The Rise and Fall of the Barnes Brothers Box Set 1

by Nikki Brown

  “Will you please let me take your vitals?” she asked before the door popped open I looked to make sure it wasn’t Ma. When I realized that it was Zemia dropping by before she headed to work I smiled.

  “Is he giving you a hard time today?” She asked the nurse and I looked at her daring her ass to snitch.

  “Well he refuses to let me take his vitals.” She said with a smirk and I bit my lip and nodded. I was gonna make sure didn’t none of them get any rest I was gonna be on the bell for every little thing, I swear fo God they were gonna hate me after today.

  “Man take them shits and get out with yo’ snitching ass.” She and Zemia laughed and she did what she had to do and then left.

  “Why is it so hard for you to do what you’re supposed to do, huh?”

  “I don’t see the fucking point in this shit.” I waved my right arm around because when the bullet went in my chest it damaged a few nerves and I had lost some strength in my left arm. Hell, I was right handed anyway so I didn’t see the issue.

  “You need to get your strength back in your left arm and they wanna run a few more tests to make sure you didn’t damage anything else.”

  “Fuck that, you know just as well as I do they just wanna keep me here ‘cause we paid cash!” I yelled hoping they heard me. My Uncle put money down for the best care and they are trying their best to run that shit up but I be damned, I’m getting the fuck out of here.

  “Omari, I need you to behave while I’m at work.” I looked at her and her slanted eyes were pleading with me and it was so hard for me to tell her sexy ass no sometimes.

  “Man go on,” I waved her off but then looked at her. “What I get out of it?”

  “Weeeelllllllll, if you do what you supposed to do while you are here, I got you when you get out.” She winked, and my dick jumped.

  “Don’t fucking play with me Z.”

  “Ain’t nobody playing but I gotta go, I’ma be late.”

  “You coming back later?”

  “Yeah, after work.” She smiled and then kissed me and left.

  I knew she still felt some type of way about that bitch stopping by the hospital but after everyone left we stayed up and talked for a while. I wanted her to know where I was coming from with the whole thing. I didn’t want her to feel like I was just playing with her or anything like that. I really liked her and was considering doing shit right. After the lil’ talk she seemed to be in a better head space about us and agreed to give us a shot. She did tell me that if she had to deal with anything else like that she was done because she was not a woman that was gonna sit around and be treated any kind of way. And she wasn’t, Zemia was a beautiful person inside and out.

  I needed to make sure that I had all my ducks in a row when it came to her. She was worth more than the shit that I was up to and I was gonna make sure that I proved that to her. Starting by calling the Betty Boop looking hoe, Jernisha.

  “Oh my God Omari are you okay?” She cried like she had any right to be worried about me.

  “What the fuck you coming up here for bitch, and how did you know where I was?”

  “Huh?” she paused. “The streets talk Omari, and I just wanted to make sure that you were okay.”

  “Why, I don’t even like yo’ ass. Didn’t we talk about this shit? I told you all you were was some quick pussy. I never led you to believe that you were any more than that. So, what made yo’ water head ass decide to show up here?”

  “Omari, you don’t mean that, you have to feel something for me. I mean look how many times we fucked.”

  “And! Hoe you were in rotation.”

  “Rotation?” She asked like she was shocked by what I was saying when I told her on multiple times that we were nothing.

  “Yes, dumb ass, rotation, R-O-T-A-T-I-O-N! Got it that time? You were my number three so when the other two didn’t pick up then I would call you. You were nothing to me and you never will be.”

  “Why are you being so mean, after all I’ve done for you?” I had to look at the phone because I was confused as hell because this bitch has never done anything.

  “What the fuck you did for me?” I asked and waited on a response that never came. “You must got me mixed up with one of the other niggas yo' hoe ass got in rotation, but check this out,” I paused to make sure that I had her undivided attention, “if you ever come anywhere near my girl or my family with that bullshit again, I will make your family pay for it aight?”

  “Your girl?” out of everything I said all she heard was my girl. This dumb bitch was about to be fish food.

  “Yeah, I got one of those now, so your services won’t be needed anymore. I feel like you have been reasonably compensated for the work your mouth has done. I should not see or hear from you again, are we clear?”

  “Damn you sound like you firing me from a job.”

  “I am you idiot, I no longer need to see what yo mouth do. You are fired! Are we clear?”

  “Are you sure? I am good at being the side chick.”

  “How fucking dumb can you be, shit I need to start checking SAT scores before I fuck with bitches.” I was getting frustrated because she wasn’t getting it and I didn’t want any issues with Zemia. “No, I don’t want shit to do with you and if you come near me again I’m fucking you up. You understand that?”

  “Fine you weren’t all that anyway, I was just in it for the money.” She blurted out.

  “Well good then we shouldn’t have any more problems.”

  “Whatever Omari, you’ll be back.” She hung up the phone and I shook my head and put the phone down. I didn’t have time for her shit, I wasn’t playing with her I would make her life a living hell if she fucked with me. I’m not one that likes to go after family members, but I would if the situation presented itself. Her dumb ass had been warned and I just wanted her to leave me alone and I would be just fine.

  I really needed to be high right now because I knew these fuckers were about to come in here with the shit about physical therapy and unless I was high I was about to be a total asshole. I was gonna cuss Denari’s dumb ass out and right as I was about to call his slow ass, he came around the corner.

  “The fuck you been with my shit?”

  “Man, I tried that shit and fell in love, so I had to go to the warehouse and get me one first. You know Kayson aggravating ass wasn’t trying to give me shit, I had to tell him you sent me.” He rolled his eyes and then looked at me. “You good, bruh?”

  I knew that Denari felt like this shit was his fault but it wasn’t that nigga was coming for him and if he was coming for him he was coming for me too. So, the way I see it, it was bound to happen. I was just glad it happened to me and not him. His skinny ass would have died.

  “D this ain’t yo’ fault, that nigga gonna get his.”

  “You got damn right; the only way to make that nigga surface is for me to be out in public somewhere.”

  “Nah that shit ain’t smart D, you could get killed. We gotta plan that shit out so we can take care of it quick and move the hell on you know?”

  “Yeah,” was all he said which meant that he was about to do some dumb shit. I hated when he got like that because more than likely it ends up bad. I decided to let it go for now, but I would be sure to try and keep an eye on him.

  “Whatever nigga give me my shit, I need to float around this muthafucka.” He handed me my vape and THC juice. I filled her up and hit her hard a few times until I felt my buzz. I laid my head back on my pillow and relaxed. Then I jumped up when I remembered what I was originally supposed to talk to his ass about.

  “The fuck wrong with you?” Denari looked at me like I was crazy because I sat up real fast.

  “Yo nigga, please tell me that it ain’t you stealing shit from the fucking warehouse.” I looked him in his eyes and the look that he gave me let know right then and there that it was him. He was the one doing that dumb shit and when Kayson ass finds out he gonna flip the fuck out.

  “Aight well I won’t tell you the
n.” He shrugged his shoulders.

  “Why in the fuck you think it’s okay to fucking steal from your got damn brothers?” I yelled louder than expected.

  “First of all, chill out with that yelling shit,” he said in a threatening tone, I guess he thought since a nigga was a little fucked up I couldn’t handle his ass. Denari knew I would fuck him up no problem. “I ain’t stealing, I get the product, sell it and put the money back before anybody notice that shit.” He really thought this shit was fool proof. “Y’all cut me out and left me no fucking choice.”

  “We cut you out because of dumb shit like this. You just keep fucking up and putting us at risk. This is why muthafucka, this bullshit right here.”

  “Man, whatever, I ain’t hurting nobody and ain’t nobody gotta know.”

  “That’s where the fuck you wrong nigga, Kayson noticed it and asked me about it. He thinks it’s just some nigga forgetting to sign shit out but he is looking for whoever the fuck it is.” I told him and that changed his expression with his dumb ass. “I ain’t gonna say shit because that ain’t me, but if he asks me I ain’t lying either.” I put that out there just so that he knew I was done with his little bullshit ass secrets. I hated when he put me in these binds. “You don’t even know this nigga, what if he the fucking feds and you don’t even know the nigga last name.” I looked at him because I figured he was talking about the nigga that he tried to get me to help him with.

  “I got this, that’s the problem now y’all always wanna find something wrong instead of just seeing what the fuck I’m doing right.”

  “D, yo ass don’t fucking think shit through, you do shit off impulse; if it seems right to you then you do not give a fuck about the consequences.” I shook my head because his ass ain’t gonna ever change. “You don’t even give a fuck about whether we get caught in the fucking crosshairs.”

  I threw that out there just to fuck with him and make him understand where we were coming from. I really didn’t blame him for the shit but damn something needed to get through his thick ass skull.

  “Oh aight,” was all he said before he hit the door. I didn’t even try and stop him because I didn’t have the energy to try and get him to see shit my way. I grabbed my vape and took me a few more hits and got ready for these niggas to come and do this shit they gotta do and if they didn’t hurry the fuck up, I was gonna decline that shit.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Jenacia

  “Girl I don’t know what I’m gonna do about Omari’s ass.” Zemia shook her head. “He up there giving them people at the hospital hell.”

  “I can only imagine. Why won’t he just leave?”

  “Ma Ann told him if he did that she was gonna kick his ass. He needed to be there to make sure that everything was okay with him. She didn’t want him coming home and doing too much and end up right back in the hospital. So, she wanted him to wait until he was 100%.”

  “I understand that.”

  “His retarded ass doesn’t. This nigga pissed on the floor on purpose because they tried to make his ass go to fucking therapy, how nasty is that.”

  I had to laugh at that because as long as I’ve known Omari he’s been like that. He has never liked being told what to do and when you made him he would always make sure that you regretted that you did.

  “He’s a character for sure.”

  “Yeah I just don’t know if I can handle that character.” Zemia got the long face for a second.

  “Stop Z, Omari is a good guy it’s just with him you have to spell everything out.” I knew she was scared to totally fall for him because of the bitch that showed up at the hospital but in his mind, they weren’t together, and he could still do what the fuck he wanted to do and until she told him otherwise that’s how he was gonna look at it. “He’s not your father; you gotta stop looking at situations like your parents.”

  “I know but it’s hard, shit my dad was my hero until he pulled that shit. I mean for my mom it was the best thing he could’ve done because she’s happy now.” She sighed heavily. I knew all about the things that went on with her mom and dad and how he shunned her out of his life because she told on him. What kind of man refuses to talk to his own daughter because she did what she thought was right at the time? Her dad was a coward, but I know it hurt her even though she tried to pretend that it didn’t.

  “It still bothers you that you don’t talk to him, doesn’t it?”

  “It used to bother me a lot but now I just don’t care,” she shrugged, and I knew it was just her tough girl act that she was putting on. “I just hate that he got my brother in on this shit.”

  “Lyndon is home?” I asked shocked because I knew she told me that it was time for him to be released but she never told me that he was home.

  “Yeah, my dad went and got him like a month ago, they released him a little early. My dad has been keeping him with him in South Carolina.”

  “South Carolina?”

  “Yeah that bastard moved and didn’t even let anyone know.” she rolled her eyes.

  We dipped in the food court. We were just browsing around the mall because we were tired of sitting in the hospital. The guys were running around town looking for the dude that shot Omari so were kind of on our own. I was cool with that because I had time to focus on my photography. I had been saving for a place but since Kayson shut that shit down, I now had the money to look for a spot for my studio.

  “That’s some fucked up shit.”

  “Tell me about it, I finally got to talk to him at least. I told him that when things settle down for me I wanted to plan a day at Carowinds, so I can introduce him to everybody.” She smiled. She loved her little brother and it pained her for him to be in jail, but she knew he needed it. Lyndon was out of control and I hoped like hell that he had gotten his shit under control for his sake and hers.

  “You know I’m down.”

  “Good, now let’s go eat. My ass is starving and you know that little Japanese spot got the best bourbon chicken around.”

  “Yes, they do.” I agreed, and we skipped over to get in line. I only had a few bags because I wasn’t really in need of anything and although I liked to shop I wasn’t a binge shopper. I didn’t just go out and spend unnecessary money. Now don’t get me wrong when I saw something I liked, I got it, but I didn’t just go out spending money because I could. I didn’t give a damn who my man was.

  We got in line and got our food and went to find a place to sit. After we had gotten settled my stomach suddenly felt queasy. I jumped up and ran to the nearest bathroom. I entered the stall and threw up everywhere. That had been happening quite often lately and I didn’t want to think that I was pregnant, but I knew that I was.

  I went to the sink to try and get myself together. I splashed water on my face and then looked in the mirror, my face was pale, and it looked like I could use a good nap. I shook it off and went to walk back out to where Zemia was and ran dap smack into the Brayla bitch.

  “Umph, look at what we got here.”

  “Bitch I ain’t in the mood for your shit, so if you don’t mind you can move to the side before I beat your ass.” I told her straight up I owed her ass anyway for sending that got damn picture.

  “Yo ass better not be pregnant, I’m telling you now. If you are you may as well say goodbye to the good life.” She laughed and for a second what she said got to me but then I remembered who I was.

  I smiled. “That’s where you’re wrong,” I stepped in her face with throw up breath and everything. I didn’t even give a fuck. “If I’m pregnant all that means is that I’m gonna get one hell of a ring, I ain’t you; he actually wants more than a nut with me.” She didn’t take that too well because she acted like she was gonna do something so I punched that hoe in the mouth and dared her to do something about it. Instead she just stood there like she couldn’t believe that I hit her. I shook my head and walked around her. “Stay the fuck away from me bitch. I promise you this is your last warning, pregnant or not I will fuck y
ou up.” I threw over my shoulder as I left the bathroom and went back to join Zemia.

  “Girl you good?” she looked at me all suspicious.

  “Yeah I just got sick.” I said as I closed the box of food I just purchased and threw it in the garbage can.

  “Is there something that you need to tell me?”

  “Shit I don’t even know myself.” I said as I watched Brayla watch me from across the room. Zemia followed my eyes and jumped up.

  “Do we gotta a problem?”

  “Nah we good, I already popped that bitch in the mouth for talking slick. As long as she keeps her distance, I’m good.”

  “Aight.” She shrugged. “You ready?” I nodded. “We need to go get you a test, so we can see if you are carrying my niece or nephew.” She smiled, and I honestly didn’t know how to feel about it to be honest. I had been in this situation before, so I wasn’t sure if I was ready or not. I guess we would see and if the test was positive, and then I would have to deal with it because there was no way in hell that I was getting another abortion.

  I was sitting in the living room on the couch just staring at the positive pregnancy test. Earlier, me and Zemia got one from Target and went back to my house to take it. The pregnancy line showed up faster than the control line, so I knew that shit was real.

  At first, I was sad because I was just getting to where I was making a name for myself in the photography industry. I was getting more jobs than I could keep up with, and I also still had my job with The Word. Having a baby didn’t mean that I would have to give all of that up, it just meant that I had more motivation to do more because I had someone to look up to me.

  My biggest fear was that Kayson was not gonna want the baby like that bitch Brayla said, but his actions show me that he’s gonna embrace this, and I needed him to.

  “Baby?” I heard his voice calling me before I heard the door knob turn.