Tiffany took a sip out of Martin's Cavalier's coffee mug. Her face, stressed, as the hot tea did nothing to calm her nerves.

She woke up late in the morning. Martin was already gone, probably working the case. She checked her email- her job granted her ten days of family emergency leave.

Now she sat, pondering her next move. Ten days was not nearly enough time to find whoever off'd her brother, and she knew that she also knew she needed to leave. The last thing she should be doing is staying with a cop while trying to get information out of the hood.

A door slammed in the apartment above Martin's. Tiffany didn't even flinch. Slamming was a lot better sound to hear from what she was used to at her old spot.

Tiffany got up and poured the rest of the tea down the drain. Her first thought was to Slime. Slime had to have some sort of information. "Ain't no way you let your boy get shot," Tiffany muttered.

Another door slammed, knocking Tiffany out her thoughts. Talking to Slime is what she was going to do.

Tiffany moved around Martins apartment. Even if she only spent one night, the simple layout was easy to remember as she went to the unfinished room for clothes. Amongst her things, she did not take Addison's pistol.

The weather was getting colder by the hour. In the haste of her packing, she missed a lot of essentials. Including gloves and thermals. Her apartment was still an active crime scene, and it will be for a while. She needed to find a new apartment.

Tiffany looked up at the street sign she walked passed. She didn't know Martin's address, so she didn't know where was returning to. Tiffany paused. She also didn't know Martin's number, so she couldn't call him when she returned. "Fuck."

That didn't stop her from continuing what she needed to do. Two blocks down, Tiffany went down into the subway station. Next stop: Queens.

"You buggin'," Tiffany answered. The moment she got to the street, Addison called. What started out as a simple conversation escalated when Tiffany would not tell Addison her whereabouts. Addison didn't want Tiffany to see Slime before, and she wouldn't want her to see him now.

"Ya think I'm fucking stupid?" Addison yelled on the other end. Tiffany rolled her eyes. "I'm on the way." Before Tiffany could say anything, Addison hung up the phone.

Tiffany cursed, then changed direction. She knew her best friend well. Addison was on the way, but it'll take her some time to get to Queens. Then again, Tiffany didn't know if Addison was leaving school or her sisters who lived in Harlem. Either was Tiffany would be waiting at least an hour.

Tiffany walked ten minutes to the bodega she frequented when she stayed in Queens. Those were not her good years. Inside the bodega was the same. The cashier, however, was different. At the deli, Tiffany got a coffee, to her it still tasted like vinegar, but she didn't care and she needed something hot. Towards the back of the bodega, just before the stock rooms, was a pile of pallets. Tiffany took a seat there and waited.

Sitting there brought back the wrong memories. She remembered the previous owner, and how he'd always want quarters. Not money. In the very spot she sat in, she sold to him. He even allowed her to set up shop there during the winter. In that business, she did well. There are a lot of crack heads in Queens.

Tiffany hated selling drugs. It wasn't what she wanted to do. What she hated the most was when she couldn't say no. There were people that came to her regularly. She saw what the substance did to them. The people end up looking like walking skeletons, minus the teeth. What made her gut turn the worse was the kids she had to sell to.

If it wasn't for the spotters that stayed by her- incase any twelve was near- and the watchers who were her security in case anyone tried to steal from her- Tiffany would have flushed all of the substances.

However, Tiffany's next job was worse.

The bell chimed as another person entered the bodega. Tiffany jumped up, not even realizing she fell asleep. "Crazy." She mumbled.

"What's crazy?" Addison walked up. "Why the fuck are you sitting there?"

"You knew where I was at though right?" Tiffany stood. She disposed of the cup of coffee to the side.

"You serious? Real serious about talking to Slime. You haven't even planned Jamal's funeral yet."

"It'll be a wake. I can't afford a funeral. He will be cremated." Tiffany answered.

Addison fixed her hoodie back on top of her head, ready to leave the bodega. "You shouldn't be doing this- and its Slime. The bitch probably won't give up any useful information."

"Don't matter. Cover all the bases. He's just the first step in this process."

Addison sighed at Tiffany's response but continued. It was more crowded now. The streets filled with commuters making their regular commutes. Tiffany began walking.

From the train station, it was five blocks to get to where Tiffany needed to be. There were unspoken rules about that hood.

One, nobody arrives there from public transportation. Any cabs, taxis, Ubers, would get robbed. Buses stopped putting that hood into their routes, and the nearest train station was five blocks away.

Tiffany and Addison walked in silence. There wasn't much she could think of. She'll talk to Slime, and then what?

The streets got dirtier as they continued to walk down. That's how Tiffany knew where they were at. Around here the sanitation people refused to come, there were always shooting at their trucks for fun.

They rounded a familiar corner, filled with two to four-story apartment buildings. Immediately Tiffany looked to her right.

The second building on the right side was a two-story. If Tiffany assumed correctly, Key still stayed there. On the stairs heading up a hispanic kid was walking into the building. He know doubt was a spotter.

"That's not Breezy," Addison commented.

"I'd hope not. A spotter for four years, I'd be shittin'." Tiffany replied. She scanned the rest of the block. Two more spotters went in to report.

"Four years. We've been out for four years, and look where we are at. Right back here." Addison mumbled a few choice words under her breath.

"Ain't nobody tell you to come."

At a four-story complex, Tiffany opened the gate. Outside sitting on the steps was Rob. Rob looked older than ever, and it was because he was old. Tiffany didn't understand how he did it. Rob always turned a blind eye to all the wrongdoings in the hood. He also stayed out of it. Rob was smoking the last bits of a roach when they walked up to him.

"This be Cookie and Cream?" Rob looked between Tiffany and Addison. Pieces of paper fell from his mangled beard.

"Slime in there?" Tiffany ignored his question.

Rob smiled a toothless smile. "Cookie, I thought you were-"

"Where Slime at Rob." Tiffany stopped Rob from continuing what he had to say.

"He around here some-"

Addison was the first to walk past Rob, up the stairs, and into the building.

"Four years and nobody put a lock on the shit." Addison walked into the lobby. There were questionable stains, and people in each corner dazed. They all looked as if they recently shot something up.

"Four years and they still haven't locked these addicts up," Tiffany added.

"I was an addict."

"Not by choice."

Slimes apartment was on the first floor. For easy access and easy exit, at least that's what Slime told Tiffany years ago.

"Don't even knock." Tiffany pulled out two bobby pins and a lock pin. "He ain't gonna answer the door for us."

Addison smirked and took the pins.

After ten minutes, Addison whispered for Tiffany. Tiffany was at the end of the hall, waving off anyone who tried to come down the hall. "Like old times." Addison winked.

Tiffany couldn't help but smirk. Back in the day, when Tiffany and Addison roamed together, that was how they did things. Addison was better at picking locks and stealing. Tiffany was usually the lookout and the smooth talker.

Inside Slime's apartment was chaos. "Looks like shit, smells like shit, just shit. Tiffany spoke barely above a whisper.

There was moaning. At first, it didn't register to Tiffany and Addison, who were more worried about knocking a thing over or two. A bed was squeaking vigorously. Both Tiffany and Addison looked at each other. Addison knocked a plant over, on purpose. That plant happened to be potted weed.

The loud breaking sound of the pot halted all noise. Tiffany and Addison stayed where they were, which happened to be the kitchen.

"Man, who the fuck in my crib?" Slime shouted. "I got a Smith and Wessen waitin' fo' yo' ass." He added. Tiffany yawned.

There was some shuffling, and muffled scream- Tiffany guessed the girl fell- and a door opening.

"Ight cuz. I'm not finna ask any more questions son. Straight like that. Lighten' yo shit." Slime warned.

Addison made herself comfortable by sitting on a counter. Tiffany leaned against her. Both of them saw the back of Slime's head. He was scanning in the opposite direction. Then he turned and looked into the kitchen. He jumped. "Shit." He cursed.

Slime threw the gun haphazardly on his table that was already cluttered with other things. He looked at his fallen weed plant, and back at the girls. "Man what the fuck. Why the plant?"

"Still in this shit hole I see." Addison began. Slime looked as if he was about to say something. A girl peeked around the kitchen. "And still fucking shit holes too." Addison snickered.

"Bitch who the-" Slime mushed the girl back.

"You not big and bad enough to fight those two. Ya better leave fo' one of them feel offended." Slime warned. The girl looked at him sideways, not believing he just kicked her out for two girls that broke into his apartment.

The girl walked through the kitchen carrying a book bag. "Broke ass bitches."

"Fuck you treesh, and ya bitch ass." Tiffany called after. The door slammed closed.

"I was going to sell that piece for two-fifty." Slime looked back at the plant.

"Where were you the day Jamal got shot," Tiffany asked.

Silence answered. Tiffany watched Slime's eyes look elsewhere. She watched him blink a few extra times, huffed out a long sigh, before pursing his lips together. "I was watching Jamaica," Slime answered. "Qu got a new boy out there, I need to go make sure he movin product right."

"And where was Jamal?"

"Somewhere posted up in B-K." Slime looked at Addison, then back to Tiffany. "I don't know what Qu had him doing."

"And all day you ain try to contact your boy? Make sure he was good? You just let him be out there, alone?" Tiffany tried not to get emotional. This was business.

"Man. Don't try to put this shit on me. Jamal and I didn't do everything together. Yea we linked often, yea we be around another but business be business. He need to make his paper and I need to make mine.

"He didn't call you or anything?" Tiffany started to break inside. Her eyes were glossed.

"I'm not going to lie. Jamal called me maybe two hours before the shoot out. But he said he wanted to ask me a question, and he'd see me the day after. He never came to the crib. I had it open for him. I called his phone and some next man answered. Then I found out what happened from Qu." Slime finished.

"Well I'll go talk to Qu then, shit."

"No." Both Addison and Slime said in unison.

"Qu won't answer you." Slime said.

"We don't know what he'll make us do. I don't want to go up there." Addison spoke quickly.

"Then don't come," Tiffany replied flatly before standing straight, and headed for the front door.

"Fine. I'm coming just give me a second." Addison called after her.

Tiffany stood outside Slime's apartment door for a few minutes before Addison followed. Addison's face was in a scowl, but quickly changed when she saw Tiffany. "Nigga's ain't shit." Addison patted her stomach. "And a bitch hungry. You really want to stop to Qu?"

"Qu don't own me anymore. I'm not scared and naive like I was long ago."

"But he's still Qu." Addison bit the inside of her cheek. "But you going alone is way worse than us going together."

Tiffany nodded and continued out the building, and back into the cold.

There was a only three four-story buildings on the block. The one in the middle was where Qu worked out of.

Tiffany had built up anger for Qu. She resented him for everything he made her do while he had control of her, and everything he made her do when she thought she got away from him. She thought of him as one of the lowest people on earth, a true sociopath. Though his lack of feelings did make him right for the 'job' he chose.

As Tiffany and Addison approached the building, both of them watched the spotters go report in. There were two kids posing as playing, they ran inside. A woman who was smoking a cigarette on the fire escape suddenly went inside, and a guy standing on the roof ducked down.

"All these people are new.: Addison commented.

"Even I was only a spotter for a month. I don't think someone would stay a spotter for years." Tiffany replied, walking up the stairs.

"Unless you're Rob. But Rob is old- and doesn't consider himself a spotter." Addison added. Addison was trying to add light the dark situation they were about to be in.

Inside the building was another door. It stopped people who didn't have a key from entering. Addison was about to pick the lock, but Tiffany motioned for her to not try. The two kids that were outside were now standing on the other side of the door, probably done reporting.

As if on cue, the locked door buzzed open. Tiffany knew that Qu already knew the two were inside his building. Sneaking in his place would have been impossible anyway. He had eyes and guns everywhere inside his building.

"He still on the fourth floor?" Tiffany needed confirmation from the two kids. Both of them looked at each other in silence before nodding to Tiffany.

Majority of four-story buildings didn't come with elevators, this building was not an exception. Tiffany remembered where the staircase was, and Addison was close on her heels.

This building was as close to clean as the buildings got on this block. Qu wasn't a fan of funk. Tiffany wished she had dirtied herself before walking up the steps, and she knew Addison did too.

On every floor, there were two people sitting in chairs doing nothing, but watching. Some of them Tiffany recognized, but she talked to none.

On the fourth floor, there was none of the less. Two watchers. There were the same two from when Tiffany got out. Shane and Gib. Before Tiffany could say anything two girls walked out of Qu's apartment. Stone-faced as most girls around the block was. Tiffany gathered they got a position they did not want.

Tiffany and Addison continued forward. So did the other two girls, neither side with no hesitation to move out the way.

Shane whistled, which stopped the two girls. "I'd move out their way. You ain' got game to them," Shane warned. The two girls sucked on their teeth but listened anyway.

Once Tiffany was in front of Shane, they initiated their handshake, Addison did the same to Gib.

"I didn't believe it when we got word you two walked on the block. What's good sis." Shane smiled.

"Nothing. You still here?" Tiffany already knew the answer but wondered why.

"Well see what had happen was, Qu gave me and mans a permanent position. I ain gotta run corners, watch streets, pull shit, non of that. All I gotta handle is anyone that talked to Qu hot, and nobody spicy with Qu." Shan looked over to Gib.

"This shit pay better than a nine to five, so I ain' going nowhere unless it's Atlanta." Gib grinned. "But babymoms won't let me. I finna wait for my son to get old enough, take him and scoot."

"You got a son?" Tiffany and Addison asked surprised.

"Yeah. You motherfuckers can't keep in contact with a nigga, but yeah." Gib pulled out his phone. On the lock screen was a boy, holding two thumbs up in front of a Lamborghini. "His name Tyrese, and he loves em cars. I take him to all the car shows."

Tiffany and Addison awed, telling Gib how his son looked just like him.

"Nough' of that. Cookie where J-dog?" Shane asked.

Tiffany looked at him surprised. Shane and Gib were Qu's right and left hands. She thought they would have known. "Jamal is dead. A shoot out. One in his back, two in his chest. I came to talk to Qu about it." Tiffany answered.

Her brother's death was still unreal to her. Saying dead, and Jamal, next to each other felt wrong.

"Qu doesn't know." Shane looked straight at Tiffany. "These past days he been on some shit, fucking with everyone because Jamal ain come in to take shit up to Albany." Shane spat.

"Albany? Jamals been running shit to Albany?" Tiffany didn't want anything to do with Qu anymore, so she long told her brother to not talk to her about what he was doing.

"Qu trusted only Jamal with his creates. He had Jamal going to Albany, Buffalo, and Jersey. Motherfucker even had mans going to D.C on occasions." Shane continued.

"But Qu didn't- doesn't know that Jamal is gone?" Tiffany needed confirmation.

"Nah." Shane answered.

"Then how did Slime know?" Tiffany didn't bother knocking, she opened the door into Qu's apartment.

Qu was sitting on the couch, facing the door. He was taking a drink from a water bottle.

"Well if it isn't Cookie and Cream." He growled out. "Take a fucking seat."

Tiffany and Addison did. Tiffany looked at Qu, he was nearing forty, but whatever he was drinking did not age him.

Before Tiffany could start, she kept thinking. Things aren't adding up. What Slime said, and what Shane said were completely different. Why was Jamal in Brooklyn when he was supposed to be in Queens?

"Need a job?" Qu asked, glaring at the two.

"I want to know what happened to my brother, Qu." Tiffany answered.

"Oh, please do fucking tell me. The bitch never showed in when I fucking told em' where to be. Tell him no funny shit, he dead." Qu spat.

"Jamals already dead, in a fucking draw, at the fucking percent." Tiffany hissed.

Que looked at her, he almost seemed shocked, but his expression changed quickly.

"Slime told me that you had him somewhere posted in Brooklyn and that you had Slime here on Jamaica. The day Jamal got shot." Tiffany summarized.

"Last week? Fucking Jamal went to B-K to meet with Slime. He told me to wait. I was going to fuck him up for that. I did have Slime posted on Jamacia with some new nigga, but I ain' have Jamal anywhere. Slime said that bullshit to you. Where the clown at. I knew niggas started moving funny. Where the fuck he at?" Qu looked between Addison and Tiffany.

"We just left his crib and came here," Addison spoke.

"And where Jamal's body?" Qu asked, mainly Tiffany.

"He ain't move from the precinct," Tiffany responded.

"I'll cover that." He paused. "Shane, Gib!" He shouted. Both of them rushed inside, and both were pissed. "Drag Slime's bitch ass up here, now." He ordered both of them.

Qu looked at Addison and Tiffany, who have gotten up, ready to go.

"Now where you going Cookie and Cream?" He used their call names.

"We got what we needed." tiffany answered.

"And now we heading out." Addison turned towards the door.

"Fucking funny yo. Nah, bring your asses here. When do I ever give out information for free? My words hold weight." He smirked.

"We don't work for you anymore, we don't listen to you, anymore. Addison started, ready to go.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, and both of them mad fun." Qu stood.

"We ain' bring any money for your ass." Tiffany made clear, but her heart was thumping hard.

"Lock the door, there's other methods of payment, and you two were the best at it. Come shake a leg, or lose one, your choice." Qu pulled out his phone, did something and tossed his phone aside.

Tiffany grimaced at the memories that flashed back. Qu had a very discriminatory mindset. The men that worked for him were a multitude of positions. The females had three. Spotters, shop, or strip. Even though at the time TIffany considered herself fortunate with getting a position as a spotter, she worked all three positions. So did Addison. It was how they got their names.

"Nobody wants Cookie if Cream isn't along, right? Why'd you two leave here anyways? You were- no still are the best. So much service money from ya. Nah, don't answer that. Just come show me if you lost any of your touch." Qu pulled off his shirt.

Tiffany and Addison didn't move. Neither of them wanted to revert back to their old selves.

"You two really want to make things difficult?" Qu raised his voice after their moment of silence.

From his back pocket, he pulled out a revolver. Being in a situation like this before, Tiffany and Addison didn't flinch.

Tiffany didn't want to do it, but Qu shot at her before, on multiple occasions. Back then he would always purposely miss. That's when both her and her brother were working for him. Now her brother was dead, and she got out long ago.

"We ain' come here for that Qu, respect us." Addison warned. Tiffany was unsure what Addison had on him.

"I- nah. You see those bullet holes in the wall? I'll put more in there." Qu was wicked.

"We're leaving." Addison pulled out her pistol.

Tiffany tried to feign how surprised she was when she saw it, Addison didn't tell her that it was on her.

"I like it." Qu began laughing. He shot a round.

In the midst of his spree, Addison started firing back, and they ducked out the door. In the hallway both Addison and TIffany could hear Qu still shooting in the apartment, they ran down the stairs.

Outside back in the cold, Tiffany looked at Addison, both of them breaking at the same pace.

Shane ran up to them, huffing with Gib. "He. Not. Here." Shane let out. A window from the top floor broke, and another shot went off. "You. Fucked. Up?"

"What do you mean he isn't there?" Slime was there." Tiffany was confused. So much isn't adding up to her.

"We checked his spot, and then the hood. Rob said he left right after you two." Shane finished.

"Slime left?" Tiffany asked for confirmation.

"Slime is gone," Gib answered.