14. Omiri #2
“He better be glad it was on the field and not at the damn club. I really would have embarrassed him.”
With all the exposure circling around me and Makari, it wasn’t a good look to be caught on camera in a club full of half-naked women and endless bottles of liquor. And since everything leaked about me and Makari there was always a camera following me.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“Daniels. Where the hell do you think you’re going? Hayes is done but you’re not. Your defensive line is running drills. Y’all looked like shit out here today,” Thompson, the defensive coordinator, yelled from across the field.
“Is he fucking for real?” Ryland frowned hard.
I laughed, cutting my eyes that way. “Very and you better go handle that before they move Rawlins up to first string and your ass is on the sidelines watching him in your spot.”
“I wish the fuck they would.” His frown deepened but he turned and jogged back toward where Thompson was standing.
I was done for the day so I headed back to the locker room and checked my phone as soon as I was inside, knowing Makari had likely texted me.
Instead I got caught up with a call from Van.
She had been on me about doing an interview to shut down whatever the world thought they knew about me and Makari but I had been putting it off.
I really didn’t want to be out there like that.
“What’s good, Van?” I answered and dropped down on the bench in front of my locker.
“Have you discussed the interview with Makari yet?”
“Nah, not yet.”
“We need to get this under control, Omiri. It’s seriously becoming a distraction and your focus needs to be on the upcoming season, not answering questions about your personal life every time a camera is shoved in front of you.”
“I’ll handle it.”
“When? You have a lot to accomplish this season and all anyone wants to talk about is Makari and your daughter.”
I massaged my temples and nodded.
“I’ll talk to her tonight.”
“Tonight, Omiri, or I’m making the decision and you can deal with Makari when she curses you out for an impromptu interview you could have prepared her for.” I grinned at how annoyed she was and how Vanessa wasn’t playing with me anymore about this.
“I said I’ll handle it. I promise I’ll talk to her tonight.”
“Fine but I mean it. Handle it or I will.”
“I got you. I’ll hit you up later.”
After I ended the call, I grabbed my bag and headed to the shower and changed thinking about what Van said.
Our team was trying to make history and I wouldn’t let my personal life overshadow what we had the potential to do.
As soon as I was dressed and made it to my car, my phone was vibrating with a call from a name I hadn’t seen on my screen in a few months.
“What’s good, Ky?”
“Sup, O. What your day looking like? Can you pull up? It’s important.
” Ky and I had been down for years but lived in two different worlds.
When I was on the field, he was in the streets.
A few years back he got caught up, had to do a two year bid, and I looked out for his family because he was a solid dude.
“Yeah, I can do that. Give me like twenty minutes. I’m not that far from you.”
“Bet, I’ll see you in twenty.”
I ended the call and texted Makari.
Me: Running late. Need to make a stop. You need anything?
Her response came back quickly.
Makari: Just you. How long you gonna be?
Me: Hour maybe. What you need me for?
Makari: Same thing I needed you for this morning before you left for practice
Me: Damn, you really trying to fuck up my season by draining all my energy. I won’t be long.
Makari: Take your time. I'll be waiting.
Me: Don't start nothing you can't finish.
Makari: Who said I couldn't finish…
I grinned, locked my phone, and tossed it in the passenger seat. The sooner I could get to Ky and hear whatever he had to say, the sooner I could get my ass home and drop some dick off in Makari.
McCall’s didn’t open for a few hours so it was empty when I walked through the door. Dee, his hitta turned club security, lifted his chin and grinned when he noticed me. “What’s good, O? Y’all gonna win that third ring, this year?”
“You already know.” I extended a closed fist to him and he met it with his own. I moved past him to find Ky in his office. I dropped down in the chair across from his desk, watching while he blazed up the blunt in hand.
His eyes were on me, already low, which made me chuckle. This nigga stayed high. I had no idea how he managed to run a successful business but he made it work.
“Your ass stays blazing.”
He offered a lazy smirk and chuckled. “Life is good when you smoke the good shit. Hell, you might need to burn some trees from what I hear. Your player days are dead and gone.”
I nodded and brushed a hand over my head. “Yeah, I got a little shorty and she’s running me too. Beautiful as fuck though.”
Ky chuckled. “That’s good shit, O. Never thought I’d see the day but it works.”
“It has to.”
“I feel you. I’m not gonna keep you from her for too long. Just wanted to holler at you about something.”
His expression turned serious and I tensed because the look he gave me was cryptic as hell. “What’s up?”
Ky took a long drag from the blunt, dropped his head back, and exhaled the smoke slowly. When he lowered his head again, he looked me right in the eyes. “I heard a few things a couple weeks ago. According to my people, I know who ran up on your brother.”
Everything in me stilled and my muscles locked tightly. “Who?”
Ky shook his head. “I’m not gonna tell you that. Just know it’s handled.”
“Nah, fuck that being handled shit. I need to know.”
He shook his head again. “Nah, you don’t. You’re not in the position to fuck up your life, O. You have money on the table and your daughter to think about. If I know you like I think I do, her mother is in the picture too. She’s fine as hell.”
He grinned and I grilled him for the comment but also because I was annoyed. “This isn’t about them.”
“Isn’t it, though?” He looked me right in the eyes. “If something happens to you, who’s going to be there for them? I know what’s on your heart and what you feel you need to do, O, but I can’t let that be on you.”
“You don’t have to let me do shit,” I growled. “Give me the damn name and I’ll handle it.”
Ky leaned back and inhaled from the blunt.
“I can’t do that. I owe you. I went down for two years and you put food on the table for people I care about.
You made sure I was straight when I touched down.
Family takes care of family so I’m handling this for you.
No matter what you believe and what you feel you can carry, you’re not a killer, O.
My people are gonna move on this and you’re gonna take care of your daughter and your girl.
You’re gonna win the Super Bowl and be the man Rion would want you to be.
That’s it. That’s the only way this happens.
Either you promise me that or ol’ boy gets a pass and you have to live with knowing he’s out there still breathing when Rion isn’t. ”
“You wouldn’t do that.”
“I would if it meant saving you from fucking up your life. You agree and justice is gonna get served.”
“But not by me, though, and that’s a problem. I owe him this.”
Ky pulled from the blunt again. “Nah see, that’s where you’re wrong. It will be served by you, fam. Just not by your hands. You tell me what you wanna do and it’s done, but my way, my rules. I can’t let that shit be on your conscience. So what’s it gonna be? Am I handling it?”
I was so damn torn because as much as Ky was right I wanted to be the one who ended the muthafucker.
He took something from me… someone from me, but as soon as Ky made his point, I could see Avi and Makari in my head and I wouldn’t do that to them.
I knew how it felt to suffer that type of loss.
Makari went through it with her father and I refused to put her in the position to lose me.
It wasn’t the same, didn’t even compare, but she cared about me and losing me would hurt not just Avi but Makari too.
The decision was made. I looked at Ky and nodded, got up, and walked out his office.
The minute I was in my car, I slammed the door and dropped my head against the seat, closing my eyes before my hand came down several times on the steering wheel.
With my fist throbbing, I started my car, shook away the emotions, and drove home to the only reason why I wouldn’t have blood on my hands tonight…
Makari and our daughter.
When I made it to the house, I found Makari standing in front of the refrigerator with the door wide open.
She was dressed in one of my Sharks T-shirts knotted at the side and some little ass spandex shorts.
I walked up behind her, wrapped my arms around her waist, and held her against my chest before I buried my face in her neck.
I clung to her tight as hell, needing to feel something other than the messed up thoughts clouding my head.
Over the past couple months her and Avi had been my anchors.
Life didn’t feel as heavy and my heart didn’t hurt as much as it had in the past. I knew what that shit was.
The love I had for my brother was now being poured into them.
It might not have been healthy but it was what I needed. She was what I needed.
Holding her like this calmed the weight of what Ky had just told me and prevented me from getting lost in a bottle. I failed my brother but I refused to fail them. Makari turned against me and smiled until her eyes scanned my face. Her expression immediately dropped.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
She shook her head. “We don’t do that. We have a deal.”
Nah, we didn’t. She just put that shit out there and ran with it. When my mood wasn’t fucked up, I would talk to her.
I grinned and kissed Makari before I lifted her around my waist and let her wrap her legs around me while I walked her to the counter and set her down. Them little ass hands were on my face and I chuckled, already knowing she was about to be on that making me feel safe shit.
It was crazy as hell but truthfully she did.
“Tell me what’s wrong.”
My eyes locked on hers but I was quiet for a minute, knowing I wouldn’t be completely honest. Wasn’t no way in hell I would admit what Ky planned on doing for me but I would give her a watered down version of what had my mood all twisted.
“I found out something about my brother today and it sent me to a bad place. I don’t really want to talk about it though.”
She brushed her fingers over my cheeks. “I really wish you would talk to someone. It helps.”
I leaned in and kissed her, pushing forward enough so she could feel my dick growing. “You help. That’s all I need.”
“Omiri…”
I chuckled, knowing she was getting annoyed. “Chill, man. I’m straight. I know you don’t believe me but I’m in a much better space than I have been in a while. I’m good, Kari. You and Avi are the reason for that. If I feel like I’m slipping, I’ll talk to you.”
“You need to talk to?—”
I cut her off. “You. You’re the only person I need to talk to. I’m gonna tell you what’s in my head and on my heart. You’re gonna listen and I’m gonna be alright. That’s good enough. When I get to the point where it’s not, I’ll let you know.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.” I kissed her again. “Where’s my baby? She sleep?”
“No, she’s with Tiana.”
I frowned. “Ol’ girl was here?”
I didn’t necessarily care that she pulled up out here, but I didn’t like the idea of Avi being out without us. I also didn’t know if I could trust ol’ girl to keep her mouth shut about where we lived. That was Makari’s girl but the most solid people switched up for the right price.
“Yes, but she would never share the details of our lives with anyone. She loves Avi and she’s my best friend.”
“You trust her like that?”
“Yes,” she said firmly and I nodded. “I knew you would be worried, so I called KP. He’s going to be around just in case but they’re staying in tonight. Tiana just wanted to spend time with Avi.”
I was about to argue with her but I understood how important Tiana was to both of them.
She was around when I wasn’t and she held Makari down.
I had already disrupted their lives enough as it was.
I wouldn’t take the one solid relationship she had from her too.
I guess my feelings were on my face because Makari smiled and kissed me.
“Stop frowning. Avi is fine, and if you want to call, we can.”
“You didn’t have to tell me that shit. You already know.”
She rolled her eyes and I chuckled, pressing my body forward which spread her legs wider. “I’ma let that ride for now, but since my baby isn’t here, that means you get all my time. I hope you’re prepared to keep me occupied and entertained.”
“I got you.” She looped her arms around my neck and pulled me closer before her mouth met mine. I would check on Avi later but I was also going to drop some dick off in her mother multiple times before my baby came home.