21. Joker
Joker
Later that day
I sat there on the bench with my head tilted back, resting against the wall, and my eyes closed. After I dropped Halo off, I fucked around and got pulled over. Mufuckas had a warrant out for my ass. I was considered armed and dangerous. They took my ass in and slapped me with the charges for that bitch ass nigga Steven. I was baffled when they told me he survived the shit. Somebody took their ass in there and saved him.
“Aye, move yo’ feet,” one of the men said, and I heard shuffling noises.
“Why don’t you get the fuck over there?” another one responded.
“How ’bout both of y’all shut the fuck up?” I asked, not even bothering to open my eyes.
“You just can’t stay your ass out of trouble.” Recognizing the voice, I peeked out of my right eye and saw Kenneth Sanders standing there. The one mufucka I couldn’t stand in this world. So many times, I wanted to break into his fucking house and place a got damn bullet in his head.
“The fuck you doing here?” I straightened my posture and mugged him.
“Why else you think I’m here?” He stood there in his black Armani suit with his hands shoved into his pockets. I was the spitting image of this nigga. Only thing he was missing was the tattoos. “Yo’ mama came begging me to help your pathetic ass.”
“I’on need yo’ help,” I swiftly answered and leaned back against the wall.
“Looks like to me you do unless you want to spend the rest of your life in prison.” The door buzzed and he pulled it open. “Bring your ass on.”
“You can just close that door back. I’ll take life before I accept yo’ help.”
“Knox Hudson, if you don’t bring your ass out of that cell right fucking now.” I didn’t budge, hearing my mama’s voice. “I don’t know why you think I’m playing with you.” Ma stepped around him into the cell and gripped me by the ear.
“Ouch.”
“Bring yo’ ass on.” She yanked me by the ear, and I lifted to my feet. She didn’t release me ’til we got out the cell. Kenneth shut the door behind me. His dark eyes pierced mine. It took everything in me not to slap his ass down.
“You owe me,” he said and strolled off. Owing Kenneth was like owing Lucifer. Whenever he came to collect, it was always bullshit. Father or not, I ain’t fuck with him like that.
Ma took one look at me and stormed off toward the exit. I followed behind her. When we got outside, she turned to me and yelled, “What the fuck were you thinking!”
“What was you thinking calling him? I’on need his fucking help.”
Smack!
Her hand connected with my cheek so fast. “Watch your fucking tone when speaking to me. I did what the fuck I had to do to get yo’ ass out of there. Get yo’ ass in the car,” she said and stormed around to the driver’s door.
I hopped in alongside her and she pulled out the parking lot. “You really need to do something with that temper of yours. I’ve been telling you that shit for years. You’re lucky your daddy was able to get you out of there.”
“Don’t call him that.”
She cut her eyes at me. I’d never called Kenneth my fucking daddy. That nigga wasn’t a daddy. The only thing he was, was a sperm donor. That nigga didn’t do shit for me unless it benefited him. He was the leader of dead-beat fathers.
Ma pulled up to my penthouse. She placed the truck in park and turned to face me. “I know you hate your father, but he was the only person with enough power to get you out of there. Maybe next time, don’t put me in a position to have to go to that monster.”
“A’ight,” I replied and grabbed the handle of the door.
“That’s all you got to say to me?”
Halting, I turned back to her and said, “Thank you,” and then pecked her on the cheek before opening the door and getting out.
I stood there on the curb and watched as she pulled off. Once she was out of view, I slipped my phone from my pocket and dialed Halo’s number. I hadn’t been away from her too long, but I yearned to be near her. My body craved her scent. “Bring my truck around,” I told valet.
“It ain’t here.”
“Shit,” I said under my breath. I forgot that I got pulled over in that shit, so it was impounded. “Get the Maserati.” He nodded, grabbed the keys off the hook, and left. The Maserati was the car I drove whenever I wanted to be discreet. It was gon’ be what I drove ’til I went and got the truck out.
“Hello?”
“What were you doing?”
“I was making dinner.”
“Do you mind if I come over?”
“Uh, yeah, sure. I guess so.”
Scratching the side of my face, I asked, “Why you said it like that? You don’t want to see me?”
“I’m just surprised you asked.”
“I’ll be there in twenty,” I told her and removed the phone from my ear. It beeped, letting me know that the call disconnected. My car stopped directly in front of me. The valet got out, and I stepped down off the curb. Hopping in my car, I slipped it in drive and mashed down hard on the gas.
After the night I had, I needed to see Halo. I wasn’t even gon’ tell her what I did to Steven and that I ended up in jail behind it. She didn’t want to deal with another street nigga. I should’ve respected her for her decision, but I had to show her that she was wrong. There’s nothing for her to worry ’bout being with me.
I pulled up to the building and the regular people were hanging ’round like always. That homeless man laid out next to the entrance didn’t sit right with me. He knew there were kids living there, and he still chose to hang out here. Ain’t no telling what type of fucking drugs he’s on.
Getting out the car, I hit the fob, setting the alarm, and treaded up to the front door. “Damn, boss man, yeen got a few dollars on you that I can get?” the homeless man asked soon as I made it to the door.
“I’on buy other niggas drugs,” was my response, and I pulled the door open and entered the building. That’s exactly what he was gon’ do with the money—spend it on drugs.
“Fuck you,” he said, and I stopped in my tracks. Pushing the door back open, I reached down, grabbed his wrist, and pulled it in between the crack. “Ahhh!” he screamed out when I slammed the door on his wrist.
“That’ll give you a few hours off the street. Go get that shit checked out,” I told him and jogged upstairs. Stopping in front of Halo’s door, I lifted my hand and knocked on it.
“I’m coming,” her soft voice said from the other side. Soon after, I heard the locks click, and the door yanked open. She stood there with her hair balled up on top of her head. She wore these chocolate-brown tights that showed off her pussy print. Couldn’t nobody tell me she ain’t know what the fuck she was doing when she put them on.
“Hey.” Her lips curved into a light smile.
My hand craned ’round her waist. I pulled her into my frame and her body melted into me. Closing my eyes, I took a huge whiff of her scent. Sweet vanilla. I’d never be able to look at vanilla the same ever again.
My lips pressed firmly against her temple, and I released her. “You’re just in time. I just finished cooking,” she said and stepped back from the door, allowing me entrance. I entered her space and she shut the door behind me, making sure to lock it. “Come on.” The pads of her fingers brushed my hand, intertwining with mine. She led me into the kitchen and said, “Sit.”
I did as I was told, and she went over to the counter and grabbed some plates. “You need some help?”
“Nope,” she quickly replied. “You cooked for me the other morning, let me handle it. I got it,” she said and placed a plate down on the table in front of me. “Brave!” she yelled. Her eyes cut toward the doorway. Seconds later, he appeared, wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He must have come home and changed out of his uniform from school.
“Hey, Coach Knox,” he said and took a seat at the table.
Halo went over to the stove and grabbed a pan. I sat there as she removed some smothered chicken and placed it on the plate in front of me. She carefully plated all of our food. Smothered chicken, string beans, homemade mashed potatoes, and rolls. It looked good as hell. I could give her that.
She took the seat alongside me and I noticed Brave bow his head. I hadn’t seen someone pray over their food in so long.
“How was school?” Halo questioned him.
Sitting with them was different. Growing up with my mama, who worked two jobs to make ends meet, we barely had dinner together, let alone at a table. That’s what pissed me off even more when it came to Kenneth. He had the power to not let us struggle the way we did yet he still allowed us to. That nigga didn’t care ’bout anyone but his-damn-self.
“It was okay.” The way he avoided eye contact with her when he said it let me know that he was lying. I was gon’ ask him ’bout that later.
Picking up my fork, I dug into the potatoes and placed them into my mouth. They were on point. “Did you find somewhere else to work?” I asked Halo, remembering that since I burned down Lotus, she didn’t have anywhere to work. Hell, I don’t think she did before I burned it down; that’s why it didn’t bother me for real to do so.
“I’m still working on it,” she simply replied and hit me with a fake smile. “It’s hard finding something, especially when I didn’t finish school.”
“You didn’t graduate? I didn’t know that.” Shit, even I walked across the stage. It was hard, but I managed.
Her eyes shifted to Brave. He was too busy eating to pay attention. “Other things got in the way where I couldn’t. I’ve been studying to take my GED though.”
“So that’s what you be doing when you be at practice?”
“Yeah,” she snickered.
“At least you’re working on getting it. Most females don’t care.”
“Yeah…” She toyed with her food with her fork.
“I’m confident that you’ll find something soon.”
“I hope so. I don’t want to fall behind on the bills.”
The rest of dinner, we had small talk. Once we were done eating, Halo got up from the table and grabbed my plate. My hand covered hers, and I shook my head. “You cooked, I’ll clean.”
“Really? I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t. I offered. Go relax. I’ll clean ’em.”
“The least I can do is dry.”
“Go relax,” I told her and removed the plate from her clutches. She stood there, gazing at me. “Go.”
I got up and cleared the table while she went into the living room. I took the dishes over to the sink. Her kitchen was foreign to me, but it shouldn’t be hard to wash the dishes and put ’em up.
It didn’t take me long to wash the dishes. Once I was done, I went into the living room, where Halo was lying on the couch, watching television. Lifting her head, I eased down on the sofa underneath it and rested it on my lap. Turning over onto her back, she stared up at me and asked, “What do you want with someone like me?” Her eyes searched mine.
“What kind of damn question is that? What’s wrong with you?”
“I’m broke. I don’t look anything like the girl you were dating. Why me?”
“You’re right. You look nothing like her.” Halo’s eyes lowered, and I tilted her face back where she was looking me in the eyes. “You look better. She couldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole, and do it look like I care ’bout you not having any money? I got more than enough for both of us. Money don’t move me when it comes to a woman. I ain’t worried ’bout what you bringing to the table. That’s for lil boys. I’m worried ’bout you being able to add value to my life. You gon’ be able to calm me through the chaos? Can you turn a house into a home? Can you be my safe space? Shit like that means some to me. You need to be asking yourself why not you.”
A knock at her front door grasped our attention. “Were you expecting someone?” I asked her.
“No,” she answered and sat up.
I got up from the couch and went over to the door. Looking out the peephole, I didn’t see anyone. Easing my gun from my waistline, I unlocked the door. I couldn’t help but feel Halo’s eyes burning a hole in me. The door eased open, and then a nigga stepped into view. It was the same one I always saw hanging ’round here. I’on know what the fuck he knocking on her door for, let alone standing there with flowers.
“The fuck you want?” I questioned him.
“Where’s Halo?”
“Minding her fucking business.” His eyes roamed up and down my frame. He didn’t bat an eye when he saw the piece in my hand.
“Can you tell her to come to the door?”
“Nigga, is you cool? Gimme this shit.” Snatching the flowers from his grip, I tossed ’em up in the air and kicked ’em like a football. They scattered all over the hallway.
“Joker!” Halo yelled from behind me.
“Get yo’ ass the fuck away from her door, and I better not catch yo’ ass ’round here again,” I told him and slammed the door in his face. “Who the fuck is that?” I asked her, slipping my strap back into my waistline.
“That’s Jah.”
“The hell he knocking on your door for?”
“He asked me to be his girlfriend the other day.”
My brows dipped. “And I know you told his ass no.”
She stared down at her lap and rubbed the nape of her neck. “I said I’d think about it.”
“What the fuck is there to think ’bout? You belong to me.”
“I’m not some property, Joker,” she replied and got up from the couch.
She went toward the hallway, and I gripped her by the neck from behind, jerking her back into my frame. Her breathing labored. I could feel her heart through her back.
My mouth leaned down by her ear, and I said, “Don’t fucking play with me, Halo.”
“If you want me to be yours, then you have to ask the right way.”
My teeth clenched. Before I could say anything else, my phone rang. Releasing her, I reached into my pocket and pulled it out. Swiping the screen, I placed the phone to my ear. “Yeah, Dough?”
“Tell me why I just walked up to the warehouse door, and it’s a fucking ticking bomb sitting in a box.”
“I’m on the way.”