Chapter 37
“Mmmm, this tastes even better than I thought it would.” I moaned before dipping my spoon into the plastic container. Cash, Moolah, and I decided to stop and get ice cream before heading home. The brownie batter sundae was calling my name, and it tasted like heaven on my tongue.
“Yeah, the girl at the counter loaded us up. I think she wanted me,” Moolah announced.
“Naw, she wanted me. She slid me her number when she handed me the bag.” Cash held up the napkin with her number scribbled on it with hearts next to it.
“And you better crumble it up and toss it out. How old is she? Sixteen? No way.” I shook my head vehemently. My sons were growing up, and I despised every moment of it. Every time I turned around, a new girl was trying to flirt with them.
“Come on, Mom. Our birthdays are coming up, and we’ll be thirteen. I know you see this chin hair growing.” Moolah leaned over the middle console to show me the little fuzz on his chin. My chest grew tight at the thought of my boys becoming men. One moment, they were little babies who needed my help with any and everything, and now they were wearing cologne and talking to girls.
“Boy, get out of my face with that little lint. You are still my babies. Why can’t you wait until you’re eighteen to date?” My lip was poked out, but I realized this only worked on their father.
“I promise you have nothing to worry about on my end. I’m too focused on my career to worry about a girl. Once I get to the NFL, there’ll be too many to choose from, so I would be a fool to fall in love now,” Moolah proclaimed.
“Is that your way of saying you’re gonna be a player?”
“I’m being realistic, Mama. Your son is gonna be a star one day, and I want to keep my options open,” he reasoned, sounding like some of the players I’d worked with.
“What about you, Cash? Do you share the same sentiments as your brother?”
“Naw, I don’t. To be honest, I want to play the game I love, make good money, and then settle down with a wife and kids. I don’t want the limelight and the popularity. I’ll save all of that for my twin.” It amazed me how different the two of them were. It didn’t take away from either of them because they were equally incredible. However, the older they became, the more I noticed their distinct differences.
“Well, I’m okay with how you choose to live your lives, as long as you aren’t breaking hearts and making many babies everywhere. Whenever you decide to find love, make sure it is with someone who values you and wants to be with you for the right reasons.” I schooled them. We had these kinds of talks before, but I wanted to drill the message home.
“I hear you, Mama. I definitely don’t want that.”
“Me either. I don’t want any kids until I’m old like you,” Moolah quipped.
“Boy, don’t make me beat you. There is nothing old about me. I’m in my prime,” I retorted, whipping my hair over my shoulder. In the midst of laughing with the boys, I noticed a black Expedition behind us. I wouldn’t have been alarmed had this not been the third time I’d seen this particular car.
“Moolah, call your father.” He gave me a strange look before doing what I asked.
“What’s wrong?” A part of me didn’t want to say anything because I hoped I was being paranoid. However, my suspicions were confirmed when I turned on the street and headed toward our new house.
“What’s up, Son?” Dinero’s voice blared through the speakerphone.
“Baby, someone is following us.”
“Where are you? Hold on, I have your location. What does the car look like? Moolah and Cash, can either of you see anything? A license plate or anything?” The windows in his Lambo were tinted, so I didn’t have to worry about the driver seeing them.
“Yeah. Do you want me to take a picture or read it off to you?” Cash responded.
“Both, Son. Hurry up for me.” The urgency in his voice scared me. I’d never been in a situation like this, but the fear in his voice only increased mine.
“Done. It should be coming to your phone in a second.”
“What do you want us to do, Pops?” Moolah’s demeanor seemed so calm that it worried me.
“You know what I taught you. I’m on my way to y’all. If they make a move, do what you’ve got to do. Protect your mama and your sister at all costs. I love y’all.”
“We love you too, Pops,” the twins stated in unison. I took a couple more turns to see if they would retreat, but they followed us at every turn.
“Sunny baby, I know you’re scared, but I promise I’m only a few minutes away, and the police are also on the way. Stay on the open roads. Do not stop the car no matter what, okay? Breathe for me, baby.” I attempted to follow his instructions, but the feeling of us being hit from behind sent me into a panic. The phone slipped onto the floor, and I was too afraid to bend down and pick it up.
“Ahh!”
“They keep ramming into us! They’re trying to run us off the road.”
“Don’t stop driving, Sunny! No matter what happens, keep your foot on the gas. Do you hear me?” Dinero yelled through the phone. Panic settled deep inside of me, but I tried to put on a brave face. I couldn’t break down while my children were with me.
The other car drove erratically, switching lanes with no signal. The cars in the other lane were so frightened that they began to pull over wherever they could. We were on the main roads, so many cars were around us.
Bow. Bow.
“What the hell was that?” I screamed before the truck began to veer to the left.
“They shot the back tire out,” Cash announced. Everything happened so fast as Moolah crawled to the back seat.
“I need you guys to duck down. If they have a gun, I don’t want to risk one of you getting hit,” I instructed.
Bow. Bow. Bow.
Bullets were ricocheting off the car, but they never broke through. Whoever was behind the wheel wanted us dead, and they weren’t going to stop until they got what they wanted. Chaos surrounded us. I heard a barrage of bullets and screeching tires. When I heard what sounded like the back window being let down, I completely lost my cool.
“What are you doing? Why are you letting the window down?” From the mirror, I saw Moolah with his back turned to me.
“Moolah, answer me!”
“Keep the car as straight as you can, Mama. Don’t worry.” An uncontrollable sob erupted from me as the driver rear-ended us again.
“Baby, I need you to listen to your son. Keep the car as straight as you can and keep driving.” I nodded as if Dinero could see me. This wasn’t the time for me to panic. My family depended on me, and I refused to let them down. My chest rose as I took a deep breath. My hands gripped the steering wheel as I focused on the road. You got this, girl .
“Moolah, be careful!” I yelled behind me.
“I got this, Mama.” Within seconds, we heard another set of bullets. Only this time, they were closer than before. From the side mirror, I witnessed the other car swerve off until it crashed into a utility pole. My hands were shaking so badly, but I kept driving.
“We lost them, Pops,” Moolah informed him, climbing back into the passenger seat. His sleeves were rolled up, but nothing else seemed out of place.
“The police are close, and they will take it from there. Go ahead and head home, and I’ll be there in a little while. Keep your eyes open and let me know if you notice anything off. Dreis should be pulling up shortly. He’ll check the area out before you go inside.” Dinero gave a few more instructions before getting off the phone.
The rest of the ride, the boys talked among themselves. Neither of them seemed remotely afraid or traumatized, and I began to question what kind of parent I’d been. When we finally pulled up to the house, the sound of sirens blared in the distance. My biggest fear was that Moolah would get in trouble for firing a gun. The last thing I wanted for him was a record. Instead of panicking, I decided to wait it out. If nothing else, I knew Dinero would take care of things.
Dinero Sutton
“How are you doing, Mr. Sutton? I’m Officer Manning, and this is my partner, Officer Windsor.” The tall Caucasian officer reached out to shake my hand.
“We’re very sorry for what happened to your family today. We are actively investigating the scene and will get to the bottom of things. From the evidence we’ve gathered already, it appears this was an intentional attack. The suspect sustained significant injuries, but we’ll know more once she is admitted. As of now, she is under police watch until we are able to book her. We will need an official statement from your family, but we can wait a few days.”
“Yes, please. I would really appreciate it.” They took my information while asking a few more questions. Seeing Porschea being loaded onto a stretcher confirmed our suspicions. Harper was behind everything, but I still wasn’t sure why. A breakup shouldn’t have been enough for her to react this way, especially when she believed we were still going to get married.
After I finished with the officers, I sent a message to Uncle Ro to let him know what happened. He promised to put a few of his people on Porschea and her family. The wedding would take place in a few days, but I still hadn’t gotten the information I needed to get out of this. I explained to Sunny that nothing would change regardless of whether I went through with the wedding or not. However, I could sense her uneasiness about it. Hell, I understood where she was coming from because if the shoe were on the other foot, I would have shown my ass a long time ago.
All of this weighed heavily on me, but I refused to give up. I wasn’t about to lose my family over this bullshit, and I would lay down anyone who tried to get in the way of that.
I raced home on two wheels, trying to get to my family. Sunny kept calling my phone, begging me to come home. Today was a lot for them, so I expected nothing less. Dreis sent me a text to let me know the area was clear. He promised to stay there until I arrived. I appreciated him for stepping up when I needed him most.
I rushed right into the house to find my father. Dreis and Sunny were sitting on the couch while she cried. Immediately, I rushed over to comfort her.
“I was so afraid. I’ve never been so helpless before.” Picking her up, I placed her on my lap.
“It’s okay, baby. I know you were scared, but you did a great job. You can relax now.” I allowed her to get her emotions out while I rocked her in my arms.
“Did they catch who did it?” Dreis inquired.
“Yeah. They took her to the hospital, but she’s under police custody. If she makes it, they’ll transport her to jail.”
“If?” I looked around to answer the question.
“Moolah shot her. They weren’t able to give me much information, but I’m waiting for an update. I need to find out what led to this. Ro is supposed to hit me up with more information.”
Uncle Ro was working on trying to get me inside Porschea’s room. I’d been racking my brain trying to find enough information on Harper and her father to get me out of this mess. Something told me that she would be the key that I needed.
“What’s up, Pops? I didn’t know you were back.” Moolah entered the living room with a bowl of cereal in his hands.
I observed his demeanor for a moment because he seemed too calm for me. I knew my son was tough, but after experiencing what he had gone through today, I expected more emotions from him.
“Yeah, I rushed home as soon as I finished talking to the cops,” I informed him. He responded with a nod before taking a seat on the other couch.
“What did they say? Is she still alive?” he asked casually.
“They transported her to the hospital. I don’t have a lot of information right now, but I should know something later. The police want to interview you and your brother and mom. You’re not in trouble or anything, but they want to get your statements on record.”
“That’s cool.” He shrugged, then continued to eat his cereal.
“Where is your brother?” I inquired, noticing that Cash wasn’t in the room with us.
“He’s on the phone with this girl he likes from school. They are working on a school project together.” I nodded, making a mental note to talk to him before I left tonight. I needed to make sure my family was okay.
“I’m going to go lay down. This baby has been moving for hours, and she’s finally calmed down.” Sunny grumbled as she got up from the couch.
“Do you need any help?”
“I’m okay, baby. I’m just tired. I know you’ll probably be leaving back out later, so be careful.” She kissed my lips before heading to our room. It felt good to say ‘our’ because it had been so long since we lived under the same roof. Now, more than ever, I was anxious to close this last chapter in my life so that I could finally be all in with Sunny and our kids.
“I’m about to head out myself. Let me know what happens with the girl. You already know if you need me, I’m just a phone call away.” Dreis stood and shook my hand.
“I appreciate you, bro. Thank you for coming.”
“This is my family too. You already know how I’m coming. Hit me up later.”
“Will do.”
I sat on the couch for a moment, lost in my thoughts. I’d always prided myself on being someone who was on top of things. Nobody in the streets could ever get over on me because I read them like a book. Now I was sitting here trying to figure out how in the world Harper had gotten over on me for so long.
Maybe it was the guilt of losing our daughter that caused me to overlook her behavior. Or maybe it was the fact that I didn’t care about her enough to question her motives outside of our relationship. Whatever it was, I realized I had dropped the ball.
“You good, Pops?” Moolah probed.
“I should be the one asking you that, shouldn’t I?”
“I already told you, I’m fine.”
“Yeah, but you shouldn’t be. You shot someone today, Moolah. Something like that has a major effect on people’s emotions. Even if it was done for the right reasons, it can cause a lot of sleepless nights and nightmares.”
“I’m not worried about any of that. At the end of the day, I did what I had to do to protect my family. I don’t feel bad or guilty. That lady was trying to kill us.”
“I know, and I’m sorry I put you in that situation.”
“You don’t need to apologize. I know you would never do anything to hurt us or put us in harm’s way. You don’t have to watch me like a hawk; I promise I’m okay.”
“I think that’s what scares me the most. I don’t want you to feel like you have to grow up fast or handle things that are meant for adults. My childhood was taken from me at a very young age, and I don’t want that for you. I want you to live. Have fun, make mistakes, and do the things that normal teenagers do. It’s my job to protect y’all and not the other way around.” I saw so much of myself in him—his fearlessness, his determination, his closed-off demeanor.
There were so many things about my childhood that I wished I could go back and change, but I couldn’t. However, I refused to let my children grow up in any environment where they felt like they couldn’t be kids.
“When my mom talks about you, all she ever talks about is how safe you made her feel, how you protected her and loved her. She tells us how strong you were and how determined you were to reach your goals. If I’m anything like you, then I take that as a compliment. I may be a little rough around the edges, but I’m a good person.
“I’ve never had someone that I looked up to growing up. However, the more time I spend with you, the more I see myself wanting to be more like you. I haven’t met a single person who has anything negative to say about you. A lot of football players have great stats, but they also have a lot of scandals behind their names. You’re different, though. In the eyes of the world, you’re one of the greatest, and that’s what I wanna be one day. Granted, I don’t know if my record will be as clean as yours, but I want my name to mean something in this world.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I can see the hunger in your eyes, and it reminds me of myself. My father used to say that Suttons go after what we want, and we don’t stop until we get it. You have everything it takes to be great, and I’m gonna be right there cheering you on every step of the way.”
“Thank you, Pops. I know I gave you a hard time in the beginning, but it was just because I wasn’t sure how long you were gonna be around. I didn’t wanna get attached to you, only for you to leave. It feels good to be able to talk to you about things that I know I can’t talk to my mom about. She doesn’t understand football or the reason why I go so hard. It’s just something about me and that ball that I can’t let go of. When I step on that field, the world stops. In school, everybody praises Cash for being the smart and respectable one, but on that field, everybody calls my name. It’s just different.”
“You and your brother are both very unique in your own ways. However, even if you aren’t the smartest or the nicest, you’re still a great kid. Both of you are gonna go far in life, and I’m really grateful that I’ll be here to see it all. I’m proud of you, Moolah.
“What you did today was heroic. It may have been a fucked-up situation, but your instincts were to protect the people you love. I was scared out of my mind, but I knew that you could handle it. I love you, and I want you to know that will never change. You, your brother, and your sister mean everything to me. Your mama too. I’ll never leave you. As long as I have breath in my body, nobody could ever take me away from you.” Moolah wiped the tears from his eyes while I got up to hug him.
There weren’t enough words that I could use to express my gratitude for him today. I prayed we never had a situation like this again, but it gave me comfort to know that he could take care of himself. My phone buzzed in my pocket, alerting me to a new message. Stepping back, I retrieved the phone from my pocket to see a message from Uncle Ro.
Unc:
It’s time.
Those were the only words I needed to see. It was time to get to the bottom of all of this and put an end to it.