Page 6 of For the Love of City

“Keep her close and raise her ass, the fuck else we gone do? The last thing we want is for her to be out here a target because of us. Especially with how big we about to be. She look green as fuck., Trav. Like she lived her whole life in the library studying iambic pentameter or some shit. Real Ashley Banks hood addition.”

He was laughing but my ass was serious. I expected her to come in with some glasses to match her long ass braids cause she looked innocent as hell. “Bruh, what the fuck is that?”

I could only shake my head cause his ass was focused on the wrong shit. “You really needed to pay attention more in school, bruh.”

“Please. I graduated.”

“Yeah thanks to no child left behind. You were too busy earning a Ph.D in the streets so I can’t even fault you.

Shit, I’mma have to find her some kinda extracurriculars or something.

” My head fell back thinking about all the shit I needed to get her into so she avoided the shit I needed to keep her out of.

“You right. We can’t have no lil’ girl up underneath us while we handling business. She gotta learn how to move but I can’t see myself letting her follow in our footsteps. Shit, we turn enough niggas away from this life as it is. Kinfolk definitely not getting lost to the game.”

“True dat. But this shit comes through next week…everything gone be different.”

“We won’t have to worry about it as much. If what that nigga Yacouba is saying is facts, we’ll be straight and so will she. An invisible army watching our back ain’t something to sneeze at.”

I grinned and tried to relax at Travis’ reminder because shit had been good since we got King out the way.

I wasn’t dumb enough to go back to the scene of the crime but a birdie had sent me pictures and the place looked showroom new.

If anyone finally started sniffing around to find that nigga they would think he just jumped ship.

I was bracing myself to be asked but so far it was quiet.

“True. Having them mafia niggas that nobody seems to be able to ID but everyone knows not to cross is crazy.”

“Just another thing to not be scared of until it’s in your face. Like the FEDS.”

“True. But I mean if we keeping her, we gotta take her out to eat or something to make her feel at home and not like we about to pimp her ass out or something. I know she’s gotta be hungry because I know I am. And I for damn sure ain’t cooking.”

Trav was laughing and pointing to the kitchen that was empty of anything besides plastic forks and paper plates. “City, you can’t cook.”

“Even more reason to go talk to this girl. I doubt she wanna feel like she gotta do that to earn her keep.” I stood up and stretched because my body felt stiff as hell.

“Yeah assuage her fears and shit about us.”

I hit him in the chest with a grin on my face. “Assuage? Maybe your ass ain’t skip as much school as I thought.”

He pushed me back, and since he was a heavy-handed muthafucka I felt it. “Shut the fuck up, City. I’m book smart and street smart. You wouldn’t be friends with a dummy.”

“True. Damn, we really gotta pass that on to a little girl. I’on’t know, shit’s fucking with me.”

“What is?”

“When you see her you’ll understand. She’s…somebody. Her soul is screaming loudly that she one of God’s chosen or something. And I know I sound crazy because everybody’s girl or boy is somebody , but her ass is special. Her destiny is written all over her and it’s crazy her mama ain’t see it.”

“Maybe it wasn’t meant for Reina’s ass to see.”

Trav would always get deep as fuck when it was necessary.

Because he never wanted someone else to have the jump on him, his ass was constantly reading.

He would read anything he could get his hands on no matter the subject.

We stopped being roommates because he was spending as much money on books as clothes.

The spare bedroom in his apartment was filled with bookshelves of books and shoe boxes.

Whenever it was time to get that nigga a gift it was always some bread and a box of books.

“That’s her kid, though.” Although I knew firsthand that maternal instinct wasn’t something that everyone had I knew my mama lost hers behind a crack rock. Reina had all the stability necessary to love her kid and just didn’t. That was what I couldn’t grasp.

Trav was looking at me like I was soft but little did he know he would be too as soon as he met this kid.

“And Reina ain’t shit. Would probably exploit whatever greatness was in that girl and bastardize it for herself. Or make her feel like she owed her and drain her dry. It wasn’t for her to nurture so God put her where she needed to be. Which was with you.”

“ Us , bitch. You not about to baby mama my Black ass.” I pushed him again as he laughed at me but I was dead ass.

“Damn we gotta set up visitation or some shit too? How much support you need for her ass, nigga?”

“Shut up, Trav. But I can look at her and tell that the world ain’t jaded her.

Not yet. Her daddy kept her put up in the house and away from shit and although we can’t do that for her, we gotta make this shit as normal as possible.

Her daddy looked out for us when we needed it so I ain’t about to let that lil girl fall by the wayside just cause I wanna be wit’ the hos and shit. ”

“That’s deep, bruh. You a good dude, Corey.”

“Thanks, Uncle Trav.” I said that shit sarcastically as hell but I meant every word. He was my brother so if I had a daughter, he damn sure had a niece.

He pat me on the back and I knew he was ‘bout to talk shit but that he was giving me his silent acceptance. “Here you go with this shit. Come on and introduce me to the youngin. If she won your ass over that fast I know she about to bleed my pockets dry.”

I hesitated wondering if two niggas walking into her room was going to spook her, but frankly, she’d stood tall this whole time.

When the door opened and I was standing there, all her mama did was shove the paperwork toward me and give her daughter a dismissive kiss on the head.

I didn’t understand how anyone, much less a woman that had carried a baby for months, could just toss her to the side.

But that shit was the past now. To her credit Lyric didn’t cry or scream or even ask after her mama.

She just asked me where she was sleeping and was almost surprised that she had a room to herself.

She’d been holed up in that shit ever since.

I motioned with my head and we both headed down the short hallway.

I hated that her room was the closest to the door and was already contemplating switching with her.

It would give her a bathroom in her room and she wouldn’t have to worry about having privacy when she needed to handle her feminine shit.

The paperwork for baby girl was already put up in the safe just in case I needed to present it to somebody.

Her mama said she was going to file a notarized copy with the school and the court.

I didn’t have to worry about checking behind her because she was eager to wash her hands of her daughter so I was sure that was done as soon as she dropped her off.

We stopped in front of her door and I knocked and waited for her to tell us to enter. We were greeted with silence for far too long but after what seemed like forever; I heard her voice granting us permission.

“Hey Lyric, I wanted to introduce you to somebody that’s like my brother—” I opened the door slowly my eyes darting around trying to locate her. I knew her ass was small but I ain’t think she was that damn small. Her speaking up was the only way I could locate her.

“I have a knife and I will kill the both of y’all.” Lyric was crouched in a corner of the room near a window like she was either going to jump out of it or do exactly what she said and take us all with her.

“Shawty, this ain’t that. At all. I don’t understand why you feel that way.

Scratch that, I do know why but trust me, this nigga here would put a bullet in my head himself if he thought I was doing something crazy.

” I pointed back at Trav who was just nodding his head like a deacon agreeing with the pastor.

The room was small with just some blinds and a bed.

I’d tried to make it decent by throwing a pink comforter on the bed and putting a nightstand in here but I figured she’d decorate it how she wanted to.

“Two actually. Double tap to make sure he dead. I know you worried, but we just trying to look out. We know how crazy it can get out here and we just want to make sure you not caught up in any of the stuff these people got going on.”

His hands were up like he was trying to convey we weren’t the enemy.

She eased that knife down, but I could see she still was hesitant to trust us.

She had the pretties nutmeg brown skin and a little baby face.

I was gone A-Town stomp the fuck outta King’s head when we dropped him in the ground with his favorite pair of J’s for ever thinking about this girl like that.

“I just want to go to school and figure out what I’m doing until I hit eighteen.” Lyric sounded scared to tell us her plans but being good parents meant this was the kind of shit we had to know.

“What do you like to do?”

“Music.” Her eyes lit up when she said it and I could tell that she was really into it. I knew that instruments and shit cost money but if she wanted to give it a shot we would entertain that shit for sure. Anything to keep her out of trouble.

“You got the money for it?”

She rolled her eyes in the most bratty teenager way that I’d ever seen. “Obviously not.”

I shook my finger at her and grinned because I needed her to keep that shit up. “See, that’s the side of you we need to see. The one that you keep trying to keep hidden cause you think we on some weird shit. You can ask anybody about City and Trigga. We ain’t on bullshit.”