Above the Rim, Below the proverty line

Chapter 55: Burn the Bridges Behind Me


Opening Scene – Montego Bay, Jamaica – 5:14 AMThe air was thick with dread.

In a run-down apartment above a tire shop in Flanker, Ruel zipped his bag shut. Inside:

Two burner phones

A forged American passport

$10,000 USD in wrinkled bills

A loaded .38 snub-nose pistol

His taxi waited outside.

He lit a cigarette, looked out over the sleeping city.

"Last time I smell this place," he muttered.

His eyes drifted to a grainy photo on the wall—Kyle Wilson, 14, holding a basketball, standing beside Chino.

"Your little light burned too bright, starboy."

Meanwhile – Boston, Same TimeKyle lay awake in his apartment.

No lights. Just silence.

He stared at his phone.

Still no new threats. No strange numbers.

Just peace.

But peace scared him more than war.

Ari stirred beside him.

"You okay?"

"I don't know," he whispered.

"It's too quiet. Like the storm forgot to come."

Jamaica – Operation Clean SweepUnknown to Ruel, the Jamaican Constabulary Force (JCF) had launched Operation Clean Sweep that night.

20 officers moved under cover of darkness toward Chino's old compound in Rose Heights.

Ruel's name had surfaced in dozens of calls intercepted by the Major Organized Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA).

The orders?

"Bring him in dead or alive."

Shootout – Rose HeightsRuel's former lieutenants were already cornered.

Gunfire erupted in the narrow alleys.

Men scattered.

Grenades tossed.

Children cried from inside shuttered homes.

In less than 10 minutes, every one of Chino's remaining crew lay dead.

Bodies on the pavement.

Weapons scattered.

Smoke in the air.

Sangster International Airport – 6:37 AMRuel entered the terminal in a hoodie, fake ID in hand.

He reached security without issue.

Then—

"Mr. Roy Ellis, please step aside."

His eyes widened.

Two plainclothes officers approached from behind.

Ruel ran.

Through the checkpoint.

Over suitcases.

Past screaming tourists.

He fired one wild shot behind him—

Missed.

Bang! Bang!

Two JCF officers opened fire.

Ruel dropped.

One bullet hit his shoulder.

The second, his throat.

He hit the floor gasping, choking, bleeding out between a sunglasses kiosk and a Dunkin' Donuts.

His last thought?

The Reaper really won…

Boston – News BreaksKyle sat in the Celtics training facility when Ari burst through the doors.

Eyes wide.

"Turn on the news. Now."

On the screen:

"BREAKING: Jamaican police take down major criminal ring linked to American athlete's past. Roy 'Ruel' Ellis killed at Montego Bay airport in attempted escape."

Kyle stared.

Mute.

Still.

Coach Vaughn came up behind him.

"You know what this means?"

Kyle nodded.

"The past… it's over."

Later That Night – The Court AloneKyle returned to the TD Garden late, hoodie up, headphones in.

No cameras.

No ball boys.

No press.

He walked onto the court and laid flat at center circle.

Arms out. Eyes closed.

The ghosts were finally silent.

No Chino.

No Ruel.

No death threats.

No shadows.

Just the faint buzz of stadium lights and the sound of his breath.

Ari Joins Him – Closure TogetherAri sat beside him, slipping off her heels.

"It's done."

"Yeah…"

"You should cry."

"I don't got it in me."

Pause.

"Then scream."

Kyle exhaled deeply.

"I think I'll just live instead."

She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Good. Because now… you finally can."

Press Conference – The QuestionThe next day, Kyle stood before the media.

A reporter asked:

"Mr. Wilson, news broke that the Jamaican government confirmed ties between your former neighborhood and a criminal network that targeted you. Do you have any comment on that part of your past being gone?"

Kyle took a moment.

Then leaned into the mic.

"There's a saying where I'm from:

'To cross the sea, you gotta burn the boat.'

Well… my boat's gone.

I ain't swimming back."

Symbolic Scene – Letting GoAt a private ceremony in the Boston Harbor, Kyle stood by the water, holding an old bandana—Chino's.

He tied it to a small brick, wrapped in a piece of newspaper with the headline about Ruel's death.

He threw it into the sea.

The splash echoed like thunder in his ears.

"Rest in peace. Or don't."

Final Scene – Back in the GymIme walked into the training facility to find Kyle already there.

Sweating. Shooting. Focused.

Ime smiled.

"No ghosts today?"

"Only gravity now."

Ime tossed him another ball.

"Good. Because the league don't care who tried to kill you. Just who you kill on court."

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