“I need some air.”
“We about to go anyway.”
As soon as she stepped outside, she looked for Kayla, but she was nowhere in sight.
Diamond felt like shit, “I shouldn’t have put my hands on her,” she whispered.
“You did what was necessary. She was tweakin’.”
“I don’t know what to do. I keep telling myself that everything is ok when it’s not. I’m losing my sister, my momma out here bad. It’s fucked up!” Diamond felt herself on the verge of finally breaking.
Duke didn’t say a word, he just wrapped his arms around her and walked her away from the crowd. That broke her, she cried like a baby in his arms, no matter what her father said, Duke was her safe place, and she wasn’t letting go.
16
Duke walked into the trap house to reup on his work, he dapped a few of the guys up while others that didn’t know him gave a head nod. There were always bitches and crackheads hanging around, so Duke never stayed long. Those niggas were wild, they would fuck the fiends for favors, gamble, and almost anything else you could think of.
“Please, just give me one until later.”
Duke followed Sherry’s voice; he knew it because she copped from him long before he started fucking with Diamond.
“What you gon’ do for it? You gon’ suck this dick?”
“I will!”
“Let’s go,” the guy pointed to a closed door while laughing and grabbing his dick.
“Nah, she not doing that,” Duke finally spoke as Sherry quickly looked at him.
“Hey, Duke! You got something for me?”
He grabbed what he came to get and pulled Sherry out the door with him. She stood on the porch, hands shaking, eyes low and shamed.
“I can’t sell to you anymore.”
“Why?”
He looked at her with a straight face, “Because I care. Your kids care.”
She looked away, “My kids hate me.”
“Diamond would be crushed if she saw you in there like that.”
Sherry’s face cracked like he had broken something in her with his words. She wiped her face with her sleeve, shame settled heavily.
“Diamond really hates me, I put so much on my baby.”
“She loves you.”
She looked up at him with softened eyes, “You like my baby?”
“I care about her and part of caring about her is caring about you. You gotta shake this shit, Ms. Sherry, let me help you. I’ll pay for your treatments myself. I know a place.”
Duke hustled because it was in him, he didn’t have to. His father left him and his mother set, the apartment he lived in was where he stayed when he didn’t want to take the hour drive to the big house. Money wasn’t an issue, and he didn’t mind helping Sherry if she was ready to be helped, but he knew how addicts operated.
“When I’m ready, I’ll let you know. You’re a good guy, look out for my baby girl, she’s tough, but timid.”
“I got her, I promise. Let me take you home.”
