6. Switches & Shadows

The cool night air hit Zee as she stepped out of the stash house, but it did nothing to clear the heavy weight pressing down on her chest. Breezy's words replayed in her mind, over and over: "K-Boss don't like secrets." The thing was, Breezy wasn't wrong. Secrets got you killed out here, and right now, Zee was sitting on a stack of them.

Her boots scuffed against the cracked pavement as she walked, keeping her hood low, her hands stuffed in her pockets, gripping the strap of her bag. The blocks stretched out in front of her, empty but alive with the ghosts of a hundred bad decisions. She knew these streets like the back of her hand—every shortcut, every alley, every corner where you could hide from the world when it got too loud. But tonight, even her own neighborhood felt foreign. Like she didn't belong here anymore.

Maybe she didn't. Maybe she'd outgrown the game already.

That thought hit her harder than she expected. It was a dangerous thought, the kind that made you question your moves, made you think about things like escape. Zee knew better than that. The only way out of the game was through it. There wasn't no back door, no easy exit. She'd seen enough bodies drop to know that much was true.

Still, the thought lingered, stubborn, like a splinter beneath her skin.

Her phone buzzed again, breaking the silence. For a second, she considered ignoring it, but then she remembered who might be on the other end. She glanced at the screen and saw Liana's name pop up.

Liana: "Yo, where you at? I'm outside the crib. Need to talk."

Zee stopped, staring at the message. She hadn't planned on going home tonight. The stash house wasn't far from her cousin's garage, and she'd planned to spend the rest of the night there, working on another batch of switches. But if Liana was waiting for her outside the house, something must be up.

She took a breath, feeling that familiar tug of guilt. Liana didn't know. She had no idea what Zee was really mixed up in now. The weed game? That was one thing. They'd been hustling together for years, but the gun game? The switches? That was something else entirely. It was a line Zee hadn't crossed with Liana. She didn't want to. Not because she didn't trust her—but because she wanted to protect her.

Zee: "Be there in 10."

Zee tucked her phone away and made a quick decision. She'd stop by, talk to Liana, then hit the garage. The clock was ticking, and Breezy's words still hung over her like a dark cloud. Whatever K-Boss had heard, whatever Breezy thought he knew, Zee needed to move faster. She needed to stay ahead of it.

As she turned the corner, she spotted Liana leaning against the railing outside her house, her arms folded across her chest, her face set in that familiar look of frustration. Zee could tell from a mile away when Liana was pissed, and tonight was one of those nights.

"Yo," Zee called out, keeping her voice light as she approached. "What's up? Why you standing out here looking like that?"

Liana's eyes flicked up, and she pushed off the railing, her face tight. "You tell me, Zee. I been trying to hit you up all night. You ghostin' me now or something?"

Zee sighed, pulling her hood back and rubbing the back of her neck. "Nah, just been busy. Had some stuff to handle."

"Yeah?" Liana raised an eyebrow, her voice sharp. "What kinda stuff? You been moving different lately."

Zee felt the tension building, her mind racing to find an answer that would satisfy Liana without giving too much away. She didn't want to lie, but the truth? The truth would only pull Liana deeper into a world she wasn't ready for.

"Just business, Li," Zee said, keeping her tone even. "You know how it is. Things been heating up lately."

Liana didn't seem convinced. She took a step closer, her eyes searching Zee's face like she was trying to read something there, something Zee wasn't giving her. "You been running with Breezy more, haven't you?"

Zee's stomach tightened, but she kept her expression neutral. "He's part of the crew. You know that. K-Boss got me making bigger moves now."

Liana's lips pressed into a thin line. "Bigger moves? Zee, Breezy's bad news. You know that. I don't like you being around him so much. He don't care about nobody but himself."

Zee laughed, but there was no humor in it. "None of us care about nobody but ourselves, Li. That's how it works out here."

Liana shook her head, her frustration boiling over. "Nah, that ain't true. You used to care. You used to talk about getting out, doing something better. Now you acting like the streets are all you got."

Zee flinched at her words, the truth in them hitting harder than she'd expected. There was a time when she'd dreamed of more. Of leaving this life behind, going somewhere new, somewhere clean. But the streets had a way of pulling you back, reminding you who you really were. And Zee? She was a hustler. Always had been. Always would be.

"I'm still me, Li," Zee said, her voice quieter now. "I'm just doing what I gotta do. You know that."

Liana stared at her for a long moment, her eyes softening. "Yeah, I know. But I don't wanna see you get caught up in some shit you can't get out of. Breezy? He's gonna drag you down with him. And K-Boss? He don't trust nobody, Zee. You think he's your friend, but the minute he thinks you slipping…"

Zee nodded, finishing the sentence for her. "I know. He'll take me out."

Liana looked at her, a mix of concern and frustration on her face. "So why you staying in it? You don't owe them nothing, Zee. We could make moves on our own. Just you and me."

Zee's heart squeezed at the offer. Liana was loyal, always had been. But what she was asking? It wasn't possible. Not with what Zee had already set in motion. The switches, the side hustle—she was in too deep now. There was no walking away without blood on the streets.

"I can't," Zee said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It ain't that simple."

Liana stepped back, disappointment flickering across her face. "It could be. If you wanted it to be."

Zee opened her mouth to say something, to explain, but the words wouldn't come. How could she explain the weight of everything she was carrying? How could she make Liana understand that walking away wasn't an option anymore?

Before she could respond, her phone buzzed again, pulling her attention. This time, it wasn't Liana. It was K-Boss.

K-Boss: "We need to talk. Now."

Zee's stomach dropped, the dread she'd been trying to shake settling in like a lead weight. K-Boss didn't ask to talk. He summoned. And when he did, you went. No questions asked.

Liana must've seen the look on her face because her expression shifted, her frustration melting into concern. "What's wrong?"

Zee glanced at her, forcing a tight smile. "It's nothing. Just business."

"Business," Liana repeated, her voice laced with disbelief. "It's always just business with you now."

Zee didn't have an answer for that. She just shook her head and turned to walk away, the weight of K-Boss's message heavy in her pocket. She could feel Liana's eyes on her, could feel the distance between them growing with every step she took. But there was nothing she could do to fix it. Not now.

As she made her way toward K-Boss's spot, her mind raced. The game was changing, and she was right in the middle of it. Breezy's warnings, Liana's pleas, K-Boss's growing suspicion—it was all closing in on her. And no matter how fast she moved, no matter how smart she was, Zee knew one thing for sure.

In this game, nobody stayed on top for long.