Page 61 of Just Like Summer

“Never switching up, on Azul,” she muttered with a smile.

“See you trying to see how I’ll fold for you in public.”

“No, I’m not,” she teased before walking away.

Cairo groaned to himself and watched her find a spot at a table. The moment Kamilla sat down, she began to fidget with her phone. Keeping half his attention on Kamilla, he moved to the window and looked up at Pepe. “Everything cool?”

“Shit quiet…too quiet,” Pepe stated, looking down at him. “Tres got everything?”

Cairo bobbed his head. “I’ll let you know when we back online. We got to maneuver through this Tiny shit. He singing. I know he is. It’s so fucking loud it’s deafening.”

“Nigga big and soft,” Pepe spoke, kissing his teeth. “What you getting your girl tonight?”

“You already know we getting that C4 special,” Cairo spoke. A car blasting RowdyRedd pulled his attention from Pepe and Kamilla to the direction. The moment he spotted Martez, Hype and Chuckee, he grimaced. On all the nights to be having static with him, this wasn’t the night. Not with his lady here and all these bystanders.

“I’m strapped,” Pepe announced, earning a nod of appreciation from Cairo.

Cairo positioned his body to see Martez, his group of idiots, and Kamilla. She was distracted on her phone, more than likely texting Dania. Head down and unaware that she could be in danger. That was his fault. He created a veil of safety for her.

Martez and Chuckee approached while Hype remembered the ass whopping he got. Chuckee, not so much. Cairo was convinced that he was slow. No way could someone beat Cairo’s ass constantly and walk around being untouched.

“Look at that. It’s true,” Martez blew. “Posting up with my little cousin to clear your bitch ass conscience.”

Cairo winced. “You can try me anywhere and I’ll take you up on the challenge. You know that. Anywhere but nowhere she is. I’ve only kept you out the Gardens because of her but that’s a ticking bomb I wouldn’t fuck with.”

“Nigga, you like talking. You been talking every fuckin’ day since. I’m right here. Said when you seen me it was going to be my blood on the pavement. Ain’t none of my blood on the pavement yet,” Martez pressed.

Cairo itched with irritation. Any other time he would’ve put a bullet between his eyes and moved on. Regardless if Kamilla couldn’t stand the nigga, the family was grieving and unlike Martez and the set he claimed, he was an Azul with a set of morals. That, and he knew that Martez was only playing gangsta. Ducking and dodging real time, running when shit got heavy, the time for that was coming to an end.

Cairo removed the space between them. “I’m with my lady. I know you sweet on these niggas and I’ll hate for them to watch their favorite bitch get what he’s asking for. I owe you a punched ticket. I’m exhibiting self-control because your fake ass daddy’s niece got enough scars of trauma. But stop fuckin’ pushing me, nigga.”

Martez smirked, shoved him and threw a punch that Cairo dodged because he anticipated Martez attempting to keep the little bit of credit he had. Cairo’s long arms delivered a series of punches that made Martez stumble back. A fight his homies couldn’t even help him with. They knew better.

Spitting blood on the concrete Martez shouted. “Ay, little Mila you putting that little pussy on a pussy ass nigga!”

Pepe whistled and swayed his head. “C4, don’t get his blood on my shit.”

Martez knew what he was doing, he only expected that Cairo would keep going back and forth with him. Those were two places that Cairo hated going. The mere mention of Kamilla in any way that didn’t honor who she was would forever be a problem.

Without Nate to pull him back from fully spilling into the dark, Cairo blacked out, beating Martez through the park. He forgot about people’s businesses, customers, even children. All he saw was Martez running from the scene of the crime with a gun and a chip on his shoulder.

“Cairo!” Kamilla screamed, abandoning her spot to run toward the chaos. The chaos didn’t matter to her, he did. “Cairo!”

Her scream sounded like it was in a vacuum.

“Cairo!” her shouts closer. Then she touched him. In the middle of the mayhem, the parents calling the cops, the kids and innocent bystanders rushing away. “Cairo, stop!”

She yanked him off of Martez. “We got to go!”

Martez staggered to his feet. “That’s what you want? A bitch ass nigga like that?”

“Don’t fuckin’ talk to her, muhfucka. I’ll blow your fuckin’ head off!” Cairo shouted pointing at him as Kamilla shoved him back to the car.

“Cairo! We got go,” Kamilla urged, fear rattling her words.

So deep in the anger and frustration he held when it came to Martez, Cairo didn’t even realize that Kamilla had pushed him into the passenger seat. By the time he realized she was speeding away from the aftermath of his blackout, she was blocks in the opposite direction.

“Take the next left,” he grumbled. “Circle the block, park at the abandoned shopping center.”