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So Truck and Pretty Boy lifted him as best as they could and carried him inside where they laid him on the waist-high counter. When he groaned in pain, my chest squeezed. I was at his side the minute he was still and on the counter.
“Fuck, I’m bleeding too much,” King said angrily, glancing down at the wound.
“Jay is on her way,” I told him, stroking his hair. I looked up at my brothers, knowing they were just as scared as I was.
Truck pulled his shirt off and folded it up to put under King’s head as a pillow. Pretty Boy took his shirt off next and I used my razor to slice it to strips. “I have to slow the bleeding,” I muttered to no one in particular. My heart swelled in my throat as I pressed scraps of Pretty Boy’s shirt against King’s wound.
He roared from the pain and I jumped, my arms shaking. “I’m so sorry, baby,” I said quietly against his ear. “I’m trying to slow the bleeding. I’m trying…” I sniffled without crying.
“You’re doing good, Juju. My little annoying ass rider.” He tried to smile at me but it was weak. There was so much blood. It covered my hands, settling into the grooves of my fingerprints. It soaked into my vest, eating at the straps. It smeared my pants and left droplets on the floor.
“You gotta be okay,” I whispered, pressing another strip of fabric against his wound. “Please, King.”
“I’m gonna be fine, Ju. Just keep taking care of me, baby.” His voice was soft and fading and I felt fear blaze to life inside of me like fire licking at my neck.
“I can’t stay here while that motherfucker is riding around,” Truck said anxiously. “He…he’s trying to kill my big brother. I promise you I’ll lay him down first.”
“Truck, calm your big head ass down,” King said from the counter. His thumb slid across the back of my hand slowly, leaving behind a bloody smudge. I didn’t care as long as he was holding my hand it meant he was breathing. He was okay. He was still cracking jokes. He was going to be okay.
“I’m about to kill this nigga and you got jokes,” Truck said. He didn’t want to crack a smile but he did anyway. That was the beauty of King. He was harsh and wild but he cared about his family more than anything…even himself.
“I always got jokes,” King said pulling in a shaky breath. Fear danced in my stomach, making me nauseous.
“Where the fuck is Jay, man?” Pretty Boy said, pacing the floor in front of the door.
“Ju…listen to me,” King said quietly, squeezing my hand. My eyes were on his in seconds.
“What’s up, baby?” I asked, trying not to let him see the terror in my heart.
“After this shit, you’re the fourth king. You hear me? That nigga Sumo is dead to me.” When he swallowed, his sweat-slicked throat flexed.
“Damn right,” Truck said with a nod.
“We vote now,” King said, trying to sound stronger. He lifted his head from the pillow-shirt and looked around. “I vote Juju in as the fourth king.” He turned his eyes to me and I saw the tears he wouldn’t let fall. “King shit,” he said, raising a weak hand in the air.
“King shit,” Truck and Pretty Boy said.
“Welcome…again, King of Clubs.” King brought my hand up to his lips and kissed my knuckles.
“Ju can’t be King of Clubs. She’s not the muscle. She’s too pretty to be the muscle,” Truck said.
“The suit of clubs are clovers,” Pretty Boy said, finally prying his eyes away from the door. “Juju is a lucky charm if I’ve ever seen one.” He walked over and pressed a sweet kiss to my forehead.
“Thank you,” I said quickly before tears fell. Thankfully, Jay pulled up immediately after I’d been given the highest rank of the fourth king. I couldn’t handle too much more waiting.
“Okay, let me see,” She said as soon as she walked in. When she was like this, my sister was my hero. She was in the fucking zone. The only time she paused was when she noticed Pretty Boy without a shirt.
“I um…used it to help slow the bleeding,” he told her when he noticed her eyeing his bare, tatted chest.
“Right. Smart.” She nodded, her cheeks blazing bright pink while she looked down at King’s wound. “Oh, thank fuck,” she exhaled. “It went through and didn’t hit anything major. Just some fat and muscle. I just need to stop the bleeding, close you up, and make sure you get the good shit so you don’t feel any pain.”
“Fix me up, Doctor Jay. I can’t leave my girl here by herself.” King stared at me like I was the only thing he could see.
“Your girl?” Jay looked over her shoulder at me with raised eyebrows. “Oh, okay, King. I see you finally made the right move. Now, let’s get you closed up so you don’t bleed out.” She stripped her gloves off and dug through her bag. “Pretty Boy…god, what the hell is your real name? I cannot keep calling you that,” Jay said, frustrated.
“Ricardo,” he smiled.
“Thank you. Okay, Ricardo, can you scrub up and come help? I’ll need two sets of hands over here.” Jay turned reluctant eyes toward me. I was still holding King’s hand and staring at him. “Juju, you’re gonna have to let me work. I can’t do that if you’re hovering. Time is of the essence and King has lost a lot of blood.”
