Page 204 of 4 Corinthians

"We need to talk," Psalms said. I nodded, not looking away from the window. Below us, people moved. Some in a rush, others not so much. Their focus was on their lives, while mine felt like it was at a standstill. "Corinthians."

"I heard you," I replied. "Say what you have to say, Bug."

"Gentle," she sighed. "On the way over, he said Four called him."

"He told me the same thing."

"You talked to Gentle?" She asked surprised.

"No, Uri told me at the party, before everything happened, that he called him. I assumed he meant Kenbral, not both of them." I turned to look at her. "Are you okay?" Having Uri around didn't affect her as much as having Gentle around would. Uri was connected to me. Gentle was connected to her. "I can kill him if need be."

Psalms looked over her shoulder to where Gentle sat next to Bradon. Kenbral hadn't come back. "No," she answered, shaking her head. "He will stay on his side, and I'll stay on mine. We agreed to be strangers too."

I smirked, then turned back to the window. "You ever gonna tell me about that conversation?"

"One day." I nodded, not wanting to push. "Seeing them together. It's weird. Knowing what we know. How we know it. It's like we never got a chance to be anything but fucked up."

"We didn't have to pretend we didn't know who they were, though," I softly laughed. "We're going to have to explain that."

"They can kiss my ass," Psalms replied. "If they want to question me about why I chose to pretend they didn't exist for the last few years, they can come ask me, but we both know they won't."

I turned and looked at Gentle, and to my surprise, he was watching us. His eyes went from me to Judah, and his brows damn near touched.

***

"You have to stop threatening to kill people," Exodus said. I looked up from my hands to see my family watching me. My brows creased, and I tilted my head. "You have to stop."

"It's not a threat," I finally said.

"It's a promise," Judge said from beside me. I looked to my left to see him glaring at Ex. Most people thought that because Judge was quiet, he was the least dangerous. That wasn't the truth. He was just as dangerous, if not more, because people underestimated him.

"Trey is his brother," Ex said as if it mattered. "He's worried. Let him in the room."

"Kenbral can sit outside like he's been doing. I do not want him in here."

"He's his brother-"

"Exodus, it's complicated. Let it alone."

"Nah, that's his brother. I know they got a fucked up past, but that's still his family. He shouldn't be out there alone!" I pinched the bridge of my nose, and my left hand tapped against my thigh. "Listen, I know shit is fucked up. I know that nigga probably ain't right, but what if it was one of us? Would you be okay with that nigga making one of us sit outside the room?"

"Yes."

"Corinthians..."

"By the end of all this, Kenbral will be dead," I cut him off. "He will be dead. Either I kill him or his brother does."

Ex started to say something, but I tuned him out. I didn't care about what he had to say. He didn't understand. My anger wasn't just with Kenbral. It was with every damn person in that room, and my fury was with whoever decided to shoot my fucking man.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, swiped the screen, and put it to my ear without looking to see who it was.

"Hello?"

"Pet," Robert's deep voice echoed in the phone. "My warning was the house you shared with my son. You fucked him. I know it. Saw it. Heard it." The sounds of my moaning echoed through the phone. "I do not share. Burning down that house was easy. I did it to show you that I could, but then I stopped and thought about it. You weren't the only person who disobeyed me. So did Uri. So, for that y’all had to learn. I am in charge. Always have been, always will be. Remember that."

The line went dead, and I set the phone on my lap.

"Who was that?" Psalms asked.