Chapter 9 #2
“Moose!” Kool greeted him with his arms up and a big smile when he strutted into Junction BBQ.
The familiar smell of smoked meat and baked beans instantly made his stomach rumble. The shit they were feeding them at Premier Wellness was all a bunch of healthy, gluten-free shit with no flavor. He missed food.
“Nigga, you look skinny as hell,” Stacks said, coming out from the kitchen with a fresh platter of ribs.
“Tell me about it.” Moose rubbed his stomach and sat on the closest empty stool at the counter.
“I think they was trying to starve us on purpose in that muhfucka. Let me get my special. Matter fact, give me one to eat now, and one to go.” He tapped his fingers on the counter, and Stacks nodded to his niece to come and grab the tray to deliver to a nearby table.
“It’s good to see you around here again. We missed that mug.” Kool tossed a drying towel over his shoulder and leaned over the counter. “Heard you got yourself into some trouble, but glad you made it out that situation.”
“No doubt. Ain’t a cell that can hold me.” Moose chuckled. “Let me get a cup of that mango lemonade, though.”
“Coming right up.”
“Might not have been able to hold you then, but I’m sure there’s one just your size somewhere,” Christian voiced from behind him.
Moose stilled, recognizing his voice before glimpsing him over his shoulder. Briefly looking him over in his tan slacks and white button-up shirt with brown loafers, he could only scoff and shake his head before turning back around.
“You keep it up, and you the one gon’ be looking at charges. For harassment.”
“Harassment? Since when? I thought you was a real one. Why not handle it yourself? Ain’t that what you’re used to?”
“Turning over a new leaf.” Moose fished his phone from his pocket and glanced at the results on his screen.
He’d done his DNA test on Tiara the minute he was sober enough and settled in the rehab facility.
He struggled with pushing the button and getting the facts, but at the end of the day, he had to know.
He was floored when he got the letter in the mail as well as a printout to his email for backup.
He’d been studying them so much while in rehab that he could almost recite the contents word for word.
Either way, there was no denying that Tiara was in fact his daughter. The DNA was a 99.97 percent match.
“Yeah, I don’t buy it.” Christian dropped a few bills on the counter to pay for his meal.
“Just make sure you do everything you can to stay the hell away from my family. Tiara and Tulla are off limits,” he warned.
“I gave you a pass the night you were arrested. We could have gone forward with the reckless driving charge, but we didn’t. I spared you.”
“Don’t act like you did that shit for me,” Moose snarled and whirled around again.
This time, there was no amusement on his face. Hard eyes of steel locked on the prosecutor, making him stick his chest out and stand a little taller. Moose knew he intimidated him. Christian might know something about the streets, but he never played in them.
“You did that because it would look like you carrying some personal vendetta when the truth came out. That and the fact that you got bigger fish to fry around this muhfucka. I managed to track down your email address. You should check it sometime. Might be surprised by what you find inside.”
Frowning, Christian dug his phone from his pocket.
He tapped in the code to unlock it and went right to the email app to see what was up.
Scrolling through his messages, he stopped when he came across the one forwarded to him from Morgan Blackmoor’s email.
Hitting the screen to select it, his heart thudded anxiously when he saw the header from the lab where Moose had the test run.
Watching Christian’s face wilt from the confidence that once marred his features, Moose simpered before spinning on his stool.
Kool delivered his drink with a straw. His eyes darted to Christian after he’d finished skimming the letter, and it looked like he wanted to kill Moose.
“I’m supposed to trust this?” Christian questioned.
Moose shrugged and picked up his fountain drink off the counter.
“Do what you want with it. I’m petitioning the judge for family court, though.” When Kool’s niece set his bag on the counter, he scooped it up.
“’Preciate it, Kool.”
Strolling past Christian, he headed for the door just as Tiara and Tulla were stepping inside. While his former lover looked as if she’d seen a ghost, Tiara lit up with a contagious smile.
“Moose!”
“What’s up, lil mama,” Moose greeted her, examining her inquisitive face and taking in all their similarities.
She had his nose and his mouth in his opinion, but he could be biased. Tulla placed a protective hand on Tiara’s shoulder and tried to steer her away from Moose, but the little girl didn’t want to budge.
“What are you eating? Did you get pickles? I love the big pickle slices!”
“Fa sho! I always make Kool throw in an extra order.” He leaned in to whisper to her, “Whenever you come in, just tell Kool to throw some extra ones on your order and add it to my tab.”
“That’s not necessary,” Tulla said through gritted teeth.
“You want to go there with me right now, Chief?”
Moose brought his straw to his lips and sipped his drink smugly when Christian appeared at his side with their bag of food. Tension filled the space, but Tiara was oblivious to whatever the adults had going on.
“What are you two doing in here?” Chrisitan asked.
“You were taking too long, Daddy,” Tiara answered, and the word ‘daddy’ did something to Moose.
A big part of him was angry, but the other part of him showcased something he didn’t expect.
Hurt. Somehow a woman he didn’t give shit about found a way to gut him like nobody else could.
This was his little girl standing in front of him, and she didn’t know him from the next nigga on the street.
Moose’s dark eyes drifted up into Tulla's, and the bitch looked like she wanted to stop breathing.
“I also thought about dessert. Tiara wants a piece of that peach pie.” Tulla perked up, a false smile claiming her lips as Tiara looked up at Christian. “Why don’t you take Tiara to the car, and I’ll order it?”
Hesitant, her husband’s dark gaze gamboled from her to Moose before he finally nodded in agreement. Extending his free hand for Tiara, he smiled at her adoringly. It was obvious she meant the world to him too. Moose couldn’t fault that. She made it easy to fall in love with her.
“Bye, Moose.” She waved happily, and Christian nudged her toward the door, locking eyes with Tulla before exiting.
“This is the last time we’re having this conversation!” she hissed the minute her husband and daughter were gone.
Fire burned behind her amber globes. Moose stepped forward, his Tom Ford cologne toying with her senses.
His eyes were sharp and focused. Unlike the last few times she’d seen him when she now knew he was more than likely high out of his mind.
The rehab stint was public knowledge, so there was no escaping that.
“Nah, fuck that.” He shook his head. “Get ready to be seeing a whole lot more of me, bitch. You lied for eight fucking years. That’s my fucking daughter, and you ain’t keeping me from her no more.”
“I… she is not—”
“Save that bullshit.” Moose sucked his teeth, waving her off. “Talk to your husband. See you in court.” He circled around her to the door, leaving Tulla fuming as she glared after him.
“Kong, this really isn’t necessary,” Ayla complained after signing in at her doctor’s office for a follow-up appointment.
He and her sister both insisted that she go get checked out after not having had medical attention for so long.
Reluctantly, she agreed. Pausing, her eyes skimmed the waiting room for a place to sit.
The far-left corner was empty. Only a woman and her infant son were seated.
Ayla found herself wandering in that direction with Kong behind her.
She lowered herself into one of the waiting chairs, and Kong took the seat beside her.
The receptionist gave her some paperwork to fill out, so Ayla crossed one leg over the other and completed it to the best of her knowledge.
When she was done, she tucked the pen into the clipboard and glanced Kong’s way. He was typing something on his phone with his face bunched up in a serious scowl.
“Everything okay?”
“Just some shit I need to take care of tonight.” He sighed, finished his message, and tucked his phone into his pocket.
Ayla was nervous about being poked and prodded.
She felt like she was fine, but she couldn’t be sure after giving birth.
She tucked her hands into the pocket of her hoodie and waited impatiently, looking at the digital clock on the wall every so often.
The baby across the way let out a cry, and Ayla froze.
Her maternal instinct kicked into overdrive as she watched the woman try to soothe the infant boy.
Internally, she wanted to scream, but what would that solve?
Kong noticed her shift immediately and leaned toward her. “You okay?”
She nodded. Too fast. Too hard to convince him of it.
It was a lie. Across from them, the woman rocked the tiny baby against her shoulder.
He couldn’t be more than a month or so old, so small and fussy, with a little blue cap covering his head of thick curls.
His mother rocked, making little soothing noises as her eyes drifted across to Ayla and Kong.
Something flickered through them when she canvassed Kong, so attentively focused on Ayla.
“Kong?” she guessed. “You’re Kong Blackmoor, right?” she asked, brows lifting in question.
He looked up, momentarily surprised as recognition flitted over his face.
“Right. You’re…” He was drawing a blank at first.