16. Rakim
SIXTEEN
rakim
TWO DAYS LATER . . .
My personal phone buzzing around on my nightstand stirred me from my sleep. Carefully removing my arm from under Daylin’s head as she stayed knocked out possibly from last night’s sex, I sat up woodenly.
A nigga was tired, and the nuts I was releasing were powerful as fuck, taking everything out of me.
I wasn’t complaining at all though. That fire Daylin carried between her legs had me mystified as to how even her exes before Shaun weren’t stalking her muthafuckin’ ass.
I knew I probably would be, and I wasn’t even that type of nigga.
“Hello?” I frowned, already feeling anxious since it was Josias’s name on my screen.
Nothing good came from a call made at three in the fucking morning.
“Aye, they found Zaire unresponsive in some fucking hotel room! He en route to Little Company now!” Josias hollered, and I could hear the ambiance of the outside, letting me know he was driving.
“Aight. Aight.” I tried to keep calm, though I wanted to be on edge and spazzing the fuck out like he was.
I didn’t have the luxury of showing emotions with my brothers, because they were some emotional niggas.
If they saw me panicking and shit, they really wouldn’t be able to calm the fuck down.
“Relax and don’t drive crazy. It don’t need to be two of y’all in that hospital, aight? ” I spoke as I slipped on some clothes.
I glanced at the bed to see Daylin was still passed the fuck out and debated on whether I should leave her ass here and with no restraints. I quickly brushed my teeth, thanking God I had showered only a few hours ago after fucking the shit out of her, while I pondered on what the fuck to do.
I felt like Daylin and I had a different relationship at this fucking point, and me tying her up would take us back one hundred steps. Same time, if she played me, putting that good ass pussy on a nigga to distract me and then escape, it would be nobody’s fault but mine.
Spitting the mouthwash into the sink, I decided to take a chance on what I felt like was some real shit and leave her there unbound.
Hurrying out the house, I hopped in my whip and sped toward Little Company of Mary, praying the whole time that this was another case of Zaire doing too fucking much. I was pissed off at him but more so at myself because, like always, I felt responsible for him.
While I was worried about Daylin and romancing her, I should’ve been paying more attention to my little brother. I could only shake my head at myself dropping the fucking ball as I pulled into the hospital to park.
Rushing inside, I walked right up to the receptionist desk.
“Aye, I need to see Zaire Godfrey,” I let her know, tapping on the elevated counter she sat behind.
“Alright, and who are you?”
“Rakim Godfrey.”
She stared up at me and simply nodded, choosing for whatever reason—though a good one—not to ask any more fucking questions. We had the same last name, and that was good enough, shit.
She passed me a sticky name tag while telling me what floor he was on, and I was halfway on the elevator before she even finished her damn sentence.
I shot Mylo a message to let him know it was an emergency and to guard the ranch, not to be sure Daylin didn’t leave but to be sure she was protected.
The home was in a deserted area, but you could never be too safe in the industry I’d worked in, despite my obscurity.
Mylo: On it.
Stepping off the elevator, I charged down the hall and spotted Josias waiting alone, which I hadn’t expected.
“Fuck. They got me waiting still.” He hopped up to approach me as I entered the waiting area.
“You hit Pops and Ayan?”
“Nah, just you.” He shook his head, and I nodded, pulling my iPhone out of my pocket.
Dialing my father, I listened as the line trilled before he finally answered, clearing his throat.
“Yeah?”
“Aye, Zaire was found not breathing, and they had to rush him to the hospital. We up here now waiting to see what the verdict is. I can shoot you the address—”
“For what? I ain’t coming up there, Rah. This is typical Zaire behavior. You niggas can continue to let him pull you in on the fucking merry-go-round, but I been got the fuck off.”
“I get you, but this—”
“I’m not coming.” He cut me off just as I heard a female in his background as he hung the phone up.
“What he say?” Josias inquired, and I just shook my head while giving him eye contact. He nodded to say he caught my drift.
I dialed Ayan next, but he didn’t answer either of the calls, so I gave up. I already didn’t wanna tell him shit, but at the end of the day, Zaire was his brother, too, and I wasn’t enough of a fucked up individual to keep this information from his bitch ass.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps and looked over to see an older white man in a lab coat, his eyes pinned on us to let us know he was Zaire’s doctor.
“The family of Zaire Godfrey?” he asked, apparently double-checking even though Josias and I were the only people out here.
“That’s us. We his brothers.” Josias spoke up, and the man nodded sorrowfully, making my stomach sink.
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to save your brother. He . . .” The doctor’s words trailed off as Josias let out a blood curdling scream, punching a deep ass hole into the wall.
“Fuck you mean you couldn’t save him!” Josias got in the doctor’s face, towering over him and breathing like a raging fucking bull.
“Jojo—” I tugged on his shoulder, and he snatched from me, keeping his eyes bolted on the doctor that looked like he’d shit himself thirty seconds ago. “Aye!” I roared, realizing the calm bother approach wasn’t gon’ work.
“Sir, is there—”
“I got it. Back yo’ ass up,” I told the burly security guard who’d neared us, face balled like he was on go. I knew for a fact Josias would send his ass through a wall.
He did as I’d said just before I yanked Josias back from the doctor’s face. I wanted to punch the muthafucka, too, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t his damn fault. It was Zaire’s fault and shit, mine.
“I—”
“What happened?” I asked the doctor as collectedly as I could, bear hugging Josias from behind.
Exhaling and pushing his white hair back, he replied, “He ingested fentanyl, and it intercepted his breathing. He was dying when they brought him in, and we did everything we could, but he died from asphyxiation.”
Josias’s head dropped as he broke down in my arms sobbing. The doctor’s tenor switched from being terrified to sympathetic. By the looks of Josias, I knew he could tell Zaire was his twin.
I could feel tears form in my eyes but held it together, knowing Josias and I both couldn’t break the fuck down right now.
After being at the hospital for hours, filling out paperwork and shit, Josias and I left.
I took my brother to the ranch house with me, putting him in one of the five other bedrooms before coming out to see Mylo.
“Everything good?” he asked but in a tone that let me know he knew it wasn’t.
“Nah.” I shook my head. “It’s not. Where she at?” I changed the subject, not wanting to talk about this shit right now. I was on edge and needed to get by myself to process my fucking emotions. I couldn’t do that with Mylo, Josias, and especially Daylin watching me.
“She down in the room she usually sleeps in. She woke up, cleaned herself up, then started tidying the whole place including the kitchen. She even made some pancakes.” He patted his stomach.
“Nigga, the fuck you doing eating my gir—her pancakes and shit?” I caught myself, but Mylo had already heard the shit, bucking his eyes. “You can go.”
“They was good too, boss.” He laughed as I shook my head, escorting his ass out.
The smell of pancakes was still in the kitchen as I bypassed it, but a nigga felt too sick to eat.
I was still in disbelief that my fucking brother was gone, and the image of him laid on that hospital bed lifeless as Josias cried over him would haunt me for the rest of my fucking days.
I was starting to wonder if we were cursed.
Entering Daylin’s bedroom, I saw her reading as an empty plate sat beside her.
“You’re back.” She smiled softly, but it waned as she took in my demeanor.
“I am. You good? Need anything before I go upstairs?” I queried, nearing her and touching her soft ass face.
She was beautiful as is, but I couldn’t wait to see her in her element, free and working on her business.
“I am.” She stared up at me intently before I bent down to peck her softly. “Sit with me for a moment.”
“I can’t right now, baby.” I ran my hands down my face, feeling like a dam about to burst.
“Please?”
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I sat down in the space the plate once occupied, after she moved it, and took a moment to look her way.
“What now?” I feigned a smile as I glanced at her. That sweet perfume she wore had become her signature in my fucking mind.
“What’s wrong?” She cozied up to me, her soft hand caressing the nape of my neck in a way only she could do.
Unable to hold it in any longer, I felt the tears ski down my cheeks as I stared straight ahead. I heard Daylin gasp very lowly, almost muffled.
She kissed my face, moving closer to me while still massaging my neck.
“My brother . . .” I could barely get the sentence out. “My brother died.”
Daylin took a sharp intake of air before getting down onto her knees to look up at me.
“Which one? How?”
“Zaire.” I shielded my eyes, vision blurry due to all the tears that had formulated. “Got some bad dope and . . . fuck.” I grunted.
My body rocked slightly, but I stayed silent as I felt Daylin climb up into my lap and hug me against her sweet-smelling chest. She was warm, soft, and inviting, making a nigga hold her closely and shut my eyes to bask in the comfort.