Page 45 of The Prodigy 2: Rise of a Queen

“Yeah, but for some reason, I take you at your word. You’re just like your daddy. He always kept his word.”

“Fuck you.” I peered at him. “Gab.”

“What about her?”

“Why the fuck were you callin’ her?”

“We’re…close.”

“How close?”

He shot me a look, and I wanted to push his shit in until he was unrecognizable. Fuckin’ on my mama when she was vulnerable was some scumbag shit. Niggas justtrulyain’t shit.

“She ain’t know about the hit,” he said. “She woulda never went along with that. She didn’t know shit about shit, actually. She just needed some attention.”

That part didn’t surprise me. My mama needed attention like she needed air to breathe. Positive or negative, it didn’t matter.

“You sure she ain’t know?”

“Yeah, man. I ain’t got no reason to lie.”

I nodded and took to pacing back and forth. “So here’s where I’m at with it. Against my better judgment, I’ma let yo punk ass live.”

“Why?”

“I love my Noni. I’m not gon’ take another son away from her.” I stopped in front of him and stared into his beady eyes. “Now, once she’s in the ground, all bets are off, so I suggest you start running as soon as you leave here. You on borrowed time, nigga.”

“I appreciate it.”

“I’m sure you do.”

“I just wanna say again that it wasn’t personal, Knight. I always respected you.”

“Whatever, man. I don’t give a fuck about nothin’ you sayin’.”

“What happens now?”

“You’re done in Midling. Matter of fact, I don’t even wanna be in the same state as you. They gon’ take you to pack up all yo shit and then they’re driving you across the state line. You can find your own way from there.”

He nodded. “You got heart, youngin’. You know when to bend. That’s a good trait to have.”

“Do you honestly think I give a fuck about what you gotta say about me? Shut the fuck up and be glad you get to live, motherfucker.”

Prez wisely shut the fuck up. I balled up my fists again. I was feenin’ for a hit on this nigga. A right to the eye or something. But I controlled myself. My daddy always said you make bad decisions when you let your anger control you. He taught us how to take deep breaths to regulate our heart rate and nervous system. Keeping your head on straight was key.

I turned to walk away, satisfied that I had made the right decision. But he didn’t let me get far before calling my name.

“Knight!”

I turned around.

“It’s one more thing you need to know, nephew.”

“Make it fast, man. I got shit to do.”

His shoulders slumped, and a ragged breath pushed out of his mouth. “We botched two hits on you, so we decided to switch it up.”

My eyes narrowed. I inched back in his direction. “And?”

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