Page 37 of Maceo

“I want you to be smart about this woman. Something isn’t right about her. All week long, she didn’t have anywhere to go. Now, a day after you put her up, it’s a nigga spending money on her? And it wasn’t a little bit of money either. Everything on her was designer.”

“Well, maybe the nigga is a trick, Shar. I don’t know, and I don’t care.”

“He didn’t look like a trick when he met her for lunch.”

I laughed. “So tricks look a certain type of way?”

She glared at me. “See, you’re playing in my face, and I’m about to get mad.”

“You came in here with your face all balled up and coming at me with an accusatory tone. I thought you were already mad.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Maceo… I want you to stay away from that bitch. If she needs something and you feelsocompelled to help, send one of the other guys. But you alone with her again? Fuck no. If she tries to fuck you, she’s gonna be more than homeless. She’s gonna be dead.”

I tried not to smile when she said that. My baby didn’t play about me, and I for damn sure didn’t play about her.

“I hear you, baby.”

“You better. I don’t trust her, and I don’t know why, but my intuition of bitches is never wrong.”

I simply nodded. “Are you over being mad at me?”

“I wasn’t mad at you.” She slumped over to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. “I just didn’t like the way that shit made me feel. I haven’t had to deal with a bitch coming to me as a woman about you, and I don’t want it to start.”

I dropped my bag and lifted her into my arms. She wrapped her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck.

“You know something?”

“What?” she asked.

“You’re a fucking brat.” She thumped the side of my head, and I laughed. “It’s cool, though. I like my women a little obsessed with me.”

“Boy, bye! Nobody is obsessed with you.”

“You would live in my skin if you could, and I’d let you.”

She smiled. “I just… I love you, Maceo. This wasn’t supposed to turn into what it is, but now that we have it, I don’t want to lose it.”

“I ain’t going nowhere, mama.”

“Better not. I’ll make my daddy and brothers jump your ass. If I’m really feeling froggy, me and my mama will join in too. Make that shit a family affair. And you better not fight back.”

I shook my head. “So you expect me to just get my ass beat?”

“Precisely.”

I walked her over to the couch and tossed her on it. She let out an obnoxious laugh as she sat up.

“Where are you going?”

“I have a mission with the family. I’ll be gone a couple of days. We leave in a few hours.”

She poked out her lip. “Okay.”

“Don’t look like that.”

“I just got used to doing missions with you. You’re about to go have fun without me.”

“You think this shit is fun?”

---