He nodded. “Understood. But I’m not your last nigga, baby. I don’t do fuck-boy shit like that. I just have to do some shit, and I can’t be distracted.”
“I don’t know, Ghana. This just feels like the beginning of the end.”
“The end of my suffering, mama. I want to be better for you. I want to wake up, knowing that I have the sunshine to look forward to. Just give me a few more days, Ros. Trust that I’m coming back to you, and we gon’ make this shit between us solidified.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
I sighed and nodded. “Okay. Whatever it is you have to do, just be safe. I’m praying for you.”
He smiled lightly. “I appreciate you, baby. Now, come show me some love.”
I stepped closer to him, wrapped my arms around his neck, and pressed my lips into his. We kissed for what felt like forever before he pulled away and planted one last kiss on my forehead. He removed his iced-out G chain and placed it around my neck.
“This was the very first chain I bought when I made my first twenty grand. It’s sentimental to me, and it’s my promise that I’m coming back for you.”
My eyes watered a little bit because something in this exchange didn’t feel right to me, but I took a deep breath and told myself that everything was fine.
“It’ll be here when you get back.”
He nodded and brushed my curls out of my face, kissing my forehead again, then stood and put on his helmet. I stepped back and watched him hop on his bike, start the engine, pat his chest twice, then pull away from the curb. I watched him untilhe disappeared around the corner, then turned and went back inside the house.
God, whatever he’s about to do, please keep him covered. Amen.
The bum-ass Flo Ridaz had finally touched down in our city.
I had been waiting for this moment for over a week, and the day had finally arrived. The fact that this nigga thought he could send a few of his flunkies down here to infiltrate our crew was his second mistake. His first was threatening me like he didn’t blow my whole fucking life up, like he didn’t fuck my chick and have a baby with her.
When Nichelle called me with that information, I immediately asked Ruger to call for a meeting. I told them what Nich told me, verbatim, and when I thought they would try to talk me out of slicing Nico’s head off, they surprisingly were on my side.
Our crew typically didn’t condone violence, and Ruger and Jaxson would try to settle any beef before things went that far. But not only was Ruger pissed about the nigga sending the threat my way, but he was also pissed about everything that had happened before the hospital incident.
He didn’t like what went down at the park with them any more than I did. He especially hated that it upset my sister and had her coming out of character for the fuck shit Nich pulled, so he immediately sent ten of our crew members to Memphis to put their ears to the streets.
Omar and Chance, two of the MCR’s enforcers, told us they were headed our way fifteen deep, so the twenty-seven of us loaded our weapons, hopped on our bikes, and headed to what they thought was their hideout here in Highland Park, Michigan.
The amount of disrespect Nico exhibited to a nigga like me had to be a big joke. By now, I was sure Nichelle had told his ass about me.
They didn’t nickname me Gruesome for no reason.
Instead of him coming up here to face me and handle me like he said he would, he sent some of his crew up here to handle his light work.
Big fucking mistake.
Coming to another man’s territory with beef was like suicide, and the fact that Nico was back in Memphis, hiding like a bitch, proved that he was nothing more than a pussy with a mouth that hid behind panties.
And he was about to get fucked.
Ruger walked to the center of the warehouse, and I already knew he was about to give the speech. “Listen up. Y’all already know how this goes. We take care of this shit and get back home to our families. One band, one sound, and no Rebel left behind. Y’all got the plan, so let’s execute these niggas and get the fuck on.” He looked at me. “Usually, I’d be getting in ya ass for alwaysgetting us into some shit, but this time, it ain’t on you. This time, I’m a hundred percent in with shutting his ho ass down.”
I nodded. “I was trying to be cool.”
“You’ve been doing good, my baby. I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks, man.”
He nodded.