I couldn’t understand why it was so hard for him to admit that he and I had something brewing between us. To me, he wanted whatever we had to be behind closed doors, like Iwas some secret that no one could know about. Braylen had unlocked something inside of me that I couldn’t shake, like a Pandora’s box, but either way, I needed to find a way to shut it before one of us got our feelings hurt.
FIONA
I’d just arrived at Clark’s gentlemen’s lounge. The way my driver swerved around the car that was holding us up, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it here safely. “Little bitch,” I mumbled as I slid my shades on, preparing to get out.
We had a long-awaited meeting since the last one, now including Bishop and June. Over the years, the Merciers have dominated the investment market, owning most of the properties in Lake Hill and a few in the Cove. Bobbie and I played Clark’s little game by spreading some of our investment money around, and for a while, the returns were great. However, since June Calloway, Bishop Avery, and Bleek Prince got involved, I’ve seen nothing.
To me, Clark was losing. He made promises to Bobbie and me, and now it seemed like the check he wrote, his ass couldn’t cash. Now, here we were trying to figure out how to get those three out of the picture. For years, I’ve been able to keep Braylen away from all this, but since he's part of this Zoo biker world, it was only a matter of time before he found out.
Braylen taking his place in the Prestige would set us back. His being on their side would leave the Mercier votes disproportionately weighted, and the poor would start becoming rich, while the rich would become poor, and that I couldn’t have. I, Fiona Laureaux, have always had everything I wanted atmy fingertips, even before I met Bobbie. I was handed a silver platter while Bobbie worked to earn his. There was no way I was going from riches to rags at the expense of some hood negros, who felt like they needed to serve an undeserving community.
So, since Clark couldn’t handle the situation like he was supposed to, when I found out that the infamous Naheem Avery hadn’t kicked the bucket, he and I decided to take matters into our own hands. I tried to get Bobbie to join us, but he was starting to have second thoughts, just like Cynthia, who found a heart somewhere beneath that old, flabby ass skin. It bothered me. Why fix what’s not broken? If Bobbie wanted to keep a bitch like me, he’d better start moving accordingly.
My driver opened my door, and I strutted into the building. Moving like I owned the place, I didn’t even bother to acknowledge the half-dressed servers. I swung the door open to the main room and found everyone waiting for me. “Gentlemen. Cynthia,” I muttered.
June glared at me fiercely. “We don’t need an introduction. Let’s get to business.”
I grinned. “Business without me is nothing,” I snapped back.
He heckled. “Don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart. Now that we’re done with the small shit, let’s get to it, shall we? The Princes and I thought we could—”
I slid my shades off as my head snapped toward him. “What do you mean, thePrincesand you? You don’t call the shots, you just have a seat at the fucking table,” I snapped.
He flicked his nose. “Sweetheart, I have the same seat at this muhfucka that you do. Now, if you don’t mind, let me finish. Until then, keep that fucking fly trap closed because frankly, anything you have to saysmellslike bullshit.”
The audacity of this negro. I sat down without saying another word. Bishop stood as he looked around at everyone. “We all know Christmas is coming soon. So, we’ve decided not only to host a special eventin the Cove for the less fortunate, but also to come together and invest ina project for the lower class. Now I have spoken to—”
Clark slammed his hand on the table. “Now wait a damn minute. Who is supposed to invest in theprojectyou speak of, and what’s the need to do so? See what you have caused, Cynthia? You allowed his black ass to do—”
June stood and slowly walked around the table toward Clark. They stood eye to eye. June's mouth sizzled. I could tell the hatred he harbored for Clark had been building for a while. “The way I want to peel each layer of your skin off should be studied. The way I want to give you what you so desperately desire, I can taste it in my throat. You don’t deserve to be Black. What you deserve is to be exactly what you are under all that Black, funky, unmanicured ass skin, a Wonder Bread. Now, we vote because that’s what y’all do here, right? We fucking vote if‘Aye’ wins, everybody in this damn room,” he paused, looking at all of us, “will put up the money, and we will get this shit done. None of you muhfuckas know what it’s like to live at the bottom, to be homeless, living in your car, or to starve. So, until you can understand my fucking plight, this is how we're moving,” June said, devouring Clark with his words.
Cynthia shot up from the chair. “Aye,” she said proudly.
Bleek and Bishop both agreed. Bobbie wasn’t here, so it was only Clark and me. June eyed me, and I knew then that Bobbie and my seats weren’t going to last long. If it were up to June, Braylen would be here instead. I needed to pull Braylen away from the Zoo or turn him against June. Part of me wished Naheem were ready to show his face, but it was okay becausewith him and Clark pressuring Kareem, it would be handled soon.
BEANS
“Fuck!”I shouted as I glanced around. “Stupid fucking niggas,” I grumbled.
I stood in the middle of my studio, my baby, my pride and fucking joy that Dio and Scooter had destroyed. I wasn’t expecting Dio to show up, but when he did, I knew something was about to go down. Now I regretted chasing after Piggy. I was hoping those niggas took that shit outside, but I guess the universe had other fucking plans.
Scooter seemed to hold his own against Dio, but I knew if I had let those niggas keep going, Scooter would've been dead. Dio showed no mercy for niggas, and that’s what I liked about him. The boy was intelligent, loyal, and determined, but he needed a little more discipline. So, when he asked me what I thought about Chi Kappa Chi, I knew where his head was at. Scooter, on the other hand, the lyrics were nasty, straight, raw shit you didn’t get often, but the nigga was a loose cannon. He was a grimy nigga looking for the come-up and not caring how he got there. The shit was too familiar. Tomorrow, his ass was headed to a battle rap session that paid big money. If he wanted to get back in my good graces, he’d need to deliver the same bars he spat before getting his ass beat. If he did that, winning that thirty grand would be nothing.
I didn’t even bother to clean up the place as I left the studio. I knew if I stayed there any longer, I was going to blow a fucking lid, so I decided to head across town to see Mali. Although hefaced struggles, he seemed like he was finally on the right track, but God felt like that wasn’t enough. That entire night replayed in my mind, and the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that those niggas from NTR were the ones who caused it. The shit wasn’t just a hit-and-run.
Chev wanted us to unite and figure out what happened. The last thing any of us wanted was for him to relapse. We all knew he only had his brothers and now Symphony to lean on. The nigga had no parents to check on him, and to me, that was a big part of his downfall. I would much rather have parents who weren’t there than active parents whose only goal was to lie, torture, and control every part of your life like mine. I hated them, especially my Fiona.
When I reached Mali’s floor, I saw Chevy entering his room from the other end of the hall. I wish I had known he would be here; I would have waited. The last thing I wanted was to deal with this nigga. Since being part of the Zoo shit was cool, I enjoyed it, but mainly stayed to myself. Chevy was a different breed. He was the one nigga that wouldn’t just let you walk away. He wouldn’t just shut the fuck up and mind his own business. He was the one guy you had to face every time, and when you did, you better come correct or not show up at all.
I didn’t like how he talked to people. I didn’t like that he came from money but acted like my background was a problem. The nigga’s family history went back a long way and had been stained by evil. So, to me, that nigga Chev couldn’t tell me a muhfuckin’ thing.
When I entered the room, Mali gave a weak smile. “Saved by the Black Educated Ass Nigga we call Beans.”
Chevy looked at me curiously, “So that’s where your name came from. Where does the S come in at?”
I moved closer. “It’s added for a little razzle fucking dazzle.”
“Humph,” he said.
