Page 13 of A Kingpin’s Weakness

“I could eat,” she laughed. “I’ve been running around all night, and my recovery was late this morning.”

“You’re a peds nurse, right?” I asked.

“Yes. Somewhat easier than a trauma nurse, but I still see my share of sad cases just like RJ. Last night. That was one for the books,” she said with a tired smile.

“But with you being a teacher, I’m sure you see some tough things too,” Ari added kindly.

“Yeah,” I said quietly, thinking about the many kids I’d helped over the years kids with bruises hidden behind smiles, kids scared to go home because of the people who were supposed to protect them, didn’t.

“What’s going on here? Where my food?” Jo barged into the cafeteria, loud as ever, breaking us out of our conversation.

“Jo, here… you can have the rest of my food,” I said, shoving the salad and chicken wrap toward her.

“I don’t want this rabbit food. Where the fuck the chicken wings and curly fries at?” she said, obviously high as a kite.

“Jo, please be quiet,” I pleaded.

“Who dis?” she asked, finally noticing Ari and stuffing her face with the salad she just called rabbit food.

“Jo, this is Ari, my girlfriend,” RJ said, introducing the two.

“Hi, Jo, so nice to meet you. You’re Stormi’s mom, right?” Ari said politely.

“Girl, do you even know who Stormi is?” Jo snapped.

I just dropped my head because here she goes.

“Yeah, RJ’s best friend,” she replied tiredly.

“More like RJ’s love interest. Your boyfriend’s been in love with my daughter. Always has been and always will be. Stormi’s just afraid. But the moment she tells him she’s ready, he’s gonna drop you like a bad habit. Hope you can handle that,” Jo sneered.

“Jo, shut the fuck up. You’re talking about shit you don’t know,” I shot back.

“How you talking to me like that? I’m gonna have your back when this bitch tries to whoop your ass about her man who you stole. That’s really your man,” Jo fired back.

“Ari, please excuse my high-ass mother. Apparently, she stuck the needle too deep this time or not deep enough,” I said, trying to diffuse the tension.

“RJ and I are just friends. Yeah, there was a crush once upon a time, but we never explored it or went further than that. I don’t want a romantic relationship with RJ, and he feels the same,” I explained firmly.

“Yeah, Jo just always talking out the side of her neck,” RJ reassured Ari.

Ari smiled and kissed RJ on the lips.

“Let us two get out of y’all’s hair and go check on Noah. They should be done running tests by now,” I said.

I gave RJ and Ari a hug and said goodbye, then pulled Jo toward the elevator, already tired of her drama.

“Why you always got to be like that?” I asked as soon as the elevator doors closed.

“Be like what?” she asked, genuinely confused.

Which I knew she really was. Jo was Jo, and she was never changing.

“RJ and I are just friends. I don’t want him,” I said firmly.

“Do you want anybody, Stormi?” she asked.

“I date. You just don’t know about it.” I shrugged.

“You dating Seth? I promise you, he a jackpot,” she said, like that was the only thing that mattered.

“That’s all you care about?” I asked, feeling the frustration bubble up.

“You want a broke nigga?” she shot back.

“No, but you do,” I said, staring her down.

“Exactly. Do better than me,” she said with a smirk.

“Whatever, Jo,” I muttered, already tired.

“Are you fucking?” she asked, more like a nosy friend than a mother.

“Why?” I asked. “This is not a mother-daughter conversation,” I said flatly.

“Yeah, you’re not. Lena talks to her daughter all the time about sex. She’s 30, just like you. She says she got this one boy toy that makes her come faster than Amazon Prime. I’ve never ordered from them, but Noah has and that shit came to our door fast,” she laughed, completely shameless.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, wishing the doctor would bring some good news soon. Because right now, all I wanted was to get as far away from my mom as possible.

By the time we made it up to Noah’s room, he was back inside. But he wasn’t alone. I stopped cold in the doorway.

“What the fuck are you doing in here?” I snapped the moment I saw Ronnie’s grimy ass sitting like he belonged.

He turned slowly, calm like he wasn’t the exact reason my week had already been a disaster. “Wanted to check up on Noah.”

“He good now. Bye.”

Ronnie leaned back like this was his office and not a hospital room. “Stormi, chill. We got business to handle.”

I looked over at Noah, who wouldn’t even meet my eyes. “The same business that got you laid up in a hospital bed? You don’t do business with the devil, Noah.”

Ronnie chuckled like he found me cute. I wasn’t joking.

“I don’t know why y’all get this child started,” Jo muttered, rolling her eyes. “Noah, you know how she is.”

Noah let out a low sigh. “Yeah, Mom. I know.”

Jo strolled over to his bed, planted a kiss on his forehead like she had been here all week. “Boy, don’t scare your mama like that again. I thought God called you home and left me down here stuck with Stormi ass.”

I groaned. “Jo, please.”

He turned to me with arms open. “Come here, Stormi. Give me a hug. I miss you. No lectures.”

“There wouldn’t be no lecture if you was out here doing what you supposed to.” Still, I stepped in. Hugged Noah tight, and Jo wrapped her arms around us both. We hadn’t hugged like this in years. For a split second, it felt like home even in this raggedy hospital room with too much pain in the air.

Then the doctor walked in and brought us all back to reality.

“Hey, Noah,” he said. “I rushed the test results because I wanted to look them over before I left for the night. Everything looks good.”

Noah gave him a tired smirk. “That’s good, Doc. So when can I hit it?”

The doctor chuckled. “I’d like to monitor you two or three more days. Just to be safe.”

“I’ve been here a week,” Noah grumbled.

“And three more days won’t kill you,” I voiced.

“Shit, it might. You never know with this hospital,” Jo mumbled.

“Jo,” I warned before she could open her mouth again.

The doctor nodded. “A nurse will check in soon. Let us know if you feel any discomfort.”

My phone buzzed. A text from Seth:

Seth- Mom cooked, brought you some lunch.

Me: Noah’s up.

Then Ronnie opened his mouth again. “Stormi, can we talk?”

“What we need to talk about?” I asked, not even looking at him.

“Ronnie, you might’ve missed it, but Seth already stepped in,” Jo chimed in with that wicked little smile she always wore when she was being messy.

“Jo.” I shot her a look.

“Stormi.”

“What Seth got to do with Stormi?” Noah asked, eyes narrowing.

“Nothing, Noah,” I answered quickly.

Jo tilted her head. “She was sneaking him in the house after midnight.”

I closed my eyes. Counted to five. “Thanks for the report, Jo. Seth’s just a friend. He’s been nice during all this.”

“Too nice, if you ask me,” Ronnie muttered.

“Who the fuck asked you?” I snapped.

“Stormi, damn. Be nice to my company,” Noah said.

“Then tell your company to stop talking to me. Why is he even here?”

Ronnie answered for him. “We trying to discuss this robbery situation. These niggas stole a lot from me.”

“And now Noah trying to figure out how he gone pay me back.”

I laughed, but it wasn’t funny. “That’s your loss. Why even let him do your dirty work?”

“Let’s discuss that,” Ronnie said. “Can I get a few minutes?”

“Talk.”

“Alone.”

“Noah,” I said, turning to him, “I’ll be right in the hall if you need me.”

“This boy ain’t gonna need you,” Jo threw in.

Noah leaned back against the pillows. “Stormi, I’m gonna take a nap. I’m tired. Go get some rest, you been up here a week. I love you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“No, Noah. We need to talk.”

“And we will. Just not today.” He shut his eyes. Conversation over.

Jo walked off, muttering about having things to handle. That left me and Ronnie walking down the hall in silence.

“You got five minutes,” I told him.

“Stormi,” he said, shaking his head, “we really gotta fix that attitude.”

“Four.”

“I got a way to clear your brother’s debt.”

I stopped walking. “How?”

“Marry me,” he said. “Give me a baby.”

“Three.”

“You want Noah to live, right?”

My jaw clenched. “Noah’s gonna live regardless. Don’t you ever threaten my brother’s life again.”

He took a step closer. “Your brother didn’t deliver drugs to some dangerous men. Now they want their product. And I want my money.”

“None of that got anything to do with me.”

“But you want to save him. Or we can get it in blood.”

“So that whole fake concern lasted what? A week?” I asked. “These impatient men must be just like you.”

He smiled. “If you marry me and give me a child, I’ll pay Noah’s debt. I’ll start new supply for those men. Your brother works for me, becomes my right hand. I build my empire. You give me a son, I pass it down.”

I stared at him like he’d lost his goddamn mind. “I’m about to throw up. Give me a number. I’ll pay the debt myself. Have a nice fucking day.”

I turned to walk off, but he grabbed my arm. Twisted it.

“Ow! Let me the fuck go! You out your damn mind?”

I snatched my arm back. We locked eyes, but it wasn’t Ronnie I was looking at no more. It was the devil behind them.

What the hell had Noah gotten into? Worse, what the hell had he dragged me into?

“What the fuck’s going on here?”

I turned. Seth stood a few feet away with flowers in one hand and food in the other.

Ronnie straightened up. “Nothing. Just chopping it up with Stormi.”

Seth didn’t even look at him. Walked right to me, slid his arm around my waist. “Stormi. You good?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Ronnie was just leaving. Right, Ronnie?”

Ronnie’s jaw was tight. “Yeah. Glad Noah’s finally up. Tell him I’ll catch up later.”

He left. But not before making sure we felt the heat coming off his skin. He was pissed.

Seth looked down at me. “I was supposed to be your first call.”

“Ronnie was already there when I got back.”

“So, Noah’s up?”

“He woke up a few hours ago. Getting some rest now.”

He raised a brow. “So, what was that about?”

“What?” I asked, playing dumb.

“That conversation with Ronnie.”

“You don’t wanna know,” I said with a laugh that barely sounded like me.

“I do. What was the nigga talking about?”

Before I could answer, RJ showed up like God heard my prayers.

“Hey, I was looking for you,” he said.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah. I was about to leave. Wanted to know if you were coming.”

“Nah, I’ll take her home,” Seth offered.

“Actually,” I cut in, “I needed to talk to RJ about something. Thanks for the food and flowers. I’ll call you later.”

Seth didn’t hide his disappointment. “Yeah. Do that.”

RJ and I made it to the elevator. I grabbed his arm and leaned in.

“RJ, I don’t know if this shit is funny or if I need to be scared.”

He gave me a side glance. “Oh, Seth? That nigga feelin’ you. You feelin’ him?”

“Not with Seth.”

“Then what?”

We climbed in the car and hit the highway. I finally let the words go.

“Ronnie asked to talk. Said he had a way to clear Noah’s debt with him, and the men Noah was supposed to deliver the drugs to.”

“And?”

“He wants me,” I said quietly.

RJ frowned. “What you mean he wants you?”

“He wants me to marry him. Give him a child. He’ll clear Noah’s debt, make him his right hand, build an empire.”

RJ let out a low whistle. “Nigga must be hittin’ that same shit as Jo“Must’ve,” I said, leaning back as the city blurred past, letting the silence do the talking—because some things only a friend could understand without a damn word.