Page 21 of Giving Him Something He Can Feel

Chapter Eight

Cartier

I glanced at my brother and shook my head.

When he called last night and told me that Fari had been shot as well as Trell I knew this couldn’t be taken lightly.

The thing is I didn’t expect for my brother to have responded as fast as he did.

I had to get with him about that and make sure he wasn’t reacting like this because he didn’t like Vee messing with the nigga Aylo.

Though Cartrek was very levelheaded with certain shit, the last thing I needed was for him to be out here with clouded judgment.

It was possible and I didn’t blame him if it had, because I didn’t know how I’d react if I looked up and Jovie was chilling with another nigga, let alone a nigga who called himself my rival.

Childish shit, but that nigga Aylo was a childish nigga.

“Look I’m not up for starting no war or anything like that, but that nigga sent the first shots. Who are we to shy away?” Cartrek shrugged his shoulders.

“But the fact that the nigga put his lips to your girl made it all but easier, huh?” Cruz spoke before I could.

“I’d be lying if I said that shit didn’t motivate me, bu?—”

“If that be so, niggas still took shot at Ace niggas. Fat Trell took one and Fari did as well. Fari is as affiliated as any other nigga who reps. Nigga has put in more work than most.” I don’t know why I felt like I was taking up for my brother when I was spitting facts.

“And even if I was moving off some shit with my lady, don’t you think I’d take that shit up with my lady and him?”

Cruz chuckled, easing the building tension. “Nigga would be dead on arrival. ”

I shrugged because I knew my brother. “This is the first I’m hearing about that nigga Aylo kissing on Vee, you sure you good nigga?”

Cartrek grimaced. “It wasn’t all that, but it’s handled. She and I had a miscommunication, it’s solved now.”

My eyes nearly escaped their sockets. “What you mean solved?”

“Right, how about you elaborate for us, so we know how to proceed.”

Trek laughed. “Y’all niggas just wanna be all in my business. We good though.” He was trying to be close lipped but leave it to Cruz to break that shit.

“You did say yo’ lady right? So, ya’ll just fucking, or that’s you?”

The office grew quiet and all eyes were on Cartrek.

“That’s me.”

The moment he said that I threw my head back in shock. “Say it ain’t so, you done messed around and got exclusive.”

“I know yo’ ass ain’t talking. You trapped lil’ Jo. She ain’t have a chance in hell. Now you’re on some family shit.”

“Damn right.”

“Just don’t be in no rush to hit the isle.

Shit gets deep after the I do’s,” Cruz spoke somberly.

Nigga had a lot of regrets and he slept next to his main one every day.

Julia wasn’t his one, but he let a fat ass, big titties and a brain fool him.

I tried to tell him that every smart, built bitch wasn’t a good look, but he didn’t listen.

Nigga called us on his honeymoon complaining about the way she ate.

It was the funniest thing ever, now here he was three years later with two kids, and he hated everything about shorty and cheated every chance he got.

He wouldn’t leave her though, instead he convinced himself that he was giving his kids the household he never had.

I understood that, but if I didn’t like a bitch, I didn’t like a bitch.

That was it, bottom fucking line. The thing with Jovie was that I liked her too much, hell if a nigga ever looked at my Google search, folks would revoke my player card.

Niggas was trying hard to figure out if love at first sight existed. Yeah, shit with us was that deep.

“Don’t I know?” Cartrek’s statement interrupted my mental tangent.

“I know you loved shorty, or thought you did, but that shit don’t count. Think about it. She was planted in your life for you to like. Like badgered and pestered with things to entice yo—” Cruz started.

“Argh nigga, that’s enough. You been watching too many super spy movies,” I joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Way too many.” Cartrek waved him off.

“You probably need some more time out the crib, instead of daddy duty. Niggas be planted in front of all those action movies thinking the shit is real. You still know how to bust a gun, or have you replaced that skill with changing diapers and coloring in the line?”

He flipped me off. “It’s funny you should ask, considering you about to pick up a few new skills as well, huh? Now that I think about it, you too nigga.” He threw his chin in Cartrek’s direction.

He looked up from his phone confused. “The hell that mean?”

“You’re dating a female with a kid, nigga. Baby daddy iss?—”

He waved Cruz off. “Nigga ain’t in her life.”

Cruz chuckled, anybody in here talked to Ayce?”

I shook my head no.

“Yeah a few days ago. Nigga is in the trenches balling the fuck out on it,” Cartrek responded.

“Ain’t that yo’ fucking brother?”

“You know how he is. He be on some loner shit.”

We ended up chilling and talking for a little longer before I decided to go get some food and pull up on my baby mama.

We’d been texting periodically throughout the day, so I knew what she wanted to eat, but not gonna lie I missed her something special.

When I wasn’t around her she had me missing her like I didn’t wake up next to her every day.

It was odd, but I was getting used to it.

Getting used to needing another the way I never needed a soul before.

Me pulling up on her never happened because I ended up stopping to handle some business.

Then by the time I was done, she was headed toward the house asking if I could pick up dinner.

I was good with that considering I planned to do that anyway.

Shorty wanted some hard fried catfish and garlic truffle fries.

After she told me what she wanted, I called up to the Tellys and ordered it so it would be ready when I walked in.

I didn’t do that standing around shit at all, especially with everything going on.

When I walked in the joint, I saw a few familiar faces throwing my chin upward to speak before I focused on the lady at the counter.

“Hey, Ms. Ann. I greeted Thirteen’s grandmother. He told her she didn’t have to work anymore but look at her still up and kicking. Though he owned the joint, this was her place. Her kitchen and her floor. Niggas knew to respect it.

“Hey baby, how you been?” she asked with a toothy smile.

“Good, tryna stay out of the way.”

“That’s good, I hear you got a baby on the way. You finally settled down? Or you spreading yo’self thin?”

I laughed. “Nah Ms. Ann I’m tryna hold on to the one I got.”

Her smile grew. “That’s good to hear, bring her by here to meet an old woman won’t you. I wish the lot of ‘em would be like you, specially Teen. You know these lil’ fast tail easy ass hussies ain’t nothing but trouble.” She shook her head.

I chuckled. “I got you.”

“Let me go see if yo’ order is ready, watch the register for me, okay?”

She didn’t give me a chance to respond because she was already walking toward the back.

“Long time no talk. How you been, Cartier?” I recognized the fake whiny ass voice from anywhere.

I glanced to my side and Taylor was standing near the table in an apron. I didn’t know she worked up here.

“Good.”

“So I hear. Neither you nor Jovie have been around.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement.

I nodded, looking around the space once more for Ms. Ann. Niggas was ready to go and I didn’t wanna talk to shorty.

“What are you doing tonight?”

“Going home top my baby mama. You know it ain’t like that no more, Taylor.”

“So, you used me to get to her? And now you don’t want to mess with me anymore because you have her.”

I shook my head. “C’mon now. You knew what it was, niggas ain’t hold a gun to your head or force you to do that. You knew what it was with us from jump.”

“So what? You and her get to be happy together? What about me?” she was seconds from throwing one of those childish ass tantrums.

“What about you? Your feelings ain't my problem. Never have been.”

“Here you go baby, your catfish just came out so, it’s nice and hot.” Ms. Ann took my attention off Taylor.

“Thank yo—” I started but the feel of a sharp pain in my shoulder interrupted my sentence.

I turned around to see what the hell it was, and Taylor was standing behind me with a scared expression and a knife in her hands. From it dripped my blood. My fucking blood. This bitch had just stabbed me.

Jovie

The last thing I expected when Cartier called me was for him to be telling me that he was leaving the fucking hospital.

I was ready to curse him out because it had been three hours since I last spoke to him and he was supposed to be getting food.

I naturally assumed he had gotten caught up with business, but for him to say he was leaving the hospital after being stitched up, I immediately thought the absolute worse.

The entire forty-five minutes it took for him to get to me had me on edge.

He didn’t want me to come to him because it was so late, but he insisted on coming all the way home.

To say I was worried was an understatement, but I got through it and so did he.

After what felt like forever he was pulling into the driveway. He got out of the car slow, stiff on one side and moving slow.

I met him in the driveway, noticing the blood on the heather gray tee-shirt he left the house in. I reached for the pharmacy bag and jacket that he was holding then followed him into the house.

“What happen?” Seeing him in pain scared me.

He took a seat on the sofa, neglecting to sit back for obvious reasons. “Help me take my shirt off, please.”

I nodded, approaching him slowly almost as if quick movement would hurt him. When I reached him, my hands immediately went to the hem of the bloodied shirt and I slowly began to ease it up.