Chapter 3 Amethyst #2
I broke down the story to everybody, and the more I talked, the angrier he got. Pop pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted someone as I finished up.
“He said my debt was clear,” I said, and he lifted his head slowly.
“Lil nigga, you got played,” he chuckled and stood. “I know I taught you to read between the fucking lines, Am. That nigga fucking played you, ain’t no damn debt ever wiped clean.” Mama jumped in and stepped in front of him. “Move, Diamond.”
“Look at me, Stone,” Mama said, taking his face into her hands. “Stone, look at me.” Pop reluctantly took his eyes from me and stared down at her. “Let him be for now. He’s hurting, he knows he fucked up, and right now he doesn’t need you to show out. He needs our help. Help him fix it.”
Pop licked his lips and then nodded. “Alright, let me make some moves.”
“I’m going with you,” I said, and he grilled me. “Pop, this on me. I fucked up. Let me go with you.”
“Bring your dumb ass on,” he said as he pulled his keys from his pocket. “All three of you dumb asses, come with me.” He turned to Mama and kissed her. “Stay here with Yale. We will be back.”
“Come back to me, Stone.” She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to her. “Bring my boys and you back to me, you hear me?”
“Yeah, I got you.” He kissed her again, this time with more passion, before stepping back. She wiped her lipstick from his lips, then stepped to the side, and we left my apartment.
“Where are we going?” I asked Pop as we rode through the city.
“To fix your fucking mistake,” he answered, and I nodded.
“The next time you’re in some shit, any of you, you realize you can’t do this shit alone and step the fuck back.
” He looked through the rearview mirror at Citrine and .
“Don’t fucking make moves without each other.
It’s three of y’all making them fucking moves together. ”
“Yes, sir,” we said in unison.
Thirty minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of an office building and got out.
I wanted to ask why the fuck we were here, but I shut up.
Pop had already said that I was being reckless and acting dumb; there was no reason to piss him off more.
In the parking lot, a black Lexus was parked and waiting.
When we got out of the car, the driver’s door to the Lexus opened, and Xayne St. Thomas got out.
I’d seen him around and even knew his name, but I didn’t know my Pop knew him.
“Thanks for coming,” Pop said, dapping up Xayne.
“Why wouldn’t I come?” Xayne laughed. He turned his attention to us and smirked. “The CEO, Tyrant, and Doctor, huh?”
“Yeah, that’s them niggas,” Pop grunted.
“Which one fucked up?”
“The doctor,” Pop answered. He turned to us and put his hands in his pockets. “Citrine and Amethyst, this is Xayne St. Thomas, he’s an old friend of mine.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, shaking his hand after Citrine.
“What’s good, Mr. St. Thomas?” Pyrite said, dapping him up. “How have you been?”
“I can’t complain,” Xayne chuckled. “You staying out of trouble?”
“Yes, sir,” Pyrite answered with a nod. “Keeping my head down and making moves like you told me.”
“Smart,” he nodded, then turned to Pop. “I didn’t know what you needed, so I brought a little bit of everything.”
“This shit should be peaceful, but if it isn’t, I understand if this isn’t a war you want to be a part of,” Pop said, and Xayne shook his head.
“You know how I feel about the Kilmores,” he chuckled. “This shit is just my style.”
“Alright.” Pop dapped Xayne up and then turned to face my brothers and me. “Shut the fuck up and let me work.”
We nodded, then followed behind the two older men into the building. Even though it looked like Xayne was alone, I knew better. His ass had been in the streets too long to ever walk alone. We may not have seen his protection, but I knew it was there, waiting for a nigga to fuck up.
“How the fuck does Pop know Xayne St. Thomas?” I asked Pyrite. We walked into the empty office and down a long hallway. “Or your ass, for that matter.”
“I did a stint in the asylum with his daughter,” answered with a laugh. “Xoey is cool, people, I’ll introduce you.”
“Nah,” I denied, shaking my head. “Keep her crazy ass on your side of the family.”
“Nope, as soon as this shit is handled, I’ll introduce you to the Twelve.”
“The twelve?”
“Yeah,” he smiled and nodded. “She got twelve personalities.”
I glanced over at Citrine, who wore a confused expression, and he shrugged.
How the fuck did she have 12 personalities and walk the streets freely?
I was about to ask him, but Pop turned left, and we followed.
I expected it to be a longer hallway, but instead, we came to a door.
Pop didn’t even wait; he turned the handle, and we walked into a conference room filled with the Kilmores.
I ran my tongue over my teeth and locked eyes with Quincy. He sat next to his father with a cocky expression on his face, while Grant was nowhere in sight.
“What can I do for you, Stone?” he said, grilling pop, then turned to Xayne and kissed his teeth. “St. Thomas.” The bad blood between the two was obvious.
“This is a business call,” Pop said, returning Luther’s energy. “Your boy did some business with mine.”
“I heard,” Luther nodded. “Shit got a little hot though.”
“Which is why we are here. What’s the price tag for it all to go away?” Pop said, getting straight to the point.
“Quincy already said that he told your boy that his debt was cleared,” Luther said, shaking his head.
“Don’t play with me, Luther,” Pop sneered. “I can read between the lines. The girl, what’s her tag?”
Luther chuckled and wiped his hand over his mouth. I knew this shit wasn’t sitting right with me for a reason. He shrugged, and it took everything in me not to step around my Pop and Xayne and rock his shit.
“It’s been paid,” he insisted. The Kilmores shared the same long face, pointed nose, and round eyes. Bitches flocked to them, and none of them were faithful, not even Luther’s ass, and he was a pastor. The only decent one was Grant, but that nigga was a bitch.
“You already know how we move,” Pop answered.
Pop and Luther had a history; I wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but I knew it was something deep.
Old-school niggas never showed their hand, and to see all three of them standing face to face, I could tell that they had issues that only bullets could fix. “Name your fucking price.”
“Your baby boy,” Luther nodded at me. “He’s going to be a doctor, right?”
“Yeah,” Pop replied. He grilled Luther, then laughed humorlessly. “You want him on your team?”
“Yeah,” Luther answered. “My business needs a doctor. As soon as he’s done with his shit, he’s on my team.”
“For how long?” Xayne questioned him. His head tilted to the side like he was trying to figure out what the catch was.
“Life,” Luther answered with a smirk. “I’ll wipe your slate clean.”
“Deal,” I said before Pop could turn down the offer. He cut his eyes at me, but I didn’t care. For Yale, I’d be locked in with these niggas for life. I put my hand out. “I’ll be on call for y’all once I finish school and everything else, and you won’t go after Yale.”
“Deal,” Luther happily agreed. “I’ll be watching you, lil nigga.” He nodded. “Understand something about me. I collect on all my debts, so the second you fuck up, I’m coming after her.”
“Understood,” I said, shaking his hand.
“Well, this was a fucking good ass meeting,” Luther said, clapping. He stood from his seat, rounded the table, and shook my hand. “From now on, you’re on my team, which means you answer to me and mine. You step aside when instructed and don’t question what’s been decided.”
“Yeah, we’ll see,” I said, grilling him. I could hear Pop grunt behind me, and I knew his ass was going to go off as soon as we weren’t in front of company.
“I’ll be in contact,” Luther said, and I nodded.
We left the Kilmores’ office and headed to the parking lot. When we were outside, Pop turned around, mugged me, then shook his head.
“We’ll talk about this when we get back to your spot,” he said, then turned to Xayne. “I appreciate you stepping with me.”
“It’s a pleasure,” Xayne said. He looked between my brothers and me before turning back to Pop.
“I’m already in business with Pyrite, and I have a feeling I will be soon with Citrine.
” He looked over at me and smirked. “Your hot-headed ass, too.” He turned back to Pop.
“Call me when you’re ready to talk business. ”
“Will do,” Pop agreed.
We walked back to our cars, got inside, and Pop pulled off. The original thirty-minute drive to the Kilmores’ took twenty minutes to get back to my apartment. When we walked inside, Pop checked on Mama, who was sleeping in bed with Yale, then came back to the living room.
“What the fuck did I tell you, Amethyst?” Pop grilled me as he got into my face. “Huh, didn’t I tell you to let me fucking handle it?”
“It wasn’t for you to fix,” I said, shaking my head.
“It wasn’t for me to fix?” he laughed humorlessly. “You’re my fucking son.”
“I’m a grown ass man, Pop.”
“Then fucking act like it!” he yelled. “Fucking act like I taught you something! You walked right up to Luther and shook hands with the fucking devil without understanding what you were doing.”
“I ain’t scared of Luther Kilmore.”
“I didn’t ask you to be,” he said, shaking his head. “I asked you to be smart, and you didn’t.”
“Pop-”
“Listen to me, Am-”
“Nah, I need you to listen to me, Pop,” I cut him off before he could start up again.
“I traded my fucking life for Yale.” I smacked my chest. “My fucking life so that she could live hers. I’m good with that.
He wants me to be his business doctor. Cool.
I’ll be fine as long as she’s safe. I’ll swallow that shit. ”
“You don’t even fuck with the game like that,” Pop sighed. “And knowing a nigga like Luther, it’s always going to be something you didn’t see coming. How do you think he moves between two worlds like he does? He’s a pastor who is in the streets. Think about that shit!”
“He’s in the drug game,” I shrugged. “I can handle that.”
“You think you know everything, huh?” he chuckled, even though I knew he didn’t find shit funny. “Stealing cars is one thing, but dealing with the game is another.”
“I can handle it, Pop,” I said. “For Yale, I’ll handle that shit.”
“You ain’t got no choice now, do you?” he replied.
“Nah, I don’t,” I said, shaking my head. “Because if I gotta pick me or Yale, I’m always going to pick her.”