“I don’t blame you, girl. Fuck niggas.”
“Or fuck niggas,” I blurted, laughing.
“Or both.”
CHAPTER
FOUR
Troublewill find me.
“Leodis, he’s coming back.”
“Get behind my desk, Sherry. Keep quiet.”
“Leodis– he has a g–”
“I’ll see you in hell, Po–.”
My mind wandered to the hurtful place I revisited more often than not. The voicemail my mother had left the day she and my father were murdered replayed in my head again. It was cut short by the sound of fire. Bullets were lodged into my mother’s head and into my father’s heart.
I still hadn’t forgiven myself for not answering that call. Just four and a half blocks away, I didn’t feel the need to. I would be pulling up on her within a few minutes. I’d talk to her then.
What I didn’t know was I’d never talk to her again. I walked into my father’s shop, immediately feeling a sense of uneasiness.The sight of my parents lying on the floor, blood joining near the end of his desk, was one I couldn’t scrub from my memories if I tried.
I shook my head, forcing the image from it as I turned another corner.
“Early in the morning. Late at night,” I sang. “It don’t even matter what time it is.”
Bobbing my head, attempting to bring myself from the hell I lived in since the death of my parents, I hit another corner.
“I will wait for you.”
The fresh bouquet of flowers was riding shotgun. We had a very special lady to visit. And, the mere thought of her had a nigga smiling behind the tint. Anticipation was kicking my ass. Popping up unannounced had become my least favorite pastime with Hyphen, but it was addictive. So was she.
I kept coming, hoping one day she’d be behind that door, inviting me in or simply keeping me company on the porch. I wasn’t pressed to gain entry into her private quarters, but I was pressed to be in her presence.
Baby girl kept me yearning. I wasn’t sure if she understood how much the thought of her made my heart ache. She was something I needed. Something my body needed. Not just something I wanted for the thrill, the chase, or the title. I genuinely wanted her around because I knew that I would treat her well.
Treat her right. Treat her with care. Treat her with respect. Treat her with fairness. Spoil her pretty ass. Fuck her right. And, keep her laced with the finest. I’d work my fingers to the bone to make sure Hyphen didn’t go without shit.
I made the final turn onto baby girl’s street. Heat rushed through me. The smile I’d been sporting quickly faded. I sat up, unlocking my seat belt. My fingers gripped the wheel tighter as Iwatched Hyphen run out to the blue Vette. She opened the door, dropping her ass right in his seat.
And this nigga got my bitch touching handles and shit. Fuck she get this pussy from?
The jumper thing she wore had her ass sitting perfectly. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Shades covered her eyes.
You gone make me catch a case, Trouble.
Instead of falling back, I waited until they pulled off and pulled behind them. Block after block, I tailed the unsuspecting duo, sure to keep a healthy distance.
Baisleigh’s House was the first stop. They filled their bellies and hopped back in the whip. As we hopped on the e-way, my sense of direction kicked in and I decided to take another route to the shopping plaza I was certain Hyphen was headed to.
Ding.
The sound of the bell ringing above my head in the pizzeria announced my presence. It hadn’t taken me long to find the blue corvette in the plaza once I arrived. My patience was at an all-time high. Instead of waiting in my car, I slid into a booth beside the window that gave me a clear view across the street and took a good look at the menu. I’d be here for a minute.
“What can I get for you today, sir?”
