Page 68 of River & Crown
Kysre and Kyree walked into the shop first. Rize took up the rear but stopped next to Rook, chuckling. "Count your lucky stars. You won't get a chance to do that shit twice."
Rook snarled, making Rize's chuckle heighten. In one quick motion, he grabbed the shotgun and then hammered the handle of it into the back of Rook's knee.
"Fuck!" Rook groaned, falling forward.
Rize walked into the shop, and I waited for Rook to stand his old ass back up. The nigga was probably embarrassed, but it was cool. I wasn't planning on staying longer than necessary.
"I'ma ask a question, and you're going to answer honestly. If not, I got a friend who has a baler for me to toss your ass in."
As I talked, I moved toward him to make sure he knew there was no bitch in my blood. I liked a quick kill, but behind Four, I didn't mind getting a little creative with how I put her enemies down.
"And you think killing me is going to make River happy?"
"Fouris already happy. Killing you is more about appeasing me than anything else. I heard you had a conversation with Four before her race." He frowned any time I referred to River by her nickname. "Nigga, fix your face 'fore I slice it off in pieces for your bitch to stitch back together. Did you talk to her or not?"
"Why?" I couldn't do shit but chuckle. Pulling my second gun from my waist, I bashed the nigga in the head. "Ah shit, man!"
"Honey said you’re something like a father to River, but I'm having a hard time believing that shit with how secretive you're being about a conversation. Hol’ up you one of them old niggas with an old bitty at home who don’t do it for you no more, so now you tryna replace her with Four… my muthafuckin' Four?" I scratched the gun along my jaw as the math started mathing.
"Wha... what, no!" Rook shrilled, sounding just like a bitch.
"I might've believed you, but your response was delayed as fuck. A real father would've nipped that shit in the bud before I finished the question."
"I... I... I don't see River in that way. She's young enough to be my daughter."
"I fucking know!" I gritted, stepping further into his space until his back pressed against the building. "All I'm saying is, you don't seem too worried about yourdaughterfor Honey to say you're like a father to her."
"I always worry about River, but I also know how she is."
"Oh yeah? How the fuck is she?"
"She hates people crowding her and trying to pick her brain about how she feels. She needs time to process what happened, and when she's ready, she'll open up."
"Nigga, I don't need your fuckin' advice." I didn't like this nigga trying to tell me how to handle my woman.
"What did the two of y'all talk about?"
"It's personal." Taking a step back, I pinched the bridge of my nose. This nigga was trying the fuck out of me.
"Didn't I fucking tell you I'll throw your stupid ass into a baler? That fuckin' machine will snap every bone in your body. That's the type of shit I'm on behind Four, and you wanna tell me what y'all talked about is personal!"
My temperature was rising like a muthafucka. The rage simmering when I first pulled up had boiled over.
Rook parted his shaky ass lips to say something, but I busted him in 'em first. Blood squirted from the baby ass wound, but that shit wasn't enough for me. I fucking lost it. The butt of my gun slammed against his face, splitting his skin like a crack in the sidewalk.
"Crown, stop!" I heard Kysre shout. "Four won't forgive you if you kill him."
At the mention of Four, the anger started to settle. I wiped my gun on Rook's shirt, then backed up as he fell to the ground.
"God damn, you fucked him up. He looks worse than when Debo beat the nigga over his grand momma's chain," Rize winced just from looking at dude.
"Will you shut your goofy ass up!" Kyree spat, biting back a laugh.
"Nah, fav, I can't. This nigga looks crazy." Rize shook his head.
"Ain't shit a few stitches and pain medication can't fix." I shrugged not really giving a fuck. Had it not been for Kysre mentioning Four, the nigga might’ve been dead.
"Ho... ho... how could yo... you allow this?" Rook cut his eyes toward Kysre and Kyree.
