Page 40 of Karrington

“I can’t talk about it.” He brushed past us all, and we followed him to his bedroom.

“Fuck you mean you can’t talk about it?” Beethoven repeated.

“Exactly what I said. I can’t talk about it.”

“Aight, everybody calm down,” Asylum said. “Are you in danger?”

Bully’s head shook as he grabbed his duffel bag. “No, not really. It’s a long story and I don’t really have time to discuss it. I owe Rocco a favor and he’s calling it in. If I don’t do it, then he will come after me and my family, and y’all know I’m not going to let that happen.”

“What about the wedding?” Merc asked.

Bully’s shoulders slouched. His head shook as he grabbed clothes out of his drawers. “She called it off.”

“Until when?” I asked, because I knew how things could play out when your woman found out about a lifestyle you tried to hide from her. Me and Luna Ray were proof of that.

He shrugged. “Until she can get over what I told her earlier. That might not ever happen, and I can’t think about it right now. I have to make sure she and my baby will be safe. After I do this favor, I can try and salvage our relationship.”

We all remained silent as he packed. I don’t think any of us knew what to say. As he headed out, I asked, “What can I do? Maybe I can go to Rocco on your behalf for a sit down.”

“Stay out of it, brother. I got myself into this, and I’m going to get myself out.” His hand covered the doorknob, and he looked back at us. “Y’all look after my girl. I’m going to try and be back before she goes into labor but if I’m not…”

“We got you,” Asylum assured him quickly.

We all gave him brotherly hugs before he left. Moments of silence passed before Merc asked, “What thefuckjust happened?”

One Week Later

Days before the Ceremony…

We’d finally heardthe baby’s heartbeat today. She was twelve weeks pregnant, and I was excited about the journey ahead. Eyela wasn’t really showing. More than anything, her stomach was harder. That didn’t stop me from keeping my hands on her belly. I couldn’t believe we actually had a baby in there. As happy as I was about our future, I was concerned about my brother.

Innvy would be going into labor soon. We were going to be there for her, but she wanted her man, and I understood that. Regardless of if she called the wedding off or not, Innvy wanted Bully, and I felt like a failure because I couldn’t bring him back to her. Regardless of how many times Eyela and Ma told me that wasn’t my responsibility, it didn’t matter.

The ceremony was in just a few days, and Bully wasn’t here. I had no intentions of replacing him. If that meant I wouldn’thave an underboss temporarily, so be it. A part of me considered bringing Beethoven in as a temporary replacement, but that felt like I was giving up on Bully, and I couldn’t do that. Even without the details, I trusted he knew what he was doing and that he’d come back home soon.

We still had no leads on who ordered the hit on Pops, but I was at peace. We had so many enemies it could have been anyone. On a brighter side, when Cocaine’s father found out who was responsible for his son’s death and why, he made the right call to not retaliate. The last thing he wanted was a war with my family and Eyela’s. Caesar was old school and would do whatever it took to protect his daughter, especially now that she was pregnant.

Cocaine’s brother apparently didn’t get the message and tried to handle things himself. He wasn’t able to even pull his piece and aim it at me before Blaze had taken him out, proving that I’d made the right call choosing him as my new enforcer.

When my team was in place, things would be crazy for a little while because of the adjustments but then they’d mellow out. When they did, I wouldn’t have to be active at all. It would then be my duty to make decisions, find new business endeavors, and ensure all teams ran smoothly. The timing would be perfect since Eyela was pregnant. By the time she gave birth, things should be running a bit more smoothly.

“Aye, Boss!” Adam called. “Your people are coming through.”

Since I wasn’t expecting anyone, I sat up. When Uncle Pete and Bosco rounded the corner, I immediately pulled Eyela behind me. It was sad that I didn’t trust my own family, but with how things ended the last time we saw each other, I didn’t trust the random pop up visit.

“Wassup, cuz?” Bosco spoke with a grin.

“Why are you hiding your wife? I haven’t seen her pretty little self since the wedding.”

“Because I don’t trust you. What are y’all doing here?”

Uncle Pete’s face covered with what looked like genuine concern. “Wow, I’m insulted, nephew. We stopped by because we heard the ceremony is this week. With how things ended the last time we saw each other, we wanted to see if we could work something out.”

“I’m not discussing this in my home or around my wife, but we can meet somewhere else and talk. However, if you’re expecting my answer to change about replacing you, we don’t have to waste our time.”

Pete’s head tilted. “I will accept you replacing me. All I ask is that you let it be my son. I heard Bully is MIA. You need a new underboss anyway. Be fair. Give that title to who it belongs to.” He slapped his son’s back and gripped his shoulder. “Your cousin. He needs to be underboss.”

Releasing a long sigh, I gripped Eyela’s thigh as she scooted forward and pressed her body into me. Her hands dug into the sides of my shirt.

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