“You never agree to bet on your bike,” Haze said, but he eyed the dealer the entire time. He had bad trust issues, so his eyes always stayed on the dealer and made sure the nigga played fair. No funny business would go down in Haze’s presence. As if a nigga would be so stupid to play in Haze’s face in his domain. Still, Haze was paranoid and made sure everyone around him was always on their shit.
Gideon kissed Glimmer’s temple. “I got my good luck charm wit’ me tonight.”
He watched the subtle tint of red streak across her ebony skin, which prompted him to kiss her again. He was obsessed with his wife and loved putting his lips on her whenever he could.
“Don’t go blaming me if you lose that pretty ass bike out there now,” Glimmer warned.
“Never. I’ll blame Rome.” Gideon grinned widely, and everyone laughed. “And if I win, Rome, you gotta get my girl a custom bike. Anything she wants.”
“Glimm don’t even ride,” Rome complained.
“I don’t give a fuck if her juicy ass never hits the seat of the mothafucka. She a queen, ain’t she?”
“Yeah.” Rome agreed.
“Then she need a bike.” His words were final. Whether he won that night or not, he planned on getting Glimmer a bike. Shewas officially a part of the family, and everyone had a bike in the Vicious Kings, even Kyomi’s scary ass.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Glimmer muttered as the table got active. She watched as cards were thrown around, and the club members at the table called out numbers and words she didn’t quite understand.
“I did. Now sit back and watch ya man win.”
Her smile was all he needed to make his first call of the night, and he knew without a doubt it was a lucky one.
Her phone seemedto tease her as Glimmer sat on the bed. She glared at it as her mind went rampant.
It had been a week since her father called and told her that her mother had been asking to speak with her. As each day went on, the tug of war inside her only got stronger, especially during the moments when Gideon wasn’t there.
He and Haze hadn’t eased up on trying to find Trick. From the small gossip Kyomi and Deja gave her, there was a bloodbath happening in her beloved hometown of Desmore Bay. Glimmer hated every part of it. She hated that she was in the middle of it.
That morning, Gideon had gotten up early and left. He never left the compound without telling her. It didn’t matter how late or early. He always woke her with kisses and loved on her beforeshe was left without his presence. That always warmed her heart, but she felt a sick sense of dread whenever he left because she knew he was in the streets wreaking havoc, and all she could do was pray that he came back to her in one piece.
With a long sigh, Glimmer climbed off the gigantic bed and grabbed her phone. She gripped it in her hand tightly as she walked over to the large window and stared out of it. She smirked when she saw the pink and white glittered motorcycle sitting on the lawn. Gideon had won all night long on casino night, and Rome had delivered on Glimmer’s custom bike. She doubted she would ever learn to ride it. She much preferred to ride on the back of Gideon’s bike, but she appreciated the sentiment. That motorcycle was another symbol that she belonged.
Glimmer’s eyes trailed down to her ring finger. She twisted her wedding ring nervously as she thought about what she was about to do. She hadn’t even discussed this with anyone, but she felt like calling her mom was the right move. While it was true that her mother had never been there for her before, Glimmer always held out hope that she would one day get her shit together and realize she was a mom to a girl who, deep down, wanted her love.
After inhaling another deep breath, Glimmer dialed her mother’s number. It only rang once before Camille’s breathy voice filled the line. “Hello?”
Glimmer stayed silent for a beat before she whispered, “Mama.”
“Glimmer? Girl, where the hell you been?” Camille asked as her breathy voice took on a tone of excitement that made Glimmer’s heart do a funny little jump.She’s excited to hear from me?“I been tryin’ to get ahold of you for forever.”
“I know. I just needed some time,” Glimmer admitted as she continued to look out the window. The sight of all the bikes grounded her.I belong.
“From me? I ain’t ever been away from you for this long in ya life, Glimmer. This shit is crazy. I need to see you.”
That was true. As shitty of a mom as she was, Camille was always around. She may not have paid much attention to Glimmer, but they hadn’t spent much time apart in their lives. Glimmer had to give her that, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to see her again.
A flash of Glimmer crying in her wedding dress on the day she was supposed to marry Trick flickered through her mind. The lack of empathy her mother had for her caused her chest to ache just from the memory. Her emotions were conflicted as she said, “I don’t know, Mama . . .”
“What don’t you know, Glimmer? I’m your mother. I need to see you. I’m hearing that you done went off and married that young Gideon boy that used to hang around the Laurent family. Chile, you done made a mess. I need to lay eyes on you.”
Glimmer heard the stress in her mother’s voice as her grip tightened around her phone. The sight of the front lawn no longer comforted her as her mother brought her past to her present. She felt like a little girl as she spoke.
“I guess I can see . . .”
“I’ll send you my new address. Come in an hour.”
Glimmer frowned. “Where do you live now? You got a new place?”
