TWO #2
“You got it real good, you know that, right?” he reminded her in case she didn’t know.
“Because my parents paid my rent up, I’m blessed?” she scoffed. Talia knew exactly what he was referring to, which surprised him greatly.
She wasn’t no dummy and she may have had a little bit more street sense than her sister.
“You got a roof over your head. I know a lot of bitches sleeping under bridges and sucking dick to get high.”
“I do that too,” she had the nerve to say proudly.
This wasn’t the Talia that he witnessed last week nodding off with her hair all over her head. The woman who stood before him wasn’t giving crackhead energy. She had the potential to be a baddie.
Talia smirked as she ran her hands down the lil’ house dress that she had on.
“What made you think you could come to my house unannounced? I don’t care who you are.”
“I know you don’t and that’s cool. I’m here for my girl.”
“Nina will be fine, trust me.” Talia knew her better than he did.
Jio turned to face her slowly.
“Where your phone at?”
“Why?”
“Man give me your phone.”
Talia hesitated for a bit before grabbing it off the counter and handing it to him.
Jio glanced at it briefly and set it down. His attention went back to her.
“You been ducking your sister,” he informed her as if she didn’t already know.
Talia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “I been busy.”
“Getting high takes all your time up?” She was hilarious.
“You think that’s what I do all day?”
“I don’t care what you do, but I do care how you treat your sister. She loves you and she’s sorry about what happened. Y’all need to talk.”
Talia rolled her eyes and smacked her lips.
“I know that y’all are still in the honeymoon stage, but trust me, Nina knew exactly what she was doing. She can play them mind games with you, not me.”
He sighed. “She feels horrible. Straight up. I’ve never seen her act like this before.”
Talia snapped her fingers. “You hit the head on the nail. ACT. Cus that’s exactly what the hell she doing.”
She couldn’t be swayed that Nina was genuinely concerned about her well being. None of her family cared.
For a moment, neither of them said anything until Talia laughed in a weak attempt to shake her emotions off.
“But don’t you worry. She’ll be aight. Nina been dramatic her whole life.”
He moved so damn fast that she didn’t have time to react.
His hand wrapped around her throat, not tight enough to choke the life out of her, but firm enough to remind her exactly who she was dealing with.
Talia gasped, her hands instinctively grabbing at his wrist.
“What the—”
“Listen to me.”
His voice dropped low to a calm and deadly tone. Time was money and he didn’t have much more to waste on this situation. He needed his baby back in good spirits, and if he had to be the bad guy, then that’s what it was.
“You’re going to forgive her.”
Talia’s breathing quickened, her eyes widened, not just from fear, but from the intensity of him being that close.
“Do you understand?”
She nodded quickly, her voice barely there. “Yeah.”
Jio tightened his grip just a lil’ bit.
“Your sister is gonna call you,” he continued. “And when she does, you’re going to answer and try to make plans with her.”
Talia swallowed hard. “Whatever.”
Jio studied her for a second longer before releasing her causing her to stumble. Talia struggled to catch her breath as she rubbed her aching neck.
“When it comes to my baby? Yes I am.”
Talia wasn’t Talia if she didn’t push just a little further.
“You love her… for real?”
Jio didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, I do.”
His confession, which was laced with pride, surprised her more than anything else. Talia tilted her head, studying him.
“Damn,” she murmured. “I would’ve never expected Nina to go that route. Me? Yeah. Charis, hell no. But my baby sister… definitely not. I know it killed my mama to hear your name in her house,” Talia tittered.
“Thanks for the reminder, cus if you ever embarrass her again,” he said quietly. “I will kill you.” Jio was raw and emotionless.
Jio held her gaze for one last second before walking out of her house.
For the first time in a long time, Talia didn’t want to get high to numb the pain. She wanted someone to love her as much as Jio claimed to love her lil’ sister.
η
He was a calculated dude. Jio didn’t make impulsive decisions.
Everything was always carefully considered and he let his thoughts marinate longer than the ribs that his uncle was famous for on the 4th of July.
So that was why when he went to visit his Pops in prison, regardless of the outcome of the conversation, he would be content because he’d sat with his decision.
He’d even prayed on the situation and asked the Most High for wisdom and discernment.
Yeah, dope was paying the bills, but it wouldn’t give him the life he was seeking long-term.
It was time for Jio to take the family empire in another direction.
Jio had done the research. He was confident in his plan.
It was solid and he was guaranteed to see a huge return on the initial investment.
He sat at a table patiently awaiting the doors to open and grant access to a long list of convicted felons to spend a few minutes with their loved ones.
For many inmates, these visits were everything to them.
It kept them sane and alive. It was also a reminder of what they had waiting on them when their bid was up.
Big J used to love when his son visited him, but their past few encounters hadn’t gone well.
Something told him that this one wouldn’t be any different.
Jio wasn’t a lil’ nigga anymore. He’d begun to feel himself, and honestly, he should’ve known this would occur eventually.
He’d started acting the same around his age.
Big J sat down at the table, instantly feeling the tension and noticing that things had definitely changed between them.
There wasn’t a dap, hug, or kiss to the face like they’d done over the years. It was no love lost, but it damn sure wasn’t on display either.
Big J had been in and out of jail throughout Jio’s entire life. Shit, the majority of their ‘quality time’ was spent in prisons. His own father used to call him Mr. Can’t Get Right.
Big J loved everything that didn’t love him back.
He was easily distracted by fast cars, hard drugs, big booties, and round titties.
Gambling was his bad habit. A line or two or three was another vice that he couldn’t rid himself of.
Jail was the only time his mind was quiet enough for him to think straight.
He would promise himself that he could be the made man, the leader that his father expected him to be.
Once he got out of jail he tried to do his best, but he would always fuck up again. The cycle never ended.
But now, Jio was old enough to run things. With or without his dad’s supervision.
Big J felt like he’d been pushed out and sat aside, but shit, he was locked away in a cage. Money still had to be made. Bills needed to be paid and the Gotti legacy couldn’t die because Big J was behind bars.
His brother didn’t want any parts of being the head of their criminal family organization.
He would handle whatever was needed if asked of him, but he had no desire to be the leader.
Jio always respected and admired that about his uncle.
If more people would willingly admit their shortcomings, the world might just end up being a better place.
Everyone wasn’t a leader and that was okay.
A village needed Indians in order to have a Chief.
“New earrings?” was the first thing that left his father’s lips.
He noticed shit that didn’t even matter.
“I’ve had these for years,” Jio said flatly.
“You must’ve just gotten them cleaned or something. Them bitches shining,” he praised. Jio was unfazed by the compliment.
“Could be the sunlight.”
He hadn’t touched the earrings and his father knew him well enough to know that.
“I guess.”
Jio sat back and rested his arms on his lap.
“You been good? I reloaded the account. Didn’t realize it’d gotten that low.”
“Well, maybe if you answer the phone, you’ll know.”
“I’m not the only person you can call to keep money on the books,” Jio retorted. All the bitches he’d tricked off on over the years…. shit, that was their job.
“You supposed to be the first person I call. You’re my son. MY ONLY SON.”
Jio used to love that reminder. He bore his last name proudly, but on days like this, sitting across from the man who was once his role model and idol… he loathed it.
“Are you good though?” He ignored the dramatics because he was ready to get down to business.
“Maintaining as best as I can, Jio. It’s a part of the game.”
His dad liked to tell himself that but that was far from the truth.
He wasn’t ever going to prison if he could control the outcome.
“I’ve been thinking about expanding and where I want to see us go in the next five years.”
“I?” Big J scoffed.
“I…We…. it’s all for the family.”
“Where are you trying to expand and go?”
“Everywhere that we not already at. It’s so much money out there. We not touching it.”
“Greed don’t get you nowhere but in here with me, son, you know that.”
“Who said anything about greed?” Were they having the same conversation?
Jio also couldn’t say much considering where they were, but his father was wise enough to read between the lines.
“What’s wrong with sticking to the original script?” He sounded frustrated at the idea, but it was only because the shit didn’t include him. Regardless, he would eat off the plate.
“Nothing’s wrong with that but it’s not happening. This is already in motion,” Jio said a half-truth. He was putting the play together but it hadn’t kicked off yet.
“Just like that, huh?” Big J smirked as he sat back in his chair and crossed his long, hairy arms across his chest.
“No disrespect.”
“Aah, it’s plenty of that but I’m used to it from you.”
Jio chewed on his comeback since he was learning slowly but surely how to pick his battles wisely.