Page 63 of Maceo

I cackled as I stood to my feet, prepared to give her the dance of her life. Tonight was for us, so I had to put Charity, Blane, and anything dealing with the two of them out of my thoughts.

Loud bangingon my bedroom door jerked me out of my sleep. If I wasn’t home, I would have grabbed my gun. Next to me, Shar bolted upright.

“What the fuck!” she groaned.

“Bring yo’ stupid ass outta the fucking room!” Deuce bellowed. “Both of y’all!”

I fell back against the pillows. I didn’t have to guess what this was about.

“Let’s get this shit over with,” I mumbled, tossing back the covers.

“I’m cursing him out, Maceo. And we’re changing the fucking locks.”

She angrily tossed back the covers on her side and rolled out of bed. We’d been up until almost four o’clock this morning after she got home from the club with Salima, so I knew she was tired. After making ourselves presentable, we left the bedroom andwent downstairs. Smoke and Steel sat on the couch, both looking like they, too, had been woken from their sleep.

“Deuce, it’s eight in the fucking morning!” Shar yelled.

“I know what time it is. Sit y’all asses down.”

“Baby, just sit down,” I said calmly. “The quicker he gets his rant over, the quicker we can go back to bed.”

Deuce laughed, but there surely wasn’t anything funny. “Oh, so this muthafucka wants to be nonchalant? Y’all wanna know what your stupid ass brother and his equally stupid ass girlfriend have been up to?” he asked Smoke and Steel.

They both sighed and sleepily motioned for him to continue.

“He took a contract with another organization and took her ass with him.”

Both my brothers sat up.

“I know you fucking lying,” Smoke said. “What the hell, Maceo?”

I knew he was just as pissed, if not more pissed than Deuce. I was close with all my siblings, but I was closest to him, simply because we shared the same mother and father. It was the same way with Steel and Jaeda. When the others were with their parents, he was always there.

“Look, it’s over,” I said, sitting down on the couch.

“You fuckin’ right it’s over,” Deuce said, slapping the side of my head. “If Pops hadn’t ended your contract, I would have. You lucky he said I couldn’t sit your ass down for going against the family.”

I found myself in his face before I could think about it. “Nigga, I never went against the family. Fuck is you talking about? That’s your problem, Stanley. You think you can lil’ boy everybody like you run them. You can do that with other muthafuckas, but I’m your brother. You ain’t better than me.”

“Baby…” Shar said, grabbing my arm.

“Nah, let him talk, Sharina,” Deuce said, shoving me. “Better than you, my nigga? Who’s with me on every mission? Before Salima, who was the first person to know anything I had going on? You! You’re my brother… my best friend… myfuckingequal. The only person that outranks anybody is my seed. How are you gonna tell Pops you’re my do boy? You feel disposable? What the fuck we gon’ do without you, Maceo?

“I should light your ass up for even letting that stupid shit come outta your mouth. You out here working with niggas you don’t know and can’t be sure if they really have your back. What if they turned on you? What if they kill you? Do you know what that would do to me? Having to bury my blood? Then you brought Shar into it.”

He turned to Shar, taking her arm and yanking her to him. There was anger, hurt, and disappointment in his eyes.

“If something happened to you, do you know what that would do to my wife? That would kill her, Sharina. It wouldkillher. You ain’t just my brother’s woman or her best friend. You’re her sister. My baby’s auntie and godmother. What are they gonna do without you? How would I explain your death to your parents and siblings? Y’all ain’t thinking!”

He let her go and pulled a blunt from his pocket, sparking it up. Everybody was quiet as he took two long pulls from it before speaking again.

“Bottom line, we are family. Pops put me in charge, but this ain’t my shit. I’m following orders like the rest of y’all. If anybody shares Maceo’s sentiments and wants to step up and do more, please… be my guest. Until then, get outta your damn feelings and fall the fuck in line. We ain’t having this conversation again. If I find out any one of y’all on some secret shit after this, I’m throwing hands next time. And if you really piss me off, you gon’ get one of these bullets.”

He brushed past me, bumping me hard as he walked out the door and slammed it shut. Mere seconds passed before the door opened, and he walked back in and over to me.

“Bring your stupid ass here,” he snapped, pulling me in for a hug.

Just like that, it was over. He wasn’t gonna drag it out. There wouldn’t be any beef between us. He said what he said, and that was it.

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