Chapter 12
Harlo snored softly, sleeping on my chest. She was definitely drooling, and I could feel it trickling down the side of my body, but I didn’t care. I wanted her to stay planted on my chest forever. I couldn’t even sleep these days if we weren’t lying exactly like this.
I used my fingers to gently stroke the length of her spine. Not enough to disturb her or anything. Mostly I did it to bring myself some comfort. I was replaying the events of yesterday in my mind, wondering how I could’ve been a better leader.
The necklace was a smart move, and I was thankful I trusted my instincts, but we should’ve been ready for that ambush at the clubhouse.
They shouldn’t have even been able to get close, but they had, and some CCB members suffered because of it.
No one had lost their lives, but plenty walked away with bullet holes in them.
Not just from my camp either. Everybody was fucked up, and it was because of one grimy ass nigga.
I lay awake imagining me breaking his fucking face.
No one had been bold enough to go against CCB like this in a very long time.
Them FBA niggas chose the wrong side for sure.
They violated by hijacking the race and putting Lo’s life in danger.
I would always have beef with them because of that.
They could all burn in hell with their governor because I was going to end that nigga soon.
I was at my breaking point, where I gave not two fucks who he was, because to me he was nothing.
Out of nowhere, Lo started mumbling in her sleep. I stopped touching her in case that was the reason, but then she jumped up with a gasp as if she was choking. “Calm down, calm down. It’s just me and you in bed, mama,” I assured her when I heard her frantic breathing.
Leaning over to the nightstand, I flipped on the switch so I could see her. She was sitting on her knees, holding her neck. Tears stained her cheeks, and I didn’t even want to know what was going through her head. “I need to go home,” she croaked out, catching me off guard.
“You talking crazy now. Go back to sleep.” I pinned her in place with a glare because she had to be sleep talking. The only home she had was here with me, unless she was trying to tell me something else.
After a few deep breaths, she tucked her feet under her and allowed her eyes to fall on my face.
“I had a secret phone where I kept pictures every time Emir hit me. I need that phone. That’s the key to my freedom.
” Her last few words came out as a sob. “I can’t do it anymore.
I’m tired of being haunted by him. He needs to go to prison.
He’s a terrible person.” She shrieked, scaring me into wrapping her in my arms.
It broke my heart to hear such a phone existed. I palmed her face, wanting to make her forget the past altogether, but also knowing it was a part of her story whether I liked it or not. “Okay, okay, I hear you, but there’s no way I’m letting you go there.”
“I want you to come with me,” she blurted just as quickly.
“I know exactly where it is. I will be in and out in no time.” She leaned her forehead against mine.
“I’m telling you, we have to do this. And if you don’t go with me, I’m just going to go alone.
I need that phone, Quadior. I’m going to ruin him the way he’s been trying to ruin me for years. ”
I could tell she was not going to budge on this, and since there was no way I was going to allow her to go alone, I knew I would have to be her backup.
I didn’t care for this idea of hers, but if it was what she needed to feel like she was fighting back, then to hell with it. We were getting that fucking phone.
“Okay, follow me,” Lo whispered, even though we were the only two people in the house.
We had Drez and Keem trailing that bitch ass governor nigga, while Quick and Mo were standing watch at the front gate.
I was not taking any chances with this. By the time he got back home, we were going to be long gone.
Lo raced up the stairs with me right on her ass.
If this wasn’t a mission, I would’ve bent her over the banister because her ass was looking scrumptious in the leggings she wore.
But now was not the time nor the place. I knew she was nervous about being back in this house, so the quicker we got her phone, the better.
She went into what looked like a spare bedroom and lifted the mattress. She patted the surface between the mattress and bed spring until she found what she was looking for. She looked so proud when she pulled the phone out. She stood there trying to power it on, but my voice stopped her.
“You can do that at home, mama. Come on.” I waved for her to follow me. She slid the phone in her fanny pack, then did just that.
Once her hand was in mine, we made our way downstairs. Right when my hand hit the knob, there was a sinister chuckle behind us. I pushed Lo behind me as we turned to see Emir leaning against the wall, waiting for us.
“You almost got away home free, but you triggered one of my silent alarms. I saw your goons out front and snuck in through the back. Perks of being the homeowner you know.” His eyes drifted to Harlo, making my blood boil.
“I didn’t think you would be brave enough to step foot back in here, but I had to come check it out for myself.
Come here, Harlo. This has gone on long enough. ”
Lo tightened her grip on my hand, which only made me stand a little taller in front of her. “Stop talking to her like you own her. We’re walking the fuck out of here.”
I took a step back to get Lo to open the door, but his words stopped me. “No the fuck you’re not.” He pulled a gun from behind his back, and I only had enough time to push Lo to the ground out of harm’s way.
He fired off a shot at me that I felt pierce through my shoulder, but I ignored the burning sensation as I tackled him to the floor.
The gun scattered somewhere behind us as I used all my might to deliver punch after punch.
His face was a bloody mess, when he got one good hit to my injured shoulder, causing me to wince in pain.
While I was distracted, he reached for his gun, but Lo beat him to it. She lifted the gun shakily in her hands, eyes bloodshot red and more crazed than I’d ever seen them. “I fucking hate you. You tried to ruin me. You tried to make me feel like I was nothing.”
He chuckled sinisterly. “Because you are nothing. You’re never going to shoot me, Harlo. Put the gun down, and I’ll forgive you for putting your good pussy on him.”
He tried to take a step toward her, and she pulled the trigger.
Pow, pow, pow! The sound of the shots ricocheted off the walls seconds before the hard thud of Emir’s dead body hit the floor.
Lo was still shaking by the time I made it over to her.
I was in pain, but I pushed it aside to take the gun from her hands.
She was crying hysterically, so I tried to console her. “Shh, shh, calm down. It’s over now, mama. It’s over,” I reassured her with a kiss to the forehead. “I’ll call someone to clean this up for us.”
Suddenly, she stopped crying to turn her dazed eyes to me.
She wiped away her tears, then sniffled one last time before talking clearly.
“No, we call the police. I want this to be completely over with. Never coming back to haunt us in any way. We do this the right way. With the phone, we have more than enough proof that this was self-defense.”
While I hated the idea of getting the police involved, I understood where she was coming from. What was done was done, and there was no point in covering it up. It was time for the world to see what kind of a man Emir Akeem really was.
I opened my mouth to agree when I got lightheaded. Before I knew what was happening, I was on the floor looking up at the glass chandelier dangling above me. Lo’s beautiful amber eyes were the last thing I saw before the world faded to darkness.