14. What You Need #3
“What’s up with her anyway? Is it still Kong?” Coast swiped barbecue sauce from the corner of her mouth, and Inari sighed.
“It’s always going to be Kong.” She shook her head. “I warned her not to go there.”
“The heart wants what it wants.” Coast shrugged.
Inari couldn’t deny that statement because the same was true for her and Moose.
Like Coast, she was also worried about whatever he and Mozzi were out doing.
The fact that they weren’t back had her concerned, too.
Dinner turned into an awkward, tension filled display.
If it weren’t for the kids being a distraction, she was convinced it would have ended much earlier.
“That’s not always a good thing,” Inari muttered. “I need to find Dane, so we can get home. It’ll be time to catch that flight before we know it.”
“Okay, text me when you get there. See you in the morning!” Coast waved, watching Inari slip out of the room.
Once she located Dane, she found Audiemar and Desiree to thank them for a nice evening and met up with her son and Danilo in the foyer.
Danilo’s warped ass expression was present all night.
The nigga had been on her last nerve, and she was looking forward to some time away from him.
She was hoping her and Moose could strategize while they were on the trip, so they could deal with Danilo accordingly when they returned.
Dane grabbed her coat off the coat rack and helped her into it.
“Thank you, baby.”
“Do me a favor, son, go get the car and bring it around.” Danilo placed his key fob in Dane’s hand, and both of his boy’s eyes lit up.
“For real?”
“Yeah. Just be careful,” Danilo warned.
“Bet.” Dane damn near skipped outside as Inari adjusted the collar to her jacket.
“You think I ain’t notice you eye fucking that nigga all night, Nari?” Gritting his teeth, Danilo got in her face, his whiskey coated breath on her like a dragon.
Pressing her hand against his chest, she shoved him out of her personal space.
“You’re tripping.” Inari scoffed.
“Nah, I know exactly what the fuck I saw!” Danilo growled. “You ain’t going on this fucking trip either.”
“Fuck you, Danilo! I’ll go wherever the fuck I want! I’m grown for one, and you don’t run shit!”
“You sure about that?” His thick brows cinched together. “Why don’t I find Ayla and see what she has to say?” He turned as if he was about to go searching for her sister.
“What the hell is wrong with you!” she hissed, grabbing his arm to stop him.
“You been disrespectful all fucking night!” Danilo snatched away from her. “I told you to leave that nigga alone, and you keep trying me, Nari!”
“Alright, well then you do what you need to do!” She lowered her tone and got in his face.
“You want to tell Ayla, go right ahead. Just remember one thing. This will also affect Dane in the end. He loves his auntie and he loves me even more. How do you think he would feel knowing you were threatening and blackmailing us? You think he’d understand or want anything to do with you? ”
“I’ll make him understand,” Danilo emphasized, his tone cold as darkness swam through his eyes. “You had plenty of time to brainwash him against me. My turn.”
“You son-of-a-bitch!” she yelled, getting in his face.
Danilo’s hand fell on her neck, immediately pressing down on her airway while bringing her face closer to his. His grip was so tight she had no room to run, and she didn’t want to cause a scene in Audiemar’s house.
“So, you either fall in line, or I make you a memory to our son.”
The front door swung open and Moose and Mozzi let themselves inside just in time. Moose charged at Danilo with no hesitation the minute he saw his hands on Inari. She slipped out of his hold and caught her breath when Moose pinned him into the nearest wall.
“The fuck you doing putting your hands on her?” he demanded, pressing his arm against Danilo’s chest.
“That’s my bitch, nigga! I do what the fuck I want!” Danilo spat. “Fuck you!”
Moose uppercut him in the ribs, knocking the wind from Danilo and sending him doubling over. Mozzi closed the door behind him but remained nearby in case his brother needed an assist.
“Moose, stop!” Inari screamed. “Let him go.”
Ignoring her pleas, Moose let loose on Danilo. Sending nothing but body shots to his ribs and abdomen until the nigga was balled up against the wall, blocking the rest of his body.
“Don’t ever bring this bitch ass nigga around me again!” Moose roared.
“You made your choice, bitch.” Danilo grunted, unsteadily bringing himself to his feet.
He didn’t take well to humiliation. The front door swung open, and Dane poked his head inside. He caught the anguish on his father’s face and the concern on his mother’s, so he pushed the door open further.
“What’s going on? Ma, you straight?”
“I’m fine, Dane.” Inari huffed.
“Your mama want to be on her hoe shit.” Danilo stood tall, one arm draped over his side, holding his aching ribs. “She been fucking with this nigga Moose behind my back. I told her we done. You decide now who you want to live with. I’m not fucking with this bitch.”
Dane’s troubled eyes gamboled from his mother to his father, and even Moose and Mozzi like he was hoping someone would give him the right answer. He’d been enjoying time with his pops, but he couldn’t just cut his mama off. It’d be like ripping out a piece of his heart.
“Ma, is that true?” Dane queried.
“It’s complicated, baby.”
“You either been with Moose while trying to make it work with Pops or you haven’t. What’s complicated about that?” Dane presented.
“Look, Dane—” Moose tried to intervene.
“I’m talking to my mama.” Dane turned and addressed him with a flat tone.
Dane thought Moose was cool as hell, and he didn’t have a problem with him. He didn’t even mind that he and Inari were seeing each other a few months ago. What he had a problem with was the fact that she’d been faking with Danilo and being sneaky. That was something he couldn’t respect.
“You don’t have all the facts, Dane. Your father is conveniently leaving a lot of shit out.”
“Like what?” Dane challenged.
Silence echoed through the halls. Inari wasn’t sure how to respond given the situation. It was all so sensitive, and she hadn’t had a chance to talk to Ayla to brace her for any of it. With everything she had going on, it was one more reason for Inari not to burden her.
“She can’t even keep it a buck.” Danilo shook his head. “Come on. Let’s go pack our shit. I already talked to Mira. She don’t mind us coming to stay with her for a while.” He stepped past Moose and nodded to the door for Dane to follow.
“Dane, wait.” Inari’s shaky voice stopped her son in his steps. “Can you just listen to me, please?”
“Listen to what, Ma? Lies? You can’t even take accountability for what you did.”
No lie, those words stung hearing it from her own flesh and blood’s mouth.
She’d always raised Dane to speak his mind and call out right and wrong; she just never thought he’d turn those tables on her.
Danilo damn sure did a number on him. She knew all these months, allowing them to spend so much time together was a mistake.
“Ask him what he did! Since you want to take his word for it!” Inari shouted. “I’m your mother, Dane. I’m the one who’s always looked out for you!”
“You’re also the reason I don’t have a relationship with him to begin with,” Dane noted, sucker punching her again with that statement. “I’m sorry, Ma. I can’t rock with you on this.” He shook his head, and Danilo’s satisfied smirk in the doorway made her charge at him.
“Let ’em go, Nari.” Moose caught her around the waist, keeping her out of range to come at him again.
“No!” She shoved Moose’s hands off her as Danilo and Dane let themselves out. “He doesn’t know the truth!”
“He will,” Moose said, his voice confident and reassuring in her ear as tears misted her eyes.
“Have fun on your trip. Everything that happens after tonight is on you, Nari.” Danilo limped along with Dane at his side.
He even passed him the keys back so he could drive them to the house.
Inari wanted to throw up. She was physically ill at the sight of her son aligning himself with his ain’t shit father against her.
Never did she think she’d see the day. She thought her relationship with Dane was unforgeable, nothing could possibly ever come between them. Until now.