“Listen, I know you hate a nigga right now. I just need to be sure you and the kids are straight. Somebody came at me tonight, and I don’t know what the fuck is going on. I just need to make sure that y’all are safe.”
“We’re fine. Are you okay?” She asked, trying to hide the concern in her tone.
That’s why I loved her ass for real.
“Yeah. I’m good. I wasn’t hit or no shit like that.” I was glad that she was worried about me, it meant she still cared. She got quiet though, and I knew she was thinking. I loved Chevy with the best parts of me. I was starting to see that hurting her hurt me, and us.
“Good.” She finally spoke up.
“Chevy—”
“I am glad that you are okay Knowledge, but that’s where it ends. You made things like this.” She responded.
“I know. I fucked up. That’s all on me. Can we just… try again?”
“How many chances am I supposed to give you, hmm? Letting your side bitch work with me wasn’t enough? I have never felt more violated or disrespected. And what I do to deserve that shit but be loyal and a good woman and mother. You don’t appreciate shit, Ledge. And now that I threw in the fucking towel, you want to try again? Fuck that. It’s time to start living for me and these kids. I can’t be sitting around here unhappy because that shit bounces off them. I hope you get yourself together, but no… we can’t try again. I am glad you are okay. Goodnight.” She hung up before I could even get another word in.
Sitting there, I gripped my cell tightly in my hand while staring ahead at the projector screen that was showing me the desktop in front of me. I had done this to myself. Chevy might have been able to just give up, but not me. The first thing I had to do was put my energy into finding whoever the hell was gunning for me. I couldn’t get my woman and family back if I was fucking dead.
Frequency
My night tooka turn when I got the call from Knowledge. We might not have been on the best terms, but he was still my ace. I couldn’t just let go of the fact that he was talking to Kutlass though, knowing how I felt about him. It was no secret from anyone how I handled my father. With everything that had gone down with us over the years, I had every reason not to fuck with him. When I was old enough to separate myself from him, that was the first fucking thing I did. My parents were always a little off to me. The older I got, the more I picked apart the way I grew up. Another reason Ivy was kept away from me was because I didn’t want her to inherit that dysfunction.
Posted at a private table on the outer deck of Terrapin, I sipped my Hennessy while checking out the scenery. I felt secure because I had snipers at nearly every vantage point. This wasn’t an ordinary meeting. Watching Harold Lawson walk through the doors and be escorted outside to where I was located, I kept a cool persona. He was a sturdy man, average height, but with some muscle definition in his arms so that I knew that he was cut and kept himself in shape. Looking like the average Joe from the outside, I looked deeper and saw the OG’s I was raised around in the hood. My pops made sure we knew about that environment, but we had never really lived in it. Thanks to Ledge and meeting him when I did, it was easy to get sucked into that street life. He lived that shit for real, which was another reason I always had love for him. He was always fighting that shit. Bro didn’t think he was worthy of anything good in this world. We shared that sentiment coming up, which is part of the reason we bonded.
“Thank you for making an appearance.” I greeted him, a curious expression clouding my face.
He was stone-faced. I understood that glare. He was a father. To him, I was a nigga that was fucking with his daughter. No matter the kind of father he thought he was, that shit was bound to get under his skin one way or another.
“I was very surprised to hear from you.” He declared, settling in the chair across from me.
“I thought we might need to talk, clear the air,” I placed a hand on the table, but kept the other in my lap where my burner rested.
A mothafucka would never say they caught me slipping. There were very few people that I even trusted in this world, so when I sat across from a mothafucka that didn’t fit that bill, I was always extra cautious. Harold narrowed his gaze on me, chuckling to himself before holding me under his hard glare.
“Talk? If you ain’t your father’s fucking son.”
I hated hearing that shit. Mothafuckas just didn’t know how much.
“I’m my own man. Nothing like Kutlass Roth, and the comparison is based on inaccuracy. I’m also not a coward, or some simp like you.”
Harold grilled me bitterly, causing a smirk to fill my face.
“I’ve been in the field a hell of a lot longer than you.”
“And yet here we are.” I simpered before clasping my hands together and leaning forward on the table.
“We don’t have anything to talk about,” Harold worded.
“Hmm, I beg to differ there. You see… we actually have common ground now.” I sneered back at him cockily.
“Oh yeah, and what’s that?” Harold questioned, angling his head to the side.
“Harbor.” I answered simply, changing his entire expression.
“My daughter should have never been a part of this.” He declared.
“You’re right.” I agreed, unbuttoning my suit jacket while my appetizers were placed in front of me by a waiter. “But because of you, she was brought into this. And now… I can’t picture my life without her. That’s the only thing I do know without a doubt.And I’m not going to make excuses or explain any of this shit to you.”
