Chapter 6 Bishop #2
I parked in the worker’s parking lot and Asante and I entered the backdoor together.
“Have fun,” Asante said.
“I’ll try.” I turned around and leaned into him. Asante kissed me briefly and winked at me before he headed toward his office and I headed into the chaos that was the club.
Rook was already in attendance standing in our usual section with a ton of women and a few men.
I was surprised when I saw that the entire family had actually come out.
Knight and King were sitting together. Knight had an arm wrapped around Casmi who was nursing a little drink and dancing slightly in her seat.
Xavia and Nova were in a far corner of the section dancing together and laughing.
“What’s up?”
I entered the section, dapped up my brothers and some of the men I knew and hugged my sister-in-laws. Then, I collapsed on the couch beside King.
Rook walked over, sat beside me and immediately offered me the blunt he had in his hand. I took it from him and took a long draft then handed it back.
“Where you been?” Knight looked me over.
“Out,” I said simply.
He nodded once at that but didn’t press. My brothers knew I liked to keep shit close to my chest and they never tried to push.
“We hear anything about the Cortez brothers?” I asked instead.
“Nah, not yet,” King said. “When he comes up for air, we’ll get him though.”
“And if he thinks what happened to his brother was insane, wait till I get my hands on that nigga,” Rook grumbled.
“Either way, keep y’all ears to the street,” I said simply. “Don’t start feeling untouchable just because we have one brother knocked off the map.”
“We always do,” Knight said simply.
He leaned back in his seat and tossed an arm behind the couch.
“Is that why y’all are out tonight?” I asked. “Y’all trying to lure little brother out?”
“The sooner we get this shit taken care of, the better.” King shrugged.
I nodded. “Alright.”
“Nah,” Knight shook his head and sat up to grab a bottle. “We’re out because we couldn’t have Rook crying ass crying in the house.”
“Fuck out of here,” Rook snickered. “Ain’t nobody worried about that girl.”
“Who mentioned a girl?” Knight looked at King who shrugged.
“Not everybody can just be happily married and shit,” Rook said.
“Nigga, you don’t even want to be married for real,” King pointed out. “You just be saying shit to say it.”
“Just saying shit ‘cause it sound good,” Knight added.
“That’s what I do,” Rook shrugged. “Million dollar mouthpiece.”
“And how’s that working out for you?” King asked seriously.
“Having the time of my motha’fuckin life,” Rook said. “Ask Bishop. He out here enjoying his bachelor freedom too.” Rook hit me on the back.
I pushed him away from me with one hand and he laughed as he climbed to his feet. I watched as the smile on his face vanished for a second. I leaned slightly and tried to follow his gaze.
Fuck.
Sydney was in the crowd and seemingly walking toward us.
“All I know is every Barron for the last traceable generations have been intentionally born so y’all niggas better be using protection,” King said simply.
Rook turned all the way around and we both gave that nigga a look at the same time, one of the rare times we mirrored each other as twins.
“Who the fuck walking around fucking these hoes without condoms?” Rook asked and turned his lip up. “That shit is crazy.”
“Even without babies, diseases are real.” Knight added.
“Damn, nigga. You want me to add a fucking health service class to our family schedule?” Rook checked. “The fuck is this coming from?”
Casmi giggled and turned her head so we couldn’t see the expression.
“Just a reminder, especially for you.” King pointed at Rook.
“Man, whatever.” He waved him off.
“Rook!” Sydney yelled from the entrance to the section.
He did a double take then looked between the four of us.
“I’ll be back,” he said.
He walked over to Sydney and leaned into her. They whispered back and forth for a minute before Sydney grabbed his hand and started to pull him along. He looked back, smiled at us and let her lead him away. I shook my head but didn’t say shit.
I settled back in my seat and scanned the section carefully. Outside of a few women I knew everyone in attendance which put me at ease. I had two shots with Knight and smoked a joint while I chilled with my brothers.
Eventually Knight got up to dance with his wives. Xavia came over and collapsed in King’s lap. We bobbed to the music and talked about some of the upcoming shipments we needed to work on.
Knight was the first one to call it a night when his wives both looked like they were fried.
I helped him get them out of the section and to his whip.
I double checked that they were buckled in and dapped him up.
Then, I stood in the parking lot and watched until he was out on the street and headed back to the section.
King was talking to a few of the men who worked with us and I just sat there and listened since I didn’t have anything I wanted to add.
He was the second one to head out. By the time I walked him and Xavia to their ride and went back up, Rook and Sydney were back in the section.
“What’s up, Syd?” I gave her half a hug and collapsed on the couch beside her.
“Hey Bishop.” She gave me a huge smile and I nodded once then checked my phone so I didn’t stare.
I loved my brother and I was down whenever he needed me for whatever he needed me for. I wasn’t getting in the middle of his relationship though. Whatever he chose to deal with or not deal with was his business.
My thoughts drifted to Asante over and over while I was chilling with Rook, just vibing and people watching.
We texted each other a few times while I was chilling in the club but honestly I was down to just chill with him in his office instead of sitting out here in the club with the smoke, noise and my brother and his sometimes woman, sometimes not.
Even then I just hung out for a while with Sydney dancing all over Rook until it was two and time for the club to close. We all climbed up and Rook grabbed the bottle we hadn’t finished and somehow was able to get another woman to agree to go home with him and Sydney.
I dapped Rook up and walked him and the women to his car.
“You good?” Rook asked.
“Yeah. I’m good.”
“You heading out?”
I thought about it for a moment but knew immediately that wasn’t really what I wanted to do. I wanted to see Asante again, even if it was just for a moment.
“In a little while.”
Rook didn’t ask any more questions. I knew he didn’t have to. He just nodded once.
“Be careful and hit me up if you need me.”
“Alright.”
I watched him head out the parking lot then headed back in the club. It was emptying quickly and the lights were already on. I walked back to Asante’s office and knocked on the door.
“Come on,” he called.
I pushed the door open and peeked inside.
“What’s up? You still have a lot of work to do?”
“Nah. I’m wrapping up right about now. Why? What’s up?”
“Look, I’m gon be real with you.” I walked further inside and pushed the door behind me. “I want to take you home, Asante.”
He dropped the pen he was holding on to his desk.
“You want to take me home?” he repeated.
“That’s right.”
“But?”
“But I don’t know if I want to deal with Rook and his two overnight friends,” I admitted.
Asante nodded at that. He looked off for a beat then back at me.
“I have a house,” he said simply. “And no roommates so why don’t I bring you home this time?”
“Is that what you want to do, Asante?”
He nodded once. “Been.”
A smile crossed my face and I nodded too.
“Alright.”
“Give me five minutes to wrap this up and you can follow me out.”
“Alright. I’ll be in the parking lot. I’m going to check on some shit and smoke a cig.”
“Alright, cool.”
I let myself out of his office and to the back parking lot.
I lit my cigarette up as I walked and pulled my phone out.
I checked the Barron Family Estate cameras, going back and making sure all of my brothers and sister-in-laws made it home safely.
Then, I checked the camera at the house me and Rook shared but he wasn’t home just yet.
I checked his location and made sure he was still in motion.
Then, I froze and my head fell forward when I felt a gun pressed to the back of my head.
Fuck.
I let my cigarette fall from my mouth.
“Put your hands on the top of the car,” the younger Cortez brother snapped.
I put my hands on the hood while my brain immediately started factoring through several different outcomes.
I thought about the chance I could duck fast enough to throw him off, get to my gun and flip the safety off.
I knew I had a knife tucked at the bottom of my leg.
I knew if I got it in hand this nigga was done for.
I was almost better with blades than guns.
I felt his hand reach down and he freed my gun from where it was tucked in the back of my pants. I shifted my leg slightly to see if I could get a feel for my knife. I gauged where our feet were planted and tried to plot how close we were.
“Look-”
He cut me off. “Shut up.”
Bingo.
I noted he was just a little bit shorter than me. I could headbutt him easily. I knew his height and how far back he was. I stood still while he searched my pockets and prepared for whatever came next.
“Hands up, gun down.” Asante’s voice had me letting out a long exhale and my head jerking up.
“Who-”
Asante cut him off. “You don’t talk to me. Ever,” he snapped and I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard his voice sound the way that it did. “What do you want me to do, B? Kill him?”
I turned around slowly.
“Take two steps back and drop to your knees. You can do it willingly or I can blow your head off and have you drop to your back.” I heard Asante’s gun click in place. “Move.”
The younger Cortez dropped to his knees and linked his hands behind his head. Asante grabbed both guns from his hand and pat him down quickly.