“Lying ass. If I told you to bring yo’ throat over here tonight, you’d be in the first ride share your ass could get! Fuck outta here!” Quick snorted and grinned when he saw me standing there as she stormed out the door, still screaming. “What’s up, cuz?”
“Shit, just thought I’d drop in on you.” I came further into the room and plopped down on the couch opposite him. He waswatching some anime shit and quickly lowered the volume while he lit a blunt.
“You see the crazy shit I be dealing with? Y’all got me over here with the black Annie Wilkes. I’m bouta have auntie start coming through to protect me for real,” he said, taking a long pull and blowing out a cloud of smoke.
“Nigga, you bet not try to bring my mama into this damn dysfunction! She’ll fuck around and shoot that girl!” I said seriously, and he snickered.
“Yo, you right. She ain’t gon’ have to worry about that, though, if her stupid ass try to get Micah fired.” He frowned, already pulling out his phone and scrolling.
“Since when y’all start talking?”
The last I’d heard, Micah wasn’t fucking with him like that, so I couldn’t lie, I was surprised as fuck to hear they were texting. Then again, I felt like Micah was serious about her job enough that she was probably messaging his ass to make sure he was doing what he was supposed to.
Shrugging, he reached to hand his blunt over, and I accepted it, knowing I needed something to take the edge off. “Shit, she gave me her number the day I left the hospital. She really want a nigga but she just playing games. That’s the only reason Norielle still around. As soon as Micah give me the word, though, Norielle and her neck done.” He was dead ass serious judging from the look on his face, but I cracked up laughing. Him and his jokes about that girl’s neck was funny as hell.
“Maaan, remember when I asked you about Uncle Rico’s ring?” My tone was light like I was just making casual conversation, but he instantly tensed.
“Yeah, I told you?” He started to lie, but when I tossed the ring in his lap, his jaw clenched closed. “Where you find it?” he finally asked after studying it for a few seconds.
Shrugging, I handed the blunt back.
“Perfect’s bitch ass ex. He was rocking it the last time I saw him. That’s when I asked you the first time. I just had to go fuck him up, though, and decided to take it and see for myself. Fuck you lie for?”
“Shit, I ain’t think I’d see this muthafucka again to be honest. This the whole reason they shot my black ass ’cause I wasn’t coming off my shit. I’d probably be dead if that nigga knew what the fuck he was doin’. My whole fuckin’ life flashed before my eyes that night then I woke up in the hospital, feeling goofy as hell for being about to die over a fuckin ring. Shit don’t even hold the same weight no more for real.” He rolled it around in his hand as he spoke, and I instantly felt bad. He’d been acting so normal after that shit that I thought he was straight, but obviously, his ass was fucked up behind being shot. That had me even hotter than knowing someone had taken it from him. No doubt if Jordan was the one who pulled the trigger, he was going to die the worst death I could think up.
“Fuck, my bad, man. I ain’t think about that shit at all to be honest. I mean, if you had told us, we would’ve been looking and had another lead on the robbery, but I didn’t know you were fucked up about it like that.” I watched him close it in his fist and sniff back tears.
Real shit, Quick was one of the toughest niggas I knew, and to see his ass getting emotional had me ready to murder something. “On the bright side, you got it back ’cause it belongs to you, and on an even brighter side, I’ma tie the nigga up for you with a bow once I confirm he did that shit.”
That had his head snapping up, and he scrubbed a hand down his face. “I get to do the honors?”
My jaw twitched as I internally warred with myself. On one hand, I wanted to be the one who got to torture Jordan’s bitch ass, but I knew Quick deserved that get back more than anybody else. “You got that, but if your arm still in that sling, I’m gon’have to take the shot for yo’ crippled ass,” I joked, knowing his ass wasn’t going to be shooting shit if his arm was still fucked up.
“Ahhh, man, here you fuckin’ go! I’m good over here! All my stitches out and shit. I’m definitely A1.” He tried to shake the sling off and winced.
“Man, chill before you hurt yourself, and while you over here talking ’bout shooting niggas, you better be finding a date for that goofy ass charity. Yo’ ass probably gon’ get the lowest bid with that fucked up ass arm.”
His eyes widened because he’d probably forgotten about that shit the same way me and Valentino had. “Oh, shit!”
“Yeeeeah,muthafucka! Try and see if Micah gon’ take pity on you and be your date, ’cause you know my mama not going for Norielle.” I stood up to leave, and he followed suit.
“Maaaan, fuck you!” Even as he spoke, we locked hands and embraced in a one-armed hug. “Chill on me before I call Perfect on yo’ ass! I mean, Bliss, nigga, damn!” he screeched, jumping back to avoid my fist.
“Let me get outta here before I have to fuck you up,” I grumbled, shoving his bitch ass while he laughed.
He knew I wasn’t playing behind Perfect and insisted on fucking with me. Making my way out of the house, I ignored him cracking jokes behind me. He was lucky I needed to go put Vega up on game and rub it in his face that I was right.
CHAPTER 20
ESSENCE
“Ooooh, that’s definitely the one!” I told Bliss as she posed in the sequined gown. We were out shopping for the charity event and neither Santana nor Valentino had spared any expenses. My own Valentino gown was already being wrapped up along with the matching shoes because I was much less nitpicky than my sister and had fallen in love with my dress right away. I thought it was cute that I’d be wearing Valentino’s name down to the shoes, and I couldn’t wait until he saw me in it.
“Yeah, I like that one too, Bliss, but I think the red would be more fire. Didn’t he tell you to show out?” Micah said, and I shot her ass an evil look. Fucking with her we’d be there for another hour waiting on Bliss, and my stomach was currently in my damn back. I was so hangry I was ready to toss a whole box of shoes at her head, but I wasn’t trying to pay for anything more than I had to; I didn’t give a damn how much Valentino told me I could spend.
Frowning, she lifted her shoulders up to her ears and mouthedwhatwhile I bucked my eyes towards Bliss, who was already second guessing the dress now. “You think so? I like thered, but I’m not tryna be looking like Jessica Rabbit the first time I meet his mama.” She groaned, turning from side to side.
“Bliss, I swear to God, if you don’t come on, I’m gon’ knock all this shit over!” And I meant that. My stomach growled loudly, and their eyes shot to me.
