Page 39 of Always Been You

Terror

I nstead of going out first thing in the morning like I had been the last few days, I stayed until Dyami woke up.

I enjoyed our night together, but I knew we desperately needed to have a few conversations.

My mind was crammed, and for the last week or so, I had a one-track mind.

I knew who I wanted to remove, but I also had to focus on what I wanted to stay.

Dyami was in my heart like no one else had ever been.

I don’t believe she ever really left. She was the measure for every woman that came after her.

I couldn’t have her not knowing how I felt about her.

She was important to me. She was the reason I wanted all this shit wrapped up.

I wanted to move forward with my life with her.

She was in every plan I had, right along with my son.

I decided to make breakfast while she was resting. It was a little after seven, but that dick I put in her guts last night would have her sleeping for another little bit, I’m sure.

“Well, doesn’t it smell good in here?” My mother came into the kitchen, slightly startling me.

She was exceptionally bright this morning.

Her short hair was styled to perfection, and she wore a black floral dress that was flattering to her figure.

My mother certainly wasn’t an ugly woman. She carried herself well for her age.

“Yeah, I’m cooking a lil’ something. Where is MJ?” I said, looking up from the bacon I had in the skillet in front of me.

“He is in his room. He is fine, Marcos. You know we can’t keep going on like this.”

“It will be over soon. What plans do you have today?” I said, trying to change the subject.

“You know what I’m saying, baby. Not just this house, but what about MJ? He misses his mother. He keeps asking about her, and I don’t know what to tell him.”

“Don’t tell him shit,” I snapped. She cocked her head to the side so fast I thought her neck was about to snap off. She was all of 5’3, but she walked up to me like she was seven feet tall and lit into my ass.

“Now you wait a damn minute, boy. I know you are hurt, and I have been giving you a pass these last few days to work through that. Make no mistake about it, I am your mother, and you will not be raising your voice at me like you’re crazy.

You are mad, and I get it, but being a parent requires you to look beyond that.

No matter how much you love MJ, he will still desire to have his mother in his life.

At the very least, let him see her under certain circumstances.

You lost yo’ damn mind. Just because you're old enough to fuck doesn’t mean you're too old to get knocked the hell out, boy!”

“Uh… good morning.” I heard Dyami’s voice say from the doorway of our room.

“Hey, baby,” my mom said brightly, like she didn’t just threaten my life. She went to Dyami, kissed her cheek, and walked out of the room to give us privacy. Mom’s ass still didn’t play, and she had just laid something heavy on me.

“You okay?” Dyami asked me, approaching. I kissed her lips as soon as she got within arm's reach.

“I will be. I wanted to make sure I was here when you woke up to feed yo’ fat ass.

” I teased, looking down at her. She was so beautiful.

Her brown skin had natural radiance, those sexy brown eyes spoke to me every time I looked into them, and her lips were the softest place on earth.

She probably thought she looked a mess with her hair tied up on top of her head, but she was so fine to me.

I loved the fact that she was wearing her natural hair more lately.

I’m not one of those extremely picky niggas, whatever looks good I can get behind.

It’s just different when you can touch and pull on your woman’s hair while you are digging her out.

I love being limitless in how I can be with her.

“Stop before you burn the food. Plus, I need a break since you tried to act crazy with me all night.”

“Fuck you mean? I’m getting my shit whenever I want.

Tell me I’m not.” I hiked my eyebrow, and she blushed.

I finished cooking the food and set our plates before us at the island.

We both pulled up our stools and sat. She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and chewed on it.

It was something she did when there was a lot on her mind.

“Talk to me.”

“How much money do you have?”

Her question brought a laugh from me. I thought she wanted to talk about something serious. Her question caught me by surprise. It did have validity, though. Even when I was younger and just starting to hustle, I couldn’t imagine being on this level.

“Money ain’t everything, baby.”

“I know that, and you didn’t answer my question.

I just need to know what I’m getting into.

I want to walk in with my eyes open to everything.

I’m not going to make the same mistakes I made all over again.

If you want me to be here and to continue to be with you, I need to know everything,” she dropped her fork and got serious with me.

She pressed her lips in a straight line and peered into my expressionless face.

My first response was never to show my hand.

It was my basic instinct, but what I was trying to do with her made me understand I had to give her some latitude.

“Let’s just say we are set for life. Not just me, but us .”

“How many houses do you have?”

“Four.”

“How many women have been to these houses?”

“Damn you the FBI?” I said through a laugh.

“Nigga, how many?” She cocked her head.

“Look, these houses I have are for protection. Sometimes I sell what I have and buy new ones. I don’t lay at the same place for too long. No one has been here besides you.”

“I see you said here so other bitches have been to the other ones, huh?”

“If you are asking me, have I fucked other women before, I’m sure you know the answer is yes.

Come here,” she hopped off the stool, rounded the island, and stood between my legs.

I gazed at her. She was so fuckin’ beautiful.

“I’m not worried about my past. I haven’t touched any other woman since we've been together, and I have no desire to. I care about yo’ pretty ass.

I always have. Plus, that pussy satisfies me, and you haven’t even felt all the things I want to do to it.

If you worried about anything, be worried about that. ”

“Y’all asses always being nasty! I guess y’all didn’t torture us enough last night.

” I looked up and saw Chante come into the kitchen with Chubby.

I was happy they were here, too. I wanted to make sure I kept a close eye on everyone around me.

Chante was my baby’s best friend, and I knew Dyami needed all the support she could get.

Chubby was also getting serious with her.

I hadn’t seen him be with a chick constantly since his ex.

“I know you not talking the way you and Chubby have this whole house rockin’! Y’all asses be humping like rabbits,” Dyami sassed.

“Hell yeah, we do!” Chante laughed, and they slapped five. Chubby and I just looked at each other as our women went back and forth.

We had a few runs to make for the restaurant, and I just made a snap decision to take them with us.

The restaurant took a hit because only one of us could be there.

Mainly me, because I was out trying to seal shit up.

Chubby came a few times, but he complained heavily about shit not being right in the kitchen with his absence.

We would settle everything back in order and get back to business.

Dyami would enjoy coming out, I’m sure. I know they were tired of being confined to the house.

They both took time off work and were due to go back in a few days.

I would keep a detail on both of them until I got the situation settled.

Until then, we would have to move carefully, and they would be under a watchful eye.

I kept a constant lookout for Kole, but so far he hadn’t shown up.

“Aye, get dressed. Y’all rolling with us today,” I commanded.

“Where are we going?” Chante asked.

“Don’t worry about all that. Just get sexy so I can look at your ass all day!

” Chubby spoke to her, slapped her ass, and she was off to get dressed.

Dyami followed suit. I went to see my mom and MJ and told them we were leaving and would be back soon.

An hour later, I was rushing Dyami so we could leave.

“Damn, you look good, come on.” I tried to rush her.

“Don’t rush me. I was looking for Trina to let her know we were leaving, but she wasn’t in her room.”

“I’m sure she's somewhere in this big ass house. Let’s go, they're outside waiting on us.”

“Fine, Marcos!” she said, frustrated. I grabbed her in my arms as she tried to pass me.

“What are you mad about? I want to spend time with you today, so kill that attitude, or do I need to fuck it out of you?” I kissed her lips, and it brought a smile to her face.

***

A few hours later, the ladies were making drinks for themselves behind the bar while Chubby and I were going over the numbers.

We were making good money, but we always wanted to find a way to make more.

Currently, we are only open in the evenings.

That was mainly because of me. I didn’t want to stick him with being here day and night, and I just wasn’t to the point where I could trust people with the money.

Until then, we could focus on the evening and expanding our menu to include some higher-dollar items.

“If we add the beef ribs and get them from our Delphine supplier, we are looking at a 40 percent discount on cost. We have a chance of making a 60 percent profit on every plate we sell. I think that should at least double our sales nightly. In summertime, we flex that like crazy. In the winter, we switch to your chili cornbread bowl. They already go crazy for the soup. Same price, healthy service, and we cut the need for shipping. That will flex us to at least 70 percent profit. I’m still fucked up on this shipping, though.

There is a way to get this shit cheaper.

I haven’t figured it out yet, but give me a month.

” I spoke confidently, analyzing the documents in front of me, still determined not to let these numbers beat me.

“Bro, you need to stop fucking around in those streets and really put your focus into this. You're smart as hell, T. You know how to make money, and we can turn this into a chain.” That wasn’t his first time telling me that. It was the same rhetoric I heard from him on a daily.

“I’m trying. Just a few things I gotta tie up. Until then, we work smarter and not harder. We let the numbers do the work.”

“Try harder bro. I’m with you every step of the way, no bullshit either. I ain’t gone gas you up."

I slipped off the stool to find the women.

We were going to get out of here, and it was going to be whatever they wanted.

I was startled by loud popping noises, and before I knew it, bullets broke the glass and soared through the air.

My first instinct was to look for Dyami, and I couldn’t place her.

I pulled both my nines. As more bullets broke the glass windows, I felt Chubby’s hand wrap around my wrist and snatch me down to the floor.

Fragments and glass shattering, he shielded his eyes with his free hand.

“They behind the bar!” Chubby yelled and moved quickly, squatting down with his knees touching his chest. I sprinted, and Dyami was screaming. Fear was the only expression she wore.

“Calm down, baby, I got us. Now look, we leave out the back. Chub, take this.” I tossed him one of my guns and reached for the pistol on my left leg to replace the one I gave him.

When I looked back at him, he was fumbling with the gun.

Chante snatched the banger from him and looked at me with nerves of steel.

“You're a real deal Charlie’s angel out here, baby. I swear to God we fuckin’ as soon as we get out of here!” Chubby’s stupid ass said.

“Let’s move!” she said. I grabbed Dyami as we crept to the back of the building, and we saw that things began to flame.

I didn’t see when it started, but when I looked up I saw men lighting bottles on fire and throwing them in the windows.

Little niggas, I’m sure, were paid to do this job.

Kole knew I had enough money to replace everything here.

He just wanted to disrupt me. He wanted to fuck with me.

He was a man who had no fear of killing or confrontation.

I could tell that by the look in his eyes in a split second.

On everything I love, I’m gonna find this nigga and end him.

We got to the back door, and I peered out the window.

No one was out there, and the fire was steadily creeping toward us.

I could see from here that the entire dining area was engulfed in flames, and the black smoke was advancing.

Dyami was clinging to me for dear life. Chubby was scared as fuck, too, and Chante was trying her best to hold her shit together.

“OPEN THIS ON THREE!” I coached Chubby. On my count, he opened the door, and I shielded Dyami with my body as I scanned the parking lot with my eyes.

Clear.

The popping sounds behind us put haste under our feet as we ran to get as far away as we could.

Thankfully, no cars were coming as we crossed the street.

As we made it to the sidewalk on the opposite side, Chubby turned back to look at our restaurant.

The flames danced over the building at this point.

I could see the hurt and disappointment written all over his face.

It hurt me, and I was pissed off too. This nigga was trying to take away the things that I loved, and only one person could help lead me to him.

I hated to think about being in her presence, but only she had the answers that I needed.

Still alert to the situation before me, I barked another order, “We can’t stay here! We gotta move now!” We all began to run, and I led the way to my closest safe house. We only made it a few strides down the block before we heard the explosion.