“Aight. We gotchu wit’ whatever, bro.”
I nodded, dappin’ him up. “Bet.”
Later that night, I sat parked in my truck a few houses down from Coog’s BM’s crib waitin’ for her ass to leave out. It took a grip, but finally, that raggedy ass green charger pulled out of the driveway. Bet. Wock was across the street in the truck wit’ the motor low. Wayne had eyes from up the block in his car wit’ this nigga Antt.
I stepped out, hoodie low, gloves already on, Glock wit’ the silencer attached tucked in my jeans. The front room lights flickered through the blinds. Slidin’ between houses, I ended up in the back, pushin’ the gate open. That bitch creaked like WD-40 hadn’t hit it in years. I caught it wit’ my shoulder to keep the noise low, though.
Lookin’ up, I peeped the back bedroom window sat open a couple inches, propped by a brick. I popped the screen, angled inside, and landed on the carpet. Coogs was knocked out on a twin mattress, socks half-off, phone in his hand wit’ a revolver on the nightstand.
I pressed the barrel of my gun to his dome. “Wake your bitch ass up.”
His eyes popped up. “The fuck…”
I slammed the slide of the Glock into his mouth before he could finish the sentence. Teeth clicked. Blood streaked his bottom lip. “Shut the fuck up.” My voice stayed level, almost bored. “You walked into my granny’s house all tough and shit wit’ my son feet away. You thought that shit was smart after everything I did for your ass for fourteen fuckin’ years?”
He groaned, spittin’ blood. “I only wanted your attention, nigga. You actin’ brand new!Iwas that nigga before you. You coulda at least…”
Crackin’ him in the face wit’ my gun again, I put that bitch in his mouth. “You wanted my attention, nigga?” I gritted my teeth. “I offered you a spot on payroll, health insurance, and a straight path. You chose disrespect. You think I went soft ‘cause I got paperwork now? Nah, I just got more shit I refuse to lose.”
He kept tryna talk wit’ the gun in his mouth like a dumb ass, eyes wide. Removin’ it, he spat blood on the mattress and glared at me, breathin’ hard as fuck. “So what’s this, a warnin’?”
“Nah, it’s deeper than that.”
I put one round through his skull and watched him go lifeless instantly, blood spatter gettin’ on me. I wiped the pistol wit’ my sleeve, tucked it away, and backed out through the same window. Wock eased his truck forward and popped the rear hatch.
I tossed the gloves into a burn can he kept ready. He met my eyes in the mirror and nodded once before drivin’ off. Wayne’s car pulled up, and I nodded at him and Antt, lettin’ them know it was handled and they could handle the rest.
Climbin’ into my truck, I pulled off and took the long route out the neighborhood. Ten minutes later, my phone buzzed on the dash.
Streetlights streaked across the windshield while I texted her back.
I sent it, tossed the phone in the middle console, and merged onto the expressway. And I meant that. Shit, I was gettin’ married in three days and wasn’t nothin’ and nobody’ threatenin’ that.
L a y i n gi nb e d, I was half asleep-half awake with the TV playing something I wasn’t paying attention to. It was damn near one in the morning and Knuck wasn’t home yet from the dealership. I wasn’t stupid, though. I knew he was handling what he said he would and that had me on edge something serious.
Looking over at the baby monitor, I exhaled deeply as Kassim’s little chest rose and fell steady, soft white noise filling the screen. Closing my eyes, I said a prayer for God to make sure Knuck stepped foot in the house soon. A few minutes later, I heard the front door downstairs open and close followed by his heavy footsteps.
My chest tightened and I sat up just as he appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. He came straight to the bed, leaned down, and kissed my lips. “Waitin’ up for this dick, huh?”
I chuckled. “No, nasty.”
He glanced at the monitor, relief flickering across his face before it disappeared again. “He’s good?”
“Of course.”
I watched as he turned and walked into the bathroom without another word. The shower kicked on a few seconds later, water hitting tile hard and steady. I stared at the closed bathroom door for maybe half a minute before swinging my legs over the side of the bed.
The bathroom was already filling with steam when I stepped inside. Knuck stood under the spray with back to me, palms flat against the wall, and head bowed. The hot water ran down his neck, over his shoulders, and down his arms. Removing my robe, I let it fall to the marble floor and stepped in behind him. I grabbed the loofah, poured soap into it, and started washing his back slowly.
He exhaled deeply like he’d been holding his breath that whole time. “That feels good,” he murmured.
“You okay?” He didn’t answer as I washed his shoulders and his arms. “Keon,” I said softly. “Talk to me.”
He turned around quickly and pinned me up against the shower wall. Raising my hands above my head, his tongue slid across my nipples, sucking on them. I squirmed and then his eyes were locked on mine.
“What I tell you ‘bout worryin’ and shit? Everything I do is for you and Kassim. Know that.” He leaned in and kissed me hard, tongue deep. His hand slid down between us, fingersfinding my already throbbing clit and I spread my legs wider. “I love you,” he murmured against my mouth. “I love you and my son so fuckin’ much.”
His fingers teased me slowly, circling my clit just enough to make my knees weak. My body reacted even though my mind was still racing. “What did you…?” I tried to ask.