Chapter 14 #2
“Oh, hell no. That’s a fucking setup. Don’t worry about it. I’ll go. No way I’d let you take them on by yourself. I know you ain’t pussy, but I got you.”
“I appreciate it. They said around nine.”
“Bet.”
We slapped hands before I climbed back in my car. This was about to be an interesting night.
CLUB SILK
Even though I wasn’t going to impress a damn soul, I still made sure I looked good before I stepped out of my apartment.
I knew Deuce owned some grown and sexy lounges, per my conversations with Jaeda, so I wanted to match the vibe.
Since you could never go wrong with black, I chose that from head to toe.
Black polo.
Black jeans.
Black boots.
I added a few gold pieces and called it a day.
When I stepped into the hall, I found Titan on the same type of time.
He didn’t wear black because it was a classic.
He wore it to conceal himself in case something popped off in the darkness.
I knew my friend, and he was on whatever the Dillingers were on.
They had their own beef, and their one-sided beef with me would just give him a reason to show out.
We pulled up to Silk around 9:15, and valet parked my car.
After being cleared, we headed inside. The place was lit and already packed, surprising me since it was the middle of the week.
I didn’t know where the Dillingers were, but I expected nothing less than the VIP section, so Titan and I headed upstairs.
As we neared the top, I spotted Kerrion, and he spotted me.
Excusing himself from his brothers, he came over to meet us.
“This wasn’t an extended invite,” he said, glaring at Titan.
“I’m here though, nigga,” Titan clapped back.
Kerrion chuckled as he pointed at him. “One of these days, my boy. I’m gonna spare you tonight, though. Bring y’all’s asses on.”
He walked ahead of us, and Titan turned to me. “I’m shooting somebody tonight.”
“Man, come on.”
We fell into step and followed Kerrion over to the section.
There was an empty couch, which Titan and I took.
Before we could exchange pleasantries, the server came over to get our drink orders.
After giving them to her, an awkward silence fell over the space.
They stared at us, and we stared at them.
Maceo was the first to say something.
“What’s good with y’all?” he asked, pulling a blunt from his pocket.
“Still trying to figure out if this is some setup shit,” I answered.
“If we really wanted to touch you, you’d be touched,” Deuce said, flatly. “You were invited off the strength of my sister. For some reason, she likes your ass.”
“Maybe because I like her too.”
“Why? She had you snatched up with plans to kill you, and you want to date her? That ain’t weird to you?”
I chuckled. “Considering the circumstances, no. I don’t owe y’all an explanation about why I want to date your sister, and this is my last time saying that shit.
I care about her, and as long as I’m good to her, none of that shit y’all talk is relevant to me.
I wanted her. I got her. And I’m gonna keep her, you feel me? ”
Deuce glared at me as the server returned with our drinks.
I took a sip of mine, my eyes never leaving his.
I wasn’t sure what was running through his head, but I could tell he wanted to knock mine off my shoulders.
Maceo passed him the blunt, and he took a long pull from it, before saying anything.
“I’ve got my eyes on you.”
“I hope you get an eyeful.”
Next to me, Titan chuckled as he pulled his own blunt out.
“Never thought I’d see the day you willingly backed down, Dillinger.”
“Fuck you, DeLuca. You are still on my shit list.”
“Like I told you, I ain’t ducking no smoke. Ain’t shit to it.”
Deuce pointed to me. “My wife said I can’t touch this one tonight, but yo’ ass is fair game.”
My friend leaned forward. “Listen to wifey. I’d hate to send you home bloody, my boy.”
Deuce stood and so did Titan. When Smoke’s big ass stood beside him, I got in between them.
“Can we not do this?” I asked, looking around at the security who was watching.
“This is my shit,” Deuce said. “The fuck they gon’ do to me?”
I shook my head. “Why are you so damn hostile? Like, man to man, what’s your whole issue with us?”
Titan kissed his teeth. “You know the issue, Quaid. It’s not about protecting Mia or Jaeda.
They don’t think we are good enough for their precious sisters.
Maybe I’m not, but my nigga here is. I feel like y’all judged him heavily off his connection to me, and that’s fucked up.
That’s my brother, but he’s always been the better man.
Hate me, I don’t give a fuck. But Jaeda is safe with him.
Y’all keep this shit up and you’re gonna lose your damn sister all ’cause you wanna control her love life. Let that grown ass woman live.”
He sat back down and lit his blunt. When Smoke and Deuce reclaimed theirs, I did the same. There was a bout of silence before Kerrion said something.
“Look, . . . you gotta understand that we were raised differently. You probably came from a nice, suburban family and have never been in a lick of trouble a day in your life. I’m sure you have people that fuck with you just because they like you as a person.
We don’t have that. The people that fuck with us are on the payroll, getting fucked, or trying not to become an enemy.
“Our family is all we have. Everybody sitting here would take a bullet for another Dillinger. If y’all are gonna be with my sisters, you gotta be willing to die behind them. As extreme as it is, that’s what they need. A nigga that don’t play about them.”
“I expect nothing less,” I said. “Trust and believe, I got Jaeda.”
Titan took a long puff from his blunt. “I’ve been protecting your sister long before she met y’all.
Just because we stay on the outs more than anything, doesn’t mean I won’t lay a nigga down over her.
Make no mistake, Mia can tell y’all she hates me all day long, but I know for a fact that’s a fucking lie, and she ain’t ever letting up off a nigga. ”
Smoke chuckled. “Be that as it may, you hurt her and it’s up for you.”
“If it’s up, then it’s stuck. I ain’t ducking a fade.”
It grew quiet for a moment. Kerrion looked around the space before speaking.
“So y’all good for now?”
They all looked to Deuce. As the oldest, I was sure what he said was law to them.
“We good,” he said, pulling on the blunt. “We good till we ain’t good.”
I extended a hand to him, but he slapped it away.
“I don’t do that hand shaking shit. Here.” He passed me the blunt. “Let me see if you’re as square as I think you are.”
I smirked as I grabbed the blunt from him. Titan grinned as he shook his head.
“Y’all gon’ put some respect on my guy here. He hasn’t been around me all these years and not learned a thing or two.”
They watched as I pulled from the blunt and held the smoke, allowing the potent substance to marinate before blowing it out through my nose.
“Good shit.”
Smirks formed on their faces as I passed the blunt back.
“You might be a’ight,” Deuce said. He glanced at Titan. “The jury is still out on you.”
Titan shrugged as he pulled two more blunts out of his pocket.
“Lucky for you, I’ve never given a damn about being liked. You gon’ smoke this shit or what?”
Deuce gave a head nod. “Light that bitch.”
Maceo clapped his hands. “Maybe now we can enjoy our night.”
Deuce gave him a side-eye. “Shut your ass up. These niggas walked in here, and yo’ ass went mute.”
“My wife said if I got in any trouble, she wasn’t giving me no pussy, so I shut the fuck up.”
We all laughed at that one.
I couldn’t say that the beef was over, but at least for tonight, we didn’t have to pull out the pistols.