3. Something Old #2
Using my top teeth, I scraped my bottom lip.
When we were approached by the mob, my cousin immediately got hitched.
It wasn’t hard for him because he’d had a long-time girlfriend with whom he shared three children.
She’d been sad about having to move away from Diamond Cove because she loved the beach, but when she saw the crib my cousin bought for her, she was on the first flight out.
Now, she barely looked back and only returned to Diamond Cove when she had no choice, like for a funeral or wedding.
Kristi had turned into a bougie mob wife and fit in well with the other women.
Jagoda Bay had beautiful women. Hell, Diamond Cove had beautiful women, too.
I’d had my fair share of them from both cities and even some from the states in between.
I just couldn't give my last name to any woman, though. Fuck that. Carrying my last name meant you were carrying my damn dynasty. As gorgeous as the women I’d bedded were, I wasn’t into locking any of them down.
There were girls lined down the block ready to secure not only a baller but a mob nigga, and even though I had no qualms about spending a ticket on pussy, I was cautious about whom I brought into my world permanently.
“You the best tracker I done ever seen, Yak. It’s niggas that went to school for tech and coding with degrees to back it up, and their success rate isn’t nearly as good as yours.
That’s what you bring to my organization.
You can find muthafuckas that spend big money to never be found again.
Shit with yo cousin being the Hunter, you two could probably go to hell bring my bitch ass daddy back, and still make it back in time for ya next training.
Y'all are the best in the fucking business, and you mean to tell me the tracker can’t track down a hoe of his own? ”
Don looked genuinely frazzled, and if the situation weren’t so serious, I’d laugh.
Don had extended more grace than I could have asked for regarding me finding a wife.
What kept me under the radar was the Cuppacios being single.
Now that them niggas had found their ribs with the exception of Shio, I knew time was ticking.
“It’s like you niggas are allergic to in-house pussy.”
I wasn’t allergic; I actually preferred it.
I couldn’t wait for the day I had a woman to call home.
I wasn’t the type who glorified being a bachelor.
My grandmother raised us to be providers and protectors, and before her, my father did that since Hunter’s daddy died from a brain aneurysm before he could walk.
I was born to please, provide, and protect, which is why I couldn’t just marry anybody.
“I’m on it, Don.”
He jutted his chin at the door.
“Not on it. I need you in it. I’m tum bout innniiit. Head first. Scroll through your phone and do Eenie Meenie Miney Moe. Ion care, do something. Why you got sandy hair and eyes and shit if you can't grab a bitch with them?You niggas don’t know how to use ya physical attributes.”
Standing, I chuckled, “With or without the hair, I’d still knock down the most unavailable.
” I spoke truthfully. Did women gravitate toward me because of the uniqueness of my features?
Absolutely. If I didn't have them, would that stop me? Never. Everyone in my family had light brown hair, and Hunter had even passed it down to his children. Goldens, as my granny called us, because our hair was more gold than blonde. My grandmother dyed hers when I was a kid, claiming blonde and grey didn’t mesh well.
Other than that, it was a trait that no one had been able to escape from in the Valor lineage.
“Yeah, aite.”
Pushing through the soundproof conference room, the sound of Slot Machines signaled that money was being lost. It was early in the day, so the Dungeon wasn’t as crowded as usual, but there were still some muthafuckas gambling, including Hunter.
His ignorant ass was on the penny machine, causing me to shake my head as I stood next to him.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and since it was on the right side, I pulled it out to answer.
I normally wouldn’t touch my phone in the Dungeon because privacy was a priority.
There were men and women here who had no business being here and could lose everything if it got out.
But the phone was my personal one, and not many had that line.
Seeing my grandmother’s picture appear, I answered.
“How you doing, beautiful?”
Hunter had been focused on losing, but hearing my greeting had his brow shoot up.
“Umm humm. Now I’m beautiful?”
“You’ve always been beautiful,” I grinned.
My cousin’s expression deepened as he mouthed Who is that? He knew I didn’t talk on the phone like that. I didn’t cake at all. Most I’d do was exchange a few texts to get my nut off and keep it pushing.
“Well, looks ain’t everything. Me being beautiful ain’t make you get on the plane and come see me.”
“I know. I’ll do it soon. You get that bread I sent you?”
My cousin cocked his head and mouthed you tricking while still hitting the button on the machine.
“Yes I got the money but I still need to see you. I miss you, Zodiac.”
“Yeah, I miss you too.”
She got a friend? Hunter loved Kristi a lot, but a new city meant new women.
He wasn’t ready to get married but had to do it to secure his spot in the mob.
Since Kristi had had his first child and had been his woman for years, he felt it was only right to marry her.
He loved Kristi, but two years later, and with two additional kids, Hunter still wasn’t ready to settle down.
He was respectful about his relationships.
He didn’t have full-fledged girlfriends on the side.
He just had casual sex now and then and kept it moving.
I tried to get that nigga to be faithful, but Hunter was who he was.
We’d gone on more two men missions than I could count.
“I want you to come see me now and that’s an order not a request, Zodi!”
Hunter was still mouthing shit like how the friend look and what she shaped like . Nigga had a whole fine ass wife at home, but didn’t give not one fuck.
“Hunter with me, too. He tryna come.”
I’m not fucking if the friend ugly! He mouthed before taking the phone himself.
“Look, your friend better be bad if I’m coming through, and if she runs her mouth back to my wife, that's her life.”
I was already cracking the fuck up, as he was rattling shit off. When his face fell, I was no more good.
“Awl damn moma! I didn’t know this was you. I thought this was… no I was…I was playing… Moma don’t do no fake ass shit like that! Ain’t nobody cheating on Kristi! Nawl I’m not at a casino! Bye, Moma.”
My stomach was cramping from laughing so hard.
“Hey, Granny,” I was still laughing while Hunter had hopped up from the machine in a huff.
“I knew y’all moving to Tennessee was a bad-ass idea.
I can’t wait till Kristi leaves his ass.
I told him to leave her a long time ago, but no, he was too whipped.
Now he’s married with kids and still can't keep his lil hot dog in his pants. Bring y’all’s asses!
I saw some flights boarding in the next three hours.
Y’all can make it before these pot of neck bones is ready.
Hunter ain’t getting shit! I knew I shouldn’t have named him that.
That damn negro always hunting for something. Damn dog.”
“You fake as hell fool.” Hunter shook his head.
“Ima look into it, Granny.”
“Y’all better be on that damn plane when it lands!
I been trying to get you here for months, so obviously that should tell you I need to tell ya something!
And I ain’t picking ya up from the airport.
Well, I’ll get you, but that uncle of yours gotta get on them four legs and walk. I love you, Zodi.”
“I love you too.”
Disconnecting the line as we walked through the dungeon, I was still laughing when we made it outside. Hunter had driven his S550 Benz to the meeting, so I got in the passenger seat.
“I should lock yo ass out,” he huffed as he lit the blunt he’d left in the cup holder.
“It ain’t my fucking fault you always tryna fuck on something.”
“Nigga I cheat once every blue moon. You and Moma forever on my ass like you ain’t out here fucking hoes too.”
“That’s cuz you ain’t me nigga. You not single. You got a family, and it doesn’t matter if you cheat once every ten years, that shit still hurts that girl the same.”
“She shol get unhurt when it's time for her to spend some money tryna keep up with don ‘nem wives. Kristi is living the fucking life; she’d better pipe down.”
The weed smoke filled the air with a fruity funk, but I passed on it, especially since we were about to board a flight.
I needed to stay clear-headed to get through Jagoda Bay’s busy and crowded airport.
I wasn’t planning on leaving the city, but what’s all this money for if a nigga can’t come and go as he pleases?
My granny was my number one lady, and if she wanted to love on me and feed me, I was showing up.
The last time I saw her was at Thanksgiving, when she came down and hosted it at Hunter’s house.
That was months ago.She’d been constantly calling for me to come see her, and even though she claimed she wanted to tell me something, I knew she just wanted me in her space.
“That’s gone be you getting left.”
Hunter pulled from the blunt, letting the potency fill his lungs.
“And as soon as she try to leave, ima eat that pussy so fast. She’s gonna forget a nigga had cheated to begin with.”