My jaw locked so tight my teeth hurt. My hand curled into a fist at my side.
I caught Langston’s eye by the door and gave him a quick nod.
I removed the mic and spoke directly to Langston, keeping my voice down. “Aye, grab this nigga and take him to the back room, the one by the kitchen. Don’t let him leave till I get there.”
Langston motioned to two security guards and started toward him.
The clown kept yelling, stumbling closer. “Halo, this nigga don’t care about you! He’s using you for some PR shit. He just wants to distract you.”
I looked at Halo’s face. Saw the embarrassment. The confusion. Then the disgust.
She knew him.
That made it worse.
My vision reddened around the edges. I wanted to step off that stage right then and lay this nigga out.
But Halo was standing right there, and a hundred people were watching. I had to finish this part right.
Afterward, he belonged to me.
“Shut the fuck up and come on,” Langston said, already gripping his arm.
“Get your hands off me! Halo…”
“Now.” Langston’s tone left no room. The guards flanked him and started walking him toward the side door. He was still yelling until the door closed.
The room went quiet. Uncomfortable quiet.
I glanced at my family’s table. Stetson was standing, face dark. Omni had a hand on his arm. Ma looked furious, not at me, but at the disrespect.
They knew exactly what was coming.
I took a breath, forced my shoulders to loosen, and stepped back to the mic.
“My apologies for the interruption,” I said. “Some people can’t handle seeing good things happen to good people.” I looked over at Halo, letting my voice soften. “But that is not going to stop us… Me from celebrating you tonight. Halo, tonight is about you. Let us not forget that. Please, another round of applause for the lady of the night.”
The applause was louder this time as she smiled widely. I loved seeing it. I was glad I was able to pull this off in such a short amount of time, but money talked, and bullshit walked.
“Thank you,” she whispered and then louder, “Thank you all for being here and celebrating me. Firefighting isn’t easy, but we do it, and I can’t do it without my team. This is for you all, too.”
“Alright, y'all grab some more drinks, eat some dessert, and dance until it is time to go. Thank you all for your donations.”
The room broke into applause again, louder this time, like they were trying to stomp out what just happened.
I took her hand and guided her to the side of the stage.
“Baby, talk to me,” I said, pulling her closer. “You good?”
She nodded, but her shoulders were tight, and that bright smile from the stage was gone.
“Imma handle that. You know that, right?” I said.
She looked up. “No, don’t. He’s just miserable and a bully.”
“I got to, love. You’re shaking and embarrassed. The nigga gotta feel me.”
She nodded, overwhelmed, and I hugged her tight. The room cheered louder, thinking they were witnessing a sweet moment. They had no idea what I was about to go do.
