Page 12 of A Hood Wife And A Rich Goon 2

“And why is my brother dead?” Bull demanded.

“Bronx found out about Braxton and how he was really moving. Nigga didn’t have us just moving art. Yeah, it was lucrative, but what he had on his buyers and the network he built was even more valuable. He was making double what he was telling us and pocketing the rest for himself. Bronx had proof. So, the plan was to take all the paintings and profit off ’em without cutting Braxton in,” Oracle explained.

“And you thought that shit was gon’ work?” Bull grimaced.

“Me and Bronx agreed on a location. Only he took one of the paintings with him to the townhouse he was sharing… with your wife.” Oracle simpered sarcastically and tipped his glass to his mouth.

Bull’s grip tightened on his weapon.

“I’m fucking with you, Bull.” Oracle put his hands up and tittered.

“I’m not fucking with you, O,” he spoke for clarity. “Get to the fucking rest.”

“Aight, so while me and Bronx were working on our shit, this nigga Midas shows up. Shit felt kind of off, but you know, we ain’t seen that nigga in a long time, so I’m trying to be cool. I’m feeling him out. Soon, he starts asking if we got any work. This nigga Bronx can’t hold water and tells him everything. He didn’t think Eazy or Jewel would be down with it, and he didn’t want to involve them in his beef with Braxton. So it wasn’t like I set the nigga up. I didn’t know Midas was gon’ turn snake on both of us.”

“You muhfuckas was okay with being greedy and leaving us out though, right?” Eazy calculated, shaking his head.

The more he listened, the easier it was for him to get pissed off. He turned toward the door and paced as Oracle went on.

“So, Midas knows y’all plan to double cross Braxton, and Braxton finds out?”

Oracle waved his glass toward Bull and aimed his index finger at him.

“Boom.”

Bull did the math for himself after that.

“So, Midas shows up with…”

“Slick,” Oracle filled in for him, referring to another mutual homie from around the way.

“They kill Bronx but only find one of five paintings. Meanwhile, across town, all y’all were also hit.” Bull looked at Eazy and Jewel.

“Braxton didn’t want any loose ends. Not even his own son. Nobody was supposed to survive that night. Only problem was he was still missing four high value pieces. Now, he’s in debt to Sudan for the original order and got enemies closing in over that money trail in his records. My guess is, one of those paintings holds that black book. That muhfucka the key to everything, fuck the city!”

Bull couldn’t keep one thought from taking over another as all the pieces to the puzzle aligned in his head. Bronx wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly what he was doing when he brought Midas in. He probably never thought Braxton would go as far as having him hit.

“That’s why he came to the house asking you about his cut,” Bull surmised, gaze drifting over to Eazy.

“And what about her?” Eazy pointed to Niva. “I was there. I held you.”

“You were unconscious,” Niva whispered, eyes swelling with tears.

“And was you ever even fucking paralyzed?” Eazy frowned in Oracle’s direction.

“Nah, just something I thought I’d spin in my favor. Keep muhfuckas guessing.” Oracle took another swig of his liquor. “And Niva and I didn’t cross paths until after everything went down. Her mama came to me the next day in the hospital. Said she didn’t trust anybody else, and you were still in a coma.” Oracle waved his glass to Eazy. “She said they found a pulse, but she believed Niva was still in danger, so she didn’t want anybody to know she was alive. I made a few calls and arranged for her to be transported from the hospital and didn’t see her for at least two years.”

Eazy listened, but it wasn’t healing shit in his chest. His dark gaze darted across the room, studying every inch of the woman he once loved.

“Why didn’t you reach out?” he finally demanded.

“Because I didn’t know who I could trust. My mama told me not to. Oracle gave her money, he helped me get a new identity⁠—”

Scoffing, Eazy dragged his hand down his face.

“Un-fucking-believable right now. All this time, I been sitting here grieving you, driving myself fucking crazy about that night and what I missed, and the whole time, you was fucking alive!” he roared, aiming a finger at the ground.

Licking his blunt closed, Jewel remained on the couch in the midst of the chaos, eyes volleying off Eazy to Niva, and back again.