“What’s wrong?” he asked, instead of saying hello.
“All of my tires are slashed. Can’t focus on that right now. Just wanted to let you know I’m going to Uber.”
“The fuck? Nah. I’ll take you. I was at the park up the street. Give me like two minutes and I’ll be there.”
“Otay, pooh. See you soon.”
He chuckled and disconnected the call. I’d been saying that shit all my life. Uncle Joe used to say I watchedThe Little Rascalstoo much. The thought made me smile during what would have otherwise broken me. Usually, I was emotionally intelligent and available. Even when I was sad or mad, I was able to navigate those feelings, find the source, and release them. Grief was different. No amount of logic made it easy to get through. I was trying not to let something so easy and quick to fix make me cry, but my emotions had been like a ticking time bomb since Aunt Brenda left me, so that was easier said than done.
In about two minutes, Draco was pulling up. He was in his Escalade today, and I could only unravel into a fit of giggles when he waited at the passenger door to pick me up and put me inside. He acted like I was so short, and I guess to his big ass, Iwas. We made small talk as he drove. Though I insisted he didn’t have to wait for me, he assured me he didn’t mind. I wouldn’t lie and say knowing he was outside didn’t keep me calm during the tour and while I was talking to Sugar Baby. We didn’t talk long, because her baby started crying and demanding her attention, but by the time our conversation was over, she told me I had the job.
I was so excited I could cry. I whined and held back my tears as Draco reversed out of the circular driveway. It finally felt like something good had happened. Like God had smiled down on me. When we pulled back up to my home, I noticed my car was gone. Draco quickly told me he’d gotten it towed to have the tires replaced, and I shouldn’t have been surprised. I thanked him before getting out so he could go on with his day as he’d planned, but we did agree to seeing each other to celebrate later tonight.
After dropping Cordova back off, I called Pops to see where he was at since he wasn’t at home. He let me know he was at the warehouse with his other sons, so I made my way there. I knew one of Cordova’s cousins had slashed her tires like a bitch; I just didn’t know which one. Since they seemed to be on some petty shit, I wouldn’t be able to rest untilthey were taken care of. If Cordova was going to, in fact, stay at the house, she’d need to be safe while doing so. I knew she could defend herself physically, but she wouldn’t want to. So as her best friend and future husband, it was my job to make sure she didn’t have to.
I’d been thinking about that kiss for days now. I wanted to ask her if she was ready to be my wife, kissing on me and shit. Once the moment was ruined, I never brought it up. This was the only instance in my life where things didn’t seem black and white. Where I couldn’t say either way. I didn’t want to assume she liked me, but I also couldn’t ignore the subtle shit that suggested she did. Eventually, I was going to ask her straight up, but I wasn’t in a rush, because I didn’t want to make a fool out of myself and potentially ruin our friendship.
Cordova had always been affectionate, and she said my love language was quality time and words of affirmation. I didn’t believe in that shit at first, but I couldn’t lie and say it didn’t feel good as hell when she praised me and spent time with me. Because of that, I kept telling myself maybe the kiss was just a friendly kiss.
I thought about it until I made it to the warehouse. When I arrived, I made my way inside. There were about twenty men and women breaking down and packing weed for his dealers to pick up. He had a smaller room in the back that he chilled in whenever he wasn’t handling business, so I found him and his sons in there. I spoke to everyone except Clover before taking the only available seat that was left. Clover chuckled and shook his head as he stared at the side of my face.
“You don’t see me sitting here, stray?”
“Don’t start that shit,” Pops said, lifting his hand. “If Draco gets on yo’ ass, we ain’t pulling ’im off.”
Keem and Nathan nodded, causing Clover to huff like a bitch and cross his arms over his chest as he slouched further down inhis seat. I could never understand why he blamed me for Pops sleeping with my mama, but it was what it was. He and Mona could hate me for the rest of their lives. I wouldn’t give a damn. My mama wasn’t the only woman he’d cheated with then, and I was 100 percent sure he was cheating now. She was just the only one he couldn’t get to have an abortion. Though, quite frankly, I wasn’t sure why she didn’t get an abortion since she didn’t want me.
Grandma told me very little about her. She mentioned something about Julia’s parents being overly religious and not wanting her to have a baby out of wedlock, and maybe that was why she didn’t get an abortion. I always used to wonder what happened when she showed up at their home without a baby. Did they up and move her somewhere else? Was that why she was never seen in Memphis again?
“Did you give Cam and Brandon permission to turn that house into a trap house?” I asked, getting straight to the point.
Confusion covered Pops’ face before he chuckled and shook his head. “Hell no. Why would I do that? I won’t say they work for the competition, because no man is competition for me. They are either beneath me or on my level, but still. I would never give Matthew or any of his men permission to sell in my neighborhood.”
“That’s what I thought,” I said, sitting back in my seat. “When the movers came, Brandon asked Cordova to sell the house to them for fifty K so they can use it as a trap house. Apparently, Matthew told them if they do, they’ll have their own crew.”
“She said no, right?” Clover confirmed, and even though I didn’t fuck with his ass, I nodded.
“Yeah. She wants to actually live there. Plus, she’s loyal to me. Even if she wanted to sell the house, she wouldn’t sell it to them, and she for damn sure wouldn’t sell it so cheap.”
Pops massaged his chin. “You think they gon’ be a problem?”
“Honestly,… I don’t know,” I admitted. “Problem? No. Nuisance? Perhaps. I think it’ll be wise to get them out the way now. Plus, I feel like they are going to go after Dova until she agrees. They’ve had issues literally all their lives. They’ve always taunted and bullied her. I don’t expect this situation to be any different. I really think it’ll be worse. They hated that their mother left her the house, so I feel like they are going to do whatever they can to get her out of it.”
“How do you want to handle it?” Keem asked.
“You know we gon’ ride,” Nathan added.
“No, you’re not,” Clover answered. “Whatever he wants to do, that’s on him. This is his personal shit. Now if they get her to sell the house and they use it for a trap house, then it’ll be our problem. Until then, it’s on him.”
“Who do you think you are to tell my brothers what to do for me?” I checked, turning slightly in my seat to face him. I hadn’t come here for them to do anything, but still. Principle was principle. If they wanted to ride with me, I wouldn’t stop them.
“I’m their oldest brother, and I’m running this shit as Pops’ second in command. We ain’t about to go to war over this. You left. You don’t get to come and go as you please. When you left the business, you lost our protection?—”
“Protection?” I repeated with a chuckle. “Nigga, when have Ieverneeded you to protect me? If anything, you’ve needed protection from me.”
“Regardless, that’s our brother, so whatever he need, he got that,” Nathan said.
“Straight like that,” Keem replied.
