Page 61 of Bear
“Why? Why does this necklace make you say that, Lane? Why not ooh, what’s this or I see you have a new man? Why be careful?” I needed her to answer me. I could understand Dad’s preconceived notions of Bear and his father but I didn’t know why it was coming from Lane too.
“There’s only one man in Louisiana who would put that necklace and those marks onyouof all people. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t have paid it any attention. But you? You wearing this necklace with…” She touched my neck like she was touching a memory. She shook her head and inhaled quickly, putting the happy mask back on her pretty face. “Are you happy, Cecily?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Good. I’m telling you to be careful because I love you. That’s all. I know how that family is and I know you’ve been around them most of your life but it’s not the same as beinginthe family.” Her eyes took a trip around my face and I could see her emotions dueling again. “How is he, Cecily?”
“Bear?” I quizzed even though I knew who she was talking about. She gave a quick nod and I shrugged in response.
“He was fine until this morning. Something is going on with him. It has him riled up. You know Bear…he gets all prickly when he’s pissed. I’m giving him room to breathe.”
Lane pressed her lips into a line like she wanted to say more but wouldn’t. She knew Bear the same as my family did. Lane was apartof my family. She knew how his temper was and she knew what he did to an extent but nobody knew howdeepBear was into the drug game.
They didn’t know he was the sole connect between overseas drug drops and selling drugs on the streets of Louisiana. He’d become the lynchpin. After the big deal he made last night, he was a kingpin of his own merit. I didn’t know if he realized it or not though. Mr. Griffon had nothing to do with that deal. Bear did it by himself.
“That lifestyle isn’t for everyone, Cecily. You have to always be careful and keep one eye open. You have to know your role.”
“I know, Lane. It’s new to me but I can follow along with how things should go. Hey, are you going to stay here with Mom and Dad tonight?”
“I think I will. It’ll be good for Lu. Be honest with me, Cecily…how bad has she gotten?”
“Well, she’s in and out of memory lapses. It seems to happen less when she’s at work though so I’m thinking after she sees the doctor she should go back to work. I’m going to transfer schools and move closer to home.”
“When you say closer to home do you mean…with Bear?” I told her I didn’t know but I knew damn well Bear wasn’t going to let me stay anywhere else. I knew damn well I didn’twantto stay anywhere else. Even if we weren’t together I’d still want to be with him. His house made me feel safe. The world could be going to war outside but inside those four walls, I would never meet harm.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Bear but if he’s still the same as he’s always been, you’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about him as much as you do who pulls his strings. Remember that.” Her words forced a breath from my lungs. “Bear is a good boy.”
“I’ve been saying that ever since I first laid eyes on him.”
“He is.” She nodded her head.
“I thought you were about to read me the riot act for being with him this way but…” My eyes narrowed as I realized who she was warning me about. “You’re worried about Mr. Griffon?”
“Like I said, being around the family and being in it are two different things.”
“Mr. Griffon has always been nice to me but…he’s in jail.” A short laugh escaped me.
“Just be careful, okay?” She touched my hair and then pulled me in for a hug. “Maybe I’ll come visit once you get settled in.” I saw a ripple of excitement in her eyes when she said it. I nodded and hugged her again then we said our goodbyes.
“Did she give you the third degree about Bear?” Kareema asked once I got in the car.
“You weren’t eavesdropping?”
“Yes, bitch I was but I was trying to be polite about it.” We both cracked up laughing as she pulled off. “She knew right away who that necklace belonged to.”
“I know,” I said resting my palm on top of the bear paw pendant.
“Come on, let’s go get drinks and flirt with men. I want to do hoodrat shit with my girl.”
“Let’s go,” I laughed. I needed to do something light and fun. I was all about going out with Kareema and letting my hair down. I looked cute and I needed to take my mind off the heavy shit.
The bar we ended up at was small but it was packed with people. Mainly men who all turned their heads to gawk at us when we walked in.
“Good to know I’m still fine off campus.” Kareema adjusted her boobs and flipped her curly hair to one side before sitting at the bar. I slid into a seat beside her and immediately felt eyes on me.
I knew how to flirt and pull my share of free drinks, so I offered the guy with the light brown eyes a smile that he returned. After a few seconds, he walked over beside me and leaned down to speak in my ear.
“Can I get you a drink?” He asked.
