With a flashlight, we carefully walked along the dark hallway until we located the bedroom he was sleeping in, just from the loud snoring.
“No wonder his wife left him,” Leek muttered.”
The door was ajar, a sliver of light spilling out into the hallway. I pushed open the door, and the hinges creaked softly. Porter was snoring so loud, he ain’t hear shit. His back was to us. I moved to the side of the bed, my gun pressed against his temple before he had a chance to react.
“Wake the fuck up, Porter,” Leek taunted. “Wake. Thee. Fuck. Up.”
“Whaaa…Whaaaa…What the hell is going on?” he stammered. Zyleek flicked his lighter in front of his face, and when Porter realized who was in his house, fear washed over him.
“We heard about you losing yo’ job,” I said. “Why?”
“I don’t want any problems, Zyro. Whatever you want, please take it. I’m sorry for everything. You’re…You’re getting money,” he turned to Leek and said.
“What else do you want? I could get it for you? I have kids.”
He sat up, back against the headboard with wide eyes. Porter was shirtless, his big belly out. The room was just as musty as it was downstairs.
“Oh, you’re not Mr. Tough Guy now, are you? I have kids, too, bitch. That nigga you thought could whoop me? Dead. Drowning in his own blood right now as we speak.” Zyleek continued to taunt.
Porter's eyes grew three times their size. “Please…” His eyes flew from Leek to me and then back to my brother when he had begun screwing on his silencer. His hands flew out as if that was enough to shield him from the damage that was about to take place. Leek pointed the gun at Porter.
“All that crying and pleading ain’t fin work now, fuck boy,” Leek growled out.
Bullets tore through Porter’s body, riddling him with holes, each impact sending sprays of blood and tissue across the bedand walls. Porter’s screams turned into gurgles as he tried to speak, his body convulsing.
My brother emptied the clip, his hard expression never changing. When the last shot left his gun, he smiled.
I tilted my head. “You got that out of your system, nigga?”
He nodded, a satisfied smirk now on his lips. “Hell yeah, I felt like I was in the mafia or some shit. “Say hello to my little friend,” he said, mocking Al Pacino from his favorite movie, Scarface.
“Man, get the fuck out of here,” I laughed.
As we left the house, content that justice had finally been served, I was ready to go lie up under my woman. She and Ermias were at my house tonight, with him already asleep before I left. Eriss didn’t ask any questions when she saw me dressing all black. She just whispered, “Be safe.”
We made our way back to the car that would be stripped down tomorrow at the shop. I’d dropped Zyleek off at his last baby mama’s house as requested without a word. That was his damn business.
I pulled up to my house fifteen minutes later, exhausted. As much as I wanted to slide inside Eriss, I didn’t have the energy, and I wasn’t gon give her no half ass dick down.
Surprisingly, Eriss was still up, sitting in bed, reading a book. Her natural hair was braided on both sides of her head, making her look younger than she was. It was cute.
“Hey, bae. Can’t sleep without me, huh?” I jested, sauntering over to her. Eriss raised her head, pushing her lips out for a kiss.
“Something like that. You know I’m still getting used to this big house. Ermias has been in your game room all night until he passed out after his bath. He loves it here,” she confessed. “It’s like pulling a baby off a nipple when it’s time to make him go home.”
I laughed. “Then stay. If I gotta get you your own place in Love Grove if you’re not comfortable living with me, then I would. You won’t have to work, but I know you so well already that I know you wouldn’t want to just sit your pretty ass at home and do nothing. I can help you get a job or maybe start your own business. Whatever you want to do, love, I’m behind you one hundred percent. I just hate you live in Heartville and I’m here.” I chuckled, scratching the side of my face and then pulling on the hair on my chin while squinting at Eriss. “You put that voodoo pussy on me, didn’t you?” I queried. “Ain’t no way I’m already acting like this over you. I don’t act like this at all.”
Eriss giggled, closing her book after holding her spot with a bookmark. “I did no such thing.”
I removed my shirt. “I’m finna shower. Think ‘bout what I said. If it’s too much, tell me. Don’t ever hold back ‘bout how you feel, even if you think it’ll hurt me, aight?”
The corners of her mouth turned upward. “Why are you so perfect, Zyro? Like, for real. Is there one flaw you have?”
“I’m flawed, baby. I turn into a whole ‘nother person when the people I love are fucked wit’. I show no mercy, I would tell you to go ask yo baby daddy, but that nigga good as crisp.”
A few days later…
The family wanted a fish fry so I made it happen. Mama remembered Eriss from the family reunion and welcomed her and Ermias with open arms. Zyleek had all three of his kids here and told his baby mamas to stay home. That nigga was a straight-up nut. I ain’t think they mind though since he gave each a couple of thousand. Now what they did with the shit was on them, but they better use it wisely and on the kids and bills.Leek took care of his kids, but he didn’t break their mamas off like that often.
