Page 50 of Love me Like XO

“Say no more. I gotta get outta here and go see what I can open to balance the numbers. You’re out here making me an uncle and shit in my prime, now I gotta make sure I can buy the lil’ nigga an elephant if he so much as asks for one.”

We both laughed as he left the spot. I was about to get out of here too, but I had one more thing to do. I needed to make an alcohol order before I left the premises. While waiting for my computer to load I pulled my phone out and called Em to make sure she’d be ready by the time I reached her crib.

“Where are you?” She sounded awake and like she was moving around.

“About to be on my way to you. Are you dressed?”

“Almost.”

“Any other day I’d relish in hearing you say that, but tod?—”

“I’m putting on my sundress while you’re ready to lecture me about not being dressed. A dress gives me the abili?—”

“To get niggas knocked off just for looking too fucking long.” I tapped away on my computer.

She laughed. “You’re always threatening. How about you come on so we can go, and I can get me something to eat?”

“I’m coming shorty. Gimme like twenty minutes.” As soon as those words left my lips my door opened, and the object of my irritation slipped through the door like I was expecting her. Like I wasn’t the same nigga who would separate her face from her skull.

“Alright see you then.”

My eyes never left Celia, because she had this goofy ass smirk on her face like she knew something that I didn’t. Like this was a fucking social call. Shorty thought she was untouchable, but she wasn’t. She was anything but.

“I figured you’d be calling soon, right?” She moved about my office like she was taking in the space.

“Unless you’re here to gimme my shit, you shouldn’t be here.”

She giggled. “Why? You don’t love me anymore, Ro? Are you happy with her?”

“The fuck is you talking about?”

“Empress Phillips. Her father is Jo?—”

“Why you all in my business? The fuck is yo’ problem?”

“Do you still love me?” she asked.

“Shorty I never loved you. The shit between us was straight up physical.”

She stood up straight, before looking to the side in attempt to hide her irritation. “It was physical enough for me to carry your child, not once but twice. Right?”

“And both times I told you I ain’t want ‘em. Both times you handled that like you about to do with my fucking product. Where is it?”

“I can’t believe you. First you take my brother’s territory and then you…you.” Fresh tears pooled from her eyes like they were supposed to move me.

“Where is my shit, Celia?”

“He has it. I only took it to get your attention. To get you to call me. But you didn’t do that. You didn’t even bat an eye because you had her.” She scoffed, before looking sadly at me.

Pulling my phone from the table, I looked for Gram’s number for a minute before finding it.

I clicked the contact then pressed the phone against the side of my face. It rung for a minute before he answered. I could tell by the tone of his voice he was asleep.

“Boss.”

I locked eyes with her before I spoke. She needed to see and hear just how much she’d fucked up. “Send a message to theItalians. Laundromat, funeral home, and that restaurant. Make sure it’s personal and give them our condolences.”

By the time she realized just how bad she had fucked up she was rushing out of the door. I wasn’t gonna kill Celia just yet, not because I cared about her but because she was about to serve a very important purpose.

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