Page 186 of River & Crown
The sound of keys outside the door clipped my sentence short. I tensed, sliding my gun from my pocket. Wolfe stood, a blunt pinched between his fingers and his pistol in the other hand. The door swung open. Rize walked in, mumbling some shit to the person behind him.
"How I'ma keep bringing you out with me when every time a baddie tries to slide, you wanna start blocking and acting like you're my girl."
"Because—"
Rize flipped the light switch, flooding the room with light. He froze, causing Kyree to bump into him. My gun was aimed before he blinked. Wolfe aimed his at Rize, too.
"What the hell are y'all doing?" Kyree frowned, coming from behind him.
"Go in the room, Kyree," Rize told her, keeping his gaze locked on our movements.
"I'm not leaving you with these two crazy muthafuckas," she smacked. "Let me call River and Chosyn because you niggas obviously lost y'all minds."
"I don't give a fuck who you call, but do that shit from this nigga's room," I barked.
"Watch how you speak to her, Crown. Handle me however, but don't disrespect her," Rize gritted, squaring his shoulders like he was willing to die about Kyree.
I smirked 'cause that shit was admirable.
"Tell her to go in the room, Rize 'cause I'm not a very tolerant nigga right now."
"I'm not?—"
"Kyree," he called out sharply.
"Fine, but I'm still telling River and Chosyn on y'all." Frowning, Kyree stomped out of the living room.
Taking slow steps toward Rize, I sized the young nigga up. He stood tall as if our guns didn't mean shit. His stance was that of a real street nigga — shoulders squared, chest lifted, letting us know he was standing in his truth yet daring us to question it.
"You have three minutes to convince me that you don't have shit to do with this Lynx and Rakim shit," I commanded, stopping less than a foot away from him.
"Fuck, I need three minutes for when my word should be enough. I'm not a nigga you plucked from the litter and put to work. I'm muthafuckin' Rivian, better known as Rize to these niggas out here. I grew up in the muthafuckin' pink houses in Brooklyn. Y'all niggas might not know what that means, but understand, certain shit is in my blood, and being a snake-ass nigga isn't one of 'em. Anything I got wasn't given, including my position with y'all. I dug myself out the mud for this shit. I put niggas I shared five-dollar Chinese plates with in hearses 'cause they were on fuck shit. You know the type of nigga I am. Two things you can always count on when it comes to me: I put loyalty before all, and a rat nigga in the dirt."
Rize stepped forward, his chest heaving with every word. His jaw was locked, voice sharp, and fear absent from his eyes. Hewasn't pleading his case or trying to convince me that he was trustworthy. This nigga was daring me to pull the trigger if I really thought he was on fuck shit like Lynx.
"The young nigga got heart," Wolfe admitted, blowing out a cloud of smoke.
"He does." I smirked. "Go get Kyree and tell her snitching ass she's riding with us."
"I'll follow you. Neither of y'all should feel comfortable letting me sit behind y'all after the shit y'all just pulled," Rize said, smirking.
"Smart nigga," Wolfe told him, slapping his shoulder. "I'll be downstairs. Chosyn's blowing my shit up. She's probably wondering why Kysre pulled up with Phoenix and not me."
Wolfe dapped Rize up, then headed out. Rize and I remained toe-to-toe.
"You got something you wanna get off your chest?" I asked.
"Crown, you my nigga. I don't owe too many people shit in this life, but you, Honor, and Wolfe? Y'all could get a favor outta me whenever."
"Meaning what?"
"Meaning if I knew Lynx was on fuck shit, it wouldn't have reached you, not 'til after I killed him, but this showed me we gotta clear up a few things. The men I respect getonechance to aim a gun at me without consequences. I'm young, so you might take what I say lightly... but understand this, I'm a man before anything else. I'm willin' to kill and die 'bout that shit, too."
Rize gave me a quick once-over, then walked past me, heading to get Kyree. I could do nothing but chuckle. I respected that shit. A few minutes later, he came out carrying a duffle bag and holding Kyree's hand.
"Just 'cause Rize forgives you doesn't mean I do," Kyree stated, looking at me sideways. "And I told River what you did. She said she's putting her contacts in and throwing her glassesin the trash." She sassed, sticking her tongue out and rolling her eyes.
"Aye, you gotta shut up sometimes and let men handle shit how they do," Rize told her.
