CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Yatta
Everything was fucked up right now. BooMan getting murked had set off a whole war between Sosa and Zach, and that shit was bad for everybody. Bodies were dropping, cops was hot, and money wasn't moving like it should. The whole operation was taking hits because these niggas couldn't dead the beef.
I was on the phone with Zeus, Zach's big brother who was locked up doing a bid upstate. Me and Zeus went way back, we came up together before he caught his case.
"Yatta, what's good, my nigga?" Zeus said when he answered.
"Man, shit crazy out here, bro," I said, leaning back in my chair. "Your brother and Sosa going at it hard. Niggas getting dropped left and right. While the feds watching everything move."
"Yeah, I heard about BooMan," Zeus said. "That's fucked up. But Zach telling me Sosa started it."
"I don't give a fuck who started it," I said firmly. "It needs to end This shit bad for business, Zeus. Real bad. Money ain't flowing, everybody paranoid, cops on everybody. We can't operate like this."
Zeus was quiet for a second. "What you want me to do?"
"Tell Zach to call a truce," I said. "Dead this shit before it gets worse. We all eat when shit is calm. Right now, everybody starving and bleeding. That ain't smart."
"A'ight, I feel you," Zeus said. "I'll holler at him. But you know how Zach get when he feel disrespected, plus Sosa had something to do with Tiona getting smoked."
"Man, ain't nobody got time for feelings right now. It's about survival. Tell him to get his head right or we all gonna be fucked."
"Bet. I got you, Yatta."
"Good looking, bro. Stay up."
I hung up and rubbed my face. This shit was stressful as hell, but somebody had to be the voice of reason before everybody ended up dead or locked up.
I checked the time and grabbed my keys. I told Zurie I was gonna take her and JJ shopping today. JJ needed some new clothes and I ain't mind doing shit like that for them.
* * *
I pulled up to Zurie's crib and she came out looking good as hell in some jeans and a fitted shirt, her locs were pulled up in a ponytail and that shit looked good on her, she was holding JJ’s hand, he smiled widened when he saw me.
"What's good, lil' man?" I said, lifting him up and strapping him in his car seat.
"Thank you for doing this," Zurie said, getting in the passenger seat.
"You ain't gotta thank me," I said, pulling off. "I got y'all."
We hit up a few stores, grabbing JJ some new fits, some Jordan's, some Polo outfits, and all that. Watching Zurie with her son always did something to me. She was a good mom. always making sure he was straight no matter what.
But as we was shopping, I noticed her phone kept going off. Over and over. She'd look at it, her face would tighten up, and she'd put it back in her purse without saying nothing.
After the fifth time, I couldn't take it no more.
"Who the fuck keep blowing you up?" I asked.
"Nobody," she said quickly.
"Zurie."
"It's nothing, Yatta. Don't worry about it."
Her phone buzzed again and I snatched it out her hand before she could stop me.
"Yatta, give me my phone!" she said, reaching for it.
I held it away from her and looked at the screen. My jaw clenched when I saw the name Jamie.
I opened the messages and read through them, and with each one, my blood got hotter.
Jamie: You think you slick with that nigga Yatta
Jamie: You really fucking the nigga who killed my brother
Jamie: Hoe I know everything! the streets talk!
Jamie: You still mine bitch
Jamie: If I ever see you out with him and JJ you know what's up
Jamie: Don't make me come over there
Jamie: You lucky I ain't caught you yet
"THE FUCK IS THIS?" I yelled, making Zurie and some people in the store jump.
"Yatta, Calm—"
"Why you ain't tell me this nigga been threatening you?" I said, getting in her face. "How long this been going on?"
She looked down, tears forming in her eyes. "A few weeks."
"A FEW WEEKS?" I said, my voice rising again. "Zu, you serious right now? This nigga talking about catching you alone and you ain't say shit to me?"
"I didn't want you to do nothing crazy!" she said, her voice breaking. "I didn't want you to get in trouble because of me! I can handle it Yatta."
"You think I give a fuck about that?" I said. "If this nigga threatening you, I need to know about it!"
She started crying and I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. I pulled her close, wrapping my arm around her.
"A'ight, a'ight," I said, my voice softer. "It's a'ight. But don't ever hide shit like this from me no more. You hear me?"
She nodded against my chest.
"Come on, let's go," I said.
By the time we made it back to Zurie's condo, JJ was knocked out in his car seat. I carried him inside and put him in his bed, pulling the covers over him and making sure his nightlight was on.
When I came back out to the living room, Zurie was sitting on the couch, looking at me with those eyes that always made me feel some type of way.
"Thank you," she said softly. "For everything."
"You don't gotta keep thanking me," I said, sitting down next to her.
It had been over a year since we started whatever this was, and we ain't never crossed that line. I respected her, I wanted to take things slow, make sure she knew I wasn't like Jamie or none of them other niggas. But the way she was looking at me right now...
She moved closer, her hand sliding up my chest.
"Zu—"
"I want you, Yatta," she whispered, her lips close to mine. "I been wanting you."
"You sure?" I asked, my voice low.
"I'm sure."
She kissed me, and I couldn't hold back anymore. I kissed her back hard, my hands sliding down to her waist and pulling her onto my lap. She straddled me, grinding against me, and I groaned into her mouth.
"Let’s go in my bedroom," she breathed.
I stood up, carrying her with me, her legs wrapped around my waist. We made it to her room and I laid her down on the bed, my hands already pulling her shirt off. She was beautiful, smooth brown skin, curves in all the right places.
I pulled my own shirt off and climbed on top of her, kissing down her neck, her collarbone, between her breasts. She arched her back, moaning softly.
"Yatta..."
I unhooked her bra and tossed it aside, taking one of her nipples in my mouth. She gasped, her fingers tangling in my hair.
"Fuck," she breathed.
I kissed lower, unbuttoning her jeans and sliding them down her legs along with her panties. She was already wet, and the sight of her spread out in front of me like that had me harder than I'd ever been.
I stood up and unbuckled my belt, dropping my jeans and boxers.
Her eyes went wide when she saw me.
"Damn," she whispered.
I climbed back on top of her, positioning myself between her legs.
"You ready?"
"Yes," she said, pulling me down for another kiss.
I pushed inside her slowly, and we both moaned at the same time. She was tight, wet, and the shit felt perfect. I started moving, slow at first, letting her adjust to me.
"Oh my God," she gasped, her nails digging into my back.
"Yatta..."
"You feel so good, baby," I groaned, picking up the pace.
She wrapped her legs around me, pulling me deeper, and I lost it. I fucked her harder, the bed creaking under us, her moans getting louder.
"Yes, yes, fuck me," she cried out, her pussy clenching around me.
I gripped her hips, slamming into her, watching her face twist up in pleasure. She was so wet I could hear it with every thrust, and that shit drove me crazy.
"Oh fuck, I'm gonna come." she whimpered.
"Come for me, baby," I said, reaching down to rub her clit while I fucked her.
She screamed, her whole body shaking as she came, her pussy squeezing me so tight I almost lost it. But I held on, fucking her through it until she was trembling and gasping.
"Turn over," I said, pulling out.
She flipped onto her stomach and I pulled her hips up, sliding back into her from behind. This angle hit different, and she buried her face in the pillow, moaning loud as hell.
I gripped her ass, spreading her cheeks so I could watch myself slide in and out of her. The sight of her cream coating my dick made me feral. I fucked her harder, my hips slapping against her ass.
"Yatta, oh my God, yes!" she screamed into the pillow.
I felt my own climax building, my whole body tensing up. "Where you want it?"
"Inside," she gasped. "Come inside me daddy."
That was all I needed to hear. I slammed into her a few more times and then I was coming, groaning her name as I filled her up. My whole body shuddered, and I collapsed on top of her, both of us breathing hard.
"Damn," I said after a minute.
"Yeah," she breathed, laughing softly.
I pulled out and rolled onto my back, pulling her against my chest.
She curled up next to me, her fingers tracing patterns on my skin.
"That was worth the wait," she said.
"Hell yeah it was."
* * *
The next day, I was on a mission. I found out where Jamie's mama stayed and pulled up to the house in the middle of the afternoon.
I ain't give a fuck about being discreet. This nigga needed to learn. I walked up to the door and tried the knob. It was unlocked. I swear, this dumb ass nigga didn’t ever think about locking his doors.
That was some white people shit, in the hood your doors suppose to stay locked at all times.
I walked in and found Jamie sitting on the couch playing his ps5 game system. He looked up when he heard me, and his eyes went wide.
"Man, what the fuck—"
I was on him before he could finish, my gun was already out. I grabbed him by the throat and shoved the barrel in his mouth, with my finger on the trigger.
"You like threatening women, nigga?" I said, my voice deadly calm. "You like scaring Zurie?"
His eyes were huge, tears already forming. He was trying to talk but couldn't with my gun in his mouth.
"Let me make something real fucking clear to you," I said. "If you ever text her, call her, look at her, or even think about her again, I'm gon’ smoke yo’ bitch ass nigga, and slowly. You understand me?" He nodded frantically, choking on the gun.
"Good.”
I pulled the gun out of his mouth and before he could take a breath, I cracked him across the face with it. He went down hard, blood pouring from his nose and mouth, out cold.
I stood over him for a second, making sure he was still breathing. He was, but barely. I kneeled down and whispered to him.
“You weren’t wrong when you told Zu the streets talk, I smoked yo’ bitch ass brother, and it aint shit, you or another muthafucka gon’ do about it.
Stay the fuck away from her and JJ. That’s my family now, fuck nigga.
" I put my gun away and walked out the front door like nothing happened, got in my car, and pulled off.