“I’m not picking his ignorant ass up. When Renello is with his fruity-ass grandpa, Pia and I pretend we ain’t got no kids.”
Rio was in Patty’s face so much that he had to have been delivered and wasn’t gay anymore. Still, the homosexual jokes were a constant.
We slapped hands, and he was on his way. My family had come through for me in a major way in the last twenty-four hours, and I knew as soon as shit settled down, I was going to do something extra nice for them. They’d talk their shit about it because it was understood that we rode for each other, but risking your life for me without blinking is some shit I would never toss aside. I loved those boys. Matteo’s ignorant ass even got cool points for tagging along. I still didn’t fuck with him or his cousin like that, though. Them niggas got a kick out of torturing my cousins and me.
Rubbing my hand down my mouth, I did a scan of the living room, ensuring Nel didn’t leave shit behind. I didn’t have to worry about locking the door behind him because the door automatically locked, and in the instance that it didn’t, a buzzing alarm sounded off.
“Shio.”
The moment I entered the kitchen, Solana’s eyes were on me. Her hair was back in a ball on the top of her head, and she must have washed her face because it looked clean and held a glow on her dark skin. Bahati was dark, maybe a shade or two lighter than me. Solana was a deep, dark chocolate. Both women were beautiful, but there was just something about Solana. Too fucking bad she’d fucked up, and now all I saw was a coked-out problem when I looked at her.
Her feet were crossed Indian style as she sat on the kitchen island. She was still wearing her shorts, so I avoided looking down because I was sure I would see her panties through the thigh opening or her pussy if she wasn’t wearing any. She’d pulled a sweatshirt over the baby tee she’d slept in. The word “Alo” was stitched across the pineapple-colored top that matched the shorts. Her round eyes peered up at me while she held a mug in her hand and sipped from it. She was sitting there, all innocent looking, enjoying a cup of joe like she hadn’t been snorting that white girl less than twenty-four hours ago.
“Wassup, Solana?”
“The mailman brought the envelopes to the door… Says your mailbox was too full.” Her eyes went from me to the mail stacked in a pile in front of her.
I rarely checked the mail unless I was expecting some shit, and most of my shit went to my PO box. This house was bought in cash, and I didn’t have car payments. My cards, utilities, and insurance were all on autopay, and most of my miscellaneous bills were set to paperless. There had been more than once when the mailman brought the mail to the door. I knew he used it as an excuse to be nosy and chat. He was a lonely, old widower who got his grandchildren the last week of summer and again on his birthday.
I had 20/20 vision and still used glasses when I read, so I didn’t fault my sight. From here, I could see the name on the first piece of mail, and I chuckled.
“Aite,” I replied, moving toward the fridge.
“There’s fifteen envelopes. Only two are addressed to you.”
“So, you can read. Congratulations, Solana.”
She opened her mouth, but I shot her a look that had her clamping it back shut. Steam rose from her mug, kissing her chin while she stared at me without blinking.
“This my shit, Solana. You don’t get to question me about anything.”
She blinked just as her eyes began to mist. “Can I ask what your daughter’s name is?”
“Shya.”
“Shya… Pretty. She’s a good baby. Sleepy baby.¿Crees que ellos… hicieron algo?(Do you think they…. did something?)”
Heat crept up my neck. Solana had voiced one of the thoughts that had been swirling in my mind. My trigger finger itched, and my eye twitched. The doctor had cleared her at the hangar, but he’d only done a quick assessment of the small toddler.
“Si ponen la mano sobre algo que esté ligado a mí, acabo con toda la línea de sangre.(If they lay a hand on anything attached to me, I’m ending the entire bloodline.)
The mug Solana was holding tilted as the hot coffee spilled onto her sweatshirt. The ceramic mug slipped from her hand, but I caught it, not caring that it was burning my hand. Solana’s body jerked forward into me, so I caught her too. Her eyes were round, and when she jerked back, only then did I realize what was happening.
“Bitch! You got me fucked up, hoe!”
Bahati had snatched Solana by her hair. Her hands shot back to Bahati’s grip, trying to break the hold she had on her hair.
“¡Déjame ir, maldita sea! ¡Suelta mi cabello!(Let me fucking go! Let go of my hair!”)
“Aye, watchout!” I fussed at Bahati.
Grabbing her hand, I pulled her fingers from Solana’s hair. Solana was trying to push her, but since she was on the ground now with her back to Bahati, it was difficult.
When I had them apart, Solana crawled away from Bahati, shock still evident on her face with a bit of confusion.
I faced Bahati. “Aye, what the fuck? Didn’t I already tell you I ain’t with that drama shit?”
Bahati’s chest was heaving as she almost blew smoke out of her nose. She bent down, and once she was upright again, Shya was in her arms. Now that I was seeing them together, I didn’t see any resemblance between Bahati and Shya. Baby girl had my same skin tone, and her hair was in two puff balls like I’d seen on my baby cousins. However, even though a head full, she didn’t have as much hair as the little girls in my family. Her doe-shaped eyes were bright with wonder, and her pouty lips were pressed shut as she clung to Bahati’s shirt. She was a little beauty.
