Chapter 7
“So, nigga, did you see what was up with Kemi?” Nautica asked as he held Niamh, who was only a few days old.
“Yeah, she said she wants me to take her pops out and she’ll disappear.”
“Why?” Nyke asked.
“I don’t know. The only thing I could think of was she wants his dealer. Her pops sells weapons worldwide. With him out the way, she can take over. She wants me to do it then she’ll go away.”
“You believe that?” Amari asked.
“Yeah, she ain’t got a reason to stay, ain’t shit here for her. She know what it is with me and Promise.”
“She wouldn’t be a bad ally to have. She’s the head of The Purple Onyx, and she trusts you.” Nautica walked out of the room.
“He’s right. Are you thinking about doing it?” Amari asked.
“I’ma do it,” Shadow agreed because he knew the power his first wife possessed.
“Have you talked to P?” Nyke asked as Nautica walked back in the room without Niamh.
“Nah, the less she knows the better,” Shadow replied.
The last thing he wanted was his wife mixed up with Kemi or her father.
He loved Kemi, always would, but Promise was his heart outside of his body.
He wasn’t letting nothing or nobody come in between their marriage. Shadow’s phone went off with a text.
Kemi: We need to talk, ASAP. I’m in town.
Her being in town wasn’t good for anyone.
Kemi used to run from her father’s darkness, now it was as if she had fully embraced her dark side.
He texted her back, asking when and where she wanted to meet.
Thirty minutes, he thought to himself, wondering what he was going to tell Promise.
They were all at Nautica and Carter’s for dinner.
“She wants to meet now. I’m about to go see what she wants. I’ll be back. Let me go tell my wife I’m leaving.”
“So you going to tell your new wife you about to go meet with your first wife?” Nyke cracked but Shadow wasn’t laughing.
He needed Kemi to stay away so he could keep the peace.
He was sure both women were willing to wage war against one another about him.
He didn’t need nor want that. Promise was her brothers’ sister.
“Shut yo’ ass up, nigga.” Shadow slapped hands with Amari, Nautica, and then Nyke. He walked out of the room ,finding the women in Carter’s woman cave. Shadow and Promise locked eyes. He waved her over. She got up with Pryce in hand.
“Wassup, baby?” She walked up on him. Pryce spotted him, going crazy and kicking his legs.
“Daddy baby! Wassup, son?” Shadow took him from Promise, kissing all over his face.
“I gotta go, wifey.” Shadow took his focus off Pryce to focus on the love of his life.
“Where you going?” She frowned.
“Kemi wants to meet. I’ll be gone a hour, and I’ll be right back,” he revealed, prompting Promise to annoyingly roll her eyes. She didn’t want to share her husband, especially with his first wife.
“Meet you for what?”
Shadow pulled her into one of the guest rooms down the hall. He shut the door while Promise stood, awaiting a response.
“Look, P. I didn’t tell you this because I don’t want you to worry. I agreed to do a job for her, in exchange for her departure. She wants to meet now, give me a hour—”
“What kind of job, Shadow? Are you sure you can trust her?”
“Yes, baby, I can trust her. I’ll be okay, I promise. You don’t have nothing to worry about. I’ll always make it back to you and my son,” he assured her.
“You fucking better.” She smacked her teeth, causing him to laugh.
“I love you, wifey.”
“I love you, more. Hurry up so you can come back and get us.”
“But you drove here.”
“And? It’s eight o’clock, you better not be here a minute past nine.” She took her son from him and walked out. He laughed at his wife as he made his way out of Nautica’s home.
Shadow was seated across from Kemi, who was eating. They were inside of her suite. Shadow looked at the time on his watch. He rubbed his hands over his waves.
“So wassup? I got to go.”
“I need you to move the timeline up,” Kemi revealed the reason she had summonsed him to her hotel.
“What is this about? Why do you want your father gone?” He could tell his question unnerved her.
“Just do what I tell you.”
Shadow snatched his head back while chuckling. “Kemi I don’t have to do shit for you. I don’t owe you shit. I’m helping you cause I want you out of my life for good.” His icy gaze fell on hers.
“So you are mad I faked my death and didn’t tell you! People were watching you! I had no choice! Believe that or don’t! I’m not here to argue with you or cause problems in your little marriage but I will if you don’t do what I want.”
“You know how I handle threats,” he warned, and she scoffed.
“You want to kill me? Here you go.” She pulled out her silver revolver, sliding it across the table. He’d been stripped of his gun upon arrival.
“But let me just say this…you kill me, you cause problems. Problems so big the Nkosis, Dlaminis or the Kanus can’t solve.
I’m offering you a partnership. You don’t want to be my husband anymore, cool, we can be friends or enemies.
But if you’re my friend, when you have problems, I take care of them no matter how big or small. ”
Shadow glared at her. He wanted to wrap his hands around her throat or pick up the gun off the table. However, that was going to be the beginning of his troubles. He believed her. He stood from his seat, walking towards the door.
“Sawyer?” She called out.
“What?”
“I got something for you.” She held up a folder.
He walked towards her, snatching it out of her hands.
He put it under his shirt then walked out.
Her guard passed him his gun back. He got on the elevator.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. He got off the elevator, walking outside.
He got behind the wheel of his black Urus, pulling out his phone.
Kemi: You know I enjoy making you mad.
Shadow: Man fuck you.
Kemi: Only if Promise can join lol
He clutched the steering wheel tightly after reading her latest text.
Shadow: Don’t fucking think about or mention my wife or I will kill you. That’s on my son. War sounds fun to a nigga like me. Don’t test me, Kemiya, you know how I get about the people I love.
He peeled away from the curb with his anger on one hundred.
He got on the interstate. He sped the entire way back to Nautica and Carter’s compound.
He looked at the time on the dashboard, realizing he had ten minutes to spare.
He pulled a pre-rolled blunt from his console and got out.
He sparked the blunt, allowing the smoke to calm his nerves.
Nobody tapped danced on his nerves the way Kemi did.
She really did enjoy getting a rise out of him.
That was cool when sex was involved, now he wanted to strangle her.
She had no right shaking up his life the way she was when she died on him five years ago.
He hadn’t been the same since she left. His grief had turned into resentment.
His phone rang. He pulled it out smiling at the words WIFEY in all caps with a red heart beside it.
“Wassup, wifey?” He answered on the second ring.
“Where you at, Shadow?”
“I’m outside smoking.” He hung up. A few minutes later, the door opened and Promise walked out. She walked down the steps until she was in front of him.
“You okay?” She asked, sensing the change in his demeanor. She circled her arms around his waist. Unbeknownst to her, she had just calmed him down.
“I’m okay, shorty. Where my son? Y’all ready to go?”
“My momma came and got him. I’m ready. I’ll follow you. I was calling you to tell you to meet me at the house.”
“Okay, follow me.” Shadow walked her across the driveway to her car. He opened the door. She gripped his face, kissing his lips. His tongue entered her mouth. Promise pulled back because it was clear he wasn’t.
“Move, I got one more week.”
“Fuck that I’m fucking soon as we walk in the house.” He closed the door while she shook her head at him.