"You need more men," she said finally. Not a question. A statement. "I can have twenty ready by sunrise."
"I got what I need," I said.
"You'll need backup for the intercept."
"I got Namier, Mars and the team Zaire put together. They solid, no question about it. That's all I need."
She didn't like it. I could see it all over her face. My mother didn't like not being in control. Didn't like being asked to step back. But she was smart enough to understand what was happening. Her son wasn't asking for her blessing anymore. He was telling her how it was going to be.
"What about Brick Boyz?" she asked. "What about retaliation? You a big boy, so you say. You ready for that? Or you gone need our saving?”
"Let them come," I said. "They already know who I am now. They already know I'm not playing. Let them show up on my compound again and the bloodshed gone flood the city. I don’t need saving, them niggas will though.”
My father nodded once. Just once.
My mother looked between us, and I watched her recalibrate. Watched her shift from being the one in charge to being the mother of the one that’s in charge now. I knew she didn’t like this shit. They wanted to retired, but didn’t know how to sit the hell down.
"Son. I want you to know that I trust your call and your judgment. This isn’t something I expect you to jump straight into though. This ain’t what I pictured as the start of you stepping into your position. If you got it, then I’ll stand down. Just let me know.” she asked.
"I know what I’m doing. If I don’t send a message and dead this with my name attached, that’ll make muthafuckas think new management is something to play with. I’m doing the complete opposite.”
She sat back against the headboard, her arms crossed. Her eyes were still sharp, still calculating, but the immediate need to control the situation had passed.
"Then handle it," she said. "And Kaseem? Don't come back here telling me about losses you could have prevented because you wanted to prove something."
"I'm not proving anything," I said. "I'm taking over."
She almost smiled at that. Almost.
I turned to my father. "Elijah said Brick Boyz moved into our territory intentionally. Said you shut down business with them months ago. He made it sound like there was more to that story than business not working out. They made it clear that now South Dallas is theirs and that’s why Darius got killed. Them niggas ain’t taking nothing from us but bullets, and that’s on my life."
Kadeem's expression didn't change. But his eyes did. That same something moved behind them.
"We'll talk about that tomorrow," he said. "After you handle the shipment and the smoke is clear, we’ll have a real sit down."
"Aight," I said.
I stood up and walked to the door.
"Kaseem," my mother said.
I stopped and looked back at her.
"Don't get killed over this," she said. And underneath the words was something else. Underneath was pride. She wanted to scare me into backing down but there was two things my motherhad to do. Let go of the throne, and let her baby boy step into position and spread his wings.
"I won't," I said.
I left their room and walked back down the hallway toward the front door. Behind me I could hear my mother already whispering to my father, probably about what moves to make from her end, what to prepare for, how to handle things while I was handling things.
But she wasn't making calls.
And that meant she understood.
Her son had just claimed his place.
Through all of this, my mind kept falling on Tattiana and how she really come through with the quickness for a nigga. She was hiding something. I needed to know what it was. She wanted her privileges back too damn bad. Where would she go?
Iheard his truck pull up to the compound around 6am. I knew that sound of his keys by now. The way he entered the house and all I heard was swift footsteps like a nigga who had something on his mind.
