Chapter 12
We all sat around the table at my dad’s house, waiting for him to make an appearance. We’d just gotten back from delivering Perry and her daughter to her father. The man was so damn happy to see her that he threw us each a little extra on top of what he’d already paid to have her back. We’ve ended up rescuing about twenty additional women and fifteen kids, so that took us a little longer than expected to get everybody situated. My father had safe houses all over the place. Once we dropped them off, our connections would handle the rest.
“Y’all’s daddy needs to hurry up,” Deuce mumbled. “A nigga is tired. I just wanna wash my ass and lay up with my wife and daughter.”
Kerrion chuckled. “Simping ass nigga.”
“Fuck you.”
The sound of feet shuffling across the floor made us all look back. Our father came strutting in dressed in a silk loungewear set and slippers with a blunt hanging from his lips. We all snickered as he took a seat at the head of the table.
“Yo, Pops. What are you wearing, nigga?” Smoke asked.
“Looking like a relaxed pimp,” Kerrion added.
“Both of y’all can go to Hell.” Pops took a long pull from his blunt. “Everything went according to plan?” he asked.
“Somewhat,” Deuce answered.
“The fuck you mean somewhat?”
“Thaddeus is dead.”
“Why?”
“’Cause he raised his voice at him,” Mia answered. “He slit that man’s throat.”
Our father shook his head. “I told you about being so damn hotheaded, Deuce.”
My brother shrugged. “Oh well. Y’all know how I feel about a nigga raising up on me. That means you want smoke. Around flames is the wrong time to get gassed up.”
Our father waved him off. “Is the girl back with her people?”
Deuce nodded. “Yeah, she’s there. We got a nice tip too.”
“Good. Deposits will be made in the morning. I appreciate y’all. I know what we do ain’t conventional. There are a million different things I could have done differently so y’all didn’t have to be in this life, but y’all make me proud. I know I’m not the best example, but I love the six of you with everything in me.”
“Nigga, you finna kick the bucket?” Smoke asked. “You real sentimental right now.”
“Shut up, Devin,” Jaeda said. “Y’all don’t have to be hard ass all the time.” She smiled at our father. “We love you too, Daddy.”
“I know, princess.”
“Your princess was in the field showing off,” Mia said, crossing her arms.
My father smiled. Jaeda was the most quiet and reserved of the six of us. She didn’t like to get in the field, but my baby sis was a beast when she had to be.
“How?” Pops asked.
“Smoke modified her drone to shoot,” Mia answered. “She lit up a bunch of those guards.”
Pops clapped. “That’s my girl. Work smarter, not harder. That’s why you’re the brains.”
Jaeda smiled and flipped her hair. I reached over to mush her. She swung at me, but I caught her fist.
“You know you could never beat me in hand-to-hand combat, right?”
“You know I don’t have to put my hands on you for you to get touched, right? Y’all are gonna stop playing with me.”
I grinned as I leaned over to kiss her cheek. “You know I love you, little sis.”
She rolled her eyes but returned the kiss to the cheek. “I love you too.”
Our father spoke with us for a little while longer before dismissing everyone to leave. Just as I stood from the table, he snapped his finger and pointed to the chair next to him.
“You stay.”
My siblings all looked at each other, then at us. I slowly made my way to the unoccupied chair next to my father.
He stood. “Let me walk y’all nosy asses out,” he said to my siblings.
They all groaned in protest as he ushered them from the room. I sat there wondering what the hell my father was up to. The way he looked at me had me slightly on edge. I wasn’t afraid of the man, but Stanley Sr. was not one to be played with. He’d done and seen a lot in his life.
He walked back into the room with another blunt hanging from his lips. His gaze locked in on mine as he sat down. For a moment, he was quiet as he lit the blunt and took a pull from it.
“What’s good, my second oldest son?”
Shit.
“Uh… nothing, Pop. What’s up with you?”
He blew smoke in my direction. “Some very interesting information landed on my desk. Now, before I share this with you, I’m gonna ask you a series of questions, all yes or no answers.”
“Um… okay.”
“Are you happy with your position in this family?”
“Yeah…” I answered slowly.
“Do you think I treat you and your siblings fairly?”
“Yes.”
“Equally?”
“Yes.”
“Is it easy for you to come to me when you need something or have a problem?”
“Yes.”
He nodded. “Since you answered yes to all of that, I’m assuming we don’t have a problem. Am I correct?”
“Yeah… Pop, what are you?—”
“So tell me why the fuck I had to hear from another organization that you’re working for them then, nigga!” he yelled, slamming his fist on the table.
I couldn’t even say shit. My head dropped to the table.
“Look at me when I’m talking to you, boy. Do you know how many connections and relationships I had to build for this empire to exist? Do you know how much I had to pay to play in this muthafucka? You can’t keep shit from me, Maceo. You can go halfway across the fucking globe to take a piss on a cotton ball, and it would get back to me.”
My gaze met his, and I could see the anger dancing in his eyes.
“What do you have to say for yourself?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing? Nah, you gotta come with something better than that, baby boy. Explain to me why you would put yourself and your family at risk for the almighty dollar?”
“It wasn’t about the money, Pops.”
“Then what the fuck was it?”
“I just… I needed something that was mine on my own, a’ight? I feel disposable in this family at times, man. Deuce is in charge. Smoke handles the guns and weapons training. Steel trains for hand-to-hand combat. Jaeda is the brains. Mia is Maddie in training. What do y’all really need me for? What the fuck am I?”
“You sounding insecure as hell right now, Maceo. You are right up under your brother as second in fucking command.”
“In other words, I’m Deuce do boy.”
“No, muthafucka. You would be next in line if, God forbid, anything happened to your brother. You’re too smart to be out here doing dumb shit. You have no protection. You don’t have a reliable team?—”
“My team is solid.”
“What did I say? You ain’t got shit but you, and Shar running behind your ass. You love that girl, Maceo?”
“You know I love her, Pop.”
“Then why would you allow her to be put in harm’s way? Ain’t nothing cute about being on some Bonnie and Clyde shit when y’all ain’t on the same level. Y’all are not me and Maddie. I love Sharina. I swear I do. She’s a sweet girl, and she loves the fuck outta you, my daughter-in-law, and my grandbaby. She made you grow up a lot. But that girl ain’t built for this life. I don’t care where she was brought up. I don’t care how well she can handle herself.
“You wanna keep her? Then keep her out of this world. ’Cause I guarantee if anything happens to her, her daddy is coming after you. She ain’t going for you laying her old man down, and I ain’t going for no nigga that’s a threat to my son. That’s the day your relationship with her ends. You talking about marrying this girl, nigga. You gotta think smarter than you’ve been thinking.
“Take it from me. Nothing fucks you up more than losing a good woman. In spite of the example I set with having multiple baby mamas, I can at least say two of my sons know how to love and commit. You give Shar the best of you. Don’t fuck that up.”
I nodded. “I hear you, Pop.”
“You hear me, but you better feel me, before you really have to feel me. You ain’t too old for me to whup your big ass.” He sat back in the chair and took a pull from the blunt. “Your contract is done.”
“What?”
“What?” He mimicked. “You heard what I said. Your contract is done, and so is this conversation.”
“Pop—”
“What the fuck did I say, Maceo! Get the hell outta my house.”
I huffed as I pushed back from the table and stood to my feet.
“You got something to say?” he asked, standing toe to toe with me. “You feeling froggy or something?”
“No.”
“No, what?”
I sighed. “No, sir.”
“That’s what I thought. Show me some damn respect.”
“I’m sorry, Pop.”
He looked at me for a moment before extending his hand. I was reluctant, but I shook it anyway. He pulled me in for a hug and kissed my temple.
“I love you, nigga.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
With my tail tucked between my legs, I left the house to go break the news to Shar.
“So… it’s just over?” Shar asked.
We were sitting in the living room with her straddling my lap. When I got home, she wasn’t there. I took the time to smoke a blunt and take a nice, long, hot shower to get my thoughts together. She’d come in just as I was preparing to rinse off. My lady had the remedy to make me feel better right between those luscious, thick thighs. When she stripped down and jumped in the shower with me, I didn’t hesitate to slide her right down on my dick.
While I was in my feelings about my father ending my contract, I also missed her. That was the hardest part of going on missions out of state with the family these days. I had to be away from the person I’d slept next to every night for the last eight months. Even when she wasn’t living here, I found my way into her bed, or she found her way into mine.
I sighed. “Yeah, it’s over.”
“Maybe it’s for the best,” she said, stroking my beard. “It’s been real, but honestly, Maceo, this one felt different. Like, I’ve never felt this way about another group of people.”
“Group of people or Charity?”
“Don’t even say that bitch’s name. You know I ran into her at the gas station, and she asked about you again. Talking about she wanted to take you out for lunch as a thank you. That’s three times she’s brought you up in conversation. I couldn’t let that shit slide this time.”
“What did you do, Sharina?”
“I promptly told that bitch you weren’t going anywhere and to find herself something safe to do.”
I shook my head. “Please don’t go getting in a fight.”
I remembered the first time I’d seen her come to blows with another female. I was chilling in Deuce’s club with the fam, turning up for Mia’s birthday. This was before Shar quit her job. She’d gotten off late, so she met us there. A few drunk hos made their way into our section. Of course, Deuce and I didn’t pay them any mind. He was rude, and I just ignored them while they entertained Smoke, Steel, and a few of my cousins.
Mia was drunk and feeling extra nice, because her ass didn’t have any friends outside of the family. They gave her compliments, and she let them stay. I was minding my business, when one of the drunk girls came and sat next to me. She was cute, and under other circumstances, I probably would have smashed. But I had Shar, and I was feeling her, so a drunk ho wasn’t gonna fuck that up.
She didn’t get the hint with me ignoring her or slapping her hand away from my dick. I didn’t hit women, but I wanted to throat punch her ass. The moment she stood up, I thought she was going to walk away, but she did the opposite. She planted her ass in my lap and started grinding on me to the music.
My first reaction was to shove her away and stand up.
“What the fuck you doing?”
“I just wanted to dance ? —”
“I was trying to be nice by ignoring you, but you pushing it. You gon’ fuck around and get your ass beat in here.”
“By who?”
“Me, bitch.”
I didn’t even see Shar walk up, but I saw that right hook connect with ol’ girl’s jaw. She hit her with a two piece, then put her in a headlock.
“I know I didn’t just see you put your stank ass on my man. I just know I didn’t.”
“Get off of me!” the girl screamed.
Security didn’t pay it any mind. This was my brother’s place, and they knew to turn a blind eye if shit popped off with us, unless instructed otherwise. Her friends tried to get up to help her, but my brothers and cousins held them back.
“Nah, let her take that ass whupping,” Smoke said. “She was doing too damn much.”
Salima slid past the commotion and found a seat on Deuce’s lap to watch her bestie go to work on the girl. Shar was lighting her face up, and the next thing I knew, she’d tossed her right out of the section.
“Don’t bring your ass back over here, bitch!” She turned to the girl’s friends. “Y’all can bounce too. And say something smart if you wanna get jumped.”
My sisters and my female cousins all fucked with Shar heavy, so of course, they stood to make a point. After that, the girls rushed out of the section, damn near tripping over each other. Shar smoothed out her dress and hair before taking a seat next to me.
She leaned over to hug Mia. “Happy Birthday, bitch. What are we drinking on?”
Everybody had acted like they hadn’t seen her molly whop that girl, but I couldn’t get it out of my head. I was just waiting for shit to hit the fan and she spazz out on me, but she didn’t. When I asked her about it later, she said Jaeda told her what was happening before she got there, and she saw the rest for herself. I left it alone after that.
“I’m not making any promises not to fight her,” Shar said. “If she tempts me, it’s gonna be whatever it’s gonna be. Also, the man that’s tricking on her was with her. That man gives me goosebumps, Maceo. Something ain’t right there. I was eavesdropping?—”
“Of course you were being nosy.”
“Shut up. Anyway, he wants her to do something. I don’t know what it is, but she ain’t with it. She said it’s too soon.”
I stared blankly at her. “Baby, what do you want me to do with that?”
“I want you to be concerned, Maceo! She’s up to some shit, just like I said. I know she wants to fuck you. It’s all in her eyes when she asks about you.”
“I like having my dick.”
“And I’m glad you know I will chop that shit off. It’s gonna be two pussies in this house if you ever cheat on me.”
Sometimes I wondered where Mr. Paul and Ms. Cicely went wrong with this girl. She wasn’t all the way right in the head, but that was my baby.
“I feel like she’s gonna set you up to get robbed.”
I laughed. “Any nigga that tries to rob me is getting sent to his mama in a body bag. Believe that.”
“I got his license plate number. I’m gonna ask Jaeda?—”
“No. We aren’t bringing my sister into this.”
“She can help. Listen, at this point, it’s over. I don’t care who knows now. I just need to know if my intuition is right.”
I shook my head. “Okay, Shar.”
“So I can ask her?”
“No.”
She huffed and folded her arms. “Whatever.”
“You mad?”
“My mama wants to see us,” she said, ignoring my question.
“Why?”
“I uh… I might have told her a little about my new job.”
“Shar.”
“In my defense, my daddy asked me first, and you know I can’t lie to him. He brought it up to her.”
“And just how did this conversation come up?”
“He was questioning me about where I got the money for the watch I bought for his birthday.”
“Why didn’t you just say you got it from me?”
“I did… technically.”
That was how I knew she embellished. When she wanted to lie but couldn’t, that was her favorite word.
I groaned. “Now we’re about to go sit through a lecture. I just had one with my dad, baby. I’m not trying to hear that shit again. It’s over and done with now.”
“Well, if you don’t go to her, she’s gonna come to you.”
I sighed as I eased her off me. “Let’s just go get this over with so I can come home and get some sleep.”
I really didn’t feel like being yelled at again, but I knew Ms. Cicely really would pull up to this house. Maybe it was a good thing this was over now. At least now, nothing was hanging over my head.