Chapter 8 #2
“Listen. You two go lay low. I don’t want y’all anywhere near any illegal business. We have several other legal businesses you all can get in on, but as far as the street shit, stay away from it,” Uncle Nick demanded.
“Mannn,” Mill bemoaned.
“You heard him, Emil. This is your life on the line! If you don’t want to go to prison for the rest of your life, I suggest you do as he says. Your reckless behavior is what has us here in the first place.”
“I don’t understand how y’all are okay with niggas snaking us!”
“We’re not okay with the shit, but we most certainly don’t move that way!
Your uncle and I built this empire and put in proper protocols to ensure the businesses don’t mix.
We have a reputation to uphold, and with you moving so sloppily, it has put the people we don’t pay even more in our business!
I’ve been telling you for years that your hothead will get you caught up.
Yet here you are, doing the same shit I told you not to do,” Poppa hissed through his teeth.
Moms stepped in between them. “Okay, this isn’t the time or the place. You boys come to the house. Madalyn has cooked us dinner, and we’ll discuss it further there. Emil, bring my babies to my home. I feel like I don’t see them enough.”
“I’ll have Mina bring them. I have a few errands to run before my curfew. I’ll be there after.”
“Fine.” She looped her arm through my father’s.
“I won’t be there. I have a mission to complete.”
She sighed. “Yeah, okay, Emery. I know you’d better leave Yumi alone before I have to step to her parents. They don’t want me to come out of retirement.”
“Don’t worry about them. Just know that Yumi will be your daughter-in-law soon.”
She smiled at me and shook her head. “After all these years, you still won’t let her go, huh?” I shook my head. “Well, as long as she doesn’t bring any trouble, I’m not mad at it.”
“She won’t.”
“Simpin’ ass,” Mill said, shaking his head and laughing.
“Says the simp of all simps. You be doggin’ Mina in public, but behind closed doors, you be suckin’ the fuck out of her toes. Bitch ass nigga.” Everyone laughed except for him because he knew I was right.
Pops scoffed. “She shouldn’t even be a factor. If anything, Normani is the one you should be vying for.”
I shook my head at him. “I’m out. I’ll call y’all when it’s done.” I walked away and headed to my car, where Juno was waiting to open my door. He kept trying to push this bullshit with Normani after I just explained to him that the shit was never going to happen.
I slipped inside and loosened my tie. It had been a long morning, but I was determined not to allow my brother or cousin to see a day behind those prison walls.
“You know what to do, right?” I asked Rakim as I sat in the back of his Durango SRT.
“Fa sho,” he replied, pulling his hat on.
“Cool. Do me proud, young.”
He nodded, grabbed the sub sandwich, and exited the car to deliver the food to Layken’s bitch ass.
I was able to hack into his phone and see all of Layken’s activities.
That fat bastard ordered DoorDash every day since his ugly ass has been in police custody.
That was good for me because Amari helped me hack his phone.
All he did was send sappy ass text messages to his bitch, eat fast food, and watch porn.
I had Rakim, one of our loyal workers, create a fake DoorDash account under the name Raphael Marx.
Once we picked up his order, I doused the sandwich with sarin—a tasteless and odorless poison, then sealed it back as if it hadn’t been touched, and had him deliver it.
I watched from the back seat as the officer stepped out of the unmarked vehicle, searched Rakim and the bag, then nodded for him to go to the door. Once he made it, I saw Layken hurry and take the bag from him, then close the door in his face. Rakim jogged back to the truck and got inside.
“Fat ass, greedy ass nigga just snatched the fucking food without saying thank you.”
I chuckled. “He ain’t gon’ be saying too much of shit once he finishes that shit.”
“Good. Snitch ass bitch.”
“Circle the block and park at the corner. Make sure you kill the lights.” He pulled away from the house and did as instructed. We sat at the corner and watched the house.
“I removed your picture and fake info from the app. There will be no traces of you being here.” I handed him the envelope filled with cash.
“Good looks. How long you think it’ll be before that fat nigga croak over?”
“Shouldn’t be long. He probably won’t even finish it before he starts foaming at the mouth.”
“Yo’, that’s some wild shit. You think I can get some of that for my baby mama?”
I laughed. “Nigga, what?”
“Yeah, man. I can’t stand her funky ass. She won’t even let me see my seed but once a fucking week. Then when I do see my daughter, that ho is sitting there watching me like a hawk.”
“What you do, Rakim?”
“I ain’t do shit to her ass! She’s just a uppity ass, judgmental ho that I hate to love I had a kid with.
I swear it ain’t nobody but her tacky ass mama that’s puttin’ bullshit in her head about me.
I’m a good nigga. I take care of my daughter and make sure she gets everything she needs, but it’s never enough, bruh. ”
“Do you love her?”
“Not no more. She fucked that up when she got pregnant. Shit was all good when I was bussin’ in her guts.
Then once she got pregnant, it just went downhill.
Talking about ‘You in the streets. I don’t want to be mixed up in any bullshit that’s going to get us killed,’” he said in a mocking female voice.
I chuckled. “I was tired of hearing that bullshit, so I’m straight on that ho.
But I am going to petition the court to make her ass let me see my kid more. ”
“I feel you. I used to be in a similar situation, only we didn’t have kids together.
I would have told you to say fuck her parents and keep pursuing her if you wanted to be with her.
But since you don’t, I say take her court.
Just make sure you get your shit together.
Get you a real job to show where you’re getting ya income from. ”
“I got a real job. I work at Michigan Motor Exchange. My checks are about fifteen hundred before taxes.”
“That’s what’s up. Then you good. I hate to see my young men out here not doing the right thing. Glad to hear you have something outside of working for me.”
“Indeed. Mill told me that I should get a gig that I love, and I love cars.”
I was shocked. “Mill told you that?”
“Yeah.” I rubbed my beard, keeping my eyes on the house.
Rakim and I chopped it up for about ten more minutes before we watched the officers go inside.
It didn’t take long before we heard sirens in the distance.
Five more minutes passed, and police and ambulances were zooming up the block.
Rakim sat up and was about to pull off, but I halted him.
“Hold up. I need to make sure the coroners pull up next.” Rakim nodded as we waited an additional forty minutes before the coroners came. I smiled in triumph, then instructed Rakim to leave. My work there was done. Now, I had to make old girl disappear.
We rode for about twenty minutes until he pulled up to my car, where my trusted driver sat waiting.
“I don’t think I need to remind you of what will happen if you happen to be questioned about your whereabouts tonight, do I?”
“You got my word, Mr. Em. I’m solid. Even if this shit ever came back to me, you ain’t gotta worry about me talking about this night. It’s already forgotten.”
“Yeah, okay. You know what to do with this whip.”
“I’m on it. Thanks again, Mr. Em.”
“Just Emery, Ra.”
“Noted.”
I got out of his truck and got inside of mine.
“Where to, sir?” Juno asked.
“Yumi’s place.” He smirked at me through the mirror, then pulled away from the curb. I pulled out my phone and went to her name.
Me: Put on lingerie and keep on those heels you had on earlier. I’m headed your way.
I saw that she had read my message but didn’t reply. It was cool, though. I didn’t need a reply because baby knew what it was. I was sober for many years after she left. Now that she was back, I was back to being a fucking addict once again.