Chapter 8 #2
“You weren’t going to come over and say happy birthday?” she fake pouted making me smirk.
“You had enough corny niggas in your face. Happy birthday though. You look real good.” My gaze poured over her frame.
“None of those niggas are you though. And thank you,” she returned the gesture looking me up and down seductively. “I miss you.”
Bri had game like a muhfucka. Maybe she did miss me, but I knew she had a roster of niggas.
I didn’t mind getting in where I fit in.
I wasn’t trying to be serious with her, so she could do what she wanted.
Especially when it had been months since the last time I saw her.
Bri was about her bread for sure and didn’t need a man, but she was also the type to stack her paper and spend someone else’s money.
“Is that so? I miss you too.”
Bri turned around and started twerking in front of me.
I was enjoying the show, and just like I thought, she didn’t have panties on.
Despite her ass flowing like water in front of me, my gaze lifted, and I locked eyes with Apricot.
I might have been tipsy and tripping, but I could have sworn I saw smoke coming out of her ears.
Shorty was pissed. It was days later, so she still couldn’t be that damn mad about me breaking into her house.
It wasn’t like I took anything that was irreplaceable.
Yes, I lied to her, but what did she expect me to do?
More importantly than that though, her father wanted her to lay low, but her hardheaded ass was all out at the club.
I directed my attention back on Bri’s ass. I wasn’t about to stand in the middle of the club and have stare off’s with Apricot. I sipped my drink as Bri danced on me through two songs.
“I’m about to go back over here with my girls. I’ll talk to you before you leave.” Bri knew I always left the club at least thirty minutes before it closed if not sooner.
“Bet.”
I watched her walk away, and Shiloh nudged me. “I know you be having fun with that ass.”
Chuckling, I shook my head. Placing my cup to my mouth, I finished my drink and decided that I was done for the night.
My eyes narrowed as I saw two men with long locs standing a few feet away from Apricot.
They were watching her as she talked to some dark-skinned nigga with cornrows in his hair.
The club was dark, but I was almost certain that the men watching her were the Africans that Mr. Jennings showed me pictures of.
“Shit,” I hissed and moved through the crowd. When I was in front of Apricot, I ignored the guy that she was speaking to. “I need to holla at you, ASAP. It’s important.”
Apricot kissed her teeth and frowned. “Nigga, you were just dancing with a bitch. Now, you want to come over here because you see me talking to somebody?”
I leaned in so that my mouth was directly against her ear.
“Get over your fuckin’ self,” I stated in a calm tone.
“The African niggas that shot your father are in here, and they’re watching you.
Tell shorty that you’re with to go stand by my man, Shiloh, and let’s go.
” The tone I spoke in hopefully let her know that I wasn’t playing.
Apricot’s entire body tensed. A panicked look covered her face, and her breathing became labored.
“Act normal,” I gently grabbed her elbow.
Since she seemed to be paralyzed by fear, I kept my grip on her arm and moved toward her homegirl.
“Aye there’s an emergency, and I have to get Apricot out to my car.
My homie, Shiloh is right over there in the red shirt.
He’ll see to it that you get home safely. ”
Shorty whipped her head in Apricot’s direction with a perplexed look on her face. “I’ll call you and tell you about it, but I really have to get out of here.”
I walked behind Apricot, but I was so close to her, her body was damn near pressed into mine.
With one arm wrapped around her and my hand resting on her belly, I guided her through the crowd.
My gun was in the car, and I prayed that I didn’t have to duck bullets on my way to the car.
We walked at a normal pace and acted like everything was cool.
I didn’t even want the guys to know that I knew who they were.
The moment we got inside my car I looked back to make sure we weren’t being followed. I pulled out of my parking space screeching tires. “I thought you didn’t know who shot my father or why,” Apricot stated her voice thick with attitude.
“You’re welcome,” I responded in a sarcastic tone.
I wasn’t in the mood to deal with Apricot and her father’s bullshit.
I removed my phone from my pocket and called Doug.
I let him know that the guys he’d been searching for were at the club, and I described to him what they were wearing.
I wasn’t sure if he’d catch them or not, but I did what I was asked to do if I saw them.
“I don’t appreciate being ignored!” Apricot started going in as soon as I got off the phone with Doug. “My life is literally in danger, and niggas are still keeping secrets from me.”
“Some African tried to extort your father! Your father refused to pay him, and I don’t know what happened after that, but your pops had a restaurant shot up. The guy’s lady was hit. She was pregnant. Her and the baby died. Now that you know what are you going to do with the information?!”
“Oh, my fuckin’ gosh.” Apricot’s tone was low, and I could tell the information that I’d given her had her at a loss for words. “Wow.”
I glanced in my rearview mirror every few seconds to make sure I wasn’t being followed.
When I was sure that I wasn’t, I decided against taking Apricot back to my house.
She was giving me a headache, and I didn’t want to hear the bitching and complaining all night.
She was pissed at me for breaking into her house.
Cool. I wasn’t going to keep trying to get her to see that I wasn’t the bad guy.
Or maybe I was, and I just didn’t give a fuck.
The rest of the car ride was silent. I could practically feel steam coming off Apricot’s body. She was pissed. “I’m supposed to be in fear of my life for the rest of my life?” she finally spoke again. Apricot’s voice cracked, and I could tell she was on the verge of tears.
“That’s not a question I can answer for you. Marlo’s people want the Africans handled. Maybe once that’s taken care of, life will go back to normal.”
Apricot kissed her teeth, but she didn’t give a verbal response. Minutes later, I pulled up in front of her building. I grabbed the handle to open the door.
“You don’t have to walk me to my apartment. I’m fine,” she snapped.
Normally, I would have ignored her and walked her to the door anyway, but Apricot wasn’t my problem, and she wasn’t about to stress me out.
If she wanted to walk herself to the door, then that’s what it was.
I wasn’t going to beg her or disregard her wishes.
When she saw that I wasn’t getting out of the car, she got out.
I had to clench my steering wheel tight as fuck when she slammed my door.
Apricot was pushing the hell out of my buttons, and I could assure her she wouldn’t like it if I spazzed.
The safest thing for me to do was to get away from her. She was Mr. Jennings problem. There wasn’t enough money in the world he could give me to take on Apricot’s attitude. Shorty was on her own, and I was about to go get some pussy.