56. Corinthians
Corinthians
“Hello?” I answered the phone as I walked into the shop.
I flipped on the lights and closed the door behind me.
It was raining out, so I knew my walk-ins would likely be limited.
The light on the security camera flashed as I walked past it, making me stop.
I tilted my head to the side, then smiled and waved to the camera.
There could only be three people watching the feed: Nine, Uri, or Cross.
“You look cute today,” Cross said. “I like the jeans, where did you get them?”
“Your closet,” I told her. I walked into my office and set my purse on my desk. “These are the ones I borrowed a few weeks ago.”
“I knew they looked familiar,” she laughed. “Bring me my shit back.”
“After I wash them.” I sat at my desk and booted up my computer. “Now why are you watching me through my security camera?”
“That wasn’t me,” she denied.
I stopped typing in my password. “Then how did you know about my jeans?” My heart slammed against my chest.
“My house camera,” she answered, and I nodded. I took a deep breath. “Did you forget that fast?”
“Yes.” I sat back in my seat. “My days are blurring together.”
“No doubt,” she said, then blew out a deep breath.
“What’s wrong?”
“Amethyst is going to kill the Kilmores,” she said, getting right to the point. “He talked to Nine- well, him and his brothers. He’s going after them because of Yale.”
“Okay…”
“After his brothers left, Nine pulled Am to the side and said to give Isaac and Paul to Four,” she said. “He didn’t go into detail, just that he wants to kill them.”
My left hand tapped against my desk. “What did Am say?” I asked her.
“He agreed,” she replied. “He asked a few questions, but Nine said any information needs to come from y’all. Am was okay with that, for now, but he’s going to start asking questions eventually. It's in his nature.”
“He needs to focus on getting Yale out of that marriage with Grant,” I said, referring to Paul and Isaac’s brother. I never met him, but there was no doubt in my mind he was just like his other brothers.
“He is.”
“The elders around us are full of secrets. Shit, we are too, but damn.” I leaned back in my seat. “I need to talk to him. Tell him what he’s going against.”
“You think it’s smart or even safe?” she asked.
“Ain’t nothing more dangerous than a secret Cross,” I replied. “And I know I’m one to talk, but I don’t want him walking into anything blind. He needs to know the lengths that the Kilmores will go to. He can't protect Yale going into anything blind.”
“That’s true,” she agreed. “When do you plan on talking to him?”
“I’ll call him as soon as I get off the phone with you.”
“Let me know if you need me,” she said. “Love you.”
“Later.” I hung up the phone, pulled up Amethyst's contact information, and called him.
“Hello?”
“Hey, you busy?” I asked him.
“Just leaving the hospital; what’s up?”
“Can you stop by the shop?”
“Yeah, be there in like ten.”
We hung up, and I finished signing into my computer.
Once I logged in, I got up, put away my purse, and made my way to the front.
I was in the middle of setting up my station when the doors opened, and Amethyst Stone walked in.
He was still in his scrubs, and his long hair was pulled into a sloppy bun on the top of his head.
“You must’ve had a long day,” I greeted him.
“You have no idea,” he chuckled. “What’s up though?”
“Let’s step outside,” I said, pointing to the door. The rain had stopped, and I wanted fresh air. We walked out and sat on the bench outside the large window. “Cross called me and said you’re going after the Kilmores.”
“Yeah.” He nodded and looked around, then turned back to me and shook his head. “I ain’t trying to get in your business like that, so I was going to leave it alone.”
I gave him the CliffsNotes version of what happened to Uri and me as kids. Amethyst's jaw twitched, but he didn’t say anything. At first, I thought he was too stunned to speak, but I saw the look of guilt in his eyes. “You knew?” I asked him, and he nodded. “How?”
“It wasn’t that I knew exactly what happened, but I knew something involving y’all as kids happened,” he said.
“How?”
He reached into his pocket, took out his phone, and showed me a video. I watched it, immediately knowing it was Psalms and me in our mamas' arms, but I didn’t know who the man was. I couldn’t place his face or his voice. “I don’t know who that is,” I told Amethyst.
“That ain’t you?” he asked, looking at the video. “That ain’t Psalms?”
“That’s us, but I don’t remember this,” I said, shaking my head and pointing to the phone.
“I don’t remember that man either.” I watched as the younger me played with a knife.
There were plenty of things from my childhood that I blocked out, and now seeing this video had made me realize that it was more than I thought.
“Could that be Four’s daddy?”
“That’s not Robert,” I denied. “I know him, his voice, his smell, his touch. That’s not Robert.”
“Then who the hell was it?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I told him. “Can you send that to me? I want to have Cross and Nine look into it.”
“Yeah.” He sent me the video then stood. “Look, Corinthians, I ain’t got no problem letting Four have Paul and Isaac. They ain’t my concern. It’s Grant and Quincy.” Grant was Yale’s husband, and Quincy was his older brother.
“The Kilmores aren’t going to just let you kill them,” I told him, standing. “They have connections. Some I know, others I don’t, but I do know that if you kill them, you have to be able to protect Yale. If you can't do that, then don’t step into something like this.”
“I know,” he said, then licked his lips.
I could tell I offended him, but that wasn’t my intention.
I needed him to know what he was walking into.
“Since we're telling secrets, let me tell you mine.” He sat back down, and I joined him. He told me about his history with the Kilmores and about having to work for them to protect Yale. “So you see I know exactly who I’m dealing with.”
“You know more than I thought,” I laughed even though nothing was funny. “You have a game plan on how to protect her once you start killing them? Because even though you think it’s just the Kilmores, I’m telling you it’s not. There’s more of them. People we have no idea about.”
“I figured that,” he said, nodding.
“Then what are you going to do?”
“I plan to make my move soon though, so that you know. I’ll call Four so he can handle them two.”
“Thank you,” I said, standing.
“Don’t mention it,” he said, walking backward towards his truck. He threw me a salute, then unlocked his doors. “Ay Corinthians?”
I stopped walking and turned around when I got to the door of my shop. “Yeah?”
“I’m sorry for what happened to you,” he sincerely said, and I nodded.
“Y’all were li’l kids. Y’all should’ve been worried about kid shit, not that.
I don’t know if anyone ever told you that, but I am now.
I’m sorry that shit happened. That you had to experience pain before love.
I hope that shit don’t taint your view on love and how special it is. ”
“It didn’t,” I told him. “It amplified it.”
***
“I’m kicking your ass if my baby gets hurt,” I told Script as I walked past him. He looked up from his plate and smirked. “I’m serious Leonard. If one hair is misplaced on my child's head, I’m going to skin you alive.”
Script turned and glared at Psalms. “You told her my middle name?” he hissed. Anyone else probably would’ve been scared out of their minds by Script being upset but not Psalms. She smiled sweetly at him and shook her head. “Then how does she know?”
“Who else knows your middle name?” she asked.
“Ain’t no way the love of my life told you that,” he said, shaking his head.
“You have two brothers,” she told him with a laugh. “And we also have a cousin who’s nosy as hell.”
“Krude doesn’t know my middle name,” he said, still glaring at her.
“Madea told me,” I told him, then took a bite of my burger.
I pulled my phone from my pocket, pulled up my text thread between my grandmother and me, and slid it to him. On the screen was a text from Madea saying Script's full name and threatening him. He kissed his teeth, then slid the phone back to me.
“Nothing to say now?” I asked him.
“Hell nah,” he said, shaking his head. “I love her too much to be upset with her anyway.”
“I’m going to tell my granddaddy,” Psalms teased as she stood. “He ain’t gonna keep playing with you about his woman.”
“I’m a nigga who likes to share,” he said, shrugging. “And I’m patient.” He licked his lips and leaned back in his chair. Psalms laughed and walked away. Script watched her until she was out of sight.
“You know, eventually she’s going to see how you look at her.”
“She got eyes in the back of her head or something?” he asked with a smirk. “Because if she don’t, then I think I’m safe.”
“Keep thinking that,” I laughed and shook my head. I never pushed why my sister and Script never got together. He was attractive and was absolutely the type of man that would love, support, and accept her. But I also saw her with Wednesday. He was also her type. He would die for her.
The sound of a dirt bike revving made me cut my eyes to the backyard. Uri stood out there with Script’s two brothers watching as Judah rode the dirt bike he’d bought him.
“You know they not gonna let nothing happen to him,” he said, chuckling. “Unclench your jaw.”
“He’s my baby.”
“His daddy and uncles out there protecting him; he’s safe,” Script replied with a shrug. “I've been on a dirt bike my entire life and look at me. I’m right here safe.” I pointed to the cast on his arm, and he laughed harder. “I didn’t even get this riding, though.”
I leaned back in my seat and crossed my arms. “How did it happen?"
“Yo sister didn’t tell you?” his brow went up, and I shook my head. A slow smile spread across his face. “She tied me up…”
“She tied you up?” I asked slowly, and he nodded. “Do I want to know why?”