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forty-four

. . .

His truck barreled to a stop in front of his front door.

The glass next to the door was shattered, and his mother, in cuffs, sat on the steps.

Irritation pierced through his body. There were a million things he’d rather be doing right now other than getting her out of Cashmere Lake Police custody and somewhere that wasn’t his house.

Jumping out, he rushed over to her. “How the fuck you get here?”

“Your neighbors called, saying she was roaming around after being dropped off down the street. Your house is the only one without a gate,” the officer shared.

Maximus grumbled. “That shit is about to fuckin’ change.”

“What do you want us to do? We can charge her with trespassing and take her downtown,” the officer continued.

Maximus looked down at his mother. Dirty, dazed, and once again out of her mind. “How long you been out?”

“A few days. I told you I couldn’t stay there. I can stay here in this big house with you.”

Maximus grunted. “You can’t.”

He turned to the officers. “Y’all can uncuff her. I got it from here.”

The officers uncuffed her, handed him an incident report, and went back to enjoying their night. Maximus was left there with a mess to clean up and the hairs on the back of his neck standing on their ends.

“Who signed you out?” he knew the answer. He knew what the next steps were, he just needed to figure out the right time to cut this shit off at the knees.

“What do you mean? I told you. I needed to get out-”

Her statement was cut short by Maximus grabbing her arm and glaring at the fresh needle marks. Marks that had faded over the last months. “You were doing so fuckin’ good, ma! Who signed you out? Huh?”

He was the only one who could sign her out. But Augustus, at a quick glance, looked like him, talked like him, and could mimic his mannerisms.

“What does it matter, Max. I’m here now. Let me go inside and sleep and get something to eat. At least let me wash my ass.”

“Yeah that shit ain’t never fuckin’ happening,” Maximus grunted, snatching her up by the wrist. “Let’s go.”

“Maximus! I'm not going.”

He didn’t bother going back and forth with her. He threw her over his shoulder and tossed her on the back seat, hit the child lock, and rounded the trunk.

MB: get the team to clear my house. Change the locks

Keon: WTF happened?

Brody: On the way

MB: Ke keep E in the city. Hit y’all on my way back

Mama was playing her dumb ass games, and they were going to get someone killed.

The ride to rehab was a quiet one. Maximus was in his thoughts, and his mother was dozing in and out of consciousness on the back seat. When he arrived, he carried her in. The midnight receptionist met him, the sorrow in her eyes matching his.

A team of intake nurses wheeled his mother away from him. Before he spoke, Maximus pulled in a deep breath. “Whatever y’all got to do to keep her here for the next three months, do it. The card is on file. I'll keep come up when I can. No visitors unless it’s me. Heard me?”

She nodded. “Yes, Mr. Burton, we will upgrade her to high security. It’ll be a private wing, only you have the code to. No unauthorized party will be permitted to enter.”

“‘Preciate that,” Maximus responded, knocking his knuckles on the counter.

“If I can,” she spoke, grabbing his attention before he could turn around and leave.

“This isn’t just a journey for her, but for you too.

I’ve gone through this three times with my mother.

Each time taught me to let go of the expectations.

She may never be what you want her to be.

But she can be better. While you pour into her, pour into you too. ”

Maximus nodded. “Yeah, I hear you.”

Strolling out into the night, he looked down at his phone.

Eden: Philippians 4:13.

Eden: Let me be the last thing on your list of things to do. I’ll be at my spot until you tell me otherwise. Do what you need to. Even if that is regulating. I love you.

With Eden’s nod of approval, Maximus headed toward Midnight. He didn’t tell Keon or Brody, there was some shit he needed to handle without an audience. He moved with a sense of protection, trusting that faith and the covering he had would lead him through the jungle.

“Look at this rapping ass nigga,” one of the security guards muttered, stopping Maximus at the back door. “You know you got to pay to get in.”

Maximus looked the men up and down and walked in as if he owned the place.

Past the dancers’ dressing room, past the stairs where the tricks climbed to pay their debts, and past the entrance to the stage.

His feet stomped to the end of the hall.

He didn’t give a damn who was behind the door or what she was doing.

He kicked the door in, the knob breaking, wood splintering and the door coming off the hinges in the wake. Mama jolted out of her seat, gun pointed at the door.

“Put that shit down. You ain’t finna shoot shit, neither are them weak ass niggas you got at the door.”

“Hmm,” she scoffed. “You got my money?”

“I don’t have shit for you unless it involves me burning this bitch to the ground.”

Mama lit a cigarette, inhaled, exhaled, and smirked. “You got a little bit of money and a regular hair wash, and you think you somebody. Nigga, I still own you.”

Maximus was disgusted at the sight of her. She was cloaked in her tattered, pungent rags of misery. “You sent your little bitch to sign my mother out. That was slick. Not smart though. What was your end game? Try and shake me up with her at my spot? Get you some money to support your habit.”

Eyes darting down to the tray of drugs, she had perfectly lined up.

“Nigga, if you don’t have my fuckin’ money or a tradeoff, you can get the fuck out or I can have you carried out.”

He clasped his hands in front of his body. “Go ‘head. Have ‘em do it.”

If Mama didn’t know anything, she knew Maximus was fearless. Sure, he felt his emotions more than others, but that was a power he had. Detecting exactly what it was he was sensing and moving accordingly. That came with age and wisdom.

“Nigga, if you ain’t here with my money, get the fuck from around my shit. Snitchin’ ass,” she muttered. It was only to coax a reaction out of him. A reaction he happily gave her. He flipped her desk over and glared down at her.

“Hear me, Ma. Smoke that nigga out before I turn everything on its head. You included. If you want your shit remaining intact, you deliver a location. You got three days before I revert back to who I used to be.” Maximus offered her a sinister smile.

“You know better than anyone how I used to get down. A fade ain’t nothing for me. Is it?”

Mama tried to remain cool as she swallowed a lump in her throat. “Get the fuck out of my office.”

“Tick tock, Moriah. Three days before you find out what’s goodie.”

Maximus flashed her a menacing smirk, spotting the fright in her eyes before he strolled out, passing Priya in the hallway.

He didn’t bother cutting his eyes to observe her.

But she took him in, full of regret. Maximus left Midnight and took the slow ride back to his house.

Once showered, he met Brody and Keon in the living room.

“Aight, MB, codes changed, all the digital locks have been replaced, and I had them replace the windows around the door with shatterproof glass. My girl be laying her head here, I can’t have her unprotected.”

Maximus shook his head. “I’m too tired to go back and forth with you. Thank you, though.”

“Nigga, don’t thank me for doing my job.

I got the gate people coming by, too. We’ll figure out what’s going to work best for the house.

Until the shit is calm, I’ll be in the pool house.

Where you go, I go, nigga. No more fuckin’ solo missions.

I got two men with Staysha and two with Eden. One at the door, one in the lobby.”

While Brody ran down everything, Maximus checked the gun he’d had since touching down.

“You need to get rid of that. At least use one I got,” Brody said. “That way that shit comes back to me.”

“I got it from a dealer, it’ll go back to him. He a pussy anyway,” Keon spoke, sliding Maximus a box of rolled blunts. “Those are from your lady. Go clear your head, get some sleep. We’ll be here when you get up.”

Maximus could count on one hand how many nights he’d spent away from Eden. It felt out of place but until this street shit was handled, she was safer away from him. Taking the box, he nodded his thanks and started up the stairs.

He’d smoked three blunts while musing over the words Eden texted him.

Eden: You fought wars within yourself to get where you are now.

You’ve overcome. You grew despite there being no sun.

A ditch can’t hold you. A gang can’t keep you, and darkness can’t have you.

When this chapter is closed, you’ll emerge untouched.

The crown might slip, but you better not let that shit fall.

“Ay, MB,” Keon called loudly, jolting him from his sleep. He wasn’t sure the exact minute his eyes closed, but he knew it had to be Eden whispering prayers in his direction.

He looked around, still on the terrace, gun still by his side. “What?”

“UVE called an emergency meeting. I think it’s that time.”

Maximus clenched his jaw and swiped his hands down his face. “Aight. Give me a minute.”

“Daysha already sent over the highlighted portions of the contract, if they try to back you into a corner. Go in there cool.”

Maximus stood and stretched his long limbs. “Yeah, heard you.”

Already dressed in a white tee and sweatpants, he grabbed a pair of sneakers and exited his room behind Keon. Brody was already behind the steering wheel, ready to go. Maximus could appreciate that in the midst of a crisis, his team moved swiftly and efficiently.

Once parked, he arrived at the UVE office, and they were ushered straight back to the conference room where Anzel stood stress-stricken.

“Ms. Ellis, they’re here,” the receptionist announced.

Anzel waved them in, watched as the men took their seats, and surveyed for legal representation. “No lawyers?”

“Is it that type of party?” Keon questioned.

Anzel cleared her throat and tugged at her jacket. “UVE is moving in a different direction. We’re shelving all the projects. Anything you put out will put you in breach of your contract.”

Maximus looked over and Keon and asked. “What’s the clause in the paperwork? About breaching my contract?”

Keon snapped his fingers happily. “Addendum two, section four states that an artist who releases any music under UVE after initiating release will be held in breach of contract. Wherein all masters owned by UVE will remain. Max, did you initiate release?”

“Nah, it seems like Anzel did. Were you counting on me being some rapper who couldn’t read a contract or didn’t have a team of people?

Don’t answer that. That’s exactly what you wanted us to do.

Spend up all the money, come in here showing our asses.

Here’s how we’re going to play this – I'm taking the masters of everything I recorded thus far. I’ll stay out of your way, and you’ll stay out of mine. ”

Anzel glared at Maximus, and he returned it. “You know. How?”

“That shit is your business to handle and this is mine. So what you gon’ do?”

Anzel nipped her lip and groaned. “Get the fuck out. But I swear.”

Maximus stood. “What? You swear what? Hm?”

“Nothing,” Anzel grumbled and rolled her eyes in defeat.

He smirked. “I see you learn a lot faster than your sister. Good for you.”

A double knock on the table was left as a warning. In the event Anzel wanted to get desperate and hold on to the hottest thing her label had. If she wanted to take Maximus down, he’d fight to the finish. And he’d win.