by K. C. Mills
“Do whatever you have to do.”
-15-
Najah waited for Nova to start the process of getting the twins asleep, before she snuck out on the porch to talk to Gotti. Her mom was in her room on the phone with Luther, which meant she would be tied up for a while, and Trent was already asleep. She had watched Gotti move around in the background for the past hour, and she had done everything possible to get his attention, but he didn't bite. He didn't say much, or interact with them. He was there to do a job and he apparently took it serious.
Gotti looked up when he heard the front door open, and Najah stepped out onto the porch pulling it closed behind her. He was sitting on the brick stairs that led to the porch, smoking, and was about to put it out before Najah stopped him.
“Can I?” She held her hand out asking for the blunt he was holding.
Gotti displayed a cocky grin, extending the blunt her way, but before he let her take it from him, he pulled it back. “You smoke?”
“A little.” Najah had burned a few with Fez, but it wasn't really her thing. She was just trying to find a reason to talk to Gotti.
He laughed. “You don't need this and besides, your brother should be back in a few. He might not appreciate me getting his sister high.”
“You do know I'm twenty-three, right?” Najah snapped at the thought of Gotti thinking that Logic was her keeper.
“And I’m twenty-seven, the fuck age got to do with anything? Your brother is still your brother and I respect him enough not to get his little sister high.” Gotti made sure he put emphasis on the word little.
Najah rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
“Don't trip ma, it's all good, and you’re too cute to be smoking this shit anyway.”
Now she was blushing, so she decided to change the subject. “My brother must trust you.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Why you say that though?” Gotti took a long pull from his blunt, inhaled and held it in, before releasing a cloud of smoke. Once he was done, he dropped the blunt and stepped on it with the heel of his boot.
“Because you’re here and he’s not. If he’s worried about Rah and you’re here, then he trusts you with us.”
Gotti looked Najah right in her eyes. “Do you trust me?”
She laughed. “Should I?”
“Shit, I don't know, depends on what we’re talking about you trusting me with.”
“That statement right there lets me know that I shouldn't.”
Gotti laughed again. “You can trust me ma. I wouldn't do you any harm. I'm a good guy.”
“Maybe, but I’ve heard that plenty of times before and I’m still single. One guess as to how that worked out, with all the so called good guys I've met,” Najah laughed a little under her breath.
“That sounds like you put your faith in the wrong people.” Gotti looked at Najah intensely, which caused her to look away.
“True, but too little too late, right?” She looked down the block when she heard a car turn onto their street. Gotti lifted the gun that was next to him, that she hadn't even realized was there. He gripped it, lowered it into his lap, moved closer to her, placing his other arm across her body and gripped her side. She knew the reason behind him doing that was so that he could push her behind him, if he needed to. The entire time he kept his eyes on the car, as it moved down the street. Najah should have been concerned, but for some reason, sitting there with him, she felt safe, so she didn't move. Once the car passed, Gotti relaxed and placed the gun back on the porch beside him.
“It's never too late.” Najah laughed at the fact that Gotti picked up their conversation like it had never been interrupted.
“Maybe,” she replied.
He chuckled a little before leaning back to pull his phone out of his pocket. He glanced at the screen and Najah did too. She noticed it was a female’s name and she got a little upset, even though he ignored the call and dropped his phone in his lap. Najah was jealous and had no claim to him whatsoever.
“You can answer that,” she said more to test him, than because she wanted him to answer it.
“I know I can.”
Najah rolled her eyes, a little put off by his arrogance, but it was kind of sexy to her.
“Why you rolling your damn eyes? You know you didn't want me to answer that call anyway. I know your nosy ass saw the name.” Gotti looked at her with a grin.
“Why would I care if you answer when your girlfriend calls?”
Gotti looked at Najah and chuckled. “You’re funny, ma.”
She looked at him and frowned. “Why am I funny?”
“You just are.” Gotti noticed that she referenced his caller as his girlfriend, because she was trying to feel out his situation without really having to ask.
“Care to explain?” Najah asked a little annoyed.
He looked down the block and then back at her with a cocky grin. “Just because a female calls my phone, it has to be my girlfriend? If you want to know my situation, just ask ma. You said you’re twenty-three right?”
“Yeah, so what?”
“Then stop acting like you’re thirteen.”
Najah sat there for a minute, a little put off by the fact that he called her on her own shit, but once again, Gotti's arrogance turned her on. She was about to speak up, but his phone went off again. This time with a different name. Before he could get his phone, Najah snatched it out his lap and held it in the air.
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“Nope.”
Najah answered Gotti’s phone and placed it to her ear. “He's busy,” was all she said and then hung up.
She watched his face, as he stared at her for a minute. She couldn't read his expression at first, but then a smile broke out.
“So are you taking her place or what?”
“Is it just a her or is it a them?”
Gotti chuckled before he snatched his phone out of Najah’s hand. He unlocked it and handed it back to her.
Najah looked at him strange, until he spoke again. “See for yourself.”
She started with his call log, noticing that there were several female names listed. Most of the calls were incoming. Typical nigga. After that, she went to his texts—same thing, a lot of “I miss you, come fuck me” texts, and naked pictures of various females. He watched her the entire time she searched his phone, all while displaying that same cocky grin.
“Wow.”
Najah handed over his phone, which he dropped in his lap again.
“What?” he laughed.
“You might not have a girlfriend, but you’re most definitely already taken.” Najah looked him right in the eyes.
“Did you see anything in there that looked like commitment?” Gotti asked.
“No, but—”
“Then I’m not taken. You can change that if you want to though.”
“You don’t know me so why would you assume that you want me to change that?”
Najah waited for Gotti to answer, which he didn't bother to do. Instead, he just grabbed her chin and pulled her into a kiss. His lips were so soft against hers, that she melted under his touch and when he released their kiss, wearing that sexy ass grin that he seemed so comfortable with, she couldn't help but to smile back.
“Come on, let's go. We probably don't need to be sitting out here.”
Najah wanted him all to herself, and she knew that wasn't going to happen if they were inside, but she also knew that he was right. The last thing either of them needed was to be caught off guard, so as much as she hated it, when Gotti picked up his gun, stood and reached for her hand, she accepted it. Moments later, she led the way into her mother's house and just like that, their conversation was over.
*****
“Where are you?” Moses yelled into his phone from his hospital bed. His eyes were on Alicia who looked like she was about to break out in tears again. She had been crying for damn near the last hour, first because she claimed she was upset about him getting shot, and then after that,
because he confronted her about what Logic told him about her sleeping with Rah. Moses really didn't want to believe it, but the second he asked Alicia if Noel was really his, he could see it in her eyes. She didn't have to say a word, and if he wasn't laid up in a hospital bed with shattered bones in one shoulder and ten stitches in the other, he would have likely choked the shit out of her. For the past eight months, he believed that Noel was his, and she was actually Rah’s.
“Why the fuck are you yelling nigga, damn?” Rah yelled through the phone causing Moses to grip it tighter, sending a shooting pain through his shoulder because of it.
“Because I got shot defending your ass and this shit hurts, so where the fuck are you?”
“I’m on my way there now.”
Moses gritted his teeth. The last thing he wanted was to see his brother, for fear that he would shoot him his damn self.
“The fuck you coming here for. You need to go handle that nigga for putting me here. He thinks you're hiding from him, Rah. He called you all kind of bitches and he’s got a whole team of people on the streets looking for you. What the hell you plan on doing about that?” Moses lied. He knew that Logic was indeed looking for Rah, but he had to embellish the situation to keep Rah from coming to the hospital. Knowing that Logic was challenging his manhood, was just the thing to keep Rah on the street.
“He can come for me. Shit, I'm ready,” Rah said arrogantly. He meant it too. He wasn't afraid to die, it was gonna happen one day, but no time soon as far as he was concerned. He damn sure wasn't afraid that Logic was going to make that happen.
“Rah, use your damn head. I’m laid up in this bitch, I can't do shit. That means you’re alone. You better get your head right because there’s nobody out there watching your back.”
Moses glanced at Alicia who was holding Rah’s daughter, the daughter that Moses believed was his, and he started fuming.
“I'm good Moses and you can't tell me shit. Didn't you let that nigga catch you slipping? How the fuck you gonna tell me to get my head right? I ain't the one in the hospital.”
“You're right. Well since you got shit all figured out, you need to handle business while I’m in here. We have a hand off tomorrow and if we fuck that up Drew’s people aren't fucking with us anymore. We got too much shit going on to be looking for a new supplier, so you have to be there.”
“Send Dee or Mike. Don't you think I have more important shit to do?”
“I can’t do that Rah. Drew specially wanted us to be there. I’m in the hospital, which is understood, but there’s no excuse for you not being there. I just talked to Drew and he said if you don’t show, that’s it. He doesn't trust anybody but us to do the deal. You know he’s paranoid as fuck and he swears somebody’s always trying to set his ass up. We need the product Rah. You have to be there.”
“Fuck Moses, what time?”
“Six, and don't be fucking late. You know he hates that shit.”
“You need to watch how the fuck you talk to me. The fuck you think I am?”
“Look, just be there to do the hand off. The money is in the safe. You know what we’re getting right?”
“Nigga, I got this shit.” Rah hung up and Moses sat there for a minute, before he was able to speak. He looked at Alicia, who once again was fucking crying. He really wanted to choke the shit out of her.
“If you don't chill with that shit, I swear, I’m gonna find the strength to get out of this damn bed and choke the shit out of you.”
“I’m sorry, but this is a lot Moses. I'll leave him alone, I promise. I’ll never even look at him again. Do we really want him dead?”
He looked at her like she was stupid. “Are you really sitting here begging for that motherfucker’s life? Get the fuck out of here and when you’re struggling, raising Noel all by yourself, don't even think to pick up the phone and call me. Rah is a dead man walking, whether I make it happen, or that nigga that’s after him. He’s dead, Alicia.”
“No, I can do this. I want this to work. I don't care what happens to him. I can do this,” she pleaded.
“Come here,” Moses commanded.
Alicia looked down at her daughter and then back at Moses but didn't move.
“So you scared of me now? You just admitted to me that Rah damn near broke your jaw and yet you’re scared of me? I’ve never put my hands on you since the day we met, but you're looking at me like you think I might hurt you.”
Alicia thought about what he said and moved slowly towards Moses. She stood beside his hospital bed waiting.
“Sit down.” He patted the bed next to him and Alicia obliged. Moses looked at Noel and smiled. No matter whose blood she had running through her veins, she was his. He had been raising her that way and it wasn’t about to change.
“You did some fucked up shit and I’m willing to let that go. It's hard as hell for me to do that, but I will. All I need is for you to do, is this one thing. Do you want a second chance? Do you want to fix what you broke?”
Alicia nodded. She really did want to fix things with Moses, but she also didn't want Rah dead to make that happen. She was torn.
“Do what I asked then. It's that simple. You do that and we’ll figure this out. I promise.” Moses let his hand slide down the side of Alicia’s face. She nodded, even though her heart was telling her no, but at this point she felt trapped. Life with Moses, who she loved, or life alone, since he made it clear that Rah was going to die. It's not like she really had a choice.
After Alicia left, Moses made a few calls as a backup, just in case Alicia fucked up his plan. As much as he loved her, he didn't trust her, especially knowing that she lied to him all this time about Rah. He really wanted to trust her and fix things, but there was a part of him that just didn’t believe they could. If she actually followed through with his plan, then he would try. For now, that was on hold until he knew for sure.
Moses set Rah up. There was no deal with Drew. He planned on using Alicia to tip Logic off as to where Rah was going to be, so that Logic could take care of Rah. Moses then planned on having one of his guys there to take care of Logic. That way, he would could take care of both of them at the same time. As messed up as it was, Moses was ready to get rid of his brother. Over the years, Rah had done so much to Moses with little regard to how he felt. Rah was selfish. He only cared about himself and he had always been that way. He got what he wanted, even if he had to take it, and he didn't care who he hurt in the process. That was evident in the fact that Rah slept with Alicia, got her pregnant, and let Moses believe that Noel was his. Brother or not, some shit was just unforgivable. Rah had crossed too many lines and Moses wanted him to pay. Unfortunately, the only price Moses felt was acceptable was Rah’s life.
-16-
“I hate this,” Joy said, as she moved around Logic’s room shoving clothes into a bag. He leaned against the dresser watching her, feeling equally annoyed.
“Hate what, Joy?”
“This!” She waved her hand in the air to suggest what he assumed meant the fact that she was packing so that they could go to his mother's house. It was a little deeper than that, but her ‘I hate this’ simplified her feelings about the situation.
After inhaling and releasing it slow, Logic grabbed Joy's bag, tossed it on the bed and then pulled her against his body.
“I know it's frustrating and I apologize for that, but right now, I need everyone in one place until I can figure out what’s next. I’m not going to risk something happening to you or them.”
“I know that, I just feel like this is my fault. He’s doing this because of me.”
Logic lifted Joy’s chin with his hand and looked her right in the eyes. “This is not really about you, and it would have happened either way. He wants what I have, it just so happens that right now, that includes you.”
Joy released a slight smile at the thought of her belonging to Logic. “You have me?”
He chuckled. “I better. I thought we already discussed that.”
“
I wouldn't call it a discussion, you just basically told me that I was yours, and that you would be going to jail if I didn't cooperate.”
Logic laughed. “Nah, I told you that I was going to jail if you let another motherfucker sample what belongs to me. There’s a difference.”
“If you say so,” Joy smiled.
Logic looked around his room and got serious again. “This is my life, Joy. I know you say you get it and you’re in this with me, but I want you to be clear about what that means. There’s always going to be someone who thinks they can take what I have. It comes with the territory. It’s how things work and that means that you’ll always be dealing with potential situations like this. I’ve never been the type to hide, in fact, I usually deal with shit head on and niggas don’t like that, but I don’t fear much—never have—and I’m not about start now. Rah don’t mean shit to me, he’s just another problem that needs to be solved. If he wasn’t hiding, then it would have already been done. That’s how I deal with things. I just need you to know that no matter what’s going on, I got you. You might not always like how I keep you safe, but you will always be safe. I promise you that.”
“I’m not worried.” Joy said it with confidence and she meant it. She had no doubts about her safety as long as Logic was in charge of it.
A grin formed on his face before he leaned in to peck her on the lips. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, you said you got me and I believe you,” she shrugged, and stepped away to finish packing. He just chuckled and watched since his stuff was already packed and waiting.
After a quick stop on the block to check in, they reached Mini’s house. Logic shut off his car and looked around. It was late and things were quiet, but Logic still paid close attention to his surroundings, because you could never be too cautious. Once he had his and Joy's things out the car, they made their way to the house, where he found Gotti on the sofa in the living room playing Trent’s game. He paused it when Logic and Joy walked in.
“We good around here?” Logic asked after he shut and locked the door.