Page 60 of Jaeda

“Man, come on.”

We fell into step and followed Kerrion over to the section. There was an empty couch, which Titan and I took. Before we could exchange pleasantries, the server came over to get our drink orders. After giving them to her, an awkward silence fell over the space. They stared at us, and we stared at them.

Maceo was the first to say something.

“What’s good with y’all?” he asked, pulling a blunt from his pocket.

“Still trying to figure out if this is some setup shit,” I answered.

“If we really wanted to touch you, you’d be touched,” Deuce said, flatly. “You were invited off the strength of my sister. For some reason, she likes your ass.”

“Maybe because I like her too.”

“Why? She had you snatched up with plans to kill you, and you want to date her? That ain’t weird to you?”

I chuckled. “Considering the circumstances, no. I don’t owe y’all an explanation about why I want to date your sister, and this is my last time saying that shit. I care about her, and as long as I’m good to her, none of that shit y’all talk is relevant to me. I wanted her. I got her. And I’m gonna keep her, you feel me?”

Deuce glared at me as the server returned with our drinks. I took a sip of mine, my eyes never leaving his. I wasn’t surewhat was running through his head, but I could tell he wanted to knock mine off my shoulders. Maceo passed him the blunt, and he took a long pull from it, before saying anything.

“I’ve got my eyes on you.”

“I hope you get an eyeful.”

Next to me, Titan chuckled as he pulled his own blunt out.

“Never thought I’d see the day you willingly backed down, Dillinger.”

“Fuck you, DeLuca. You are still on my shit list.”

“Like I told you, I ain’t ducking no smoke. Ain’t shit to it.”

Deuce pointed to me. “My wife said I can’t touch this one tonight, but yo’ ass is fair game.”

My friend leaned forward. “Listen to wifey. I’d hate to send you home bloody, my boy.”

Deuce stood and so did Titan. When Smoke’s big ass stood beside him, I got in between them.

“Can we not do this?” I asked, looking around at the security who was watching.

“This is my shit,” Deuce said. “The fuck they gon’ do to me?”

I shook my head. “Why are you so damn hostile? Like, man to man, what’s your whole issue with us?”

Titan kissed his teeth. “You know the issue, Quaid. It’s not about protecting Mia or Jaeda. They don’t think we are good enough for their precious sisters. Maybe I’m not, but my nigga here is. I feel like y’all judged him heavily off his connection to me, and that’s fucked up. That’s my brother, but he’s always been the better man. Hate me, I don’t give a fuck. But Jaeda is safe with him. Y’all keep this shit up and you’re gonna lose your damn sister all ’cause you wanna control her love life. Let that grown ass woman live.”

He sat back down and lit his blunt. When Smoke and Deuce reclaimed theirs, I did the same. There was a bout of silence before Kerrion said something.

“Look, . . . you gotta understand that we were raised differently. You probably came from a nice, suburban family and have never been in a lick of trouble a day in your life. I’m sure you have people that fuck with you just because they like you as a person. We don’t have that. The people that fuck with us are on the payroll, getting fucked, or trying not to become an enemy.

“Our family is all we have. Everybody sitting here would take a bullet for another Dillinger. If y’all are gonna be with my sisters, you gotta be willing to die behind them. As extreme as it is, that’s what they need. A nigga that don’t play about them.”

“I expect nothing less,” I said. “Trust and believe, I got Jaeda.”

Titan took a long puff from his blunt. “I’ve been protecting your sister long before she met y’all. Just because we stay on the outs more than anything, doesn’t mean I won’t lay a nigga down over her. Make no mistake, Mia can tell y’all she hates me all day long, but I know for a fact that’s a fucking lie, and she ain’t ever letting up off a nigga.”

Smoke chuckled. “Be that as it may, you hurt her and it’s up for you.”

“If it’s up, then it’s stuck. I ain’t ducking a fade.”

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