Before Jordan could respond, my phone rang. I knew it was my baby because of the ringtone. I picked up the line after the second ring.“What’s up, baby?”
“Tafari! Derrick is banging on my studio door threatening to kick it in. I don’t know what’s wrong with him. My client is on the phone with the police.”There was panic in her voice that I’d never heard before.
I jumped up from my seat. “What! I’m on da way. Stay on da phone, Pril.”
I moved around with urgency as I told my boys what Pril told me. I heard her yelling on the other end.“Derrick! Stop!”There was a quick break of silence as I climbed in my truck.“Oh, God! He just pulled out a gun.”
Vince, Roy, and Jordan jumped in my truck. Vince’s house wasn’t even ten minutes away from Pril’s house. I made it there in less than five. I’d already transferred the call to my earpiece. I didn’t even turn my truck engine off before I had my ack right in my hand and was out.
“Aye, fuck boy. What the fuck you on?” I asked in a venomous tone.
Derrick spun around. The fear in his eyes confused the fuck out of me. This man came over here on his tough man shit, but now that the men were here his bitch ass was scared. This nigga was a whole fucking bitch!
His eyes widened for a split second, then he threw one of his hands back. “Oh, here comes da nigga of the hour! The nigga dat got dis dirty bitch ta keep his baby. Yeah, she tell you dat she killed mine? Endometriosis my ass, man. Bitch is a whole lie.”
“This nigga must be drunk. Cuz, don’t pull unless he lifts,” Jordan reminded me.
I didn’t need a reminder. When I got with Pril, I outfitted her home and her business with cameras. The fact that this fuck ass nigga was with her for as long as he was and didn’t was crazy. The protection of a man’s family should be top priority.
“I’on give a fuck what you talkin’ ’bout. I advise you ta get in ya shit and get off me and my woman’s land. Fuck all dat dumb shit,” I told him.
He chortled loudly. “What! The ho moved you in, so now it’s y’all land? She was trippin’ about me cheatin’ and havin’ a baby with another bitch, but she was killin’ my babies. Did she reallythink dat I wanted ta have a baby wit’ another bitch? I ain’t wanna have babies wit’ dat bitch or marry ha ass.”
It was unclear if this dude really thought Pril was that gutter or if it was the alcohol. If he thought that she killed his babies, then he couldn’t have been around when she actually lost the babies. He also couldn’t have been attentive to her needs enough to go to the doctor with her. Even after Pril had our daughter, I planned to go to her doctor’s appointments with her. I needed to know everything that she would allow me to know. We already had that conversation about what I wanted to know.
I smirked at his reference abouty’all land. The fact of the matter was that it was Pril and my land. She added me to the deeds shortly after I asked her to marry me as I did the same with her for my properties. It was about planning for the future and success. She was also added to my investment accounts.
“Look, I’on care ’bout none of dat shit. I’m askin’ you to get ya shit and get da fuck on. She done called dem boys,” I told him.Where are they?They should have been here by now.
When Derrick stepped forward, I stepped back. My hand was on my ack right the entire time. I swear I didn’t come here to kill a nigga. If I had to I would do it the right way to lessen the legalities. I didn’t need to be aggressive or crazy about this shit. I needed to be strategic and smart. Maturity taught me a while ago that smart and strategic trumped unhinged.
“Watch dat shit, Derrick. Don’t act outta emotion and get yaself in a fucked up situation,” Vince said. His attempts to deescalate were expected. Like me, he knew violence. When you truly knew violence, you were less prone to be violent.
Derrick’s attention turned to Vince. “Shut the fuck up! You and your perfect bitch stay over there.”
Jordan snickered. In a low whisper, he spoke to me and Vince. “Y’all ca’ be cool, but if dat nigga call my woman a bitch Iga pop his ass in both knees. I ga bring a whole new meaning ta bring dem niggas to dey knees.”
Jordan had yet to get to the selectively unhinged part of his maturity. He had hair triggers and had not learned how to control them yet. Jordan knew violence and he was violent.
“So, what we doin’ here, Derrick? You gonna leave, or is someone ga have ta make you leave?” I was over this bullshit. My woman was locked in her studio still on her phone with me. She wasn’t speaking, but I heard the other girl on the phone with those boys telling them to hurry up.
He stood there and just stared at me blankly. It was for a split second, but I saw the flicker in his eye. He was about to make a life-or-death altering mistake.Don’t do it! Don’t do it!
Derrick’s face tightened. “You and dat lil bitch think y’all ga ride off in da sunset wit’ a baby when dat bitch killed mine. Nah, if I can’t have a baby wit’ her den you can’t.”
It happened. He lifted his arm and aimed his gun at me. His finger pressed down on the trigger, but my finger was faster at completing the task.
Pow!
All I needed was one shot to make his body drop. My father taught me that if I had to raise my gun that it better had been to kill. A headshot would do it.
“Tafari! Tafari! Oh my God!”Pril was panicked in my ear.
I holstered my gun.“I’m good, baby. Stay inside ’til dem boys get here.”
Just as I said that I heard the sirens nearing.About damn time!I turned to ask Vince, Roy, and Jordan if they were good. We had to be on point because we couldn’t predict how twelve would react when they got here, but in the same breath, we could. They let me know that they were good.
Seconds later, two police cruisers arrived. I looked at my watch. Anger rose at the realization of the time lapse from when Pril called me to now when these fuck ass cops arrived.Twenty-two damn minutes.It took them twenty-two minutes to respond to the call.
