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“Nigga, how you had the perfect aim and didn’t shoot his ass? How the fuck did you mess that shit up?”

Dough looked at Luco, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation on how he had missed his target. They were inside The Den along with Noble as he sat cooly on the stool. He had said nothing the entire time. Only staring with his coal black eyes.

“Listen, Mal had him but then Bria pushed his arm. She fucked it up.”

“She was there?” Luco bellowed. “What the fuck was she doing there?”

Dough shrugged, wishing he could tell his brother why.

He hadn’t been able to get in touch with Bria for weeks.

She’d blocked him on every platform, including her phone.

When he called her from burner numbers, she never answered.

Bria had cut him out of her life and despite her being married, Dough never thought she would dismiss him.

“That shit was reckless, and you know it. You supposed to catch that man coming out of the club, not inside of it, goofy-ass nigga!” Luco ranted.

“Goofy?” Dough stood. “Aye don’t ever play with me like you ain't did no reckless shit. How quickly we forget that you got locked up last summer for murder? We still trying to figure out how you got out.”

Luco jerked his head back. “What the fuck you trying to say?”

“Shit, how did you get murder charges dismissed when the evidence was clear as the fucking day?”

Rushing into Dough’s personal space, Luco’s nostrils flared. “Aye, don't ever come at me like I’m some snitch. I’ll forget we share DNA and put your ass in a cemetery, permanently.”

They were in a face off. Breaths were being exchanged along with furious stares. Dough didn’t appreciate his brother threatening his life, especially when Luco knew how he got down. His self-respect was king. He would never allow anyone, including family, to disrespect him.

“Although this lil’ showdown between you two niggas is slightly entertaining, y’all need to figure out what’s next,” Noble stated.

Luco turned to him. “That’s on his ass. He can figure that shit out on his own.”

Dough was annoyed by his brother’s response. “I don't need you, nigga. I’ll get this shit down one way or another.”

Noble snorted before flicking his nose with his thumb. “I don't give a fuck what you do. Just make sure The Mafia ain't affected.”

“That’s all you fucking care about.” Dough snorted. “The Legacy Mafia need to be behind me, fuck you mean. This nigga violated me and y’all are way too laxed. You supposed to tell everybody to suit the fuck up.”

Noble chuckled. “Suit up for what? ‘Cause you was fucking with another man’s wife and got your ass handed to you? There’s certain shit that I’m not going to combat for and being a side nigga is one of ‘em.”

“You know what, Noble? Fuck you!” Dough declared as a vein throbbed on his forehead. “You really think you above us when you ain't no better.”

“Aye, nigga, chill,” Luco warned.

Noble lifted his hand. “No, let him talk. Go ‘head.”

“Ever since you took over, you been on some funny shit. Tuck let us rock however we wanted but you come in trying to give niggas all these rules and shit like we lil’ ass kids.

You making The Mafia look soft because if Tuck was here, this nigga that I’m trying to put down would’ve been a fucking thought by now. ”

Silence had become a sudden guest in the room as Noble stared at Dough. He rose from the stool and adjusted his cufflinks. Smoothly, he strolled toward Dough and stood in front of him.

“You good now? You got all that off your chest?”

Dough scoffed but didn’t reply verbally.

“Now that you said what was on your heart, let that be the last time I hear you bitch about me.”

Smirking, he retorted, “Or what’s gonna happen?”

Noble smiled. “Then, I can make an example out of your emotional ass. You know, do some shit like snatch your fucking esophagus from your neck and deliver it to your family the day of your funeral. Nothing too heavy though.”

Dough’s jaw clenched so tightly, his teeth gritted. He had released all of his frustrations regarding Noble, but he wouldn’t dare challenge him since he was still the boss.

“Now get your shit together and put that man down. Oh, and I don't want shit coming back on The Mafia like I said. Are we clear?”

Dough gave a half-hearted nod before Noble walked out the door. Luco shook his head at him, prompting Dough’s irritation to increase.

“See, you be doing too much. Your fucking mouth gon’ get you into a lot of shit. Watch it, nigga, and handle your business.”

“Fuck you,” Dough countered, not having a reasonable comeback.

Luco exited the office, leaving Dough stewing like a pot of soup.

They didn’t understand his reasoning. They didn’t care about the scars that he now had to bear.

His mental health had been on a decline ever since Lo caught him slippin’.

Dough had never been so paranoid in his life.

His rest had been affected greatly with him barely falling into a REM sleep.

Dough’s gun stayed in his hand when it came time to fall into a slumber.

His existence wouldn’t be at ease until he laid Lo down for good.

Two weeks later…

The room was swallowed by a pitch-black darkness, mirroring how hollow Lo felt on the inside.

The blackness represented how corrupted he had been.

He stared at the window, picking up the shadows that crept in from the amber streetlight.

His mind was on murder. Blood was his desired smell at this particular time.

The need to play God for the night was evident but he couldn’t get Bria out of his psyche.

It had been fourteen days since he’d seen his Bri-Bri, and Lo was on the verge of losing it.

Again, pride held him up, feeding him all the bullshit that he could feed to his stubborn nature.

However, that tender side of Lo, the part that no one had access to except Bria, yearned to see her.

Lo had fucked up. The first night she didn’t come home, he didn’t feel it as much.

His anger had numbed him until it wore off by the second night.

By then, it was too late. Bria had placed him on the block list. Going to her socials had been a bust since she’d blocked him on there. Lo was vexed by her actions, but it was well deserved. However, after two weeks of not smelling her natural scent and hearing her soft voice, Lo was in need.

The ringing of his phone brought him out of the part of his brain where Bria lived. Looking at the screen, he noticed Maddy calling and answered.

“What’s up, Auntie?”

“Hey, I hadn’t heard from you. You call yourself being mad at me?”

“No.” He smirked. “I’ve been busy.”

“Oh, okay. I wanna make sure you ain't put me with your ignorant mama. I can’t take it if you don't want to talk to me.”

“It’s not like that.” Lo had been bothered by the incident between Ada and Maddy and did distance himself a bit. He had grown tired of being in the middle of their feud. “I just needed a minute to myself.”

“I get it. You’ve always been introverted so no need to explain anything to me. How have you been?”

“Straight. You?”

“I’m okay. Durand is trying to open a business and needed a down payment on a building. I took out a small loan to help him out.”

Lo thought that was the most ridiculous shit ever. Durand was a serial business owner. He went through so many ideas, but nothing stuck. Lo wasn’t a parent so he couldn’t comprehend Maddy’s devotion to keep funding Durand’s failed business plans.

“Why you do that?”

“Because I wanted to support him. It wasn’t like you were going to help him out again.”

“You right, I wasn’t. You gotta let that man drown on his own, Auntie, ‘cause in the end, when you get in a bind, who you come to?”

“You don't understand because you don't have kids.”

“I’m a man though, and I don't think my mama would keep giving me money for shit that won’t work.”

“Well, Ada couldn’t even protect you as a child. I know she wouldn’t go out of her way to help you out.”

Swiftly, Lo sat up, trying to fight his rage from making a sudden appearance.

“Stop saying stuff like that. If I was trying to heal, your words would put me back in my misery. Don't keep bringing that up.”

The other line went silent until Maddy said, “You're right, baby. I’m sorry for not considering how it would make you feel. I know you have your feelings toward Ada but that’s still your mother. Please forgive me.”

This was what he loved most about his auntie. She was so compassionate and wasn’t above apologizing. Lo should’ve taken a page out of her book and applied it to his own life.

“It’s cool, I just don't want you taking digs at her no more.”

He couldn’t believe he had made that request. Something was changing deep within him. Maybe the depths of him were finally being moved. Lo wasn’t certain.

“You have my word. I won’t do any of that again. How’s Bria? You guys should come over for dinner.”

He released the heaviest breath. “She’s gone.”

“Gone where?”

“I ain't seen her in two weeks.” The words tasted like shit leaving his mouth.

“What? Lo, what did you do?”

He stalled, trying to gather his words. Truth was, Bria left him speechless a lot of the time. He wished he would’ve been soundless during the hospital visit. That way, he would still have his lady beside him.

“I was being mean to her,” he admitted. “Her pops pissed me off, so I retaliated and ended up pissing her off.”

Explaining it sounded so ridiculous.

“Lo, what did I tell you about your temper? You gotta stop letting your anger drive you. You control it!”