"Yatta, what's good, my nigga?" Zeus said when he answered.
"Man, shit crazy out here, bro," I said, leaning back in my chair. "Your brother and Sosa going at it hard. Niggas getting dropped left and right. While the feds watching everything move."
"Yeah, I heard about BooMan," Zeus said. "That's fucked up. But Zach telling me Sosa started it."
"I don't give a fuck who started it," I said firmly. "It needs to end This shit bad for business, Zeus. Real bad. Money ain't flowing, everybody paranoid, cops on everybody. We can't operate like this."
Zeus was quiet for a second. "What you want me to do?"
"Tell Zach to call a truce," I said. "Dead this shit before it gets worse. We all eat when shit is calm. Right now, everybody starving and bleeding. That ain't smart."
"A'ight, I feel you," Zeus said. "I'll holler at him. But you know how Zach get when he feel disrespected, plus Sosa had something to do with Tiona getting smoked."
"Man, ain't nobody got time for feelings right now. It's about survival. Tell him to get his head right or we all gonna be fucked."
"Bet. I got you, Yatta."
"Good looking, bro. Stay up."
I hung up and rubbed my face. This shit was stressful as hell, but somebody had to be the voice of reason before everybody ended up dead or locked up.
I checked the time and grabbed my keys. I told Zurie I was gonna take her and JJ shopping today. JJ needed some new clothes and I ain't mind doing shit like that for them.
* * *
I pulled up to Zurie's crib and she came out looking good as hell in some jeans and a fitted shirt, her locs were pulled up in a ponytail and that shit looked good on her, she was holding JJ’s hand, he smiled widened when he saw me.
"What's good, lil' man?" I said, lifting him up and strapping him in his car seat.
"Thank you for doing this," Zurie said, getting in the passenger seat.
"You ain't gotta thank me," I said, pulling off. "I got y'all."
We hit up a few stores, grabbing JJ some new fits, some Jordan's, some Polo outfits, and all that. Watching Zurie with her son always did something to me. She was a good mom. always making sure he was straight no matter what.
But as we was shopping, I noticed her phone kept going off. Over and over. She'd look at it, her face would tighten up, and she'd put it back in her purse without saying nothing.
After the fifth time, I couldn't take it no more.
"Who the fuck keep blowing you up?" I asked.
"Nobody," she said quickly.
"Zurie."
"It's nothing, Yatta. Don't worry about it."
Her phone buzzed again and I snatched it out her hand before she could stop me.
"Yatta, give me my phone!" she said, reaching for it.
I held it away from her and looked at the screen. My jaw clenched when I saw the name Jamie.
I opened the messages and read through them, and with each one, my blood got hotter.
Jamie: You think you slick with that nigga Yatta
Jamie: You really fucking the nigga who killed my brother