Quasim II: King Inferno (Season Four: Inferno Gods #2)

6. Blair

Blair

I was being discharged from the hospital.

The doctors told me that I was lucky to be pulled out when I was, or else I could have had some real damage done to my lungs. They discharged me with inhalers, and some device that I had to breathe into until the ball popped up at the top.

I had never been so happy to be out the hospital.

Quasim had been on go since everything happened. Every other day, the news was reporting some death, and I hadn’t seen him since the morning he left the hospital after kissing me. He checked in with me regularly, and I could always hear the exhaustion in his voice.

I missed him.

I prayed that he took what I said into consideration. As much as I loved that man, I wasn’t going to continue to chase behind him. I’ve shown him my heart and opened up to him, despite knowing his ass was a flight risk.

He needed to understand that to have the kind of love that we had, you had to fight for it. Someone wanted to come between what we had and if he fell back, he would only allow them to win. I was also smart enough to know that there was a sinister side of the man I loved, and what I had witnessed wasn’t anything compared to how he could get down.

“You are not going back to your apartment, either… you need to be around family. Quasim told me to bring you to his lake house.” Capri said, as she closed my door behind me and quickly rounded the car.

I was a little down that Quasim didn’t come pick me up himself. Shaking it off, I smiled because my girl was always going to make sure I was good. Even with a million things going on in her life, she was here early and ready to bust me out of the hospital.

“I need to make sure the studio is alright.”

Capri looked at me as she put her seatbelt on. “I stopped by there and everything is good. Quasim has some IG’s outside there so that Syn is protected.”

“Quasim or Havoc?” I snorted.

Havoc was smitten when it came to Syn, and she had no clue because all he did was come into the studio and buy fake classes that I had to refund to him. Even when I refunded the money, someway, a stack of money showed up in the front desk drawer with a note telling me to pay Syn with it.

The Inferno Gods were providers, protectors, and downright good men. If they had their eyes set on you, they were going to make sure that you became theirs, and Syn didn’t know what she was in store for.

“You know it was Sim that made the call, but Havoc that went and made sure it was enforced. Yasin even has someone over at Kiki’s shop, too.” She pulled out of the hospital’s roundabout and then turned off the property. No sooner than her wheels rolled off the curb of the hospital property, I heard motorcycles and like they always did, they surrounded her car.

Her gun rested in the cup holder as we drove further away from the hospital. My heart jumped when I saw Simmy’s bike come to my side. He put his fingers to his helmet’s mouth and then patted his heart as he took lead in front of everyone, as the rest of the Gods locked in around us.

He came.

Quameer was on Capri’s side and nodded his head and continued to keep the same speed she was going.

The triplets sped by and were making sure everything remained clear as we made the journey to the highway. Even before all of this happened, I had developed a slight fear of the highway. With the way the Delgatos and Infernos beat the highway down, a girl could only duck for so long.

No sooner than we hit the entrance ramp, Quameer signaled to his wife to increase speed as the Gods spaced out to give her space to open up her engine. Capri leaned forward, whipping in and out of lanes with one hand on the wheel and the other on her gun.

My girl wore that Lady Inferno title proudly, and she was ready for anything that came our way. “How are you both?” I questioned, knowing that things had been tense with everything that happened.

“I don’t know if I’m coming or going, Blair,” she sighed. “The girls have been sleeping in the bed with us because I don’t want them away from me. Meer hasn’t slept. I wake up to him downstairs in the office. Brandi has been asking for Peach, and he refuses for her to leave the lake house… she’s been quieter than usual, not wanting to hang with CJ.”

I reached over and gave her shoulder a small squeeze. “I’m sorry, Pri.”

“When we went back to the house,” she paused. “Peach’s bed was shot up… if Meer didn’t hear them... That could have been her in that bed dead.” She wiped away a tear that fell from her eyes. “I’ve never seen my husband so emotional, Blair. The thought that she could have been in that bed.” She heaved a sigh.

“Probably why he’s not sleeping. Meer is protective over his girls, and you three are his entire world… someone tried to bring harm to his family and for that, he can’t sleep because they have to pay.”

“Blair, they were gonna shoot my husband… I couldn’t get my badge quick enough as I watched them ready to end him… he froze because of Peach.” She quickly looked out the window at Meer signaling something to Yasin.

We couldn’t see their faces, but I knew he had a stressed expression on his face. All I could see was the back of Sim, and the back of his shirt blowing in the wind as he continued to lead us down the highway.

“There go Papa,” Capri pointed out as another bike sped out of nowhere and joined the front with Sim, who moved over so they could ride side by side.

My thoughts were everywhere with everything that happened. His home was burned to the ground with all of the memories he shared of his daughter and Cherie. That home was everything that he had left of them, and now it was gone.

Everything that he cherished was now reduced to ashes.

I tried to grab any and everything that I could, but it would never be enough. My hand found its way to my chest as I took a few short breaths. “You alright?”

“Not really. His home burned down, Capri.”

“I know… so fucked up.”

I took a minute before I looked over at her. “I met his daughter.”

Capri swerved, causing Meer to move over before rejoining her. He motioned for her to put her window down, as he flipped the visor on his helmet up. “Sug, you good?”

“I’m good, baby.” She quickly rolled the window back up and looked over at me like I was crazy. “Blair, are you sure that you’re alright?”

I had to laugh because she was very concerned for me. “When I was unconscious… she came to me.” I explained.

I noticed how Capri was getting closer to her door while trying to be supportive. “Okay. She came to you.”

“Bitch, don’t even do me like I’m crazy.”

Capri broke out into laughter. “Listen, I’m ten toes down behind you, but I was prepared to take you to Lennox Memorial on a seventy-two-hour hold.”

We both needed this laugh with all that has happened. “It felt so real. She came and hugged me, told me that her father always dreams about me, and that he needs me. Even said she sent Elijah to her father.”

“Gams said the same thing, too. She says that Harley was responsible for Elijah coming into Sim’s life, and I believe it. That little boy needed him.”

I looked at his back as I sighed. “He needed him just as much. Harley mentioned that something happened to him, Capri.”

“What do you mean?”

“She ran off with her mother and mentioned she would take care of my son.” Tears pricked my eyes, as I tried to choke them back. “I don’t know what she meant. All I know is that Sim said that the woman I saw tossing that cocktail into the house was his mother.”

“His mother set a house on fire with her own damn son inside?” Capri hollered, trying to keep her attention between me and the highway.

“Yes. The first cocktail was the room that he was staying in. I don’t know if that was a coincidence or not. I also know that Quasim never let that woman in his home, so how would she know where to throw it?”

My head was spinning, thinking about what happened and why this mother would do that to her own child. I knew addiction was something different, and at times, you weren’t thinking of anyone but yourself.

It had to be more than that.

Elijah’s mother was burning Sim’s house down for some bigger reason. Quasim was the head of the Inferno Gods, and he told me how he went over there to beat her boyfriend up a few times. She knew he wasn’t someone that you could play around with, and she still went and burned his home down.

“Yeah, I’m going to have Aimee look into her. I’m sure Sim doesn’t know anything more than her first name if that’s even her name.” Capri ran her hand through her hair.

“They hurt him, Pri… which means they hurt me.” I stared straight ahead at Quasim continuing down the highway while the rest of the IG’s kept the same pace with Capri’s car.

Midway through our drive, I had fallen asleep and woke up as we were pulling down Quasim’s block in the lakeside community. I leaned up and wiped the sleep out of my eyes as Capri put the car in park.

Both Meer and Sim sped into the driveway and killed the engine of their bikes before pulling their helmets off. Papa came in behind them and did the same, resting his helmet onto his bike, while looking at his sons.

He may have not said it often, but he was so proud of both Quasim and Quameer. There was this sense of pride in his eyes, the same look that Des Delgato had when he stared at his daughter and sons.

Meer went to speak to his father while Quasim walked over toward my side of the car. He helped me out the car and then pushed me against the side, kissing me on the lips. “How you feeling, my love?”

“Tired, and this lingering cough is annoying. Do you hear my voice?” I smiled, as he kissed my lips and every part of my face. “I didn’t think you would come pick me up.”

Quasim pulled back and raised his brow. “I’m always going to show up for you. Not when you want me to, but you don’t ever have to question that I’ll be there.”

I could see the stress and hurt in his eyes, although he tried to mask it for me and everyone else. He lost everything in that house fire, and here he was, trying to be strong for everyone. Quasim didn’t know any other way but to hold everything in and be the strength for his family.

He knew the moment that he lost control, everything would fall around him. It had always been him to catch whatever harm or stress that came to the family. As the eldest son and the head of the Inferno Gods, there was never a moment for him to be weak, even when he needed to be.

“Get her in the house so she can rest and not catch a cold. I made some soup, and Jean brought some tea, too,” Gams came out the house in her slippers with Elijah nearly clinging to her.

“Gams, it’s like ninety degrees out here,” Meer said, and she cut her eyes at him while Capri went over and hugged him.

He wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her face. Elijah saw me and his entire face lit up and he ran toward me, crashing into my body.

“Eli, we gotta be gentle with Ms. Blair,” Quasim said, as he rubbed his curls while he held onto me like he never wanted to let me go.

My chest hurt as I felt how tight he was holding onto my body, tears falling down my face. The last time I saw him, he was yelling outside the window, scared for me. He didn’t know what would happen to me or if I would live.

“Elijah, I am alright… it’s okay.” I tried to assure him as he pulled back, showing his face, wet from his tears.

Simmy looked at both of us, then looked away because I could tell he was becoming emotional. He stepped closer to us and kissed Elijah on the head and then me on the forehead as he held the both of us.

We both clung onto him like he would disappear from us. It was like all of the emotions from that night came pouring out of both me and Elijah as we held onto him. Quasim was the man that had saved us both. The man that had been so selfless and would do whatever to protect us. He was our protector, and I never wanted to lose him.

Recommendation: Hold You Down by Jennifer Lopez ft Fat Joe

I took a few hits from my inhaler as I finished my skin care and combed through my wet hair. It had been two weeks since I was released from the hospital and all I did was lay around, drink nasty tea, and eat whatever Gams prepared for me.

I’ve never felt more taken care of in my entire life between both Gams and Jean making sure that I was alright. I was pumped with Licorice tea three times a day, and they made sure I was sleeping in a reclined position.

Quasim had a doctor make home visits, and he gave me the okay to ease up off the rest restrictions. He did tell me to continue using my inhaler as needed, so out of habit, I continued to do a pump every few hours.

Elijah was sitting on the ottoman in Sim’s room when I came out the bathroom. “Auntie Pri is on the news.”

I looked at the TV, and Capri was doing a press conference. My girl’s hair was bone straight, makeup flawless, and she wore a bad, two-piece, pin striped, cream suit with golden buttons. She stood in front of the microphones as she looked straight ahead.

“A home invasion occurred in my home while my children, my husband, and I were all present. My husband defended his home with a legal weapon, and he was threatened by NJSP… one of the officers was ‘this’ close to pulling his trigger and shooting a man that was clearly in shock. My daughter was present, screaming for her father. One of the men has served this country, a veteran.” She paused. “I’m holding every fu… body responsible. Excuse my passion. I’m not allowing this to fall by the wayside… I could have been speaking about my husband in past tense. Thank you.”

She excused herself and Zoya stepped to the mic. “My client is the district attorney of the city and has been doing the work to pull this city back together. That night, she wasn’t your district attorney. She was a mother and a wife, witnessing something that could have altered her life. The cop in question has several excessive force complaints on his record. Why is he working for the city? It’s a question I plan to get the answers to for my client and her family… thank you.”

Gams was over at Capri and Meer’s Lake house, leaving me and Elijah alone. I loved Gams, but I found myself wanting her to sit down and relax at times. She wanted to take care of everyone and all I wanted to do was take care of her.

Simmy hadn’t been back to the house, and I honestly didn’t know what he was into. I prayed every morning and night and appreciated when he called to check in on me. He kept the conversation brief with me and made sure I knew that he was alright, and that he loved me and Elijah.

I just wanted him next to me every night and knew that couldn’t happen right now. Someone had to answer for the shit that happened, and he wouldn’t rest until he found out who. I heard the front door chime and saw Meer and Peach walk into the kitchen holding hands. Elijah was sitting on the stool, and I was standing behind the counter, trying to figure out what to have for dinner.

“Hey, Peach,” I abandoned the counter, and she ran to me for a hug. “How’s my favorite girl in the entire world?”

“Sad.” She sighed, and I felt my heart flip inside my chest because Peach was never sad. My girl brought the light to every space she entered.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She hugged me tighter. “Me and Daddy had a good talk about it.”

I smiled. “Okay. Do you want to skip rocks on the lake with Elijah… he’s feeling a little down, too.”

She nodded her head and then went over toward where Elijah was on his iPad.

“Hey, Meer,” I hugged him.

He kissed my forehead. “What up, Stabbalina?”

“You’re an asshole… want something to drink?” I asked while going back into the kitchen.

Meer crossed the room and took a seat where Elijah was sitting. “You got something strong?”

I opened the cabinet and pulled the bottle of rum that Simmy kept under the counter and grabbed two cups, pushing one his way. Pouring us both a healthy portion, I held my glass up and he did the same before we clinked glasses and took the drink back without wincing.

The feeling from the rum burned my chest more than usual. I needed that feeling, something to take my mind away from all the mess that was going on. “How are you, Meer?”

“Straight.”

I looked at him. “It’s me, Quameer. I know that you’re not alright… you’re my best friend. You can be honest with me, and I promise, nothing ever changes between us.”

“I fucking froze, B… they telling me to drop the gun and get down – something that my father has drilled into me since I was a teen when it comes to the cops – and I froze like a fucking idiot. Should have never put Sug in that position.”

The guilt that he carried was so strong that it sucked all the air out the room once he revealed that he wasn’t alright.

“You did what any father would do when their daughter is screaming for them. Look at me, Quameer.” He stopped looking down into his empty cup and looked into my eyes. “You protect my girl with everything that you have. You have since the moment you reentered her life. I need you to know and understand that she does the same for you. You are Capri’s entire world, and she would have done that, even if you never froze. The woman I just watched at that press conference is seething. They came for you, and this isn’t the streets. This is in her court, and she can handle them. I know it’s a lot on her at times, having to live two lives, but when Capri enters those courtrooms, she’s going to protect you the same as when she’s on her bike, riding out behind you.”

Tears fell from his eyes as he leaned back in the chair and wiped his hands down his face. “Her fucking hands and voice were shaking, and I couldn’t do shit for her. I had to stand down and allow her to handle it, even while that fucking prick was screaming at her to get down, too.”

I walked around the counter and hugged my best friend. Meer had been there for me, even before he and Capri got together. He’s seen me at my worst, and he had never judged me or made me feel less than.

“I’m sorry, Meer.”

“Sug is so damn hardheaded… I told her to take the girls and go to the compound.”

I grabbed his face and looked into his face. “Meer, you cannot keep beating yourself up for what happened. You protected the house and got the girls out of there. Capri would never leave you to hold it down alone, and I thank God that my sister was hardheaded that night because shit could have been different. I want you to stop punishing yourself for protecting your family because Capri isn’t punishing you.”

I kissed his head and gave him a tight squeeze. “Appreciate you, B.”

I smiled and returned back around the counter. “I’m always here like you were for me. You and Capri are stuck with me.”

“Shit, I saw what you did to Jesse… we gonna be friends either way. I don’t wann—” His words were cut off when I tossed the dish cloth at his head.

“You are an asshole… are you and Peach staying for dinner?”

He laughed and wiped the remaining tears from his face. “Nah. I’m driving into the city with her to see her mother. I hate to fucking admit it, but she needs her mother. Brandi has been respectful, allowing me to keep her with me, but I know she’s fucking scared, too.”

This was the most grace that I’ve seen Meer extend to Brandi. “I can only imagine how she felt hearing what was done to her bed.”

“Yeah. I can’t continue to keep her away. I told her that she can spend a few hours with her, but once Peach falls asleep, I’m going to pick her up. Don’t trust her away from me right now and Brandi understands that.”

“I’m glad she didn’t make it about herself.”

“She’s fucking with some basketball player that plays for the Los Angeles Porters. She been on her best behavior in hopes that I will allow her to bring Peach to meet him.”

I shook my head. “She doesn’t stay down for too long, huh?”

“Long as she got three holes, Brandi gonna make sure a nigga is nearby.” He looked over at me. “How you been, B?”

“Scared.”

“What up? Tell me what you feeling.” He relaxed in the chair and stared at me, waiting for me to explain why I was in this constant state of fear all the time.

“Your brother. It’s been two weeks and I’ve seen him like three times… I worry about him, Meer.”

“He’s never going to rest until he has whoever is responsible. When Cherie was murdered, it was a killing spree in the city. It was so damn bad that the founders had to get together to make it stop.”

“Why would someone do that to his home?”

“B, there is no logic or remorse in the streets. Sim knows that, and though he hasn’t processed the shit yet, he knows that niggas have lived to come for what he has. Reason he was hesitant to get with you.”

“Yeah.”

Elijah’s iPad chimed and Meer looked down at it. “I swear these games be hitting them up like they making money on the block.” He swiped up to silence the notification from the app. Elijah was drawing before Peach and Meer arrived.

“Yo, B.” He waved for me to come over and I quickly rounded the counter again as he was looking at the screen.

It was a picture of a drawing that Elijah had drawn on his sketch app. “Jesus.”

Meer’s nose flared. “B, move this shit away from me… please.”

I quickly put the iPad to sleep as I stared at Meer, unsure of what to say or do. “Harley came to me when I was unconscious.”

I expected him to look at me the same way that Capri had. “She comes to me sometimes… tells me that her father needs me. Every time she comes to me, and I check in with my brother, he always needs that conversation or that time with me.”

“She told me things happened to him, and I know it sounds silly… I believe in that. It felt so real, Meer.”

He ran his hand down his face. “That picture tells us that what she said wasn’t silly. Some people don’t believe in the dead coming to you and that’s for them to believe. I believe the shit, and before you said something, I was having a conversation with Capone and Erin about it.”

“What do we do?” my voice cracked as I watched Elijah and Peach tossing rocks into the lake.

Elijah managed to put a smile on her face. “I’m not getting the fucking police involved, I know that much.”

“I wish Simmy was here.” I admitted.

Meer hugged me. “Let him come to you and say something. We keep this between the adults until we figure this shit out, alright?”

“Okay.”

“There’s a special place in hell for people that fucking harm children. My brother is going to lose his shit, B.”

“I know.”

The picture that Elijah drew told us that he was, in fact, abused. A child wouldn't draw something like that if it didn’t happen to them. It explained so much, yet, we still had no clue what was going on with him.

Meer’s phone started to ring, and he looked at the screen, seeing that Capri was calling him. “Sug, I’m heading down to the city now. I stopped to talk with B real quick.”

“Hey, Blair… how are you feeling?”

“Better now that your mother and Gams aren’t shoving that nasty tea down my throat anymore.” I laughed, still feeling uneasy about what me and Meer just witnessed.

Meer continued his call with Capri while I cleaned the kitchen up and ordered some food on UberEATS for me and Elijah. It was just going to be the both of us, and eating dinner on the back porch sounded fun.

My hands were shaky as I washed the dishes and thought about what I saw on that iPad. Meer and Peach hugged me before they left to head to the city, leaving me and Elijah alone. I just wanted to go and squeeze him. God, how could someone hurt a baby as precious as him? Since I met this boy, he has been the sweetest angel.

When the doorbell chimed, I went to the door to grab the food. Elijah looked up from his iPad and smiled. “Red Robins? I wanted to try their burgers so bad!” He screeched.

This was the most excitement I had seen from him since I got here. “Simmy told me that you wanted to try it and since he’s been busy, we can have it here and then go to the restaurant when he’s back… okay?”

He hugged me and took the bags from me to help. I smiled as I pulled plates out and plated our burgers. “Can we eat outside, too?”

“Get out my head, lil boy. I was going to suggest the same thing.” I smiled at him as I poured the garlic parmesan fries onto each of our plates.

“I’ll carry the plates. Sim says that a gentleman always makes sure the lady is taken care of.”

I rubbed my hands through his curls and smiled. “Be careful, okay. I’m starving and I don’t want to eat a floor burger.”

Elijah giggled as he carried both of our plates to the back patio, and we both sat at the table. I had cracked open a bottle of wine while inside and poured myself a generous glass. I took a long sip as I stared out at the view of the lake.

Elijah took a bite of his burger and closed his eyes, savoring the flavors. Quasim had made plans for us to go to Red Robins the next day after staying at his house. He wanted to surprise Elijah, and then everything happened with the fire.

This was the least that I could do to make him feel better. “How does that taste, Eli?”

He was chewing and smiling at the same time, exposing the food in his mouth. “So good.”

“Simmy teaches you a lot, huh?”

He nodded his head and choked down the food he was chewing. “So much stuff, and he taught me to pray and be close to God. I wish Sim was my real dad.”

“Awe, baby. He’s an amazing dad… Did he tell you about his daughter?”

Elijah nodded and popped a few fries into his mouth. “Yes. He says she’s in heaven and looking down over us. Sim doesn’t make me feel bad when I wet the bed.”

He hung his head, and I lifted his chin. “It’s not your fault. One day, you won’t wet the bed… when you do, it’s our little secret, okay?”

“Okay.” He offered me a smile. “Ms. Blair, I wish you were my mommy,” he admitted, which hurt my heart.

All babies born into this world deserved to feel and be loved. I hated that the mothers that were blessed with these angels failed them. Thea failed this boy, and then she continued to fail him.

When I was pregnant with my son, I chose to leave because I refused for Tookie to harm my son. He deserved better than what his father could give him. I carried guilt because if I hadn’t left that night, he wouldn’t have pushed me down those steps.

“Aww, baby, I wish that, too… God picked your mommy to be your mommy. For whatever reason,” I mumbled the last part.

Elijah took another bite of his burger before looking at me. “Thea isn’t my mommy, Ms. Blair.”

He spotted a frog and quickly abandoned his meal to chase it back into the lake. I sat there, holding my chest and trying to figure out what he meant. While he was chasing the frog, I called Sim.

“What up, my love?”

“I need you to come home, baby.”

“I’m on my way.”