Chapter 11
The weight of the game
The night started off right—cool air, a fat blunt on the front porch with Dream, and a house that finally felt alive again. Before heading to work, Mercedes had locked down the bedroom in a way that left my mind right for the rest of the night.
"Damn, brother, I’m glad you're home," Dream said, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "House ain't the same without some masculine energy around."
"So what the hell y'all gonna do when I fully move in with my wife?" I asked, leaning back.
"I’ll probably move in with my sugar daddy," Dream replied, hand on her hip with a sharp neck roll. "Always said he left room for me."
"Sis, I need you to find something else. This life is getting old, and there’s bigger shit out here. I can't dictate what these other hoes do, but I really want you to exit the game when I do."
"We can do that," she conceded, softening a bit. "Just let me run up half a million, then I’m finished. I can find something else to invest in."
"You know I’m a millionaire, right? Me and Clo stay doing investments. I’ve got three-quarters of a million sitting in my account alone. I just don't feel like flaunting it enough, frfr."
Dream’s eyes went wide just as her phone started to ring. She answered, but her face instantly twisted into a frown as she looked at me.
"Mercedes and Tammy just jumped Red real bad," she said. "She's in the hospital."
I didn’t hesitate. I jumped in my car and sped straight to the club, marching right into Mellow’s office. He was kicked back at his desk, boots up on the mahogany.
"Mellow, what the fuck happened? Where’s my girl?"
"They took Mercedes to jail," Mellow said calmly, blowing smoke rings. "Her bond will be paid tomorrow—you know I’m not gonna let my best dancer sit in a cell."
"Who the fuck called the police on my wife?" I spazzed, slamming my hands on his desk.
"Nigga, calm your ass down. I did you a favor. I let that big-ass bitch come be a bottle girl, and she's not even idea size. Nobody called the cops; we called the ambulance because the girl kept passing out. If her cousin was still here, I would've blamed it on her."
I mugged Mellow hard, turned on my heel, and walked straight out his establishment.
Once outside, I dialed Donny.
"Aye gang, what’s going on?" he answered.
"Shit, so much just went down. Where you at, brother?"
"I’m at your and Mercedes’ spot with some dark-skin, fine-ass Naomi Campbell lookalike," he chuckled.
"I’m on the way."
I hung up, jumped in the driver's seat, and connected my phone to the stereo, putting on Mint Condition’s Swinging.
I was just trying to keep my mind right, but when the lyrics hit—“When I’m with you, I fall deeper in love”—I couldn't stop the tears of pure anger and stress from falling down my face.
When I pulled up to the house, Junie was sitting right in Donny’s lap.
"Brother, what’s wrong?" June asked, noticing my expression.
"Mercedes got arrested for fighting. Her and Tammy jumped those girls, but Tammy left right after."
"Please don’t tell me it’s chicks you used to be dealing with," Mimi chimed in, rolling her neck.
"Yes, it was Jaz and Red," I admitted, looking straight at Junie. "Both made plays for me, but this wasn't even about me."
Junie instantly got up, stormed into the house, and slammed the door behind her. I looked at Donny. He looked back at me and groaned.
"Now I ain't getting no pussy tonight."
I had to laugh through the frustration, genuinely surprised Junie’s little ass was giving his heavy-set frame any play at all.
"Bro, I’m 'bout to go pull up on Clo. You coming?" I asked.
He grabbed a duffel bag and started walking toward the car. As soon as he climbed in, I warned him, "Don't be bringing no spend-the-night bag over there. I’m the only nigga comfortable in that motherfucker."
"I’m gonna be able to drop Junie off some money real soon," Donny said, staring out the window. "I’m gonna help her move out."
"Damn, you feeling Lil June like that?"
"We in love, bro. She’s such a wonderful woman."
I didn't say anything, just listened. It felt like he was talking about a completely different person than the one we knew. Maybe he unlocked a version of her we never saw.
We hit the highway, but before we could cross the county line, a set of blue and red lights flashed behind us. I pulled over smoothly since I was clean.
"Shit, shit, shit," Donny muttered, panicking.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I hissed.
"My daddy fronted me three bricks... and they're right in the back."
"Damn. Text Clo and tell him what the fuck is going on right now."
The officer walked up to the window, flashing his light. "License and registration, please."
I handed them over without a word.
"Can you two gentlemen step out of the car?"
"Officer, can I know what I did wrong?" I asked smoothly.
"You were speeding."
"My girl at home is about to have a baby," I lied, keeping my voice steady. "I’m just trying to hurry and get to her."
"You can go after I check you out," the cop said. "I won't even give you a ticket since you're having a baby in this economy."
We stepped out onto the asphalt. Donny was pacing back and forth like a caged animal. The officer walked over to the passenger side, opened the back door, picked up Donny's duffel bag, and unzipped it. He pulled out the three bricks, weighed them in his hands, and locked eyes with us.
"This is a lot of work. Someone's about to be real mad... but I’m letting y'all go today."
Without another word, the cop tossed the bag into the front seat of his cruiser and drove off into the night.
Donny started walking helplessly toward where the cruiser had vanished. I grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him into my car. The entire drive to Clo’s house was dead silent.
When we walked inside, Donny immediately resumed his nervous pacing, finally screaming, "Fuck!" as he punched a hole straight through the drywall and stormed back outside.
"What the fuck is wrong with him?" Clo asked, stepping into the hallway.
"We got pulled over. This motherfucker had three bricks in the car, and the cop just took them," I said, rubbing my temples.
"Where’s the dope, and where the fuck did he even get it from?" Clo demanded.
"You already know who he got it from," I answered grimly. "Now that that product is gone, we’re about to have some real problems."
Even though it was their own father we’d be clashing with, I knew I was going to stand by them. Blood couldn't make us any closer.
I stepped outside onto the porch to check on Donny.
He was on the phone with our cousin who had just moved down south—a notorious loose cannon, but strict about his paper.
I could already tell a storm was brewing.
A few minutes later, an Uber pulled up, and Donny got in without a word, pulling away into the dark.
I walked back inside. In the family room, Tammy was lying on the couch with a blanket, her head resting in someone's lap while they ran their fingers through her hair, staring deeply into each other's eyes. They didn't even notice I was standing there.
Turning around quietly, I left the house. There was simply too much chaos unfolding at once. I drove straight home, picked up the phone, and called a high-priced lawyer to ensure Mercedes would be walking out of that cell by morning.