“That shit sound good and all, but we hearing about some Detroit nigga putting up traps in the city next to you.”
Taking a swig of my drink, I downed the shot, wincing slightly at the burning sensation that surfaced in my chest. “Where you getting your information from ‘cause it’s wrong?”
“Our source ain’t never been wrong, but we’re gonna give you the benefit of the doubt,” J’Ru said from beside me.
I could tell they knew more than they were telling me. They just wanted to see if I would keep it a hundred with them. “Ain’t shit going on that I can’t contain.”
“Well… what the fuck going on?” Kaymen cut straight to the chase. He never beat around the bush when it came to shit like this. He may have been out of the game, but he still felt his reputation was associated with success of the business, so he always wanted to know what the fuck was up.
I let out a deep sigh before grabbing the bottle to pour myself another shot.
“My boy Nymir, he got killed by some nigga who run with that Detroit cat.”
“You just now finding out about this Detroit nigga?” Priest asked.
I shook my head. “Silas kept a low profile for the most part. I ain’t see that nigga as a threat.”
“Everybody a fucking threat, Ahk, when you at the top. You don’t let no nigga get one up on you ‘cause you underestimating them,” J’Ru preached.
“I hear you.”
I could tell Priest was holding back on what he had to say. He was always the man with a plan, and even when he didn’t want it to, his mind was always brewing his next move to keep him two steps ahead. He confided in me about wanting to stay far the fuck away from the game because of what it took from him, but judging by the look in his eye, the temptation to reign supreme was eating at him.
“How you feel ‘bout this, PJ?” I asked him.
He grabbed the bottle from the table and poured himself another shot. Just like I did mine, he downed it in one take before wincing at the kickback the whiskey inflicted on him. A deep chuckle rolled out of him as his hand went back to running through his beard.
“It ain’t on me no more. It’s on you. Dead this shit like you know how. You the head nigga in charge now. Move like it.”
As my mind pondered my next move, the sliding door opened. Genesis and J’Ru’s daughter J’Ream came running out.
“Daddy, Genesis is being mean!” J’Ream ran straight to J’Ru with a pout on her face.
“Daddy, J’Ream is being a hater!” Genesis accused while walking straight to Priest with a mean mug on his face.
This was their fucking life now. They were fathers, husbands, and oil plant owners. Not many niggas got the opportunity to bow out the game as gracefully Priest, J’Ru and Kaymen did. They were at peace now, and the burden of remaining on top was now mine to carry.
We ended up sitting around the table, and after Priest led the prayer, we dug into the good-ass food.
“You know, Ahk and Jazzy, the house down the street is on the market. You two thinking about getting more space?” Britain smirked. Knowing her, she would’ve loved having us live so close. She was all about family. She had already recruited Kaymen and Jadey to join the neighborhood. J’Ru and A’ja lived only fifteen minutes out from them. Now it was only a matter of time before Jaz and I decided to pack up and set up our forever home in Staten Island.
Priest chuckled at his wife as he caressed her hand in his. “Not everybody ready for the white picket fence and H.O.A meetings, Gioia.”
“Thank you, PJ. Me and Ahk love our penthouse. Ain’t that right, baby?” Jazzy turned to look at me for confirmation.
I nodded. “The penthouse is smooth, but I ain’t against some more space.”
This prompted Britain to do a little happy dance in her seat, making everyone laugh. “Screw owning a magazine. I think this girl needs to become a realtor.” Jadey shook her head.
“It’s just us and Saphir right now. You think we need more space?” Jazzlyn asked before she took a sip of her wine.
I shrugged. “I mean, eventually, it won’t just be you, me, and Saphir. Why don’t we just view the house and talk numbers with the realtor?”
“I love that idea, Ahk,” Britain piped in, causing me to chuckle.
Based off the way Jazzy downed the rest of her wine, I could tell she wasn’t on board but didn’t want to put her disapproval on front street. This was definitely a conversation for us to revisit later, without our family in the mix. Marrying Jazzlyn was the best decision of my life. However, I was starting to realize that she was so resistant to change for the better. I loved her with every fiber of my being, but I was starting to see that we didn’t want the same things.
“Yeah, we can do that,” she agreed for the sake of everyone else around us. The look in her eyes was clear as day screaminghell noat me.
