Devyn’s smile was automatic. Hazel was one funny kid, and she could only imagine what came out of her mouth in her absence. “What she say?”
“I showed her an old photo album, and when we got to the picture of you at prom, she asked if the young man with you was her daddy. Pointed her little finger at him and said, ‘Daddy?’ I think she’s ready for a man in her life, Devyn.”
The smile had been long gone as she listened to her mother speak. Melanie meant well, but this conversation was so tired.
“What was that young boy’s name?” Robert asked. The two of them always fed off each other.
Devyn rolled her eyes. “Steven,” she mumbled as she picked at her food. Suddenly, she was too drained to eat, and all she wanted to do was take her baby home and go to bed.
Robert snapped his fingers. “Steven. That’s right. He was a nice young man.”
“And boring,” Devyn mumbled.
Her entire life was spent being the perfect daughter and walking a straight line. Now, all she did was work and take care of her daughter. Koren and Emilia tried their best to get her out of the house, but now that she ran the dealership, it was pretty much impossible. Staying inside the perfect box her parentscarefully crafted for her had always been the goal, so of course they liked boring ass Steven. This was another reason she was hesitant to find Haze because he would quickly become a part of her family, and he was everything her parents didn’t want for her.
“And how do you know? If I remember correctly, prom was your first and last date with him. Maybe you should look him up online and see what he’s up to now,” Melanie suggested.
“Ma, do you really think I have time to date? You just said how little time Daddy had when he ran the dealership. You really think I can manage a relationship and Hazel?” Devyn tried to keep the frustration out of her tone, but it was hard. Sometimes, the pressure was entirely too much for her.
Her mother’s eyes softened. “I just want you to be happy, baby.”
Devyn continued to move food around on her plate as she whispered, “I am, Mama. I am.”
Both she and her parents knew that was a lie, but unfortunately, her happiness wasn’t her focus at the moment. Her career and Hazel had all her attention, and she wasn’t mad at that. In fact, she counted them as major blessings that she would continue to cultivate for as long as she lived.
There had never been a time when Haze inhaled so much weed smoke at one time in his life. Like a rookie, he coughed, which only pissed him off even more. With watery eyes from coughing so hard, he reared his leg back and kicked the tire of the new luxury car he’d purchased the previous week.
“Piece of shit ass car,” he mumbled before he took another pull of his blunt.
He needed to calm his nerves quickly because fucking someone up behind this bullshit ass car was heavy on his mind. He didn’t want to go to the dealership and cause a scene. The Vicious Kings were already under a lot of heat with the police department because of this long-lasting beef between them and the fuck ass Blue Boyz Motorcycle Club.
Everything had been cool in his city since he started his motorcycle club years ago. They got along with other riders and clubs, hosted fundraisers for their city, and did a ton of community service. Sure, they also did their dirt. Haze and Gideon were the heads of all illegal weapons moving in Desmore Bay, but they had an understanding with the police department.
That understanding wavered slowly but surely when the Blue Boyz showed up. Those niggas loved picking with the Vicious Kings. After the first time the Blue Boyz shot up their block party, Haze declared war. Vicious Kings took out every Blue Boy they could find, but it was like them niggas was endless. More kept popping up, and their president stayed hidden. They knew who he was, but because their faction seemed to come from many different states, it was hard to drop a dime on him. He was known as Azul, and Haze wasn’t even sure if the nigga had ever even stepped foot into Desmore Bay.
From what Haze understood, the Blue Boyz simply wanted power. They wanted to be the head motorcycle club in Desmore Bay, and they also wanted to infiltrate their weapon operation. Nothing like this had ever happened in Haze’s career, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t down for the ride. In fact, he found it fun taking out the Blue Boyz newest members every week. It was like they had a never-ending recruiting process and accepted any and everyone into their fuck ass club.
Haze flicked the roach of his blunt to the ground as he watched cars pass him by. He couldn’t believe he was stuck on the side of the road like a sitting duck. He always had some sort of weapon on him, so he wasn’t too worried if he got caught in a situation, but he’d rather be mobile than stuck standing there like an idiot.
Luckily for him, it didn’t take long for Gideon’s big ass truck to pull up beside him. Haze felt a sudden wave of reliefas he locked his broken-down car and walked toward Gideon’s. Glimmer was in the front seat, so Haze hopped in the back.
“What’s good, y’all?”
Gideon snickered. “Told ya ass not to get that damn car.”
“Boy, shut yo’ ass up,” Haze snapped before he turned to Glimmer. “How you, sis?”
He lovingly touched the back of her silky hair. Haze had known Glimmer since they were kids, and she was just as much family to him as Kiyomi and Deja. He would always stand ten toes down behind her and make sure she was good. Their fathers were best friends, and he knew Big Henry looked down and smiled at Haze for making sure his best friend’s daughter lived a good life.
“I’m good, Haze. What happened to your car?” Glimmer asked.
Gideon chuckled again. “Ain’t shit happened to it. That thing is for looks, and Haze thinks he can actually rely on it to get him around the city.”
Haze leaned over and popped Gideon on the back of his head. “Ain’t I told you to shut up?”
Gideon swatted him away playfully as they pulled away from Haze’s car. “What that mean?”
“It means shut up,” Haze grumbled. He wished he could spark another blunt, but he knew Gideon didn’t allow smoking in his truck, and Haze would always respect that man, even though he got on his nerves sometimes.
