Disrespectfully, Relic

Chapter 11

“Aye! Hold that nigga up, Titan! Keep him steady! Fuck is yo big ass good for if you can’t do that?!” Shabu shouted, and Titan flicked him off.

“Nigga, I got him! Record and shut the hell up!”

Relic didn’t have many regrets, but as he watched the circus in front of him, he regretted bringing his ass to the club—business related or not. Music droned in his ears, and strobe lights flickered through the section, giving him a clear view of his brothers and label artists turning up while he stood tucked off in a corner. His scrutinous stare beamed on Titan holding up Pierre as some bitch rode him like they were back in high school at a house party. He pushed out a breath, recalling the time Harmony had her first party where they’d snuck upstairs to fuck since her brother wasn’t present. Relic should’ve known when he’d peeped her grinding her ass on his cousin’s dick, in the same manner as the hoe riding Pierre, that she wasn’t shit and would solidify what Joseph had taught him about women. That night was the same night him and Los had run a train on her.

His concealed eyes wandered to the table where three beverage tubs sat, each filled with ice and two bottles that made him swallow to moisten his dry throat. It’d been close to a week since he’d drank because he couldn’t wrap his mind around how he’d allowed Kennedy to coax him over his limit. Not indulging in liquor or her were the punishments he’d given himself. Relic hadn’t decided which was worse until seeing Kennedy at the grand opening, looking as good as her pussy felt. Had she not soured his mood by talking about emotions and his mutilated heart; he would’ve caved and bent her ass over the office desk.

“Gran frè!”

Relic blinked, tearing his gaze away from the table when Shabu called for him. The annoyance he’d felt since entering the packed club intensified when he spotted three bottle girls entering their section, fanning sparklers in the air while bouncing a Relic Records sign above their head. One girl carried a black case instead of liquor, and Relic figured it was for him when Pierre’s drunk ass stood beside her and waved him over.

“Bring yo fucking ass nigga!” he rushed. Relic walked slower just to piss him off.

Once he reached where everyone had piled in together, Shabu tossed an arm around his neck while his baby brother moved to his side like he always did whenever they were out. Titan hadn’t clung to him since getting with Michi. Relic slapped a hand on Titan’s shoulder, taking advantage of having two-thirds of his heart with him in one room. His gut lurched after he recalled the last third hadn’t answered his call since he’d dropped him off at his grandmom’s house. Jahleel was still upset with him.

“I know we’re here to turn up for my birthday and shit!” Pierre shouted with a hand on his chest, jerking Relic out of his thoughts.

“Happy muthafuckin’ birthday, folks!” Shabu shouted, making everyone chime in as Pierre cheesed with a head nod.

“Fasho, fasho. But I want to take a minute to show love to the man who got us to this moment. I know he might think the fam is always saying fuck him, and we are, but we got nothing but love for yo ass, too.”

Relic smirked. “Fuck you too.”

“I know that’s yo way of saying you love me, bitch, so I’ll take it. Me and the team. Mostly me,” he made sure to add, ducking as Saucy and Aura shoved him while Tekken fanned him off with a laugh. Calm just smirked. “Nah, for real. We all chipped in and got you a token of appreciation. Nothing too major, but you gotta represent for yo team, folks.”

Pierre retrieved the black case from the bottle girl to hold in front of Relic before springing open the lid. His folks went into a frenzy at the diamonds lighting the space around them.

“Sheesh! That shit goes crazy, bro,” Titan vaunted, and Relic chuckled because his baby brother had always been the flashiest and then Pierre.

He moved closer to inspect the necklace that housed a double ‘R’ pendant damn near the size of his palm. Relic appreciated it but preferred simplicity over gaudy pieces.

“Where the fuck I’m ‘pose to wear this?” he asked, evoking laughter in return although he was dead serious.

“Nigga, tonight for one. You with the fam, and ain’t nobody fucking with us! You know what it is. If they hating, we say fuck them niggas!”

“They ain’t from the fold!” Shabu cupped a hand around his mouth to holler, and the mantra floated around their section and out to the main floor, letting niggas know that their gang was scattered throughout the club.

Calm slapped Relic’s arm and told him, “Put that shit on! I know, we won’t see it on you after tonight.”

“I’m glad you know,” Relic muttered, but decided to entertain his folks and put it on. It wasn’t often that they showered him with love.

He couldn’t do shit but laugh when they hooted and applauded like fucking fools when he removed it from the box to clasp around his neck. His brows dipped as Aura strutted in front of him, untwisting the necklace to lay the pendant flush against his chest before peering at him with a sexy grin.

“It looks good on you. Do you mind if we talk for a second?”

“It’s after business hours. Try again when I’m on the clock,” he replied before walking over to the sectional to take a seat.

He could hear Tekken and Pierre clowning her while Shabu shook his head and then ambled toward him with an amused grin. His brother plopped beside him, cutting him a knowing look that he tried to ignore.

“So, you’re done with her, huh?”

“Until I’m not. She doesn’t do shit but give me headaches I can do without, and I’m working on staying away from bitches that trigger me.”

“Oh, shit. Let me find out, you’re really trying to change your ways. Nigga finna find him a wholesome woman and settle down next.”

“Why the hell are you over here, Shabu?”

“Damn! I can’t just chop it up with my big bro? Fuck got yo panties in a bunch?”

Relic leaned back, pinching the bridge of his nose at the simple question that made his latest grievances float to the surface. Aura forcing him out of the comfort of his home to find a hair stylist since hers cancelled, and she refused to show up if her hair wasn’t done, came in last on that list. Sojourney damn near having a meltdown about showing her face outside while her ex-boyfriend was searching for her landed above that. Jahleel refusing to take his call sat higher but wasn’t at the peak of his complaints. The issue nagging the hell out of Relic most, he could only confess to the person beside him.

“Kennedy called me daddy while we were fucking, and I almost let her turn me into one.”

“I fucking knew it!”

Shabu jumped to his feet with a dramatic clap of his hands. When he peeped his folks checking to see what was going on, he reclaimed his seat and backhanded Relic’s chest while wearing a broad grin.

“That’s why you stormed out of the salon? You found out her other nigga was up in that bitch, playing captain save a car and shit.”

Relic curled up his lip. “What?”

“Oh, that won’t it? My bad. Whoop told me he came and got her car to get it fixed, but fuck all that. I saw that shit coming when she left the bridal studio with yo ass. You know, I fuck with Kenn Dog heavy. She’s a good look.”

“She’s a distraction. I don’t do well with those.”

“You don’t do well with women, period. Kennedy ain’t like those goofy bitches you’re used to collecting and stringing along like puppets,” Shabu jabbed as he rested an elbow on his knee before scratching through his locks while examining his brother. Relic’s face was void of emotion, but he knew the nigga’s mind was on ten. “If you feel like she’s a distraction, why’d you fuck her? Whoop said you delegated a lot of tasks to Kenn Dog, too.”

“You told me to take some shit off your wife’s hands, so I did.”

“Yea, but I ain’t think it’d be given to her. Honestly, I thought you’d use Aura since y’all seemed to click. She reminded me of Jessica a lil’ bit, and that’s more your speed.”

Relic tugged his chin hairs as his eyes floated to where Aura had a leg propped on the section railing while twerking for her fans. He hadn’t noticed that her and Jessica held similarities until Shabu pointed it out, but he didn’t miss the shade that his brother threw by deeming Kennedy above his standards.

“I thought about using her until I realized she was a fluke,” he admitted. “Aura ain’t nothing more than a turned-out church girl, putting on a show she doesn’t even like performing. I figured, I’d bring her in and put that business degree she got to good use, but I couldn’t even do that ‘cause she ain’t built for it. Her ass would fold. At least, Jessica was all in with the bullshit we did.”

“And you think Kennedy would be all in with your bullshit, too?”

“I know she would,” Relic answered without a second thought. “Now, ask me if I think she’d fold once finding out what I did to her.”

Shabu huffed a breath, scrubbing a hand over his mouth because he knew that call was on him. Savvy had grown close to Kennedy, so he’d put in the word that she was good because she stayed to herself and didn’t intervene in his family’s business. Relic and her having a situation could shift that opinion in the long run.

“So, your best bet is to cut her off, right? Nip that shit in the bud and go back to ignoring her before it gets sticky,” he recommended.

“You know what she told me,” Relic started, disregarding his brother’s advice. “She told me, every game has a cheat code, and there’s always a loophole. I haven’t stopped thinking about that shit since.”

“So, what do you need a loophole for? To keep Kennedy around, or to cut her off without cutting her off ?”

“That’s a good question. Just be ready in case you get that call since you wanted to hand out passes.”

“You should thank me, muthafucka, because it seems like you’re feeling her, and that’s why yo goddamn brain is about to explode. Shit, I might need to keep an eye on her to make sure you don’t knock her block off for that reason alone.”

“If I decide to do it myself, can’t shit but her beating me to the punch stop it from happening. I’d do it so smooth, none of y’all would see that shit coming.”

Relic stood with that forewarning, dismissed the frown on his brother’s face, and trekked toward Drish after spotting him bopping through the roped off entrance with a cup in his hand and eager eyes. He’d sent word for the youngin’ to slide through so that he could make good on his promise since Drish had done his part.

Drish was too distracted giving the section a visual sweep—taking in Tekken and Pierre pouring liquor into bitches’ mouths over the railing while Calm recorded—that he didn’t notice Relic heading his way. Once he did, his mouth stretched into a smile so wide that his cheeks tingled.

“So, this is how y’all do it, huh? Y’all living the muthafuckin’ life,” he extolled, evoking a scoff from Relic.

“If this is what you call living the life, you need bigger ambitions. And why the hell do you always have a cup in your hand? Are you twenty-one yet?”

“Nineteen, but I use my brother’s ID. The nigga is dead, so he don’t need it.”

Drish sipped his drink after divulging that information. He stared at Relic over the rim of his clear cup, waiting for condolences or the look of pity that he was used to receiving once people found out. To his surprise, he got neither.

“Follow me over here,” Relic directed with a toss of his head.

Drish followed his lead, taking in the other faces in attendance as he was led past the leather sectional and to a corner where the music wasn’t as loud and they could converse in private. His eyes went to the nearby table, and he detoured there—downing the remainder of his drink to refill his cup with the expensive black and gold bottle he’d seen served in clubs but never tasted. When he jogged back to Relic, he chuckled at the disdained downturn of the nigga’s mouth.

“What? I ain’t ever had this shit before, and it’s free. I figured I’ll try it while the getting is good.”

“Who taught you that old ass saying?” Relic cracked a smile at Drish’s old soul.

“Ma grand mère. That’s who raised me since I was eight. I moved back with my ma dukes after my brother died ‘cause you know how that goes. He was the man of the house, but I had to fill those shoes once he was gone. Ma dukes wasn’t working, and I ain’t want her struggling with my little sister, so it is what it is.”

“Why didn’t you just take your sister?”

“Different daddies, and his side is strict. My grand mère wasn’t letting her come there if she ain’t blood.”

“So, you’re left hustling and risking your life instead of living decent with your other folks, and your mother didn’t have the selflessness to tell you to stay where you were and that she’d figure it out?”

Drish snorted a laugh before emptying his cup in one swallow. He wiped his mouth and replied, “That ain’t the kind of mother I got. Like I said, it is what it is.”

Relic stared at his soldier, catching the flicker of resentment in his eyes. It was the familiar loathing he held for Judith that no one understood since they weren’t walking in his shoes or expected to carry the weights that he did as the head of the family. The very woman who treated him like a disease; he was told to care for simply because that was the way they were brought up. He doubted Judith would tolerate him if he didn’t fund her life.

“Knowing what I know now, what I’m about to offer you is perfect. What would you say if I could give you a legal job that makes just as much, if not more, than what you’re making in your current position?”

Drish’s brow rose in skepticism. “I’d say you’re full of shit.”

“And I’d leave your ass right where you stand and find someone better suited for the job.”

“Hold on. You taking shit too far, boss man. Slow yo roll,” Drish jested, holding out a hand for Relic to pump his brakes. “What’s the job?”

“Security.”

“Real security, or the bootleg kind?”

“What the fuck is the bootleg kind, Drish?”

“We topflight security of the world, Craig! That kind. Where you give me a janky shirt with the business named ironed on it, no weapon, and a weak ass whistle.”

Relic sighed and rubbed his temple. “I don’t know why I try with y’all niggas. Real security, where you’ll have to take a course, get a background check, and apply for a license. Anything that needs to be paid for, I’ll handle it. For now, the basics is good to secure my businesses, but by the summertime, I expect those requirements and more done because my label will need bodyguards. Do you think you can do that?”

“Hell, yea!”

“Good. I have a special task for you now, but we’ll talk about that later. If you know a few more people that are dependable and don’t have a record, have them call this number,” he instructed, pulling out Savvy’s business card from his pocket. “She’ll direct y’all to the right person, who’ll give you information on the next steps.”

“You’re dead ass? Just like that, you’re taking me off the streets and giving me a legal gig? There’s gotta be a catch.”

Relic could see the distrust gradually bleeding into Drish’s expression. He didn’t blame him because if he were in the young bull’s shoes, he’d find it hard to believe, too. Especially when nothing in the world came free, and men like them were expected to survive but to never accept handouts because it overshadowed the effort they’d put in.

“No catch this time. Call that number and have her connect you with Kennedy,” he instructed.

“Bet. Now, if that’s all you wanted to talk about, I’m trying to go drink up y’all liquor and see which one of your artists likes younger niggas.” He simpered and flitted his eyes toward the girls. His gaze stopped on Sojourney. “On the other hand, scratch that. I ain’t trying to get murked for fucking around with ya girl.”

“Murked by who?”

Drish twisted his mouth to one side at Relic’s feigned ignorance. “It ain’t no secret, Saucy’s peoples are looking to do her ass in for being a traitor.”

Relic released a wry chuckle and rubbed a hand down his chin, not taking kindly to threats, whether directed toward him or not. Sojourney’s ex-boyfriend and his people had been popping shit since Relic had put her up in a spot where they couldn’t find her. He was at his boiling point with playing cool about the situation.

“Fuck that nigga and anyone affiliated with him.”

Those were his parting words to Drish before striding to Pierre where the nigga was posing with Tekken for pictures. Pierre staggered backward when Relic yoked him up by his shirt collar like a bad ass toddler and dragged him away from the flashing phone cameras beaming into their section. Pierre jerked from his hold, and Relic shoved him.

“How much you drank tonight?” he interrogated, making Pierre’s face fall flat.

“Huh?”

“ Huh ?” he mocked, smacking him upside the head. “Do you need Paris’s hearing aids, bitch? You can hear. It’s your day, but ain’t shit changed, P. I need you on your P’s and Q’s.”

“I’m focused, and it’s mad niggas from the gang in this bitch tonight. You heard ‘em when Shabu called for ‘em.”

“You ain’t learn from Jay how these niggas smile in ya face but hate behind your back?”

Pierre’s high dipped at the mention of his old friend turned foe that he’d put in the dirt because the nigga was treacherous. He reached for his earlobe out of habit but caught himself and lowered his hand.

“What I tell y’all, P? We can’t trust nobody but us. Those niggas see us going up, and they don’t like it, which is why I told you to stay from ‘round them. The greener the pastures, the greater the presence of snakes.”

“I hear you talking, folks.”

“I hope so because your thick ass head doesn’t like retaining shit. You’re cut off for the night because I’m about to leave, so—”

“Shabu!” Pierre hollered, cutting Relic off to snitch. “Folks, yo fuck ass brother is trying to leave early!”

Relic pushed out a breath and scratched his brow when his brothers glanced in their direction before bopping over side by side, looking nothing like the kids he used to play referee for when they’d argue in bed every night. The kids he’d taught how to fight, to get money, and to stick together because no one came before the brotherhood they’d built. He tried thinking back to when they’d last spent time together but drew a blank because he either didn’t stick around long enough or he wasn’t present, although there in the physical. His mind fucked with him like that—recalling the worst times in vivid detail but never the shit he’d rather remember.

“If he’s ready to go, let him leave.”

That statement from Shabu caught Relic’s attention, reeling him out of his head and into the conversation he could do without since he was leaving regardless.

“Man, he can stick around for once. He ain’t got an excuse not to this time since it’s for business, too. You know that’s all the nigga has time for,” Titan said, and Pierre threw up his hands.

“Exactly!”

“I don’t make time for you?” Relic set his sights on Titan, wiping the smile off his brother’s face. “I don’t come when you call?”

“You know, I ain’t mean it like that. I’m talking about outside of serious shit. Just kicking it with the fam.”

“When is the last time you’ve invited me over or popped up at my crib? You used to practically fucking live there ‘cause I let yo spoiled ass run in and out that bitch whenever you wanted.”

Titan opened his mouth to respond but stalled because he hadn’t done either in a while. Once Relic rented him a condo, and he moved Michi in, his life revolved around his relationship. That same relationship kept him from inviting his brother over as often since Relic and Michi shared a sordid past he didn’t want to trigger her with.

“You can answer at any time,” Relic challenged, summoning a stare of contrition from Titan that made him feel like shit. “And I still love your ass, but don’t fucking tell me I don’t have time for you, Titan. Ever.”

“Well, what about the rest of us, nigga?” Pierre chimed in to ease the tension, but Relic didn’t bite.

“Fuck the rest of y’all. I’m talking to my brothers.”

Shabu placed a hand on his chest. “You ain’t talking to me! I told these niggas to let you go. We know this ain’t your scene, and I know it isn’t about you not wanting to be around us. Between this and showing your face at the grand opening earlier, you’ve had too many eyes on you. Too many pictures and muthafuckas knowing your location when you’re behind the scenes for a reason. Head out, bro. It’s all good.”

Relic shot his brother a grateful look. He couldn’t recall the last time Shabu had given him grace for not showing face or leaving within the hour.

Neither Pierre nor Titan went against Shabu’s word, so Relic slapped hands with his cousin and then hugged his baby brother before standing in front of the sibling that wasn’t his doppelg?nger like Titan yet reflected his image the most. He gripped the side of Shabu’s head to mesh their foreheads together.

“About time, nigga.” He didn’t need to elaborate further, and Shabu chuckled.

“Fuck you. What door are you leaving out?”

“The back exit, but I got soldiers stationed in the lot where we parked. I’m straight.”

Shabu nodded, pulled him in for a hug, and then backed away. Relic tipped his head after noting a fleeting expression swept across his brother’s face that he didn’t have time to read.

“Something you want to tell me before I head out, ti frè?”

“Nah. Just be safe and hit my line once you make it home,” Shabu instructed.

Relic wasn’t certain whether or not to read into his brother making requests he didn’t any other time. He left well enough alone and made his way out of the section with his mind shifting to the mental checklist of tasks he’d need to take care of come morning.

Jahleel took precedence over everything, so he planned to pop up on his son once church service was over. Relic gave the surrounding partygoers a studious sweep as he debated showing his face at the last place he cared to attend because it’d make Jahleel overlook how he’d hurt his feelings. That grand gesture left as quick as it’d come since Relic and church didn’t mix.

His eyes darted to the soldier he’d tasked with watching the hall entrance before him and his folks had even arrived at the club. A subtle chin chuck signaled to him, the area was clear. Relic bypassed the restrooms and employee’s only door to waltz out the emergency exit and into a back lot that should’ve been deserted with the exception of a dumpster and the owner’s vehicle. He spotted the four men in all black posted against the brick wall a second too late.

The door clicked shut, and the string holding the dangling boulder over his head began to unravel as the men glanced back and noticed him. They looked as thrown off as he did. Recognition set in between both parties before smiles spread on his enemy’s faces and then three guns were aimed at Relic just as he reached for the strap tucked at the small of his back.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, nigga.” The same lanky dude who’d shown up to Relic’s studio and gotten pistol whipped by Pierre stepped into his face. “What are the muthafuckin’ odds? I was waiting to get that weak ass rapping nigga after the club let out, but the boss brought himself to me. Life works in mysterious ways.”

Relic didn’t respond because his mind had already drifted to the shit he hadn’t done. All his moves weren’t set in place, and his breadcrumbs weren’t laid out to where his folks could find them to finish building what he’d created. Jahleel hadn’t gotten to know him as a father—his son only knew him as Relic . Shabu wouldn’t find his money, the drug pickup location, or the secret code to generational wealth because Relic hadn’t gotten that far yet. He’d let some good pussy shake him and slowed up his entire plan.

“You ain’t got much to say now, huh? Look at you, sweating. You’re just another bitch ass muthafucka without yo gun.”

Relic leveled Slim a dry look. “You gon’ put me out of my misery, or you gon’ do this monologuing bullshit until you work up the courage?”

A blow to his forehead with the butt of Slim’s gun sent his head flying back. Relic shut his eyes and breathed through the pain, but that was as far as his reaction went because Joseph had taught him never to cry or whine like a bitch.

The gun’s barrel pressed against his temple and cloaked him with a calmness he hadn’t witnessed in years. A part of Relic welcomed death. He’d have no responsibility there, and the skeletons in his mental closet would settle beneath the dirt with him. If they ever clawed their way to the surface, he wouldn’t have to face those repercussions.

His teeth clenched when pain seared his neck from the chain Pierre bought him being snatched off, peeling away his skin with it. Relic opened his eyes—struggling to view the last face he’d see through the trickle of blood rolling over his lid—and a flash of locs darting around the building made him crack a smile while his emotions rested between relief and mild disappointment.

“This is mine now.” Slim lifted the chain in the air before goading, “Tell your peoples to get it back in blood.”

“Back in blood you say? Heard.”

Shots rang out, causing Relic’s hearing to impair as soon as those words left his mouth.

Slim ducked, and Relic dipped to the side to retrieve his gun while Shabu took out two of the three niggas with shots to the back of the head that neither saw coming. The last standing aimed at Shabu, and Relic redirected his attention—hitting his opposition in the head and neck with precision. That split second of taking his eyes off Slim to save his brother cost him because an excruciating pain radiated from Relic’s shoulder into his chest, sending him against the wall for support.

Shabu’s mouth was moving, but Relic couldn’t hear him through the buzzing from his sensitive eardrums. His brother spun around, letting off at Slim as the nigga dived behind the single car and then bolted for the trees just as their gang came running around the building.

Shabu pointed and said, “Go catch that nigga, now!”

They shot past him, and he went to Relic, helping him stand before staring at the blood saturating his brother’s shirt.

“I’m good. Get us the fuck out of here and call P. They were back here waiting to hit him up. He got a fucking target on his back.”

“Who got what? Yea, aight.”

If Relic weren’t in pain, he’d laugh at his brother’s nonchalance as Shabu pulled out his phone to call Pierre while they jogged to the car. The ache in Relic’s arm made him groan as he fished out his keys, hitting the locks on his vehicle parked feet away. He couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact he’d aligned his ducks to enter and exit the club without a hitch but had failed. Slim and his boys had either gotten to the back the same way as him, or his team had let them slip right past because they weren’t efficient enough to pinpoint the impending danger. When Relic recalled they hadn’t followed his brother either, the wheels in his head started spinning.

“Yoooo! You had me finna turn Super Saiyan when I ain’t see you, bitch! Where the fuck you go?”

That greeting sent Relic’s eyes toward his brother. Shabu snatched his keys and then pointed to the passenger side before moving around him to climb in the driver’s seat. Relic didn’t have it in him to talk shit.

“I’m straight. Fuck you at, P?” Shabu asked, starting the car and backing out as soon as Relic dropped inside. He tried not to look at his brother because seeing Relic bleeding had him seconds away from crashing the fuck out.

“We’re in the truck. Titan’s big ass is, too. We’ll circle back to get his ride when shit cools off. Relic left at the nick of fucking time ‘cause that nigga would be hot as fish grease that some shit popped off while he was here.”

“Nah, he ain’t leave in the nick of time.” The phone silenced as Shabu scanned the lot and then skirted around a car to skip them after spotting the truck his folks were inside leaving the lot safely. “This nigga is in the passenger seat, leaking, and you got a red dot.”

“Who got what? Ha!”

“Feel me, gang? Niggas don’t know they just woke a sleeping giant, but we’ll kick the shit. Let me get my bro situated, and don’t tell Titan!”

“Heard.”

Shabu ended the call and dropped his phone into his lap, removing his foot from the gas as he rolled out of the parking lot while police careened inside. He hauled ass the moment he was in the clear.

“What the hell happened, Relic?”

“I told you. Niggas were already outside when I walked out, but I peeped them too late. My car was right there, which is why I didn’t have anyone at the door, but the muthafuckas who were stationed near my car should’ve seen them. Did they try to see what was up when you walked by?”

“Yea, but I told them shit was copesetic. I ain’t need them rowdy niggas making a scene in case you were in trouble, which you were. You better fucking thank Kenn Dog, bro.”

Relic frowned as he removed his shirt, wrapping it underneath his armpit and around his shoulder where he was hit. “Thank her for what?”

“When I saw her at the grand opening, she told me to watch you. That shit made me paranoid, so that’s why I kept bothering you and wasn’t drinking. You know I’d be turnt up with P if she hadn’t put that bug in my ear. It ain’t feel right letting you leave alone, so I went out the front because I knew you’d bitch if you saw me lurking. When yo ass ain’t come around that corner fast enough, it sent up red flags.”

That divulgence of information slowed Relic’s movements before he bit one end of his shirt and then tugged the other, knotting it in place until he got somewhere that he could call Logan to patch him up. Gratefulness was the last thing coursing through him as he tried recalling every conversation he’d had with Kennedy since they’d met. Not one would give her a reason to believe he needed a babysitter, especially while he was out to celebrate his main shooter. Shabu had sat his ass down after popping the officer that’d raped Michi. His brother was washing his hands, but Kennedy had gone behind his back and made a fucking play that wasn’t her call.

Anger caused his chest to heave because it was his fault she felt comfortable to where she called a shot that could’ve landed his brother six feet under. Relic didn’t give one damn about his own demise, but Shabu was a different story. His hands shook and vision blurred at the thought of his brother on ice because he’d let a bitch believe she held more power than she deserved.

“Bro!”

Relic tried leveling his breathing as he blinked and turned to Shabu at the sound of his voice. The fuzzy image in his driver’s seat that should’ve been his brother sent his hand diving into his pocket to pull out his phone.

“You know the code. Call Logan and tell her meet us at the penthouse.”

“That’s too far. We’re going to the hideout—”

“Fuck the hideout!” Relic barracked. “You think I’m going around a bunch of niggas I don’t trust. The same niggas that let four muthafuckas post up that close and didn’t even check that shit.”

“The same niggas you have watching your back whenever you move. They fuck up from time to time, but they’ve held you down.”

“Not anymore,” Relic grumbled, using his last bit of strength to backhand his brother’s chest. Shabu frowned.

“Fuck was that for?”

“Putting that shooter badge back on your chest, ti frè. You should’ve never taken it off, but you got a family, and I respected that. Now, this family needs you. I need you, and P needs you. Retirement is over. If one is in, we’re all in.”

“Because if one wins, we all win,” Shabu finished in a whisper.

He scrubbed a hand down his face and then tousled his locks, knowing his home life was about to get hectic. Once Savvy found out, she’d revert to that worried girl who grew afraid anytime he left the house. Two kids added into the mix would only worsen her reaction because they didn’t have just them to think about anymore. Shabu pushed out a breath as he grabbed Relic’s phone from his lap to call Logan because, although he loved his wife, he couldn’t turn his back on his big brother. Relic had done too much for Shabu for him to ever switch up. More than anything, Shabu had learned that there was never really an out with his family; he was stuck in until every Blaise man called it quits, or he lost his life behind their shit.

It was forever in by love and out by blood with the fanmi.