The Sanders

5

Jay
"Well, it would be best to move Liyah out the school for her safety." Ms. Linda said. "What? Linda we're not teaching my granddaughter how to be a runner. We go up to that school and find out what's going on." Clevis said. I was currently at their house discussing what took place hours earlier. "We should want to protect her from that lifestyle Clevis." Ms. Linda said. "Selena said that the same thing. She wants to keep Aaliyah away from the Mafia life." I said. "Why? So that Looney Cory can convince her to join them? I won't have it." Clevis said. "Unc is right. For all we know, Cory could be trynna persuade them kids to join their Empire. It's best to at least educate her on the Mafia, let her know it's in her family history." Seth said.

"I don't like this. Telling her could cause a great danger, what if she takes it back to Cory and he realizes who daughter she is? Telling her about this family could put her life on the line." Ms. Linda said. "I understand that Aunt Lindy but she needs to know or else she'll be doing research and end up joining them. She'd only find information about them since we keep our Mafia so private." Seth said. In a way I agreed with Seth. Doing research would only lead her to thinking they're the good people. "We need to find out who's running this Empire now that Michael's dead." Clevis said. "My theory is that it's Asia." I said. "If Asia knew who had her life in their hands she wouldn't be running that Empire." Clevis said. "When and why did this Mafia start anyway?" I asked.

"Follow me." Clevis said as he led us to a back room. "My grandma was the biggest drug lord in the world. She had underground workers running from here through Mexico. The most feared lady walking around." He said as he opened the curtains revealing a portrait of her. "Griselda Blanco?" I said in shock. "Yes. My grandma was the Godmother of Cocaine. Life was great when she was living, we were wealthy, we had riches. Until those bastards in the streets killed her. After she died, my father took over. He started with the Malone Mafia, and when he died he passed down every rich cent he had to me." Clevis said. "So the Malones are world wide drug dealers?" I asked.

"Yes. We still have our underground workers running through to Mexico, Puerto Rico, and more. We'll never get caught because as far as the FBI and police know, the Malones died years ago." Clevis said. "Which is why Aaliyah can't know about our history. Word will get around that we're still here." Ms. Linda said. "We train her to never let family secrets out then." Clevis said. "Jay how you feel about this?" Seth asked. "I believe she should know but at the same time word can't get around." I said. "And it won't. Jay you get your daughter up and you tell her as soon as you can." Clevis said. I nodded and continued listening to his history.

Aaliyah
"Found anything else?" Nessie asked as she sat down beside me on my bed. "No, I just keep running into the same circle over and over." I told her. She sucked her teeth and looked on her computer. "I can't find anything either. You think your folks know something?" She asked. "They don't even want me looking into it." I told her. "Just like my adoptive mother Asia. She's forever telling me to quick trynna look into that mess." Nessie said. "Maybe they know something we don't." I said. "Which is why we're doing research. We're trynna figure it out." Nessie said. "Figure what out?" Dad said as he came into the room. "Nothing. Just a girl talk." I said. "Well, mind if I interrupt? It's something I need to tell you but you can't tell anyone else." He said.

"I'll step out." Nessie said as she stood up and walked out the door. "The reason we don't want you looking into the Malone Mafia and Shadow Empire is because-" "Jay." My mom said as she walked in the room. "I need to talk to you, now." She said as she walked back out. Nessie was walking in as my dad was leaving out. "Nessie we were so close." I told her. "How?" She asked as she sat on my bed. "He was finna tell me the real reason why they don't want me searching up this stuff." I said. "What stopped him?" She asked. "My mom needed to talk to him. I can't wait to know what really went down." I said. "Me either." Nessie said as she grabbed her computer.

Lena
"Are you out of your mind Jay? Telling her about the Malones? What the hell is wrong with you?" I asked as I paced in the room. "She needs to know." He said. "For what? Why does she need to know Jay?" I asked. "God, this is why I didn't want her going to that ghetto school in the first place! I knew something was gonna happen and of all things that could've happened, this shit just had to be the one." I said. "Lena calm down. She has the right to know family history." Jay said. "That's not your family!" I blurted. He paused and looked at me. "Oh really? Then what are they Lena? Huh?" Jay asked. "Look, I didn't mean it like that. Clevis and Ms. Linda are Stacy's parents. Granted they are my godparents-" "Which makes them your family too. They're history is your history as well. Your godparents are Aaliyah's grandparents. Clevis calls me his son-in-law. That's not family Lena?" Jay asked.

"It's the not the family I want to have. I don't want to live with the history of the deadliest Mafia. I don't want my little girl growing up knowing her parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles have killed people." I said. "It was for protection. If Michael would've never done what he did, the Malone's wouldn't have even finished that war." Jay said. "Finished it? They damn near started it! I said I had everything damn near under control and then you decided to get with Clevis and for what? To kill a man who would've been rotting in jail by now?" I asked. "So that's what this is about? The death of Michael hurts you doesn't it?" Jay asked. "That's not what I meant." I said. "No that's exactly what you meant. You're blaming us for the death of a man who wanted you dead. You'd rather have him alive and well I'm a jail cell other than dead because he life mattered to you more than your own." He said. "That's not true." I responded.

"You still loved him. You still think about him, don't you? That has to be it because after all we did to make sure he couldn't get to you, you're mad and ashamed of it." Jay said. I didn't say anything, I just stood back and looked at him. "Like I thought." He said as he got ready to leave out the room. "Jay wait." I said as I grabbed his arm. "No. Until you can accept the fact that we saved you or the fact that he never loved you, you have nothing else to say to me." He said. "Until you are officially over him, give me a call. I think it's safe to say you can go back your house now." He said before leaving out the room and closing the door.