Page 17 of Typa
“What’s up, Caleb? I’m your daddy. You look just like me too.”
“Hell yeah,” she said and walked to the couch with a smirk on her lips.
I pulled him to me, and he immediately grabbed one of my braids as I walked to the couch. When I sat, I pried his little fingers from my hair, then reached in my pocket and dropped the bands on the coffee table. She frowned. “What’s that for?”
“That’s for Caleb. Vanessa, I don’t know how long I’m gon’ be alive. I got a few people wanting my head. While it won’t make up for my absence, it’s something. Plus, my parents and siblings know that he’s mine. They will help you with him if something ever happens to me. You know where they live, right?”
“Yeah,” she said softly. “So why are you here, Mythic? What’s the point?”
“I wanted you to know that I was accepting responsibility. That I have your back and my son’s back. If nothing happens to me, I’ll be here. I just want you to be prepared for if something does. Okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, looking stunned.
This baby had me sensitive as fuck, just like Maui did. I took a deep breath and handed him back to her. “I gotta go. I’ll call you to check on y’all tomorrow.”
I stood from the couch, and she did too. Stepping close to me, she hugged me. “Be careful out there, Mythic. Just because you get on my fucking nerves doesn’t mean I want to see you killed or hurt in any way. I’m hoping for the best with that situation . . . one that won’t have me mourning you.”
I rubbed her back and kissed her forehead, then walked out the door without a look back. Hopping in my truck, I peeled out and got the fuck away from her. My phone started ringing, and I could see that it was my dad. I couldn’t answer that shit right now. I knew he probably wanted to chew me out for my comments earlier, and I didn’t want to hear that shit. The only attention I ever got from him was negative attention anyway.
Despite Maui’s advice, I headed to my house.Fuck them.My lip was twitching. That wasmyfucking house. I pulled my gun from the console and put my blade in my mouth. I only lived a few minutes away. Maui didn’t have a lot of shit at my house, although she’d been with me for a good month or two. I had bought her more clothes, because I knew if she went home to get her clothes, her dad wouldn’t have let her leave.
When I got there, they were still there. Ace, PJ, Ryder J, and a few others were outside, I supposed looking out for if I showed up. I didn’t give a fuck. They were all staring at my ride, waiting for me to get out. A few more came from out of my house. I swore it was about twenty of those niggas now. Not one to be intimidated, I got out and tucked my gun in my waistband. When I got closer, I flipped my blade around in my mouth as they stared at me.
PJ was slowly shaking his head, like he couldn’t believe I showed up here anyway. He should’ve known better. Had they been anywhere else, I wouldn’t have, but ain’t no muthafucka was gonna keep me from my fucking house. I could clearly see the guns in their waistbands as well. If they didn’t make any moves, I wouldn’t either. Like my dad had said, we were coolwith the Hendersons. I’d fucked up. I knew that. It wasn’t shit I could do about it now though.
I walked past them and into the house. The minute I walked in, someone punched me right in the mouth, knocking the blade out, causing it to cut my lip. Before I could reach for my gun, somebody kicked me in the ribs and took it from my waistband. I looked up to see Seven and Royal, Ashanni’s brother. When I was about to get up, Seven pulled a gun and aimed it right at me. I still stood and stared right at him.
“If you gon’ do it, do that shit. I ain’t scared to die. Do I regret what I did? Hell yeah. I ain’t that nigga no more though. You can thank your sister for that. Maui changed me for the better. Just before you do it, let me apologize to her.”
A smirk appeared on his lips. “You actually think I’m gon’ go get my sister for you to see and talk to her? What you did could have gotten me killed, nigga. Fuck outta here.”
He cocked it, dropping a bullet in the chamber, and pulled the trigger, shooting me in my upper arm. I bit my bottom lip, but I didn’t make a sound. Several people came running from the back. They all just stood there and watched, waiting to see what he was gon’ do next. When Maui walked through them, she had a mean ass frown on her face. I’d never seen her this angry. She looked just like her brother and sisters in this moment.
She walked closer to me, and I could see her lip twitching. “Why did you even try to be with me, knowing what you did to my brother? The fucking audacity, Mythic. You . . . I thought you were the man for me. I saw your heart, but this changes everything. Seven is my fucking brother, and you could have gotten him killed!”
Taking a chance, I reached out to her with my good arm as she glanced at the blood pouring from my other arm and touched her belly. “I love you, girl. I couldn’t stop that shit. Being in a relationship had never even crossed my mind until you.And being in love? That shit was nowhere on my radar. I fell in love with you fast as fuck. I just hate that I waited until now to tell you. I fucked up. I know that. I’m sorry, Maui. I’m sorry for hurting you. My past fucked up everything.”
I took a step back and stumbled. I was starting to feel weak. PJ came to me and wrapped my arm with his shirt. I knew this shit was hard for him. He was my cousin, but he was just as close to these niggas too. Same with Ryder J. He was my cousin and theirs, but he was a lot closer to them. When PJ’s dad stepped around the crowd of men, he came to me.
“Mythic, man, you fucked up. You were right about that. Because SS didn’t die, you won’t either. Consider this shit retribution and let the shit go. I put my neck on the line with my family to save you. You my family, and I know you trying to do better now.”
“I’m sorry, Philly,” I said, feeling low.
I looked at Philly as a father figure. I spent a lot of time with him growing up. Feeling his disappointment hit differently than when my dad was disappointed. I glanced over at Maui to see the tears dropping down her cheeks. Her dad scooped her up as he glared at me. I could tell that nigga wanted to fuck me up. Forget Philly. I knew they were practicing restraint because of Maui. She was hurting, and I would give anything to wrap my arms around her.
As he walked past me, I said in a quiet voice, “I love you, Maui.”
Seven’s gun went up again as a lot of them left us there. Their Uncle Kenny was still standing there, watching my arm, like he was measuring the amount of blood I’d lost. One of her older cousins stepped to me. I think his name was Jacob. “You a lucky muthafucka.”
He grabbed my arm, causing me to grind my teeth. A growl left me as he said, “We shouldn’t have no more problems, right?”
I refused to answer him. I could feel the blood still trickling down my chin from my lip. It felt like that shit was split in half. He squeezed my arm tighter, until Kenny said, “That’s enough, Jacob.”
He glanced back at him and released my arm, then walked by me. Seven lowered his gun and when he walked by me, he spat at my feet. He wanted to kill me. Maybe Philly did have something to do with why he didn’t, because that nigga didn’t give a fuck about Maui’s feelings for me. Once they all walked out, Kenny remained. He stared at me for a moment, then approached me. He removed the tourniquet and said, “It went through and through. Let’s get you to the hospital.”
He tied it back and led me outside. My dad was standing outside and when he saw me, he ran to me and helped Kenny get me to his truck. Kenny hopped in the front, and I lay across the back seat. When my dad got in, he glanced back at me.
“Mythic, I wanna be angry. Despite what you think, you’re my son, and I love you. I just hate the shit you involved in. I’m sorry that I didn’t show it in a way that resonated with you. They could have killed you. There are so many factors as to why they didn’t. Had the shoe been on the other foot, and Maui was my daughter, I probably would have wanted to kill your ass too.”
