Page 30 of Truth

“Oh, I like it too.”

I chuckled when Teenie came by one day with some medical tea shit fromBells and Bliss. My baby wanted to get lit but passed up on the blunt. I had it. She just couldn’t smoke it unless I rolled it.

“Less on that tea,” I mumbled.

In fact, all she did was sleep. Any other time, she’d walk right by me in my own crib and wouldn’t even speak. I took her cards away and her cell phone too. I lied and told her she must have dropped it. I had it. That next morning while she was in the shower, I had a new cell phone delivered. Said she wanted her old one, but fuck that.

“Emric, you can’t have your way all the time, but since you’re being bullheaded, I ordered some things for her.”

“Like what?”

My brows lifted. I swear in no time she’d recruited Aunty My to become my number one enemy if it gave her access to a nigga.That phone was hers but I made Alix mirror all communications so I could see her bitch and complain... then intervene if I thought she was about to do something crazy as fuck. She should move on, but that didn’t mean it could be with anyone. I had to have that nigga vetted. That was the price she had to pay for giving me that good pussy. I’d had plenty over the years but her green, young ass had me addicted. I didn’t wash my dick off all day after the last time she allowed me to make love to her.

“Her pottery. Did you know she likes to make pottery like vases and miniature pieces?” She leaned closer, her face filled with excitement. “She’s good too. Saw a few photos. You’ve been so busy with the annual race fundraiser that you didn’t even notice we’d set up the loft upstairs. Maybe then she’ll come out of that room and join the land of the living. Her kiln is coming… hopefully today.”

I felt like shit. She’d caught an attitude, so I caught one too. I was only trying to be a real nigga and save her ass from grief by fucking with me. I won’t lie. I did miss that mean energy she filled the atmosphere with. It was a front because underneath all of that was a broken, stubborn soul like mine. Germ hadn’t told me much about her dating history, but he told me enough. She pretty much had been married to her career as a firefighter and her dumb ass cat. For now, it was best I kept my distance. We both were fucked up in the head.

“She’s living whether she comes out or not.”

Shit, she was the only woman besides Gen to even sleep in my crib. Auntie My swatted at me then pointed upstairs where the guest room Merci occupied was.

“Have the sense God gave you and at least speak. I’m sick of you two. Honestly, I need a break from all of you. Enrietta is probably rolling over in her grave. I have you pretending you’re not falling for a woman you kidnapped, Brick’s getting into squabbles because Eriqua cut him off, and Alix…”

She threw her hands up.

“I have no clue what’s going on with Alix, but he’s finding his way. Let him. Remember, he hasn’t seen what you and Elias have seen.”

I snickered. Brick would have a fit if he heard her call him Elias. He stayed suspended from school whenever the kids in class teased him about his name.

“Laugh all you want straight to her room. Now go!”

“Auntie…” I drawled then shoved my hands in my pockets. I felt she was sonning me like I was a little boy.

I ran an entire club, helped provide for my siblings, still put money on Beast’s books, and took care of our community. Sleep was a commodity I rarely enjoyed and hadn’t from a quality perspective in a while, and definitely not since Merci was under my roof.

“Emric, baby. If you’re running because you think you don’t deserve love or won’t be good at it, stop. I hear you… all this propaganda about keeping her safe, but the lie you keep telling will run her off. Face her.”

“I can’t right now. I need to focus. I’ll holler at her when I come back, alright? You coming out there?”

“That would be rude since my new niece can’t,” she jested.

I wasn’t fucking with Auntie My. I know what me and Merci did was something that should have never happened, but that didn’t mean it had to happen again or that we needed to take it further.

Let her enjoy her pottery and shit and maybe Kane, even though I still wanted to off that nigga. Firefighter friend my ass.

Gee pulleda fast one on me, and Rowdy Red had to pay for it. I knocked that nigga right in the mouth as soon as he wouldn’t give up where Gee was. Harlem had left shortly after I did when Rowdy Red came on duty. Gee was discharged, and Rowdy Red’s ass was right there when she was. She was carrying my unborn, my lifeline, and like it or not, shit between me and Truth was about to change. I wasn’t worried about Brick. Once Truth fell in line, he’d have no choice but to, but fuck him too. Gee was my responsibility and I was taking her off their hands.

“Still ain’t fucking with me?”

Rowdy Red with narrowed eyes tossed his head up. Fuck him. Gee was my fucking wife, but he was my brother. His loyalty should have started with me. He knew how I got down since he was the same way with his girl, Tyricka.

“Figured we were better than that.”

He spit on the ground near me, calling me out as his skin morphed into a crimson hue. The “Rowdy” was because that nigga was wild but the “Red” was because he had ginger-colored hair, damn near blond eyebrows, and a face littered with freckles. He wasn’t a bitch, though. Had to be one of the best to ever do it when it came to racing or killing a nigga at a moment’snotice. I didn’t want to fight his ass, though. I could admit I was wrong. But hey, love made you do stupid shit.

“Me too. The fuck you let Gee run you like that?”

“I had orders. I followed them. You know the issue is sometimes we think we’re bigger than the brotherhood.” He pulled on his spliff and handed it to me. Smoke seeped from his nose. He eyed me as I toked on it once then passed it back. “And you’re moving foul. You and Genny, nigga?”

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