Page 15

K inga

I left Harlem in my office, locking it so no one could get in. She could get out if she wanted but I told her to stay in there until I returned to get her. I didn’t worry about her coming out because I could see the exhaustion in her face. Shorty was going to sleep, which meant I had time to handle what I needed to handle. We were on the way back to my house after dinner when Big Jay called. He said we had a situation, in so many words, but his sentence was simply, “mouse caught in the mouse trap.” Though we never established codes or things like that, he still knew what to say over the line to get me to the shop or pique my interest.

“What’s the situation?” I asked as soon as I entered the general area toward the front of the garage. My first stop was turning on the radio. I know I told her to stay put no matter what she heard but I still wasn’t going to have her hearing somebody scream for dear life.

“We were getting ready to close when this fool ran in and held a gun on Ayden and Kayson, looking for you. He didn’t know I was here, so when I knocked him upside his shit, he was out cold.”

My eyes landed on who I now knew was Kyro, hanging from the ceiling by his arms, feet barely touching the ground. He was still out cold.

“So he came to us.” I laughed aloud.

“Yeah, and also, June dropped this off for you.” Ayden called my attention to the file at the workstation.

I nodded. “Wake him and let’s make this quick.”

Jay nodded, and before I knew it, lifted him all the way up then dropped him. He stopped him before he could fall and hit his head. He must’ve thought he was having one of those falling off a building dreams because his eyes opened immediately and landed on me. He looked like he’d seen a ghost, which brought an even bigger smile to my face.

“I heard you were looking for me, homie.” I stood there with my arms crossed.

“Fuck you,” he gritted out, like we had some type of valid beef.

“Damn, fam. I know you or something? You wanna tell me where all this animosity is coming from?”

He just glared at me, to which I nodded in Jay’s direction, who lifted him higher, making the man feel like he was… as Sora called it, dangling by his own body. Shit was kind of uncomfortable when you had a sick motherfucker like Jay in charge of setting you up. Attached to his waist was a chain dangling three eight by eight concrete bricks. By Kyro being so scrawny, that shit had to feel like he was being stretched.

“You wanna talk or what? ’Cause I ain’t got time to be having blinking contests and shit with you. They got families to go home to and I’m tryna go home with my baby mama, so what’s up?” Impatience lived in me at this very moment.

“You killed my cousin, then you came at my boy. I hope you get every fucking thing coming for people like you.”

“People like me? My man, I be minding my business, but fools like you think you’re on my level. So don’t bitch up on me now and talk about what I deserve. Tell me what all this is about.”

“Nah. I’d rather you fee?—”

“Cool.” My piece was from my back in seconds, aimed in his direction.

He begged upon seeing I had no intention of going back and forth.

“Wait, wait… I was just saying.”

I nodded for Jay to lower him.

“You're just saying what? You are mad about your blood. Okay, but remember you’re the reason your blood is dead.”

He screamed. “I was doing what I was told.”

“And what were you told?”

“To bait you. To get you to shed blood on the streets, but you never did. Twan said you’d play into our hands. Now he’s hiding and that fucking Agent Beckham is tucking his tail. They had this whole damn thing planned out, but you never played right!”

I nodded. “Good plan.” Then I turned and made eye contact with Jay. “Finish him off. Get me Twan. Make a mess too.” Then I looked at Ayden.

They both nodded and walked off. I heard a lone gunshot but I never turned around to see who or what it was. I had my mind on other things, so I grabbed the folder and left the immediate space. When Kyro said the last name Beckham, I knew exactly who that was. What was fucked up was I’d known Demi had a part in this; I just couldn’t put my finger on it. That ass whooping I had given him was the least I could do but what would happen next he had definitely earned… him and Memphis.

When I returned to my office, my baby was sleeping just like I thought she would be. She was curled up against the storm gray, suede sofa under one of my hoodies. It was then that it dawned on me I had indeed referred to her as my baby mama. Deep down inside I didn’t need a test to confirm what I already knew. Harlem was carrying a child we’d created without intention and no prevention. I knew if we made a kid all my reckless ass ways had to simmer down, because the last thing I wanted to be doing was bringing a kid into this world and not being around to raise it. I couldn’t raise my kid from the grave nor could I raise it from a cell. If we made a baby, then we’d raise it. There were no ifs, ands, or buts. I would be handling my shit as a man, the way my aunt and uncle raised me to.

By the time we made it to my house, she was knocked out again, which I was cool with. I had some shit to handle. So while I made that fucking cake she wanted, I handled that. I was mentally making my list, sure of who I’d hit first, so all this mess I was dealing with would be over before it fully started. While they handled Twan, I’d handle my blood. I didn’t need help with that much.

I removed the deep red, round cake plates from the oven and set them atop two cool, wet towels. Then I moved to the edge of the counter and continued stirring the melted cream cheese and powdered sugar together for my homemade icing. I made my own icing and shit for things like this because it allowed me to control the sugar content. That was necessary when it came to Aja because I hated to have her ass hopped up on sugar if I gave her a piece of cake before bed.

While I beat down the loose form of the cream cheese, my eyes scanned the words on the paper. As soon as I walked in the door I cracked that file on Memphis. June had gotten me everything I needed, from his address to even the times of his security’s shifts. What alderman needed security? A crooked one. His home address had been burned in my mind from the day Sora had this bright idea to find him when we were kids. Neither of us knew our father lived so close. Thinking back on that day made my circular motions quicker and more intense. Memphis cursed us out, asking us what the fuck we were doing at his house, treated us like shit. I never forgot that moment. So when I had my second run-in with him at fifteen, I beat his grown ass. Call it retribution, shit I didn’t know, but the state called it assault. I got a year, first offense, but he had friends in high places.

The sound of the overly whipped, custard textured icing brought my brain back to the present. I’d made a mess but also came to an agreement within myself that the last face Memphis would see was mine.

“Pretty sure you beat all the air bubbles out of that icing. Now would you like to talk about it?”

“Nope.”

“Well I need you to talk about it because I’m worried about you.” She was standing on the side of me in seconds.

I set the bowl down and looked at her. Then I hoisted her up on the island. I pulled the spoon from the bowl and held it to her lips for her to taste. She welcomed it, eyes still stuck on me, urging me to talk. Anybody else I would have told to mind their fucking business, but her, I couldn’t.

“My father ain’t never been part of my life. Though we live in the same city and know one another exists, it hasn’t always been that way. I first met Memphis when I was a kid and he treated me and my brother like shit for coming to his home. Told us we were the ho’s sons. Then again when I beat his ass. He deserved it and pressed charges. After that I ain’t fuck with him, I promised my auntie I’d stay away from him. Then my shop gets raided and I hear I’m the name he’s giving up so he can get his name on the mayor's ballot. Then he came by the shop fucking with me and had niggas trying to pull me out.”

“So he’s messing with you?”

I squeezed her thigh. “I ain’t no victim, baby.”

“I didn’t say you were, but if somebody is messing with you, you have the right to react.”

I laughed. “You love me so much that you’d justify the fact that I’m a menace in these streets?”

“I didn’t think of it like that but I guess so. Yeah.”

“So you love me?” I asked, watching the way she squeezed her lips together, trapping the spoon between them.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t disagree either.”

She just looked at me, those expressive honey-colored irises boring into mine for clarity. “You can’t distract me with talk of love just to get out of telling me how you feel, Kinga.”

I chuckled, stepping between her legs. “I ain’t tryna distract you. Either you love me or you don't, that's simple.”

She sat back on her hands, feet swinging back and forth. “Yes. I do. I just don’t want to feel like we’re rushing anything becau?—”

“The fuck we gonna rush for? We’re moving at our pace, the one perfect for me and you. If it makes you feel any better, I ain’t never felt the way I feel for you about anybody.”

“So that means you don’t know how you feel about me.” That smile disappeared and she appeared almost sad at the thought.

“Nah, I love you. Shit probably too much, but I do.”

She tilted her head to the side. “How can you know you love me too much?”

“Because I do. Every experience I’ve had with you has differed from every experience I’ve ever had with anybody else. Never wanted to be in nobody’s space as much as I wanna be in yours. Shit’s our space at this point.”

She grinned. “You don’t even like people, baby.”

“You're right but I like and love your ass, so get used to it.” I took the spoon from her and tossed it into the sink.

“I will. Now… are you gonna tell me how you’re gonna deal with Memphis?” she questioned.

“Nope, but best believe I’ma get his ass out the way.” I turned back around and faced her with a big, dumbass grin of my own on my face.

“Um, okay.”

“You trust me?”

She nodded.

“Then we good. Now lemme show you how to ice this cake with your real tired ass.”

* * *

D ays Later

“I missed you, Uncle Kinga,” Aja mused as soon as she was in the back seat of my car.

I laughed. “Girl, yeen miss me. If you did, you wouldn’t have been gone so long.” I lowkey did miss her lil ass the whole time she was with my brother, but she wanted to stay, so hell nah, I wasn’t finna force her to come back home. Hell, the only time I did go that way was to pick up Bleu. Harlem didn’t play about that lil ugly ass dog. So while Aja spent the entire weekend, Bleu spent that one damn day.

“I did miss you, and Harlem. Plus I was tired of helping with the baby. I was ready to come home where I’m the baby and Bleu is the baby-baby.”

I chuckled. “You were being a big cousin, Aja. You gotta tighten up, shorty.”

“Nope, I don’t. At your house it’s just me, you, and Harlem, no screaming, crying babies.” The expression she made had me cracking up. Her ass really looked annoyed. That made me think about the conversation Harlem and I had a few days ago. We had yet to bring up the subject of her possibly being pregnant or confirm it. We just settled into this routine of me and her or me, her, and Aja.

“Uncle.” Aja’s voice broke into my thoughts.

“Huh?” I asked, eyes focused on traffic.

“Are we going to see Harlem and Bleu? I think she’s gonna let me have him.”

I laughed, unable to break her heart. That was the furthest thing from the truth. Harlem loved that damn dog. Shit, the other night she got mad with me because I told her that fucking dog wasn’t sleeping in the bed with us another night. She was seconds from going to lay on the couch until I cursed her ass out and told her to put the dog in the bed on the floor and lay her mad ass down.

“Nah. We’ll see them tonight.”

“Oh, ok.” She was quiet.

I was just about to turn the radio back up when I heard her voice again.

“Uncle.”

“Yeah, Aja.” This time I cut my attention between the mirror and traffic.

“Does Bleu, Harlem, Tato, and Tilly live with us now?”

I shrugged. “No.”

“Okay.”

I didn’t bother thinking about turning the music up. I just waited for the next question because I knew it was coming.

“Uncle.”

“Aja.”

“Can they live with us? I like when Harlem is home. She does my hair and cooks for me. I play with the dogs and I just like them being there. Don’t you?”

I laughed. “I do, but baby girl, Harlem has her own house.”

“Then can we move in with her?” she said, like it just made sense.

Long story short, my car ride with lil mama was filled with questions like that. Questions I truly had no answer for because it had indeed been a few weeks since they’d broken into Harlem’s spot and she was still staying with me. I had no problem with it, because not only did I enjoy her being there, but it felt like she belonged. I didn’t second guess her being in my space because she fit there. She fit into my life and routine like she was meant for it.

When we made it home, Aja went to her room while I migrated toward the living room. I had been waiting for a message from either Jay or Ayden. Today they were handling Twan after watching him for days and I wanted it done so messily that somebody’s agency had to investigate. I wanted a fucking message sent. I wanted to be left the fuck alone but that would be too much to ask for.

My phone rang, pulling me out of my thoughts. When I looked down to see who was calling, I chortled. Rennix was calling. I chuckled because I couldn’t get over him opening a strip club centered around donuts.

“Yeah.”

“What you on, fool?” he greeted.

“Shit, just made it in. Finna probably fall into step with this TV until Harlem gets here.”

He laughed. “The words of an old ass man.”

I chortled. “You damn right. I was under three cars today. The fuck you been doing? Staring at ass, right?”

“Probably.” I could hear the smile in his tone. “Not the ass I wanna see though.”

“Not even about to ask.”

“Don’t, instead invite me to dinner, bitch.”

“For what, Ren? What are you on?” I asked with more laughter in my tone because I had a feeling I knew what he was getting at. A few days after his grand opening, he asked me about Caya. Thing was, I didn’t know much about her besides her being Harlem’s girl. So I couldn’t tell him anything I didn’t know.

“Invite me over and make sure you invite Caya. I’m tryna see what was to that but she said I’m a ho. What type of work is that? I ain’t saying I’m not but where the fuck is her competitive spirit?”

I couldn’t hold back the laughter. “And that’s why I ain't hearing anything you are asking. You think I’m trying to beef with my girl on the back end because you tryna slut out her friend? Hell nah.”

“Slut out in the best fucking way. It’ll be the best week she ever had. Tell sis to put that through for me.” He laughed at his own stupidity.

I was about to respond and tell his ass hell nah but I got a notification forcing me to pull my phone from my ear. It was a text from Jay.

BigJay: 7 o’clock news.

Me: bet.

I checked the time and it was almost seven, so I turned the news channel on early while Rennix continued with whatever he was damning about. Then, before I knew it, he was telling me he’d call me back. I was right on time because the reporter listed Twan’s death soon after.

“ Antwan Davis, twenty-seven, was brutally murdered in the parking lot of a local westside grocery store. No witnesses or suspects at this time. This comes after the discovery of Kyro Johnson found hanging from a light pole in Night territory.”

Like a nut I smiled, because it was time I reached out and handled the rest of this mess, the snake's head that started it all.

My thoughts broke when the front door opened. I looked up and Harlem was walking through the door carrying that plastic crate with three dogs following her. I was impressed how she’d trained Bleu’s ass so quickly.

I jumped up and moved toward her, taking the crate from her hands.

“I think it’s time I go home. Not right now, but probably in the morning.” She set her purse on the counter and moved toward the fridge.

I stopped and turned around, glaring at her. “The fuck you tryna do that for?”

She looked confused. “Aren’t I intruding on your space? I don’t wanna feel like I’m taking up sp?—”

“You overthinking about the wrong shit. Ain’t no need for you to be going back over there unless you pack some shit to bring back here.” I walked the dogs into the under-stair area I elected to put them in when I realized the basement was too cold at night.

“Overthinking the wrong shit. What does that mean?”

I turned around and she was facing the sink, getting water. “Means we have other things to be talking about and you think you about to go back to that fucking house. You ain’t. Now, what’s for dinner? Am I ordering pizza or are you cooking?” Just that fast my mood had gone to shit and I was irritated. The thought of her not being next to me or in my arms at night pissed me off.

She turned around and looked directly at me to respond but Aja’s voice filled the kitchen. “Harlem, you home!” she squealed, running over and hugging Harlem around the waist.

I stood off to the side, watching their interaction. Harlem was so into what Aja said, listening to her little babbling ass. It was cute and made me smile, even though Harlem had just gotten on my fucking nerves with that home shit.

“What are we eating, Harlem?” Aja’s hungry ass asked.

“I don’t know, baby girl, let me talk to your uncle and we’ll figure it out. Can you take Bleu to your room?”

I watched Aja’s happy ass take off with Bleu in tow, leaving me and Harlem in the kitchen.

“What’s wrong with you?” she asked.

“Ain’t shit wrong with me. I’m going out to the garage. Let me know what you wanna eat, unless you cook.” I didn’t even wait for her to respond. I was already moving out the door to the garage. It irritated me to the fullest that she was talking about this going home shit but I wasn’t trying to argue with her about it. I didn’t want her going home, because in my fucking mind, where I was should have been home for her. Home was me, just like for me she was home. The thing was, with Harlem, I always had to say shit when I expected her to read my mind, no clairvoyant shit. I expected her to see that here with me was where I always wanted her, regardless of if I said it or not. I didn’t know why I was mad because Harlem was the type you had to voice all that shit to. Then again I was mad because I had never had to voice what I needed to anybody but her.

I spent a while under the car, fixing and fucking with shit I didn’t need to, just so I didn’t go in the house. I wasn’t used to how I felt about Harlem because I meant that shit when I told her she was the only woman I had ever felt this way about. I meant it when I said I loved her too much.

“Are you still mad at me?” Her voice alerted me to her presence near the doorway.

I didn’t speak at first. I stood up straight, staring at her. She was no longer fully dressed but instead wearing one of my shirts. It swallowed her frame and had me wondering what was under it. “What do you think?” I licked my lips.

She shook her head. “How can you get mad at me for wondering if it’s time for me to go home?”

I closed the hood of the oldie and glared at her. “Because you act like you don’t realize I’m your fucking home just like you mine.”

She glared at me. “How am I supposed to know if you didn’t sa?—”

“I shouldn’t have had to. Harlem, you nine times outta ten carrying my child. The fuck you going somewhere where I’m not laying my head next to you.” I moved into her space, pulling her frame against me. Then I picked her up and sat her on the car.

“Use your words, Kinga. Don’t get mad and come out here. Don’t shut down on me.”

“I shouldn’t have to. You should just know, like I do.” My hands eased under the shirt, sending a jolt down my spine when I realized she was bare underneath.

“Well, I ju?—”

“Well, nothing. This shit between me and you is what it is. Stop tryna have me yoke your ass up. Now open up and let me feel between.”

She smiled bashfully and looked off to the side.

“Pussy gotta be good. Got me about to fuck you on a fresh paint job.” I inserted two fingers between her legs and edged forward, pressing my lips against her chin and neck.

“It’s worth it,” she moaned breathlessly, sending all the blood in my body to my dick.

“Damn right it is.”

She freed me and opened her legs wide for entry, using my dick to massage her sodden center. She was ready for me and I was ready for her. My hands found her hips and I pulled her all the way to the edge of the hood, pushing into her and feeling that small hand of hers attempt to keep some space.

“Nah, move your hand. This is what you wanted when you came out here, right?”

“Mhmm,” she moaned, quivering in my embrace as soon as I pushed in further. She was so perfect… So fucking perfect.

I fucked Harlem so good I had to carry her into the house after our session in the garage. We showered then she crawled into bed and passed out. My intention was to go to sleep with her but I couldn’t sleep. I knew what I needed to do, which I could no longer put off. So I dressed quietly then kissed the side of her face and left the room. On my way out of the house I was sure to check in and make sure Aja was asleep. Shorty was knocked out and Bleu was on his back next to her. I chuckled silently before leaving and turning the alarm on.

Once in my car, my mind went to the new address I had on Demi. I heard around the way in June that he’d moved from his grandmother’s house to a home up north. On his salary I knew he couldn’t afford it, but being paid by his uncle, he could. Fool betrayed me because he really thought Memphis would make it to mayor. Betrayed wasn’t the right word to use considering I never trusted Demi’s stupid ass anyway. I just used him to dirty his name… Meaning, he owed money to a friend of mine off some illegal tables and I paid his debt for a low price. It was nothing major, if anything. I just wanted to know when or if my name ever came up. It worked out for me until my name came up from the right person, huh?

When I pulled up in front of Demi’s spot, I took it in. He lived along a quaint little subdivision that was probably so fucking quiet on a regular that you could hear a spoon drop from five houses away. The lights were all out and there was no car in his driveway, which meant he was still out working. I hadn’t really thought about what I was gonna do though, considering I didn’t even know if he was home or not. I just knew I needed to handle this and stop playing around. At what cost though? The last thing I needed was for my irritation with this situation to have me acting impulsively and fucking up my life. My thoughts ran a mile a minute, then I watched the white Chevy impala I knew belonged to him pull up. He didn’t pull into the driveway but instead parked on the street. In that instant, the decision I needed to make was made for me. I turned the lights out on my car, making sure before I did anything IDing my car would be close to impossible. I had special paint, meaning in the day my shit looked blue while at night it looked black. Not only that but I had a reflective cover over my plates, front and back. I didn’t worry much about anybody seeing anything because one thing about these little fake suburban neighborhoods was that they didn’t have any type of surveillance. I paid attention on the way in. Nah, I wasn’t new to this, I handled business whenever. As soon as he was standing outside his whip, I smashed my foot on the brake, easing out of park. Then I shifted gears and went from zero to fifty in less than three seconds. Unlike Hari the other week, he rolled over the car, making a scuffle sound as he fell off the trunk. Then I reversed, this time rolling over his body in the process. I repeated the same motion a few times before I pulled off. One down…one to go.