Page 35 of For the Love of City
Yacouba frowned and I knew I’d hit the mark. “Damn right. Telling us shit after the fact like I don’t like to kill people. He bout to get as bad as Liam with his fucking therapy and shit.”
I could only chuckle at how insane Yacouba sounded. “Y’all niggas are wild, bruh.”
“You still ain’t answer me.”
I was hesitant because I knew he wanted to help but this was still something the family needed to take care of. “This issomething we got to do. The three of us. Giving the information is more than enough.”
“I’m over here saying we family and shit and I still can’t up my gun? Why all my niggas turning out to be selfish bruh? This some bullshit.” His big overgrown ass was really pouting about not being able to get wild.
My eyes darted around the club again trying to keep my eye out for Travis and keep an eye out for the Laws to make sure they didn’t get out of sight. “I’m sure one of y’all gone want something shot up soon, tell them niggas to stop loving on their wives so hard and get into some shit.”
Yacouba cut his eyes at me before he said some vengeful shit. “I’mma tell their asses you trying to fuck up their happy home.”
“We family so you trying to get me killed? Damn, the reversal on that pledge was quick as hell.”
He rubbed his beard thoughtfully but he spoke up. “Not killed, they might want a pound of flesh. Literally.”
I looked down at my torso and laughed. “Ain’t got that much to spare nigga, got damn.”
“You bigger than you were, lanky ass. I see you all bulked up some. You gone say who she is?” The look on Yacouba’s face meant he already knew something was up. Either because he’d been there before or because he’d had eyes on us.
“She?” I couldn’t keep the grin off my face even when I tried.
He grinned harder as he pointed at me. “It’s all over your face my nigga. But it’s cool. Long as when we check her out she comes back clean. We’ll welcome her to the family with open arms.”
“Preciate it.”
“Aye, them niggas rolling out and they mad as fuck.”
Yacouba was laughing and we turned to watch the Laws and the rest of their entourage shoot us dirty looks as they made their way out of their section. I wasn’t bothered by it because that fake love shit they’d just tried was enough for me. Them thinking theywere being funny or that we were good with one another didn’t sit right with me. I would hate them niggas until I took my last breath for how they tried to play Lyric, but Jury had a special dose of hatred I was reserving just for him.
“Long as they stay mad over there they can stay breathing. But if they wanna be brave I got a bullet with their name on it.”
As badly as I wanted to be methodical and not fuck up shit on the business end, the wild part of me wanted them niggas to buck. I could imagine tossing Judge’s lame ass over the balcony and have Jury following. Their bodies sprawled out in a heap on the dance floor below as I lit their bodies up with bullets was playing in my mind. But the brand I had to protect meant shit like that couldn’t happen. I’d done plenty of crazy shit in my life but I’d never been that reckless. Despite knowing this nigga next to me could make that shit go away like it was nothing still didn’t tempt me. I wanted to wring out the last of their money, pride and self-respect before I ended their lives. But Smoke being ready to get active just because had me looking at him funny. Again.
I slow blinked looking at this dude but he kept his eyes trained on the Laws. “And he communicating threats instead of just killing people? Wow.”
Smoke’s eyes narrowed at me before he snidely said, “It’s called growth, my nigga.”
“I feel as though you having a personality now means you’ve reached a deeper level of depravity because now you actually have shit you give a fuck about.” I lit a blunt to calm my nerves and watched as my words hit Smoke in a way I was sure he didn’t expect.
A wide grin split his face, and I could only laugh. It was like hanging out with Jack Oswald White and not blinking an eye at the shit he did. “Damn, you might be right.”
Yacouba sat up grabbing our attention in the process. He pulled out the bottle ofPrismhe’d brought with him before cracking it open.
“Let that man be his version of normal for now. Ain’t no telling when he gone snap. You ain’t even let him tell you about him and Jada almost getting charged with elder abuse because Jada hit an old lady with her own cane.”
“My nigga, what?”
“That old bitch had it coming. Bumped into Sweets and ain’t say excuse me. I was ready to hasten her to His throne but I chilled.” Smoke shrugged and stayed leaned against the side of the couch his eyes still scanning the crowd. I sat wordlessly trying to figure out if he was being serious but it was pointless because of course he was.
Yacouba smacking me on the arm was the only reason I stopped staring at Smoke like he was an alien in a meat suit. I turned to Yacouba and he was pouring liquor out into the glasses that were on the table. He moved them toward each of us despite Smoke staring at it like it was poison.
“I came here to chill with my people so that’s what we gone do. Trouble will always come but for now we ignoring that shit and vibing. Raise your glasses so we can get tonight started right.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Tippin'
