Page 1 of Rayzor: Tell Me It’s Mine II

Iknew my baby. That shit on her screen had her scared, but fuck– she knew me. A mothafuckin’ .380 pointed at the center of my chest. Ready to take me out. Her hands were shaking, tears steadily falling as she trained her pistol on me. I could’ve taken it but didn’t. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“It depends on where your scars led me,” she replied.

I cocked my head to the side, fixing my jaw after she’d hit me in it.

“You said you loved a nigga, was that shit conditional?” I questioned.

“Courtland, all I wanna know is… where are the kids?”

“Fuck!” I barked. “You keep asking about them like I’ll fucking hurt them.” I paused. “Those my fuckin’ kids too. I’d never hurt them, E. Fuck kinda nigga you take me for?”

“The article. That’s the kind of man I think you are.”

I glanced down at the screen, which had faded to black.

I saw the article. Saw the headlight. My face. My past. I lived it. Didn’t need to see it.

The floor creaked behind us, which made both Eris and me hide what was happening. Erin came into the light, rubbing her eyes, unaware that some real shit was happening.

Eris glared back at me.

I saw relief wash over her face that Erin stopped what she wanted to do.

“Is everything okay?” Erin groggily asked, squinting her eyes.

“Yeah. Gon’ on back to bed,” Eris directed, keeping her gun tucked away.

The air hung for a second.

“I heard you two arguing.”

Erin stepped around me. I kept my back to Erin to keep her from seeing all this blood on me.

“Where’s Levi?” Eris asked.

“In my bed. Rayzor came over and saved us from Clarissa’s nasty cooking. She tried to make chicken, and it was still bleeding. I don’t know why we can’t stay home alone. I’m old enough to watch Levi.”

The room went quiet.

“I’ll think about it, but gon’ back to bed, okay? I’ll be in there to check on y’all soon.”

Before Erin’s feet drug across the floor, she stopped.

“Rayzor… are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, lil’ bit, I’m good. Listen to your sister. I’ll see y’all in the morning, aiight.”

“Okay,” she responded before shuffling toward the back of the house into the dark.

We listened as her bedroom door closed.

Eris turned back around. “I have a family to protect, and before I let you hurt us, I’ll hurt you first, Courtland. I’m serious,” she threatened.

“Shit, if I hurt y’all, ain’t no me baby.”

Behind her eyes was a twinkle of softness, like my words had gotten to her, but she wasn’t giving in that easily. That’s my fucking wife. That’s right, baby. Believe none of what I say, but everything I do.

My jaw tensed. “Now either you blow that bitch or put it down,” I warned.