CHAPTER 1
It was rare that Block,Brazil, Lethal, Mario, and Blak were all in the same room, and it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Tech wasn’t due home for another few months but there he stood, looking dapper as ever. He had never lost his swag, but it was indeed turned up a notch. After giving Block dap and a homeboy hug, Tech ambled over to his youngest son and wrapped his arms around him. The embrace was tight and symbolic. Tech wanted the gesture to convey to his son that he was never leaving him again due to circumstances that were in his control. In simple terms, he refused to fuck up and be taken away again.
“I’m ‘bout to be on yo’ ass, nigga,” he let his son know in a loving but authoritative tone.
Mario was so happy to have his father home that he didn’t even care about the warning. He had no doubt Tech wouldn’t play with him. Mario had no memory of his father when he was free; all he had was phone calls and prison visits. That was better than nothing, but Tech’s presence was needed in Mario’s life. Tech remained in the embrace with his son for a few minutes before he broke away to greet his other sons and his granddaughter.
“How did you get here? And how did your release date get moved up?” Block asked.
“Belvin dropped me off. I wanted this to be a surprise, so he picked me up this morning and took me to the barbershop. He had an outfit and some shoes for me. Besides the barbershop and his crib to take a shower, this was my first real stop. And this was always the date. I just never told y’all.”
“I wasn’t expecting you, so I’m still looking at houses,” Brazil offered. He was planning to give his father his condo once he found a house.
Tech waved the comment off. “Don’t rush. I’m good. I can stay with my mother until you get a place. Belvin hit me with some cash, so I can afford a hotel room for a few nights if I just want to decompress and be alone.”
“We all have extra bedrooms,” Block stated. “You know you’re good with any of us.”
Tech glanced around Block’s living room with a look of approval. “This is nice, Son. I see you’re doing your thing.”
“You expected less?” Block teased, making his father produce a proud grin.
“Hell nah. You know I already know how you give it up.”
Block’s heart was full. He was a grown-ass man, but it felt good to be standing in his home, chopping it up with his father, versus in a rank prison visitation room where they were being watched like hawks. Tech’s heart was equally as full. He was proud of his sons and ready to get back to life. Block, Brazil, Lethal, and even Blak all assured him that he didn’t have to want for anything, but Tech had started hustling at the age of sixteen. He had never been comfortable not getting his own money, and he for damn sure wasn’t about to spend the rest of his days living off his sons. He could work on cars enough to save money doing basic things like oil changes and changing tires, but he wasn’t sure he was good enough to be a mechanic.
When he was younger, Tech wasn’t fucking with manual labor. He could spend hours posted on the block, shooting the shit with his friends and talking to pretty women all while fattening his pockets. No one could have paid him to get dirty or sweaty on a job, but prison had changed all of that. If he had to come home and put in work, that was what he intended on doing. He still had a lot of connections from when he was on the streets. Some of the same cats he ran the streets with had the good fortune to be able to either retire from drug dealing, or their prison bids weren’t as long as Tech’s had been. He had been confident that he could come home and find work. Sure, enough Tech had only been in Belvin’s car for ten minutes, when his friend offered him a job at his car lot.
Tech peered at the sleeping baby snuggled in her carrier, and the emotional expression that covered his face swelled Brazil’s heart. “Pa Pa Tech.” He chuckled to himself. “This is going to be fun.” With a gleam in his eyes, he rubbed his hands together with anticipation. “I’m gon’ spoil the shit out of her and tell her yes to everything you say no to.”
Brazil’s brow hiked as he watched his father stare at Unique. “Why would you do me like that?”
“It’s a normal part of being a grandparent. Don’t take it personal. Your grandparents did the same thing with all of you. I’d say no and Mama would turn right around and say yes.”
All Brazil did was shake his head. Tech didn’t do anything small, regular, or basic. He was no longer a king pin but that didn’t matter. Tech’s personality was the same, no matter what his profession was. It didn’t matter if all he had in his pockets was twenty-five dollars, he’d use twenty-four of it to get Unique something if she wanted it. Once Tech got on his feet, Unique was going to be spoiled rotten. It didn’t matter what her father or uncles did for her, he was going to do it bigger and better. That was just who Tech was and everybody knew it.
Tech finally tore his gaze away from Unique and smirked at Brazil. “I already know I’m going to have to fight your mother over her.”
Brazil pushed out a small laugh. “And I can already tell you that you won’t win.”
“You hungry, Pops? I can order food from somewhere,” Block offered.
Tech made himself comfortable on the couch, and Mario wasted no time sitting beside his father. “Yeah, go ahead and order whatever y’all want to eat. I’m paying for it.”
There was no need to try and convince their father to save his money. Tech had been away for a long time. While his sons wanted him to know that they didn’t want him to feel pressure to do for them because they were grown, they still knew he was going to want to make up for lost time. That was just how he was. It was one thing the men admired about Tech; he never once used prison or his circumstances as an excuse. He went above and beyond for his even from behind bars, providing in some way—no matter how small—made him feel like a man, and his sons didn’t want to take that from him.
After a brief conversation about what they wanted to eat, a decision was made, and Block ordered the food. The moment felt surreal to everyone in the room who was old enough to understand. This day had been a long time coming, and it was one of the best days of their lives. Tech was finally home.
Lethal studied the jewelry displayed in the glass case in front of him while he waited on the salesman to bring his necklace out. A beautiful pair of diamond earrings caught his eye, and the internal battle of whether to drop $33,000 on the studs began.Lethal worked hard for his money. He also made it a point to be smart with his earnings. He was approaching thirty and knew he couldn’t box forever. Lethal had endorsements with various brands, he invested in a few businesses, and his social media pages were monetized. His social media platforms were used to showcase his training behind the scenes, tips for people wanting to learn the sport of boxing, and his workout regimens.
The salesman came out and saw Lethal eyeing the diamonds. “What can I show you today, my friend? I know you see something you like.” His eyes gleamed at the thought of more commission.
Lethal’s gaze lifted as he chuckled. “You bad for business. I just dropped $50,000 on a necklace. That’s enough.”
“Technically, you replaced a necklace. It’s not really the same thing.”
Lethal’s jaw muscles flexed as he thought about the circumstances which required him to replace his chain. He got caught slipping and let a grimy-ass broad lace his drink. Lethal was well over two hundred pounds, and he could drink with the best of them. There was no way five shots had him blacking out to the point of only being able to remember bits and pieces of the night. Two things he vividly remembered were the bitch’s name, who he slept with, and the fact that when he woke up the next morning, her and his necklace were gone.
Khrome. Her name was unique as fuck, and she was sexy as hell. However, if he saw her again, he’d have to walk away to keep from doing some shit that would’ve landed him in jail and ended his career. The necklace was insured, so he tried to chalk it up as a loss, but he was pissed. There were really some trifling-ass women in the world and since being robbed, Lethal was more cautious than ever. He only had sex with women in hotels, he removed all jewelry before the link-up, and he required identification to know first and last names. The next person whotook some shit from him was going to jail. Lethal gave no fucks if it made him look like a snitch. He would’ve rather been labeled a snitch than a woman beater because those were the only two options for the next person to cross that line. Jail or an ass whooping.
