I tossed Kross some keys, and he smirked. He hit the buttons, and it lit up the Rolls Royce Cullinan parked directly behind my car. “Courtesy of Hendrix Auto for your time in the city. Don’t fuck up my shit now.”
He laughed while dapping me up. “Shit, I’ll try not to. This shit clean as hell. Might just take it off your hands, Ahk.”
“You know I’m good for it. Cut you a little deal ‘cause you family.”
Remedy smacked her lips. “K, you do not need another car. We’re running out of damn space in the garage and driveway.”
“You be running out of space in that closet but still find a way to squeeze a new bag in it. I’ll figure it out.”
“Let him get the car. Just run up the card for the same amount,” Jazzy said to Remedy who nodded her head as if it was the best idea she’d heard yet.
Kross and I eyed both of our wives before shaking our heads at them. “See, maybe we should’ve thought this shit through and kept y’all shopaholics away from each other.”
Jazzlyn waved me off. “Ahkeem, hush. We deserve to treat ourselves.”
After their flight, we figured it was best to get us some food. Kross trailed us through traffic until we reached Priest’srestaurant, La Lealtá. We hadn’t rolled through there in a little minute, but I was feening for some of their calamari.
Soon as we stepped foot in the restaurant, we were prioritized and taken straight to our usual section. It was ducked off in the back and was reserved solely for Priest and his family whenever we chose to dine in. When we were settled with drinks and appetizers, the ladies got wrapped up in conversation about some purse they were going to be on the hunt for while Remedy was in the city, allowing Kross and me to chop it up about business.
“Got eyes on ya boy in that hospital. The nigga fucked up in there. Apparently, you did pop the nigga,” Kross revealed.
“Word? Nigga can’t be too fucked up if he ordering motherfuckas to kidnap my fucking wife.”
“Same shit I said. One of the bullets hit him in the stomach, so he been in and out for surgery for that shit. Nigga having complications and shitting in a bag now.”
I threw my head back in laughter. Silas was down bad. I hit majority of his traps and was planning on shutting down the traffic to the rest of them. His money was drying out, I took his fucking product, and now he had to shit in a bag. If that motherfucka’ thought I was through with him, he thought fucking wrong. As low as shitting in a bag may have made him feel, I needed the nigga to die. Going after Jazzlyn was him begging to be put six feet under. His bullshit plan caused us to lose our baby, and I was never going to let up off him until I cut his life short.
“We gotta make our move fast.”
I nodded. “Facts. You out here for a little minute to handle business with Jazzy. I’m gone fly back with y’all so I can end this shit with Freddy Kreuger once and for all. Not gone give him the chance to touch back down in the city. I fucked up by being nice and fucking considerate once. I’m not doing that shit again.From now on, every fucking dollar made on a block out here is mine. Shit went too far the minute they put they hands on my heart.”
My eyes trailed over to Jazzlyn, and they filled with so much admiration and love.
She was the strongest woman I knew, but I didn’t want her to think she had to constantly live up to that. Her strength was an added layer of who she was as my wife, not her entirety. I wanted her to be soft and feel protected. In order to do that, I needed to dead that bitch-ass nigga who thought he cheated death ‘cause he was laying up in a hospital bed.
Kross extended his hand to me, and we dapped up. “I’ll tap with my people, and we’ll make the move.”
“‘Preciate it, K.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
JAZZLYN
Since being together,it was tradition for me and Ahkeem to stay up until midnight on each other’s birthdays so we could be the first to say happy birthday. Initially, I was ready to stay up, but once we cuddled up to watch a movie in bed, I fell fast asleep. I hadn’t been sleeping much, so whenever I dozed off, it was because my body desperately needed rest. I felt like crap for ruining the streak of our tradition.
I jolted out of my sleep half past midnight, which meant it had been Ahkeem’s birthday for a whole thirty minutes and I had yet to tell him happy birthday. I reached over in hopes of feeling him next to me, but I came up empty.
I looked around the dark bedroom, coming up short of him again. Usually, if he wasn’t by my side, he would be kicking it on the couch we had in our bedroom, rolling a blunt.
I got out of bed while stuffing my feet in my slippers. Like I child, I turned on every light I bypassed. I may have talked tough shit, but I would always be afraid the dark.
Stepping out of the lengthy hall of our penthouse, I entered the living room. From where I stood, I could see Ahkeem on the terrace, leaning against the rail, admiring the view.
In his shirt and my slippers, I shuffled over to the terrace. The night’s wind brushed past me, knocking the sleepiness right out of me. Upon hearing the terrace door slide open, Ahkeem glanced over his shoulder at me. At the sight of me stepping out, a smirk graced his handsome face before he turned around and faced me.
“What’s up, Sleeping Beauty?” he teased while holding his hand out to me.
I set my hand into his, and he pulled me right into his chest. “Why didn’t you wake me up, baby? I missed midnight.”
