35. Rico #2
As soon as we open the doors to the reception, Snow is on me. Her eyes narrow, before expanding at Mekhi’s big ass behind me.
“My wife’s a fan. You’ve met Juanita right?” he asks, extending his hand as he moves to my side.
Snow nods lamely as her hand rises to meet his, but I intercept it and lead her to the dance floor, leaving a chuckling Mekhi to go bother someone else.
“Up close, that man is terrifying,” she shivers, melting into me as I lead her in a slow dance.
“He gotta be to be on top of the world.”
“But you’re not terrifying. Annoying. Clinically insane. But terrifying? No.”
“Then I’m not doing my job… take a ride with me tonight.”
Snow leans back to meet my gaze. “Where?”
“You want the truth or you trust me?” It’s an unfair question to ask.
The pendulum can swing either way if Snow would willingly ride with me if she knew what I was doing.
Fredo’s standing next to us, waiting for me to be honest. Waiting for me to show him I can be a good man and do right by her, and not have her in no bullshit.
Snow’s hand cups me over my pants, just long enough to feel what she wanna feel. Her smile turns seductive as she nods. “Yeah, I’m starting to trust you.”
“Yo freak ass… when you get some free time, I’m taking you to Dionysus. But for real, Snow. You trust me, and you can’t ask no questions the rest of the night. If you don’t, I’ll tell you the real.”
She pulls me closer to her and I bend down to receive her puckered lips. They taste minty from her gloss, and I have to remind myself it’s kids here.
Snow ends the kiss and begins to wipe my mouth for me. “No questions. I’ll ride… as long as I can ride you whenever we get to our destination.”
I bite her finger, before sucking it into my mouth, giving her my answer.
Hell fuckin’ yeah, she can ride me all the way to Hell as long as I die in her pussy.
Almost too ready to leave, I walk her over to our table. She crouches down to speak to Mars, who is barely hanging on in Pooh’s arms. I snap a picture of them and send it to Ju just as Snow kisses Mars goodbye. His eyes are fully closed, and his lips twitch as he moves to stretch out over Pooh.
“Let me know when you get home, carina,” Pooh says, causing me to freeze.
He must realize what the fuck he just said, because he averts his eyes, and suddenly Mars is the most interesting thing in the room to him, not the fact he just called Snow what he used to call Ma.
“Me, too, Snowball. Don’t forget.”
“I won’t, if you remember to bring all our stuff back. I think we packed it already in the car. Ready?” Her smile falters when I meet her gaze, but I take her hand and lead her outside before I cause a fucking scene up in this bitch.
Pooh’s slip up, among other things, has me wanting to rethink this ride. I keep hitting the alarm on the key fob, scanning the parking lot as I go over all my fucking options.
“Maybe–”
As soon as I speak, the alarm to the Honda goes off, and of course it’s right in front of us.
“Whose car is this? Wait, nevermind. No questions. I forgot.” Snow mimes zipping her lips and skips over to the front passenger side.
Pushing all these bullshit thoughts away, I open the door for her and let her slide inside before popping the trunk. But when I get to the back of the car, it’s empty.
“This fucking nigga…” I open the back seat and sure enough, there’s an olive green case half lit by the moonlight. I go to pick it up, but at the last second, I decide to leave it in the backseat and close the door.
“Ay!”
I look up, hand on my holster, as I lock eyes with Slime. G is behind him mean mugging the fuck out of me with a few other niggas from the hood.
Slime grins, and throws up the set chunky. “Stay dangerous, Luney.”
It would be so easy to murk this nigga. Right here, right now.
But I don’t even need Fredo to tell me that shit dead the fuck wrong.
No matter how weird he is, or hurt he’s acting, that’s who Fredo decided was worth settling down with, and unlike Slime, I know how Fredo really operates when it comes to loved ones.
I guess Mekhi was wrong, and me and Set are more alike than he thinks.
I throw up a B and round the car to get in.
“Yo ass learning to drive as soon as possible, Snow. Even if you gotta take the streets everywhere.”
“Har har. I know how to drive. I would just rather be a passenger princess.”
“Yo ass don’t know how to drive, bro. Turk already told me even before yo accident you start hyperventilating soon as you touch a steering wheel.” I peel out the parking lot, cursing myself and fucking Mekhi.
My stomach is all the way past my ass. Mekhi wouldn’t set me up, but Slime and G absolutely would take a chance if it meant getting they so-called pound of flesh.
I fish out my phone and call Asa immediately. He answers on the second ring.
“Hey, Alvarez! How was the wedding?”
“Straight. I need you to watch my six until I make it to the home plate.”
“Ah shit. Birds? Moles? Or roadrunner?”
“Birds and roadrunner, if applicable. Fasho birds, though. I’m getting on the expressway now.”
“Okay. I gotta wake up Bunny, but the birds will be in flight in thirty seconds.”
“Fasho.”
I feel Snow’s eyes burning a hole in the side of my head as I hang up and place my phone in the dashboard.
Yeah. I should have left my lady with the others. But it’s too late now. And she swear she Lady Luney, so it’s time to see how active she can get.
“You still can’t ask questions. And you can’t roll out this car. And before I say anything, Snow. You need to remember that while my track record a lil’ sketchy at worst, I would never intentionally put you in no shit.”
She folds her arms and snorts. We’re past the city limits now, with only the high beams of our car guiding us through the open desert.
It’s an eight hour drive from Northupton to Kenton, but I can make it in five and a half with no traffic like tonight.
The good news is, Slime and G wouldn’t come themselves, if they do decide to make a move tonight, which my gut is telling me.
The bad news is, Snow can’t fucking drive.
I know she can’t handle this gun in the back.
And I still got a fucking job to do regardless.
Mekhi and I are more cordial since it’s been years of a working relationship between us, but that nigga still won’t give a fuck I didn’t complete a job because of some get back from some shit he already passed judgment on.
Asa’s drones are locating and following us now, but who knows how long it’ll take Ingrid’s little ass to meet us, especially when I’m not slowing down until I get to the city.
“I’m listening.”
I shake my head, revving the gas as I strangle the steering wheel. “Get that case out the backseat and open it. Try not to–damn! Don’t knock me out with it!”
“I’m sorry!” she hisses, settling back in her seat. Her gasp filters through the car as she opens and gawks at the beauty in the case.
“Rico–”
“Load the clip and get that shit ready for me. Then I’ma pull over, and you finna drive. It’s a straight shot, and it ain’t even stick shift.”
“Rico–”
“Snow.” I glance at my woman, who’s white as a fucking ghost, and my heart sinks right along with my stomach. She hasn’t been chewing gum because of her headaches, and shit like this, high stress situations, I told myself I would keep her out of.
I pray I’m just being paranoid. I pray that my gut, something that has never failed me before, fails me now.
That I’m just tripping, and it’s residual feelings from the shaky truce Ty-Ty and I said we’d have for Reem’s big day, but he still ignored the family and then dipped out because, apparently, his date was sick.
But good coincidences don’t happen to niggas like me. And I can spend however long putting Snow back together if it means we make it home tonight.
With shaky hands, Snow begins assembling the machine gun. She’s quick and efficient, and even loads one into the chamber.
“Can I ask who the fuck is trying to kill us?” she lowly asks.
“It don’t matter who it is. I’m cutting they ass down even if it’s Nan.”
I pull onto the side of the road, and step out, rounding the car to Snow’s side. When I open the door, she steps out, leaving the monster of a gun on the dashboard.
She’s limp when I gather her in my arms, but it’s nothing for me to pinch her chin so she meets my gaze.
“Nothing finna happen to you, my baby. You not allowed to leave this world without my permission.”
Her fingers dig into my arms as she lifts to her toes to kiss me, tasting the conviction in my words. When she ends the kiss, I see the trust shining in her eyes again, and I know Lady Luney is ready for whatever.
My phone vibrates in the cupholder, so I let her go and she rounds the car to get in the driver’s seat. It’s Ingrid and Asa, so I answer immediately.
“Good news, Rico! I’m bright-eyed and bushy tailed! And heading your way!”
“Bad news; it’s a car going about ninety about to pass you. I looked up the plates, and they belong to a Keyvante Chabliss. His address is in the Birch Housing Projects.”
“Fasho. Can you see how many niggas is in the car?” I double check Snow’s work on the M250 and try not to laugh out loud at her not-so-silent prayer to keep us alive. She checks all her mirrors, then takes off her heels and adjusts the seat to her liking.
“I think only two or three. They started zooming and my drone lost them.”
Slime nor G are with them. Just like I thought. Now I feel a little lighter.
Yeah, it’s fuck Foe Dub, but that don’t mean I ever wanna actually kill one of my brothers. I don’t mind dodging shit while they in they feelings, tire them out and shit.
Though, coming at me while Snow is with me is a definite party foul that will be addressed expeditiously.
I hear the car coming, and just like Asa said, it zooms past us.
“Aight. Ingrid baby, hurry that ass up.”
Snow’s head snaps toward me, and I put my phone on speaker so she can hear her.
“I’m on my way,” she sings. “Ooo! I’m on speaker? Hiiiiiii Wynter Snow! See you soon!”