Page 137 of 4 Corinthians

“Ay, I gotta go,” Trey said. “I’ll check in when I know something.”

“Bet,” I replied.

“Love you li’l bro,” he said, then hung up.

***

I walked into Nine’s house, dapped him up, and looked around. I expected to hear Judah and Deuce yelling, but it was quiet. We walked to his office.

“The boys aren’t on the game?” I asked him as I sat in the chair across from his desk.

“Cross took them to Madea’s a little while ago,” he answered, and I nodded. He sat back in his seat and wiped his hand over his mouth. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“What’s up?”

“Look, I know you ain’t too keen on rehashing your past but-“

“Just ask what the fuck you gotta ask,” I told him. I knew that he would eventually start asking questions.

“Who is Corinthians to you?” he asked. I sat back, dropped my head, and laughed. “Ain’t shit funny, Four. I been down with a lot of shit. Didn’t ask questions, just knew that Robert was on some fuck shit back in the day. I didn’t ask questions because I knew that shit was heavy. I’ve seen the fuckin’ scars, been there with you to pull you out that dark place, I sat in rooms while you cried. I heard the screaming you do at night when you think no one is awake. I did it because you ain’t just my cousin, you’re my fuckin’ brother. But I know it’s something more than just y’all clicking. It’s a story there, a history.”

“It is,” I nodded and turned to look out the window. “She, um.” I wiped my hand over my mouth, then sighed. “Her parents, they sold her to Robert.”

“Sold her to Robert?” he repeated, and I nodded. “What the fuck do you mean they sold her to Robert?”

“I don’t know the full details; shit don’t even matter at this point because it can’t be undone, but all that shit I went through as a kid? Yeah, she did too.”

“When the fuck were you going to tell me this?” he asked. “I been over here making moves with you with no questions and you’re telling me my wife’s cousin was sold to Robert?”

I turned and looked at him. “Would it have changed anything?” I asked him. He hesitated, and I nodded. “Exactly. My past, that fuck shit Robert put me, Trey, and Eight through, wasn’t just for us. There are so many people involved that I don’t even know half of them. I just know the ones that affected me. Cori’s parents? They affected me because of her. Ruben knew Robert from back in the day; they linked back up when we were kids. Robert already had me fighting; I don’t remember a time I didn’t fucking fight Nine. I didn’t grow up like you did. My mama didn’t love me. She let that nigga do what he wanted to do to us. Hell, he did what he wanted to her! We were all in that prison together. That big ass house that nigga got? It ain’t ever been home. The only time I ever had peace was when I was with Cori. In those cages, in some random basement. It didn’t matter where as long as she was next to me.”

“Four-“

“The first time I ever saw her was at a fight; she bit a niggas throat out. Robert had already claimed her. He called her his pet.” I stood and started to pace in front of his desk. Nine knew enough about my childhood to know it was fucked up, but he didn’t know the small details. The shit that kept me up at night. “She fought, for years, to keep Psalms safe, but it didn’t work.” I wiped my hand over my mouth. “Ruben sold her to Jonathan.”

“He sold…”

“Cori was my only saving grace; she kept me sane,” I cut him off. Not because I didn’t care about Psalms’ story, but I couldn’t stomach it. I was barely able to handle my own; holding on to hers would crush me.

“Alright,” Nine said, nodding. “My wife’s cousins were sold to Robert and Jonathan.”

“Don’t think too hard on it,” I told him. “Don’t get caught up in the small details because you’ll realize how much of a favor your mama did for you by keeping you away. That’s why I always tell you to give grace to Trey and Eight.”

“They went back in,” he said, shaking his head.

“Despite what they went through, they went back in because they know what Robert and Logan are capable of. Psalms and Cori handled Jonathan. But those two? They are for me, Trey and Eight.”

“Then kill him now.”

“Can't kill what you can't catch,” I chuckled and sat back down. “They're not just over there twirling their thumbs. It’s been years, and Trey just got close to Robert again. He said Robert doesn’t trust Logan.”

“When did he tell you this?” Nine asked. He didn’t trust Trey or Eight. He had his reasons, but I had mine to know they’d done what they had to do to get where they were. Neither Robert nor Logan trusted them in the beginning, and probably didn’t now, but they needed them. “You still talk to Trey?”

“He’s my brother,” I answered. “We went through shit you’ll never understand. I won’t just turn my back on him.”

“I get that but-“

“No buts, Nine. That’s my brother.”