Page 105 of Maceo

“Titan isn’t really an outsider. I know his people.”

Titan smirked as he walked over to us. “I guess you’re stuck with me, princess.”

Mia glared at him. “I’d rather eat ass.”

She stormed away, leaving the rest of us shaking our heads. Titan pulled the blunt from behind his ear and lit it.

“Y’all’s sister is too damn uptight,” he said.

“Nah,” I said, shaking my head. “Mia has her faults, but if she doesn’t like you, it’s a reason.”

Smoke nodded. “Yeah. She doesn’t fuck with too many people to be having beef with anybody.”

Titan laughed. “I get it. That’s y’all sister. You’ve only had her a few years. I’ve known her practically her whole life. She ain’t innocent.”

“Maybe, but what did you do to her?” Deuce asked, pulling out his gun.

Titan looked down at it, then back to my brother before pulling out his own gun.

“This what we doing?” he asked, with the blunt hanging from his lips.

“It is what it is. Answer my question.”

Titan chuckled. “You don’t know your sister, my nigga. Not like I do. She might be able to play y’all for fools, but she and I both know what it really is. Furthermore, I’m not answering questions from another grown ass man about what me and my dick do.”

Deuce pointed the gun at his head. “Watch ya fucking mouth.”

“I’m not watching shit, and I’m not ducking no smoke. Mia’s grown like the rest of us. Trust me, your sister doesn’t need a savior. She wears those big girl panties very well, you feel me?”

Smoke pulled his gun out next. “The fuck you just say? Did you forget where you were? You gon’ fuck around and not be able to leave this compound. Don’t end up another missing face in the news.”

Titan laughed. “That’s a war you don’t want.”

“Just like you, we don’t duck no smoke.”

“All right, that’s enough!” my father snapped, coming over and pushing them apart. “Put the damn guns away. This isn’t the time for a dick swinging contest. We have shit to do.”

Deuce and Titan glared at each other, but both tucked their guns away.

“Don’t speak to or on my sister,” Deuce warned him.

“Please. Nobody is worried about Mia’s petty ass. Tellhernot to speak tome. She hates me, but she can’t keep her ass out of my space. Don’t let that fake shit fool you. And let me make onething clear. The next time you pull a gun on me, my nigga, you better be ready to bust that bitch.”

“You ain’t said shit but a word. I’m always down to shoot.”

Ms. Maddie came over and pulled Titan away. “Let me talk to you.”

“I don’t like that nigga,” Deuce said. “I’ma put a bullet in his ass before it’s all said and done.”

I shook my head. I could agree with him. There was something off about Titan. I could see the recklessness Ms. Maddie described. Here he was in a pack of wolves, all by himself, ready to show his ass with no fear in his heart. He might be a little crazy, and that seemed to be right up Mia’s lane.

“All right,” Pops said, pulling on his skull cap. “Load up. Nobody in that house or on those grounds walks away alive. Tonight is the beginning of the end of this shit.”

We all nodded in agreement. As we headed for the vans, I just hoped this shit didn’t backfire.

Thirty minuteslater

We leftthe main highway and veered off onto a backroad. The farm sat on five acres of land, all fenced in. The back road ran behind the property and was the perfect place to park. It was around eleven and pitch-black outside. The tall brush behind the house made it easy to conceal ourselves.

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