Page 84 of Steel

Neha nodded. “Yes.”

“How do you feel about that?”

She shrugged. “I understand. It’s scary, but I guess I can respect the cause. I . . . we—” She motioned between her and her sister—“know what it’s like to feel unprotected and helpless. I just want him to come home safe to his daughter.”

“Why did you keep her from him?” Deuce asked.

She looked at me. “I assumed he told you all what happened.” She cleared her throat. “My biological father abused us and my mother for years. He tortured us in that house. Day in and day out, we dealt with verbal, mental, emotional, and physical abuse. He almost beat our mother to death, and my sister and I had to find her. Your brother, . . . while a good man, . . . had anger issues back then. I saw him do things that reminded me of that man. That night he almost beat that guy to death triggered me, . . . terrified me.”

She was trying not to cry as her sister got up and went to stand beside her. She whispered something in Neha’s ear and wiped her face before grabbing her hand.

“I’m sorry I kept Nayelli away. You just . . . you have to understand that I thought I was protecting us from the inevitable. I can’t take that back, but I’m trying to be better. I just want her to know her father and know all of you. She deserves that.”

Pops nodded. “I understand both sides. My youngest daughter was kept a secret from me too.”

Neha sniffled. “Did you forgive her mother?”

Pops opened his mouth to speak, but Smoke answered for him.

“Ended up dating her ass until he broke up with her because he’s still in love with his first baby mama.”

“Damn!” Dinah exclaimed, laughing. “How many baby mamas do you have, sir?”

“Four!” me and my brothers answered.

“Oh, so Papa was a rolling stone. I see you with your handsome old ass.”

Neha shot her a look. “Dinah, please.”

“Girl, I’m just saying. He knows he’s fine. Don’t you, Pops?”

Pops chuckled. “I like you. Don’t tempt me, though.”

“Ooop! Let me go sit my ass down.” She reclaimed her seat and crossed her legs.

“Look,” Pops said, “it ain’t up to us to forgive you. We just want to know Nayelli. I can see you did a beautiful job raising her. It’s clear that she is loved and well taken care of, and I, for one, thank you for that. Now we might be a bit rowdy, but we love hard in this family. We protect each other with our lives. Baby girl is a part of that now.”

“Gang gang!” Smoke said, throwing his D’s up. “We got her for life.”

“Facts,” Maceo agreed. “I already know I’m gonna be her favorite uncle.”

“Don’t start that shit,” Deuce said. “Nigga always wanna be the favorite.”

“You sound like the hating ass nigga you are,” Maceo shot back.

I palmed my face because you really couldn’t take us any damn where. Neha stifled a laugh as she watched my brothers argue over trivial shit.

“Would y’all shut the fuck up!” Pops yelled. “Goddamn! The older y’all get, the more y’all get on my damn nerves.”

“We get on your nerves, but I see you at my house every damn day,” Deuce said. “Make it make sense, Senior.”

“Right,” Smoke added. “Seven o’clock in the morning, this nigga be in my kitchen cooking my kids breakfast. Mind you, ain’t nobody let him in.”

“I know y’all ain’t complaining because you have a good father,” Dinah interjected. “It’s the ungratefulness for me.”

Smoke pointed at her. “You basically family now, so don’t fuck around and get roasted right along with this nigga.”

Dinah laughed. “Baby, you ain’t ever met nobody like me. My mouth is lethal. Don’t have me send you crying to your wife because I done hurt your ego.”