6 AM at Mbare terminus. Cold. Smelled like rain on dust.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6X79FYo4oQ
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.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4v4O6i8Rgh
Tawanda took the file, flipped through it.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTs5pBpmCFS
“You’re clean,” he said. “For once.”
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8jdpZpM7U
Blessing stepped forward. “So we start today. You drive the delivery to Gweru. Simple.”
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmF9MhLuSlF
I nodded.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDyRoEC2rR
Then Tinashe spoke.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcg1jFqZtKS
“Before that.”
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMyOMTKilOR
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.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJaMQqe6hre
Her name was Rudo. Tawanda’s younger sister.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NfzG5dtGM
She died two years ago. Overdose. The same pills I used to move.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65xmMat23O
The alley went quiet again. Different kind of quiet.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Vq1fRScBy
“You didn’t know,” I said. It wasn’t a question.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlI2cIvm3l5
“I didn’t,” Tawanda said. “Until last week. Blessing found your old phone in the place we raided.”
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpo4gnTwCp
He closed the box.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgNOcZWQJO
“So here’s the twist, Mjay,” he said. “We don’t need your driving. We don’t need the money.”
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9xOm1hlsI4
He dropped the file on the ground.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmlrflb8Sh
“We needed to see if you’d still lie when you had nothing to gain. You didn’t.”
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfESSNE4nmb
Chenai stepped up and put a hand on my shoulder.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfZogbZJzh
“Rudo would’ve slapped you for what you did. Then she’d make you fix it.”
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFQRotcLSa
Tinashe tossed me a set of keys.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wXU4QrRIM
“ kombi needs a driver. Route 14. Mbare to Chitungwiza. 6 AM to 6 PM. Pay’s small. But nobody dies.”
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LjD6RKDZI
I looked at the keys, then at them.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PpiqAAzBT
“So that’s it?” I said. “You’re letting me go?”
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wC0bXCjv7
Tawanda smiled for the first time since he had me against that wall.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxruCaBMmor
“No,” he said. “We’re letting you stay.”
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjb86bYQ6T7
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.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk83KofIqIW
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsNynVsZMd
and then Add to home screen.