Chapter 18 Kay’Lo Mensah
Trill-Land, ’LoLux Estate
It was late as hell but as I moved down the hall, I heard my baby cryin’ all the way from Sha’Nelle’s room like she could feel me comin’. The sound of it pulled somethin’ outta me before I even made it to the door.
It wasn’t no soft cry either. She was in there really fussin’, the type of fuss that came from her bein’ uncomfortable and tired at the same time. I could hear Sha’Nelle’s voice with it, low and gentle, tryna calm her down.
I got closer and heard her talkin’ to her. “It’s okay, baby girl… it’s okay… I got you,” she kept sayin’, but My’Love wasn’t hearin’ none of that shit. She was cryin’ hard, gaspin’ between them lil’ sounds, and that shit made me knock on the door quicker than I meant to.
A second later the door opened, and Sha’Nelle stood there with my baby in her arms.
“She literally just woke up,” she said, already knowin’ why I was at the door. “I was about to wait until she calmed down so I could change her and feed her.”
My’Love heard my voice the second I said, “Aye… come here,” and her cry dropped down into a whimper, her lil’ face scrunchin’ up while she looked in my direction like she knew exactly who was here for her.
“Yeah… that’s all you needed, huh?” I murmured, reachin’ for her.
The moment I took her from Sha’Nelle, she settled right into me, still tearin’ up but not cryin’ the same, her body relaxin’ against my chest while I kissed at the corners of her mouth.
“Ain’t nobody botherin’ you while I’m here,” I whispered, kissin’ her face again, then catchin’ them lil’ tears with my lips. “You good… Daddy got you.”
She let out a soft sound, almost like she was answerin’ me, and I rubbed her back slow while she blinked up at me, them eyes still wet but calm now.
Sha’Nelle shook her head, leanin’ on the door. “It’s a damn shame how spoiled you got her, ’Lo.”
I smirked without lookin’ up from my baby. “She ain’t spoiled. She just know who she belong to.”
In my head, I couldn’t help but think about how she was almost eight weeks now, and how that attachment was settin’ in deeper every day. It wasn’t just her cryin’ no more. She knew my voice, knew my touch, and she reacted to it in a way that felt different every time.
“Let me get her stuff,” I said, lookin’ at Sha’Nelle.
She nodded and grabbed the pamper and wipes, handin’ them to me while I walked further into the room and laid My’Love down careful.
“A’ight baby… we finna get you right,” I murmured, talkin’ to her the whole time while I changed her.
She moved her legs a lil’, fussin’ under her breath but nowhere near how she was cryin’ before, and I kept talkin’ to her, lettin’ her hear me while I handled her.
“See… you just needed me, huh… that’s all that was.”
By the time I got her cleaned up, Sha’Nelle handed me the bottle from the warmer.
“Here,” she said.
I took it, then grabbed the diaper I had just pulled off and stood up with My’Love in my arm.
“Appreciate you,” I told her.
“I wasn’t doin’ nothin’ but gettin’ bossed around,” she said, laughin’.
I shook my head and walked out, tossin’ the diaper in the trash on my way down the hall, then made it to the front door.
I opened it, and Renza and Kelli stepped in.
Kelli looked straight at my baby and gave a small nod. “Hello Ms. My’Love.”
Renza reached out and touched her hand, lookin’ at her. “What the hell you been cryin’ for, girl?”
“Bitch, don’t cuss at my fuckin’ baby,” I said, lookin’ at him. “The fuck wrong with you?”
“I ain’t cussin’ at her,” he shot back. “You need to shut the fuck up before I start cussin’ at you.”
I rolled my eyes and turned, walkin’ off toward the other side of the house. “Come on.”
We moved into one of the other livin’ areas, the one that barely got used, and I hit the light before sittin’ down on the couch with My’Love still in my arms.
I brought the bottle to her mouth, and she latched on right away, takin’ it like she been waitin’ on it, her tiny hands movin’ against me while she started eatin’.
“What’s up?” I asked, lookin’ at Renza.
He leaned back a lil’, then looked at me. “We clapped that nigga.”
I let out a breath through my nose, a small grin pullin’ at my mouth. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he said. “That nigga that shot Unc. He done.”
I nodded, feelin’ that shit sit right. “Good.”
Kelli stood off to the side, quiet like always.
I looked back at him. “So what we got?”
He leaned forward, restin’ his elbows on his knees. “That footage you need… that shit not lost.”
My grip on the bottle shifted. “Who got it?”
“That Kush nigga daddy,” he said. “One of the investigators on yo’ case. His name Marcus Hale.”
My brows pulled together. “Hale? Yeah, I seen that nigga name in my paperwork. He was one of the investigators at my shop, and he supposed to testify next week.”
Yeah,” Renza said. “That’s him.”
I looked down at My’Love for a second, then back up at him. “So that nigga the one got the footage.”
“Yeah,” Renza replied.
That shit ain’t sit right at all. Outta all the muthafuckas that could’ve had the footage, it had to be the same nigga gettin’ ready to get on the stand next week.
That was the type of move that could bury a nigga if he ain’t know better, and I could already see how it would play out if we ain’t catch it in time.
That nigga really came to my shop, looked at everything that happened, saw how them niggas came in there playin’, and still made the choice to sit on the one thing that could clear my name. That wasn’t no mistake. That was a decision, and I ain’t give a fuck who he was related to.
My hand was still restin’ on my baby while I thought that through. “That shit dirty.”
Kelli spoke up from the side, calm as ever. “From what I pulled, he real calculated. We don’t know exactly where he got the footage, but he got it… and we just gotta get it.”
My grip tightened around the bottle while My’Love stayed close to me. “A’ight… so what we doin’?”
Renza leaned forward, lookin’ right at me, already knowin’ I was ready to kill that nigga. “You ain’t doin’ shit but stayin’ out the way and showin’ up to court. As bad as I know you wanna get that nigga, you really gotta be cool and let us figure this shit out for you, ‘Lo.”
I sat there for a second, lettin’ that process.
Then I looked at him. “Man—”
“I’m serious, nigga,” he cut me off. “Don’t show yo’ hand yet nigga. Let these crooked muthafuckas keep thinkin’ we dumb to shit so they can slip and fall on they ass. You just keep doin’ what you been doin’. We gon’ handle the rest. That nigga gon’ come up off that footage one way or another.”
I leaned back a lil’, noddin’ slow.
“A’ight then...”
My’Love finished eatin’, so I lifted her up and sat her on my lap, holdin’ her up with one hand under her chin while I used the other to pat her back. She stayed upright against me, her head steady while her eyes moved around the room, landin’ on Renza like she was really watchin’ him.
He smirked. “Yeah… shit ‘bout to get ugly for them niggas. They gon’ learn the hard way.”
Then he looked at My’Love. “Ain’t that right, ‘Lo’Lo?”
Right on cue, she let out a lil’ burp while I was still pattin’ her back.
We all laughed.
“See,” I said, smirkin’. “She hear you.”
I stood up and stepped over to Renza, wrapin’ my arm around him halfway and pullin’ him in.
“Appreciate you,” I said low.
He nodded. “You already know, nigga.”
I turned to Kelli and shook his hand, then pulled him in for a quick hug. “Real talk… I appreciate you too.”
“It’s nothin’,” he said.
Renza looked at me. “What you ‘bout to do?”
“It’s late as hell,” I said. “I’m ‘bout to get back in bed with my wife.”
He laughed. “Go ahead then.”
I walked out, headin’ back up the stairs with My’Love in my arms, kissin’ her face while she looked up at me.
By the time I made it back to the room, Toni was still laid up how I left her, on her side, her legs stretched out and her skin glowin’ in the low light.
I smiled. “Here go yo’ baby.”
She reached for her, smilin’ and kissin’ all over her face the second she got her.
I dropped my sweatpants, pulled my shirt off, and climbed back in bed with them.
Toni laid My’Love in the middle of us, and we both leaned in, kissin’ on her, and talkin’ to her softly while her eyes looked back and forth between us.
I lay there for a minute, just watchin’ them.
Everything I needed was right here, and for the first time in a minute, I felt real clear that I was close to gettin’ out this shit. I was close to bein’ free, and close to movin’ forward with my life the way I been tryin’ to.
With my wife… and with my baby.