“Nah, I’ve been accepting that. But tonight I’m not going for it. If you’re not ready to be real, then we might as well stop this shit before we get too far. I don’t want to give someone my all who doesn’t trust me, anyway. I hope you have a good night.”
I pulled my helmet over my head and turned my bike toward my bar. I’m tired of people picking and choosing what parts of them I deserved. If she couldn’t be real, I didn’t want any part.
“Duke, wait.” she called out.
I rode off, not giving her another second of my time to give me more lies and false promises. I was past that. If the truth wasn’t something she could give, she could keep all her excuses.
I pulled my bike around the back of Chrome and parked it. I needed to bury myself in my work to clear my mind. It was all I had to keep my thoughts off Solana. If I was being real with myself, this was the only thing that would keep me put. I wanted to go back and tell her I overreacted, but I couldn’t. I had to stand on how I felt.
I came through the back of the club after making sure my bike was covered and locked up. I walked through to the main floor to make sure everything was cool before I went up to myoffice. I wanted to see what everyone was on since they were under the impression I wouldn’t be in tonight.
I could hear the rowdy laughter and even see clouds of smoke that gave off the stench of weed. I didn’t allow any kind of smoking in here, so that alone had me mad as fuck. They knew how I ran shit, so for them to just do what the fuck they wanted to do had me on ten.
My pace stayed steady as I continued into the club to see Rafe and a few of the old heads with bitches that had busted ass weaves sitting on their laps. One of them I didn’t recognize. That told me everything—I already knew he was tied to Rafe, probably got him out here thinking he ran this bitch.
I leaned against the post, watching them mouth off at the bar girls, demanding more drinks at their table. One of the girls clapped back, giving him hell for the shit he was pulling.
I stood upright when I noticed him walking with a fast pace towards Melissa, the bar girl who didn’t give a fuck who he thought he was. I’d heard enough. I quickly walked over and snatched Rafe up by the back of his neck.
“What the fuck you think you in here doing? This yo shit, huh?” I questioned.
The dude I’d never seen before stood ready to get his neck broke in this bitch, too.
“What the hell are you doing? This is his spot! Why none of y’all not doing nothing? Y’all just let randoms come up in here and fuck with the owner?” he asked the surrounding guys.
Bruh wasn’t reading the room at all. The way his boys rushed to put out their blunts should’ve said enough. It would’ve been funny… if I wasn’t so fucking mad.
I sneered down at Rafe, whose eyes were big as fuck after hearing what ole’ boy had just said. I brushed my finger across the tip of my nose, then chuckled.
“This yo’ shit, Rafe? I ain’t even know that,” I said, my tone thick with sarcasm.
I released my hold on him and tossed him near his friend. Then held my hands up in mock surrender. I smirked in his direction then crossed my arms against my chest.
“He’s drunk. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. We were just chilling, man. Didn’t expect you back tonight.” Rafe tried to reason with me.
“Oh word. So you just got the right to do anything in my shit, huh? Since you didn’t expect me to be in here tonight?” I questioned, like I was talking to a child that came from my sack.
Rafe stumbled over his words, then looked over at ol’ boy with him, who was staring back like he ain’t know what the hell was going on. Rafe cleared his throat and puffed his chest out.
I dropped my hands to my sides and widened my stance, ready.
I knew I was looking for any reason to take my frustration out on him. One wrong move and I was gonna beat this muthafucka’ within an inch of his life. Not only was he in my shit, messing around in my establishment—but he was out here doing shit in the Black Thorn name. That alone earned him an ass whooping.
But I knew I couldn’t act too fast on that. There was a chain of command when it came to the ending I had planned for Rafe.
“Before you open your mouth and say some shit that’s gonna have me embarrassing the fuck out of you… let me stop you. You and the rest of your boys are gonna be back here in the morning, scrubbing the hell out of my walls and floors. Matter of fact—the couches, too. I’m sure y’all got smoke all over them.”
“Man, it’s not even that ser?—”
Before he could finish his sentence, my hand was already wrapped around his throat, lifting him clean off the floor. He was big—but I was bigger. I was sick of this little pissing matchhe felt the need to start every time I was around. I wasn’t with none of that tonight.
I leaned in close to his ear.
“I’ve been granting you patience, because you’re my elder. But it is clear yo’ daddy didn’t do what was necessary to show you how to be a man. So now that shit falls on me. Say another muthafucking thing I don’t like and yo’ bitch gone be getting a cheese basket as condolences.”
I felt a soft hand tug at my shirt urgently.
“Duke, let him go. People are watching, you don’t want witnesses. Let this go,” Nessa urged.
