Chapter 6
Amir
“Yo, Jasmine, wait up.” I chased Crew’s sister out the doors and into the streets. Shorty was running so fast away from me, she ran into the road, almost getting hit by a taxicab going at least ten miles over the fuckin speed limit.
“Amir.” Delilah walked out behind me.
“Where are you going? I thought we were having lunch?”
“We will Delilah. I’ll be back. I have to make a phone call real quick.” I waved Delilah off, who rolled her eyes and went back into the building as I turned around to follow Jasmine.
“Yo, slow down.” I finally caught up to her after having to run full speed behind her.
“You alright?
“I’m fine. Now I have to go.” She tried to take off from me again, but I grabbed her by her arm.
“You running from me like I’m chasing your ass to hurt you or something.”
“Well, you might be. Who knows with you?”
“Damn, that’s what you think of me. That I would hurt a female for no reason?”
She broke from my grip and blinked twice as she looked up into my eyes.
I didn’t mean to be looking at my homie sister like that, but Jasmine was pretty as hell.
She looked like a young 90’s version of Toni Braxton.
She had that same softness in her eyes and shit, but still, I knew deep down, there was probably nothing soft about her.
This is a Brooklyn chick we're talking about. They are born with an attitude.
“Umm, Amir, I legit watched you kill someone not even a foot away from me. There was blood splatter on my fuckin legs because of you!”
“Look, I’m sorry about that, and I didn’t mean for it to go down in front of you. I moved off emotions because he was disrespecting you and me, but I appreciate you keeping your mouth closed about the ordeal, and I give my condolences to you if you actually cared about that dude.”
“Uh, yeah, I cared, that was my boyfriend.”
I shook my head, having to wipe off the sarcastic smile across my face.
“What’s funny?”
“Nothing, it’s just wild that you're referring to him as your boyfriend when he was manhandling you like you were some random hoe. I had been watching you two go back and forth the entire time on that toxic shit. Now, I’m not sure if that was his first time handling you in that way, but you didn’t deserve a nigga like that. ”
“You don’t know what I deserve.” She folded her arms and flared her nostrils. There was that Brooklyn chick I knew was in there.
“Listen, I hope the shit gets better for you, and again, I appreciate you for keeping it a buck with me and not telling the cops anything.”
She stepped closer to me, putting her finger straight into my chest.
“I didn’t keep it a buck with you, I kept it a buck with my brother because he begged me not to go to the cops on you!
I fight my conscience every fuckin day because of that shit, and that’s why I was in that fuckin office in the first place.
Dr. Rashid is the only ending to this dark ass tunnel I’ve been in since you did that to Trey! ”
“So, you told Delilah what happened?” My eyebrows furrowed.
Delilah knew all about my family, my upbringing, and the fact that I was in the streets, but she wasn’t aware that I was a cold-blooded killer who killed to make money.
I’m not sure she could handle hearing what kind of man I grew up to be outside of high school.
Back then, she always told me that it was good I wasn’t like the rest of my family.
Little did she know, I was the most cutthroat nigga in the family.
“No, I didn’t tell her anything specifically, just talked around the situation, and the trauma of growing up in New York. You must know her personally or something?”
“Yeah, I know her. We go back.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Go back, I know what that means. You fuckin her without a title. Trust I’ve gone way back with a few niggas myself.” Her lips twisted to the side before walking off.
“Where are you headed to now?”
“The bus stops if you don’t mind.”
“You riding a fuckin bus? Does your brother know you're running around New York by yourself?”
“No, he does not, and I expect you to mind your business while I go catch the bus home and search for another therapist.” She tried to walk away, but I stepped in front of her again.
“First off, slow your roll. You don’t have to find another therapist. Delilah is good at what she does, and I’m sure she can help you through however you're feeling.”
“Whatever, you are just saying that because y’all fuckin.”
I laughed, but she felt like I was out of line, so she folded her arms up tight again.
“My bad, shorty, but let me take you wherever you need to go. I can’t let you hop on a bus when my car is right there.” I pointed just down the sidewalk.
“No, thank you, I can make it without your help.” She walked away from me, and I lifted my phone.
“That’s fine,” I called out behind her.
“Just let me call your brother and let him know that I offered your stubborn ass a ride. So if you get hurt or killed, he won’t think I didn’t at least try.”
When I brought up calling Crew, she stopped in her tracks. She turned around and rolled her eyes.
“Well, come on then nigga, or whatever the fuck you are. But just know that I have mace and a knife if you try something.”
I laughed.
“I’m not here to hurt, just here to help. Now come on.” I led her to my car, and we took off.
The majority of the ride, she sat in the passenger with her arms folded, staring out the window like she was on a bus.
My phone was blowing up with Delilah calling, most likely to see where I was, but I didn’t bother to answer.
Explaining how I knew Jas was something that I didn’t want to have to do.
She was never satisfied with answers because she was always thinking of her next question.
When we hit the block, I made my way towards the brownstone address she gave me and there was a nigga coming down the stoop of her spot with a large bag over his shoulder.
“What the hell is this nigga doing here! Why didn’t she call me?
” I could tell that she wasn’t talking directly to me, more like complaining out loud about the nigga walking down the steps.
She hopped out of the car before I could stop, and her anxiousness made me put my car in park to see what the fuck was up.
“What are you doing with my baby stuff! Where is my mama at?”
She started yelling at the man as soon as she set foot onto the pavement.
“I saw her leave with one of her church friends, and I used the spare key I know she keeps in that plant. My son needs more clothes, and I don’t get paid until next Friday.”
“Clothes for what? You didn’t ask me to keep him multiple days, Reggie. You didn’t ask to get him at all, actually.”
“I’m not asking you to keep him multiple days because I’m not asking you to keep him ever again. My son is about to start staying with me. I heard about all the shit you've been getting into, and he won’t be around it.”
The dude continued down the steps and up to his Nissan Maxima parked in front of mine.
“Let me call my fuckin brother.”
“Go ahead. I’ll have the police here before he gets here. I already filed a restraining order on that crazy ass nigga. He comes near me, and his ass is getting locked up again.”
“Fuck you, Reggie.” She hit him upside his head.
“You can’t take my son from me just like that. You have no fuckin reason to.”
“Oh, I have good enough reason. Don’t you think I hear the chatter around the block? How you got a nigga in Vivo gang killed, and that he wants to come for you.”
“Yeah, fuckin right.” She blew smoke, and I adjusted myself in my seat.
“You think I’m just talking, but you need to understand that niggas just not scared of your brother as they used to be. They know that nigga is a family man now and not really in the streets anymore. You'd better watch your back, Jas, but in the meantime, I’ll watch my sons.”
Her baby father didn’t know it, but he was putting me on to valuable information. I need to know who this Vivo nigga is because I’m sure if he's after Jasmine, he probably wants to find me too. I, however, hope he's ready for what the fuck he's looking for.
“Reggie! Just let me handle shit the way I see fit. If he needs to come with you, then I’ll let you know.”
“Too late Jasmine. I’ll see your ass in court and make sure your brother stays away from me. I got cameras around my house and paperwork with the court. He fuck with me, and he will be seeing his children through glass.”
He got into his navy blue piece of aluminum shit and drove off. She stomped hard into the concrete and spun around, then looked dead into my windshield. When she stormed my way, I got out of the car, chuckling at the show I just got.
“What the fuck are you laughing at? Ain’t shit funny.” She sat down on the stoop behind her in a defeated motion.
“You and your baby daddy drama. Drama must follow you.”
“Yeah, it does. It follows me as you do, almost. Why didn’t you pull out your gun and shoot that nigga since you're my night in shining armor these days?”
She rolled her eyes sarcastically.
“Because it sounds like y’all are having baby mama and baby daddy drama, which I’m not getting in between. Plus, from what I heard, I can’t say that I agree with the nigga’s decision.”
She looked up at me with her nose scrunched up.
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“Exactly what I said. When I have a kid, I’ll do anything to protect him or her. Even if it’s from their mom.”
She got quiet, leaving the sound of the bus passing by the only noise between the two of us at the moment.
“Do you think I really have something to worry about when it comes to this Vivo guy?”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“I don’t know, but I’ll damn sure find out. Maybe you should go ahead and go into your spot and lock up.”
“Un Uhh.” She snaked her neck.
“I’m not going in there by myself. My mama is not here, so I’m going to go to Crew’s house. But damn.”
She smacked her lips.