Which would’ve been my loss. For the next hour, Morales explained the very lucrative business of loan sharking and money laundering my grandfather had been in. Nigga was a millionaire several times over.
“So, he thought he should leave it, with a little help, in the hands of his rightful heir,” Morales explained.
He looked at me like he expected me to be excited or grateful or some shit. Instead, I laughed in his face.
“His rightful heir?”
That shit was hilarious considering the fact that this nigga had sat back and got crazy rich an hour away from where mymama scraped by with his two grandkids. Now, he was worried about my inheriting what he’d built?
I opened my mouth to pass, but Seth shook his head once. I knew he already knew where my mind was. Why he was about to argue, I didn’t know.
“Ay, give us a minute,” he requested.
Morales nodded and walked out of the room.
Seth turned to me. “Yo, whatever yo’ pride finna make you say, swallow it.”
I looked at him in disbelief. “What? Man, fuck that. And fuck this nigga with his too little, too late ass. I don’t want shit from him!”
I jumped up from my chair and started pacing. Seth kept talking.
“I understand where you coming from, but this is the least that nigga can do for you and Khayla. You could take this shit, with the connections we got, and make it bigger than he even thought about.”
“I don’t need?—"
“Khi, let’s be real. No matter how much the Kinseys break bread, you not gon’ ever be the type of nigga who wants to work for somebody else. This is your chance to do your own shit.”
“I know my mama got relatives. What if someone tries to come for it?”
Seth smiled coldly. “Then you’ll handle that, if it happens.”
I stopped in front of one of the big, picture windows and peered out onto the perfectly landscaped yard.
“I’on know. You know I’on like owing nobody shit, even a dead man.”
He sucked his teeth. “Fuck that. This nigga owed you and Khayla. Let him pay.”
Sighing, I rubbed a hand down my face. “I need to think.”
“Fine. But listen to what I’m saying.”
I nodded once before walking to the door and opening it to let Morales back in.
“What are the conditions?” I asked once he was seated again.
“He wanted you to keep the business in the family, make it more…” He cleared his throat. “Acceptable to some. And he wanted you to look out for your grandmother and aunt.”
I smirked. “Oh, now I got a grandmother and aunt?”
He frowned. “You know, Mekhi, maybe you’re not ready for this. You’re going to have to let a lot of things go?—”
“He’s ready,” Seth broke in. “You just dropping a lot on my nigga at once. But he can handle it.”
Morales studied me for a minute. “Is that true, Mekhi? Can you handle this?”
I sat back down, my mind in overdrive. Everything Seth had said had been true. I could handle this, and I definitely wanted my own shit. But something about accepting anything from Mordecai Derouen didn’t sit right with me. Still, I knew an opportunity like this wouldn’t just fall in my lap again. Like I said, I needed to think.
But then, Morales pushed. “Mekhi, if this isn’t?—”
