The door opens. A girl a few years younger than me pokes her head around it. I know her, from ages ago, from school.

“Hi,” she says. “Do you have a minute?”

Zeke nods. “How can we help you?”

“Melody?” Her name comes back to me in time. “Hey, what’s up?”

She approaches me, looking a bit nervous. “I remembered that you work here. Something happened—” she pauses, glances at Zeke. “I think you should know…”

“Should I step out?” Zeke offers. “Do you want to talk to Kimberly alone?”

He’s so considerate. It makes my skin flush, even as I’m focused on Melody and whatever she’s brought to us. I don’t really think of her as the organizing type, but honestly, who among us was before Tariq died?

Melody squares her shoulders. “No, I just need to say this, so that you know.”

“What’s going on?” With a hand on her arm and the other in the air, I invite her to sit in a chair across the desk from Zeke. I pull my own chair away from his side and closer to Melody. We lean in to listen.

“It’s Brick,” she says. “You know Brick, right?”

“Yeah,” Zeke says. He glances at me. He doesn’t know the history there, either. Not even a little bit. There are things we haven’t discussed, but he knows I know pretty much everyone who’s anyone around Underhill.

“We know Brick,” I confirm. I’ve known him since grade school, when he used to pull my pigtails, so to speak. Except worse.

“I was up at his place last night,” Melody says. “His boys are pissed about what’s going down, and they want to fight back. They’re talking about taking it to the streets.”

“The Kings have been breaking curfew,” I say. “They’re out there every night.” I’ve been surprised, but it’s happening.

“And getting arrested,” Melody says. “Now they’re talking armed resistance.”

“Not a great idea,” I say.

“Unless they’re looking to get gunned down,” Zeke agrees.

Melody shrugs. “He’s talking it. I’m only telling it. Panther-level action, taking guns against the cops.”

“That’s suicide.”

“It’s also not what the Panthers were about,” Zeke adds.

Melody nods. “We’re dying anyway. We take some of them out with us. That’s how we get ourselves on the map, Brick was saying.”

“Damn,” Zeke says, drumming his fingers on the desk. “We can’t have that kind of thinking in play. It’ll undermine the whole movement.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Melody says. “If you hit up Brick before he goes off, maybe you can get him in on what’s already up.”

Zeke laughs. “You think I’m a miracle worker?” He glances at me.

“Brick is not one-dimensional,” I say. This much I know is true. “He’s smart, and he’s strategic.”

“And pissed as hell.” Melody holds up her hands. “I’m just telling it.”

“Maybe there’s a benefit to working with him,” I add. “He has guns. And lots of manpower.”