by Toy
“She’s in the way just like Lawrynn was. You want me to stop fucking with her then you need to stop dealing with her period. You don’t want to fuck with me right now. I’m pregnant and horny as fuck, but I can’t get any relief because you’re all in your feelings,” Nikki fussed.
“Fuck all that shit you're talking. You're better off selling that pregnant pussy for double the price. I know there’s somebody out there who will pay for it,” Pain told Nikki.
She stood there with tears in her eyes. During the time they'd been dealing with each other she'd never seen him so mad. That only showed that Pain cared for Connie more than he cared for Nikki or Lawrynn. Nikki refused to go out without a fight. She was determined to have her family together in one house even if she had to kill for it.
Pain sat in his man cave trying to call Connie. He knew she wasn't going to answer just like he knew he wasn't going to stop calling. He never thought that Nikki could be so evil and vindictive. Dealing with her was starting to make him crazy. She was using the pregnancy against him, and he had to figure out a way to get that baby away from her and get her away from him for good. She had court dates coming up but was still out there on that bullshit. Something had to happen in his favor or he would be the one going to jail for murder.
Chapter Ten
The fellas were having a meeting with Uncle Jimmy to wrap up the last details about him getting out completely. Over the past two months, life had been good as hell to Jimmy. He was in love with a woman who fulfilled him mentally and physically. His nephew was daily turning out to be more of a man. Lawrynn brought the man out of Murder. Since Murder had been with her, he’d slowed down on the bullshit that he had no business doing.
Jimmy knew there was still a small chance that Pain would act an ass when it finally hit him that Murder was going to marry Lawrynn in real life. Pain was a good guy and all, but Jimmy didn’t believe he was good enough to step aside completely and let Murder treat Lawrynn the way he should’ve. In Jimmy’s eyes, time would definitely tell because Murder was dead ass about marrying Lawrynn.
“Are we gonna start the meeting or do we have to wait for you to stop daydreaming?” Murder asked Jimmy.
“My bad, nephew. Are y’all ready to start?” Jimmy asked. When no one said anything, he kept on talking. “I have a business venture that I want you all to go in with me on. A few days ago, I was called by a developer back home. He approached me because he has a prime piece of land a street over from Burwood Beach. The plan is for him to develop a hotel and casino type of resort. The guests will have access to Burwood Beach along with shuttle service to and from the airport. The hotel portion will have over hundred and fifty rooms and suites. The casino will take up the bottom two floors, and it will have a theater for shows and seminars.
“Now, if we go into this together, that will keep a constant legit stream of cash flow coming in. I know when I came to y'all before I said that I was the only one getting out. Seeing you all of you with women, I realized that we all need to get out together. This will be the best opportunity that will fall in our laps and allow us to exit the business quietly,” Uncle Jimmy said.
“What if we don’t want to get out?” Pain asked.
“That is totally up to you. Just know that if you turn this thing down, there’s no coming back to it later. Either you’re in or out, no in between. I don’t want you to feel like you’re being forced either but think about it. We’ve been doing this shit since y’all were in high school. So far, none of us have been hemmed up on anything serious. That alone is a blessing, but are you willing to keep pushing the envelope? One day, that luck is going to run out for all of us. I’m lucky as fuck to have made it this damn far,” Uncle Jimmy said.
“We only did transport, Unc. You sitting here talking like we were out here slinging shit for real,” Murder said.
“Trafficking is worse than selling it depending on which state you get caught up in. I called this meeting just to let y’all know that the deal is on the table. Only if you want to go legit all the way,” Uncle Jimmy said.
“I’m all in with you, Unc. You already know I was in because of you in the first place,” Murder said.
The table stayed quiet for a few moments before Allen spoke up.
“I’m in because I don’t need anything adding to my time when I choke Nell’s mama to death. If I’m an upstanding business owner, I should get a lighter sentence,” Allen said and chuckled.
“I guess I’m in too because I might be the one to rid both of y’all of y’all’s mothers-in-law. I had to put their messy asses out of my house. Oh yeah, Uncle Jimmy, what do you know about the girls’ dads. It seems like every time they get into it with somebody they’re always bringing those dudes up. I’m just wondering how thorough they can be if they were never around for their daughters. The only sister with a husband was Letitica, and she doesn’t even fuck with the other sisters. I only met her a few times,” Pain said.
“Lawrynn’s dad is in New York. I don’t know much about Nikki’s pops. Her momma may not know who the nigga really is. As for Nell’s pops, I doubt the nigga that’s in jail is really her dad. That’s not my story to tell, though,” he said.
“Do you have a way of getting in contact with them? It would be cold as fuck if he’s here for when I propose,” Murder said.
“Propose? Nigga what the fuck did I miss?” Pain asked.
“I told you I wanted you as my best man,” Murder said, trying to remind Pain.
“Nigga, I thought you was just talking to be talking. I didn’t know your ass was serious,” Pain said. He remembered the conversation fully. He also remembered telling Murder yeah. Had he known that he was serious, he wouldn’t have brushed him off like that. “You’re being dead ass right now?” Pain asked.
Murder dug in his pockets and took out a small, light blue box and set it on the table. All eyes were on the box as Murder smirked. He opened the top of the box and let the ring shine brightly.
“Does this look like I’m just fucking around?” Murder asked.
Uncle Jimmy watched Pain closely. Murder could say that he was fine with them being together all he wanted, but that shit was lie. His eyes told another story.
“I’d hate to kill you behind my nephew’s happiness. Make no mistake about it because I will not hesitate to drop you where you stand,” Uncle Jimmy told Pain.
The words were laced with disappointment and hurt more than anything else. Uncle Jimmy knew what kind of bond they had. Seeing that bond in Jeopardy was a hard pill to swallow. However, he couldn’t sit back and let Pain continue to congratulate Murder with words while the look in his eyes said jealousy and revenge.
“Uncle Jimmy, man, I don't know what you talking about,” Pain said.
“I know the look of jealousy and envy very well. You may have my nephew and Allen fooled, but just know I'm watching you,” Uncle Jimmy said.
Pain looked around the table to see all eyes on him. He didn't know that his true feelings were showing. All this time he hadn't made himself accept that Murder had the woman he loved. Yes, Murder was his best friend. The man who was there when he caught his first body. He was also who he made his first million with. Granted, all of this was his fault, but Murder and Law baby weren’t supposed to last a month.
“Tell me how you really feel, nigga. I've been told you if you're not cool with us being together then say that shit. You sitting here acting like you're okay with it is a bitch move. I always thought of you as a brother. Now to see that Uncle Jimmy was right all along. I never took time to see if your eyes matched what your mouth was saying. The eyes are the doorway to the soul, and I thought you knew that.
If you don't believe you can be genuinely happy for us, then you need to stay the fuck away. I'm not the nigga to sit here and keep talking about feelings and shit. Either get that shit off your chest now, and we talk it out like men, or keep that shit bottled up and make a dumb ass move that will get your ass killed,” Murder said. He sat back in
his chair looking directly at Pain.
“I miss her, man," Pain said.
“And, what the fuck that got to do with us?” Murder asked.
“You don't know what it's like to watch the woman you love with another man," Pain told him.
“The fuck if I don’t. I watched her ass with you, and you weren’t even treating her right. I saw her worry and cry over you while you were out here living it up. I could’ve ratted your ass out plenty of times, but I didn’t. That right there is some karma that I don’t need in my life,” Murder said.
“I know I’m the one who fucked up,” Pain said.
“Well then, take the fucking L. You sitting here crying over my wife ain’t getting the sympathy you’re looking for. Where were you when she was crying over you? She would call me looking for you, and not once did I tell her you were knee or face deep in some random pussy. You may think that I’m not a friend or whatever, but just know that if you were some random nigga who had Law Baby, I would’ve gladly snatched her up out of ya hands and not given one fuck about what it looked like,” Murder revealed.
“Yo, for real, do we have to do this right now? This ain’t what we came here for,” Allen said.
“Hell yeah, we doing this now. I’m tired of him always holding shit over my head. Yeah, I fucked up, but he should’ve stuck to the code,” Pain said in a voice laced with anger.
“The code? You wanna talk about the code? How about never leave ya woman unattended so the next nigga can slide in? What about not fucking your girl’s cousin behind her back? Or, better yet, what about straight walking away from a woman who doesn’t want your ass no more?” Murder said.
He was getting irritated because he thought all this shit was settled. He was getting tired of talking the same shit all the time when it came to Pain and his damn feelings.
“This is so fucked up,” Pain said.
“Nah, you’re what’s fucked up. Not only do you have a baby on the way, but you digging the doctor chick, right? Aren’t you and Nikki beefing over her right now? Then why the hell are you sitting here whining about missing Law Baby? Trust and believe she’s not missing your black ass. I took care of that a long time ago,” Murder said.
Allen and Uncle Jimmy were just sitting there observing the situation. They knew that it was a possibility of this coming to blows, and they both both understood that they would have to step in before it got that far. As of right now, they were just exchanging words, so that was a good thing.
“How the fuck do you know she’s not thinking of me?” Pain asked.
“Shit, I stroked and sucked all memories of her past niggas out of her the first night I got up in her. Now when she goes to sleep and has a wet dream it’s my name she calling. I can promise you as soon as I hear her, I roll over and scratch that itch for her,” Murder said with a big ass smile on his face.
Allen shook his head, and Uncle Jimmy stood to his feet.
“We’re not gonna come to blows about this,” Uncle Jimmy said.
“Tell him to man up and get the fuck out the way. I’m gonna tell ya like this in front of them. I love you like a brother, but Lawrynn’s gonna be my wife and the mother of all my kids. If you want to be in the wedding then come, if not, stay the fuck away from me,” Murder said before getting up and walking away.
Chapter Eleven
Uncle Jimmy got up to go after Murder. He could tell that Murder left so he wouldn’t end up fighting Pain. They were brothers, and Murder wasn’t going to kill Pain unless it was absolutely necessary.
“Why did you even come at him like that?” Allen asked Pain as they sat at the table.
“He asked me how I felt, so I told him. It ain’t my fault,” Pain said.
“You gonna fuck around and somebody’s gonna die behind a female you clearly don’t want. You just don’t want to see her happy with Murder. Real talk, you need to grow up. Go find that Connie chick and move on with her. If you ask me, y’all don’t need to talk about this shit no more,” Allen told Pain.
“What if it was you who had to sit back and watch your so-called brother marry the woman that you still love?” Pain asked.
“I would’ve treated her right in the first place. You need to get over this shit because I'm tired of fucking hearing about it," Allen said as he stood to his feet to leave pain in the room alone.
Pain didn't intend to come off as a hater. He could see how much Murder loved Lawrynn, and he could see him changing for the better since being with her. Murder seemed a lot calmer. Once Pain sat down and thought about it, he realized that Murder hadn't killed anyone. He couldn't even recall the last time he actually shot somebody. Pulling a gun at the hospital didn't count because he wanted to shoot Ms. Laura his damn self.
At times like these he needed a good female ear to listen to him. All the guys were just telling him to get over it and move on. For the first time, he could admit that moving on might not be possible at all.
He headed to his car, hoping that Connie could help him. He had called or tried to go see her since she told him what Nikki did. She was the only person who he knew would tell him the truth about the situation. Everyone else was either close to the situation or in it with him.
Pain drove to the hospital because he knew she would most likely be there. After cruising the parking lots for almost a half an hour, he finally saw her car. Now that he knew she was there, he had to figure out a way to get her to even listen to him. He knew it was a long shot, but it was the only shot he had.
After parking his car, Pain nervously walked into the hospital. His hands were sweaty, and his heart was beating fast. He couldn't remember a time when he was so nervous. The way he saw it, he and Connie were only friends, so there was no reason for him to be acting like a teenaged boy about to meet his girlfriend’s parents. He got to her office and saw the light on through the shade in the small window beside the door. After taking a deep breath, he finally knocked.
“Come in,” he heard her say from the other side of the door.
He slowly walked into the office and saw her head down. For a moment, he was grateful that she wasn’t looking at him.
“Connie," he said to get her attention.
Her head flew up in an instant when she realized who was talking. She can see the stress on his face; this wasn't a friendly visit.
“Why are you here?” she asked him as her face formed into a scowl.
“I know you don't want to see me right now, but I could use your advice on something. It's not about my baby mama or anything that she's done to you. I need an honest, listening ear, and you’re the first person I thought about,” Pain said to her.
“If it brought you here to my office, it must be something important. If you agree not to bring up your baby mother, I guess I can help you. It’s not like you have a real female on your team right now. I have an hour before I have to go back to my rounds, so you need to start talking,” Connie said.
“The girl who got burned in the face is my ex-girlfriend and my baby mother's cousin. I know it sounds like a fucked up situation, but I'm not a fuck nigga. My ex-girlfriend is now in a serious relationship with a man who I consider to be my brother, even though we don’t share the same blood. This is my first time actually talking about all this with someone outside of my circle,” Pain told her.
“So, let me get this right. Your baby mama and your ex-girlfriend are cousins, right? On top of that, your ex-girlfriend is now dating your best friend who you considered a brother. You sure know how to pick ’em. How do you feel about your ex being with your brother as you call him?” Connie asked.
“I try not to think about it. Then, today he tells me that he's going to propose to her, and he wants me to be his best man," Pain said.
Connie's mouth dropped open as she stared at him with wide eyes.
“How fresh is the break up between you two?" Connie inquired.
“Close to a year," he answered. “I'm not going to lie, I miss the fuck out of her,” Pain said.
“I cheated, neglected her, and was never there for her like I should have been,” he said.
Connie sat back and studied Pain for a long time before answering. The pain on his face was clear to see. She was undecided if that pain would lead to him becoming a better man or just a better dog.
“If you know you didn't treat her the way she needed to be treated, then what’s the problem?" Connie asked. I'm just saying, everybody needs to be happy. She wasn't happy with you, so now she's happy with him. Am I reading this situation the right way? I don't want to assume that you not treating her like a queen was the only reason she left,” she said.
“She didn't leave me. I broke up with her after I found out there was a chance that her cousin could be pregnant. Her cousin I had been sleeping with each other off and on for a while. I left her without an explanation. She found out later that her cousin was pregnant with my baby,” he said.
“So, you didn’t come out and tell her yourself?” Connie asked. He shook his head from side to side to answer her. “How does the friend that you call your brother fit into this?”
Connie was now sitting straight up in her chair. This shit was more entertaining to her than the reality shows on TV.
“He ran into her one day. She ended up telling him that I broke up with her. We had words, and he started saying how dumb I was to let her go and all that other shit. I told him if he wanted her then go ahead and shoot his shot. I didn’t think he would do it, though,” Pain said.
“You need to let it go. It sounds to me that even if she wasn’t with your friend, she still wouldn’t be with you. There’s no reason for you to even act like you’ve got a chance of getting back together. Let her be happy and focus on your own shit. That’s my advice to you,” she said.