Page 128 of Heart Of A Goon II

As we mentioned his name, this nigga slammed his body against the back glass with one eye opened, staring directly at us.

“Good googa mooga is tripping,” Menace said, his eyes still wide as shit and glassy.

“I just want to cool my feet, Mavie.” Stevie pulled her leggings up and tried to climb onto the sink to put her feet into the damn dish water.

“Not in my sink!” Menace hollered. “I been working all day at the damn shop and I come home to dishes in the sink and the kids not showered and in bed. I work too damn hard, Carl.”

“What in the fuck is going on? Is he doing a one-man Broadway show?” Meer asked, as he got closer and sat at the counter.

“Harriet, I fucking work at the cigarette mill,” he added into the bullshit, and all of us watched, not being able to look away.

Menace waved the wet wooden spoon. “I wouldn’t be working at all if you would have taken that job… all these kids and we’re barel⁠—”

Skyler and Aimee were both hysterically laughing while trying to hold onto each other.

“I was a theater kid!” Kobe jumped in.

“And who the hell is this? In my fucking bed? You fucked him in my bed, Carl?” Menace continued when Kobe got close to the counter.

Kobe rolled his neck, holding onto his clothes. “You told her, Carl… you promised.”

Meer looked at both of them. “I love him dammit! I love hi⁠—”

“Let me show you to your room… this shit is a fucking mess. My production company never approved this shit.”

Leave it to my best friend to make me laugh with his crazy ass. He showed me to my room so I could shower and eat. I needed a shower, and some sleep.

It had been a while since I had decent sleep.

I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled my phone out. Hitting a few buttons, I put the phone to my ear and waited. When the phone answered, I didn’t say anything.

“Hello?”

“Holaaaa?” the woman became irritated that no one said anything back. Her spicy tone had always been my favorite thing about her. “If you’re going to call the least you can do is explain yourself. I’m in the dark here and don’t know what to believe, Papi.”

Like hell I wished I could explain myself and kiss on her. Today we would have been cuddled up in her bed, ordering takeout because she didn’t subscribe to the bullshit of Thanksgiving. It was another day and a free day where we got to spend time together.

“I love you, Papi… please be safe.” I could hear her sniffling and wished I was there to hold and console her.

Amaria was my heart, and I loved the fuck out of her. Everything we had built together could be flushed down the drain because of her father, Kevin Robinson.

I pressed the three button a few times, basically morse code, or my version of it, that I loved her before ending the call. Resting the phone onto my forehead, I took a deep breath.

My life was in Zoya Caselli’s hands.

I showered and went straight to bed without eating anything. That sleep was well needed, because I could rest. I knew this island was protected Quasim was down the hall, and Cappadonna was in the house right next to us. I was never the kind of nigga that didn’t admit that my guys brought comfort to me. We were all brothers, and that shit wasn’t just words to us.

The sun was rising slowly, so I slipped on some workout clothes and headed downstairs. Unlike last night, it was quiet down here. The only person up was Gams, and she was enjoying her coffee while watching some Portuguese soap opera on an iPad, I assumed was Ryder’s.

“Good morning, Gams.”

She smiled up at me. “Hi, Fuquan. Slept good last night?”

I nodded and went into the fridge to grab a water. “The best I have in a while. How are you up so early?”

“You hear that?”

“Nah.”