25. Blair
Blair
“I feel like we don’t ever see you anymore. Just because you taking a break from my brother doesn’t mean we can’t hang anymore,” Capri sipped her lemonade, as we both looked at Skyler.
Capri invited her and Jeffie up to the lake house this weekend, and she brought Estella with her. Jeffie was out of town with Menace, so she couldn’t come. “I see you every single day, Capri.” She reminded her that not only did she see her, but she worked with her.
I laughed while Capri waved her away. “Doesn’t count because I’m not in the office for most of the day, and we haven’t caught up in a while.”
Skyler took a sip of her wine and slouched further down in the couch while me and Capri both nibbled on Gam’s cookies. “I am trying to keep my head afloat.”
“Wouldn’t have to if you would allow Corleon to handle it… why do you want to struggle when you don’t have to?” I asked.
Skyler looked over at me. “She’s my baby, Blair.” Her voice cracked as she looked at me. “I can’t take the chance that anything I have going on in my personal life would jeopardize giving this man custody of her… he doesn’t even know her… I’ve been thinking of just disappearing… moving somewhere he can’t even find us.”
“Don’t you dare do something like that, Skyler. You have me and Zoya right there helping you and you will win this case and send his ass packing wherever he came from.”
She laughed. “After Corleon choked him out, I thought he would have left me alone.” I watched as she reached over the couch and grabbed her ringing phone, putting it on speaker once she saw who it was. “Hey Stevie!”
“You’re gone for the weekend, right?”
“Yes. We’re at Capri’s lake house for the weekend… what’s up?”
“Um, where do I go to renew my passport? It’s been so long since I even used it. I mean, life has been hell lately, so it wasn’t like I was about to go sit on a beach somewhere.” She rambled on, as if she called to have Skyler listen to her inner thoughts out loud.
Skyler, clearly used to it, looked at her phone. “Why do you need to renew your passport, where are you going?”
“Priscilla asked me to come with her to the Bahamas.”
“Bahamas?” Skyler nearly hollered.
“Why are you yelling like I cannot go there… what did you hear, Skyler… can you look into their security or something to see if I’m safe.” She continued on.
I had never personally met Stevie, but the girl seemed a little out there. “I’m asking because what money do you have to be going to the Bahamas… you just told me that you were broke the other day.”
Stevie laughed. “And is. Priscilla is covering the entire trip for us… said all I need is my passport. I need this trip so bad, and I know she has the money.”
“How do you know she has the money?”
“Cause she sends it to my account… something about her not being able to join a credit union bank like me.”
“Stevie… I don’t thi?—”
“Didn’t call to hear a lecture about going out the country… let me google where to renew my passport… shit… now I have to smudge that out.”
“Are you painting in the living room again?”
She giggled. “I finally have some inspiration to paint… I promise I won’t get the paint everywhere like last time. That time was an accident.... although that piece was very special because... anyway, later.” Just as quick as she called, she ended the call, and Skyler guzzled the rest of her wine.
“Stevie is way too nice. I told her that friend of hers isn’t a friend.”
“She’s grown, Skyler.” Capri reminded her, leading me to believe this isn’t the first time that Skyler had complained about her cousin.
The sun was setting, and the kids were playing in the splash pad with Estella. “She’s so good with kids. The perfect big sister,” I said, as we watched Ryder help Estella step over one of the stairs on the splash pad.
Capri smiled as she watched her. “The best big sister… loves to change poop diapers, too. Talks about Rayce all the time. I know Brandi probably be sick of hearing about my child.”
“That sounds like a her problem.”
“She had come over to pick Ry up when we first came home from the hospital.” Capri paused while trying to keep her composure. “I was nice and showed her Rayce, and she was talking over her… why Meer told her to back up because he didn’t want her blowing the souls of other children in his baby’s face.”
Skyler heaved as she tried to catch her breath. “Bitch!”
“I almost dropped my new baby because I couldn’t stop laughing… didn’t even mean to.” She swiped away the tears in her eyes.
I screamed into the pillow while falling back onto Skyler. “That man hates her, and it will never end… I know she hate to see him coming.”
After removing the pillow from my face, I saw Quasim walking into the living room. I couldn’t help the smile that came across my face whenever I saw him. “I gotta go handle something real quick.” He grabbed me around the neck, pulling my head back as he dropped a few kisses on my lips.
Skyler licked her wine glass as she watched us. “Damn, think my glasses are fogging up.” She muttered.
Quasim playfully pulled her hair. “Go talk to your man and you wouldn’t be licking the wine glass.”
As if on cue, we heard Estella squeal. “Core-Core!”
She took off running into the house, slipping onto the wooden floors. Skyler jumped up, but not before Core scooped her up as she cried.
“You good mini-Geeky… let me see.”
She pointed to an imaginary boo-boo, and he kissed her knee. “All better, right?”
Skyler walked over and stood there. He looked down at Skyler, and took her in. He missed her, you could tell from the look in his eyes. “Down now… can I go in the water, mama?”
“Only for a little bit before bath and bedtime.” She called behind Estella, who was already outside and not paying any attention to her mother.
“How you been, Geeky?”
“I’m good, Core… stop looking at me like you’re worried about me.”
“Cause I am worried about you. Not understanding why, you wanna get it out the mud when I can handle every and anything for you.”
“I don’t want to get into this ri?—”
He rubbed the side of her face. “Can I at least get one of your hugs?”
She debated on it before she roped her arms around his neck and melted into his arms. Just as much he missed her, she missed him, too.”
I turned my attention back to Capri who had finished her cookie. “Bitch, we’re out… he’s on the move.”
As I was about to explain what I meant, Meer came around the corner. “Be back, Suga.”
She puckered her lips, and he dropped a few kisses as she rubbed his burn on his face. “Be safe, and I love you.”
“Love you more.”
She waited until he rounded the corner before she turned around clapping her hands. “Alright, we on it… always wanted to go on a stakeout.”
I stared at her. “I’m driving.”
“I’m not high enough for this,” Capri yawned, as we parked on the block that we saw Quasim pull onto.
We were in her Dodge Charger because my new truck would have stood out like a sore thumb. Capri yawned again, while leaning back in her seat as we looked out for him. We saw when he parked but hadn’t seen him since he parked his car.
“It may sound crazy, but some chick Kew texted him. He wanted to run me out the restaurant, then I’m going to make sure his ass knows the same applies.”
“You really crazy for real… Quasim ain’t messing with nobody.”
“Barkey? He was all smiling up in her damn face… Capri, that man has done things to me I ain’t never had done to me… I ain’t letting up off him, so call me fucking crazy.”
Capri snickered. “The girl’s name is Berkeley. Let’s say he is meeting up with her… maybe he ending things with her like you did with Zay… By the way, I want that dress you wore on your last little date with him.”
I turned and nearly jumped out my skin. “Oh fuck!”
“What?” Capri hollered, holding her gun up in the air, as she pointed it out the window at Quasim, who was kneeled down in the window.
He was like a cat, so stealth and quiet.
I quickly put the window down. “Put the damn gun down, Pri.”
He wasn’t even rattled in the least, still his typical cool demeanor. “What the fuck you doing, Anjo? Matter fact, you gonna tell me that later… get the fuck out of here now.”
“Who is she, Quasim?”
“Who is who?”
“Kew! She sound like some exotic bitch, too… what the fuck is a Kew?”
He ran his hand down his face, as he looked at me. “Did I not just nut in you this morning? Remind me, my love… did I not?”
“Fucking eww!” Capri covered her ears, as she wished she was anywhere but between us during this conversation.
“None of that matters if you?—”
He held his hand up, silencing me as he looked past me. “It fucking matters, Blair. You think I just be busting up in anybody? Fucking and making love to anybody? Don’t piss me off.”
“It’s Anjo,” I crossed my arms and muttered.
“It’s sit fucking tight, because now I gotta worry about you in the middle of this… duck real quick.” We ducked down, as a car pulled down the block slowly, pulling a few cars in front of us on the opposite side of us. “Blaze gonna get in yo ass, too, cause what the fuck?”
“I’m riding with my girl, even though I know you not stupid enough to mess with some chick with that ugly ass name.”
Quasim was over the both of us as he looked down the street. “I’m gonna deal with you when we get back to the lake house.” I watched as he removed himself from the passenger door, and stood at full length, placing one hand into his hoodie pocket.
He moved stealthily down the block as me and Capri watched, all wrapped into what he was doing and who this bitch was.
Yes. I still thought it was some bitch with an ugly name.
I watched as Quasim walked to the car and knocked on the window. “Yo, what up, Diablo?” someone in the car called out as they extended their hand out the window. He was talking to them and then dapped them up, and went to walk away. Then, he pulled his gun out his hoodie and shot multiple times into the window.
“Oh my God… ahh,” I whispered my scream, not stupid enough to scream out loud because I didn’t know what was going on.
Capri looked at me and shook her head. “That quiet ass scream, you might as well not say nothing.”
“Sorry that I’m caught off guard.”
“This is who he is… what he does. You prepared for that, Blair? I’m Lady Inferno and that comes with a responsibility, but stepping into Queen Inferno, this is what this life is.”
We turned when we heard a motorcycle in the distance and Capri looked out the window, watching as Meer drenched the car in lighter fluid, and then swiped a match, tossing it into the car, still squirting the lighter fluid to make the fire bigger.
He and Quasim dapped each other, as he sped down the block and Sim signaled for me to start the car and follow behind him. His eyes were dark, his face stoic as he hopped into the car and pulled off.
My future husband – King Inferno.
Meer took his helmet off and gave it to Capri when we pulled into Sim’s lake house. Capri looked at me and mouthed good luck as she climbed out her car and got on the back of her husband’s bike.
I knew she would have someone pick her car up in the morning. Quasim pulled the car into the driveway, and then walked out, nodding for me to follow him into the house. It felt like I was about to be put on punishment because his face was so serious.
It was always serious.
I entered the house, and it was quiet because no one was here. Mina had occupational therapy today, so Gams and Elijah were over at Capri’s house for the night. He sat the keys on the kitchen counter and went into the fridge and grabbed a water bottle.
“Sorry, Simmy.” I whispered, as I rounded the corner into the kitchen. He had every right to be mad because not only did I invade his privacy, but things could also have gone wrong because of what he was doing.
“This is how we gonna play this, Blair?”
There he went calling me that name again. Anybody else could call me Blair, not him. Quasim Inferno couldn’t call me that because my name was Anjo or my love.
“Play what?”
He paused before he finished the rest of his water. “Following me because you don’t trust me… name one thing that I’ve done that makes you not trust me?”
“Nothing.” I muttered.
“Say that shit a little bit louder, Blair. I’m used to you following me… think that shit is cute. You crossed the fucking line this time.”
“You know I follow you?”
“Yeah, you fucking crash out.”
“Takes one to know one.”
He walked over toward me. “Difference is, I move smarter, and I actually had a fucking reason. You was all smiling in homie’s face. I ain’t fucking with nobody but yo crazy ass.”
Quasim made me crazy.
The thought of another woman being on him, talking to him, or even looking at him made me crazy. “I am not crazy.”
He paused. “Ask me what you want to know, Anjo. Don’t ask no shit that you don’t want to know the truth to.”
My heart started to race as I stared at him. “What happened back there?”
“I had a contract to fulfill.”
I paused, taking a breath. “Like a hit man?”
He leaned on the counter. “Yeah.”
“Meer, too?”
Sim shook his head no. “Blaze is a fucking pyro… he ain’t never turning down starting a fire… only steps in when I need him.”
“Diablo?”
“Only time you know me as that name is when you about to meet him.”
I walked over toward him, staring up into his eyes. “Kew?”
“Kill everything walking.”
“Huh?”
“I run with Karter Cromwell and Mo… you don’t need to know everything that I got going on. I just need you to know that I’m not fucking anybody or thinking about anybody but you.” He held my chin up and gazed down into my eyes. “My dick don’t get hard for an insecure woman, my love… if you riding this dick, then I’m gonna need you to walk around like no bitch can touch you. Cause she fucking can’t. You see Capri… she walks around like that, because nobody can touch her. She’s Lady Inferno.”
“She’s an Inferno, I’m not.”
“She’s Lady Inferno, my love… you will be Queen Inferno. Even more reason for you to stop letting shit rattle you. You got that shit in you… wear it.”
I smiled as he pulled me into his arms and kissed my neck. “Sorry, Sim.”
“If you ever do some shit like that again, Blair… we gonna have a fucking big ass problem… feel me?”
He adjusted his jaw, reaching into his mouth and removed the razor he kept there. I first witnessed it when we were in Monaco. It should have scared me, instead it intrigued me.
I nodded my head, and kissed his lips, lowering myself down onto my knees, and pulling at his pants. All that talk about his dick not getting hard for an insecure woman was bullshit because his dick was hard as I put it into my mouth while never breaking eye contact with him.
“Do you feel me, King?”
He held my head as he guided my head, while I apologized for being a crash out tonight. I couldn’t say this would be the last time, so I better had start adjusting my jaw to apologize again.