Page 18 of A Toxic Redemption

"Let me?" I chuckled and leaned across the table. "If anybody should be thankful, it's you." I palmed the table as I kept eye contact with him. "Be thankful that your mama thought having a conversation in a public setting would spare your life. Be thankful that I didn't put a bullet in you the day you stepped foot in that backyard. Be thankful that I haven't had my real brothers run up in that lil' raggedy ass house a few towns over that you have been laid up in with that stank pussy ass hoe, Mia." I leaned back in my seat and took a sip of my tea. "If anyone should be raining thanks and praises, it's you."

It was taking everything in me not to reach across this table and stab this nigga with a steak knife. Kaine was trying to get under my skin, and I refused to let him. I was going to let himtalk all the shit he wanted to because, ultimately, he would get what's coming to him.

"Listen, both of you," my mother gestured between us. "Today, you both will keep the lines of respect open, and I mean that. Now you," she turned to my brother, "what the hell made you do what you did? Khalil is your flesh and blood, and I didn't raise you to betray your brother the way you have!"

Kaine chuckled as he leaned over the table and grabbed his own drink. As he sipped, he eyed me with nothing but malice. During our stare-off, our food was placed on the table, and for a moment, we all were lost in our plates. This conversation was more for my mother than me because there wasn't shit this nigga could say that would make me feel any different about him.

"Khalil has always been your favorite." He started as he broke the silence between us. "He has been the light of your life ever since the day you brought that nigga home from the hospital. He was always the smart one, the athletic one, the one you could always depend on." He chuckled and looked over at me. "It was time for you to be humbled. You always felt like you were that nigga. You had all the women after you and felt like you were the shit because you had the finest of them all. For years, I was fuckin' your bitch, and you didn't even know it. You've paid for trips for both of us and provided us with a lavish lifestyle, so I guess I should thank you for that. That bitch loves me nigga, and that will never change."

"Why would you think I favored Khalil more than you, Kaine?"

"Because he has a living father, and I don't!" He slammed his hands on the table.

"Aight, nigga," I warned as people began to look over and stare. "Watch your tone with my mama."

"Nah, fuck that." He dropped his fork on his plate. "She always held you up on a pedestal, and for what? Because yourfather was above ground and mine wasn't. That nigga still didn't want either one of y'all."

Whap!

People nearby gasped as my mother went across Kaine's face. He smirked as he looked over at our angry mother and wiped the blood that was trickling from his lip. She gathered her things in a haste and stood abruptly from the table.

"Now, what I won't do is sit here and listen to you disrespect me because you're in your feelings about your brother." She pointed in his face and sneered through gritted teeth. "I may have stopped him from bringing you harm, but there isn't a soul on earth that will stop me from sending my own child to the pits of hell for disrespecting me. Now when you get your shit together and can talk like you have some fuckin' sense, call me. Pay for our food since you're living such a lavish lifestyle." She turned to me and shouted, "Bring your ass on, Khalil!"

I stood from my seat and waved P over to let her know Kaine was paying for our meals and to box our shit up. The food was too good to leave behind. Once she was out of earshot, I decided to leave my brother with a few words.

"Despite what you say, I never felt like I was more than you. In fact, I looked up to you." I crossed my arms and stared down into his scowling face. "You were my big brother. You never played with these niggas when it came to me and you always had my back. I would have moved heaven and hell for you. To play me like you did was foul as fuck."

"So what? You think I'm going to say sorry for what I did?" Kaine chuckled as she brought our food back, boxed up. Persia stood off to the side and looked at me with pleading eyes, but I told her to scram because I wasn't up for her shit. Giving my attention back to Kaine, I mirrored his glare. "You think I'm going to bow out and let you take Mia back because of your son?"he continued as he stood. "It's because of me that the lil' nigga even knows you."

"And it's because of Khalise that I didn't kill you." I pointed in the direction our mother just went. "Know this, though." I stepped to him. We were so close that I could smell the bitch nigga scent oozing from his pores. "You're dead to me, Kaine. If I so much as think you and that hoe-ass bitch Mia are even thinking of taking KJ from me again, I will kill you both in the most painful way imaginable. You think a nigga is soft on you because of mama, but I want you to keep thinking that and watch me push your shit back." I stepped back and turned to walk away before another thought crossed me. "If I find out you have something to do with me getting shot a few weeks ago, I'm killing you. I don't give a fuck what mama says or how she feels. Thanks for lunch, bitch."

I grabbed our food and walked out of the restaurant, feeling the same way I did when I walked in. There isn't a conversation that can be held to justify the shit he did to me. If Kaine's happy with Mia, cool. I just hope he knows this is the bed he's made for himself. Going forward, he will be treated like any other nigga on the street when it comes to me. I meant what I said to him, though. If I find out he had anything to do with that shooting, I'm killing him.

"Mama, you good?" I asked as we made our way to Jake's. I texted him when we left the steakhouse and told him we were back on the way to get KJ. He informed me that my father had just pulled up. I'm not sure how I felt about him being around my son. "You want me to take you home first?"

"I'm okay, Khalil," I looked from the road to her as she sighed and looked out of the window, "I'm just really disappointed in your brother, is all."

"That nigga is selfish, mama, and he's always been that way." I was gripping the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckleswere turning white. I was more pissed with the way he was making mama feel than anything. "I'm more concerned with why you didn't want me taking you home. Let me find out you want to see your baby daddy."

"Boy," she snapped her head in my direction and hit my arm slightly. "I'm not thinking about your father. I just wanted to ride with you and get my grandson is all."

"Okay, mama, let me find out." I chuckled as we pulled into Jake's yard. Bino's car was here, along with my dad's and another I didn't recognize. I wasn't tripping too much because I knew they wouldn't let random people around my kid.

"Find out what?" She turned to me and asked.

"You like that nigga."

"Boy, I'm grown." She waved me off as we got out of the car. "If I want to give my baby daddy some ass—"

"Aye!" I shouted and sent her into a fit of giggles. "Mama, I don't want to hear that mess!"

"Hear what mess?" Bino asked as the front door swung open. "What y'all out here talking about?"

"My son thinks his mama doesn't get her back broke." She smirked as she walked into the house. "Ain't that what y'all young people be saying?"

"Nigga, what the hell?" Bino frowned as I held my stomach. A nigga was feeling sick, and I felt as if I was going to throw up.

Instead of answering him, I walked into the sitting room, where I found everyone sitting around and talking. My father was seated in the corner, watching KJ talk in animated fashion with none other than Lucky. Even when she's dressed in the simplest shit, I want to rip it off and stuff dick in her.

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