Chapter 4 Yale
Chapter four
Yale
“This is cute,” my friend, Consonance, said as we walked through the small boutique looking for a dress for me to wear. She held up a black, fitted dress and turned it back and forth. It was pretty, but I wasn’t sure if it would be appropriate for dinner with his family.
“It is,” I nodded and went back to looking through the racks.
“You know you could just say no,” she laughed. I looked up at her and smiled. “Your ass is too polite.”
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s pretty, it’s just not what I want to wear to a dinner with his family,” I explained, and she nodded.
“I forgot you were going to be around church folks,” she giggled, shaking her head. “What are they like?”
“You’ve been around them before,” I replied as I moved to the next rack.
I looked over my shoulder to see Consonance’s eyes locked on the man at the front of the store.
He was watching her as hard as she was watching him.
His dark eyes swept over her with so much intensity that goose bumps rose on my skin, and I had to rub my arm. “Consonance?”
“Yeah?” she slowly replied as she turned her attention back to me.
“You know him?” I questioned.
“Yeah, that’s Gentle,” she answered with a quick nod. “He races.”
I turned back to him and took my time looking him over.
He looked familiar, but I couldn’t say precisely where I had seen him before; however, I knew it wasn’t at a race.
He was tall, with bronze skin, full lips, and a broad nose.
What caught my attention was his blue eyes.
They looked so out of place against his skin, but at the same time, they blended perfectly.
His hair was curly and short, and he wore a gold necklace.
“He’s here to see you?” I asked.
“No,” she laughed and shook her head.
The sound of heels clicking against the concrete floors echoed through the small room, and I turned to see the owner of the boutique coming from the back.
When she noticed Gentle, she stopped walking, and a look of fear flashed across her face before it went blank.
She squared her shoulders, adjusted the sleeves of her shirt, and approached Gentle.
“What are you doing here?” she asked with a thick southern accent. “We had an agreement.”
“I come in peace,” Gentle said, holding his hands in the air. His accent was just as thick as hers, but his voice had a playful tone.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “That’s not the agreement. You aren’t supposed to come around. We are holding up our end.”
“Shit is about to change,” he replied as he dropped his hands. “I need your help.”
“No,” she replied. “I can’t help you.”
“Mahogany-”
“No, Gentle,” she cut him off. “Now leave before-”
He took a step toward her and grabbed her arm.
The front door opened, and another tall man walked in with a mug on his face.
He was fine, with his dark skin, short hair, full lips, and thug appeal.
I knew he was a rapper named Focus. He looked at the woman, then at the man, and I swear I could see the anger rolling off his body.
He licked his lips, then stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“One, we need to talk,” he said. His voice was deep, with a hint of rage. He looked at the man next to her and then chuckled, shaking his head. “Hands off, my nigga.”
“Tobias,” she sighed. “Not right now.”
“Always right now, One,” he replied, then turned to the man. “Make it happen before I forget I’m supposed to be going on tour and end up doing time.”
Gentle laughed and turned his attention to the woman. “This is who everyone is afraid of?” he questioned. “Tell your pet that this isn’t the danger that he wants.”
“Oh, word?” Focus questioned and pulled his pants up to his waist.
“Tobias, please don’t,” Mahogany said, shaking her head. She approached Focus and put her hands on his chest to stop him from moving. “You cannot do this in here.”
“Oh fuck,” I heard Consonance say from beside me. I was so caught up in their exchange that I didn’t realize she’d moved to stand next to me. “If Focus is here, then that means Exodus isn’t too far behind.”
“Who’s Exodus?” I asked. “Her man?”
“No,” Consonance laughed. “He’s Mahogany’s best friend.”
“So, she’s with Focus?”
“Nope,” Consonance denied. “They are friends, or enemies, shit, I don’t know what they are.”
“They definitely aren’t enemies,” I said, turning my attention back to Mahogany and Focus. The energy between them was obviously love and passion. From the way they looked at each other to the way they naturally gravitated toward each other.
The front door opened again, and this time another man walked in. He was just as tall as Focus and just as attractive, but there was no denying he wore his crazy like a badge of honor. Focus was crazy, but he had control over it.
“And in walks Exodus,” Consonance replied lowly. “The rival to your man’s family when it comes to black mega churches.”
“He’s a pastor?” I asked, surprised. He didn’t look like a pastor I’d ever seen before.
“Nope, his granddaddy is. You’ve never heard them mention the DeCortes?” she asked, and I nodded.
“Yeah, I just never paid too much attention to it,” I answered with a shrug.
The truth was that I intentionally didn’t deal with the church side of the Kilmore family.
I wasn’t perfect by a long shot, but knowing what they did on the side and then learning that they were affiliated with the church was a shock.
Knowing they lived a double life yet condemned others always made me side-eye them. “I stay away from that life.”
“Well, they’re the killers of the church,” Consonance laughed.
“How the fuck do you know all this?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“I’m nosey,” she answered with a shrug, and I playfully rolled my eyes.
She wasn’t lying; she was nosey, but she stayed informed because of how she and her sisters moved.
The Madden sisters were ruthless, and I loved it.
“And because of Bodhi. He’s friends with them.
He introduced us.” Bodhi Rush was Consonance’s business partner.
They’d been friends for years, and even though I secretly wanted them to hook up, I loved that they’d never crossed that line and ruined their friendship.
Consonance didn’t do relationships, and Bodhi was a die-hard romantic.
She’d break his heart without even trying.
“It’s a bunch of them; he’s the oldest.”
“And the craziest,” I said as I continued to watch the exchange. Focus was now standing in front of Mahogany, blocking her from seeing Gentle while Exodus stood to the side with a smirk on his face. He was enjoying the show just as much as we were.
“Nah, he’s the nicest,” Consonance laughed. “He has some girl cousins and friend, let me tell you, one of them is off. Like, probably should’ve been committed but hasn’t been yet.”
“Yet?” I asked in surprise. “She should be committed?”
“Oh, yeah.” Consonance nodded with a smile on her face. “I saw her tie this man up one time.”
“Nope, no,” I said, shaking my head. “Don’t tell me shit.” I went back to looking for a dress. “Whatever she did needs to stay with you. I don’t need to know.”
“But it’s so good,” she laughed as she followed my actions. “It involved a straight blade; you know, the kind that barbers use.”
“Consonance Madden,” I said, cutting my eyes at her. “Stop.”
“Fine,” she dramatically sighed. “I won't tell you how she dragged it-”
In the middle of her talking, I turned and walked away.
It wasn’t that I wasn’t interested in what she was saying; I didn’t want to know in case I ever had a run-in with her and started asking questions.
The thought of blood and gore never bothered me; hell, it couldn’t with a friend like Amethyst. He was always showing me some damn video because he was in med school.
I’d formed a thick skin and an even stronger stomach, and there was a little piece of me that was interested in torturing someone.
I knew if anyone knew, they’d side-eye the shit out of me. I raced cars; I wasn’t bloodthirsty.
I picked up a white dress and examined it. “This could work for church and then dinner, right?” I asked Consonance, who nodded. I didn’t want to change my outfit in between, so I was hoping she would say yes. “Good.”
“What about shoes?” she asked.
“I have something at home that will go with this,” I answered, and she nodded. Thanks to Amethyst, I had a million and one pairs of shoes, so I knew I could find something. “You ready to check out?”
“Yep.” She picked up a pantsuit, and we headed to the register. Mahogany, Gentle, Focus, and Exodus were gone, and in their place was a salesgirl. She checked us out, and we left the store.
“You know my nosey ass was looking for Gentle’s car,” Consonance said once she’d driven off. I laughed and shook my head. “I can’t wait to talk to Bodhi and ask why he’s sniffing behind Mahogany.”
“I don’t think he was sniffing behind her,” I said, shaking my head as I went to my text thread with Amethyst. We were supposed to meet for dinner later, and I wanted to check if we were still on for it. I just wanted to hang out and chill instead of going out.
“Really?” she asked as she came to a stop. “You think it was something else?”
“I don’t know,” I shrugged as I texted Amethyst. “It just didn’t look like that was what it was for me. I don’t know how to explain it, but it didn’t. It was personal, that was obvious, but from the way Mahogany looked at him, it was more to it than just some relationship shit.”
“I guess,” she replied, and I looked up to see her shrug. The way her face relaxed made me pause.
“Are you interested in Gentle?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“No ma’am,” she laughed, but the way she said it didn’t sound convincing. “Gentle is into some shit that I don’t even want to be a part of.”
“What do you mean?” I questioned. If Consonance was keeping her distance, then that meant something.