CHAPTER 1
SYNDER SNEAUX
“Syn,wait!”mysistershouted.
It was too late. I was already bashing this nigga’s head up against the life-size, fake-ass reindeer decoration planted in the front yard. The reindeer’s lights flickered on and off, then altogether toppled over when I suplexed this nigga into it. He crashed to the ground along with the reindeer.
“Fuck nigga! Put yo’ fuckin’ hands on my sister again, bitch!” I ranted while caving his stomach in.
“Syn!” Yakira shouted again. “Please, stop! You’re gon’ kill him!”
I snatched away from my sister and kicked that nigga once more. Next, I turned my anger on my sister. “Ishouldkill his ass! The fuck! My daughter in yo’ fuckin’ house, and he got his homeboys pullin’ up and chillin’. Then, yo’ fuckin’ eye is black! That shit wasn’t like that when I left!”
Embarrassed, Yakira glanced away. Leaving her dude leaking on the lush, green lawn, I stormed back inside my parents’ house to get my daughter. Gone was the man who’d just stomped the shit out of a nigga. In his place was daddy to a little girl named Whimsical, affectionately known as Whimsy or Whims.
Whimsy was oblivious to the shit that went on outside. She was in front of the television singing a holiday tune. She was off-key as hell, and none of her words sounded like the actual words. Still, I praised my daughter for her efforts. I clapped for her, causing her to giggle and stumble towards me. Her big smile squeezed my heart.
“Hey, Baby.” I picked her up and kissed her forehead. I was only gone for five hours. That five hours felt like forever, partially because this was the last place I wanted to bring Whimsy. I rushed through the team meeting and practice just to get here as quickly as possible.
“Leaving so quickly? You can’t even hang around for a few minutes?” my pops asked. The look on my face made him throw his hands up in surrender. “Damn, my bad. Practice whooped yo’ ass or something?”
With one arm, I carried Whimsy while I gathered her shit with the other hand. I needed to get the fuck out of there before I forgot the people living in this house were family. To cap what I was thinking, my mama walked into the living room holding a tree limb.
“Corey!” she shouted. “Corey! Get yo’ ass in this house!”
Corey was Yakira’s oldest son. He was suspended from school yesterday and was supposed to be on punishment. His little asswas in the backyard lazing around in the pool. Corey was hard-headed and didn’t give a damn about a switch.
“Corey!” Whimsy shouted, mimicking her grandmother. There was no telling what other words Whimsy was around here shouting.
Yarika came into the house and helped me gather the rest of Whimsy’s stuff.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Niecy,” Yarika stated.
“Nah, you won’t,” I replied.
“What? Why?” Yarika looked offended.
“Every time I try and give you a chance, you be on the bullshit,” I explained. “I just beat yo’ nigga’s ass on the front lawn and not a single person in the house came out there to see what the fuck was going on. Plus, you lettin’ that nigga put his hands on you, and Pops ain’t do shit. My daughter can’t be around this shit.”
All it would take was for Courtland to get wind of this. I’d already battled her in court for custody of our daughter. I didn’t want to put Whimsy through that again.
“Then where are you taking her?” Yakira asked. “You can’t take her to Courtland’s people.”
And that was fucked up. Courtland’s folks were worse than mine.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said, although I was a little worried about what the hell I was going to do.
The custody agreement Courtland and I shared stated that Whimsy was to have stable daycare at all times. I was a professional basketball player juggling a hectic schedule and still doing my very best to show up for my daughter. She was my world, and the thought of her being with her mama full-time made me sick to my stomach.
I left the mansion I’d purchased my parents a few years ago and headed back to my own crib. Just as I merged onto theinterstate, my phone rang. I grumbled at the name displayed on my Cullinan’s dashboard. I answered because otherwise, Courtland would’ve blown my line up.
“Yeah,” I answered.
“I heard you put hands and feet on Yakira’s man,” she replied without a greeting.
“What do you want, Court?” I wouldn’t ask how she heard about it. If I was lucky, no one recorded my ass.
She giggled and stated, “My daughter. Since you stole her from me.”
