Page 64 of Next Level
Shit. What do I do?
SURPRISE
Red…all I can see right now is red.
I have so many questions…
Garrett is my half-brother?
Who knew?
Did Ma know about the money?
Did Ma know about Garrett?
How could my dad not tell me?
Ma wants to talk to George first. She fucking knew…
How could she not tell me?
I need to get away from here. I need to think. I storm out of the room, shirtless and my pants not all the way fastened, with Cherry hot on my heels, begging me to stop.
Ma knew!!
When I hit the main room, the guys are still at the bar.
Chewy is the first to see me, and he’s out of his chair in a flash. “Prez, what happened?” Lifting his hands when I near him, he shouts, “Woah, brother!”
Cherry’s yelling at him to stop me.
Dawg is fast for his size and is in my face in seconds. “Breathe, brother. Hold on.”
My brothers don’t see me snap often, but lately, with all this shit going on, I’m losing it more often than I’d like. I feel out of control.
I push him out of my way, but he doesn’t let me pass. Massive arms engulf me, pulling me into a bear hug. Chewy. The motherfucker.
“Brother, speak to us. Tell us what’s going on.” Dawg is still in my face, trying to break through my madness.
Cherry is frantic next to us, ranting about what she just told me. When the part comes out about Garrett being my half-brother, everyone stops talking. In shock, Dawg turns to face Cherry, but Chewy’s grip doesn’t falter.
The room erupts with all the men yelling out questions. Cherry starts to cry and becomes frantic.
Chewy growls in my ear. “Your girl’s scared. Pull yourself together.”
When Cherry comes into view, I freeze. She’s trembling, wearing only her bra and panties—she’s half-naked.
That has me seeing red for a whole different reason. Pure male instinct. Protect what is mine.My Blossom.
Chewy lets me go, and I move toward Cherry, but she backs away, scared. Dawg moves between us.
I try to calm down. “Give us a minute,” I say through clenched teeth. My brothers surround us, not moving.
I yell, “Jay, get her a blanket!” He must have already known because instantly, a throw is handed to Dawg. When Dawg goes to move closer to Cherry, my rage comes back.
“Get the fuck away from her,” I seethe.
Cherry is crying. Dawg is in shock.
