Page 71

Blair

Recommendation: Listen to Sanctuary by French Montana

Tyshawn wanted to meet up at a new house that he had purchased. Money had found its way into his hands, and he couldn’t wait to show it. He wanted me to come alone, so I came because I knew how to protect myself.

He thought I needed or wanted him, which is why I wasn’t scared to come see him.

In reality, I wanted to end him tonight.

I’ve allowed him to breathe, to see how good it could get, and now I wanted to snatch it from him.

I wanted him to see everything he ever wanted being ripped away from his hands, never being able to have what his heart truly desired.

Kind of like what he did when he snatched motherhood away from me the first time. I climbed out of my truck and slammed the door as I walked up the cobble stone driveway of the cottage style home.

Capri told me when she had Rayce, this was this power she felt. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she felt it cruising in her blood. Making her stronger, more resilient, and braver as she became a mother.

As I pushed Izayah out, I felt the same exact way. My only concern was getting her into this world. Feeling Simmy reach his hands down, while God was shoving her through to me felt powerful. Giving me a chance to be a mother again and reminding me that this was all he wanted for me.

Pain had to occur so you could see how good things could get, and so you could appreciate them. We often became so accustomed to the good, that we became ungrateful for things. Every day that I woke up beside my husband and my kids, I was grateful.

So much could have been taken from us and God spared us. He felt we had enough suffering and sent our beautiful baby girl to us. Izayah was the reminder that everything I had gone through, I would do it again if it meant it would end with her in my arms.

I didn’t need to ring the doorbell because I knew he had been watching me. Tyshawn had watched me pull into his driveway, get out the car, and wanted me to stand on his porch and wait for him to open the door.

He wanted to remind me that I was on his time, not mine. I’d allow him to play these games because I came here to do what needed to be done. I allowed him the chance to build all of this and allow the Chrome Vipers to thrive.

I stood in my red leather trench coat, wide leg jeans and a pair of heels. My feet had been so swollen that I hadn’t been able to wear heels, so I was happy that my feet had gone down, and I was back to wearing them.

A figure appeared through the stained glass on the door, and I noticed that crooked ass walk from anywhere. A second passed before the door opened and he stood in the doorway with a smirk on his face.

“Necessary for you to wear red? The nigga is dead, Blair… that whole widow look isn’t a good look. Let go and come with the winning team,” he nodded for me to come in.

I shook my head. “This your grandmother’s new house?”

He paused and looked at me confused. “This shit all mine… me and my girl gone fill this shit with babies… why you ask?”

It was the way he looked at me when he said babies that would have broken my heart years before. I would have sobbed and been upset that he was giving some other woman something he had taken from me.

When he mentioned babies now, I cringed and prayed for the woman that would give them to him. I had a baby by a man who cherished and worshiped me.

I shrugged. “I don’t know… looks like a granny’s home.”

His face dropped as I walked around and looked around the house that resembled a home of a woman named Susan that loved to collect cat figurines and sit on her porch and look at her peony’s.

“Damn, you hating because you didn’t think I would make it here. Always talking about how I’m broke, and we didn’t have shit.”

“Well, when I had to go to the pantry because we didn’t have food and you spent it to get high… no, I never thought you would get here.”

“I’m getting clean… been clean for three months.”

“Shouldn’t have become a junkie in the first place. Want a round of applause?” I walked into the living room and looked at the bare shelves over the fireplace.

While he was spending money on the cars displayed in the driveway, the interior lacked any kind of warm feeling of being a home.

The furniture looked like it was the same stuff that came with the house.

Our voices echoed because of the lack of furniture or fixtures in this home, and he was bragging.

“Swear I be wanting to punch you in the mouth… slick ass mouth.”

I folded my arms and smirked. “I’m not afraid of you anymore, Tyshawn.

I haven’t been afraid of you for a long time…

remember how I got you locked up. Has nothing to do with Quasim either, and everything to do with the kind of man that you are.

A weak pathetic man that uses his strength to beat down women.

Each time you’ve gone against Quameer or Quasim, you have lost. It was when I saw that, I realized truly how little you were… how much of a child you are.”

My words angered him. He flexed his hands as he looked out the backdoor into the dated kidney bean shaped pool, and Sears patio furniture. He wanted me to meet him here to show me what I could have had, and I didn’t want any of this.

I didn’t want the gold rimmed outdated fireplace, tiled countertops in the kitchen, or the ugly ass wood floors that rested beneath our feet.

“That nigga is dead, and you still think you this big bitch that run shit. You think his family gonna continue to hold you down? They allowed Polo to come in and wipe their king out… you really that stupid?”

I almost felt bad for how stupid and clueless he was.

Tyshawn had been under a rock and quiet.

Too busy texting me about how he wanted to be with me, that he lost contact with Polo, and all his pieces of body parts.

He had no clue that Cherish wasn’t puffing her chest out anymore, because she was somewhere stanking.

“Not stupid. I would rather douche with rubbing alcohol than ever lay back down with you. Flames not only burn, they rise, too, Tooks.”

The name pissed him off because Meer always called him that. “I’m glad you came, because I’m sick of your fucking mouth… always think you fucking better because you fucked an Inferno.” He came walking over to me, fire in his eyes, and ready to strike me.

He expected me to cower, and beg him not to hit me, and I remained in my spot, staring past him. “Hi, King.”

Quasim came around the corner, lifting his pants with a smirk on his face. His fangs shined brighter than usual as he locked onto Tookie, who turned to see what the fuck I was talking about. The moment he locked eyes with Quasim Inferno, he didn’t have the breath to say what he wanted.

“What up, Queen?” He responded, never looking at me because his eyes were on his target. He moved almost feline-like.

Slow...

Stalking his prey, while never taking his eyes from him.

I stood there, while Tookie nearly backed up into me. “Wha…what the fuck? They said you were dead.”

“Damn, they saying I’m dead… niggas can’t nap no more… damn.”

“Y…yeah, I feel you.” He stammered, losing all that mouth that he had moments before. I chuckled as I watched my baby.

Alive and in the flesh.

Only I knew the battles he fought to get back here, and he stood in front of one of those that tried to take his life. His tall frame filled the space between me and Tookie as I watched him. He winked at me and then looked at Tookie.

“You was about to do what?”

“I was—” He never finished his sentence because he ran toward the back door.

I took my place beside my husband, as we watched him take flight. Soon as his hand touched the door, Meer put both his hands on the glass door from the other side. “Boo.”

“What the fuck?” Tookie yelled, booking it down the hall, and no sooner than he cut a corner, we watched him walk backward toward us with Capri in front of him.

Tyshawn was five minutes from shitting his pants as he was trying to think quickly on his feet. Me and Sim stood in the middle of the floor as Meer opened the back door and stood next to Capri. He had both Inferno brothers on each side.

Looking from one side to the next, he leaped over the couch and ran toward the kitchen. “Ahhh!”

We heard him scream and watched as Mina and Papa walked his ass back to the middle of the floor. Like a scared Pitbull being taken to a loud shelter for the first time, he stared from one end to the next, not believing he had been tricked this way.

“Didn’t think you would be standing in the middle of fire, huh?” Papa said, as he switched his toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other.

Meer walked into the kitchen and came back with a chair; another dated piece of furniture he wanted to make me jealous with. “Sit the fuck down.” Mina said, her voice eerie as she watched him.

This was the first time that I could see the fear in his eyes. He was afraid and looked for me to help him. With all the pain he had caused, he thought I would be the good in his life and save him.

Meer stood behind the chair and pushed his ass down into it. “Get crazy with my mama and I’m on your ass… feel me?”

Tyshawn must have thought there was a way that he could get out of here, because he nodded his head quickly, nervously, and full of faith that he would walk away. I guess when you had nothing left to lose, being delusional couldn’t hurt.

“I swear I didn’t have shit to do with anything… Polo told me he would take care of me… I… I mind my business.”

“He gave you this ugly ass house?” Capri looked around, disgusted.

Tyshawn sneered. “Always been an uppity bitch,” he muttered.

Meer pulled his head back while staring down in his face. “She got a nigga that could maintain it, too.” He mushed his head and walked around the chair.

Even though he had recovered, he now had this small limp, but if you weren’t paying attention, you would have missed it.

Everyone looked over at me as I stood next to the man that abused me mentally, physically, and sexually. Constantly told me I wouldn’t be shit and would never get the things I wanted in life. A man that made me feel like no one would ever love me, and he was all I had to accept.

“B, you can do what you envisioned doing… dreamed about and waited for to him. If that is too much, then you know he’ll be handled either way.

He took so much from you and never cared.

Men like him take until there is nothing left to take and then collect the hurt as a trophy.

He thought he broke you, B, and he ain’t did shit,” Meer told me.

Quasim continued to stare down at him, wanting to do him in, but knew this was for me. “I learned my lesson… I’m trying to get clean and be better.”

Simmy put the gun in my hand as Tookie’s eyes became wide. He fiddled in the chair, and Papa held him still. I looked at the gun in my hand, knowing how to use it because it was Quasim Inferno who made sure I could protect myself.

Tyshawn never protected me. He had always been someone I needed protection from, and maybe had I listened to Augusta Mae, I may have never experienced all the pain and heartache this man caused.

I remembered staring up at him as he beat me and being so scared. Terrified of this man, because he put fear into my chest. He made me quiver in fear whenever he was around, and my soul always felt disturbed.

My husband showed me to never be defenseless, so I could protect myself. I looked down at him as he stared at me with hopeful eyes. Silently begging me to help him, and to use that good heart that he always made fun of.

“I don’t think I can do it,” I walked around the chair, watching him take the biggest sigh of relief.

“Guess she sp?—”

When Capri and Meer moved out of view, they knew I didn’t mean what I said. I sent a bullet right in the back of his head. “I can tell lies, too.” I mumbled.

Simmy looked over at me with this proud gleam in his eyes. Papa and Mina both nodded their heads in approval, while Capri smiled, holding her stomach.

“Taking babies to witness a murder is crazy, Pri.” Papa said, and she snorted, then crossed her legs.

“Papa, please… I can’t hold water these days.”

Quasim looked down at me as I sat the gun on the counter. “How you feel?”

“Like I’m finally closing that chapter… leaving him behind.”

He kissed my lips. “A new chapter.”