CHAPTER THIRTEEN SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
SEVEN
“PJ, I see you fighting. man. You doing good. Keep fighting, bro.”
It had been a week, and PJ was still in a coma but defeating the odds.
I’d been staying with Iesha since that night she told me she understood me and knew I needed her.
I knew she needed me too, whether she wanted to admit that or not.
Waking up to her in the morning was everything I knew it would be.
I was just glad she was allowing me to be there.
Every nigga in that house that day had gone down, and Uncle Philly made a solo trip back to Liberty and fucked some more shit up.
Watchful Eyes had his back without him knowing they were there.
It was almost safe to say that none of us had to worry about any of those muthafuckas out there coming for us again.
I just hated my boy had to go down for that to happen.
I sat in the chair at the foot of his bed just as Royal came through the door.
He went to PJ’s bed and slowly shook his head.
“We’re here, P. I ain’t neva seen a nigga more loyal than you.
Always ten toes down. You can’t go out like this, man.
Keep fighting. You gotta be here to see my babies come into the world. ”
I frowned. I guess they’d done the DNA test. Royal glanced at me, and I saw a smirk form on his lips.
“Quit fucking with me. I know you said that shit to get me riled up. I still can’t believe yo’ ass got a whole fucking family coming into the world. You sure it’s just twins? Aaliyah look like she carrying quads.”
“Shut up, nigga,” he said, then extended his hand to me.
I slapped it and stood to give him a one-arm hug. “Y’all did the DNA test yet?”
“Naw. We go next week. I just know they’re mine though.”
“A’ight. Just don’t be a chip off the ol’ block, man.”
He frowned. “What the fuck that’s supposed to mean?”
“Calm down that fucking hostility, nigga. My dad told me the same thing happened to your dad. Woman he was dating said she was pregnant with his child. Then the ho said she had an abortion. Had Uncle Jasper fucked up on relationships for a long ass time. Turned out, she didn’t have an abortion, and it wasn’t even his kid.
She told him she aborted the baby so he wouldn’t know she was fucking around. ”
“What that shit got to do with me?”
“Stop being so fucking trusting, and be sure, at least as close to sure as possible.”
He waved me off, but he was gon’ be fucked up if he found out they weren’t his.
In his mind, they already were. He was making plans.
I knew it, because I knew his ass. He was a lot like Uncle Jasper.
He didn’t smoke as much as he did, but according to my dad, Uncle Jasper fucked around quite a bit. Royal was on a whole notha level.
When I heard Maui say that he had fucked Asad’s baby mama, I could only shake my head.
That nigga said he didn’t know, but I knew he was lying.
He knew exactly who that bitch was. She was pretty, but her ass was fucking crazy.
He’d better be glad she was hung up on Asad and not his ass.
The way she was after Ashanni, tryna kill them and shit, was fucking crazy.
Asad’s son blew the cover on that shit when he called his ass by name in front of Asad.
“Hey, guys. Can one of you come out so his mama can come in?” I turned to see the nurse in the doorway.
I nodded, then stood, since I’d been here for a while.
Royal stood as well. We walked out and saw Aunt Kema at the nurse’s station.
I hugged her tightly, and Royal did the same.
She looked like she’d become an old woman overnight.
I supposed so though. Her oldest child was hanging on for dear life.
If PJ made it through this, I was gonna protect him with my life.
We had a meeting with Mrs. Sidney and Mr. Shy tonight to see where I stood in all this federal bullshit.
My dad told me they’d gone to the house looking for me.
So I guess it was a good thing I was staying with Iesha.
There was no way I would have kept my mouth shut with the way I was feeling.
I’d be sitting in jail right now, if I didn’t end up there anyway.
Once we got out to the waiting area, Royal asked, “You heard anything about whether they were still after Uncle Marcus or not?”
“I haven’t heard anything, but I’m more than sure they are. With that much money, I would be running for my fucking life. Uncle Marcus a thug ass nigga, for real, ’cause he acting like he don’t give a fuck.”
“Shiiiiid, nigga, if the cartel had my back, I wouldn’t give a fuck either. Those muthafuckas will take out the whole fucking FBI.”
I chuckled. He was surely right about that. “He met with our parents the other night, but I hadn’t asked any questions about that shit, and I haven’t really talked to Ace since this happened with PJ.”
“That’s ’cause you been stuck up Iesha’s ass,” Royal said and chuckled. “That’s what’s up though. I’m gon’ pray you keep her this time.”
I shot him the finger. “Just ’cause I’m not all sensitive like yo’ ass is, don’t mean I can’t be when it comes to her.”
“Yeah, I bet. Probably over there telling her all the family history, secrets, and enemies. You way more sensitive than you like to let on. You act like you forgot that I know yo’ ass.”
I shoved him away from me while he laughed. “Shut the fuck up.”
When Lema, PJ’s twin sister, walked in, we stood. She smiled at us, then came and hugged us both.
“Any changes?” she asked.
We both shook our heads. She nodded, then went to the ICU entrance.
Once she’d walked through the door, we both sat, remaining quiet.
I knew more family would be coming later, so I came early to have some time with him.
I needed him to hear my voice, knowing that I was praying for him to make it.
I was pretty sure he was hearing all of our voices.
He had brain activity. We thanked God for that, because things were looking grim for a couple of days.
They didn’t think he would make it this long.
He was going to be in so much pain whenever he woke up.
His rotator cuff and collar bone were practically shattered.
Thankfully, that chest wound wasn’t near his heart.
He wasn’t out of the woods. As far as the abdominal wound was concerned, I knew he had lost a kidney, and he would have to have a colostomy bag for a while.
That was going to kill him, but I would much rather that than him dying because he got shit backed up inside of him.
As I sat in my thoughts, my phone vibrated. There was a text from Iesha. I opened it to see she was just telling me she loved me. I loved that. She typically did that twice a day, depending on how long I was gone. She seemed totally relaxed in us, and that was what I always wanted.
I love you more.
Right after, police came into the waiting area and walked right up to me. I handed my belongings to Royal. “My code to unlock my phone is zero-five-one-six-two-seven. Text everybody and let them know what’s up, so they can get ahold of Mrs. Sidney and Mr. Shy. Text Iesha first, man.”
He nodded as I stood, and they turned me around to cuff me. I knew this shit would eventually come. Punk ass agents. After they read the Miranda rights, I said, “You never said what I’m being arrested for.”
“Unfortunately, sir, you will have to take that up with the FBI agents we’re taking you to.”
“Come on, Seven.”
I sat up on the cot to see Mrs. Sidney standing there with a deep frown on her face. It had to be the next morning, and those muthafuckas didn’t give me a phone call. They never even explained why I was here . . . not that I remembered anyway.
I stood and walked to the door as the correctional officer unlocked it. When I walked through it, I heard Mrs. Sidney mumble, “I don’t know who the fuck they think they playing with.”
My eyebrows lifted slightly as we walked out of the jailhouse, heading to her car. My dad was standing near it, looking pissed.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to get here. I was in Baltimore. Shy is out of town, consulting on another case as well.”
“What time is it?”
“It’s nine the next morning.”
“I’ve been asleep almost the entire time.”
She stopped walking and frowned. “You don’t remember anything from when they picked you up?”
I shook my head, and that shit hurt like hell. I frowned and grabbed it. Felt like my fucking brain was swishing around in there.
“We going to a fucking lab. Did you have anything to eat or drink?”
“They gave me some water. That was about it. At least, that’s all I remember having. I remember them doing my mugshots and all that. They never told me what I was being arrested for.”
She slowly shook her head as we finally got to my dad. She reiterated to him everything that was said, and I could feel the winds pick up speed the longer she talked. His face was getting redder by the second. From what she was saying, they were trying to charge me with murder.
“Murder of who?” I asked.
“Seven counts of murder for the seven dead bodies in that house in Liberty, one of which was the undercover. One count of attempted murder for PJ. Which we all know is bogus as fuck.”
“Well, they proving how fucked up they are, because—”
“Tell me later,” she said, cutting me off.
I slid my hand down my face and shook my head.
They just wanted to pin shit on me now. A cleanup crew came in after us.
There were no bodies in that house. Plus, there was at least twelve muthafuckas in the house that day.
There was no way I would start naming names to get me out of a hot spot either, so we were going to court.