Not giving her time to retaliate, I threw a punch, ignoring the racing in my heart from her revelation. Her soft nose crunched under my fist, but I kept throwing blows. I could feelher scratching my face from the stinging of her nails, but my adrenaline wouldn’t let me let up.
“Whoop that hoe, Pearla!”
“You bet not let her get you on the ground!” Shus screamed.
With everything that had been pent up in me, I threw punches left and right like Neltz had taught me. My nephew was lethal with the hands and had told me I needed to learn when he was around six. Plus, my sister didn’t have any bitch in her blood. If nothing else, we could fight, although I didn’t like to.
“Get this fat bitch off me!” Kaylee yelled as she wildly swung but was missing my face.
That was too bad for her because I wasn’t nearly finished. It wasn’t her that had broken my heart, but she was getting the ass-whooping as if it had been. She should’ve left well enough alone because I had no plans on beating anyone’s ass today.
“Aye, get the fuck off my sister, bitch!”
Kaylee was suddenly snatched up by her hair. Her titties were free, and her nose was busted from my fist. Matteo stood there, mean-mugging, and had her dangling like a rag doll. The wig peeled from her edges, dropping her to the ground. He tossed it in her face, looking at his hand as if he was disgusted. Knowing my brother, he really was disgusted.
“Get y’all dirty ass from up here. And you,”—He pointed at Kaylee, who was looking like a hot-ass mess with the bald cap on her head and backing up on the floor—“Put yo’ hands on my sister again, yo’ mama gone be buryin’ her second daughter. You know who the fuck this is, you in here tussling with?”
“Matteo, it’s okay…” I grabbed his arm.
He grabbed my chin and inspected my face. “How was this hoe able to scratch yo’ face?” His frown deepened. “Bitch, I’ll kill you in here?—”
Matteo turned to Kaylee, but I grabbed him. “Brother, no. It’s fine.”
Kaylee screamed and cried. “You wrong, Pearla! I’m his wife! His fucking wife!”
“And you tried to pull the plug on your husband! What kind of wife does that?” I screamed. “You tried to fucking kill him! Before the doctor could even give us his stats, you were ready to pull the plug, and for what? For money? Insurance? That’s all his life is worth to you?” I screamed so loud that my voice cracked.
Her friends helped her from the floor. Our guards, who had been blending in with the staff, were now surrounding us and had been the reason the police hadn’t been called.
“He’s gone, Pearla!” She pushed her friends off her. “He is gone! She knows he’s gone.” She looked at Shus. “The doctors know he’s gone. Everybody knows. They are only keeping him alive because ofyourpeople’s money!” She scoffed at my brother.
“You don’t know that! Stop speaking that shit into the air!”
“Speakin’ what? Facts! It’s facts! He’s gone. Let’s face it. We both loved that nigga! He don’t let too many people get near him, but since he let you, you gotta face the truth. Grind was a hardbody! It’s been months! Six months! You don’t think he would have woken up by now? To come back to me and Rein? To you? We love him, and he loves us both. I’ve accepted that. It hurts but it’s life.” Her arms flopped.
“He would have woke up by now! He knows this shit he created is a hot mess! You holding onto a corpse! Let him go so I can put my husband away the proper way, Pearla!”
“Bitch, go eat a dick ‘fo’ I spatter yo’ brains all over this bitch. I can help you get to them pearly gates and see if that nigga up there waitin’ on you. And when I bring my gun out, I’m usin’ it.”
Kaylee’s eyes expanded at Matteo before she and her friends ran out of the hospital, bumping into each other on the way out.
Matteo faced me again, ignoring everyone else. “Don’t listen to that bitch, sis. Bitter, sour pussy-ass hoes say anything. I know a prostitute when I see one, and that’s one.”
I chuckled as my brother wiped the tears from my face using the bottom of his shirt. His cologne burned my eyes, but I didn’t stop him.
“You’re too pretty to be fightin’, Pearla.”
“But she was asking for it.”
“And I could’ve had some hoes come up here and beat them bitches to a pulp. Now we gotta get you a technical shot. Come on, I’ll have the doctor come to the crib.”
Bella giggled at Matteo saying tetanus wrong. If my adrenaline wasn’t still pumping, I would’ve laughed too.
“Teo, nooooo. I’m with my friends. I gotta do something first.”
Matteo looked at Bella, P, and Shus as if he was noticing them for the first time. My brother, cousin, and daddy always gave me their undivided attention when I was in their space. The only person who could distract them when I was around was their wives. That was the love I yearned for, but from the man whom I’d just been fighting over.
“That’s Gracious, Grind’s mama. This is P, Italian’s friend, and you know Bella.”
