Chapter 17
CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
Jawan
Fuckin’ RJ. How the fuck I let his clown ass catch me slipping? Naw the better question is why wasn’t I notified that he had even left Mexico? I had my people down there and they were supposed to have eyes on him at all times.
It felt like I got hit by a semi-truck. At this moment I was grateful that I put on my vest this morning.
Normally when I come to the shop, I’m naked because niggas ain’t crazy enough to fuck with me, but I had a weird feeling when I was getting dressed.
Although the vest saved me, my arm is burning like a muhfucka, so I know I got hit.
Right now, I’m laying here trying to get myself together with Tio screaming in my face for me to get up and laying on top of me. At first, I was playing the part because I heard the sirens in the background, but she’s literally about to have a panic attack.
“Baby I can smell all them onions you ate today, got damn,” I said to her and turned my nose up as I sat up.
“Jawan! What the fuck baby? You scared the shit out of me!”
She hugged my neck tight as shit. Feeling her tears soak my shirt made my chest tight and suddenly my arm didn’t hurt as bad.
This muhfucka really tried me while I had my family with me.
Not only is my wife hysterical but my girls are going crazy, too.
Pulling back a little, I looked my wife in her eyes and my heart broke. She was legit terrified.
“I thought I lost you,” she said in my ear, barely above a whisper.
From the day that I met her I promised myself and her that she would never be in harm's way and I failed her. “I was so fuckin’ scared,” she continued to cry. By now the EMS had pulled up and made their way towards us. The medic grabbed her arm attempting to make her release me.
“Aye, my nigga get the fuck off her, aight? I got her,” I snapped with an attitude. “Baby go check on the girls, I’m good. Stop all this crying, I ain’t going nowhere. You know that.”
I wiped her tears. I know she was scared, and part of me felt like it wasn’t fair to ask her not to cry, but I needed her to maintain her strong front in front of these muhfuckas because truthfully, I didn’t know who to trust right now.
“Sir we need to get you to the hospital,” the medic stated. I shook my head from side to side.
“Naw, I ain’t going to no hospital.”
I let my eyes roam the crowd 'til they fell on Shad. He gave me a subtle nod letting me know that he had already hit the doctor that we had on payroll. The last thing I needed to be doing was answering questions to some fuckin’ cops, and that’s exactly what I had to look forward to at the hospital.
Tiomi must’ve overheard me refusing the medical care because she made her way back over to me with Jalae in her arms.
“Why aren’t you going to the hospital, Grim?” her annoyance was evident on her face as she lifted my daughter a little in her arms.
“Because I said I’m not. Get the girls and let go straight home. Rex and Dirk will follow you. I’ll be there as soon as I’m done handling something,” I replied, and her eyes immediately narrowed.
“Handling something? You were just shot. In front of me and our fuckin’ kids. Are you fucking serious right now?”
“Tiomi I need you to do what I’m asking you to do baby, don’t fight me on this.”
“You know what, fuck it. Go ahead and handle whatever business is more important than your family, Jawan Jones. You’d better just hope we’re still there when you get there.”
With that she turned and walked away. I watched her strap the girls in the car and drive off. I couldn’t deal with whether she would be there or not when I got home. There aren’t many places that she can actually be other than home.
Once the paramedic concluded that I wasn't going with them, he backed off. Shad and Darren made their way over and helped me into Shad’s car where we rode in silence to Doc’s house.
The wound wasn’t as bad as I originally thought and I’m grateful that the bullet went all the way through.
After a few stitches and prescription, we were out just as fast as we came.
Again, we were riding in silence because I needed to see how I was gone handle this nigga. Regardless of my ill feelings, he’s part of the cartel and those are issues that I don't want or need. Shad had sparked a blunt and passed to me, and a nigga needed it.
“Bruh I know you pissed right now because I am. In all the years that we’ve done this, we ain’t never been caught lacking.
As bad as I know you wanna go after that nigga right now I can’t let you.
You gotta go home and make sure your wife is good.
She sounded so fucked up when she called me G.
She had me thinking you were dead, too, with the way she was carrying on.
I can’t let my sis go out like that. I’m 'bout to take you home.”
“I can’t believe that I’m saying this, but I agree with Shad, Jawan. You need to go and make sure your family is good. You didn’t hear how she sounded when she made that call to Star.”
I knew they were right. I needed to make sure my girls were good, but the anger in me had me putting that on the back burner.
“Rashad if you take me home, I’ma get in my own whip to handle my shit.
These incompetent muhfuckas let this nigga sneak me.
It coulda been worse. My fuckin’ wife coulda been hurt.
Or one of my fuckin’ kids. Naw I’m not letting that shit slide.
Somebody gone die. A bullet for every tear they cried tonight. ”
“Nigga nobody is asking you to let that shit go. I’m asking you to be smart and not lose your family. You saw the look in Tiomi’s eyes when she left nigga, she not playing with you bro’.”
We were pulling into my driveway now, and if honest my feelings still hadn’t changed. I was itching to kill somebody. When the car stopped Shad looked in my direction.
“Go inside bro’, check on Tiomi and your kids.”
Again, my feelings hadn’t changed. My mind was made up.
The moment I reached for the door handle, Dirk coming out of my house with two bags in his hand caught my attention.
Tio followed him out carrying Lae in one hand and holding Rae’s hand with her other.
My heart dropped into my stomach. I didn’t even say shit to Shad and Darren, I just hopped out the car and made my way towards my family.
“Tiomi, baby what are you doing? You see how late it is? Where the hell you taking the girls?”
When she looked in my direction, I could see that she was still crying, and a nigga felt like shit. When I went to grab her, she moved out of my reach.
“I’m leaving, Jawan. What does it look like?”
Looking in Dirk’s direction, I said, “Aye, bro’, take the girls inside for me for a second, let me holla at my wife.”
Of course, Tiomi being Tiomi she wouldn’t let the kids go, until she looked at me and she saw the look I was giving her.
Rolling her eyes, she released both the girls.
Once they disappeared into the house, we just stood there staring at each other.
The tears had started back flowing, and again I felt like shit.
“Why you trying to leave me, baby?”
“I can’t do this, Jawan.”
“Do what, Tiomi?”
“THIS! You were shot and you’re acting like it was nothing. Our fuckin’ kids were like five feet away!”
“Got damn, Tiomi, you act like a nigga scheduled an appointment to get shot. I was caught off guard just like yo’ ass was.
I’m wrong because my reaction wasn’t what you wanted it to be?
I’m a street nigga through and through. The fact is that this isn’t the first time I’ve gotten shot and it probably won’t be the last. You knew what it was when we got together. ”
“No what I know is when we got together you promised me that I would never be in harm's way. That you would never let anything happen to me and our child.”
“And did I lie?” I started to walk in her direction.
When I was close enough, I closed her in my arms. “Look, baby I’m sorry, aight?
” I grabbed her face in both my hands and kissed her lips.
“I’m so fuckin’ sorry. Do you know how I felt when I saw and heard y’all crying?
The level of anger that was brewing inside me is unexplainable.
I wanted to kill everything in sight. I still do, but I gotta make sure y’all good first.” She hugged my torso tighter.
“Stay home, Jawan, please. I need you. We need you. Please baby.”
I hugged her tighter and kissed the top of her head. Hearing her beg me tugged at my heart strings. I needed to stay here and get my family situated.
“Yeah, baby. I’m not going anywhere. Come on, let’s go get the girls together.”
I released her from my embrace and grabbed her hand so I could lead her into the house. When we got inside both of the girls were sleep in the play pen in our den, thank God.
“Aye, Dirk I appreciate it my nigga, I’ll have something for both you and tomorrow.”
I dapped him up and walked him out so I could lock the door and set the alarm. I made my rounds downstairs to make sure everything was good before heading upstairs where I found the girls in the bathroom.
“Why you wake them up, baby? I was gone try to get some pussy.”
Tio just looked back at me and rolled her eyes. I wasn't lying though, I needed to slide in her badly, but now Lae lil' cock blockin’ ass is up. I left her to the girls so I could go ahead and shower. I also needed to pop one of these pills because my arm was hurting like a bitch right now.
I struggled undressing a little, but my girl had done enough, and she was tied up with my shorties, so disrupting her wasn’t an option. After I finally stripped out of my clothes, I hopped in the shower allowing the water to just run from my head to my feet.