Page 20 of Rocky

Noel was a new club member, having joined about four months ago. He’d quickly proved himself useful to Mayhem, and Semiyon took him under his wing. When he found out his cousin was being abused, Semiyon was his first call.

“We don’t give verbal warnings anymore?” Joe questioned.

“Noel, show him the pictures.”

Noel took out his phone, pressing and swiping the screen a few times before giving it to Joe. As soon as Joe’s eyes landed on the first picture, he frowned. His expression became angrier with each picture he saw.

“Shit! Was this nigga trying to kill her?” he asked.

“So, you understand why I had to do what I had to do?” I questioned.

“I’m surprised you didn’t kill the nigga.”

“Like I told Russ, that’s still a possibility. It depends on how he moves moving forward.”

“My bad for questioning you, but you realize you’ve started a war, right?” Joe continued.

“It’s possible, but I don’t think the Riders want to go down that road. We have more members, more resources, and the police force on our side. It wouldn’t be wise of them,” I said.

“Hold on,” Pastor Marvin, our chaplain, said. “Did y’all forget we don’t war with other clubs? Mayhem ain’t about that life anymore. It’s been over a decade since the last time we had an open conflict with another club. Our purpose now is to build the community, not tear it down.”

“While I agree with you, Pastor, we do what needs to be done. If the Riders want smoke, we’ll light the match,” Russell said.

“The match was lit when you beat the shit out of one of theirs. It’s only a matter of time,” Joe acknowledged.

“I suggest we get ready,” I replied.

Everyone agreed, and we moved on to our administrative tasks. An hour later, the meeting was adjourned, but the thought of a war brewing was heavy on my mind.

“Why have you been avoiding Rocky?”Rosemary asked.

“What makes you think I’m avoiding him?”

“Because Daisy has been picking Briar up before coming to work for the past week. What’s going on?”

“Nothing is going on, and I’m not avoiding Rocky. Mother’s Day is coming up and?—”

“Save it, sis. If you can’t be honest, don’t say anything.”

I shrugged off the conversation and focused on the arrangement I was working on. The bell above the door chimed, gaining her attention. I wasn’t surprised to see Briar enter, but I wasn’t expecting the person behind him.

“Hey, Mom. Titi Daisy let Mr. Rocky bring me.” He hugged my waist before allowing me to kiss his forehead.

“Oh really? Were you on his bike or in a car?”

“In a truck. Mr. Rocky said he can’t take me on his bike again.”

“Where’s Titi Daisy?”

He shrugged. “Maybe she went home.”

“Why didn’t—You know what? Never mind. Go in the back and play your game. I’ll be ready to go home in a little while.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow, Mr. Rocky.”

“Later, Briar.”

“Hey, what’s Briar—oh. Hey, Rocky. We were just talking about you. Did Briar come with you?” Rosemary asked when she came from the back.

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