Page 2 of The Cancer I Chose (BLP Signs of Love #4)

My head bopped to the beat that spilled from the speakers on repeat.

My younger brother Jah was sprawled across the couch, releasing a thick cloud of smoke into the air, zoned out and in his own world.

My other brother, Man Man, and homeboy Lazer had big booty bitches sitting on their laps, giggling at whatever bullshit they were in the mood to spit today.

I mumbled the lyrics that were coming to my mind, trying to piece them together until they became a verse I liked.

“She say Kai, where you at? I need you to come over and get this pussy wet

I told her bae I’m on the way, but you know I got Jah in the back

And he wit’ all dat, never gon’ slack, make a nigga brains go splat

But shawty, I ain’t gon’ lie. If I’ma crack, then lil’ bro got next.”

The beat started over, and I continued piecing together something slight to drop for fun.

I’d been so focused on my sophomore album that I needed a moment to pause and create something fun for the sake of my love for music, not for likes, views, and praise.

That shit was cool, but it wasn’t sufficient enough to carry me through life.

I understood people were like the ocean, constantly experiencing highs and lows. Some days, they were calm and loving. On other days, their only intent was to drown you. I didn’t get caught up in the hype, knowing I could be loved today and hated tomorrow.

“We be in the Dutch wildin’

Robbin’ cheatin’ lyin’ and conninvin’

When it comes to my bros, know I’m slidin’

My sisters put up, ain’t no need for violence

Just stay out our way, and I swear to God everything will be okay

But if you wanna play, I gotta stack to find out where a nigga stay

Wait till he’s deep in a sleep

Kick in his front door, leave his bitch ass countin’ sheep

No need for a sneak

If you gotta problem, speak up, we can beef

Niggas need more protein, can’t step to me, I’m way too G

And this something slight on the beat

Going home with your girl and she’s gon’ be on her knees.”

Jah hopped up from the couch and started bouncing around like a fool.

I chuckled at his silliness before taking a seat in front of the soundboard.

My engineer, Tookie, was sitting there still messing with the 808s.

I was getting ready to grab my pen and pad to write some more when my ringing phone caught my attention.

I snatched it up when I saw it was my Aunt Bernice calling.

“Wassup, Auntie?” I asked with a smile.

My father’s sister was my heart and could get anything from me. The love she had for me ran deep, and from the day I came into their lives, she never let me go without feeling its warm tentacles suffocating me in an embrace.

“Sekai!” she screamed my name, sending a chill down my spine.

I leaned up in my seat and froze. “Cut the music!” I yelled before returning my attention to my phone. “Auntie, wassup? Why are you crying?”

“Promise me you won’t flip out?”

“I ain’t promising you shit when you’re calling me crying.” My voice was deathly low as I spoke slowly, yet I could feel my brothers and Lazer pressing closer, alarmed by the one side of the conversation they could hear. “What happened? Where you at?”

She sniffled. After a pause, she said, “I’m at Auntie’s. Some men just came in here and threatened me. I didn’t know who else to call?—”

She couldn’t even finish her sentence before I told her, “I’m on the way,” and ended the call.

Nobody asked questions as I rushed out of the studio with the guys following closely behind me. I wasn’t a man of many words, so they knew if I was bookin’ it in the middle of a session, then it was important. Everything was forgotten as the distress in my aunt’s voice tightened my heartstrings.

Who the fuck would be brave enough to threaten my aunt?

Her business was a known haven in our hood, a place where people came to eat well while knowing they were safe.

There was no violence at Auntie’s. If you had beef, you left that shit outside to enjoy the magic my aunt could create with water, flour, salt, and pepper.

Once your feet hit that pavement outside those doors, though, you were on your own.

Shit, that was on you if a nigga stretched you out after you got stuffed.

You couldn’t be mad if he gave you the decency of a last meal first.

The gang had earned reverence over the years because we were known to make niggas twice our age cower in fear and respect.

We were known around the way as The Dutch Reapers, and we took no shit.

Whenever I got my hands on whoever threatened my aunt, I was going to squeeze every molecule of oxygen from their lungs and then spit in their fucking face for trying to sabotage my aunt’s sense of safety.

She’d been in our hood longer than most of us had been alive. No one had the right to step up to her.

I hopped in my black-on-black 1987 Buick Grand National, and the engine revved to life for me.

I wasted no time pressing the gas and speeding into traffic.

Two custom painted, black-on-black Hellcat Chargers and a red Mustang coupe tailed me, so I knew everyone was following me back to the hood.

All that could be heard was revving engines, speakers knockin’, and the promise of violence when we made it where we were going.

I never tried to be the toughest nigga on the block.

I didn’t care about shit like that, but you were going to respect me.

I had the mindset of “If I don’t fuck with you, then don’t fuck with me or my people.

” If you abided by that, then we were good.

However, if you crossed that line... I was known to completely erase the muthafucka entirely.

Boundaries didn’t exist in my world. I didn’t know how to stop until there was nothing but carnage left when it came to my family. My circle was tight-knit, so if I kept you around me, I was going to protect you with my life. It’s the way my loyalty was wired as a Virgo.

We pulled in front of Auntie’s in record time.

I couldn’t even remember putting the car in park before I hopped out and raced inside.

My aunt was sitting at one of the tables with her head in her hands.

My younger sister, Jiah, was there consoling her.

When she looked up at me, I saw the fear in her eyes.

Her hands trembled as she reached for me.

I dropped to my knee in front of her before pulling her into me for a hug.

“Who?” I asked, keeping it short and simple.

“Zyro and his goons.”

My lip curled in disgust before she could even finish getting his name out.

So, he was back... I hadn’t heard that name in a while, but the rage and hatred that arose reminded me of the feelings I had toward him, never fading.

If anything, hearing his name made them stronger than ever before, especially knowing he’d intimidated my aunt in one way or another.

“What the fuck is that bitch ass nigga doing back around these parts?” Jah asked with a frown.

“Watch your mouth, Jahlil,” Aunt Bernice scolded him.

He held his hands up in surrender but didn’t apologize for the way he spoke. The nigga wasn’t regretful at all because I was wondering the same thing.

My foot began to bounce up and down as a flood of memories I wanted to forget tried to infiltrate every available acre in my mind. My aunt’s hand on top of mine brought me back to the present. I glanced at her.

“I don’t know, but he has a death wish,” I whispered without breaking eye contact.

“Sekai...” The way she said my name was a warning that I paid no mind. “Please.”

I glanced at my brothers and Lazer, who all looked ready to go hunting with me.

“What else did he say?” I questioned, returning my attention to her.

She nervously gulped as her eyes bounced from each of us.

She sighed, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop the war beginning to brew in the air.

Zero knew exactly who Bernice was to me.

This was a targeted attack that I couldn’t allow to slide.

If he wanted smoke, I was going to make sure it choked the shit out of him.

Once it was up with a Reaper, then it was stuck until someone met their maker.

“He said I had a week to decide whether I wanted to launder money through the restaurant or sell it to him. I can’t give up my business, and there’s no way I’m washing money for that slime ball.

He’s been slowly doing this to the businesses around here over the last two weeks.

He already swooped in and got Paul’s laundromat and Tiff’s bar, using his fear tactics.

They didn’t have anyone to call like I did. ”

I nodded my head slowly. The tips of my fingers began to tap a sinister tune along the surface of the table.

If it were war Zero wanted, he had to know I wasn’t a pussy and would give him exactly that.

He fucked up by cornering my aunt. The last thing he was going to do was force her into anything that jeopardized her business and freedom.

Zero thought he was going to come to the city and strong-arm hardworking and innocent people out of their businesses.

But I was sure when he thought of this master plan, the last thing he expected was resistance.

I wasn’t the same little boy he used to abuse and torture.

With all the fire steadily rising in my chest, he was the one who needed to be worried.

I wouldn’t rest until I sent Zero Crosby back to the pits of the hell he was spat out of.