“Listen, I don’t know much about the other guys…” Chris’s scared voice pulled me from thoughts of cutting my dad. “I met Rowan in Willow Springs when I started serving him. As far as the other guy, all I know is he is fuckin’ on Row’s sister.” His body shook as he cried uncontrollably. “He was more of Jamal’s friend, and I don’t know much about him outside of him owning a construction company here in the city.”
Hearing a chair behind me screech, I noticed it was Jamir. He was so quiet, I damn near forgot he was here. My brother was smart as fuck, but he was awkward at times. He didn’t care too much for this part of the business, but he was the truth when it came to all things tech. My father usually used my Uncle Tef when he needed information, but Jamir was adamant about being able to help in some way.
“You okay, baby boy?” I called out to him with my voice full of concern. He looked like he wanted to throw up and be anywhere but here. “Maybe you should step out for a minute.”
“I-I’m fine.” He gulped loudly and typed away at his computer. “Just give me a second to find this Rowan guy before you kill the man. I may need more information to locate him.”
Giving him a quick nod, I leaned against the table that held Chris and waited for Jamir’s findings. To those on the outside, I was cold. I didn’t give a fuck about anyone who wasn’t my family. To the ones I loved, I was a patient man, especially when it came to my parents and siblings.
“Got something.” Jamir stood from his seat and walked over to the metal table. The fellas gathered around, but I stayed back because I didn’t want to get blood on anyone. “It says here that Rowan Reid is the owner of Reid’s Construction. He’s been in business for over a decade.”
He continued to type as we all viewed the photos and findings of the Rowan nigga. Seeing that he was somewhat known meant nothing to me. Governor’s son or not, if he had something to do with my people’s shit being stolen, he was dead.
“Here’s a family photo…” He placed the laptop down so we all could see. “This is him with his father, Governor Carlton Reid, stepmother, Clarice, and sister, Blossom.”
Blossom.
Leaning up so I could see the picture, I thought my eyes were deceiving me when I zoomed in on my prettiest little problem. The smiles of her pictured family faded away as I studied her. The photo appeared to be a few years old, and she was just as pretty as she had been the days I ran into her. Dressed down in a sweatshirt and leggings, she gave off a girl-next-door vibe. Her innocence, mixed with a hint of spunk, exuded from the screen. Just like before, it was her eyes that called to me. Staring at thephoto, not only did my heart rate increase, but I could feel my dick stiffen in my joggers.
What is it about her that has me so intrigued?
“Slash… Did you hear me?” Jamir called out to me loudly as he tapped my arm. “Where did you go just now? I called your name three times.”
“My bad.” I blinked a few times, trying to refocus. “What did you say, baby boy?” I turned, giving him my attention before frowning. “And what did I tell you about that Slash shit? To you, I’m JJ.”
Once my fascination with slicing and dicing the human body came to light, someone started calling me Slash, and it stuck. It didn’t help that the paparazzi called Jaxson “Flash” because of his abilities on the field. The two words rhyming and us being twins made the names feel natural, but I liked to keep things separate. For the most part, my family didn’t really know the extent of my name, and I wanted to keep it that way. I’d told Jamir time and time again, I’m only JJ to him and the rest of our siblings. I never wanted them to be associated with the darker parts of me.
“I just thought since we were here…” He shrugged, pushing his glasses up on his face. “My bad.”
“Nah, no apologies.” I stopped him. “Just know no matter what setting I’m in, I’m always your big brother, JJ. Got it?”
“Got it.” He grinned, causing me to do the same. I swear, he was strange as fuck, but I’d kill an entire village behind him. “I was asking if you wanted me to print the information out for you on Rowan. I have a printer set up in the office up front.”
“Do that for me.” I nodded. “The entire family, though.”
Gathering his things, I watched as he dismissed himself and walked out of the room. I never wanted him to see more than he had to, so I was happy he wasted no time leaving. This shit was about to get gory as fuck, and the sight wasn’t made foreveryone. Hearing a scuffle behind me, I locked back in on the man of the night.
“I told you all that I know!” He snatched at the straps that had his wrists and ankles restrained. “You have his information. Please! Let me go, I have a wife! Children!”
“And you don’t think we do?” Uncle Mitch called out from the other side of the room. When things got too bloody, he wanted no parts. Auntie Jade would kill him if he came home with stains on him. “Between the three of us, we have about ten kids with that nigga leading a fuckin’ tribe.” He nodded toward my dad, who gave him the middle finger. “You didn’t give a fuck about taking out of their mouths, so we don’t give a fuck about yours.” Dragging his eyes toward me, I could see the anger in them. He was the one who was most involved with the drugs and streets, so he was pissed the most. “Make it messy, nephew.”
Grinning, I happily walked back over toward the table where my dad made sure I had all the tools I needed. Placing a mask over my face, I picked up a bone saw and powered it on. As I turned back and faced Chris, realization and fear crossed his face, causing him to cry out and plead for his life.
“Sit tight…” I smiled, taking small steps as the humming of the saw settled in my bones. “This may hurt a bit.”
“It’s about time you came over to see me. It’s ridiculous that I have to schedule an appointment to see my own man.”
Stepping inside Sheena’s home, the smell of cooked food hit me instantly. After making a mess of Chris at the warehouse, I decided to come chill with her. There was something about chopping a crying man in half that gave me a rush, and I needed to take the edge off. Looking around her sitting room, Iwas having second thoughts. The lights were dim, with candles flickering, and rose petals littered all over the floor. She’d set this up like an actual date night, and it was anything but that.
“Are you going to stand there and nag a nigga, or are you going to enjoy the fact that I’m here?” I called out over my shoulder as I made my way further inside. “If all you’re going to do is bitch and complain, I can spend my evening elsewhere. You and I both know that.”
As I met her glare, I’d never deny she was beautiful. She had the kind of face that said she was wife potential, but then she opened her mouth, and you knew immediately she was not of high stature. Her signature braids were draped over the barely-there red lingerie she chose to wear for the evening, which formed perfectly around her curves. Dark chocolate and thick in all the right places, she was indeed a brick house. I had been dealing with her for a little over three years. Even with fucking her the longest, I wouldn’t say she was my woman. She’d tell me that I was the only man she was sleeping with, but it didn’t matter to me one way or another. This shit had more to do with familiarity than love.
“It’s just that you know how much I love you…” she whined as she strutted over to me. My dick jumped in my gym shorts at the sight of her ass from the front. “I hate that the only time I see you is at work.” She looked up at me with sad eyes as she stood before me. Whether we were at my home or hers, she knew not to touch me unless I told her to. “You don’t miss me?”
“To miss you would be to admit this is more than what it is.” I dragged my eyes from her sad ones as I continued to scan her body. “Why do you do this?” I ran my finger up her body until I reached her triple-D-cup breasts. Pinching her left nipple, I watched as her expression went from sadness to pleasure. “You ask questions you know you don’t want the answer to, and thenyou get yourself mad. You bring this shit on yourself, baby. Get the dick and be happy with that.”
Being mean to Sheena was never my intention, but she knew we would never be more than we were. She was a pretty woman with a good head on her shoulders. Her problem was that she wanted me to be the man of her dreams when I was indeed the boogeyman of her nightmares. She didn’t know it yet, but she would find out if she kept doing the shit she did.
