Chapter 17 #2
“Man, watch out. The only reason your ass didn’t kill these hoes is that you didn’t feel like dealing with Gunna or the clean-up crew. You just told the team to only kill if there was immediate danger, so you couldn’t go back on your word,” he called out.
“Well, yeah, that too.” I chuckled. The streets had been fairly quiet, and I wanted to keep it that way.
Killing those women would have opened the door to a bunch of untrained, wannabe thugs coming to avenge their loved ones, and it would have only led to more bodies being dropped.
If I was going to go to war, it would be with real street niggas and for a worthy purpose.
None of these hoes were worth the hassle.
We chopped it up for a little while longer until the girls finished up. I was nice enough to arrange for all those bitches to get dropped off at Bianca’s house so they could tend to their wounds.
After I discussed a little business with my crew, I dipped out so I could go see my family.
Lyric’s ass thought I was playing, but I was just getting started.
I took her to grab food earlier, but I was starving, so I stopped by one of my favorite Chinese restaurants and got myself a combo plate.
I damn near smashed the whole plate before I could pull out of the parking lot.
My day had been busy, and I forgot to eat.
Once I was done, I drove out to Nauri’s house. I didn’t even bother to call first because I knew he wouldn’t mind. My spendanight bag was packed and ready in the back seat.
“Oh, shit. What’s good, bro? I wasn’t expecting you to drop by, but I’m glad you did.
I’m working on these tracks, and I need your opinion on some things.
Plus, I want to chop it up with you about what happened earlier.
Lyric has been kind of tight-lipped about the situation, but it ain’t sitting right with me,” Kaynauri rambled as he led me into the house.
“I got you. Where she at anyway?”
“Oh, she’s upstairs with Noodle. She said she needed to lay down after we ate,” he informed me.
“Alright, cool. I’ll be right back. I need to holla at her.
” I didn’t wait for a response from him as I headed upstairs to her room.
When she first told me she had a room at her brother’s house, I let her know it was gonna be a waste of space.
She could spend as much time with her brother as she wanted during the day, but there weren’t gonna be any overnights.
I was still pissed about her breaking that rule.
The moment I stepped into the room, Noodle spotted me and leaped into my arms. I held her tightly, peppering her face with kisses as she giggled. I instantly relaxed with her in my arms because she brought me so much peace.
“Umm, what are you doing here?” Lyric asked in a groggy tone.
“What do you mean? My family is here. Where else would I be?”
“East, please don’t start. You said you were gonna give me time to tell him.”
“Oh, I’m East now? Any other time, you address me as Essex,” I called out. Her attitude didn’t matter to me one bit because she knew where I stood on the subject.
“I only call you Essex in private, or when we’re around family.”
“Oh, so your brother isn’t family now?” I quizzed, arching my brow as I stared at her.
It didn’t matter whether I was upset with her or not; my woman was the most exquisite creation I had ever laid eyes on.
Whether she was glammed up or simply dressed in an oversized tee and biker shorts, she looked like a runway model.
“You know what I mean. You’re pushing the issue as if you don’t trust me to handle it.”
“And why should I trust you? Huh? This has been going on for years, and you’ve been dragging your feet. I’m telling you right now, this wouldn’t have lasted this long had you been anyone else. There wouldn’t be a relationship to tell him about.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means, if I didn’t love you the way I do, you and I would be co-parenting only. This shit is childish, and I’m not with it, but I’m done talking about it. The next conversation that’s gonna be had will be with Keyz.” I shrugged, turning my attention to my baby.
“I missed you. Why didn’t you call me this morning? You don’t love me anymore? Huh?” I tickled her belly as she laughed and squirmed in my arms.
“I forgot. Sorry, Daddy! I promise!” Symphonee grabbed my face, planting a kiss on my cheek. Her little ass knew I was a sucker for her kisses.
“I forgive you. Don’t let it happen again though.”
“Okay.”
“Daddy’s gonna go hang out with uncle Keyz. I’ll be back when it’s time for bed. I love you.”
“Love you, Daddy.”
Noodle got down from my arms and climbed back into bed with her momma.
Baby girl was a daddy’s girl through and through, but she didn’t play about her momma.
She could tell Lyric wasn’t feeling well and wanted to stay by her side.
All I could do was smile as I stood there admiring my heart in front of me.
“I’ll be back.”
Instead of responding, Lyric rolled her eyes at me. She could be mad all she wanted, but I meant what I said. The countdown had already started, and I wasn’t playing with her.
Keynauri and I chilled in his home studio, and bro had the shit laid out. It was nice as hell and further proved he was hungry for the hustle. His music was solid, and I already knew it was about to do numbers when the album dropped.
“Are you nervous about people finding out who you really are?” I probed.
When he first told us he wanted to remain anonymous, none of us truly understood where he was coming from, but he was my brother, so I was going along with the plan regardless.
“I don’t know how to feel. A part of me is anxious because I’m not sure how people will receive me, but then there’s another part that’s excited.
The label already has my schedule booked with shows and appearances.
When I was locked up, I dreamed of the day I would be able to be free and perform my songs live on a real stage.
Now my dreams are about to become a reality. It still feels surreal at times.”
I nodded my head in understanding. I gained a lot of respect for Keynauri for the way he handled his bid.
Most people would have probably cracked and lost their minds, but he stayed motivated, not allowing his circumstances to hinder him.
There were times when I knew he was fucked up mentally, but he only spoke on the positive things in his life.
Every time I talked to him, his main concern was for his daughter, Lyric, and Noodle. Even when I reassured him they were all straight, he still went out of his way to make sure they had everything they needed. Bro was as solid as they came.
“Shit is about to get crazy, but you deserve all of the success coming your way. I know this shit ain’t been easy, but you walked that bid down like a G, and now it’s time for you to reclaim your life. Don’t let anything or anyone get in the way of your success.”
“Thank you, bro. I don’t mean to get sentimental, but I truly appreciate you and LJ holding me down. Outside of Keyami, Lyric was my biggest concern. I was more stressed about her on the outside than I was about myself. Y’all held shit down and looked out for my family, and I’m grateful.”
“We’re family, so it’s nothing. I know if it had been me, you would have done the same.”
“No question,” Keynauri replied before his phone started going off. He declined the call, but it rang again. I chuckled at the irritated expression on his face.
“Woman problems?” I inquired, knowing only a woman could bring that level of frustration.
“Man.” Keyz huffed. “Between my baby mama and these other bitches, I’m over it.
I’ve only hooked up with a couple chicks, but Tiana found out about it and has been giving me hell ever since.
She’s acting like I was making jailhouse promises to be a family, and that was never the case.
I considered her family on the strength of our child, but she has been showing her ass.
Then these bitches are messy as hell. You can’t even get your rocks off without a bitch trying to take a picture of you to prove they were with you. Shit is crazy.”
I chortled, knowing exactly where he was coming from.
It was one of the main reasons I cut a lot of women off when I was out there doing my thing.
It didn’t matter how many times you told them you weren’t looking for anything serious; they would still try to pull some slick shit.
When they started messaging Lyric, that was when I knew I had to put an end to things once and for all.
They didn’t know how to stay in their lane, and I couldn’t have anything messing up my home, even when we weren’t official.
“Yeah, it’s crazy out there. Social media has made it worse because these broads want everyone to know what they are doing and who they’re fucking.
I had to fall back from bitches as a safety precaution.
The last thing I wanted was for someone to post a picture of me in their bed and one of my opps catch me slipping.
Hell, that’s how Seven got killed. His girl posted them at Denny’s, and his opps slid on him and shot the place up.
They had to put his girl in the crazy house because the guilt sent her spiraling,” I told him.
The story was all over the local news, many blaming his girl for being careless.
I got on Lyric about it when that happened because I didn’t want to risk them ever being in the line of fire.
Now, she only posted her location after she had already left.
You could never be too careful, and I would paint the whole state red if something ever happened to my girls.
“Damn, she’ll probably be fucked up for the rest of her life. My team has been on me about using my security, but I’ve been pushing back for the time being. I’m not sure how things will go after my show, but for now, I want to live as normally as possible.”