Chapter 16 Pressure Mensah #2
I poured up a drink, my mind racin’. “Yeah, I know. They gon’ try to play this like ‘Lo the problem. They don’t give a fuck about who shot first.”
Renza sat up and shook his head. “I’m tellin’ you right now, they gon’ hit him with that overkill shit. They said he fired twelve rounds. They gon’ say that’s excessive.”
I took a slow sip, lettin’ the burn hit my chest. “They can call it what the fuck they wanna call it. That man kicked his door in. You come for mine, I’m emptyin’ the whole clip too.”
The room went quiet after that. Nobody wanted to say it, but we all knew the truth. Kay’Lo was lookin’ at a real case, and the laws out here wasn’t like Trill-Land’s. This city had a record of makin’ examples outta black men who defended themselves.
I spent hours makin’ calls, checkin’ with my lawyer, sendin’ money, and signin’ electronic papers.
I done pulled every string I could pull, but Kay’Lo’s name kept comin’ up with red flags.
Every call ended the same. “It’s complicated.
” “He’s bein’ held without bond.” “They can’t release him until the DA reviews it. ”
By the time I finally sat down on the bed, my phone had thirty-somethin’ messages. Most of ‘em was business, but the ones that stood out was from Pluto.
The first text was calm. Hey baby, just checking on you.
Then another one a few hours later. You didn’t answer, I’m starting to get irritated.
Then the last one. You always claim you love me but disappear like this. I don’t know what you got going on but I’m not stupid.
I sighed and rubbed my hand over my head. She had every right to be mad, but I ain’t had no time to explain shit. I had my people locked up, and I couldn’t think straight till he was free. Still, the guilt sat heavy.
I stepped out on the balcony. I hit her number, and she answered on the third ring.
Her voice came sharp, full of attitude. “So, you finally decided to call?”
I leaned on the railing. “Don’t start that, baby. I been handlin’ somethin’ serious. I texted you.”
“Texted?” she snapped. “Pressure, I been calling you all damn day. You ain’t pick up once. I don’t care about no text. If you wanted to talk to me, you would’ve.”
“I’m talkin’ to you now, ain’t I?”
“That’s not the point. You can’t go over twelve hours without checking in and think that’s okay.”
I exhaled slow, tryna stay calm. “Baby, I ain’t out here playin’. I’m workin’ on somethin’ real.”
She was quiet for a second, then her voice dropped soft. “So, what are you handling, Pressure? You out there doing something you ain’t got no business doing? Are you cheating on me? Is there someone else?”
I froze for a minute ‘cause the question caught me off guard. “What? Baby, don’t even play with me like that.”
“Well, what else am I supposed to think?” she asked, her tone rising. “You gone all day, barely texting, won’t answer your phone, and when you finally call, you act like I’m crazy for asking what’s going on.”
“Baby,” I said, keepin’ my voice calm. “Ain’t nobody out here touchin’ me but you. You the only one I want.”
She ain’t say nothin’, just breathed hard into the phone. I could picture her sittin’ there in that big ass bed with her hair tied up, lips pressed tight, and tryin’ to hold her ground.
“I’m just handlin’ some shit with Kay’Lo,” I said finally. “Nothin’ for you to stress about, baby
Her voice softened a little. “So you can’t even tell me what’s happenin’?”
“Baby,” I said. “Everything good. I’m comin’ home to y’all. I’ll be there tonight or first thing in the mornin’.
Her silence said everything. Then she whispered, “I don’t even know if I can trust you right now.”
That hit. I clenched my jaw and said, “So you really think a nigga fuckin’ around on you?”
She paused for a long time before sayin’, “I don’t know what the fuck you doing, Pressure. I just know this don’t feel right.”
“You trippin’, baby,” I said, my tone low but real. “You the only one I want. I love you, you hear me? I’m comin’ home to you.”
In the background, I heard my son start cryin’. The sound softened me right away. “Put me on speaker,” I said. “Let my lil’ man hear my voice.”
She sighed. “Pressure, I don’t feel like playin’.”
“I ain’t playin’,” I said. “Just put him on. Let him hear me.”
She hesitated but did it. The moment I heard his tiny cry through the phone, I smiled. “Daddy love you, Prestyn.”
Pluto’s voice came lower now. “I gotta go, Pressure. I need to feed him.”
“You can feed him while we talk,” I said. “I wanna hear your voice too, baby.”
“So now you wanna talk?” she asked, her tone drippin’ with attitude.
“I been wantin’ to, baby. I just been movin’ around. I’mma make it up to you when I get back, I promise. I miss you bad.”
She went quiet again, and I knew she was fightin’ that wall she put up. “I love you,” I said. “Say it back.”
She huffed. “You always say that when you done pissed me off.”
“So, what, you don’t love me no more, baby?”
She sighed. “I love you, Pressure,” she said finally, her voice low.
“I love you too,” I said, a smile pullin’ at my lips. “I’mma be home to lay up with you.”
“Whatever,” she muttered, then hung up.
I stood there starin’ at my phone for a long minute, wantin’ to call her back, but I couldn’t. Not while Kay’Lo was still sittin’ in a cell fightin’ for his life. I slid my phone in my pocket and looked out over the city.
Greystone wasn’t my city, but I still had business here.
I had to figure out how the fuck to get Kay’Lo out without draggin’ the family into it, and I needed to holla at Toni too, just to see what all she knew right now.
Too much shit was floatin’ around, and I wasn’t leavin’ till I had every answer I came for.