Page 45

“Okay, okay. What do you want for your silence? You name it, I can pay you just to…look the other way,” she offered with a fake ass smile, but I was already shaking my head.

Before I could speak though, the monitors were going off, and I looked past her to see Cruz glaring at her.

“Baby!” She ran to his side, but the look he gave her was bone chilling, and she instantly pulled her hands back.

With the hose down his throat, he couldn’t speak, but his eyes were saying everything, and I couldn’t help but smile as I rushed to get the doctor.

I stood off to the side while they worked on getting my nigga back right, and his mama stood by the windows.

I thought for sure she would’ve left, but she was waiting around to plead her case.

Not that it would matter though. The way he was staring at her, she should’ve known she was done, and I definitely didn’t blame him.

“Angelus, I’m Dr. Reeves, now I need to run down your care for you.

You’ve been out of it for a couple of weeks, and I just want to get you up to speed, so I’ll ask you a couple of yes or no questions so you don’t have to speak, and just nod or shake your head.

Do you understand?” The doctor was talking to him, but his hard stare remained on his mama, even as he nodded that he understood.

They continued on with the test, and I texted Avery to tell her that he was awake.

I knew that would relieve some of the stress they were feeling, especially Keyani.

While I waited for her to hit me back, I finished watching the doctor to see when he was going to say it was okay for him to speak.

I was focused on him making Cruz follow his pen, when the door came swooshing open and his father stumbled in.

He looked around the room for his wife and immediately went to her side like he was going to be able to protect them from their son’s wrath.

When his gaze landed on me, I smirked, knowing his days were numbered.

The room was quiet as hell except for the doctor’s slow drawl and the nurses moving around, and I was patiently waiting for them to get the fuck out so the real show could begin.

It seemed like forever before they gave him the clear and said they would try to start him on soft foods, which he instantly turned his nose up at, but I was ready to go get my nigga the sloppiest burger just for waking up.

Stepping back, I let the staff breeze past me and out the door before standing back with folded arms just in case they tried to run out before he said what he needed to.

“Don’t you dare look at me like that, Angelus!

Did you really think it was appropriate to shit on your family name and business just so you could run around the city fighting his battles, and with that piece of trash no less!

” His father instantly started going off, so I assumed that she’d filled him in while they were huddled in the corner.

“Aye, real nigga shit, leave me out this,” I said coolly, even though I was boiling on the inside. His father looked at me like I was shit on his shoe and spat some shit in Spanish that I couldn’t make out just because of how mad he was.

“Y’all put Keyani and my twins out my house?” Cruz skipped past everything his old man had said and started straight at his real issues with a scratchy voice. He clearly didn’t give a fuck about the business, and he probably really wouldn’t after this shit.

“Son, I?—”

“You took her detail and then sent her and my kids out to fend for themselves from the bitch who did this?” He winced, and I could tell it hurt to talk, but he was doing that shit anyway instead of writing on a piece of paper.

“Well…those aren’t even your kids, and you really don’t know if that baby is yours. I was just trying to get you out of the mess you got yourself into! Why would you settle down with- with that?”

“And who’s better, the bitch who put me in here?” he asked, making his mother scoff and stick her nose in the air.

“Tuh, God no! We don’t need psychosis ruining our bloodline.”

“You just tried to ruin your bloodline! Are you slo—” His words were cut off by a fit of coughing that had his face twisted in pain.

“Don’t talk to your mother like that, pequeno negro!”

“What mother? I don’t know this bitch!”

Serena gasped, and his father moved like he was about to try and hit him, but my gun in his face stopped him in his tracks.

“No need for that. Let him get his shit off.” The look in his father’s eyes said that he’d kill me if given the chance, but I was hoping to see them go first. Cursing under his breath, he turned back to Cruz.

“That’s what this is? A vent session? You mad ’cause we tried to help you get rid of a mistake?

Big fucking deal, nigga! My papi? My papi tried to kill you when you were born!

He didn’t give a fuck about none of that sentimental shit you’re talking about!

Compared to what we did or at least were trying to do, it’s like an abortion. ”

Cruz’s face turned bright red, and he pointed toward the door.

“Get! Out!” The nigga was so mad his chest was heaving, and I thought he was going to bust a stitch.

His mama hurried to get out that muthafucka, but his pops took his sweet ass time, and before he was able to duck out the door, Cruz made his fingers point at him like a gun and smirked.

The old nigga’s lips damn near disappeared into his face as he strode off.

I waited until the door closed behind them to tuck my gun in my back and walked over to Cruz, scratching my neck uncomfortably.

“You cool?” I didn’t know what else to say. He looked up at me blank-faced, and I shrugged. “What, nigga?”

“Naw, ain’t cool, I’m bouta have to kill my fuckin’ mama, nigga! I don’t give too much a fuck about Juan, but I fucked with my OG. She the whole reason I even paid attention to Keyani, ’cause I thought she reminded me of her, but my girl ain’t nothing like that ruthless bitch.”

“Yeah, when I heard her talkin’, I kinda felt like she had more in common with Raya, but it be like that sometimes.”

“I ain’t even gone argue with you on that ’cause you gots to be some type of crazy to fuck with a bitch that put your son in the hospital.” My eyes bucked as he said the same shit I’d been thinking during her whole phone conversation.

“That’s what the fuck I was sayin’!”

“I’m sorry about Avery and the house, man. I’m gone make sure I handle Raya for all the shit she been out here doing.” I nodded, accepting his apology.

“Just make sure you tag me in!”