12. Rakim #2
Making my way to the back, I spotted Talid lying back on a lounge chair, smoking a cigar. He didn’t look as feeble, which brought about a warmth in my fucking chest. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen a healthy glow in the nigga’s face. Made me actually like Dr. Conrad a little.
“You ’posed to be smoking, nigga?” I asked, startling him from whatever the fuck he was in deep thought about and making him rise up with a grin.
“I don’t even care. I feel good, and I wanna enjoy the shit for as long as it’ll last,” he said as I slapped hands with him before sitting in the lounge chair beside him. “Thought you was bringing somebody.” He looked around his vast backyard.
“I did, but yo’ wife stole her already to show off the house.” I shook my head as he chuckled. “While Shar ain’t back here, I wanna tell you some shit. You know we don’t keep no secrets.”
“We don’t.” His brows kissed in anticipation.
“Yo’ neurologist, Dr. Conrad—the only reason he started doing what the fuck he should’ve been doing is because I forced his hand.”
This revelation made Talid sit back up completely, angling his body to face me. We were so close, our knees almost touched.
“Forced his hand? How the fuck you go about doing that? Nigga look like he got twelve on speed dial.”
Laughing somewhat mirthlessly, I confessed, “Kidnapped his daughter.”
“You bullshitting.” His eyes bulged damn near out of his head, cigar hovering his mouth.
“Swear to God, nigga. Soon as you went into that coma, I had somebody pull his information for me and snatched her ass up. Told that muthafucka if you died, she died.”
“Fuck.” He glanced off, eyes oscillating between me and the ground as he processed my disclosure. “You couldn’t just put a gun to his head and threaten his life?”
“So he could tell me okay then run to the police all while letting you die? Nah.” I shook my head. “I needed something long term to hold over his fucking head.”
Talid squinted at the sun, again silent as he perpended my words. “Aight, so, where she at now?”
I quieted down as Shardaya’s and Daylin’s laughs sounded off near the sliding door leading to the backyard.
“Get ready to meet her, nigga.” I almost cackled at the sight of this nigga’s look of pure astonishment.
“Nigga, you a got damn lie. The girl you fucking with is the one you kidnapped?” he whispered harshly, even though the women were still in the distance, taking their sweet time making it over here.
“Swear. Now I gotta tell her pops who I am for real. I met the nigga, and we hit it off, but I kept the fact that I was the one who took his daughter from his ass.” I looked off briefly. “I know he probably looked into it to try and find who the fuck I was to you, but he ain’t find shit.”
“I say don’t tell him.”
“Nah.” I grunted. “I wanna build something with her. She special. I can’t be around her family for decades harboring no fucking secrets.
Not to mention, we spoke on the phone so it’s possible he may remember my voice at one point and I would hate for that recollection to be at our wedding or some shit. ”
“Well, clearly she special, nigga.” He chuckled. “You fell for her while holding her ass hostage. That ain’t even like you. You keep business separate.”
“Facts.”
“Also, you ain’t introduced nobody since LaMia.” He took a puff on his cigar. “I just hope this shit don’t ruin what y’all got.”
“It won’t. She’s her own person. She don’t let her people dictate who she fuck with or what she do. Same time, I don’t want her at odds with her people. She been dealing with that for years with her last nigga, but I gotta be honest.”
“Good luck.” He blew out smoke, eyeing me pensively. “Nigga, I can’t believe yo’ crazy ass kidnapped that girl.” Reaching his hand across to dap me up, he said, “Good looking out though, my nigga.”
I slapped hands with him, smirking as Daylin and Shardaya approached, the former sliding into my lap.
“My beautiful lady, Daylin.” I introduced her, causing her and Shardaya who was now seated beside my cousin, to cheese widely.
“Nice to meet you, Daylin. You grinning all hard when he called you beautiful, he must not be saying it enough for you to be used to it.” Talid took a shot at me, causing Shardaya to swat him.
“Shut up, nigga,” I shook my head.
“No, he says it all the time; it just never gets old coming from him.” Daylin looked down into my face briefly before we pecked gently.
“Awww,” Shardaya cooed.
“Aww, hell nah, you mean,” Talid’s crazy ass said, causing a wave of laughter. “Nah, but I like seeing my cousin like this. He more like my brother, though, and with our mom’s being identical twins, we basically the same as half-brothers.” He informed Daylin of what she already knew.
“Isn’t that weird but cool?” Shardaya frowned.
“It is.” Daylin wore a glint in her eyes as she looked between my cousin and me.
“Don’t break his heart, Miss Daylin,” Talid said, eyes squinted in mirth.
“I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”
“Okay, the food is ready, guys, so let’s go eat.” Shardaya rose.
“Let me help you.” Daylin hopped to her feet and switched off behind Shardaya, already talking a mile a minute.
“You love her?” he asked me as we ascended simultaneously.
“I do,” I confirmed, watching Daylin’s pretty ass help set the patio table while running her fucking mouth.