After Everything I've Done For You 2

by Nicety

  Chapter 10

  A Few Hours Later

  Sunset

  Ugh this nigga had a bad habit of popping up at my house at the wrong fucking times. I swear I wasn’t for his shit at the moment. Myking was lucky that I needed him because if I didn’t Jeremiah’s feelings would’ve been hurt a long time ago. It took everything in me not to spill the truth to his ass every time I looked at him. I just wanted to tell him so badly that the world he thought was peaches and cream around him was about to crumble, crash, and fucking burn in the blink of an eye.

  “So how was the funeral?”

  “It was what it was, you know? I’m saying, it was just like any other funeral.” Jeremiah plopped back on the couch opening his suit jacket.

  “I know that but I’m like did they do anything special for her?” I asked picking up my son’s toys from off the floor and tossing them in the playpen.

  “Just some doves and a horse and carriage. Other than that it was pretty basic.” He waved the topic off.

  “Hmm, well the kids are gone with my momma for the week. She took them to visit her friend in Tallahassee, Florida.” I snatched my remote from his hand before he could prop his feet up and turn the TV on like this was his house. “So why are you here Jeremiah? From the looks of how you were just walking, it looks like you need to be in bed resting somewhere. How’d you get here anyway?”

  “I drove. The fuck you thought? I gotta drive Bianca’s old BMW until the cops release my damn ride. Anyway, I’ll be cool. This shit ain’t gonna beat me,” he responded as cocky as usual.

  “Okay so that doesn’t explain what you want though?”

  “Damn, I need an excuse to come over here to see you and the kids? What’s the attitude for? I tried to call you, been calling for days but you’ve been ignoring my calls,” he huffed sitting forward as he interlocked his fingers and placed his elbows on his knees.

  “I’ve been busy though. Still that don’t give you the option to just pop up when you’re not invited.”

  “What’s your problem? In the hospital you were all for me coming to live with you while I recovered and now you’re acting all shady and shit,” Jeremiah sunk his head letting out a small sigh. “I know fucked up, okay. But nobody’s perfect. Something’s happening to me and I—“

  Before he could finish his sentence Cesar crept into the room from the back bedroom. I just looked away. I couldn’t even bare to look at him. He came over earlier to kick it and one thing lead to another but when we made it to the bed, I couldn’t bring myself to fuck him. I knew that if I had I would never be able to let him go. Tee’s words kept playing over and over in my head. I needed to let him go to save his life. Right after I was done telling him that we could no longer see each other, here comes Jeremiah knocking at the damn door.

  “That’s the reason, Sunset?” Cesar pointed over towards Jeremiah as Jeremiah’s eyes shot him the short look. “You’ve gotta be clownin’ me.”

  “No, Cesar. It has nothing to do with—“ I began.

  “Don’t trip. I guess I’ll catch you later, Sunset.” Cesar opened the door. “Or not.”

  Once Cesar left, I could do nothing but feel sorry for bringing him into the chaos that was my life. Any chances that I had of keeping him as at least a friend were tossed all the way out the window. Blowing off steam, I flopped down in one of the dining room chairs placing my head in my both of my hands. It wasn’t fair how life went sometimes. No one could have everything that they wanted and even if they did it came at a very heavy price. I had to let Cesar go. I had to.

  “Shit, my bad Sunset. If I had known you had company… You could’ve told me that now wasn’t a good time.” Jeremiah’s voice was low.

  “It’s cool.” I had to shake that shit off. “It’ll be cool anyway.”

  “Well if you ask me, that nigga wasn’t right for you anyway,” Jeremiah snickered.

  “And we’re back. I was waiting and wondering when the real Jeremiah would stand up and show his ass again. You’re full of shit you know that. You don’t wanna see nobody else happy but your damn self huh?” I snapped.

  “Nope, that ain’t true. I care for you and wanna see you happy but that fool wasn’t right for you and you know it.”

  “So who’s right for me then, Jeremiah? You?”

  Staring into his eyes sickened me. Nothing could hold me back at that moment from vomiting up the words he needed to hear to crush his entire soul. As I stood shots rang out followed by bullets flying through each of my front windows, crashing glass throughout the living room. I screamed and hit the floor as Jeremiah followed suit. More shots continued outside, sounding as if they were so close that they could’ve been right next to my apartment door.

  “You okay?” Jeremiah breathed heavily.

  “Yeah,” I exhaled praying and checking myself for any open wounds. “I think so.”

  “Stay here.” Jeremiah crawled towards the window on his hands and knees peeking out the corner of what was left of it. “That’s what the fuck I was trying to tell you earlier. I think somebody’s gunning for me and I don’t even know what the fuck I did. But I think I’ve got an idea of who it is.”

  “What? Who?”

  When he said the words it made me think of Cesar. Tee wasn’t the type of person to send idle threats. So if he caught him coming out the building he would naturally shoot first and ask questions never. Immediately I crawled to the window to get a glimpse out to see if he was okay. Jeremiah kept pulling my waist down, trying to keep me from looking out but I fought him off. I needed to check to make sure he wasn’t shot.

  “No God. Please God, not him.” My hands pressed against the broken glass unbothered by the way it pricked my skin cutting through as blood trickled out of my fingers. “No. No. No.”

  “I’m sure dude is cool, Sunset. But you can’t be in this window like this right now girl.”

  “No, I’ve gotta see. Let me go. I need to check and see.” I shoved him in the chest. “Get off me.”

  My heart thumped a mile a minute thinking that Tee might have seen him leaving my apartment and shot him to death without thinking. My eyes peered out the corner of the window checking the parking lot for his car. It was gone. He made it. He was gone before the shots fired. Breathing a sigh of relief, I sat back down on the floor next to a nearly hysterical Jeremiah.

  “I think Myking is trying to kill me, Sunset and I think he killed Damita too.”

  Chapter 11

  Early The Next Day

  Jeremiah

  Every second the headboard banged against the wall, I thought about putting a bullet in both of their heads. I was sitting in the room once held by Damita like I was a fucking guest in my own damn house, all cripple and broke up and shit. Meanwhile, this nigga was banging my damn woman’s back out like he didn’t give a fuck about me being here. Neither of them had any fucking respect for me whatsoever. If I didn’t demand anything else, I deserved my respect.

  I jumped up as fast as I could, searching for some clothes to throw on. Lately, I hadn’t been caring too much about my appearance. My beard had grown fully in and I was looking a bit scruffy atop my head. It wasn’t a good look for the owner of a string of barbershops but I couldn’t focus on shit but taking my damn life back. To do that, I needed to get my banger from my office at the south side location barbershop.

  I kept a .45 here in the bedroom and one over there at the shop just in case niggas got stupid and tried to pull it. I’ve never had to actually use it over there at the shop but it did scare a few motherfuckas that thought they had heart enough to run up in there. Bianca didn’t know about the one in the bedroom. She said she hated guns and didn’t want them anywhere in the house so I had to hide it so she wouldn’t get mad. Seeing as though they kept the room door locked with a ton of locks when they left the house, it was basically impossible for me to get in there and get it. If I busted out with a gun for a motherfucka, I didn’t want nobody to know I had it on me.

  “Wassup bo
i? Why the fuck y’all ain’t been answering the phones over there?” I barked as Mike, the manager at the south side Slick Cutz, picked up. “What’s been going on up in there?”

  “Man, it’s been busy as hell up in here man. I can’t do everything. Shit,” he said over the noise in the background. “Shit, I figured you knew what was going on.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “You know cause your girl and Myking been through here making sure everything is tight.”

  “Is that right?” I stroked the hair growing wildly out of my chin.

  “Yup. They’ve been handling things pretty decent if you ask me. I ain’t had no complaints. Except…”

  “What nigga? Except what?” I pressed.

  “Well, your girl only comes in here during business hours to make sure we’re straight and don’t need anything. But Myking and Tee came through here and had some motherfuckas in here working on the doors and shit,” his pause was long like he was trying to find the words to tell me what he needed to tell me. “Shit, I think he was changing the locks in this motherfucka man.”

  “What?” My eyebrows curled over as my lips frowned. “You ain’t opening the shop up no more?”

  “Nope. Ain’t did it in a few weeks now. Not since they found you in the car and shit. I figured you knew.”

  “Alright, listen. This is what I need you to do. Okay, I need you to go to the office and go to the safe. I’m gonna tell you the code and—“

  “Nope. I can’t even get in the office either, dawg. Can’t nobody get in the office. He said whatever we need out the office we have to get it in the morning when he’s there and at night when he locks up. I called the other shops and they have to lock the doors and wait for him to get there before they can leave. But he locks us up first. This shit is crazy, J. But that’s how he’s running it now.”

  The fuck? This nigga was trying to takeover what I worked so hard to build. Myking was definitely on some bullshit. But I wasn’t worried though. He could do all that extra bullshit that he thought would solidify his status with Bianca. None of that mattered because at the end of the day, those businesses were mine. My name was on the top of all of those deeds and contracts. He was only secondary, as he would remain for the rest of his life in everything he did. Jealousy, it was one hell of a sin and drug. Fuck that bitch ass nigga. Who needed enemies when you had friends like these?

  “Aight, aye, keep your eyes and ears open nigga. And, answer the damn phone.”

  “I got you.”

  I exited the room headed down the hall. My goal was to get out of the house before they finished fucking but having focused too hard on my phone conversation, I hadn’t even noticed the silence surrounding the room. My legs were swollen and were throbbing as I inched down the hallway. It was annoying because being injured only prolonged the process of me getting my life back.

  “Good morning, J.” Bianca smiled brightly as she exited the bedroom startling the shit out me. “You need some help?”

  “Naw, I’m good.”

  “Ugh, just let me help you. That’s reason why you’re here right?” Bianca swaddled her arm around my back as I wrapped around her neck. “Your pride is gonna be the death of you one day.”

  I wanted to strangle her ass for fucking with that nigga right up under my nose. A nigga I used to call a friend. Instead, I remained cool allowing her to help me to the couch. I needed to take a break from walking before I headed out anyway. Every ounce of pain I felt on my body only raised my level of anger. Myking thought he was beating me at a game that I wasn’t even trying to play. There wasn’t a shot in hell that I would let him win though.

  “You want some breakfast, J.?” Bianca asked taking eggs out of the refrigerator.

  “Naw, I’m trying to get up out of here. I got some business to take care of.” Staring over at her fully dressed in her tight jeans and long silky blouse, I just wanted to pull her close to me and show her what a mistake she was making with that nigga.

  “Aye, baby, I’m gone. I’ll talk to you later.” Myking stepped into the kitchen giving her a peck on the cheek.

  “Ugh, where the fuck you going my nigga? On your way to fuck up some more of my life, my business?” I roared unable to bite my tongue any longer.

  “What the fuck you talking about, J.? Speak on that shit dawg.” He turned rolling his eyes towards me.

  “You know exactly what the fuck I’m talking about. You’re trying to takeover my business. The shit that I built, nigga. That’s my shit. You wanna be me so badly don’t you? Well choke that shit up motherfucka. ‘Cause you’ll never be me,” I spat standing back to my feet. “Not even on your worst day.”

  “Man, you better sit your five dollar ass down before I make change nigga. Don’t be comin’ in my face with all that garbage.” He flapped me off with his hand.

  “Deny it motherfucka. Deny that you’re trying to take what’s mine. You’re already fucking Bianca but that ain’t good enough for you. Naw, you want it all. You want everything with your bum ass.” I pointed to Bianca who was standing next to the stove seemingly shocked that I had snapped.

  “You’re finished, J. You thought you were the only motherfucka in the world that could run a business? Naw, bruh. You thought that I was slow and broke but while you were off fucking bitches, bitch, I was building a fucking empire. Fuck you and everything you got nigga. ‘Cause it means shit now,” Myking retorted.

  “Whatever. If you didn’t want my shit then why the fuck did you change the locks on my shit then? Huh? Why you lame ass motherfucka?” I could feel the wind being sucked out of me the higher I yelled as I fell back down on the couch coughing to catch my breath.

  “Okay, just stop it. Stop it. This shit is crazy. Y’all too grown to be arguing like this. Jeremiah you are in no condition to be arguing like this. Myking just go.” Bianca came to his aid it seemed, no matter how hard I shooed her away.

  Myking pulled her up by the arm, pressing her body against his and planting his lips on hers. My leg moved like a fish out of water trying to kick the shit out of both of them but they were inches away from within my reach. With a raised upper lip and baring my teeth in a vicious snarl, I was pissed at myself for giving up to easily sinking further into the couch. I felt weak as hell, mentally and physically. My world was crashing down around me and I didn’t know how to stop the shit.

  “Call me later,” Bianca said as Myking headed for the door. “What is wrong with you, J.? I told you that you could come here until you got better so you wouldn’t be alone and would have someone to help you while you recovered but if you’re gonna act like an ass while you’re here then you can beat it.”

  “Why the fuck are you mad at me? This nigga is the one who’s trying to destroy my damn life and yet you’re siding with his bitch ass.” I shouted as brash as I could.

  “Jeremiah, you’re paranoid. Everyone is just trying to help your stupid ass, even after all the shit you’ve done. You should feel blessed to even have anyone still in your corner. ‘Cause if you ask me, your ungrateful ass don’t deserve shit.”

  “I didn’t say I wasn’t grateful. I’m just saying that this nigga is trying to destroy me. If you hopped off his dick long enough to see that maybe you would understand,” I bellowed.

  “That’s it. I’ve had it. I’m out of here.” Bianca threw her hands up in the air then went to lock the room door. She returned storming back in the room snatching her purse and keys without hesitation. “I’ll be back when you’ve calmed down. Until then how about you get up off your cripple ass and do shit for yourself.”

  “Bianca, don’t walk out that door. Bianca,” I thundered loud as hell as she walked out and the door made a loud boom behind her. “Biancaaaa!”

  Chapter 12

  Later Across Town

  Myking

  “You know the damn drill. Assume the fucking position,” I demanded as Tee searched the nigga from head to toe for any weapons. Once he was done and snatched the one gun he did
find, Tee pushed his ass forward. “Aye man, let’s get one motherfucking thing straight, alright. You ain’t about to be popping up wherever the fuck you want to interrupting my routine. When I call you then that’s when the fuck you show up.”

  “I needed to talk to you and it seemed like the funeral was the only place to get you to do so. You kept ignoring my calls. What else did you expect me to do?”

  “Wait until I call your motherfucking ass back. That’s what you could do.” I felt my temperature rise no matter how calm I tried to remain. “You showing up at Damita’s funeral was down right disrespectful. Don’t you agree?”

  He just don’t know how close he came to getting a bullet in his fucking dome that day. If anyone had noticed him hanging around all that day he would’ve blown everything out of the water for sure. Bianca was already asking questions about the shit. Luckily, I know just how to talk to her for her to be cool. He was being reckless instead of thinking smart. That was that shit I didn’t like.

  “Now wait just a got damn minute. I’ve stuck my neck out on the line for you. Now you’re gonna give me what I’m owed or you’re gonna have a serious damn problem on your hands buddy,” his southern thick accent annoyed the shit out of me.

  “The fuck? Are you threatening me, Angelo? Is that what’s going on here?” I approached him stepping out of the darkness and into his face. “Because the last time I checked, you’re a cop who’s out of his jurisdiction playa.”

  He eyed me but I wasn’t backing down for shit. I never backed down from anyone so he could miss me with that sorry excuse to scare me. We stood toe to toe but I hovered over him casting darkness upon his face. Angelo was a proud man and wasn’t backing down either standing his ground, as most cops did. But he failed to realize that he wasn’t putting fear in my heart. He was standing in a warehouse that I owned in the sticks of the suburbs where no one could hear screams for miles. What he needed to do was get his mind right.

  “Man, looky here. I ain’t threating ya. But I need more money than what you gave me. Just give me the money and I’ll be on my way back down to Atlanta where I came from.” Angelo stepped back a few steps putting space in between us.