Our Mother’s sons: Jovani Bendetti

1. Jovani （von） Bendetti

Chapter 1

Jovani (von) Bendetti

“Bro where the fuck you at? You said you was at the warehouse. I’m here and I swear I don’t see another me.”

With the phone held to my ear with my shoulder, I ignored my brother as I peered at the menu in front of me. The cashier waited patiently even though she didn’t have no fucking choice since the line behind me was nonexistence. When it rained in Florida, it poured like we needed to build an ark and load the animals up two by two. I was used to it, though. Rain wasn’t stopping shit. A nigga had to fucking eat and that’s why I was at this register deciding on if I wanted the ten piece or the fifteen piece as rain water dripped from my Gucci raincoat.

“Let me get five of the pluck if you buck meals.”

The cashier immediately began punching my order into the computer. Her long ass lashes made it look like her eyes were closed and I almost asked her if she was sleep standing when I first walked in. I didn’t mind lashes on my women but when them bitches were extra-long that’s when I be ready to pluck the shits off myself.

“You want the six, eight, ten, twelve, or fifteen, twin?”

“Nigga you at Pluck it Chicken?” My brother yelled in my ear.

“Give me the fifteen on all of ‘em—extra seasoning on three of the five meals’ fries. And let me get VIP’s to drink. Dassit.”

“I know you hear me talking to you.”

“Yes, I’m at Pluck it. I know we got shit to discuss but how in the fuck we gone do that on an empty stomach?”

Reaching into my pocket, I counted off a wad of cash. After placing the money in the cashier’s hands, I stuck a twenty in her tip jar and let her keep the change. Every time I came in this bitch she was at work and giving a nigga the fuck me lashes cause I damn sure couldn’t see her eyes. She was cute. Her bright red ass hair that blended in with the uniformed visor hat on her head was always done up with extra ass baby hairs and her nails were just as long as the whiskers on her lids but other than that, lil baby had a nice body as her brown skin wasn’t riddle with acne. But, as much as she slaved in this bitch I couldn’t help but to wonder if the pussy wreaked of frying oil and degreaser. That alone was why she would never get a sample of a Bendetti twin. My brother damn sure wasn’t touching her now that he was locked down with his baby mama from the past. I was happy for the nagging ass nigga though. Anything was better than balloon lip.

“Bro just-”

Click.

Just that quick I’d forgotten my brother was on the phone so I disconnected his overbearing ass. I was too high for his shit even though I loved that nigga to death. I’d smoked three blunts between now and this morning, and it was barely even noon. Moving away from the register, I stood near the entrance and watched rain attack the storefront windows. Three children in polka dot rain boots and matching umbrellas ran down the side walk accompanied by their thick ass mama. Her ass was soaked even though she too was under an umbrella and I couldn’t help but watch her brown cheeks through the thin fabric of her mint colored leggings. Had she not been a mom of triplets that all were under the age of three, she could get the dick. But I wasn’t taking any chances. With me being an identical twin, my brother having five year old identical twins, and her fine ass having triplets it was inevitable that we would have multiples. Did I think she was baby mama potential? No. Did I even want a baby mama? Fuck no. Still, condoms popped, niggas slipped up and shit happened. Hell, I’d even fucked around and gotten my brother’s ex bitch pregnant with twins that time. Allegedly . I had to move with caution.

Once my order was ready, I took the two plastic thank-you bags and the carryout tray that held the drinks.

“This rain about to be cold as fuck,” I mumbled as I used my shoulder to push open the glass door. A gush of wet wind slapped me dead in the face as I held onto my food. Thankfully, the cashier had wrapped the carryout in a thank-you bag, so I didn’t have to worry about drinking a rainwater VIP. Balloons swaying in the wind on the sidewalk nearly caused me to drop my shit. Turning to the left to see which dumb motherfucker had helium balloons out in the storm, a dark purple four story building caught my attention. I hadn’t observed it when I ran up because I was too busy trying not to get soaked. A bright sign that read Reader’s Paradise lit up in yellow. This must’ve been where thick mama and her stooges were coming from. I’d never seen a bookstore that big and bright, but the only bookstores I’ve seen are Barnes this time, it would be bigger and better. She claimed she didn’t want another business for now, and I couldn’t blame her.

Driving past the Pleasure Pad had my smile broadening. I’d traveled and still hadn’t found a city that possessed a strip club that could hold a candle to ours. Last night was fun, but it didn’t top the other night when I made a movie. I told myself I was only going to the club to get a few drinks and see some ass and titties and then I would take my ass home. I could get a drink at home, or even at my brother’s bar but after busting up the human trafficking ring, I needed to get the fuck out. There were fucking kids, young ass girls being held captive. Those niggas were really in the business of snatching women and children against their will. I knew there were other trafficking rings, but at least we’d shut down one of them.

After ensuring the kidnappies were safe, I made a drop off and went straight to the club. I needed to get the thoughts of what the fuck them pale muhfuckas had possibly done to the people they captured out of my fucking head. The only way to do that was to go to my comfort zone. The strip club. The Pleasure Pad. I would lie if I said I wasn’t hoping to run into Fine Shyt from the other night. My brother and I had busted up a fucking human trafficking ring and even though Fine Shyt and my memorable night had been what motivated me to get through the day, I yearned even to smell her again. It was almost like a fucking obsession.

I hated that I didn’t see her in the club last night. Even though the strippers were looking delectable, I didn’t take anyone home. How could I? After a night with her, I couldn’t do no one else. She’d set the bar too high. So I spent last night tossing ones and drinking straight from the bottle. I didn’t want Deuce to tell my brother I was out, so I paid his cousin Rome to be my extra muscle. That nigga had to damn near carry me out of the fucking club when I started throwing up all in them peoples section. The strippers ran like I had the cooties or some shit when usually they be begging to gobble me up. I didn’t give a fuck though. I’d seen a lot of shit in these streets but people being sold off like animals were some shit that I couldn’t shake. It made me sick to my fucking stomach. We got the girls to safety, handing them over to trust worthy authorities but, I was still fucked up behind it. Then, when Fine Shyt didn’t appear at the club, I kept drinking until I was vomiting.

My dick bricked up thinking about how Fine Shyt’s non dancing ass did a split on the dick. I was clowning her ass but, she had me in that bitch with my tongue hanging out of my mouth. I knew I’d busted her shit wide open. She was all skeptical at first but when I pulled up to my ten thousand square foot, eight bedroom nine bathroom beach house she gave me that pussy on a platter. I usually didn’t bring women I didn’t know to the crib but, I wanted to fuck some bad with the pressure I had built up and was too drunk to use my game on her. The beach house did it every time. Women had stars in their eyes when they saw how well a young nigga like me was living. I usually had to drag their asses out of my crib the morning after. But, imagine my surprise when I woke up and her ass was gone. I was too mad. I wanted that tight shit again. I had half a mind to go after her, using my best resources to trace her down but we had to get rid of Tony’s ass and meet with the Russians. Ausnor was big, so there was no telling if I would see her again unless I had my people look her up. If I decided to go that route, it was on.

Parking next to my brother’s charger, I slid my coat back on, grabbed our food, and made a run for it to the front door. Any car he had, I had an identical one. We vowed to do everything in twos when we got the money, and we had made good on that promise.

“Deuce getcho big ass out the way.”

Deuce resembled a giant and if he wasn’t so fucking fat and dangerous, he could have been a cold ass asset in the NBA since he was seven feet tall.

“I know that ain’t Pluck it Chicken.”

“ I know that ain’t Pluck it Chicken. Yes nigga it’s Pluck it. Now is yo big back ass gone shake me down about some food or are you gone move aside so I can get in my shit?”

Grunting, Deuce cleared the path to allow entry. Walking in the warehouse, I immediately spotted twin. My brother and I have had this place for the last three years. This is where we stashed all of our dope, money, and guns. Outside of us, Deuce was the only one to know the location of it. That nigga was one step away from heart failure, but he was loyal and one of the best shooters I knew. I didn’t know what the fuck was in all the fried meat that he ate but his killing IQ should have been studied. I fucked with his wide ass.

Sounds of money machines greeted me as Deuce walked on my heels while I inched further into the warehouse. My brother was off to the side at a table with piles of money, and seeing that they were already rubber-banned, let me know he’d done all the hard work. Thank God. I still had a headache a lil bit and all I wanted to do was lay the fuck down. Hopefully this greasy ass chicken would help overcome the mini hangover.

“So the chicken house was more important than this shit here?” My brother spread his arms wide.

“I bet yo ass about to eat this chicken too.”

Sitting the food and drinks down, I could feel Deuce standing over my shoulder. Turning my head, my top lip folded up over my nose.

“Damn nigga you about to get yo food! Back the fuck up!”

Deuce was used to me getting on his ass so instead of backing up he replied with, “You didn’t get all that seasoning on my fries did you?”

“Nigga no! I don’t know why you think a lil seasoning gone spike your already high ass blood pressure. It’s all the dead animals your ass consume you should be concerned about.”

“Says the nigga that stopped at Pluck it in the rain.”

“Sho in the pluck did.”

“Von!”

My brother broke up our banter. Deuce grabbed his food and would have eaten all five plates if I let him.

“You know we got a lot of shit going on. You got to fucking grow up and get responsible. One minute late could be-”

“Could be the difference between life and death. Jail time or freedom. I know the whole spill. That shit been etched in my brain since we knew what a piece of dope was. I just got caught up and figured since I was already late, I may as well get us some fucking food. You’re welcome.”

I handed Deuce two of the drinks and food trays and his ass skipped off like a sissy on lockdown. I will never understand his obsession with food. If I ever got that big, I was killing myself. No cap.

Leaving the other drink and food in the bag, I grabbed me and my twin’s and sat beside him. The money piled in front of us was nasty as fuck and we shouldn’t have been eating nowhere near it but at the moment, my tummy didn’t give a fuck about all that.

“You know I don’t be trying to parent you and shit right?” My brother paused on wrapping up the last stack of hundreds to look me square in the eye. Some days it still tripped me the fuck out that it was another me walking around this bitch. We’d been the same person for twenty-six years, but that was still astonishing. Then to know this nigga had mini Us walking around turning us into quadruplets was even crazier.

“I know you just a controlling ass nigga. You know I’an even tripping off that shit. One of us gotta be the responsible one. If we was both hot heads this shit wouldn’t balance out right,” I smiled. I’d always been the fuck up twin and I felt no way about that shit. I was the baby. I was supposed to keep everybody on their toes. It would be boring as fuck around this bitch if I didn’t. The fact that my nephew Jason was coming just like me made my chest swell with pride, knowing he would keep it going.

My brother searched my eyes to see if I fully understood him and when his ass got what he was looking for he visibly relaxed and added the money to the pile.

“Come on, I need to wash my hands. I’m not about to eat at the money table.”

I followed my brother to the far end of the warehouse in a space we reserved for eating. It had a kitchen, counters, and a microwave. Shit was something like a break room. Once our hands were washed, we sat at the table, said grace, and dug in. Opening my container, my mouth watered at the sight of the fifteen wings, and soggy ass heavily seasoned fries. Fluff had even given me five ranch cups. Shit maybe I would give her the dick.

My brother knew I didn’t like to talk while eating, so he let me finish my fifteen pieces before he started back up. Usually I would be aggravated as fuck about discussing some shit while being hung over but, the stress lines on my brother’s forehead were warranted. Tony was one sick motherfucker and I was glad that we’d killed his ass. I wished I could bring that muhfucka back earthside and destroy his ass again because he was the reason why I ended my night sick as a dog and without a nut. Them other muhfuckas better had been glad they came to us not wanting to be apart of that bullshit or their asses would have been right in hell with Tony.

Even though Tony was gone, and so was Titan and Pj’s hoe ass, we still had some unresolved shit lingering. My brother and I had done well in the streets, never to accumulate beef. At least not no serious shit. With all this going on I couldn’t help but to end up at the titty club last night and the night before it and that was also why I ended the first night with some pretty ass titties in my mouth. I needed to celebrate lives lost, lives found and I also needed to take the edge off from the anxiety of what was to come. I’d gone a little bit too hard, though.

“That was some wild ass shit,” my brother sighed.

“No cap.”

“They really selling fucking people. I lowkey thought Tony was talking shit in the beginning.”

“That nigga was ‘bout what the fuck he was rappin’ bout. He was dead ass serious. I bet if he’d known his other buddies weren’t fully with the shit, he wouldn’t have never brought all of us on to that shit. That’s why you gotta keep your circle tight and mind sober. Tony, trying to pull all of us in on his money scheme, was ultimately his demise.” I shook my head while dipping a flat into ranch.

Jeo’s eyes turned into slits as he glared at me.

“Says the nigga that got drunk and high last night and took home some random ass. Nigga I know you not talking about remaining sober. Shit, you high now.”

“Oh since you a daddy now you above getting high? I smoke weed. Them niggas are coke heads and had he still been alive I have no doubt Tony would have turned into a crack head.”

We’d seen it happen way too often over the years. White collar boys come to us for coke, and a coke addiction turned into a crack addiction, and it was mainly because crack was cheaper than coke. Coke was a rich man’s sport. If you snorted up all your money, you had to get what the fuck you could afford. It was a sad reality and had nothing to do with me. Because as long as those boys were buying, I was selling. Shit had me and my people living too lavish to be the moral police.

I waited until I chewed my food down before I continued, “And have you must know nosey ass nigga, I didn’t take a bitch home last night. I didn’t fuck shit at all. I took my ass to bed.”

My brother glared at me as if he didn’t believe me. I was done eating, which was the only reason he started the conversation, but my eyes were bigger than my stomach, so I continued to munch.

“Then we got this racist ass mafia after us. I know Titan is dead but, the motherfucker who sent him is still out there. It doesn’t make sense that folk we ain’t never met nor had a desire to meet got it out for us. All because our mama wants a relationship with her kids?”

“Correction. Your mama wants a relationship with her child .”

Jeo’s frown deepened. His skin looked different. More vibrant. Let me find out Rainah’s double trouble hiding ass have been over there doing remedies on his face and shit. If so, I needed in on it.

“Nigga she wants a relationship with you too. Last I checked we cooked in the womb together and exited that bitch together too.”

“Actually, you exited first. According to the birth certificate, I came five minutes later.”

Jeo wiped his hands and mouth and closed his container. He’d never been the type to clear the bones, so meat was still left on his chicken. When we were kids, I cleaned his and mine like a straight savage. I was eating all that nigga’s germs back then. Ugh .

“I got too much on my plate to go back and forward with you about the lady that gave us life. I love you enough to respect your decision. But, I’m telling you she cool as fuck. Plus, she put us in a position to get these millions.”

“Nigga we were already getting money with Grams. Ant body ass comes along and tries to make up for lost time and now you all gun ho on the hoe.”

“Aye. Watch it,” Jeo’s voice deepened, and his expression hardened. I didn’t want to push my twin, so I exhaled a wad of breath and sat back in my seat.

“I’m not worried about Melissa. You can have a relationship with her. She ain’t been around but a few years and already got the mafia coming for us. I tell you what, we not Jonah. God rest pop's soul, but it will be a cold day in hell before they leave us cold and stanking on grandma’s doorstep. They have a better chance at getting at the fucking president, than they do coming for us,” I spat.

My brother nodded, “No cap. I’m with you. The best we can do is watch our backs until we get more insight into who sent Titan. We already got men on grandma, Rainah, and my sons. I hate that we didn’t act quicker, which in turn caused her pool hall to be burned down, but she has her life, and we can always rebuild. When it was just me and you, some beef like this would have been small to a giant. But, I got my Jits. I’ll burn this beach town down before I let a hair on their heads get touched.”

“You know I got my Jits too. Shit you may as well say they my kids. We got the same DNA.”

When I discovered that if I took a blood test with my nephews, it would return 99.99, I was no good. Since my brother and I had the same DNA, biologically speaking, I was Jordan and Jason’s pappy too, even though I had never slept with Rainah. Now that I think about it, I should have told Celine’s ass to keep the babies. She could have pinned them on my brother. DNA would have proved they were his anyhow. I couldn’t do that to him though, bad enough I fucked the bitch not knowing they were together. Thinking about that shit made me want to kill her ass. Bitches be extra grimy. That’s why I don’t and won’t trust a soul outside of my brother, grandmother, and Deuce’s bone eating ass.

My brother ignored my shenanigans and continued venting, “Then I got Rainah. You know what her reservations are with this street shit so some muhfuckas that’s still stuck in segregation times not about to come along and fuck up my peace. We sit back, watch, and find the perfect time to strike. In due time, all these fuck boys will get what they got coming. Melissa says she got it handled, so for now, I’ll let her do what she does. That still don’t mean we not supposed to keep our head on a swivel.” My brother narrowed his eyes at me, and I knew where the conversation was about to turn.

“What?” I snapped, already in defense mode.

“Bro where the fuck that baby at?”

Running my tongue across my teeth, which were free from my slugs today, I glanced off.

“What baby?”

“You know what fucking baby! The baby you stole when we busted up the trafficking ring. That baby.”

“Oh, that baby. Yeah. I went ahead and dropped her off with Kent. He took her to the station.”

Kent was another one of the police officers we used for information since we had to kill Pj’s hating ass off. Nigga was too caught up on pussy that didn’t belong to him and that shit only backfired on him and fucked up his extra bread and took his life in the process. Dumb ass.

“Jovani.”

“Man, what? I just told you my head still hurting from last night. I had a long one.”

“You need to stay your ass out the strip club. I told you you’ve got to lay low. Right now, while we got these muhfuckas after us, cool it with the bringing bitches to your spots - condo included. As a matter of fact, don’t even take ‘em to a hotel. It’s about time you learn some discipline any fucking way. Be celibate or some shit.”

“Celibate? I know you not telling me to be celibate and you got inhouse pussy.”

“Watch it.”

“Hell nah!” I was with whatever my brother was with and under normal circumstances I took heed to what he was saying but, when it came to pussy I was undisciplined like a muhfucka. I liked to fuck. I liked to fuck bad bitches. I liked to fuck bad bitches long and hard. That shit wouldn’t be changing. If them niggas bold enough to use pussy to set me up, I was still going to get my nut before I blew everyone’s brains out.

“Only way ima be able to go to war is if I get my daily dose of nut.”

“Jack off,” he shrugged.

“Fuck you think I am? Twelve? I’m just saying. How fair is it that you get to drain your dick every night and I gotta jack mine?”

My brother pushed back from the table but remained in his seat.

“Jovani you know I’ll never tell you nothing wrong. This is why I been told you to lock something in. Even if she wasn’t your girlfriend, you should have had one or two in the tuck you’re familiar with. We not twenty one no more.”

“We only twenty six!” I screeched. It felt like shit was crawling all over me at the mere thought of not fucking nothing. I was all for staying out of the clubs but staying out of some pussy? That was like living a fucking horror film in itself.

“That’s four years from thirty, my boy. Get right.”

“Niggas get their long lost love back and all of a sudden become the love doctor.”

Jeovanni held his middle finger up.

“But on the real. Just be safe, brother. I know you can handle your own, but now that I have a family at the crib, it’s hard for me to be two places at once. I can’t protect you and them when we not in the same setting. You know it’s forever us.”

“Us. And I got you. I told you I didn’t fuck nothing last night. But, i’ll cool it on the hoes,” that tasted like shit coming out of my mouth.

“And I’m glad you gave that baby up. For one, keeping her would have been unethical as fuck. Them Russians was paying stacks for children. You heard the laws when they told us that sometimes parents be selling the fucking kids to the traffickers. Imagine that shit? Muhfuckas selling their own children. We don’t know if she was snatched or if her folks sold her. If she was sold, her people seeing you out with her could pose a real problem and if she was taken and you were spotted with her, that is a whole legal shit show we don’t need. We don’t know what the fuck she done been through in the time that she’s been separated from her people. Plus, you don’t know shit about no kids.”

“You didn’t know shit about kids either but Jordan and Jason doing just fine.”

“That’s because they boys, not in diapers, and I have their mother right there correcting me when I fuck up. Being a parent isn’t some shit you do when you’re bored, Jovani. With the life you live, you don’t have time for no babies. Fuck she going to do? Go to The Pleasure Pad with you and survive off Pluck it?”

I’d reached my Jeovanni’s hard lessons max for the day. Bad enough, the greasy chicken didn’t ease my headache. Pushing from the table, I grabbed my trash and stretched my back.

“Jovani-“

“Yeah, aite I hear you. The baby turned in, so you don’t have to worry about that.” My brother eyed me as if he was trying to spot a lie but I paid his ass no mind. I had places to be and people to see. So, I tossed my trash and went to lock away the cash. That was the least I could do since I didn’t count the shit.

The stacks and stacks of money brought me back to thoughts of the other night when I made it rain at the crib on ole girl. I hadn’t given away all my fives at the club so her nondancing ass gave me a private dance. Her little booty had some wiggle to it, though. That night was wild; she hadn’t even taken the money when she left, so it was still sprawled out all over my bedroom floor. I was leaving that shit for the cleaners when they came next week. Now that I thought about it, I was glad she wasn’t at the club last night. I wasn’t in the best headspace and after violently vomiting I was for sure keeping my ass out of Pleasure Pad on the strength of being embarrassed. I hated like hell I didn’t get her number though. She was a time for sure. Especially now since sergeant stiff dick had grounded me. Fuck .