Chapter 1: Blood Beside the Coffin
The first punch thrown at my brother's funeral wasn't meant for his killer.
It was meant for the man who had stood beside him for fifteen years, protected his back, and now wanted to stand at the head of his organization.
And when the fighting stopped, someone revealed that Malik Carter hadn't been killed by an enemy.
He had been betrayed by someone who knew exactly where he slept.
I stood beside the grave at South-View Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia, watching more than twenty members of Black Crown gather around my brother's polished black coffin.
Malik had always said he wanted a simple funeral.
No speeches. No unnecessary attention. Just family and the people who had earned the right to stand beside him.
But Malik had never understood how many people would come to mourn him.
Or how many would come to celebrate his absence.
His right-hand man, Darius King, approached the coffin wearing a black suit and dark sunglasses. He held a single black rose between his fingers.
Darius had been Malik's closest friend since they were teenagers. He had helped build Black Crown from a handful of neighborhood boys into one of Atlanta's most feared criminal organizations.
I had never trusted him completely.
Malik always told me I was too suspicious.
"That's why I need you around, Andre," he used to say.
"You see things I don't.""
Now Malik was six feet underground, and I was beginning to wish I had seen something sooner.
Darius gently placed the black rose on the coffin.
Before he could step away, I knocked it onto the grass.
"Don't touch my brother's coffin.""
The conversations stopped.
Darius slowly turned toward me.
His sunglasses concealed his eyes, but his jaw tightened.
"Not today, Ace.""
Everyone in Black Crown knew my street name. Ace. The older Carter brother. The one who had spent years trying to convince Malik that loyalty meant more than money and power.
I stepped closer.
"You think burying him makes you the boss?""
Darius removed his sunglasses.
"Your brother is dead. Show some respect.""
I laughed bitterly.
"Respect? You want to talk about respect?""
I pointed at Malik's coffin.
"Where were you when he needed you?""
Darius's expression changed.
"Watch your mouth.""
"Or what?""
He pushed my shoulder.
I punched him.
The sound echoed across the cemetery.
Darius stumbled backward, his sunglasses flying into the grass. Before I could move again, he charged and drove his fist into my cheek.
I fell against a folding chair.
Within seconds, the funeral erupted.
Two Black Crown members grabbed me while another group rushed toward Darius. Chairs toppled. Flower arrangements scattered across the wet grass. Someone shouted for everyone to stop, but nobody listened.
"GET OFF MY BROTHER!"" one of Malik's cousins screamed.
Darius's men shoved him toward a parked SUV.
I broke free and charged again.
Then I shouted something that silenced the entire cemetery.
"DARIUS KILLED MALIK!""
The words hung in the cold air.
Darius stopped moving.
I reached inside my jacket and pulled out an old black phone.
"This belonged to my brother.""
Darius stared at it.
"Where did you get that?""
"His bedroom. His wife gave it to me.""
I unlocked the screen and held it in my hand.
"The night before Malik died, he sent me a message.""
My thumb moved across the screen.
I read the words aloud.
"If something happens to me, don't trust Darius.""
A woman near the front covered her mouth.
One of the younger members stepped away from Darius.
Darius shook his head.
"That's not what that means.""
"Then explain it.""
"I don't have to explain anything to you.""
"Funny. That's exactly what a guilty man says.""
Darius took a step forward.
"Andre, your brother was paranoid. He was investigating people he shouldn't have been investigating.""
"People like you?""
Before Darius could answer, a small voice came from behind the mourners.
"That's not what Dad meant.""
Everyone turned.
Malik's thirteen-year-old son, Trey, stood beside his mother, Renee.
He was wearing a black suit that looked too large for his thin shoulders. His eyes were red, but he wasn't crying anymore.
I immediately softened my voice.
"Trey, baby, come here.""
He didn't move.
Instead, he looked directly at me.
"Dad gave me something before he died.""
Renee grabbed his arm.
"Trey, don't.""
He pulled away.
"A key.""
Darius's expression changed so quickly that I almost missed it.
"What key?"" I asked.
Trey reached into his pocket and pulled out a small brass key attached to a red plastic tag.
"Dad told me there's a locker. He said everything we needed to know was inside.""
"Where is the locker?""
"I don't know.""
Renee stepped between us.
"That's enough.""
Trey looked at her.
"But Mom—"
"I said enough!""
Her voice cracked across the cemetery.
Everyone stared at her.
She was usually calm, even when Malik and I argued. But now her hands were shaking.
Darius slowly approached.
"Renee, what locker is he talking about?""
She backed away.
"Don't you dare ask me that.""
"Why?""
"Because you know exactly why!""
A heavy silence followed.
Then an older member of Black Crown, a man named Curtis Bell, quietly began walking toward the cemetery exit.
He was sixty-two, had gray hair, and had been around since the organization was first established.
I noticed him slipping away.
"CURTIS!""
He stopped.
I pushed past two men and caught him near the parking area.
I grabbed his collar.
"You set my brother up?""
Curtis raised both hands.
"I didn't kill Malik!""
"Then why are you running?""
"I don't want any part of this!""
I tightened my grip.
"You're going to tell me what you know.""
Curtis looked past my shoulder.
His face turned pale.
Then he leaned closer and whispered:
"Your father's killer has been standing here the entire time.""
My grip loosened.
"What did you just say?""
Curtis swallowed.
"Malik found out who really killed your father. And that person has been standing beside you at this funeral.""
Behind me, someone gasped.
Trey slowly turned around.
May you like
His eyes stopped on one person.
And when I followed his gaze, I realized the secret Malik had died trying to protect was much older than Black Crown.
