Page 31 of For the Love of City

“Well, since y’all gossiping and shit I’m about to find CB. I’m hungry as hell. Y’all don’t want me in the planning, that’s cool. But I want to be there when shit goes down.” She looked at us for our agreement and we both nodded.

“You sure you ain’t pregnant?”

Lyric gagged like the idea was disgusting to her.

“Why is everyone trying to put a baby on me? Y’all doing more than my husband who isn’t trying to put a baby in me.

We are good. Young as fuck and want to do young, rich people shit for a minute.

Is that too much to ask?” She was pouting again but I knew she wasn’t about to do anything she didn’t want to.

No matter how much we teased her, Lyric knew what she wanted out of life and knew we would support whatever that was.

“Damn, C, don’t tell me you ready to be a grandpa before you a dad again.”

Travis really wanted me to pop him in the mouth. “I already raised my youngin.”

Lyric was now on his side as she locked in on me. “You know what he’s saying. You got a jumpstart with me, starting from scratch wouldn’t be so bad.”

“Lyrie, I’m old as hell right now.”

“You know how many people popping out babies right now?”

“Got damn not you agreeing we old.”

“Shut up. You know what I mean. Ain’t too late to start.

I never had a little brother I actually liked.

You know Reina’s step kids don’t count no matter how much they keep trying to push the issue.

Anyway, before the old head crew gets their Depends in a bunch, I’m about to go.

I was told I had to be done at a certain time so let me head out.

I hope I’ll see y’all at home when we get back. ”

It wasn’t a question; it was a command. A setting of expectations so that we complied.

“We’ll finish up here and head back. We got shit to handle in Texas shortly so we’ll be there.” The three of us got up and we walked Lyric to the door. The bodyguard that Grant hired was waiting by the front door to walk her to the car.

We hugged her and made sure she got to the car safely before heading back to the meeting room.

“Your ass think you real funny don’t you?”

Travis knew exactly what I was talking about based on how he was laughing like something was funny. “You lucky I don’t tell somebody about y’all asses.”

“You lucky I ain’t told Grant you want to fuck on his sister.”

He choked on the water he’d been drinking before he stared at me in surprise. “Aye! Why you say that like that?”

“Like what? What you wanted me to pretty that shit up? Punk ass.” I’d been peeped how he had looked at Grant’s sister and how much time he spent helping her get acclimated to life in Atlanta. He wasn’t slick but I wasn’t going to push him.

“You could try. How would you feel if I said that shit about P?”

I chuckled because he had a point. “I’d put your head through this wall.”

Trav looked triumphant as he sat back and folded his arms. “Exactly, so understand where I’m coming from.”

He sounded thoroughly offended and now I was even more intrigued. “Oh, you for real with this?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you how serious I was.” The stunned look on Travis’ face meant he couldn’t believe that he was this gone over a woman.

“Try me nigga. We been friends for like thirty years.” I sat back grinning with my arms folded happy to tease this nigga the way he had done me for the last year.

Travis looked at me then let his eyes look around the room. “I’m thinking about stepping back. Handing all this shit off.”

I sat up because I knew I hadn’t heard him right. “Nah, you fucking wit me.”

“Nah.”

“Thought you said you’d die in the game.”

“I found something I wanted to live for.” He spoke that confession so easily I knew he was serious.

“You talking about me sneaking around, y’all been linking?” I knew I looked like a messy ass auntie wanting the tea but I didn’t care about any of that.

“Nah, she ain’t like that. She got a dude. Some square muthafucka that works on computers or some shit. I’m just her friend.”

He looked disgusted at the fact but he also sounded like he respected her decision. And I couldn’t let that ride.

“Just a friend? You playing the Mario or the Biz Markie version? Throwing in the towel and shit.”

“I ain’t got nothing to offer her yet. Not like this. I got a crazy baby mama, I push weight for a living. Ain’t like I’m somebody she can bring home to her mama and daddy. This ain’t the type of life she could be a part of.”

I couldn’t believe that Travis was gonna let Renee keep him from his future.

She had his son and I knew she was gonna lose her shit when he got out of the game.

Renee’s whole identity was being the baby mama of this nigga.

Nephew was heading into middle school but Renee had never done shit with her life.

If he wanted to go after Samara, he was gone have to warn her about Renee’s ass. And she would still be a problem.

“And you willing to step back on the off chance y’all make it? Or is this some shit you want to do for you?”

“The vibe is different. Politics are different. The streets are different. Shit don’t move me the way it used to.

We used to cut up for some real shit. Now it’s all about looking the part instead of being it.

Chasing clout by any means necessary even if it means getting your people jammed up.

Niggas snitching like it’s a part-time job. ”

“You worried about our people?”

This is the first I’d heard of him being concerned about somebody snitching and I needed to get all the information possible.

Travis wanted me to stay in the position I was in and keep my hands off of illegal shit.

But being his brother and having his back wouldn’t allow me to keep him surrounded by snakes just to keep myself safe. We never worked like that.

“Not those close to us. But it only takes a corner boy to knock down an empire. Besides, the A&R shit gives me the high the game lacks. The chase of finding talent. The selling. Scouting and recruiting is some shit that is a game to conquer. We never wanted to be kingpins running shit. We earned it though and it provided for us well.”

He looked completely relaxed and I knew he wasn’t arrogant enough to just say shit to ease my concern. That didn’t mean I wasn’t still going to make sure everything was good and run it by Ori.

“You talk to them about it?” Because the Millers got a cut from the protection they provided us. If we moved on from that, they would lose revenue. I didn’t think they’d care since they had more enterprises, but we still had to make them aware.

“Yeah and they good. They know the team is solid and if need be I’ll step back in.”

“Damn. Now I feel old as fuck. I couldn’t step back in because of the heat on me and now you getting out the game.”

“You thought about it?”

“Nah. Because, like you, I found a new challenge and a new purpose. This drug shit, the set, it was family looking out for family. Couba and them niggas were a family that helped ours do what was necessary to provide for us. But now Lyrically Sound can do that while we pass that ability to provide on to someone else. Ain’t no need to be greedy.

The risk and the reward can go to somebody else.

I’m sure Couba ain’t extending shit to someone that isn’t vetted so when it gets fully handed off, he ain’t gotta worry about us anymore either. ”

“Now that’s some shit we’ll never shake.”

I laughed and nodded my agreement because Yacouba wasn’t the type who let go of his people easily. “He’d be insulted if we tried. You gone sleep on this shit?”

He shook his head and his next words made me wonder what else I’d been missing out on with my people. “I have been for a while. So don’t tell your meathead ass son-in-law what I got going on. I need to have my shit together to go at her the right way.”

“No wonder you be looking at him like that when he comes to the games.”

“Bruh, he so fucking lame. And not even cool with the shit like Grant. We know that big nigga will put in work. But her dude? Looks like he’d push her down and run away from an attacker lame. Just weird. I bet he fucks with his socks on, too.”

“My nigga what does that have to do with anything?”

“I don’t know. I’m just hatin’. He looks like the temperature gotta be just right in the house or he whine like a bitch. She needs somebody that’s gone be down for her and he ain’t it.”

“Don’t hate, just regroup and work toward the goal of getting her. Sulking and shit. Pull the panties up bruh.” I was trying to hype him up but he still seemed reluctant.

“I knew I had it bad when I was feeling shit. Like not just lust and my dick but shit in my chest you feel me? Like I like her. Her personality and shit made me want to smile. I felt all…warm. Thought my ass was having a stroke. It was immediate when I saw her. Shit is crazy.”

“Yeah hearing you talking like this is definitely crazy, but it’ll all work out the way it’s supposed to. As long as you remember that you won’t have shit else to worry about.”

“‘Preciate that. I mean if you can hold out this long for your girl and now y’all are good, I guess I have something to look forward to.”

“You wild as fuck for this Trav.”

“Nah but like…the emotions she drew out of me immediately was crazy.”

“Yeah, hearing you talk like this is pique crazy. But it always works out the way it’s meant to.

That’s why I do my best not to stress out Porsha.

I know that’s me, her ass can act slow all she wants to but she ain’t going nowhere and neither am I.

I done already started scouting for a house for us. ”

“A house?” He looked surprised and I swore if my oldest friend ain’t believe how serious I was it was no wonder that Porsha’s ass was still walking on eggshells with me.

“Ain’t nobody playing with Porsha. She can be in denial all she wants but she’ll be there by herself. I know her. She gone wake up one day and realize what’s up. I’m not a nigga to make her sweat because I want her. We staring down forty soon. Ain’t got time to play no lil ass boy games with love.”

“Damn. Is this what age did to us?” Travis looked stressed as he ran his hand down his waves with a stunned look on his face.

“It feels weird as hell just finding my person this late in life but I’m not mad at it.

You had to grow up when you had your kid but that didn’t translate to women because of how he got here.

I had to do that bid to get my mind right.

My focus was always on Lyric and making sure she was good.

No other woman would’ve been able to compete and I realize that now.

My going away helped the both of us grow and it showed me I didn’t need to hold on to her so tight.

She learned she could survive on her own two feet without the two of us running to her aid.

She had a shitty situation and took control.

I ain’t ever been more proud of her ass than I was when she got her lyrical lick back. ”

“You were always the strict parent but I understand why you moved the way you did. She was dealing with a lot and you were doing the best you could.”

I shrugged cause he wasn’t going to leave himself out of this success story. “ We did the best we could and look how she turned out.”

His brows rose and he looked like I was missing the obvious. “A baby faced killer?”

“An internationally known superstar, married and rich on the way to wealthy. If that ain’t a success story, what is.” I was laying down facts but Trav’s ass wasn’t going to let it rest.

“We just gone skip over the menace to society part of her biography? Bet.”

“Shut up. While you pining away for her sister-in-law, what we got next as far as talent?”

“I’m going to work on this kid from Vine. See if I can get his ass out of Atlanta and down to Texas. Maybe a change in his environment will have him seeing shit different.”

“Good shit.” I dapped him up hoping he believed the next thing I was gonna say. I had never seen my boy this shaken up and it was getting to me.

“Miracles happen every day. Keep being what she needs without expectations and your blessing could come fall into your lap.”