11. Brick
Brick
“ T he hell wrong with you?” Ivo asked, gripping the blunt between his fingers and bringing it to his lips.
He took a deep pull, holding the smoke in his lungs and studying the blunt before exhaling.
My spirit was all fucked up behind Six and what she was on.
I didn’t trust that bitch Leni. Six decided to keep in touch, and that came to Leni wanting to, of course, spend more time with my girl.
I personally thought she was being too fucking nice.
I didn’t give a fuck if it was her sister.
“Six talking about she taking a road trip with her sister. I got her location and shit though. Mace and some of our men on them too.” I took a glance at our text thread before setting the phone down.
My brothers and I were seated around the table inside what was technically my house, but Ivo had been staying here the last couple of days since he got back from a business trip in LA.
Shit with him and Jordan was pretty much obsolete, but he hadn’t mentioned Emerald either.
I was eager to chop it up with him since he’d been tied up in meetings since he got back.
Staten sat across from him, gripping a bottle of Heineken in his hand as he swept a piece of lint off his dark denim jeans.
There was a tap at the door before Haco’s voice echoed off the walls and he appeared.
Since he’d been home, we’d been spending time with him.
He and Staten didn’t get along too much, but it was really some love/hate shit like it had always been.
Haco was older than Staten, and he knew that he and Sol had a brother/sister type relationship.
We all pretty much did with her. She was our father’s sister, but she was still cool and easy to talk to.
Most of the time, I didn’t even think of her like that because I shared shit with her I didn’t talk about with anybody else.
She and Staten had years together before me and Ivo came along though, so their bond was different.
I was her baby, but she had no problem checking me.
With Staten, that nigga could do no wrong.
She gave him the benefit of the doubt every single time.
He could be holding the deadly weapon in his hand and standing over the body covered in blood, and she would still believe whatever transpired was because somebody did something to him.
Talk about some enabling ass shit. I kind of sensed that Haco was always intimidated and even a little jealous of that relationship.
I knew for a fact that Sol still went to Staten with her problems, even when he was in Chicago.
He couldn’t deny Sol if she reached out.
“What’s good, nephews? What we on?” Haco rubbed his tatted hands together.
I’d never had any problems with the nigga.
As far as his position at the company and what he brought to the table, he played his fucking part.
Sol might have been worth more than him when it came to the numbers, but he never acted openly insecure about it.
For the most part, he seemed content with his status and his life.
Narrowing his light hazel eyes, he swept his hand down his sandy brown beard and bobbed his head.
“Chilling.” Ivo took another pull from the blunt and passed it to me. “What you been up to?”
“Just dropped Sol at the house. She’s helping Marcella with some last-minute shit for this party. Speaking of, I heard you called a meeting. What’s up with that?” Haco swung his head in Staten’s direction.
“Just some shit I want to get on the same page with everybody about,” bro said, tipping his glass to his lips.
It was clear from his stance that he had no intention of sharing with any of us right now. Haco hiked a brow but didn’t press as he stepped past him and sat on an identical wingback chair beside him.
“So, what’s up with you and Jordan?” I decided to change the subject, and irritation immediately flitted across Ivo’s face.
“Brick, that ain’t shit for you to worry about.”
“I know, but I’m nosy.” I shrugged. “She still coming around the house like shit sweet.”
“Far from it. I got Jason drawing up divorce papers. He’s double checking the paperwork on the pre-nup too.”
“So what about this whole surrogacy shit with Emerald?” Staten pried.
“At this point, it is what it is. I gotta have this baby, according to Justus. He doesn’t care how it happens.
An heir is an heir. Jordan and I will still co-parent.
Emerald has her own life and goals, shit she can focus on after she has this baby.
I ain’t putting no pressure on that situation no more,” Ivo explained.
“So that’s it?” I prodded.
“I ain’t talking about this with you.” Ivo quickly brought himself to his feet.
The subject was sensitive for him, that much was obvious.
His feelings were unresolved like a muhfucka for Emerald, and he’d been trying to shake her, but I knew he hadn’t.
Since he’d been gone, she and Six had been talking a lot, and I know that her and Cambrie were also tight.
I personally found her a better fit for my brother than any other chick he’d been with.
It wasn’t my place to push the issue, though.
Those two had to come to that conclusion on their own.
“Yo, my radar going off right now. This shit with Six got me bugging,” I announced.
“Go with your gut,” Staten told me.
I dialed her phone again and waited for her to pick up.Instead of answering or even calling me back, she shot me a punk ass text saying she would hit me when she got settled. I hit our security detail and put the phone on speaker before dropping it on the gold-legged, marble table.
“What’s up, boss?” my boy Mace picked up.
“What’s going on?”
“Well, they went shopping, had something to eat and started driving like they were heading to the house. I stayed behind like you advised so Six wouldn’t know I was tailing her.
I lost ’em for a minute, but they didn’t get far.
By the time I caught up to them they had switched seats though.
Her sister is driving now. Judging from the highway, looks like they’re heading into Omaha,” Mace advised.
“Omaha? The fuck for?” My face immediately shifted into a frown.
“I don’t know, boss. I’m still on ’em.”
“Stay on ’em. How far out are you?” I queried, hiking my pants up on my waist and peering around at my brothers as they sat forward.
“We probably forty-five minutes outside of the city,” Mace informed.
“Aight, I’m coming behind you. Don’t lose them.” I ordered.
“Roger that.” Mace hung up.
“We going on a road trip?” Staten swallowed the last of his beer and set the glass on the table.
“Yeah. Ion like this shit. Something stank.”
“Let’s roll.” Ivo hopped up while Staten fished his cell out of his pocket.
“Let me call Cambrie and make sure she’s good with the kids.”
“I’ll go get the car.” Haco moved toward the front hall to go. Ivo bobbed his head in his direction after hearing the door slam shut.
“You sure about that?” he checked with Staten.
“I ain’t never been surer about anything. Keep that muhfucka close so he don’t have a chance to try and cover his ass.” Staten tapped at his phone screen and put it on speaker.
“Hello.” Cambrie picked up.
“What’s up, mama? You and the kids good?”
“Yeah. Just folding some laundry. We thought we might go outside, and I could grill some hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner tonight. Sol and Plum are going to stop by and keep me company. You OK?”
“Yeah. I just need to make this run with my bros. I don’t know how long it’s going to be though.”
“Okay, be careful. I’ll hold it down.”
I peeped the relief wash over his face as a hint of a smile toyed with his mouth.
Cambrie had his ass wide the fuck open, and he didn’t care who saw it.
I was here for it because Staten rarely let anybody close, and if the nigga could live in Cambrie’s skin these days, he damn sure would.
He didn’t even come up to the main house for Sunday dinner no more after the way Rossi was sneak dissing Emerald at the last one he attended.
I still fucked with my ma. She had her flaws, there was no doubt about that, but I couldn’t cut her off like Ivo and Staten could.
It was different with us, and she loved the shit out of Six.
Her adversity with my brothers was the fact that she didn’t want to accept who they’d chosen to have in their lives.
“I appreciate it.”
“You know I got you. I’ll put you a plate up.”
“Don’t forget his loving, adorable ass little brother,” I kidded, licking my lips.
“Bye, Brick. Tell Six to call me too. I tried to reach out, but she didn’t answer. I wanted to know if she wanted to come over too.”
“Yeah, she’s with her sister on some bullshit right now. I’m about to pull up on them. I’ll let her know.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll call you when I’m on the way back, Cam. If you need anything though, hit me up, aight?”
“Yes, Staten.” She sighed like he was annoying her, but I know she loved how protective he was of her and those kids.
“Let’s go.” Ivo had ducked off into the hall, and when he returned, he carried a big duffel bag over one shoulder.
I already knew he had loaded up all the guns and ammo we needed. He tossed me and Staten one of the bulletproof vests, and I could see he’d already tucked his under his hoodie.
“What about, Haco?”
“Whatever happens, that nigga don’t get to walk away from this unscathed. He might be Sol’s husband?—”
“So that makes him family,” I chimed in, looking back and forth between my brothers. Neither of them showed much remorse in this moment as they shared an intense stare. “We can’t just move on this without talking to Sol. She ain’t gon’ like that shit.”
“She ain’t changing our mind on this either,” Staten argued.
“Stat, I hear you, but you know Sol.”