through it.
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGplaHsXsgP
“You’re clean,” he said. “For once.”
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvnACYxL3l5
Blessing stepped forward. “So we start today. You drive the delivery to Gweru. Simple.”
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkw3MOQnEn2
I nodded.
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8zJ6JHWPP
Then Tinashe spoke.
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wwb8mjVM5
“Before that.”
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGNmbWFptN
He pulled something out from behind his back. Not a gun. A small wooden box. Inside was a faded photo. Me, 19 years old, at my sister’s wedding. Standing next to a girl with braids and a gold necklace.
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaGhBx3kxw
Her name was Rudo. Tawanda’s younger sister.
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWiqyhkknS
She died two years ago. Overdose. The same pills I used to move.
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukMSDnj0B9
The alley went quiet again. Different kind of quiet.
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskVraSSwq3
“You didn’t know,” I said. It wasn’t a question.
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8DgPxsg2qC
“I didn’t,” Tawanda said. “Until last week. Blessing found your old phone in the place we raided.”
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9gaSwe7Ui
He closed the box.
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNT7l3AqClb
“So here’s the twist, Mjay,” he said. “We don’t need your driving. We don’t need the money.”
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqN00Hi0BJr
He dropped the file on the ground.
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGq9PSXxObf
“We needed to see if you’d still lie when you had nothing to gain. You didn’t.”
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3zc12i7hC
Chenai stepped up and put a hand on my shoulder.
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXrOH4jakuJ
“Rudo would’ve slapped you for what you did. Then she’d make you fix it.”
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNnoyzZYUL
Tinashe tossed me a set of keys.
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8SzfKYH4b
“ kombi needs a driver. Route 14. Mbare to Chitungwiza. 6 AM to 6 PM. Pay’s small. But nobody dies.”
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdV7JDG2NU
I looked at the keys, then at them.
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYE2oFbgUTt
“So that’s it?” I said. “You’re letting me go?”
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7i8B5tIi6
Tawanda smiled for the first time since he had me against that wall.
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSBuL9aE4H
“No,” he said. “We’re letting you stay.”
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZlcw3NbAz
Done. The twist: the crew already knew Mjay’s connection to Rudo, and the whole setup was a test to see if he could be trusted to change.
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5bHAyoHAG
127Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRlMatZ5JJ
and then Add to home screen.