I met his eyes and didn’t blink. “I’m fucking positive. It was them hugged up on her porch like shit was sweet.”
“That’s some wild ass shit,” Southside muttered, his jaw tightening as he paced the floor.
I crossed my arms, still standing in the middle of the living room. “So… what? His baby mama was in on my shooting this whole damn time?” I asked, turning to Rich now, voice colder than I expected.
“I don’t know,” he said, and I could tell he meant it. But the way his voice dipped? This wasn’t a shocker to him.
“I wouldn’t put it past the bitch,” Southside chimed in, shaking his head.
I felt my throat tighten, a quiet rage settling in. “How am I supposed to move on from that? Even if she didn’t help pull the trigger, everybody knew who shot me. And she just randomly hugged up with him like it’s nothing?” I laughed, bitterly. “Nah.”
“I’ll handle Imani,” Rich said calmly, too calm.
“How?” I snapped. “She’s S3’s mother. That means the enemy has full access to our home now. Our safe space. Where my son lays his damn head. Hell, where her son lays his head.”
“Slimy ass bitch,” Southside muttered again, stepping out the way just as Jo and Noah walked in, talking low between themselves.
She had been trying to get us to talk for weeks but I didn’t need an apology. I just needed him to get his life together and stop blaming everybody else for the problems he created for himself.
Jo clocked the tension immediately. Her brows knit together. “What’s going on?” she asked, eyes darting between me and Rich like she already knew something was off.
“We saw Dre today,” I said finally, my voice flat.
“Where?” she asked sharply.
“Imani’s house.” I smirked like I was telling tea to my home girl, but my heart was burning.
Jo’s mouth dropped. “I knew she couldn’t be trusted,” she hissed, shaking her head like she’d been waiting for this moment.
“Man, let me handle Dre,” Noah jumped in from the side, trying to sound tough.
Rich rolled his eyes so hard I thought they’d stick. “Man, shut the fuck up.”
“For real,” Southside added. “We already established you wasn’t built for this life the day you sat in the car smokin’ and vibin’ while gunshots flew past your dumb ass.”
“Enough, y’all,” I cut in, lifting my hand, trying to defuse it before it blew up. “This ain’t the time.”
The room fell quiet for a moment, but the tension was thick... Everyone was waiting for the next move. And deep down, I knew something was coming. Something big.
I knew Noah took everything to heart always had. So, when Southside and Rich came at him about that day, I already knewhe was about to spiral. And even though I knew I shouldn’t have been coddling him, not now with everything going on, I couldn’t bring myself to let him drown in it either.
Especially not now. Not with Dre back. Not with him slowly peeling back the mask and letting his team fall into place. I knew Seth would handle that. He always did. Me? I was focused on planning my life and finally living it. Fully. Freely. Fearlessly.
But right now, my little brother was hurt. And his pride started to look like rage.
“Noah…” I started, but he cut me off.
“Stormi, you know I ain’t have nothin’ to do with that, right?” His voice cracked slightly, and he turned to me, eyes searching mine like he needed the truth to keep breathing.
“I know, Noah,” I said without hesitation.
“Then why the fuck these niggas thinkin’ they can keep comin’ at me sideways about it?” he snapped, stepping forward like he was ready to square up with both Rich and Southside.
“Man, lil’ nigga, this ain’t what you want,” Rich said, stepping up too, eyeing Noah like a meal. “I been owe you an ass whoopin’ anyway.”
I stepped in fast, sliding between them before things got outta hand. “Rich, can you help moms with Shiloh?”
Rich gave a half-smirk, the kind that made the air in the room feel tight. “Bet.” He walked off slow, but the look he threw over his shoulder said he wasn’t done.
