Chapter 4
EXODUS
From the kitchen island, I watched Sereia work on my ma’s hair, noticing how she talked to her regardless of ma’s silence.
Every now and then she’s smile and giggle too.
Because the TV was on, I couldn’t hear what the conversation was about.
Didn’t matter. I was just glad to see she was treating my ma like a human being.
Not only that but shorty experienced something traumatic today but still managed to do her job with a smile and even a laugh every now and then.
I appreciated it but I didn’t like it. She was a young woman but obviously numb to tragedy.
That hardens a muthafucka. That didn’t sit well with me.
With a deep breath, I looked away from them and put my attention on the MacBook in front of me.
I was handling logistics. We had a shipment going out to Detroit in a couple of days and I needed to delegate and verify the contents.
Contents that were disguised as new band equipment, and a new pew.
I mean, they were there but tucked inside of the items were things that shouldn’t have been there.
Cocaine. Fent. Weed. Guns. The shipment was overly loaded and ready to take off within the next couple of days.
All I needed was a signature from Solomon after I verified what needed to be verified. Barcode numbers and shit like that.
Rubbing my eyes, I reached over and grabbed my prescription Cartier’s.
After sliding them on, I went back to verifying numbers and sent it over to Solo.
Once I was done with that one, I did the same for two more shipments.
One for Saginaw, the other for Flint. I was busy and would have worked out of the crib if it weren’t for me needing to be here.
Rocc called me while he was in The Woods, picking Sereia up.
When I heard what happened, I packed up and drove over to my mom’s.
I needed to check in on her. Tried to but Sereia was a hard ass.
Wasn’t the type to wear her emotions on her skin.
She buried them. Reminded me a lot of myself, honestly.
Because I knew what that did to a person, I wanted to keep a close eye on her.
Not only because she was taking care of my OG but because oddly, I gave a fuck about where her mental was at.
Pressure bursts pipes and she was under a lot of it.
But still… she managed to smile and handle OG as if nothing was bothering her.
Some would say that was commendable—I thought it was sad.
As a woman, she should have been allowed to rest in her feminine energy.
She should have been allowed to feel what she felt instead of burying it.
That’s what I wanted for Sereia. For her to handle her shit in a healthy way.
My phone went off.
Picking it up, I turned it over to check it.
Jada. I clenched down on my teeth and ignored the call.
She was bugging. Had been bugging since I put her ass out.
When Rocc helped her move, she cried to him too.
Talked to him, begging him to talk to me like that would make a difference.
I didn’t make decisions lightly. If I made a decision it was meticulously thought out and all variables were considered.
Regardless of how I handled decision-making, Rocc could have never talked me out of sending her packing.
Fuck she thought this was? I didn’t answer to anybody. Nobody but Big G.
After the ringing stopped, a text message came through.
A long one that mirrored the one she’d just sent last night.
A lot of begging and apologizing. She mentioned how what happened had her mind gone.
Vaguely. Because she knew better, she didn’t go into detail but because I knew what’d happened, I knew what she was talking about.
I didn’t reply. Left her on read and stuffed the phone back into my pocket.
With a deep breath, I ran my hand over the top of my head and got back to the numbers.
However, I couldn’t focus. Jada was at the front of my mind and that shit bothered the fuck out of me.
I clenched down on my teeth, closed the laptop and stared off, arms crossed over my chest. Closing my eyes, I took another deep breath and shook my head.
I didn't want to take it there with shorty. I didn’t want to be forced in a situation I didn’t want to be in.
But if Jada kept at it, she’d force my hand and I wouldn’t hesitate to take her life.
It wouldn’t be passionate. I wouldn’t put in as much work.
Just… something quick. Smooth and easy. But shit, I didn’t want to do that.
However, she was unstable as fuck. Holding on to a nigga who had never wanted to be held on to.
Jada knew me though. She knew me well enough and because of that, I felt like she would tread lightly and eventually get her emotions in check.
If not… yeah, I’d be adding another body to my roster.
Thing was, I didn’t want to do that. I’d have to do that because my peace…
shit was just as important to me as breathing.
Grabbing my MacBook, I stood from the island and headed down into the living room.
Sensing me coming, Sereia’s braiding slowed, and she glanced over at me.
The smile on her face softened and her shoulders went ridged.
She was defensive. Always defensive when we were face-to-face.
Tensed and headstrong like she had something to prove.
Like she wanted me to know that despite my stature, she wasn’t intimidated.
What she didn’t realize was that, that showed intimidation.
She just… she needed to relax. Especially since I’d only shown her the soft side of me since we met.
“I’m about to head out. Redd should be here in about thirty, forty minutes with the groceries,” I told her, the MacBook she kept glancing at, tucked under my arm.
“Okay,” she softly said, her eyes fixed on mom’s hair again.
I looked at it. I surveyed her. I noticed how while I was in the middle of working, Sereia changed her out of the black t-shirt, and gray leggings I helped her into.
She put her in one of her dresses. Something I hadn’t seen her in, in years.
Black with gold swirls throughout it. Knee length.
One of the dresses she only wore every now and then.
We used to call her ‘bougie’ dresses special sermon dresses.
Shifting my eyes from her dress to her feet, I snorted at the black flats.
Back in the day, you wouldn’t catch my momma in a pair of flats.
It was so bad that Genny had to go out and buy her a couple of pair for when we had to leave the house for doctors’ appointments.
That was the only reason Sereia was able to find a pair.
“You changed her clothes,” I pointed out, taking in the jewelry she had on too.
Tear drop earrings, gold cross necklace, bangles.
Shifting my eyes to her hands, I noticed the wedding rings too.
That made my chest tighten a bit. Moms hadn’t worn her wedding rings in a minute.
Not because we didn’t want her in them but because we just…
shit… we never thought to put them on for her.
Sereia glanced up at me. “I did. Is that a problem?”
I lightly grunted. “Nah. Why would it be a problem?”
She shrugged. “Just making sure.”
“I like it,” I added.
Softly, she smiled, glanced at me, and went back to braiding my ma’s hair. Looking over to the other side of the couch, I noticed one of her wigs. “She goin’ somewhere?” I joked. “You know you gotta tell me before you—”
“On a walk. That’s it. Dressing her up to make her feel good. You look good, you feel good. First Lady—”
“What?” I interrupted. “What you just call her?”
She stopped braiding and looked up at me with furrowed brows. “First…lady,” she hesitated to say. “If it’s unprofessional—”
I shook my head. “Nah… nah, you… you good. Keep doing what you’re doing, Sereia. I appreciate the fuck out of you shorty. No lie.”
Her face softened and a smile threatened to touch her lips but instead she looked away and her fingers got to moving again with the braids.
I clenched down on my teeth and inwardly thanked God.
Sereia didn’t know it, but she was a fuckin’ angel.
A true ass Godsend. Literally. When I say I’m locked in with Big G, I’m dead ass locked in with dawg.
He’s never stirred me wrong. I knew that when I was told to hire Sereia…
when I felt compelled to pray for her and shit like that, that it was for a reason.
For a reason I didn’t understand at the moment but reasoning that made perfect sense today.
* * *
“Did you do what I told you to do?” I asked Redd, as I pulled up in front of Kiss’ crib. Would have parked in the driveway but because the nigga was a car collector, there was no room for the truck.
“Yeah, she was pissed but I got what you asked me to get. Skewers, pancake batter and sausage links. The best shit, too.”
I killed the engine and sat back against my chair. “Good lookin. You took the bags to the back of the house so she wouldn’t have far to walk to—”
Redd laughed. “Yeah man. I got you, Big Dawg. I took care of her. Double bagged… got the best shit… everything you asked for.”
I nodded. “Bet.”
“You need anything else before I go?” He asked.
I thought about asking him to swing over to Jada’s hood to keep an eye on her, but I quickly dismissed that. Shorty wasn’t my issue anymore.
“Nah, I’m smooth.”
We hung up and I unhooked my seatbelt, getting out of the truck.
On my way up to the crib, I tugged on my beard, taking notice to an unfamiliar red Tesla.
With a smirk, I put two and two together.
Kiss had company. Only bitch he let touch his doorstep was Ramani.
I thought about turning around and leaving, not wanting to deal with their shit.
But said fuck it. I’d come this far; I was sitting down with the nigga.