Chapter 23
Word didn’t creep, it ran. By the time the sun came up, everybody knew, thanks to Kayla getting word first. Diamond was locked up in the county on a drug charge, not a small one, but a big one. Duke heard it from a mouth he didn’t trust, or maybe he was in denial because she didn’t belong there.
He stood in his kitchen for a long time after hearing that shit, phone in his hand with no one to call to check the facts.
Finally, he grabbed his keys and headed to the streets, pride didn’t matter, she did.
He pulled right up to her house like he resided there.
He walked up to the porch where Kayla sat laughing with her friends like her sister wasn’t behind bars, she really hated Diamond, and the shit was sad.
“Hey, Duke, your lil boo ain’t here, she in jail.”
He screwed his face up in disgust, “Damn, you happy? Goofass.”
She rolled her eyes as her friends giggled at his remark. He continued up the stairs and rang the doorbell, he didn’t have time for Kayla’s dizzy ass. He was there to talk to Rich face to face, even though he knew the man hated him.
Rich opened the door; stress and worry covered his face.
“I don’t mean no disrespect showing up to your house, but I’m here to check on Diamond.”
That alone made Rich pause, he slightly nodded and invited Duke inside. They sat at the table, the silence in the room was thick.
“She protected me,” Rich finally spoke, “she took the whole charge.”
Duke nodded, “Sounds like her.”
Rich studied him, no judgment that time around. Not the reputation, not the street name, just the concerned young man sitting across from him.
“You care about my daughter?” Rich asked.
Duke didn’t hesitate, think, or let a second past, “With everything I got. If there’s anything I can do, let me know.”
Rich leaned back, staring at the ceiling like he was bargaining with God himself, then he looked back at Duke. Rich knew his father and if he was anything like Big Duke, Rich could definitely use him.
“Help me, help her. I need you to work for me so I can get a good lawyer.”
Duke straightened in his seat.
“I’ll do whatever you need done, but with all due respect, I don’t work for anyone, but I’ll work with you.”
Rich exhaled and nodded his head before extending his hand, “I respect that. You have your father’s qualities.”
Duke tilted his head to the side.
“Hold up, my mom knows Ms. Sherry and now you saying you knew my Pop, what’s really up?”
“We were all good friends, me, him, Stone, your mom, and Sherry. We made a lot of money together. We were all good until we weren’t. Just know your father was a real nigga until the day he died.”
“Who killed him?”
Duke asked a question that he asked God plenty nights and got nothing.
“I can’t say, but everything that’s done in the dark eventually comes to the light.”
He read between the lines perfectly, one day Duke was going to avenge his father’s death, he just needed confirmation.
His heart told him Stone was behind it, but he didn’t have proof, and he wasn’t in the business of killing for no reason.
He despised stupid street niggas, there was always a method behind his madness.
Big Duke died when Duke was jumping off the porch, when he needed his father the most. He remember seeing his father lying lifeless in a pool of his own blood with a shot to the back of his head, and his mother’s screams. From that day forward, Duke feared nothing, especially not death.
“Fasho. I’m all in, whatever you need.”
“I appreciate you, tell your mother I said hello.”
“Fasho. Can I leave my number for Diamond to call me?”
“You sure she don’t know it by heart,” Rich joked.
“Nah,” he chuckled.
Duke dapped him up and walked back outside. The end of summer was nearing and something told him it was about to be a very cold winter in Chicago.
He walked toward his car and saw Ace standing near it.
“What up, Duke?”
“What up?”
“I’m gon’ need that lil bread back.”
Duke gave him a stale look because that shit wasn’t happening.
“What bread?”
“What bread? Ok.” He shot back as Duke hopped in his car and pulled off.
Fuck that nigga, Ace; if he wanted it, he had to come get it and that was suicide. Duke was young and still learning, but no nigga had a heart like his, especially not Ace. His hate for him and Stone ran deep, so deep he would kill one of those niggas for fun.
He rode through the city with Diamond heavy on his mind, he knew she could protect herself, but she didn’t belong in there.
She was too pretty, too smart, too far away from him, he had gotten used to holding her in his arms. She had become his homie, they talked about shit he kept bottled up and shit she was too tough to talk about.
Bitches called his phone left and right, but he wanted to hear Diamond’s voice.
He held her at a different level, especially once she told him she was a virgin.
She was pure, she didn’t deserve a nigga like him, he was still young and doing dumb shit.
The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her in any way.
Duke kept himself busy for three days straight, but he couldn’t get Diamond off his mind. Was she cool in there? Was she eating? He was home, lights low, TV on mute with a blunt resting on lips when his phone rang. It was an unsaved number, he usually wouldn’t answer those calls, but he did.
As soon as he heard the automated system, he knew it was her, so he accepted without hesitation.
“Duke…” her voice was barely there, he sat straight up on the couch.
“You good?”
She fell silent and that told him she wasn’t. He could hear her breathing slow and controlled like she was holding herself together one inhale at a time.
“Diamond.”
“I’m good. It’s loud, even when it’s quiet.”
Duke closed his eyes, he wished he could trade places with her.
“I ain’t scared though,” she added quickly, that made him smile a little, she was so tough.
“I know.”
She let out a small breath that might’ve been a laugh.
“I thought I was ready for this life… I thought I was gon’ get right back out because I’m a minor, but they treating me like an adult. I’m around all of these crazy ass women.”
Something inside of him cracked.
“Protect yourself by any means.”
“Always. This is so fucked up, like the police came out of nowhere, it was like they were specifically waiting on us.”
“What you thinking?”
She went quiet again.
“Something ain’t right, we followed every rule of the road. I feel like this shit was a set up.”
Duke swallowed hard.
“We gon’ get you out that jam.”
“My dad told me you stopped by. I appreciate you for that.”
“You know I got you.”
“You promise?” she whispered; her words hit him straight in the heart.
“On my life. I don’t promise what I can’t deliver.”
There was a long pause, his chest tightened.
“I ain’t never said it to you because I don’t say shit I don’t mean, but I love you, Diamond.”
“I been loving you, Duke… I was just waiting on you to catch up.”
The operator announced they had one minute left. That last minute was silent, but the silence wasn’t heavy, it was real.