by Tiece
“That could be the case. I hate to dampen your spirits, Bro.”
“Come on with it.” Troy said knowing that if nothing else, he could always count on Dmitri to give him the real.
“You sure he’s not the father of the baby?”
“I’m not sure that she’d stop sleeping with him during the time that she’d gotten pregnant, but I have confirmation. That baby is mine.”
“Oooookay,” Dmitri said. “I still say that you should get a blood test when the time comes.”
“No worries, Bro. I was going to do that anyway. That’s just for nigga’s like her ex. So, he’ll know what the real deal is and keep his begging ass away from my fiancé.”
“I feel you.” Dmitri said. “He might wanna do a background check on you first before he fuck around and find out what the real Troy is all about.”
“I’d hate to go there with him, but I don’t think I’ll have to. I left Scarlett’s house to let her deal with that nigga. As long as she was good then I was good. I didn’t have to stay back to try and watch her. Hell, she’s wearing my ring on her finger. That automatically tells him that she’s now off limits to him and any other nigga that wants to smile in her face.”
“Hell, I feel you. I can’t wait until I get to the place you’re in. I’m kinda tired of the games myself. I want to settle down, but being Dom’s right hand man won’t allow it.”
“We’ve made a lot of money doing this shit. I mean a lot of money. You should be able to walk away when you’re ready.”
Dmitri shook his head. “See it’s easy for you to walk away, because you deal directly through me. Technically, you have no ties with him and that’s the way I always wanted to keep it. But, I work directly with the nigga and no one walks away from Dom. He’s the ultimate puppet master.”
“Unless he just mysteriously died,” Troy said with a slick raise of the eyebrows as if to suggest that’s not a bad idea.
“I hear you,” Dmitri said taking that into careful consideration. “Anyway, what you got going on today?”
“I’ll be heading to Savannah for the night with my baby mama to celebrate.”
Dmitri nodded his head. “I think that’s a great idea.” He said then got up from his seat. “Where is Unc?”
“I don’t know. I let him use Slim’s car to go to the store or somewhere.”
“Is he okay? I mean, he’d been taking Slim’s death pretty hard.”
“Yeah, I think he’s okay now. He’s gotten himself clean and is no longer using, so that’s a step in the right direction.”
“True,” Dmitri said then gave his partner dap and a slight hug. “Well, you know I gotta get outta here. I’m heading back to Atlanta as soon as I leave here.”
“You stay in Atlanta.” Troy said with a light chuckle.
“It’s a woman there that I want so badly, but Dom ain’t letting that shit happen, not with his daughter.”
“Keep in mind what I said.” Troy told him.
“It hasn’t left my mind yet.” Dmitri said with a slick smile. “It’s always good to see you, Bro.” He said as they gave each other dap. “Have fun on your trip and tell Unc I said what’s up.”
“I will,” Troy said and with that, Dmitri made his exit.
Troy walked over by the end table and grabbed his phone. He dialed Unc’s number and listened to the phone ring until the voicemail picked up.
“Hey Unc, it’s me. I don’t know if you’ll be back before I leave, but I’ll be leaving for the night. If you need me just call me. I’ll be with Scarlett, my beautiful fiancé.” He said with a satisfied smile on his face, and then he ended the call.
***
Meanwhile over on the other side of town, Gwen was sitting on a bench off in the cut at the park. She looked around. The park had certainly changed with newer swings, playgrounds, tennis courts and basketballs courts in the area. Back when it was her chill out spot where she’d go to relax and get her mind right, it wasn’t much going on there. The park back then had nothing but a bench, a basketball court, and a swing set.
Her thoughts reflected to everything that had happened in the past few months. Never in a million years did she’d think she’d be sitting there at that moment sober, no drugs or alcohol. At times it felt weird to feel so alive and aware of her surroundings which made it that much harder when thinking of the trouble that Anton and Tommy had gotten themselves in. A tear came to her eye as she thought about Tommy. He was like a son to her. He treated her no different than Anton and she knew that he loved her regardless of her reckless lifestyle. Never did she think that he’d be gone due to them being so careless while thinking that they were old and smart enough to hang with the big dogs. To her, Anton was still a kid at heart. He was no way ready to become this big time drug dealer and take over the city, but that’s how young naïve minds with big imaginations worked.
She looked over to the side of her as she heard a car pulling up. She shook her head as the person got out of it and headed her way.
“Well damn, it’s about time.” She said as she stood up to greet him.
“Don’t get up on my account.” He said acting like he didn’t want to hug her.
“10-10, don’t play with me.” She grinned. “You were supposed to have been here about an hour ago.”
“Well, I had some things that I had to tend to before I left the house.”
Gwen checked him out as he stood there in a pair of black Levi jeans and a clean white t-shirt. He looked good with his teeth fixed and his dark curly hair didn’t look dirty for a change. Even though the drugs he’d taken over the years had taken its toll on him, he was still indeed a handsome man.
“You clean up well,” Gwen said. “But, don’t let that shit go to your big ass head.”
10-10 laughed at her. It was good to see her in this element. “I can’t lie. You’re starting to look like the old Gwen that I used to fucks with the long way back in the day.”
Gwen laughed. “So you say and you’re starting to look and sound more like Anthony now, not that belittling nickname that’s gotten attached to you.”
“My nephew just told me that this morning when he made it home. I’d rather be known as Anthony. I’m leaving 10-10 in the past.”
“That’s good. I feel the same way.” Gwen said then reminded him of why they were there. “So, what’s the verdict?” she pondered with a smile. “I spoke to Ant before I headed over this way and he told me that Troy had asked Scarlett to marry him.”
10-10 nodded his head as he sat down on the bench beside Gwen. “That’s true and he called me on his way home and told me that she said yes to his proposal.”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard in quite some time.” Gwen cheerfully responded. “I must admit it. We did well this time.”
10-10 looked over at her. “We did.” He agreed as they sat silently thinking about the change of events that had taken place which led up to Troy proposing and Scarlett accepting. “She’s good for him.” 10-10 added.
“He’s good for her, too.” Gwen agreed. “I don’t think that we did anything wrong by hooking them up.”
10-10 shook his head. “Technically, we didn’t hook them up. They met at the grocery store and fate took it from there.”
“Yeah but unbeknownst to them, we set up that grocery store meeting in hopes that they would see each other and instantly become attracted. The only thing that worried me was Scarlett finding out who he was and not giving it a chance, because of that situation with Slim. However, when it comes to Ant there is nothing that she wouldn’t do for her brother and especially if it meant keeping him safe.”
“She definitely loves her brother very much, because she put herself in the line of fire for his safety. She’s loyal and she loves hard no matter the circumstances.”
“And more than anything in this world, she just wants to have that same love and loyalty returned.” Gwen said thinking that she never gave her daughter a chance to be happy, because all she ever did was
tear her down. But now in her own way, she wanted to lift her back up and help as much as she could in making sure that she lives the happily ever after, because more than anything she deserved it.
“And my nephew will give her that.”
“I can believe it.” Gwen said. Even though Troy didn’t personally know her, she knew him and had always heard things about him. Most of it was good. The other dealt with his dealings in the streets. Like the one time she’d heard about one of Troy’s dope boys that had stolen ten grand from him. Word was that he and Slim caught the nigga over in the hole and threw him in the trunk of Slim’s car. They drove him out deep in the woods. From what 10-10 had told Gwen, the nigga was tied up to a tree as they beat his ass, and then they left him out there for two whole cold nights to teach him a lesson about thieving from those you eat with. To Gwen that still was good. In her mind, that’d teach a bitch about playing with him and the shit that belonged to him. Scarlett needed a strong man like that on her side that would have her and Anton’s backs no matter what.
“One thing about my nephew is that my sister taught him very well how to handle himself, how to be a productive business man, and more importantly, how to treat a woman. Every woman he comes in contact with wants to settle down, but I gotta admit he always keeps it real about not feeling that they were the one for him. No matter how good they looked, how nice they dressed, or how much love they showed him they still couldn’t get him. But, your daughter,” he said with a serious nod of the head. “Scarlett has something that no other woman was able to get.”
Gwen looked over at him. “What’s that?”
“She has his attention. Reminds me of how weak I was for someone about twenty years ago.”
Gwen shook her head. “It’s a different kind of love with those two. We’d become toxic for each other.” Gwen said remembering that the woman he was talking about was her. Their history together was wild and crazy.”
“It wasn’t all bad,” 10-10 said. “It was really good in the beginning.”
Gwen smiled. “It was.” She said then dropped her head like she was thinking. For some reason she wanted to cry. She’d brought pain to a lot of people that only wanted to love her. 10-10 was one of those people.
“Aye,” he softly called out, “You a’ight?”
Gwen looked up at him fighting back the tears. “Yeah, I’m good. I get lost in thought more now than when I was using.”
“Tell me about it,” 10-10 agreed. “Well, part of the mission has been completed. I guess my job is done here.”
“We need to make sure that no one comes between them, though.”
“No, we’re going to step back now and let them make their own decisions about what’s next. I do know that my nephew will be good to her. He’ll be real with her and treat her with the upmost respect. Anyone that truly knows him knows that and like Scarlett, he also loves hard and is loyal to the core. His fate in every honest thing he lives by is what keeps him humble and safe. The streets can change a man regardless of what you’re doing out there while you’re running them. The streets changed me for the worse, but in doing so it turned my nephews into some rich dope boys.” He shook his head thinking of the many years that he’d been addicted to cocaine and crack while his nephews sold the same stuff and was making a killing off it. “Unfortunately, Slim didn’t survive the game and I don’t want anything like that to happen to Troy. That’s why I decided to get clean. If I can clean my body of that shit then he should be able to pull away from the streets. He has more than enough money to be able to do it and Scarlett is going to be another reason why he’ll have no choice but to.”
“It’s a win, win,” Gwen said looking over at him with a smile.
10-10 stood up and stretched out his arms. Gwen admired his bow legs as he stood there in his Levis. She hadn’t been interested in a man for years. The only reason why she’d fuck one was to maintain her crack habit. He reached over and touched her on the leg.
“Well, I’m going to head on back to the house. Need a ride home?” He questioned.
“Nah, we have to stay low key for awhile. Scarlett knows you now.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” He said. “Well, once again we’re becoming a family.”
“Yeah somewhat,” Gwen said.
10-10 walked off, but then stopped in his tracks as he looked back at Gwen. “You know that Troy and Ant have become really close in the past couple of weeks.”
“I’ve heard.” Gwen said as she waited for it.
“Wonder what Troy would say to know that Ant is his first cousin?”
“Hm,” Gwen said with a hunch of the shoulders. “Wonder what Ant would say to know that you’re his father?” she questioned as they intently stared each other directly in the eyes.
“Only time will tell,” 10-10 said then turned to leave.
“Or maybe not,” Gwen shot back just above a whisper.
As 10-10 pulled off, Gwen’s thoughts raced through her mind. There was a time when she loved Anthony, but she was so scorned by her past that she didn’t know what it felt like to be loved. Anthony was a good man to her and in the beginning things were good between them. However, she’d never change and when she started back using drugs, she asked him to try it with her. The first couple of times he turned her down, but that last time he tried it and had been hooked ever since.
Anton would never forgive her for lying about his father’s whereabouts, let alone knowing that she’s the reason behind his addiction. The man had been right under his nose and he didn’t have a clue. The only child that ever truly loved her would for sure turn his back on her and that she wouldn’t be able to handle. What he didn’t know was that she’d kept him safe by going to his father who would, without a doubt, keep him safe from Troy and his goons. They just had to play it out as carefully as possible. As long as that was taken care of then that’s all that mattered. In her mind, nothing else needed to be revealed.
Chapter 5
Nina sat inside of Macy’s bedroom over on one of her twin beds. Macy was looking through her closet for something to wear as Nina leaned over to pick up Rick’s picture off of the nightstand. Since Rick’s death, Macy had put one of his pictures in a 5’7 picture frame as a way of keeping him near her. It hurt Nina that her kids had so much love for their father, yet he never took out the real time to realize it. Now it was too late.
“Mace, how have you been feeling?” she asked while sitting the handsome picture of Rick back over on the nightstand.
“Fine,” Macy said as she continued searching. She was fine, but she was also still grieving. Even though she hated some of the things her father did and the way he let alcohol control him, she still loved him dearly. His death was unexpected and in the worst way. It just hurt beyond repair anytime she thought about it.
Nina looked at her. In almost two months she’d lost eight pounds. She shook her head, feeling sorry for her baby. “You don’t have to go to Stephen’s house if you don’t want to. We can let Mya and your brothers go and that’ll give us some girl time. What’d you say?”
“Hm,” Macy said never turning away from the closet.
“We can go to the movies and out to eat. I think a little mother daughter time will do us some good. I don’t know about you, but I’d love a nice day out with my beautiful daughter.”
Macy turned to her with a smile on her face. “Ma, you’re just trying to make me feel better.”
“And,” Nina said. “I’m your mom, I supposed to try and make you feel better.”
“I’m fine.” Macy said as she turned back to the closet to complete her search. “I’m also fine with going to Stephen’s new house. He’s taking all of us to the movies, anyway. I don’t know why you won’t come. He did invite you too, you know.”
“I know, but I’ll pass.” Nina said, because in her heart she was torn. It was still fresh in her mind how things had played out the previous day at Mrs. Brown’s house. Seeing the video and realizing that Stephen had walked ou
t on her at a vulnerable time like that did something to her spirits. She was upset with him. He was supposed to have had her back, but at that moment she felt like he didn’t and that hurt.
Macy turned to face Nina. “Ma, you should really go with us. You look down yourself. Are you okay?”
“I’m good,” she said. “Plus, you’re just the kid. You shouldn’t worry about me. You let me worry about that.” Macy laughed at her comment causing Nina to laugh too. It honestly felt quite good to see each other laugh.
“Can I say something?”
“When have I ever been able to stop you?” Nina asked giving her the side eye.
Macy laughed at how silly she could be at times. “Ma, I’m being serious here.” She said stepping away from the closet and sitting on the other twin bed across from her mother.