Addicted to a Dirty South Thug

by Shan

  “Of course I wanna go. I’ll send her a text and let her know I’ll be back in a few. Let me grab my purse,” I told Rue as I began to walk to my work station.

  “Girl, you sure Khi gonna be cool with that? Bae, you know Cuba fucks with Khi now, right?” I heard this messy-ass broad say, and I had to stop, count to ten, and take a deep breath before letting it out and doing it all over again. After I grabbed my purse, I turned around with a big, fake-ass smile plastered on my face. I knew that me and this bird was gonna have our day real soon.

  I followed Rue out of the shop, and me, him, and Little Bryson went to his car and drove down to the IHOP that was only a couple of blocks over. As soon as we walked inside and got settled into a booth, I just sat there and stared at Little Bryson. He was so grown to be only two years old. I watched as he stood up in the booth and pointed down at an item on the kids’ menu.

  “I want this, Daddy,” he said to Rue, and that made me cock my head to the side.

  “He calls you Daddy?” I asked just as my phone vibrated against the table.

  “I ain’t tell him to. I just been spending time with the li’l nigga since he was about six months. I feel like that was the least I could do since his daddy couldn’t be here for him.”

  “Yeah.” I nodded, not sure why I was feeling a way about that. I guess I still didn’t know if Rue and Alaska had really slept together. It was not like Little Bryson looked anything like Bryson, and hell, truth be told, he didn’t look anything like Rue’s yellow ass either.

  I looked down at my phone once it vibrated against the table again. It was Khi, and I picked it up to text him back.

  Khi: Why you hang up on me like that?

  Khi: Where are you?

  Khi: Aye . . . man, where the fuck are you?

  I went to text Khi back when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked up to see this crazy muthafucka standing over me. I exhaled, feeling like I had been busted when I was about to tell him the deal anyway. It wasn’t like anything was going on between Rue and me, and the only reason I was here with Rue was because of my nephew.

  “Let’s go,” Khi said.

  “No,” I looked up at him and said.

  I could see his jaw twitching and could feel Rue’s leg shaking under the table. I shook my head, feeling like this situation was going to take a turn for the worse. For the sake of my nephew, and to keep him from being hurt, I decided that it was best for me to leave. I exhaled and stood up from the table. I looked over at Little Bryson and held my hands out to him. Rue picked him up and handed him over to me.

  “I am so glad that I got to meet and hug you. I know you don’t know me, but I love you so much,” I told him and kissed him on the jaw. He pushed me away and wiped my kiss off, but I kissed him again and caused him to laugh. “Remember, Aunt Cuba loves you, okay.”

  He shook his head, and I handed him back to Rue before turning around storming past Khi. I was so fucking pissed and hurt. He didn’t know how long I had been waiting for a moment like that, and he just came and took it away from me before I really had a chance to enjoy it. I could feel my hands shaking as I walked out of IHOP and allowed the tears I was holding back to fall down my face.

  “Aye, looka here, you gonna lose that fuckin’ attitude. I’m not that nigga, a’ight. That shit was cute in the beginning, but you starting to piss me off with it.”

  “You just ruined probably the only chance I had of seeing my nephew! Do you know how long I have been waiting for this shit? My fucking parents wouldn’t even allow me to see him because of Rue’s bitch ass . . . but they allowed him to see him! That’s my dead sister’s baby, and you just took that away from me,” I cried.

  “How the fuck am I supposed to know that shit, Cuba? It seems like all you doing is giving me piece by piece to your life and expect me to just put that shit together. You should’ve fuckin’ told me what the hell you was doing and not let me have to find out by Anastasia’s ass that you down here eating with your ex nigga that I just fuckin’ found out about. You know how that shit look to me?”

  “I don’t care how it looks. I don’t want Rue!”

  “I don’t give a fuck if you want him or not. That nigga obviously wants your ass, and he’s using your nephew to get to you.”

  “He’s not using him. He knows how much I wanted to see him, so he got my parents to allow it.”

  “Bullshit. He ain’t get your parents to do shit. And if he did, why the hell he didn’t just drop him off with you? I ain’t stupid. You tell that nigga the next time he come at you about your nephew that you don’t need his ass to come with y’all. Let me find out you can’t do that shit.”

  “Yeah, whatever.” I sighed and shook my head. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at Khi with so much hatred in my heart for him, but I hated that he looked so damn good to me right now. He was dressed down, rocking a white True Religion fit and a pair of black-and-white retro Jordans on his feet. The scent of his Gold cologne tickled my nostrils and forced me to exhale as I thought about all the places he’d had his tongue last night.

  “The fuck you over there smiling about?” Khi asked, and I shook my head. “Yeah, a’ight. Let me find out. Take your ass back down there to that damn shop. Tangie supposed to hook your nappy-ass head up, because we got somewhere to be tonight.”

  “You wasn’t going to ask me if I wanted to go, and you can’t take me back to the shop?”

  “Hell no, I’m not gonna ask you. Fuck I look like, man? And did I bring your ass down here? Shit, walk,” Khi said, looking like I had offended him before he walked off.

  “This nigga really gonna make me walk,” I said under my breath.

  I peeked inside the windows of the IHOP to see Rue staring directly at me. As much as I wanted to go back inside and hug on my nephew some more, I knew it would cause trouble. I looked over and didn’t see Khi anymore, so I held my phone for Rue to see and walked off, heading back to the shop.

  Chapter 19

  Khian

  As soon as I pulled up to the gate of my crib and spotted Briana sitting in front of it, I placed the car in park and hopped out. My heart was beating hard as fuck against my chest as I ran over to her, picked her up, and carried her to the car. I placed her in the back seat before I got back inside and pressed the button to open the gate. I glanced over at Cuba, and she didn’t say anything, but I could tell that she had questions. She had never met Briana before, and I had only briefly spoken about her. Cuba knew that she was having issues with drugs, but for the most part, she didn’t know how bad.

  Once we got up to the house, I placed the car in park and went around to open Cuba’s door. She stepped out, and I bit down on my bottom lip, just looking at how gorgeous Tangie had done her hair up. She had it long and in big-ass curls that fell down her back. I wanted to make sure she kept it like this at all times, especially while she was fucking with me.

  “I left you a dress on the bed. I’ll be there in a few,” I told Cuba as I handed her the key to the house, and then went to pull Briana out of the car.

  I carried Briana inside to one of the guest rooms downstairs and laid her across the bed. Seeing her in the condition she was in reminded me of the night I picked up Skylarr. She was the same damn way. I walked over, cut the light on, and shook my head as I stared down at Briana. I could only imagine the type of shit she had been out there doing to get high, and I didn’t know why it fuckin’ bothered me.

  “Aye, Bri,” I called out to her. “Bri!”

  “Hmm,” she mumbled.

  “What’s up? Where you been, man?”

  “Not like you care, Khi. Where’s Sky?” she slurred.

  “She’s with her grandma, and if she wasn’t, you damn sure wouldn’t see her looking like this.”

  “I need your help, Khi. I tried to do it on my own, and I couldn’t,” Briana cried and exhaled.

  I nodded my head and crossed my arms over my chest. I damn sure wasn’t about to turn her down this time. I was too in my feel
ings that last time, and that shit left me scared and worried every damn minute that I didn’t hear from her.

  “Who is that skinny-ass girl you with? And where’s Selena dog ass?”

  I chuckled and shook my head. It didn’t matter what the hell Briana was going through. Her jealous ass was always gonna find a moment to question me about what the hell I was doing.

  “Man, look, I got somewhere to be. Get your ass in the shower, and don’t leave, a’ight,” I told her.

  “I’ma have Cuba bring you some clothes down here, but promise me you won’t leave, Briana.”

  “I’m not gonna leave. I’m ready to get clean. I’ma do it this time for good. I promise you. I just wish you wouldn’t have sent that dude to my house to bring me that money . . . but I should’ve never slept with him, though,” Briana said, and my brow furrowed in confusion.

  “Fuck you mean? I ain’t send no dude to your house to bring you no money.”

  “Yes, you did. He brought money by there and said that you told him to. He came several times, and that’s how we started fucking around and this shit happened. I woke up to him the last time sticking a needle in my arm, and I hadn’t seen him since, until he came back and beat my ass that night you got Skylarr. He did this shit to me, Khi. I didn’t do it on my own,” Briana cried, and I sucked my teeth.

  “What did he look like? Who is he?”

  “I don’t remember, Khi. You don’t know who you got working for you. He was outside watching the house one day you came to pick up Sky. He said that you told him to watch your back, so he sat outside and waited a while. His name was Rob . . . or T . . . Jackson.”

  “Why you just now telling me this shit, Briana?”

  “Because I didn’t think you cared. You saw some nigga whooped on me and you didn’t care!”

  “’Cause I thought the dude that was laid up in your bed did the shit and you let him.”

  “What dude was that?”

  “Aghh, fuck!” I yelled and turned around and punched the wall behind me. I walked out of the room and headed up the stairs to get dressed. I didn’t have time for this shit. The meeting at Tamar’s the day before was to let everyone know that he would be having a black tie party for the street lieutenants and bosses from all over the Metroplex. The location wouldn’t be announced until an hour before everything started, just to keep out muthafuckas who wanted to try some slick shit.

  I was glad that Briana was there and safe, but I couldn’t miss that night. It was all about making connections and possible opportunities for growth that could expand beyond what we were already doing. I stayed hungry for the top, and I couldn’t let an opportunity like this pass me by, not knowing when and if it would come around again. I just hoped that leaving Briana there alone wasn’t a bad idea after what she’d told me.

  She really fucked me up with that one, but I had to wonder if she was just running off at the mouth. I would never send another nigga to take my daughter’s money when I was able to do the shit myself, especially not someone that wasn’t fam. Even though my goonies knew where Briana laid her head, they ain’t bother her like that, and neither did anyone from the hood. If what she was saying had any truth to it, I was starting to feel like maybe it could’ve had something to do with my spot being hit that night.

  It was real funny how it seemed like everything came at me all at once on the one night I had to make the biggest pickup, which was around the fifth of every month. Only ones that knew that much info, though, was the goonies that worked the factory, my brothers, and Selena’s ass. I knew it couldn’t have been none of the factory workers, because all of them died that night, and Tramell had barely made it out. My brothers, not even Dae’s ass, would stoop that low, and I was for sure about that. That only left that slick, crazy-ass, Spanish-talking bitch Selena. Now that I thought about shit and put it all into perspective, it was crazy how she went from blowing my ass up, crying and begging to come back up, to damn near nothing at all.

  Let me find out, I thought.

  * * *

  Once we made it to the black tie affair, I couldn’t even think from my mind being all over the place. I hadn’t said two words to Cuba, not even to mention how good she looked in the tight-fitting Giuseppe dress that gave her curves I didn’t even know she had. I licked my lips as I eyed her up and down, but just that quickly, my mood shifted again. I was pissed and reeling in my thoughts. I wondered if my baby mama had really been that shady to have me robbed and my goonies killed. I swea’ I wouldn’t be surprised, because she fuckin’ hated Briana. She was always questioning me about her and accusing us of fucking every time I went to pick up my daughter. She did tell me one time . . .

  “Are you okay?” Cuba asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

  “Yeah, I’m cool. Why you say that?” I asked.

  “Because you’ve been quiet since finding your baby mama at the house.”

  “I’m straight. Look, there’s Dae, and I want you to meet the goonie Tramell,” I told Cuba as I pulled her in the direction of my people. “Where KaeDee at?”

  “How the fuck would I know where that nigga at? I don’t fuck with him,” Dae said, and I shook my head.

  “I wish y’all would get over that shit,” I said and looked around for my brother. “But aye, looka here. Tramell, I want you to meet Cuba. Cuba, this is the goonie Tramell, or Mell-Mell.”

  “Yeah, I think I know you. You had a sister name Alaska, right?” Tramell asked, and I spotted the sadness in Cuba’s eyes as she nodded her head.

  “Oh, yeah?” Dae said and sucked his teeth as he eyed Cuba and crossed his arms over his chest.

  Fuck wrong with this nigga now? I thought as I looked around again for KaeDee. “Aye, I need to talk to y’all outside for a minute. Let’s go out back,” I told Tramell and Dae. “Be right back, bae. Get you a drink.”

  I walked out back on the upper level deck of the mansion with Tramell and Dae right behind me. I noticed how Dae kept looking at my girl, and I was about ready to call him out on it, until shorty walked up and tugged on Dae’s shoulder. I threw my hands into my pockets, and my jaw twitched as I looked down at her. She had her hair pinned up and was rocking a black Versace dress with some open-toe pumps. I could see why Dae had went for her, ’cause she was a bad little biddie with a small waist and thick hips, but she wasn’t the baddest there was. Not bad enough to fuck up my money.

  “Aye, ma. I think I seen your brother over there somewhere,” I told her as I stepped closer to her.

  “I need to talk to Dae,” she said and looked around nervously.

  “Nah, see we about to discuss some shit, so I’ma need you to move around, shorty,” I told her, getting frustrated as I gritted down on my teeth.

  “Look, unless you want me to go and find my brother and let him know that Dae and I have been fucking behind his back, even in his bathroom during y’all’s little meeting, then I suggest you let us have a minute,” she told me.

  I eyed Dae before sucking my teeth and turning around to walk away. I adjusted my tie and took a deep breath before I let it out and went to find Cuba. That was it. Good thing I had brought Tramell, ’cause he was for sure about to take his boy’s place.

  Chapter 20

  Daelan

  I was so fucking annoyed as I stood on the back deck with Taylana in my ear, whining about why I wouldn’t answer my phone or come to the home that I made with her. I placed my hands in my pockets as my body rocked back and forth from the anger that was building inside of me. I could feel Taylana touching my arm, but I blocked her out and placed my attention on Cuba. I knew something was up with that chick. Khi was always hollering about it was something in a bitch’s eyes, yet he couldn’t tell when he was fucking with a snake bitch. Had it not been for my boy Tramell pointing out why there was so much familiarity in the air, Cuba’s ass would’ve came and conquered what she had set out to do, and I would’ve never seen it coming.

  “Aye, bro, so that’s Alaska’s sister?” I asked Tramell, a
nd we both looked over at Khi and Cuba as the two became touchy feely, like they were in love and shit. “Sucka-ass nigga. What you think she up to?”

  “Probably nothing, nigga. Sit your paranoid ass down somewhere,” Tramell said.

  “You said the bitch was in jail, nigga,” I told Tramell as I looked at him and frowned.

  “And I guess she not now. The fuck is you flipping out for? Now is not the time.”

  “So you don’t think—”

  “Dae, you don’t hear—”

  “Bitch, hold the fuck up!” I snapped, causing a few people to shoot their attention in our direction. I sucked my teeth as I looked over at Cuba and Khi again. My forehead started to sweat when the two of them looked my way. I took in a deep breath and looked down at Taylana as she stood by my side. “Man, look. I don’t fuck with you no more. You think that shit you just did was fuckin’ funny to me or something? Fuck outta here, yo. We’re done. I have a family. Me and you were just something that happened that I allowed to go too far.”

  “Something that happened that you allowed to go too far? We moved in together. I’m pregnant. How do you . . . What do you mean you have a family?” Taylana responded as she looked up at me. Her hands shook as she held onto the handbag that she carried, and I could see her trembling as she tried to hold back the tears that were building in the corners of her eyes. “I’m just gonna tell my brother the truth. I can’t believe—”

  “Look,” I said and grabbed Taylana’s hand. I brought it up to my lips and kissed it. “You know a nigga love you, and I don’t want shit to end like this. Just meet me back at the crib in a few hours so we can talk in a calm environment. All these muthafuckas around, and I feel like your brother gonna send his goonies over here any minute at a nigga. I’ll see you later, a’ight?”

  “You promise?” she asked and used the back of her hand to wipe the tears away.

  I nodded my head as I looked up to see Cuba walking away from Khi and heading to what I assumed was the restroom. I leaned over and kissed Taylana on the forehead before walking away to catch up to Cuba. Once I had caught up to her, I slowed down and checked over my shoulder before I rushed up and snuck into the restroom behind her. I closed and locked the door and placed my hands into my pockets.