9. Jovani （Von） Bendetti
Chapter 9
Jovani (Von) Bendetti
“So what you do again, Von?”
Tapping my finger on the kitchen counter, I released a heavy sigh. Not only was my brother pissing me off by asking me to repeat what the fuck I’d just told him but, I was also spazzing the fuck out on the inside.
“See you got your woman so you don’t give a fuck. That’s why you barely listening. Y’all over there like the Huxtables doing skin facials and shit,” I spewed.
Girl pointed to her ear as she sat the bottle on the counter. I’d taken her to get them pierced the day after my grandma caught me fucking on the beach and the rock sized diamonds in her ear that cost me twenty bands had been her favorite new thing. When I had them done, she hadn’t flinched, which led me to believe this kid was of a different breed. I’d been cleaning them with solution daily, and they seemed to heal just fine. We were chilling, so she was in a tan onesie and a matching tan bow in the center of her head. Her curly hair was popping since I used a new product on her hair. It was some shit I’d seen in Voyage’s bathroom and since her curls always looked and smelled good, I went and copped us some.
“Man it ain’t shit like that. I’m just shocked by the entire ordeal. A few weeks ago I was just on your ass about keeping your dick to yourself until we clear out our enemies and now, your ass ready to propose,” Jeo cackled.
Using my shoulder to prop my phone to my ear, I picked up girl and headed to her bedroom. I’d turned the one nearest to my room into hers. She’d acquired a custom room in just a few weeks. Since we were on the beach, the interior designer I hired saw it fitting to do her a Finding Nemo-themed room. Stepping into the space, there was murals of different scenes in the movie painted on the wall, a net hanging from the ceiling housing stuffed fishes, a white crib plus a matching full sized bed, dressers, a vanity, a slew of fucking toys and a whole bunch of clothes so she can drip like her daddy. Girl was spoiled fucking rotten and I wouldn’t have it no other way.
After placing her on the dresser, I retrieved an ear swab and her solution. Once I pressed the swab in the solution, I proceeded to carefully clean her left earring.
“Now you going too fucking far with the proposing shit. That’s your ass. All I’m saying is, I love her and the–”
I looked down at Girl who was deep in my mouth, hanging on to every word. She wasn’t talking yet but, I didn’t want her to pick up any bad habits just in case she did decide to speak the fuck up.
“I love the coochie too. She cool to kick it with and be having me falling asleep on the phone type shit.”
“Damn. I thought I’d never see the day. So, what’s the problem?”
“See, you're not listening. The problem is, I told her I loved her and that I wanted her to move in, and she hasn’t responded.”
“Okay, so how long has it been since you sent the text?”
Looking at my watch, I counted the hours.
“Bout twenty hours.”
“You counting the seconds? Yeah nigga, you sprung.”
I wasn’t going to deny the shit. I’d had pussy from all over and have had my fair share of pretty women. Shit, before I became a daddy, I was up in The Pleasure Pad weekly. To conclude I got bitches. Had plenty of bitches. None of them had a hold on me like Fine Shyt.
“Just tell me what the fuck I gotta do?”
“Shit, try calling her for starters.”
“Fuck I’m calling her for and I done professed my love? I ain’t trying to seem like I’m a creep ass nigga,” I prattled.
“How is it that you want her to move in with you and you haven’t even let her meet Girl? You make me ride with you damn near everyday so that I can sit in the car with you while you get your dick wet.”
“Nigga do you want me to lay low with my daughter or not? You keep saying I don’t need to be flaunting her around. Plus, she doesn’t really do kids like that. Her ex left her because she wouldn’t let him get her pregnant, and now he got Snow pregnant. It’s complicated.”
“So, you was about to catch a body in my establishment over a woman that doesn’t like kids?”
“I never said she didn’t like them. It’s just a sensitive subject for her right now. We working through all that though. She gone come out strong.”
“Jovani,” Jeo exasperated.
“You and Voyage will not work if she can’t stand to be around children, and you have a whole daughter. What the fuck you think ima do? Keep holding Girl while y’all jump each other’s bones for life? I got my own woman and kids that I just got in good with. I can’t be disappearing during the day to do this song and dance with y’all knowing my schedule already tight as fuck.”
“You act like my schedule isn’t as tight. What you don’t fuck with my baby, nigga? You don’t want to spend time with her?”
“See, you just like a sprung muhfucka. How you got all this base for me when it comes to being around girl but with Voyage it’s complicated? Make that shit make sense. You know I fuck with my niece. I’m just saying, as a father pursuing a woman, she has to be cool with you having a Jit. Make the introduction before professing your love for her.”
Jeo was getting on my fucking nerves. That nigga was forever making sense and I hated the shit. I notice how Voyage cringes at the mention of my daughter and how she changes the subject. I’ve seen her scary ass ex, to me it wasn’t that serious. She should have been glad not to have that nigga’s kid with his funny looking ass. Baby was probably going to come out facially challenged anyway.
“Ain’t that right. She should be glad to not have that niggas baby. Cuz I know for a fact the baby wouldn’t fuck with a picture of you,” I tugged on Girl’s cheek voicing my inner thoughts.
“What the hell are you talking about, Von?”
Shaking my head I chuckled, “Nothing. Thinking out loud. But on the real. I just need you a little while longer. Grams acting funny about babysitting. I’m trying to see why, when she told us she didn’t want to rebuild the pool hall. I just want to sit on this porch and watch my grandbabies from time to time ,” I mimicked Joanna Mitchell. “Ain’t that what she told you?”
“Key words, from time to time . She not trying to be stuck being your daycare every damn day. She barely even at home now that Ida Mae done moved into Rainah’s old condo. I wouldn’t be surprised if she finally lets us buy her a house now.”
“Yeah well you gone be buying that shit on your own if she keep picking favorites in our kids. She should be glad to watch Girl. She not walking so she don’t even get into shit unlike Jason and Jordan’s hyper asses.”
Ding Dong.
“Who the fuck is that?”
“Wait,” Removing the phone from my ear, I went to the camera app and saw long black hair blowing in the wind.
“It’s Malicifent.”
“Nigga who?”
“Malicifent. The Disney villain. Nigga you got kids so you better brush the fuck up on that shit.
“You mean Maleficent?”
“Yeah, her,” I grumbled. Picking Girl up from the dresser, we made our way through the house. Girl’s toys were scattered even though the cleaners had just left two days ago. I’d grown so tired of constantly cleaning the shit that I just stepped over it. It was what the fuck it was. A fucking baby had taken over my home entirely. I didn’t mind, though.
Adjusting Girl on my waist, I pulled the door open. I had the phone on speaker, but I’d slid it in the pocket of my baller shorts. I could hear Jeovanni breathing with his nosey ass.
“My handsome son. How are you doing this evening?”
Just like every other day, Melissa was dressed to the nines today. Instead of wearing jeans, though, she was in some flared shorts, high heels, and a wrapped blouse tucked in the shorts. The lady could dress her ass off I give her that. That was all I was giving her ass. She needed to lay off the Botox, though.
“Melissa. I’m aggravated. I really don’t have time to be playing with you today.”
Her smile didn’t waver. However, when she looked at Girl, I could see some sadness in her eyes. She tugged at her hand and brushed her thumb over her index and middle fingers.
“Gosh, she’s so beautiful. I have some beautiful grandchildren. You did well, son. You both did,” she smiled.
Her words took me by surprise. Just a few weeks ago she was screaming that blood test shit and how I needed to give the baby back to the authorities.
“Yeah, she is pretty, ain’t she? You see, I got her ear pierced?”
Melissa touched her ear gently, causing Girl to wince.
“They still healing.”
“Beautiful.”
Melissa’s eyes went from Girl to me and I could tell she was mentally processing some shit.
“Aye, Jeo.”
Reaching in my pocket, I retrieved my phone.
“Let me hit you back,” I disconnected before he could respond. Just incase Melissa said some shit that got her cursed out, I didn’t want his titty sucking ass to witness it.
“I know you won’t invite me in, so take a ride with me. Before you say no, I will only take a few minutes of your time.”
Sighing, I closed the door and stepped out on the porch, towering over her even in her high heels.
“Um, are you going to get her bag?”
“Nah, she already ate, and she has on a dry diaper. You said it will only take a few minutes, so she should be good.”
Melissa looked from me to her granddaughter, back to me.
“Okay, fair enough. What about her car seat?”
Pushing past Melissa who was wasting time on bullshit, I stalked down the paved walkway, trudging past my cars. These were my babies. I would have never thought I’d own this many cars. Voyage’s pussy seemed to get wetter every time I pulled up in a different whip. My baby was a car freak. I was going to have to upgrade her to something fast and sexy just like her little brown skinned pretty ass.
A big, bulky Italian dude hopped from the driver’s side of the Escalade truck that Melissa had pulled up in and opened the backseat door.
“Jovani,” Melissa’s heels echoed behind me.
“She has to ride in a car seat when she’s with you,” she insisted.
“Get in, Melissa. Girl is a real nigga. She don’t need no fucking car seat.”
Perching her lips, she climbed into the car with my help. I didn’t care for her, but she was still my mama, and I had manners. When she was inside, I climbed in with Girl still on my hip. Seeing a car seat resting on the leather, I frowned at Melissa.
“Why the hell you bitching at me about a car seat when you already had one?”
Melissa took Girl out of my hand, who happily went.
“Aye, I told your big hair ass about all that friendly shit.”
Melissa sat Girl in the car seat and strapped her in. She rested in the middle of us. When she was secured, Melissa tapped the partition for the driver to pull off.
“I was bitching at you because as a father you have to make sure she is protected. Nearly one hundred babies under the age of one die every year from car wrecks.”
“Well, that won’t be our story. I’m something like an F1 racer. I’m a driving expert.”
“Jovani, do not put her in a car without a car seat,” she stated with finality as she looked me in the eyes.
Rubbing my hand down my fresh braids, I nodded. Her and her son was talking to me about irrelevant shit while I was going through it. Looking at my screen, I went to my texts to see she still hadn’t replied, even though she’d read it.
“Jovani-”
“I need some advice. You claim you didn’t trap my daddy. My grandma said you did.”
“I did not trap your father. I really wish she’d stop that narrative. Yes, he did leave me only because your grandmother had gotten wind that my family was racist. I was hurt, but I was cool with the breakup. Then I found out I was pregnant, and he came back. That’s the type of man your father was. He knew the dangers, but he loved me so much that he came back around. We raised you and your brother until the age of three. Your grandma was so stubborn that she wasn’t talking to Johan like that unless she called to tell him to leave. I feel bad that my family did that to your father, her son. But I did not trap him. We were in love.”
I studied her features to spot a lie, and Girl was so in Tune with her daddy that she was also looking Melissa upside down.
“Aite. So I need your take. I told Fine Shyt-”
“Who?”
“Fine shyt. My bitch. My woman. I told her that I loved her and wanted her to move in, but she hasn’t responded. Since you claim you didn’t trap my dad, what should I do next? I’m going crazy right now. I need her with me.”
“So, you fell in love?”
“Didn’t I just tell you I did? I swear your firstborn is yours fasho. He be asking dumb ass questions too.”
Doing that thing she does with her lips that makes her look like a mean ass principle, she reached in her bag and pulled out a folder. Instead of handing it to me, she kept it in her lap.
“I’m going to get right to it. I did some digging, and I found out who sold Girl to the Russians.”
Opening the folder, she pulled out a picture and handed it to me. I looked at the picture, but spots appearing in my vision made that hard to do. My stomach grumbled as I bit down on my back teeth.
“Melissa what the fuck is this, man?”
Pointing her manicured nail at the paper, her diamond bracelets clinked.
“That is the woman you have fallen in love with baby’s father.”
“Man hell nawl!”
After balling the paper up, I tossed it, and since there wasn’t much room, it bounced off the partition.
“So… so…” My breathing caught, my muscles tensed and my heart was thumping so hard in my fucking chest that I had to reach up and rub my breastbone.
“Girl is my daughter!”
“Son, I never said she wasn’t. I’m just presenting you with facts.”
A sudden and overwhelming sense of dread came over me. I could feel the veins pulsing out of my neck as I sat up right and looked at Girl with her foot in her mouth, wide eyes studying me.
“So you telling me the bitch who I been fucking is her womb donor? Her and that weak ass nigga sold Girl to a human trafficking ring?”
That had to be why the hoe got all weird at the sight and thought of kids. I didn’t even understand how in the fuck she worked at a god damn library not being able to see kids.
“Jovani. Let’s reel it in.”
“Ain’t no reeling shit in! Do I look like a fishing pole? I’m killing that weird ass bitch! Fictional living ass hoe.”
“Don’t call her out of her name, Jovani. That is Girl’s mother, and you must give her back.”
Drawing my head back I wanted to reach over and knock Melissa’s ass out.
“I’m not giving her back to no fucking body! You put me in this corn chip smelling ass truck to tell me that Dutton and Voyage sold their kid and you want me to hand her back? Yeah its good your ass did let Grams raise us because you ain’t got it all up there.”
“Jovani. Voyage-”
“Fuck that lemon drop drinking ass bitch!”
Girl’s giggles filled the truck. She removed her toe from her mouth and repeated, “Yemon drop! Bish! Bish! Yemon drop!”
“Oh God, are those her first words?”
A grin broke over my face as I nodded.
“Tell her again, Pooh. Lemon drop drinking ass bitch.”
Girl bounced as much as she could with being strapped.
“Yemon drop! Drop! Bish! Bish! Yemon! Bish!”
“No cap!” I ruffled her curls.
“Jovani enough! I did some more digging.”
She handed me two more pages. One was a picture of that white girl Dutton was out with at Jonah’s, and the other was a picture of a funny-looking baby that had to belong to her and Dutton.
“She’s on social media claiming that Dutton played a hand in the disappearance of her newborn daughter. Being that I have hard evidence that he sold Girl to the Russians, I do not doubt that he did the same thing to this Amanda girl. I do not think Voyage sold her child. I think Dutton did so. I don’t know the details, but I watched Amanda’s videos, and her situation was likely the same as Voyage’s. Have you two talked about this?”
Handing her back the papers, I pinched my tear ducts.
“Nah… So what the fuck this mean? I’m supposed to hand Girl over? Voyage might not be innocent. Why didn’t she call the police? Where are the missing person posters? She just be riding dick like she don’t have a child in the human trafficking realm.”
“Jovani, watch your mouth. But let me show you Amanda’s videos. That may clear up some confusion. Again, I don't know if Dutton did the same to Voyage, but there is a possibility.”
Melissa typed a few keys and handed me her phone. I watched as the snotty-nosed ET-looking lady belted her story, and even though I didn’t want to, I felt bad for her. That Dutton nigga was Wack as fuck. He was really in the business of getting hoes pregnant, setting them up to be robbed of the baby, and selling the kid off. A kid that came from his nutsack. If that wasn’t the poorest shit in the world I didn’t know what was. If Voyage truly didn’t play a apart in this shit, she would be sick as fuck knowing this nigga was walking around in jewels and clothing living lavish off the money he collected from selling her baby. Yeah, just as I killed Titan without blinking, Dutton had earned himself a one-way ticket to hell.
“So what now? I just give her to Voyage? She mine though.”
“Is Voyage not yours? Son, I sit back and I watch. I try not to interfere with your lives because I know how you and your brother feel about me, but your protection and those you love are important to me. Voyage is yours. She loves you even though she is suffering. I have no doubt that when you give Girl back, you two can raise her on your own. But you can’t hide this.”
“Melissa.”
“Yes son?”
“You the last muhfucka I would take advice from. I’m not giving shit back. The way I was spraying up in that, Voyage may be pregnant right now. She can keep that baby, and I’ll tend to this one.”
Melissa looked at me as if I sprouted two heads.
“Yemon drop! Bisssh! Bish Bish Bish!”
“Right! Yo mama a lemon drop drinking ass biatch and your grannie done lost her mind too.” I tugged at Girl’s cheek.
“So you’ll keep the child that is not biologically yours and let her keep the one that is biologically yours? I’m confused.”
“It ain’t shit to be confused about. If she is pregnant damn right she can keep that baby. Thanks to you, we fertile as hell. We make nothing but multiples. I done fucked around and got Celine pregnant with twins before with multiples and you see Jeovanni got two. Yeah, she can have that shit. I can barely change one diaper blindly doing that shit back to back will cramp up my fingers.”
All Melissa could do was shake her head. Reaching up, she tapped the window.
“Montez, take this right and get us back to my son’s home.”
Instead of busting a right, Montez kept going. It wasn’t alarming to me at all I just thought maybe the nigga didn’t hear her but when Melissa stiffened, I reached for the gun at my waist. The partition let down as a realization of me being without my heat let in.
“Jovani duck!”
Melissa pushed Girl over in the car seat, and at the same time, I ducked while snatching my daughter down with me.
Boom boom boom boom!
“Fuuuuuuck!”
“Ahhhhhh! Waaaaahhh! Waaaahhhhh!”
Girl's scream pierced my ears as glass shattered all around us. Gunshots erupted and I felt so fucking helpless. Had I not had her, I would have tried to overpower the driver for his gun. I didn’t even know what the fuck was going on but I wasn’t letting my daughter go.
The car jerked and then slowed.
“Jovani,” Melissa’s voice was shaky. Lifting my head, I saw that her clothing was disheveled, but she appeared okay. All of the windows were shut out, and the driver was slumped over the steering wheel with his Brain blown out.
“I don’t know why he did that. Montez has been loyal to me for many years. I would have rather him try and kill me alone, but…not with you two in the truck,” Melissa’s voice held regret, and she looked not only scared but exhausted.
“He did that because I was the target. Not you.”
Girl was still screaming, so I pulled her out of the car seat, and my heart broke as fat tears slid out of her eyes. My girl didn’t even cry. Bringing her to my chest, I hooked my arm around my mama. Her tears came out as well. Looking down at the car seat, I could see a bullet hole a few inches above where Girl’s head had been. Just that quick, her life would have ended if Melissa hadn’t pushed her out of the way.
I tried calming them both by placing a kiss on top of Girl’s curly head and then Melissa’s silky black hair.
“It’s okay. We good. We gone figure this shit out and kill everybody involved. I got you.”
I’d never in my fucking life had to put anyone above myself before. My grams was tough as nails and my brother handled his shit. I always made decisions that best suited me, unless it was business. But I knew I had to do the right fucking thing. We got into a fucking shootout with Girl in the car and I couldn’t even protect her. That shit was killing me as if I’d been the one touched with a bullet. Sitting there on the side of the road with a bullet ridden truck and a dead driver that had tried to end my life, I hugged my mama and my daughter - two things I didn’t have a few years ago and made a vow that we were ending this shit now, fuck later.