A Player's Prayer

Thirteen

"Look within yourself today dearly beloved and say everything must go that is no longer profitable so that which is profitable can come in. How much powerful would we be if we looked at our bitterness, our anger and said no you can't stay because you're taking the place of where my joy could be?"

The Brown family was seated in the pews at First Baptist Atlanta, at church together for the first time in years.

Saint was barely listening to the sermon though, his mind playing back to the last twenty fours hours. The sermon penetrated through the violent playback that played in his head.

After hearing there were other men in the house, Saint went to go investigate. In the basement he was met face to face with the men who got mislabeled as brothers, all there with a common interest. Majority of them were brothers but some cousins. As it turned out, they were all related to the head of the five families; Isiah Williams.

"What makes you think we letting you kill another made man?" Daniel, one of the brothers asked. They heard all about Saint going trigger happy on Julian. The only reason his life was spared after killing a made man was because the killers mistakenly got to his father instead. Otherwise it would of been clipped.

"Who the fuck you talking to my nigga?" Saint mugged. He didn't take orders from nobody, he didn't give a fuck.

"Who the fuck I look like I'm talking to?" Daniel asked, unfazed.

"Gentleman, gentleman." Nikai chuckled, trying to diffuse the situation. "Let's get one thing straight, anything go down it was not sanctioned by the family. Matter fact we weren't even here. Do what you want wit that information."

"What if we looked at our misery and say no you can't stay because you're taking a place where my purpose could be? You gotta make room and everything must go... this is the mindset that we should have."

The search began for Renzo, who was in the house but no one knew where. Christopher had hidden doors that led into panic rooms and tunnels leading out the house.

"What's your name beautiful?" Saint asked the women who first opened the door, securely tying her hands behind her back after seating her directly across from a tied up Christopher.

"Bella." She mumbled, knowing her fate was determined. She just watched Angelo take out all the men who were hired to keep her and Christopher safe. It was over.

"Bella, that's beautiful." He said with a condescending smile, crouching down so he could be eye level with her. "Look sweetheart I know you don't wanna die here today so imma need you to tell me where the fuck the kid is at so we can get the fuck up outta here."

"I don't know anything." She sniffled, shaking her head. She knew exactly where the kid was, she's the one who hid him.

Bella grew very found of Lorenzo during the past couple years. Bella and Christopher weren't married, they were lovers who raised Lorenzo like their own. Despite how fucked up the situation was they never mistreated him. Christopher's wife, who lived out in New York while he lived bi-coastal, told him all of it was a bad idea. It was Bella who encouraged him that it was meant to be; his wife struggled to conceive for years.

"Yes the fuck you do and you're gonna tell me. Sooner or later." Saint gripped, forcefully squeezing her cheeks between his thumb and middle finger.

"There are moments where we used to be so full of faith, so connected to the word and nothing was off limits. You had hope, you had dreams but one day those things were stripped from your hands. You thought that things would be one way but one phone call, one incident and now all of your faith has been stripped away."