Page 39 of Welcome to the Table

Jaci

I sat in the back seat and smiled when my brother winked at me. When we were on good terms, we were a force to be reckoned with. Hellcat was impulsive, but so was I. My family just didn’t know it.

They thought I didn’t read the room at the dinner table, but I did, and I knew that the Colombia Point Dawgs were a threat, but not a big one.

I didn’t tell anyone, but I had a lot of time on my hands when I was in New York.

Just like they were watching me, I knew what was going on in New Orleans.

I knew when Hollygrove popped up at my apartment that shit was happening.

I was irritated because I didn’t want to leave my home where I was comfortable and move my entire life back to New Orleans, only to be in the house like I was scary.

Had Calliope been the one in the front seat, I wouldn’t be with them.

I was quiet but deadly. I had to admit that the transition from New York to New Orleans was a little hard.

I moved at my own convenience out there, but at home, I had to move with my brothers or bodyguards, and that made me feel like I was in prison.

I wanted that same freedom, but I didn’t need the lecture on why I needed protection.

I had a blade in my mouth and in my panty line for extra measure.

I didn’t trust the entire situation, and it left me with a bitter taste in my mouth.

My father's leaving us made me uneasy because that was a first. I was a daddy’s girl, and he broke my heart when he left, not even twenty-four hours after I came home.

We handled everything as a family, and now a piece was missing, so we had to handle shit on our own.

The Colombia Point Dawgs were treacherous and known to get what they wanted by any means.

They didn’t ask for shit, they took it, but they were no match for our family.

I didn’t know much, but I knew they’d wanted a seat at our table for years, and my father always said no.

My mind was boggled by him leaving with Fanucci after years of telling the nigga that he couldn’t come to the table.

It smelled like a setup, and I was sure my brothers knew that, and that’s why nobody said anything about my father’s departure, but I knew different.

If something happened to my father because he trusted this nigga too much, the other side of Jaci would come out, and not even my mother would be able to stop me.

I switched my thoughts to Hollygrove. He was so quiet, sexy, but dangerous.

His features had changed over the years.

His dreads had grown from chee wees to mid-back dreads, and it turned me on.

I didn’t understand my internal feelings toward him, but I knew I wanted him.

Whether it be for one time or a long time, I was ready to ride his ride.

His muscular build and the fact that he could handle business without using words were a turn-on.

I had kept my feelings at bay for too long, and it was time to act on them.

I was glad that I was about to get my first dose of what I had missed in my absence. They said to stay in the car, but they had to know I wouldn’t listen. I wanted to be in the business, and the wink Hellcat gave me confirmed what I already knew. It was time for some action.