AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You see how easy it was for me to find you multiple times today, right? I’m in your fucking bedroom, Ju.”
Ju? Did he just call me Ju?
A smile made my lips twitch.
“You are,” I nodded. He was right but I wasn’t going to admit it. If he wanted me dead, I’d be dead. I wasn’t afraid of anyone or anything but that didn’t matter. King was showing me I could be touched and all he had to do was say the word.
“I want in,” I said. Defiance tipping my chin up.
“What the fuck is wrong with your hearing, my nigga? This isn’t the time to stage a fucking sit-in. I said no. I’m the final vote. The alpha and the omega. It’s not happening.”
“First of all, I’m not your nigga. Second of all, if you’re the alpha and the omega, then make it happen. You can change the stupid, sexist rule and bring me in. You know goddamn well you’d make more money with me than you’d make without me…quicker too.”
He stared at me silently, taking me in but this time it wasn’t sexual. “How the hell did we grow up around each other and never cross paths?”
“I don’t know. That’s not what we’re talking about though, King.”
“I can’t get you in.” Frustration stiffened his dense muscles. He pulled the leather gloves off his hands, tucked them in his pocket, and flopped down on my bed.
“Why, because your big ass friend doesn’t like me?”
“That’s one reason,” he said. “You’re a wild card, Ju. A wild cardanda woman. I made a rule from the jump that women are too emotional and cause too many rifts so they wouldn’t be allowed in.”
“I’m not emotional and you can tell and I don’t want to fuck any of y'all so don’t worry about the drama part of it.” Well, King was fine enough to fuck but I’d never utter those words out loud to his arrogant ass. He’d never let me live it down.
“We’re men. We’re bastards. We take shit, we kill people, we fight. You might be mouthy and fearless but can you kill someone, Jupiter? If they threatened your brothers, could you pull the trigger and end their fucking life? Would you protect us like your life depended on it? Can you fight? Can you knock a motherfucker out if we need it? I don’t need anyone on my team slowing us down.”
“I can do all of that,” I told him honestly. “Killing people doesn’t scare me.”
“Have you ever killed anyone?” He asked, looking into my eyes. I saw so much pain hidden behind his dark umber pools.
What have you seen, King?
“No, but I saw one of my friends get killed right in front of me.” Unearthing that memory hurt. Shards of glass nicked my heart as I tore the dark memory from my mind.
“I’m sorry you watched your friend get killed, Jupiter but that’s not the same as killing someone. You have to kill to get in. There’s no way around it. I need to know where your loyalty lies. I need to know that you’re with the Legion. I need to know you’re a King. Blood in. Blood out.” His throat flexed when he swallowed. “This gang shit is life. It’s not something fun to do because you want money. We’re a family. We kill for each other. We steal for each other and I make sure every man has an equal share. We’re all kings.”
“So that’s why you’re called the Legion of Kings?” I asked, genuine interest making me lock onto King deeper.
“Yeah. I wanted a brotherhood. I wanted everyone around me to win. If I’m a king then we’re all kings. Even the lower-level kings. We’re all in this shit together. That’s why I can’t let you in. Then lower-level kings are going to think what we stand for doesn’t mean anything.”
“Fuck what other people think.” My voice was calm but something inside of me was on fire. Hearing the passion in King’s voice when he talked about his gang was doing something to me. I’d wanted a sense of belonging like what he mentioned ever since I was little. The hollow ache of never being good enough to be adopted rang through my bones, settling in my empty heart.
“Maybe at first it was just about getting money,” I said, glancing at my hands and the Barbie heads I still held. “But after hearing you talk, I realize…you created your own family. That’s some boss-ass shit, King.” A sad laugh escaped me, pausing the conversation for a few beats. “You know what? Ever since I was little, all I wanted to do was create my own family. People that I chose since nobody ever fucking chose me. So…I get it. I get why you hold your rules so close. If you can honestly look at me and tell me you don’t see the same fucking ache for a family in me that still lives in you even with your boys around you all the time, then fine. I won’t bother you about being in the Kings anymore.” I pointed at him and continued, “You know you see something in me though.”
King didn’t speak. His silence was cold and harsh. I hated it and it made me want to crawl out of my fucking skin. All he did was talk shit and now, he was quiet?
“Come back to the park tomorrow. Same time.” He said, one leg hanging from my bedroom window while the other stood planted on my floor. Then he was gone as quickly as he’d come. I watched him hop down to the patch of ashy ass grass below and shook my head. How the fuck did he not break his legs?
I hung the bunch-o-heads back on the corner of my mirror and stared at myself. “Don’t you fucking dare like him, bitch,” I warned my reflection then I looked between my legs. “You either, heifer.”
…
“Oh my god, Juju!” Jay’s voice screamed from the living room. I pushed my sleep mask up on my forehead, allowing the once pure black room to blind me with golden light. I cursed under my breath and tossed my weighted blanket off. More like folded it off but you get the point.
“What?” I fussed at my sister who was standing in the living room flailing her hands like she’d just seen a mouse. “Is it a bug?” I asked, rubbing my eyes.
“Why the fuck is that gun on the coffee table like it’s a part of the decoration? You know I hate seeing that thing.” Her sandy skin allowed for pink to inch onto her cheeks.
