Chapter 17 Adore
Since Love was always the one doing stuff around the house and I was occupying their space, I decided to cook for them tonight.
Love had texted and told me she would be home once she picked their son up, and Hollow hadn’t said anything.
What I was really doing was trying to get my brother full so he could take his ass to sleep and not mind my business when I left to chill with Whodie.
I had the table set when Love and my nephew walked in the door.
“Adore, you didn’t have to do all of this.”
“I’m in your house. It’s the least I can do for y’all.”
Love looked at me funny. “What are you really trying to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Adore, you are not being nice for nothing. Not to your brother anyway.”
“I need to see Whodie, and I need my brother to mind his business,” I told her.
Right as she was about to talk, Hollow walked in, cutting our conversation short. My nephew ran right into his arms. He must’ve sensed we were talking about him because he focused on us after kissing my nephew.
“Y’all in here talkin’ ‘bout me?” Hollow asked.
“No,” Love said.
“Yes, y’all was. Especially Adore’s ass. Her ass looks guilty.”
“Ain’t nobody talking about you,” I replied.
“Aight well, I got someone here to see you.”
“Who?”
Whodie walked in the door with stress all over his face. I hadn’t seen him in over a week. I ran straight into his arms and kissed him.
“Can I eat before y’all do all that?” Hollow asked.
I rolled my eyes but didn’t let go of Whodie right away. I missed my nigga. Whodie’s arms tightened around me like he wasn’t letting go anytime soon.
“I’m dead ass serious,” Hollow added. “I’m hungry as fuck, and I don’t want that ruined watching my sister slob a nigga down.”
Whodie kissed me one more time before letting me down but kept his hand around my waist as we headed to the dining room.
“I didn’t know you were coming, Whodie, so let me set you a spot at the table,” I told him.
“Yeah, ‘cause he looks like shit. Nigga ain’t ate since you got locked up,” Hollow joked.
As we all sat and ate, we had regular conversation while my nephew was at the table. Once he was done and Love took him to get him settled for the evening, I noticed Whodie hadn’t eaten much. He wasn’t himself. He just kept looking at Hollow.
“Y’all want to tell me why the fuck y’all keep looking at each other like that?” I asked both of them.
“We got a problem.”
I dropped my fork. “We always got a fucking problem. What is it now?”
“I went and got shit shakin’ at the traps.
All the trap houses are cleared. Only one store is cleared, but they are watching the other stores.
I bought everyone new phones. It was a nigga that wasn’t buyin’ into what I was tryin’ to do.
I’m assumin’ ‘cause it wasn’t from you, he wasn’t respectin’ shit I had to say. ”
“Who was it?” I asked.
“That big nigga, you call Nate.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to him.”
“No need. The nigga dead,” Whodie said.
“What? That is not what I need right now.” I put my head in my hands.
“It’s cleaned out,” Hollow added.
“So, you knew?” I looked at my brother.
“Did you forget that I work with the 239 Boyz? Just kno’ the shit is clean. Gon’ and finish, Whodie.”
“It’s more?”
“I got a call today from an unknown number. They knew a lot ‘bout me and you. Wanted me to tell you that this is only the beginning.”
My heart felt like it stopped.
“Somebody setting me up?” I looked at Hollow.
“That’s what we got to figure out. That shit is bigger than we thought, though,” Hollow said.
“Whoever the nigga is is I’ his information from one of yo’ boys. I just gotta figure out which one so I’ve been feedin’ different information to different muthafuckas.”
“Why the fuck does it gotta be one of my boys?” I asked.
“Trust, I’m testin’ my niggas too,” Whodie reassured me.
“Adore, this yo’ shit. What do you want us to do?” Hollow asked.
I looked between them. “We find out who’s talking.”
“And we find out?” Whodie asked.
“End it.”
“Nope, that’s still not leading us to the muthafucka that called you earlier. We need fuckin’ answers,” Hollow said.
My gut was telling me again that it was Sosa. I know Hollow had told me he was dead, but I still didn’t believe the shit.
“I need Sosa’s death certificate to see who signed it,” I said, and Hollow looked at me. “I know you told me he was dead, but I need more details. When you have money like he did, there’s no telling what kind of shit you’ll pull.”
“It’s been years though, Adore. You don’t think if that man wanted his shit back, he would’ve been came and taken it?”
“Hollow, use your resources, please!”
“Aight.” He threw his hands up.
Whodie stood up slowly and I followed. His eyes were tired, and his hair was untamed.
“You haven’t been sleeping,” I told him.
“Neither have you.”
“You staying tonight. It’s already late.”
“Fuck no!” Hollow yelled from the kitchen.
“Hollow,” Love pushed him.
“I’m serious,” he said. “Y’all already hot as fuck. Him postin’ up here only gonna make the shit worse.”
“I’m not asking,” I told him.
“And I ain’t leavin’. If I leave, she’s leavin’ wit’ me,” Whodie said.
“Y’all muthafuckas givin’ me grey hairs. Listen, if anything pops off, both of y’all listenin’ to me. No bullshit ‘cause my family here,” Hollow told us.
“Bet,” Whodie replied.
“Oh, and don’t smoke in my house. Go out by the pool and blow. And park that hot ass truck in my garage ‘cause I kno’ they got people watchin’ my house,” Hollow said before going upstairs.
The last thing either of us wanted right now was to smoke. We took a shower together and laid in bed while he rubbed my head. Both were caught up in our own thoughts.
“What you thinkin’ ‘bout?”
“How I don’t want to do this anymore,” I said bluntly.
“You in the thick of it. This comes wit’ it.”
“I know, but once this is all over, I’m done. You can have it.”
“Adore, if I’m still in the game, that doesn’t exempt you from harm. You kno’ that, right?”
“Well, you get out too. We can hand that shit over to somebody else.”
“Man, can we talk ‘bout this shit at another time? I ain’t seen you in forever.”
I let it go for now. The time we had together was most important. There was no telling when this shit would get snatched away from us.