Page 8

The Gang’s All Here

I went to answer the door for my people with apprehension. Whatever information they had in regard to Abel could change things for me. Before the shooting, I enjoyed my peace. Abel and I had run the streets for the majority of our lives. Once I turned thirty, I focused on my exit and bought my tattoo shop. Three years later, Abel made a hasty decision that could likely bring me out of retirement.

Uncle Will greeted, me with a tight hug. “Nephew, you’re looking good.”

“You know I’m a fighter, Unc,” I assured him. My Uncle raised me, and no matter how tough he was, nobody wanted to see the people they loved in the hospital. He never had to say a word. I felt his energy while I was in the hospital. Now that he saw me moving around, his energy felt lighter.

“Wolf, it’s good to see you up and about, homie,” Tone said.

I gave him dap as he entered the house, followed by Jaxx and Gavin. My uncle was the president of the Sons of Destruction, and Tone was the vice president. Jaxx was our road captain, and Gavin was the enforcer. They all wore leather vests with various patches that displayed their affiliation to the club. I hung my vest up three years ago, but now I couldn’t wait to put it back on to get my hands dirty. Whoever shot me had to be handled. I couldn’t let this slide.

“Baby boy, you greet your mother last?” my mother asked.

“Never, Momma, how are you? Uncle Will didn’t tell me you were coming,” I said while I pulled her in for a hug.

“Better now that I have laid eyes on you. I wanted to come to the hospital, but you know your overprotective uncle didn’t want me anywhere that wasn’t secure.”

“I appreciate you being here now. Lexxy is in the kitchen. Why don’t you help her get lunch ready?”

“My girl is here? Of course I will go help her out. I know y’all have man business to discuss.”

I shook my head. My mother was too much. Whenever I talked about how green Abel and I kept Alexis I had to laugh. My Uncle Will and I did the same thing for my mother. It was our overprotective nature to keep the women we cared most about protected from our life. My mother practically skipped into the kitchen to see Alexis. They had always been close. I was glad she came so she could keep Alexis company.

“Why don’t we take this conversation out back, fellas?” I suggested as I led the way to the backyard. The footsteps of the crew could be heard as they followed my lead. Gavin was the last one outside, so he closed the door behind him. Once we were all gathered, I asked, “What do we know about these First Street Crew fools?”

“I put some feelers out, but they have been laying low. Apparently, the dude that shot you skipped town the same night. They had some of their people poking around asking about the where abouts of Abel and Tiny,” Gavin said.

“And what did you put out to throw them off Abel?” I asked.

“I fed them some bullshit and gave them a couple of dollars. You know the regular routine when we need to divert attention away from us,” he confirmed.

“We still need to decide on what to do about Tiny. According to Abel, he escalated the whole thing when he started shooting,” I said.

I looked around at my crew while they all nodded in agreement. Tiny was one of the newest members of the club, while Abel had been a member of this crew for what felt like forever. It wasn’t in our nature to just turn one of our members over to another crew. If this had been Tiny’s first incident, we wouldn’t have this discussion. Tiny was a hot head that proved to be a bad look for the club.

“I say we meet up with whoever the new leader is and give them Tiny. The young boys of that crew are some hot heads. Maybe giving Tiny up can bring things back to normal,” I offered.

“Nephew, I doubt they will be okay with just Tiny. They feel Abel was the shooter, so they will likely want both of them. We may need to face the fact that the only way to end this is to wipe out their entire crew,” Uncle Will countered.

I let out a breath of frustration. Times like this made me miss the old days. Back in the day, things were simpler compared to now. Now, the only way to ensure a rival crew was no longer a threat was to wipe them all out.

“Are you ready to get back in the field?” Tone asked me.

“I guess I don’t have a choice. Lexxy is here so she can make sure my arm heals correctly. While I’m out, I need to make sure she is protected. Gavin, grab a few of your trusted men so I can have peace of mind.”

“You got it, bro. We will put some people on your mother’s house as well. Abel is just waiting on the call so he can come get in the field with us,” Gavin said.

With the business taken care of, we stood in the back a little while longer just talking shit. They brought me up to speed on the recent things that went down in my absence. It had been a while since I got involved in anything with the club. When I hung up my vest, I hoped it would stay hung up. Part of me always knew that would never be the case. The club was my family, and if they ever called, I would come to their aid just like now.

An hour later we headed inside to see what Alexis and my mother cooked up. The aroma of the food hit my nostrils the moment I stepped back into the house. My first stop was the kitchen. The laughter of my two favorite ladies made me smile. They had music playing in the background while they conversed. The conversation stopped when they noticed me in the kitchen.

“I know this is your house and all, but you know better than to peek in my pots,” my mother asserted.

“Mom, don’t be like that. I’m just trying to see what y’all cooking that has it smelling so good in here.”

Alexis stood next to my mother with a smirk on her face. We all knew how my mother got down. This was her world… I was just living in it.

“The food will be ready in a few minutes. Why don’t y’all set the table so we can eat? I know you’re down an arm but make yourself useful, son.”

Alexis laughed a little too loud for me. I would remember that for when we were alone tonight. My mother handed each of us an item to take to the table. She kept it easy on me and passed me some plates. I could have carried more than that, but I wasn’t going to tell her that.

Ten minutes later we were all seated at the table over steak, garlic bread, and mashed potatoes. My mother made my favorite comfort meal. She even made my plate. As everyone was about to dig in my mother stopped us.

“When did we stop saying grace? Y’all bow your heads.” She looked around and made sure every head bowed before she started her prayer.

“Father God, we thank you for this day. I thank you for keeping my baby boy safe and protected from danger. It is by your will that he is still here with us today, Lord. God, we ask that you continue to protect this family. Keep us out of the way of all hurt, harm, and danger. All these blessings we ask in your name. Amen.”

“Amen,” was said in unison amongst everyone at the table.

We all looked up at my mother to make sure we could finally eat. My mother didn’t play about giving praise to the Most High. She would break out in prayer whenever she felt moved to. With prayer out of the way, I focused on my food. My mother made the best steak. It was always tender. I didn’t even need a knife to separate the meat, and her mashed potatoes were the creamiest. There was no one on this planet that cooked like my mother.

I had to admit it was nice to be surrounded by my people. We engaged in conversation while we enjoyed our meal. Once everyone was nice and full, Alexis went into the kitchen then brought out home-made chocolate chip cookies.

“I made enough cookies for you guys to take with you. The drive is long, so I’m sure you could use some snacks,” she explained.

“Dang, girl, you save lives and still find time to cook and bake? You alright with me,” Uncle Will joked.

Alexis smiled at his comment. Yeah, I knew how much of a gem she was. That was the reason I wasn’t going to let up on her. Even when all of this was taken care of, I wanted Alexis to want to stay with me. Now that I had her in my space for the past few days, I wanted it to stay that way. When she mentioned she felt comfortable here, that was exactly what I wanted.

“Baby, I hate to leave you, but we should be heading back,” my mother declared.

“Yeah, nephew, we will be in touch, but we should be hitting the road.” Uncle Will chimed in.

They all stood up from the table to head out. Part of me didn’t want them to leave but my full belly had me feeling like a nap was coming on. “Y’all know I hate to see y’all leave. Gavin, don’t forget what we discussed. I want to know who the others are before you head back out here.”

“I got you, bro. Only the best just like you asked,” he said.

As I walked them toward the door my mother stopped me. She pulled me in for a hug and held me extra tight. “I’m alright, Mom. I promise,” I assured her.

“I know, baby. I was so scared. You know that’s every mother’s nightmare. I’m glad I got to put eyes on you, and I’m especially glad Alexis is here with you.”

“Yeah, she’s alright,” I joked.

That got her to laugh. I never wanted to see my mother cry. She kissed my cheek then walked out behind my uncle. They all gave me dap on their way out. I stood in the doorway until they pulled out the driveway.