I nodded and left it alone. Jourdell was fresh for her and wasn’t tryin’ to entertain even the slightest thought of him. Her feelings toward him were almost set in stone. If I pushed, she was sure to push back.
I was about to be a father within the next six months, and my prayers wouldn’t stop for my child to give me a second chance if I squandered the first one. For now, Jourdell was someone I would feed with a long-handled spoon.
&
“Christian!”
That incident had a temporary fixture on my baby. Since we had been home, Journei woke up night after night screaming for me. She went to sleep wrapped in my arms, but it wasn’t enough to ease her mind while she slept.
I tightened my hold on her and kissed her temple. Alexis’s lil’ stunt had my baby shook, and by this time, I was ready to pay her a visit.
I glanced at the clock on the nightstand for the time. It was goin’ on three in the morning, and that made her third time screaming tonight.
It was gettin’ worse, and I was becoming upset more than anything. She wasn’t resting properly, which kept me up, so my tolerance for ignorance was low and thin.
Once her breathing became normal again, I eased out the bed and went to the living room. Kégo was on the pull-out couch cupcakin’ with some nurse he met at the hospital.
I shook my head and continued to the balcony. The weather in the ville was nice and soothing. The lights made the city look good at night.
“You don’t drink, but you need this.” Kégo stepped out with a shot of tequila for the both of us. I took it from him and threw it back without hesitation. The warmth that settled in my stomach from it was welcomed.
“Talk to me, Hades,” he said, refilling my glass.
Hades was a name I was given from the streets before anyone ever knew who I was. They considered me to be the keeper of souls. Once there was a target on a person’s back, the chances of them dodging me was slim to none.
It took Papa a total of three weeks to train and have me out here movin’ like an assassin that’d been doin’ it for years.
I knew I was gon’ be a problem when I did my job, and no emotions surfaced before or after. Hades was a side of me that was hard to contain once loose. I was really tryin’ to stay the person I changed to become.
“I want you and Papa to carry on with Alexis plans. Don’t come back around until I say. We’ll keep in contact over the phone or through Granny. Journei needs to be able to sleep, and so do I. That was foul on how she tried to handle me. Alexis don’t know Hades, but she ’bout to.”
A sinister grin was all I saw on Kégo’s face when I finally turned to face him. He was about to have a chance to play in these streets with his brotha all over again. It excited him and brought out the worst whenever I was by his side.
“Can I say it for the one time?” I nodded and finished the double shot that was poured. “Welcome to the underworld,puta!” he yelled, threw his shot back, and slung the glass from off the balcony.
I prayed for Tennessee, but one bad apple spoiled the bunch.
Alexis
The only thing that came across the news was how devastated the people of Nashville were that their church home was now destroyed. I was highly pissed and felt like I was bein’ played with. I specifically had a team go up to Nashville and scope out the scene of the church.
When they saw him, they were supposed to light that bitch up and make it in possible for him to survive. But all I heard from the television was he was injured severely along with a member of the church.
Gills was a hard body to get information on. That was why I called on my plug and his son for a favor. Diego and Kégo were the only two I knew that could handle Gills without it bein’ too much of a scandal.
Anybody I went to for information couldn’t seem to find anything on him besides the last six years starting with him bein’ ordained to be a pastor. He seemed to be untouchable, and I didn’t like how I had no pull when it came to him.
I heard the front door open, and heels touched the floor. For a second, I had a glimpse of hope. I wanted it to be my wife. I wanted Journei to come home so we could talk. It was fucked upon more levels than one the way she and Gills shitted on me, but I missed my baby.
Galleria was supposed to be Mrs. Tucker years ago, but I ran into Journei and chose her instead. To be honest, Galleria was a beautiful woman, but Journei’s ass was a diamond in the fuckin’ rough.
She was gorgeous, and then her personality enhanced everything about her. Whatever pulled Gills toward her had the same pull on me. Crazy thing was, I was only upset that he gave her the one thing I couldn’t: a baby.
“The most I get out of you is a funky ass shopping spree and a ring that damn near cuts off my circulation. But that bitch gets the big house, the fancy cars, oh, and a ring that fits? Explain to me how that works, Alexis!” Galleria yelled.
Galleria came in on all bullshit this morning. She slid her ring off her finger and threw it at me, with it landing against the side of my face. I took a deep breath and closed the fridge. Aggravation was starting to set in, and I hadn’t laid eyes on her. The truth of the matter was I loved Galleria, but I was all in love with Journei Evans.
“She’s my wife, Galleria. The fuck you want me to say? Happy wife, happy life, and until you and that dumb ass bitch Trina turned this shit up a notch, my wife was very fuckin’ happy. Now why the fuck are you here?” Turning toward Galleria, I offered her my irritated look and propped my hands on my hips.
