Chapter 26
RAH
“Where are you going?”
Felicia never learned her lesson. I think she was one of those broads that liked when a man put his hands on her. She had to get off on it or something. No matter how many times I smacked her around, she kept nagging me anyway.
“To mind my fucking business,” I spat as I walked out of the room.
I heard her smack her lips as I made my way towards the front door, but I knew that that was all she was going to do.
I walked out of the house, sneering at the fact that I had come in contact with so much cash within the last few months, just for it to be taken away from me by these stupid bitches.
I was still on a hunt to get Aaliyah, and Solae was gonna get hers once I testified in court that her self-defense claim was bullshit.
My cell started to ring just as I climbed into the Mustang.
“Lavell, what’s the word,” I answered, turning the engine and pulling off. “You better tell me something good, motherfucker.”
“I found out where that nigga’s shit is.”
My eyebrow raised with interest. This was exactly the call I needed. “Word? Where?”
“His grandparents’ crib.”
My mouth started to salivate with greed as I sped through the West Side of the city towards the e-way. “How you know?”
“Some silly broad that was fucking with him heavy.”
“She know exactly where it’s at in the crib?”
“Yeah.”
“How you know the broad ain’t lyin’?”
“She pissed because she found out he had a woman the whole time. She was drunk running her mouth.”
“You got an address?”
“Fa sho.”
A menacing smile spread across my face as I finally hopped on the express way.
Ever since I had offed Caine in front of him and Nell, their goofy asses had been at my beck and call, and the call was finding that one last lick to hit to put me on, not them, little did they know.
This square ass hustler, Kev, had been at the bar talking shit and throwing around a lot of cash.
I knew from asking around the hood that he was selling some major weight, which meant that he had to have a stash spot somewhere.
And I wanted it all.
Once out south, I shot over to the parking lot of the Jewels on 87th and State.
I was meeting Solae’s father there to pick up the kids.
I hadn’t seen them since everything had gone down.
Solae called herself keeping them from me, but I refused to let her take anything else from me.
Seeing my kids had become more about taunting her than quality time with them.
Pulling into the parking lot, I spotted her father’s rusty ass van where he told me it would be.
I pulled up beside him, but didn’t get out.
Fuck that nigga. He and his wife had been telling everybody that Solae had stabbed me in self-defense, keeping up her lie.
But I knew they knew it wasn’t the truth.
I figured they all had conspired to get her off with that bullshit self-defense claim.
I blew the horn and within minutes, my shorties was climbing out of the van. I popped the locks and they both climbed into the backseat.
“What’s up, Dad?”
I looked through the rearview mirror and saw Elijah’s smile.
“What’s up, my dude?”
I knew that Elijah missed me because he had been telling me so through phone calls through his grandparents. But Essence was her mama’s daughter, with just as much attitude. She barely spoke. “Hey.”
“What’s your problem?” I asked her.
“Nothing,” she spat.
“Yeah, that’s why I had to make sure that I started back spending time with y’all so I can fix your attitude. Your mama let you get away with too much shit.”
She just stared out of the window like she didn’t want to be there. I shook my head at how much she resembled Solae and twisted back around. I put my ride in drive and pulled out of the parking lot, but I continued fussing, “You better fix your attitude, Essence. What’s wrong with you?”
“I just wanted to stay home,” she whined.
“Why? You don’t wanna see your daddy?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You don’t have to say it. It seems like it.
I don’t know why you wanna be under your mama so tough.
She’s the reason we’re all in this mess.
She tried to kill me. She’s crazy. She’s the reason why y’all was in that home, the reason why that happened to you, Essence.
She don’t be looking after y’all. But your daddy got you, girl.
Soon as this shit is over and your mama go away forever–”
“She’s going away forever?!” Elijah blurted, sounding like he was about to burst in tears.
“Of course, she is,” I told him.
Essence sucked her teeth and finally had something to say. “No, she isn’t!”
“Yes, she is. That’s what happens to violent people. They gotta go away for the rest of their lives. But no worries. Daddy is going to take care of y’all.”
I could hear Elijah sniffling. He was crying and that was okay. He needed to get used to the fact that they weren’t going to have their mother anymore. I was intent on it. If the court didn’t put her ass away, I was going to kill the bitch. Either way, she was going to pay.
“Don’t cry, my dude,” I told Elijah. “Don’t be sad. We’re about to have a good day. Don’t you miss your Uncle Fabe?”
Elijah perked up. Looking through the rearview mirror, I saw him smile a bit and wipe his face. Essence just continued to stare out of the window. I was definitely going to have to break her out of that attitude once I had them to myself.
“Yeah, I miss Uncle Fabe. We’re going to his house?” Elijah asked with excitement.
“Yeah, man. So, buckle up.”
He put his seatbelt on and so did Essence, and I got back on the expressway, on my way to the south suburbs.
I didn’t remember where Fabe lived exactly, so I shot my father a text message asking him for the address.
Seconds later, he had replied with the full address.
I pressed the gas harder, going eighty, eager to get to Fabe’s crib.
I had been hitting Fabe up for weeks, curious about why he had faded to black on me. Ever since I got out of the hospital, I hadn’t seen him, and he had started to answer my calls less and less. He blamed it on being overwhelmed with his hustle, but something was telling me otherwise.