Chapter 9
I collapsed on the couch beside Rob and let my head fall backwards. He looked at me but didn’t utter a word. We just sat in silence for several moments. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. I did my best to shut my brain up then I sat up and looked over at Rob.
“Alright.” I clapped my hands together. “What’s up?”
“Nigga, they shot yo’ motha’fuckin car up with you in it. It’s war time.”
“We’re not doing that,” I said immediately.
“Man, I want blood and cash ain’t gon’ sedate me.”
“Novi was in that fucking car, Rob. I’m not going for none of that dumb shit.”
My brother looked in my face and I knew that nigga was trying to get a read on me. I kept my face blank while he searched for whatever it was he felt he needed.
After we’d taken two lives, we’d gone back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Shit hadn’t been able to be linked to us and the people that knew I’d been threatened and was just reacting weren’t the kind of people to get cops involved so we’d been walking around chilling like it had never happened.
Rob eventually nodded.
“Alright. Then, what’s the plan? What do you want to do, Kaleo?”
“I want to call all this shit a wrap to be honest. I’m not selling the shop and if I have to die about it, cool, but I don’t want to do this back and forth shit. Either declare war or fucking don’t, but playing the middle is done.”
“So you want to apply a lil pressure and see if I can get them to throw a white flag?”
“If it’ll let me keep the shop and keep Novi out of harm’s way, sure.”
“Alright.” Rob exhaled. “I’ll see if there’s something I can do to help that.”
“Cool. In the meantime, let me lock down a hotel for me and Novi.” I exhaled. “I can’t have her staying here knowing that stupid shit happened in the parking lot. The last thing I need to worry about is her walking to or from her car alone and getting grabbed up.”
“Well, lock it in for tomorrow. She’s already sleeping tonight and I’ve got guys downstairs and outside. I’m sure she’ll be good tonight.”
“Rob,” I said his name and locked eyes with him. “If anything happens to November while I’m not here I’m go light yo’ boys up.”
“I hear you.” He nodded.
“Good.” I let my head fall backwards and just let my eyes rest while my mind wandered.
Rob and I sat side by side in silence for several long moments before I got an idea.
“I think I’ve got an idea,” I said.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I sat up. “I say we start the war and end it.”
“Just tell me what you need and it’s done,” Rob assured me.
“Cool. Do you have a gang spot you can sacrifice?”
“Like an old one that we don’t use anymore?”
“Yeah, and don’t have an attachment to.”
Rob paused as if he was thinking.
“I think I have something like that.”
“Cool.” I pushed myself up. “Come on.”
Rob didn’t ask anymore questions. He just hopped up.
I followed him out, noting where each of his friends were standing. He was leaving five of them sitting around with Novi which I appreciated. If he wasn’t, I was sure I wouldn’t have been able to leave her side.
Rob and I climbed into one of his friend’s cars and I went to work trying to get my shit together.
called a twenty-four hour tow truck while we went so I could arrange for something to be done to my whip.
I booked a hotel for two nights. I reached out to someone to see if there were apartment cameras facing the parking lot.
I found a rental car online, scheduled a pick up and paid for it.
By the time I finished, Rob was stopping at the gas station I’d requested.
We hopped out, purchased every gas can they had to offer and got all of then filled to the brink.
Then, we hopped back in the car and headed out to Rob’s old hangout spot.
We did a quick run through to make sure nobody was inside and there was nothing of importance inside.
Then, we walked through throwing gasoline near each of the entrances before setting everything on fire.
We didn’t watch the fire and we were ten minutes into our drive before we called 911 to report it. We’d gotten some information that there was a small spot that belonged to the opposite gang that was usually empty so we headed straight to that one.
Rob and I each grabbed a few gas cans then split up, each of us taking a different side of the house to throw gasoline on. We met at the back and made sure we were happy with how wet everything was.
I stood back while Rob started the fire. We stood there for a while, just making sure the fire had caught and was spreading. Then, we headed back to my spot.
We smoke a joining in silence, then dapped each other up.
I tried to get some sleep while we waited patiently for the phone to ring.
I wasn’t even tired, but I didn’t want to just sit there obsessively checking my phone every ten minutes and willing time to go faster.
It wa also nice knowing my brother and his guys were over in case shit went left.
I wasn’t stupid. I knew this was probably the only time I’d get some good sleep.
I crossed my arms over my chest and let my head lean backwards on the couch.
I thought about Novi, about how sweet she was and how shell shocked she’d looked dealing with the aftermath of the car getting shot up.
We’d just made things official. She’d just agreed to give up her place back home and move in with me.
We’d just committed to trying to start a real life together.
I couldn’t believe we’d been shot at. I mean, I could believe it.
I’d been doing dumb shit. I’d been raised around it and welcomed it into my shop.
The thought of a bullet hitting Novi made me sick to my stomach though.
I cared about her. I more than cared about her. I loved her.
The look on Novi’s face when I’d gotten her out of the car had been enough to make me sick to my stomach. I never wanted to see her look like that again. All I wanted to do was take care of her and as her man, I was doing a bullshit ass job.
The more I thought about it, the more I considered actually selling the shop if that was what it took.
My dad had been right. I had the money needed to invest in a different location.
My brother would have to move the work he had hidden beneath it, but I was sure I could hold off on actually signing the building over until he got it all taken care of
I was on the brink of sleep and consciousness for what felt like forever before Rob nudged me lightly.
“I’m awake,” I answered immediately.
“Good. We got a meet up with Jimmy.”
“Jimmy?” I repeated.
“I’m confident that ain’t that nigga’s real name, but yeah, their leader goes by Jimmy.”
“Sounds lame”
“Lamest nigga I’ve ever met.”
I chuckled at that.
“You have some backup on standby?”
“I can get four men if we’re leaving the five here for Novi.”
“Make it three here and six with us.”
“I can do that.”
“I want one outside the building, one inside the building and one inside the apartment.”
“Got it.” Rob nodded. “And my guy on the inside, Jr, already verified that he’s been planting seeds of doubt between Jimmy and his second, Iman so we’ve just got to land this shit.”
“I can do that.” I climbed to my feet.
“Good. Let’s go.”
Rob and I had one last quick meeting with his friends, making it clear that we didn’t need them to talk or do anything crazy. We just wanted them to be there and watch our back if shit went left.
I peeked in on Novi and saw that she was still fast asleep. She was laid on her side looking absolutely beautiful where she was. I fought to resist the urge to admire her for longer than I had or kiss her temple and closed the door lightly behind myself.
Rob and I rode in one car while his friends rode in a different one. Even knowing what they were there for, I kept checking the mirror as they tailed us. I was paranoid. That shit wasn’t a good way to go into one of these meetings.
I’d only had to sit through a war and treaty meeting between the gangs once and it had been coming off of our uncle’s death so I wasn’t even sure if how I remembered it happening is actually how it happened.
All I knew was that Rob and I had each sat on one side of our father while he talked to the same men who’d killed our uncle and mapped out what part of the territory was worth his life.
I remembered him saying he could give up a block or two as long as the barber shop stayed his and stayed a neutral zone.
Of course, it hadn’t stayed that way. As soon as he’d given the shop over to me, Rob had seen it as an opportunity to store work inside of it. He figured the best place was the place where shit was neutral.
Rob leading the gang while his brother owned a central neutral zone had been a bad idea from the start. How neutral could you be when it came to your blood brother?
“If I have to give up some territory or something to make this work, I will,” Rob said after a while.
“What?” I looked over at him.
“I’m not going to lead in with it, but I’m letting you know brother to brother that I’m going to make some sacrifices to make sure this shit works out for you.”
“I appreciate that.” I exhaled.
Rob nodded and we sat in silence for the rest of the drive out. He threw the car in park and looked over at me.
“You know I love you, right?” he asked.
“Yeah. I know. I love you too.”
I exhaled but a smile forced its way across my face.
“The fuck you over there smiling for?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this nervous,” I admitted.
“Man, doing this shit is the regular, but doing it with my baby brother next to me is some whole other shit. I’m not going to lie. It’s me, you and pops over everything. Y’all are all I have left and I’ll be damned if I watch something happen to you.”
“Man, I’m go be good,” I assured him.
“You better be or that lil house fire will be the least of their motha’fuckin problems.”
I shifted in my seat, looked off for a beat then back at my brother.