Chasing Bliss (24 page)

“Yeah…and you can pour me another one while you’re at it.”

Chase obliged, then inhaled deeply and blew the smoke out slow. “They found Maceo four
years later, stretched out in the parking lot at Roosevelt Field with his throat cut.”

Bliss felt a tingle at the nape of her neck. “Oh my God! Who did it? Was it Cyrus?”

Chase smiled around his cigarette. “I’m sure it wasn’t Cyrus.”

“What makes you so sure? Maceo
did
kill your mother—Cyrus’s mother.”

“Yeah, he did, but it don’t matter to me who took care of Maceo. What matters is the fact that
he’s no longer here. I’m good with that, Bliss. Anyway, after my mother died, Cyrus took care of
me and Corey. Don’t get me wrong…I’m grateful he did. I even tried to make him like me. I did
stuff for him—illegal stuff—but he
still
didn’t like me. He just used me.” He put the cigarette out
and stood up. He walked to the window with his drink. “He’s
still
tryin’ to use me. That’s what all
this shit is about. There’s certain shit I’m not doin’. I’m done takin’ shit off Cyrus. He’s puttin’ a
lot of pressure on me to do somethin’ I really don’t want to do.”

Bliss got up and went to him. “What is it he wants you to do?”

He looked down at her with sad eyes, but Bliss loved the way he squared his shoulders and
cocked his head. She even loved the way he curled his fists and how the veins stood out in his
forearms. “He got into a beef with some guy in Brooklyn. Big-time drug dealer on the come-up
named Wolf.”

“That was why he got shot?”

Chase nodded. “That’s
exactly
why he got shot.”

Bliss frowned. “Well, what does he want you to
do
? Shoot Wolf?”

Chase laughed dryly. “Something like that.”

Bliss’s mouth dropped open.
What the hell is this? What kind of maniac is Cyrus? Doesn’t he care
about Chase—his own brother—at all? Shit, would Chase actually do it?
She closed her mouth, put her
hand to her forehead, and shut her eyes. She literally felt like she was reeling.
What kind of man is
Cyrus?

Chase touched her arm. “Bliss?”

Bliss was so angry she was shaking. She opened her eyes and looked at Chase. “What gives
Cyrus the
right
to ask you to do something like that?”

Chase was looking at her carefully. “I don’t know.”

“What are you gonna do, Chase? You’re not gonna do something like that…are you?”

Chase stared at her for a second, then put his hands on her waist and kissed her forehead. “No,
Bliss. I’m not. I’m not gonna let Cyrus make me kill Wolf. I’m drawin’ the line with him at this.
Matter of fact, I’m done helpin’ Cyrus do anything. Cyrus is on self-destruct, and I don’t want to
be around when the shit hits the fan…and it will, mark my words. Come back and sit down. We
all need to talk.”

Bliss let Chase lead her back to the table. She couldn’t believe Cyrus actually wanted Chase to
kill
someone.
What kind of shit is that? Why Chase? He’s no hit-man…not my Chase.

Chase looked across the table at J.T. “I’m gonna take your advice, J.T. I’m gonna go for the
brass ring. I’m gonna get my ass as far away from Cyrus as I can, before I end up dead or in jail.”

J.T. pushed his plate away and tipped his drink at Chase. “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ ‘bout.
Let’s hear your plan.”

“Thank you, Jesus,” Dee muttered and lit a cigarette of her own.

Chase held Bliss’s hand, but he was looking at Corey. “Corey? Hey, Corey, don’t look out the
window. Look at me.”

Corey sucked his teeth and turned his head Chase’s way. “All due respect, Chase, I don’t want
to hear none of this shit.” He pushed his plate away and looked at Chase moodily.

Chase sighed. He got up and took the seat next to Corey, placing his elbows on the table and
leaning toward him. “All due respect, Corey, you don’t really have a choice.
I’m tired, Corey
. I’m
tired of Cyrus. I love him, but I ain’t hangin’ around for him to ruin my life. I got too much to look
forward to. There’s too much for me to lose.”

Corey stared at him. “What the fuck are you talkin’ about, Chase? What do you mean when you
say you’re gonna get as far away from Cyrus as you can? You leavin’, Chase?”

“Looks like I have to, Corey.”

Bliss’s heart picked up its pace.
Leave?
What’s he talking about?

“You can’t leave, Chase. What about me? What about Bliss?”

“What about
me
? Corey. You know. You
know
. How could you ask me to stay?”

Corey’s bottom lip trembled, and his eyes filled with tears. He shook his head. “
I hate this
.”

“I know you do, Corey. So do I, but I’m about out of options with Cyrus…and I think it would
be a good idea if you left with me.”

Corey stood up. “You two are never gonna stop this shit, are you? Y’all been fightin’ each other
my whole life, with me always hangin’ in the middle. Y’all been askin’ me to choose between y’all
my life.
This shit ain’t fair, Chase!
Why do you try so hard to protect me from Cyrus anyway? He’s
my brother, just like you Smoke! What makes you think he’d do somethin’ to hurt me?”

Chase shocked Bliss by laughing. “Corey, you gotta be kiddin’ me. Are you stupid? Cyrus
broke your arm when you were just a kid. I’m gonna say it again, Corey. You
know
the shit Cyrus
makes me do. What in the
fuck
would make you think Cyrus wouldn’t hurt
you?
I don’t need any
accolades, Corey, but I been keepin’ Cyrus off your ass your
whole life
. I’m keepin’ Cyrus off you
now
, Corey. He doesn’t mean you any good, little brother. Can’t you see this shit the way it really
is? This ain’t no tug-a-war. It’s simple, Corey.
I love you, and Cyrus doesn’t!
Wake up and smell the
goddamned coffee!”

Bliss was stunned, and even downing the rest of her drink didn’t help the shock any. Cyrus’s ass
should have been in jail for the shit he’d done, and Chase wanted to get away from him so badly
that he was ready to just up and leave. She had a sudden deep loathing for Cyrus. He was a fucking
tyrant. It seemed like he wanted to destroy Chase and Corey, his own flesh and blood. Cyrus was
responsible for some very reprehensible shit in Chase and Corey’s lives, and Bliss thought maybe
Chase was
right
to leave. She started to weigh the pros and cons of her own situation with Chase
while she listened to him talk to his little brother.

“What do you want me to do, Chase?” Corey asked unenthusiastically.

Chase sat back in his chair and looked at Corey with a patient gaze. “Don’t be mad at me, Corey.
It’s for everybody’s own good.”

“Amen to that,” J.T. said.

Corey shot him a dirty look. “Instigator!” he said blackly.

“Brat,” J.T. shot back.

J.T. played bartender and freshened drinks. Bliss was tipsy, but she drank anyway. She didn’t
want to entertain the thought of Chase going away from her. It was all Cyrus’s fault, and she
suddenly hated him.

Chase looked at Dee. “You’ve been real quiet,” he said with a smile.

Dee, Bliss noted, had been sipping and smoking steadily since they’d sat down—perhaps
steeling herself. She smiled back at him and shrugged. “There’s nothing for me to say, honey. I’ve
been begging you for years to put some distance between you and Cyrus. Just tell me what you
need me to do, and consider it done.”

Chase smiled at her. “I love you, Dee.”

She smiled back. “You should…but be careful not to make Bliss jealous.” She looked at Bliss.
“You okay? All this has to be a lot for you to digest.”

Bliss nodded. “I’m okay.” She looked at Chase. “But I don’t want to work for Cyrus
anymore.”

Chase reclaimed his seat next to her, now that Corey was sufficiently smoothed out. “Good,
‘cause that’s part of the plan. From now on, you work for me. I’m gonna need you to fill in for
Dee.”

Dee raised an eyebrow. “For
me
? Why? Where am I going?”

“I’m sending you down to Atlanta with Corey to check some spots out for me. I’m gonna open
a club down there—maybe even two—and relocate for a while after they’re up and running.”

Corey looked disagreeable. “How come you and Bliss can’t go to Atlanta? Me and Dee could
run shit up here.”

“You’re good at stuff like that, Corey. You even found Cyrus’s club. I need somebody with
those kinds of skills in Atlanta.”

Corey knew better. “You want me away from Cyrus.”

Chase grinned at him. “Yeah…that too.”

“What’s J.T. gonna do?” Corey asked.

“I’m gonna be my usual flexible self, fillin’ gaps wherever I’m needed. It’s easy to do that when
you own your own company, youngster.” J.T. flashed Corey a winning smile and smacked him
lightly on the back of the head. “Maybe you’ll have one, too, when you grow up.”

They finally heated the food up and ate, Corey for the second time. They agreed that Dee and
Corey would fly down to Atlanta and start looking the Monday after the club opening. Bliss wanted
to give Cyrus two weeks’ notice, but Chase said it didn’t matter and wasn’t necessary; he promised
to take responsibility for her leaving, and Cyrus could deal with him if he had a problem with it. He
didn’t seem to mind taking the brunt of everything, as long as it meant being free from Cyrus.

It was after midnight when their little meeting finally broke up. Bliss got into Chase’s bed with
him, and they snuggled close together. She thought she’d be sleepier than she was, after all that
liquor they drank, but she was wide awake—and quite content feeling Chase’s heartbeat against
her back. She loved him—everything about him: they way he looked, the way he smelled, and the
way he talked. She smiled and closed her eyes, and the minute she did, Chase whispered in her
ear.