Chapter 5 #5
“I don’t need a fucking reminder.” I grit my teeth and locked my jaw. “This shit ain’t my life no more, Ledge. You got it. You live for this shit. You the one that said you could do this shit forever. That ain’t the goal for me. I got a daughter. I need more… for her.”
“So what you saying, Free? You about to give all this shit up?” Ledge demanded, patience running thin.
I was his ace, the only fucking friend he knew that he could trust around this mothafucka. I didn’t want to leave him hanging, but he had a hard time dealing with change.
“We’ve been doing this shit for twenty years, bro! You want to quit now when we at the top of our game?”
“Maybe you can’t fathom this shit because you ain’t got a reason to quit,” I sneered at him.
Ledge didn’t answer, but he shot me a couple of daggers that probably would’ve killed a nigga had they been actual knives.
“You saying I ain’t got shit to live for?” he countered, indignant.
“I’m saying you don’t think that far ahead.
You get tunnel vision. I never wanted to do this shit forever.
We are in a position now where we don’t have to.
As much money we’ve made over the last twenty years, we can do whatever the fuck we want.
So what is it that you want, Ledge? Or is this some forever type shit for you? ” I interrogated him.
“We had a new job come in.” Ledge spun and led me toward the table in the room.
He opened a folder, and I took a glance at the target. The blood in my veins ran cold. Nostrils flaring, my brows dipped above my rage-filled eyes.
“The fuck this come from?” I demanded, practically growling.
Ledge plopped down into a chair and let out a deep breath.
“From the top,” he said, inhaling from the stuffed cigar once again. “Which means… we don’t have a choice.” He blew the smoke from his lips and shook his head.
As if I didn’t have enough shit to deal with. I studied the photo in front of me, and my blood went from cold to hotter than fish grease.
“Noel Dames,” I recited the name, and Ledge kept his eyes on me. “What he do?”
“I’m guessing he crossed the wrong mothafucka if his name is on our list,” Ledge said playfully. “I’m already tracking his moves and got a team in place.”
I lifted my eyes to meet his. “Let me know when you’ve got him lined up.
I’ll be in position.” I slammed the folder shut and sighed.
“I gotta go. There’s a charity dinner tomorrow night.
Black tie. Bring a date. One that can speak complete sentences and doesn’t dress like an extra in a Yo Gotti video. ”
Ledge snickered and flipped me off as I stuck my hands in my pockets and turned to go.
“Free… I hear you… about getting out. But this is all we know. What are we going to do without it though?”
“That’s something we can take the time to figure out,” I replied, stepping toward the door.
* * *
By the time I got home, I noticed that there was another car parked in the driveway.
It was a rental, and when I shut off my whip, I stared on in concern.
Hopping out, I started toward the path to the front door.
It opened before I even set foot on the porch.
Celine stood there, hand on her hip, wearing an odd expression.
“What’s going on? Who’s car is here?” I asked, stepping past her into the house.
“That would be us,” my sister, Kara, sang as she stepped into the hallway.
Her Louboutins clicked with each step she took toward me.
My sister was a woman that women envied and men lost themselves over.
Her skin was smooth and bright yellow. Big brown eyes donned her face, and her hair was long, dark, and flowing down her back.
She had style and always set her own trends.
Opening her arms, she pulled me into them once she was close enough.
She held me tight during our embrace. Looking past her shoulder, my brother, Karmine, stumbled from the living room,.
In his hand, he carried a bowl and slurped pasta from it as he walked.
Fucking heathen. If he wasn’t talking shit, he was stuffing his face.
With his suit jacket open, I could see his pistol tucked as he grinned stupidly at me.
“’Sup, bro!” he greeted me with his mouth full.
Kara and I parted, and she looked me over. “Damn, you look good, big brother. How are you?” she asked.
“What are y’all doing here?” I asked.
“Oh, well, Mama thought you might need a visit or some help. I heard Ivy was here, and I did see her. She’s up in her room,” Kara informed me.
“Celine—”
“Your houseguest is secure in her room,” she answered before I could even ask the question.
I gave her a nod, thankful that she knew how to speak in front of my siblings. Celine had pretty much raised us all. Our relationship was just a lot tighter than Kara’s and Karmine’s. They were always on the go, as was I. I also kept crazy hours.
While most people were at home tucked in their beds, I was on the fucking prowl. There were times that I came home and Celine would whip me up something because she, too, was a night owl. Once the rest of the family was gone, it became our thing. We hung out on weekends and watched movies.
It was cool vibes. She was like my auntie and fairy Godmother rolled into one.
I’d probably never have some conversations we did with anyone else.
Celine listened without judgment. In her eyes, a nigga could do no wrong.
She was on my side, whether I was right or wrong.
That kind of loyalty couldn’t be fucking taught.
The shit was either in a person, or it wasn’t.
“Houseguest?” Kara asked, face screwed up. “What houseguest?” She looked to Celine and then back to me.
Celine dipped her head and walked away without another word.
Kara’s brows went up with interest. It was more so my sister being nosy as fuck.
She always had to know what the fuck was going on since we were kids.
We were four years apart, but that never stopped her from trying to tell me what to do.
We were close, always had been. Out of all of my immediate family, Kara and I spoke the most.
“Just a new business associate. Y’all staying for dinner?” I moved along, and I could feel her hawking me like a damn spy.
“Um… what was that?” Kara traipsed behind me, throwing her arms up.
Karmine and I dapped each other up and embraced. Even though he was the baby of the bunch, bro was thorough and about as big as me. We shared our father’s eyes and skin color, but Karmine had features that my mother called ‘part of the family’, since he didn’t particularly look like her side.
“What you talking about?” I asked, walking to make myself a drink at the bar.
“You are letting someone live here with you that isn’t family?” Kara demanded, watching me pour D’Ussé into a glass. “Who is this… business associate?” she asked.
“She—”
“She?” Karmine repeated, a sly smirk spreading over his lips. “Aw shit… bro… I know it’s been a while, but you ain’t gotta pay no escort or no shit like that to get some pussy,” Karmine joked, pouncing into a nearby chair and continuing to eat.
“Fuck you, Mine,” I said after sipping my drink.
He snickered right along with Kara before she squinted, still trying to figure me out like some equation. She knew I didn’t fuck with people. I wasn’t the kind to go around making new friends or nothing like that. So if I was allowing someone into my space, something had to be going on.
“Well, do we get to meet this ‘houseguest’?” Kara asked excitedly. “I’m dying to see what she’s like.”
“Dinner. And chill out. This ain’t nothing outside of me and her building a business. She’s not here for anything else,” I warned.
“Hmm.” Kara folded her arms across her chest and poked her lips out. “I’ll go help Celine in the kitchen.”
I watched after my sister and focused on Karmine.
“So this guest, she fine?” He teased, playfully lifting his brows.
Instead of answering, I tipped my glass to my lips. His head moved from side to side. Karmine was a fucking fool. He made a joke out of everything. Nigga couldn’t be serious about one thing in his life.
Dinner began promptly at 6:30 p.m. Celine had the table in the dining room spread since there was room for more people.
Deviance brought Harbor down from her room, and she was surprised to find other people seated.
She was dressed in leggings, a bodysuit, and an open Champion jacket over it.
That was her dance attire. The natural glow she had let me know she’d been in dance mode since getting settled.
She peered around the table at everyone, and Celine nodded to the chair across from her.
“Good evening, Harbor,” she greeted her.
Ivy rolled her eyes in annoyance as she piled food onto her plate. My daughter was a hard case. She had that tough exterior, like her mother. On the inside, she was soft as shit though.
“Hello,” she spoke gently.
“Harbor, this is my brother, Karmine and my sister, Kara.” I introduced them.
“Nice to meet you all.” She dropped her napkin into her lap.
“Yes. Wish we could say the same,” Kara muttered, taking a sip of her drink.
Cutting my eyes at my sister, she peeked in my direction but gave her undivided attention to Harbor right after.
“So tell me about yourself. You look very… young. How old are you?” Kara queried, grabbing her fork and digging into her loaded mashed potatoes.
“Twenty-one,” Harbor answered, taking a bite from her roll. “And… I’m really not that interesting,” she muttered, putting on a tight smile.
“Oh, I doubt that. And… Quency, what kind of business you got with a twenty-one-year-old?” Kara asked, brows knitted while she scoped her brother from her chair.
“The kind that doesn’t involve you,” I answered, warning her.
She ignored me and whipped her head back in Harbor’s direction. “Frequency ain’t got no manners. Ignore his rude ass,” Kara chimed in, waving me off. “So Harbor, how did you and my brother cross paths? What is it you do exactly?” Kara continued to interrogate.