by K. C. Mills
When she made it to her car, Logic was in the driver’s seat waiting. He had already opened her door, so she got in and closed it but turned to look at him.
“You wanna tell me what that was about?” she asked.
“Nah, not now.”
He started the car and pulled off. He was still pissed about the whole evening. He knew from the second she mentioned having dinner with them that it was going to be some bullshit, but this topped the charts. Her father was a certified privileged asshole and her mother was a fucking cougar.
He glanced at Joy as he drove, and could see the stress in her face as she stared out the passenger side window. She turned to look at him briefly, but didn’t say anything. They were both quiet until they got to her apartment and once they were inside, she let it out.
“I know they’re a bit much, but did it really take all that?” she asked as she watched Logic pull his shirt over his head and then step out of his boots.
She eyed his body but couldn’t even enjoy it, because she was confused about what had gone down at her parents’ house.
Logic just laughed. “Trust me, you don’t want to know,” was all he said, before he moved past her heading toward the kitchen.
“I do actually, if I asked,” Joy said from behind him, as she watched him get a beer out the refrigerator.
“So your father seems to think I’m not your first or your last and your mother wants to fuck me.”
Logic laid it out, and then left the kitchen like he hadn't just said the craziest thing in the world.
“My mother what?” Joy asked, as she stood in front of Logic who was now on the sofa looking up at her.
“You heard me, your mother wants to fuck me. She seems to think you won’t mind sharing. Apparently, you’ve done it before.”
Joy’s mouth fell open. She was at a loss for words. Did he really just say that her mother wanted to fuck him and that she had apparently done it before?
“Yeah, exactly. I told you, you didn’t want to know, but I don’t even really give a fuck about that. Tell me why your father felt the need to tell me I’m not your first and won’t be your last. Sounds like there’s some shit you need to tell me.”
Rah immediately popped in her head. She knew that’s what her father meant. He hated the fact that she had been with Rahjee, and wouldn’t let it go. When she finally ended things and they met Cedric, her father was relieved to say the least.
“You don’t have shit to say about that?” Logic asked, raising his voice just a little. He was feeling Joy a little too much, and he damn sure wasn’t about to be played. If she was just using him to piss off her parents, he was out. No matter how he felt about her, he wasn’t about to get caught up in some bullshit family drama. He was quickly starting to regret his decision to even deal with her.
“Like you said before, I have a past just like you do.”
Logic laughed sarcastically. “Yeah, but my past doesn't involve me slumming it to piss off my parents.”
Joy looked at him and frowned. That pissed her off. “Is that what you think I’m doing, slumming it?”
“I don’t know, are you? That’s what the fuck I’m asking.”
“I’m here because I like you, I like this. I don’t care what my parents think, and me being with you doesn’t have a damn thing to do with them. Yeah, I’ve dated guys like you before - so what, I like who I like. You don’t see me judging you based on the hoes you’ve been fucking, but if you really think that I’m in this because I have daddy issues, then maybe I’m the one that’s confused about what this is. Fuck you Logic.”
Joy glared at him before she stormed off down the hall towards her room. A few seconds later, he heard the door slam. He knew he shouldn’t have come at her like that, but it had just been a fucked up evening, and what her father said struck a nerve. He let it get to him and then took it out on Joy. Logic leaned back and covered his face with his hands, before he let them move across his head. He needed a minute to get his head right before he tried to fix things with Joy, and he also wanted to give her a minute to calm down, so he leaned forward and lifted his beer off her table. After he finished it, Logic stretched out on the sofa and folded his arms, covering his face. His mind was all over the place, so for now he just closed his eyes to try and find a minute of peace before he had to go deal with Joy.
-15-
“Auggie, wake up, where are you?” Logic hadn’t bothered looking at his phone when he pulled it out of his pocket to answer, but he quickly recognized his cousin’s voice and she sounded upset, so he sat up and stretched. He had apparently fallen asleep on the sofa and didn’t know what time it was.
“I’m at Joy’s, what’s wrong?”
“It’s Najah. I need you to come to your mom’s house.”
“What do you mean it’s Najah? What happened, what’s wrong with her?” he asked, as he stood and started moving to Joy’s room. It was dark and he was moving quickly, and he ended up running into a table that was in the hall before he reached Joy’s door and opened it.
She was in bed sleep, but he wasn’t focused on her.
“Fez, he got to her. They were arguing-”
“The fuck you mean he got to her, why the fuck was she even with him?”
“Just get here Auggie, hurry up.”
Logic looked up and Joy was now awake and looking right at him. She looked concerned but he couldn’t focus on her, which he knew was going to make their current situation worse.
“Is she okay?” Logic asked as he stepped into his boots and grabbed his keys off the dresser.
“Just get here please,” Nova said and then hung up.
“Fuck,” Logic mumbled under his breath before he found his shirt and pulled it over his head.
“What’s wrong?” Joy asked. She didn’t care about the argument at that point, she just needed to know what was going on and if he was okay.
“Nothing, I’ have to go. I’ll call you later,” he said moving toward the door. He couldn’t deal with Joy right now. He was worried about his sister and trying to control his urge to kill Fez the second he laid eyes on him. He knew Fez liked to put his hands on women, especially Najah, so Logic knew this wasn’t going to end well.
“Will you at least tell me what’s going on?” Joy asked as she moved behind him.
“I said I’ll call you later,” was all he said, and then he was out the door leaving Joy standing in her living room.
Logic’s first stop was on the block where he figured Fez would be. It was after midnight, so he knew Fez would still be out, if he wasn't hiding. But if he put his hands on Najah, then Logic knew he wouldn't be anywhere that he could get to him, but he had to check just in case.
He got out of his car, slamming the door moving with aggression toward Gotti and Lil Chris. “Yo, have you seen Fez?”
Gotti looked around, “Not in a minute. He was out here earlier but that was hours ago, what’s up?”
“Nothing, if you see him tell him I’m looking for him,” Logic said and then walked off but heard Lil Chris behind him.
“You need us to find him for you?”
“Nah I got it, but if you see him, let him know I’m coming,” Logic said before he got in his car en route to his mom’s house.
The front door was unlocked and when he walked in, Najah was on the sofa with Trent and Nova next to her. Trent jumped up, ran to him and threw his arms around Logic, but he was focused on Najah who was sitting on the sofa, quiet with her head down. He could already see her bruises and was fuming. When Logic heard his mother coming down the hall, he pulled away from Trent and pointed towards his mother.
“Go with your grandmother,” Logic said sternly, but his mother kept moving towards him until he stopped her.
“Take him, he don’t need to see this shit,” Logic said pointing to Najah, so Mini put her arm around Trent’s shoulders and started moving away in the opposite direction.
“Come on baby, you can get in my bed and watch some TV.”
She glanced at her son already knowing where his head was at. When they were gone, Logic went right to Najah and used his hand to lift her face. He examined her black eye and swollen jaw, which made him clench and grind his teeth, as he balled up his fist.
“Are you still seeing him?” he asked his sister, while Nova stepped back and sat down again.
“Not like that,” she said in a low tone, barely audible.
“Not like what, Najah? You’re either with that nigga or you’re not,” Logic said trying not to yell. He didn't want Trent to hear him.
“I’ve seen him a few times but it’s nothing.”
Nova, who was on the other side of the sofa quiet, finally spoke. “They’re not together,” she said looking right at Logic.
“So you knew she was still fucking that nigga and didn’t say shit? Look at her, did you think that was a good idea?” Logic asked, pointing at his sister while he glared at Nova.
“You need to calm down, it wasn’t my business. I told her it wasn't a good idea, but she’s grown; what was I supposed to do?” Nova yelled back.
“You could have told me and I would have put an end to that shit. She obviously ain't grown making childish decisions by fucking with that nigga.” He turned to his sister.
“He beat you so bad that he almost killed your son; he tried to kill Trent, Najah! Hell, he tried to kill your ass too, and you still fucking with him? He tried to kill your son, your fucking son. So I guess you’re good with that?”
“No, I’m not good with that. I made a dumb decision. I’m human, damn. You’re not perfect either, so don’t act like you are.”
“This shit ain’t about me. This is about you. Did you tell Trent that his father did this to you? How do you think he feels seeing your face like this? Have you looked in the mirror? The fuck Najah. That nigga dick that damn good that you putting your life at risk?”
“You know what - fuck you. It’s none of your business. Just get out and I’ll deal with it. I don’t need you here judging me.” Najah stood aggressively and pointed to the door before she tried to move past her brother, but Logic grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. As mad as he was at his sister, his heart was breaking seeing her like that. He was more pissed that Fez laid hands on her, than he was at his sister for going back to him. Fez was about to die. He spared him once, but that shit wasn’t going to happen again.
“You gotta do better Nah Nah. Trent don’t need to see shit like this and you don’t need to be going through shit like this. It’s not just about you anymore. You gotta think about him. Fez ain't for you; he don’t give a fuck about you or Trent, and I know you know that… but I’m a handle it. I just need you to do better.”
“I will, I promise I’m done. I’m not going back,” she said into her brother’s chest.
Logic pulled away and laughed arrogantly. “Trust me, I already know that. I told you I’m going to handle it.”
“Auggie, don’t do anything stupid.” Nah stepped back and folded her arms across her chest. Nova was next to her.
“She’s right Auggie,” Nova said.
“Don’t worry about it,” was all he said before he started toward the door. Neither Nova or Najah said anything else about the situation, because they knew that Logic’s mind was made up, so they just let it go and hoped for the best.
Logic hit the block a few more times, and there was still no sign of Fez; no one had seen him or Donte, so he decided to head home for now. He checked his phone and there was no message from Joy. He almost decided to head back to her place to try to fix things, but he was tired, frustrated and just ready to go to sleep. So, he decided to leave it and deal with her tomorrow. He couldn't really deal with Joy anyway because his mind was on killing Fez. Right now, that was his priority, and this situation with Joy would just have to wait.
The next morning, Logic woke up tense and frustrated. He had tossed and turned all night, thinking about the fact that yet again, Fez had put his hands on his sister, and it had him obsessing over finding him. With no sleep and obsessed with getting his hands on Fez, Logic decided to call Luther and let him know that he wasn’t coming in. He needed to handle Fez.
“Hey son, everything okay?” Luther asked as soon as Logic answered. It was normal for Luther to address him that way; he had been doing it since Logic was a kid.
“I’m good, but I was just calling to tell you I have a few things to take care of today so I might not be ‘round until later. Do you need anything?”
The line went quiet for a minute before Luther spoke. “Just be careful,” was all he said.
Luther had talked to Mini, who filled him in on what happened to Najah. She was worried and hoping that Luther could talk some sense into her son, since he had been the only one that was able to do so after Nard was murdered.
“Don’t worry ‘bout me, Luther. I’ll be around later, just call me if you need anything. I know your old ass can’t keep up anymore,” Logic chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. He didn’t want Luther worrying, but he also knew that Luther was in his head.
“I’m not as old as you think son, just be careful. Do that for me.”
“I got you.”
Logic ended the call and checked his messages. He had several missed calls and texts, but none from Joy. It was after nine and he knew she was already at work, so he sent her a text. They needed to talk so he wanted her to come by after she got off work.
I know you’re pissed and you have the right to be. I apologize for the way I came at you, shorty, but we need to figure some things out, so come by my place when you leave work today.
After Logic sent the message, he decided to take a shower and then hit the streets. It was early, but he needed to find Fez and when he did, he was beating the shit out of him and then putting a bullet in his head. Nothing else was going to satisfy him.
As soon as he hit the block, first thing he saw pissed him off. Myesha was leaned against a silver Benz that Logic knew belonged to Donte. He really didn’t have any feelings for Myesha one way or the other, but the fact that he was now well aware that she had been fucking Donte the entire time that they were together, still struck a nerve. It further confirmed for him that Donte wasn’t shit, and it got him heated that it took him so long to see it. The problem was he and Donte had been tight for so long that Logic overlooked a lot of things that he shouldn’t have. Donte had killed for him, been by his side for years, but at some point all that became irrelevant, and Donte was more concerned with self, versus anyone else in his circle.
Logic got out of his car and moved past Myesha. He could feel her eyes on him and just prayed that her stupid ass didn’t open her mouth to address him; but, no such luck. Her voice trailed behind him, filling the air.
“So that’s where we are now, you can’t even speak?”
Logic stopped and turned to face her with a hard stare, before he let out a cocky laugh. “The fuck I need to speak to you for? That’s your nigga now,” he said pointing to Donte’s car.
Myesha pulled her body from the car and moved slowly to Logic. Her body boast perfection as always — all the curves in the right places — and her chocolate skin housed dark brown eyes that looked black. The dimple in her left check was exposed, as the smirk formed the closer she got to him. He and Myesha had the type of chemistry that couldn’t really be explained, but it was through the roof. He basically hated her most of the time, because she was selfish and only cared about money. Whoever had the most was who was hot for her at the moment. Right now that was Donte, but for some reason, Logic couldn’t control the addiction he had for her; so, in order to curb it, he stayed away.
“You don’t miss this?” she asked, letting her hands touch his body in a way that only she could.
He chuckled. “What I miss is not worth everything else that comes with it.” Logic grabbed her wrist and shoved her back. He thought about Joy and for the first time in a long time, he was able to control the affect that Myesha had on him.
She frowned, not su
re what had changed. If nothing else, she knew that if she could get her hands on him then she could control him, but this time he didn't seem bothered.
“I guess things have changed,” she said with a smirk.
“Yeah, I guess so.” Logic shook his head and walked towards the building they used as a trap house. His hand moved under his shirt and gripped the Glock he was holding in his jeans, before he knocked on the door.
“What up Logic, what you doing here?” some young kid asked. Logic had seen him around before, but didn’t know his name.
“Get Donte for me,” Logic said.
The kid looked around and then at Logic, like he was considering what to do. Logic laughed sarcastically at how trained Donte had him.
“We’re good, just tell him I wanna holla at him.”
The kid looked over his shoulder and then back at Logic.
“Yeah aight, hold up.” He shut the door and Logic stepped back, but kept his hand on his gun. A few minutes later, Donte came stepping out the front door with a blunt and a smirk. He released a cloud of smoke before he addressed Logic.
“You finally come to your senses?” Donte said, extending his hand to offer Logic the blunt. Logic glared at it and then took a step toward Donte.
“Where is he?” Logic asked not in the mood for Donte’s bullshit.
“You know I’m not going to tell you that. Why you care anyway, that’s their business?”
Logic could feel his grip tighten on his gun, and Donte’s eyes moved to his body where he had his had under his shirt behind his back.
“I gave him a pass one time. He won’t get that shit again,” Logic said, choosing not to even entertain the bullshit that Donte was talking.
“You gone shoot me, Logic?” Donte asked with a smirk, as his eyes again fell on the location where he knew Logic was holding his gun.
“Not today, but it’s coming,” Logic said, and then turned to walk away. He had no fear about turning his back to Donte because he knew he wasn't going to do shit.
“Just remember you said that,” Donte said, but Logic never looked back at him. Donte was protecting his brother and all that meant for Logic was that they would both die.