On the Case #2
“We keep saying we've gotta get her back but she ain’t never here. We’re so used to it just being us and doing dirt with Smoke, Bhal and even Angel’s ass but it’s never her and that ain’t fair. We link and she’s never involved. How is that going to fix anything?”
“We thought she might need more time.” Yacouba was rubbing the back of his head as he realized that we’d messed up. I wasn’t letting any of us off the hook that easily.
“Without asking her?”
They all looked thoughtful and even slightly guilty, since none of us had done the right thing. Having Asha in my life made me see that despite how much I thought I treated women fairly, I was infantilizing one of the most capable women I knew. And that shit wasn’t okay.
“We’ll do better but it’s natural for us to look out. I thought y’all would’ve eventually merged families and shit.” Couba said what had been on people’s minds for years about me and Jemma since we hung out often.
“It was never that type of time with us. We understood one another on a level that y’all couldn’t. Parental loss. Feeling abandoned. The only other person who could touch that was ‘Mir but he was hoping them muthafuckas that birthed him would disappear.”
“He made sure zhey did, eventually.” Xerx’s comment had us all cracking up remembering how Priest handled his enemies with precision.
“And they earned it. Cardinal’s ass was so busy trying to turn him into a weapon he flung his ass around to random corners of the earth trying to fuck up his mental so we never got to talk that often about how he was feeling.”
Priest glared at Yacouba so calmly I knew he was about to flip. He was leaning forward, perched on the edge of his seat. “You talking cash shit like I’m not sitting right here.”
“Priest, I got two eyes and perfect vision. I see you, nigga. But the fact remains that your stepdaddy/uncle was trying to have you out here on some Winter Soldier secret password shit. Besides you see I’m happy to say it to your face so I wouldn’t bother saying it behind your back.
” Yacouba kept his posture relaxed not because he didn’t think Priest could hurt him but more he didn’t want to set him off.
“So what’s good with y’all?” Midas was staring at me with the weight of his wife’s expectations and his own that I not do Asha wrong.
“She’s good. What more needs to be said?” I was looking between them not understanding the question.
They all threw their hands up like a well-coordinated scene from a sitcom.
Like they were tired of me not elaborating and I couldn’t begin to understand what more needed to be said.
Me saying she was good should’ve been enough but I clearly hadn’t satisfied whatever curiosity they had about our situation.
“If I didn’t know shorty was absolutely insane I might actually feel bad for her having to marry your ass.” Yacouba ran a hand down his face as he shook his head.
“Why are you saying she’s insane?”
“She's marrying yoor ass. She's gotta be.” Liam slouched down further in his chair unbothered. Probably because he felt I was a lost cause. Which was ironic, since he’d exiled his wife at one point.
“Moving on. As far as the Franklins are concerned, Hakeem, I’m not sure. Do I hope he’s legit? Sure. One less person we have to kill. One less triangle of darkness I have to ink. If he’s not, I’ll eliminate him like anyone else and carry it on my skin.”
“You really should’ve been around them longer when you were growing up.” Mir shook his head feeling sorry for me.
I could only shrug because I didn’t feel as though I’d missed out on anything. “Can’t change that shit now.”
“Maybe you can.” Mir had a hopeful look on his face that was bothering the fuck out of me.
“Why would I want to?”
“We each had someone that was our blood that we could lean on. At the barest of minimums I had Lucky. Liam has Bhal. Xerx has Midas. We all had someone. Hell, Priest has Smoke.”
Priest chuckled at Yacouba because that shit sounded funny as hell. “Why are you speaking like that nigga is my sidekick?”
“Is he not?”
“Aye, I’m right here.”
Smoke leaned up from the wall he’d been resting on like a fucking outsider as soon as his name was mentioned.
No matter how much we told him to ease up he was always thinking of watching our backs.
The shit was annoying as fuck but he took pride in not being derelict in his duties. Even if he was supposed to be relaxing.
“And again, I’m saying this shit to your face so I don’t have to say it behind your back.” Yacouba and Smoke had a standoff because they were basically brothers-in-law. The only other person who was closer was Priest and they didn’t have the same family ties that Couba and Smoke did.
Liam was looking between the two of them before he shook his head. “These niggas are crazy.”
Mir glared at the side of Liam’s head like he’d lost his mind. “You’re one to talk.”
I clapped my hands together to get their attention because I needed them to focus. “Task at hand, niggas we got shit to do! I've got to be at work in the morning.”
“All we’re saying is you've gotta have somebody to talk to.” Yacouba was clearly done giving me advice.
I racked my brain for a second before my mind landed on someone who could work.
“I have my cousin.”
“Grant?!” Midas looked appalled at the notion that Grant was who I picked but I had my reasons.
“You can’t mean Mr. All-American Football.” Smoke piping up in this conversation voluntarily meant they really underestimated him.
“You think Grant is gone have your back?” Mir was even skeptical so I had to stick up for my blood.
“That man put in work when he needed to. Look at how he handled D-Mill.” They seemed to forget how Grant beat that nigga’s ass for touching his wife.
“Maybe. But he’s still on your fazer’s side and not your mama’s.
Hakeem would give you the Franklin ties that could be involved in this without question.
Having a wider network of people ain’t gone kill you.
” Xerx wouldn’t understand how foul family could be to you because he personally never had his immediate family fuck with him.
Those extended muthafuckas had been trying to kill him since before he was born though.
I smirked looking between Xerx and Priest, “Priest, you wanna tell Xerx just how wrong he is?” Priest’s uncle and cousin had tried to kill him and his uncle had killed Priest’s birth father.
“You know what he means. We can’t be the only people who love you.”
“You going soft on us, Cou?” I wanted to irritate him the way he’d been doing with me dragging this Asha situation.
“I will pull out my gun and shoot you in the fucking head. Soft these nuts, nigga.”
“Jazzy baby pregnant again? You being real emotional right now.”
Yacouba clenched his jaw and I was laughing silently because I was getting under his skin. “Her name is Jasmine to you, nigga, are you trying to die in this bitch?” He pulled out his gun and placed it on his knee as it jumped with irritation.
“I ain’t trying to talk about this shit is all I’m saying. It’s pointless. I hate indulging in pointless conversation even with y’all.” I let my head fall back as the adrenaline from the day finally waned. I was gonna have to catch a nap on the jet on the way home.
“Keepin’ it real yoo think all conversation is pointless.”
I stared at Liam trying to understand why he felt I would disagree with him. “It is. People be lying and shit.”
We had a stare-off for a few minutes before Liam averted his gaze, sighing. “God help this girl. Even if she is English.”
I felt eyes on me before I looked up and saw Priest’s ass staring at me. When I raised my eyebrows, his face broke out into a grin. “I don’t think we have anything to worry about y’all.”
I pointed to him nodding glad to finally have someone on my side. “Finally, Priest making some sense.”
“Why are you sticking up for this man when he was just talking all this shit?” Couba looked pissed that they weren’t all on the same page ganging up on me.
“Think about it, he ain’t gone ever agree that he’s in love with the girl. Not because he’s not, he just wanna piss us off. I don’t know about you but I don’t feel like being aggravated all day long just cause this nigga doesn’t wanna discuss how he feels about his wife.”
I frowned at Priest’s choice of words wanting to put distance between myself. I’d been on a high from wreaking havoc but it was almost completely gone. “She’s not my wife.”
“Yoo’re a stubborn fook, I’ll give yoo t’at.” Liam went to the bar and poured himself a drink apparently tired of having this conversation.
“Was that where I was supposed to apologize or were you just stating the obvious?” He flipped me the bird from by the bar and I returned the favor.
“It’s clear my gift to her won’t be jewels. It’ll have to be a gun.”
Midas hit his cousin in the chest after he made that declaration. “Now you're gone hurt my wife’s feelings, Xerx.”
“I can have more zan one favorite sister-in-law. Besides, it would be an honor if zee bullet she puts in his ass is one from a piece of my machinery.” Midas seemed appeased with the idea of something they created ending my life and sat back with a smile.
“When it comes to the Franklins I don’t know what needs to be done.
Until I know what’s up I’m not about to stress about them.
They’re monitored. Being watched. What they discuss isn’t as important as my knowing that they’re up to something.
As long as I know the players the pieces will eventually fall where they need to.
” I was happy to turn the conversation back to business so we could get out of here.
Like I told them, I had work in the morning and even though Vega would be there with her I didn’t want him to be her only protection.
“True. You need us to do anything?” Yacouba’s way of letting me change the subject without calling me on it.