“Don’t be in here drinking all your mother’s pops, nigga! I oughta knock you out already for the way you bum rushed yo’ ass up in here!” My pops got on my ass as soon as I found them in the living room, looking like they were in the middle of a debriefing.
“Man, I know that nigga told you he had me around a dead ass body! Ma ain’t gon’ trip about the nasty ass pops if she know I got an upset stomach.” I mugged Vega’s ass as I sat on the couch opposite him, but he just snorted.
“So, the tech was a dead end, and Bear been dead for what looks like about two weeks, so we’re back where we started.” He turned to our pops, who looked like he was in deep thought.
“They’re tying up loose ends,” Pops mumbled and scratched at his beard. “It was a five-crew team, and without Bear and a tech person, it’s gon’ be a five way split. Whoever’s in charge is probably gon’ start picking off his team, too, though.”
“How you figure that?” Vega leaned up, resting his elbows on his knees. My eyes traveled back to Pops, wanting to know my damn self.
“It’s no honor among thieves, and he’s already picking off his people. I bet whoever did the camera shot probably knew that, too, and they’re in hiding if they’re not already dead.”
I shared a look with Vega. It made sense that whoever was behind it was going to try to walk away with everything, but we still didn’t know who that was. Our only two leads were either dead or in the wind, and we still weren’t any closer to finding out who we were looking for. There wasn’t even an influx of spending around the hood to try and lead us in the right direction.
“I got Tray looking into the missing family. We gon’ have to just put this shit on ice until I hear back from him.” Vega shrugged, already climbing to his feet. I did the same, still slow sipping my pop since it was beginning to help.
“Ayite, keep me posted.” Our pops finally stood, leading us to the door as my phone buzzed in my pocket. I waited until we were outside before checking the screen and grinned when I saw that Bliss had messaged me.
We’d been talking for the last couple weeks, and it was beginning to be a ritual to hit each other up. Whenever she hadn’t heard from me, she was on my line cursing me out and vice versa, even though she had yet to let me take her out anywhere. I was playing it cool, but just like with her number, Iwas going to take matters into my own hands if she kept ducking me.
“How Essence doing?” I asked out of nowhere, gaining Vega’s attention and instantly started cracking up at the look on his face.
“Where the fuck that come from?”
Shrugging, I leaned my seat back. “I’m just asking, nigga. I can’t be interested in your love life?”
“Fuck no!” His frown deepened, and I realized he was looking like that because of my choice of words.
“My bad, let me rephrase that. I can’t be interested in my future sister-in-law?”
That didn’t make his expression ease up in the slightest. “How is that shit any better?” His ass tried to front, and I gave him the side eye. He’d been on some other shit since he met Essence, and it was even worse after he’d hemmed her up at the club so he could try that shit on the next nigga.
“So, if you not planning to marry her, another nigga can?” I asked, knowing that shit was going to send him over the edge, and it did just that. A vein in his forehead popped out, and he hit the accelerator like a mad man. “Exactly, muthafucka! Let me find out you in love and shit.” I continued teasing as he calmed down. It was obvious he hadn’t considered things going that far, but as soon as I saw him with her at the casino, I knew what was up.
Instead of acknowledging what I said, he skipped right over it. “Essence is straight. Why you being nosy?”
“I might’ve met a shorty, but she giving me crumbs and shit. Won’t really see me in person, and she fighting hard not to let me take her on a date.”
“You’re too damn old to be getting catfished, Sos. Don’t tell me you out here sending money to fake people and shit.” Hefinally cracked a smile after that lame ass joke, but I didn’t find shit funny.
“I met her in person when I picked up Quick,” I grumbled, already flipping through my phone so I could show him her profile.
Yeah, I’d been stalking her shit just to make sure she wasn’t out here playing me to the left but entertaining other niggas. So far, she seemed like she was going through some type of spiritual journey like women do after a heartbreak, judging from all the quotes on her page. I wasn’t worried about a nigga from the past, though, and since he wasn’t making himself known on her page, then he was just that, a nigga from her past. That shit still had me wondering why the fuck she wasn’t trying to fuck with me like that. It had me more than irritated, and as much as I liked her, she was about to get put on the back burner. I wasn’t even out here fucking off. I was too busy chasing her ass.
“Ayite, so if she really exists, what’s the problem?” Vega kept his eyes ahead, so he didn’t see how my nose turned up.
“Who said it’s a problem?”
“Nigga, you did when you brought this shit up to me.” He laughed. “You been acting like a lil bitch all night. Man, let me find out whoever this girl is got you in your feelings like that.”
“Ain’t nobody in their feelings.” I stopped short at the lie. Iwasfeeling some type of way. “I just ain’t fuckin’ with her playing games and shit.” I finally pulled up her pictures and scrolled through for the best one, but I stopped when I landed on one with Essence. Checking the caption, it confirmed just what I’d been thinking, and I quickly showed him the screen.
The sisters standing side by side had him swerving as he snatched it from my hand to get a closer look. He tossed it back with a snort and shook his head. “What’s the fuckin’ odds yo’ ass went out and found my shorty’s sister? Copy catting ass nigga.”
“Shit, I ain’t do it on purpose. I told you I met her ass at the hospital.”
He side eyed me in disbelief, but what could he say? “Well, I was gon’ tell you to just keep doing you until she comes around, but now that I know it’s Essence sister, nigga, definitelydon’tdo that shit. You gon’ fuck around and have me more in the dog house than I already am. Just-just try harder or some shit.” He tried to advise, but that was some bullshit. I didn’t give a damn about that nigga being in somebody’s doghouse. I wasn’t about to keep chasing Perfect’s ass.
CHAPTER 12
