by Brick
I wanted to chuckle but was too tired to. “That old woman is something else,” I said.
“Tell me about it.”
“Monty . . . did you know Nighthawk was his father?”
I gawked down at my wife, who had kneeled to examine the bullet wound on my thigh.
“No, no, I didn’t. Wow. Some more shit we have to look into,” I said.
“I learned a lot while you were away, and it wasn’t even that long. Ms. Lily was like a gatekeeper. She knew a lot of shit.”
“I have to tell her who killed King.”
“That’s going to break her heart,” Shanelle said.
I needed a drink. Preferably something strong, but then Honor cried out. I needed to get to her. Needed to hold her in my arms. I took a step, and my whole world rotated on a 360-degree axis. Before I got a chance to hold my daughter in my arms again, I passed out on the hotel room floor, my injuries finally getting the better of me.
* * *
I woke up two days later, back in Atlanta. I was hooked up to an IV, my head throbbed, and my body ached in places I didn’t know there should have been fucking places. My throat was fucking dry, and I had a catheter in my dick. That was the most painful, uncomfortable shit a man could endure.
One of the doctors for the Syndicate had come in and doctored me up. Apparently, she had flown in with us from New York on a private jet chartered by my wife. I still owed Shanelle some good loving—dick—for the way she’d held a brother down. As soon as she thought I was in trouble, she’d come running. She hadn’t waited for me to call or anything. She had dropped everything and had come to my side, and she’d left nobody behind. Not even Ms. Lily. Shanelle was my Wonder Woman.
“Yo, can I get this shit out my dick?” I snapped. “Where’s my daughter? I need to see my baby.”
“What you need to do,” Shanelle said as she came from the bathroom, “is lie there and relax.”
Baby was dressed in biker shorts that cupped her ass and a sports bra. Her hair was in a messy bun. The sensual image made my dick come to life. She stuck her head out the door, then called the doctor to tell her I was awake. I had to lie there while some broad I didn’t know handled my dick. Once that was done, she checked a brother’s vitals to make sure I was good.
“The hit on the head was serious. You did good not to go to sleep, but if your wife hadn’t had medics on standby once you passed out, you could have been in serious trouble, Mr. McPhearson,” the doc said. “You’re lucky, and thank your sister Inez as well. She did a good job keeping you stable until I could make it to you in that hotel.”
The thought made me smile. My siblings were back on the path, getting the education Mama had always wanted for them. We might be the people who made things go bump in the night, but we had learned how to blend in from the best. I took it that Mama and King could finally be at peace now.
Epilogue
Javon
It took another week for me to be back to what I considered full health. I spent that time with my family. Everything else took a backseat. Over the next three months, Nighthawk and Monty had big blowups, but that was to be expected. Monty was hurt. He had a lot of questions, and once he and Nighthawk stopped butting heads, father and son were able to talk.
Lucky and I hadn’t spoken in that time. He’d reached out to me a few days after his father was killed to tell me he needed space and time to process everything that had happened. Once the dust settled, shit was real touch and go for a while after that. I didn’t know if Lucky would vacate his seat at the table of the Syndicate or what. As the leader of the crime ring, it was my duty to keep shit together, even when it appeared to be falling apart. Even if those who sat at the table asked me about it in the future, I’d be prepared to give them an answer they’d be satisfied with. For now, I just didn’t know.
It was on a late Sunday afternoon that the family got a few surprises.
“I don’t know about this,” I heard a woman say.
Shanelle had been cooking dinner. She and I peeped out the window of the back porch to see Uncle Snap standing with a younger woman. All the women I’d seen him with had some kind of similarity to Mama. This one was no different.
“What’s bothering you about it, Ro?” Uncle Snap asked her.
“I’m a whore, Raphael. Men don’t normally invite whores to dinner. Families don’t normally throw out the welcome mat for my kind.”
“These kids, they don’t care about shit like that. They come from rough upbringings, anyhow. They will see you as the person you present to them.”
The woman had on tight jeans that showed a bubble butt and thick thighs. Her blouse was thin, and her bra pushed her big breasts front and center. Her hair flowed down her back. She had red lipstick on her thick lips and diamond earrings in her ears. Her nails were painted red and were pointy. And she had on six-inch pumps. Her butterscotch skin glowed in the sun.
“She is kind of dressed like a hooker,” I said in a low voice to Shanelle, who elbowed me in the side.
I chuckled as Honor lay against my chest.
The woman looked at Uncle, her brows bunched. “You sure? I don’t want no problems.”
Uncle Snap kissed her forehead. “I’m sure,” he said, then turned to the door.
Shanelle rushed back to the oven. I pretended to be walking Honor around.
“Hey, Uncle Snap,” Shanelle said with a smile when he walked in. “I didn’t think we’d be seeing you until early morning.”
“What up, Unc?” I asked, jerking my head upward.
Uncle Snap smiled as he ushered the woman inside with a hand on the small of her back. “I don’t think I’ma ever be used to seeing you as a daddy, boy,” he quipped.
Just as he said that, Jojo walked into the kitchen with Justice. He had the same baby carrier that I did, and his daughter was lying on his chest as well.
“I ain’t gon’ ever get used to seeing that shit, either,” Uncle Snap said about Jojo, then laughed. “Anyway, where everybody at? Want y’all to meet somebody.”
“Cory and Inez were down the street. They stopped to get some drinks. Navy was out back, macking on one of Rize’s female guards. Monty and Trin are in his room, arguing again,” Jojo said.
Shanelle sighed and shook her head. “They got that fight-and-fuck thing down, huh?” she said, then turned back to the oven. She untied her apron and walked over to extend her hand to the woman. “Hello. I’m Shanelle. How are you?”
The woman took Shanelle’s hand in a firm grip. “Hello. I’m Rowena, but you can call me Ro.”
After Jojo and I introduced ourselves, he yelled out back for Navy to come in, then shouted down to the basement for Monty and Trin to come up. They were all pretty shocked to see Uncle with a woman too, but everybody smiled and introduced themselves. Soon after, Cory and Inez walked in, with Ms. Lily in tow. They, too, introduced themselves, and all was well....
Until Ms. Lily looked at Ro and said, “You’s a whore, ain’t you?”
“Oh, dear Jesus,” Shanelle whispered.
Inez turned around to keep from laughing. I scratched the back of my head and glanced at Uncle Snap. Cory coughed to keep from laughing. Uncle Snap’s eyes widened. Navy, Jojo, and Monty walked from the room just to be respectful enough not to laugh in Ro’s face. Trin, however, outright cackled.
Ro swallowed and glanced at Uncle Snap. For a minute, she looked like she was going to run away and fast. But then the woman stood straight up, shoulders back, and declared, “Why, yes. Yes, I am. Is that a problem?”
Ms. Lily stared up at the woman. “Naw. Not ’less you make it one. Are you whoring now? Or are ya here because Ralphy boy likes ya? If ya whoring, you eat and go on.” She pointed a stern finger at the woman. “And don’t touch nothing. If ya here because he likes ya and you like him past his wallet, then you can stay and bond. Mama didn’t like no thieving whores around her place, and because she ain’t like it, King ain’t like it, either. You be an honest ho, and you’s welcome here,” the old wo
man said, then grabbed place mats from the counter. Then she walked into the dining room and started setting the table, as if she hadn’t just insulted the woman.
“You have to get used to Ms. Lily,” I said. “She’s old, and she doesn’t give a fuck what comes outta her mouth.” I shrugged, then grabbed the plates and walked into the dining room behind Ms. Lily. We loved that old lady around these parts, and we had gotten used to her loose lips.
Dinner was served. It included Ms. Lily’s favorites: oxtails, rice and beans, steamed cabbage, coco bread, plantains, and German chocolate cake.
“I want y’all to know King went out fighting. He ain’t lay there and take that shit. He fought, even with bullets riddling his body,” Ms. Lily said out of the blue.
She did that often. She would get a faraway look in her eyes, and then she’d blurt out something about the past. She was her most lucid when she was sitting with the babies. After we’d told her about who’d really killed King, the old lady broke down like we’d never seen. It took her days to come out of her house again.
“Last thing he said was, ‘Take care of my woman,’ and I did. For thirty more years, I did,” she said, wiping her mouth. “Shanelle, why you keep feeding me all this ethnic food? I told you I don’t like it,” she then fussed.
Shanelle looked across at Ms. Lily with a smile. “Sorry, Ms. Lily. Tomorrow I’ll bake you some salmon and asparagus.”
Ms. Lily frowned. “I guess. Sounds nasty, but okay.” Then she mumbled, “Better be seasoned.”
We laughed, and everything was all good, until Jojo’s cell phone rang. When his smile faded, we all knew who it was. Anytime Dani had called over the past three months, she’d always brought Jojo’s mood down. She’d promise to come see Justice and then never show up. Jojo would be excited. He’d get their daughter ready, only for Dani to go back on her word. I was actually tired of seeing the hurt and pain in his eyes behind it.
“Hello,” Jojo answered just as music outside the house blasted from a car.
The Thieves and members of Rize were on duty, so I wasn’t worried about who it was.
“I’m outside. Come open the door,” I heard someone at the front door say.
“Dani, we’re eating—”
“I came to see my baby, so I don’t care what you doing. Open the door and bring me my child,” I heard her snap on the other end of the phone.
Jojo adjusted his glasses as stress lines took up residence across his forehead. He hadn’t been the same since Dani walked out on him. It showed in the way he walked, talked, and the way he did business. There was an edge to him these days.
Jojo sighed as he stood. Justice was in her swing next to Ms. Lily, who had a look of utter disdain on her face. I followed Jojo to the door, just so he knew I had his back. I felt Shanelle walk up behind me. Dani banged on the door before Jojo snatched it open.
Dani was dressed like she had walked out of a hip-hop video shoot. Her pussy was damn near eating her denim shorts. She had on combat boots and a shirt that had been ripped to show her breasts.
“Where my baby?” she spat at Jojo as soon as he opened the door. She looked at me and Shanelle, sucked her teeth, then rolled her eyes. “You had to bring your mama and daddy to the door with you?” she asked sarcastically.
“Where are you taking her, and what time will you be bringing her back?” Jojo asked, his voice calm—too calm, actually.
Dani jerked her head back, with a scowl on her face, like she was offended. “I’m taking her to my place, and she’ll be back when I bring her back,” she snapped.
Jojo shook his head. “That ain’t going to work, Dani. I need an address, a phone number, and a specific time to expect her home.”
“Nigga, you outta your fucking mind,” Dani said, then tried to push past Jojo.
He didn’t move, which forced her to step back. “Dani,” he said, “we can do this the easy way or the hard way. You pick.”
“Oh, so you jumping big and bad since those two flanking you? You wasn’t this tough a few months ago, fuck nigga.”
Shanelle dug her nails into my back. That was a signal she was losing her patience and wanted to fight. I held my hand back, keeping her at bay. I wanted to see Jojo handle it. It was amazing how Dani had come into our family, pretending she was one thing and turning out to be another.
“Yo, Dani, what the fuck taking so long?” I heard a nigga yell from behind Dani.
I smirked.
Shanelle said, “Oh, hell no,” as she tried to move around me.
I grabbed her by her waist and said, “Watch. A man can take only so much before he snaps.”
I knew without a doubt that Jojo wanted to lay hands on Dani, but he had been raised better than that. However, since Dani had been stupid enough to bring another nigga to the house, he now had someone to take his anger out on. Jojo shoved past Dani. He scratched the back of his head, then adjusted his glasses before pulling his jeans up as he moved toward the stupid motherfucker who had stepped outside the car. I didn’t say a word as Jojo kicked the door of the car so hard, the man’s throat hit the top of the door before he hit the ground.
Jojo didn’t even take his glasses of as he yanked the baggy jeans–wearing man from behind the door. I peeped Cory and Navy watching from the right side of the house. Saw Monty and Uncle Snap on the left. Jojo was covered at all angles. So if Dani’s new nigga had any backup in his car, they would be handled swiftly.
It wasn’t really a fight, if I were to be honest. It was just Jojo beating a nigga into a bloody pulp. Dani screamed for Jojo to stop before running to jump on his back. I politely moved to the left and let my wife out of the cage. I guessed Cory had been holding Inez back as well. Because she came running from the right side of the house like she was floating on air.
She and Shanelle grabbed a handful of Dani’s wild hair and yanked her off Jojo’s back. She slammed to the ground so hard, her scream got caught in her throat. Just like old times, when we were kids and Mama was sick of our shit when it came to fighting, I watched Shanelle and Inez beat a bitch’s ass.
It was comical to me. There we were, all of us grown now, but at any flip of a switch, we could revert to those same kids who had bonded over trauma and the love of Mama. We might not have been blood, but we had shed blood and had made others bleed in the name of family. If that wasn’t related by blood, I didn’t know what was.
I watched Cory and Uncle Snap pull Shanelle and Inez off Dani, who was in a bloody heap on the ground. Dani pulled herself up slowly, holding her bloodied mouth, and walked to lean against the car. It was odd, but in that moment, I missed Melissa. I knew we would always miss her. Even Shanelle, who had all but written Melissa off. I still caught Shanelle staring at old photos of them.
Monty and Navy called Jojo off of whoever the nigga was who had driven Dani over. Jojo stopped fighting, adjusted his glasses, then got in Dani’s face. He put his hands around her neck, damn near lifted her from the ground.
“Jojo,” Uncle Snap and I called out at the same time.
“You ain’t that kind of young man,” Uncle Snap said to him.
“And you never will be,” I added, walking onto the porch.
“Put her down, nephew.”
I said, “Jojo, li’l bro, take your hands off her.”
Jojo dropped Dani, then turned to stare the nigga down before strolling angrily onto the porch. “Don’t come back, Dani,” he said over his shoulder. “Don’t ever fucking come back,” he added, then stalked into the house.
My little brother was a changed man. Dani had chewed him up and spit him out. That would be another story for another time.
When my love, Shanelle, reached for her gun, I swore I heard Mama’s voice in my mind saying, Shoot that gal in her foot. Then she’ll act right.
She said to Dani, “You get your shit together before you come back this way. Jojo is angry, and he has every right to be. But I’m a woman and a mother. Daughters need their mothers as much as they need their fat
hers and vice versa. But if you bring your hood-rat ass back over here, disrespecting my family or my little brother, the young man who you left to be a single father for the past three months, I’m going to shoot you right in your damn foot.”
Family connected us to the Syndicate, but trust me, family was the root that ran this game, and I’d never want my life to be without any of them. Just as Mama had taught us.
My dearest children,
These words come to you all in pure love, pride, and hope in who you all will one day be as adults. In your lives, you may stumble. You may fall, and life may whup your behinds, but know, when you got this family, ain’t nothing foul gonna take what you have in your hearts—that fight, tenacity, and love. Now, Mama has something she has to share, and that’s this: Mama doesn’t know everything, but Mama has gone through fires to get the understanding she does have. This has helped me train you all up as best as I could.
Babies, the streets ain’t a comforter. I hope y’all understand what I mean by that. That means don’t let it smother y’all. I know each and every one of you all has what it takes to make it in whatever your unique personal abilities will allow ya, and that’s why I took you all in my home. Mama’s little warriors. I sit here now writing this, watching this little bigheaded, hardheaded boy Vo yell at his equally hardheaded muskrat brother Cory in the front of my lawn.
Von, the day you and Cory showed up against the side my house, the spirit of my long-lost son seemed to be all through you both. I don’t know why, but one day, I hope to understand it. By the time y’all came to me, I had fostered many children. Only a few could remind me of my purpose. I thank you both for that, my sweethearts. I truly do.
Shanelle, my little bossy, smart gal, I see a lot of myself in you. Gal, if you were back in the day, I know my own father would take you out in the back and teach you how to shoot like he did me. I could see you coming from my home, see you growing like a strong weed of my own line. You, baby girl, are something powerful, so don’t you ever doubt your own thoughts, worth, or actions, ever. No man has a right to what you were born to do. They don’t even have a right to your heart. I need all my girls to remember that.
