Page 76 of A Hood Wife And A Rich Goon 2

“Keep that shit tight for me then.” He knelt to kiss her neck, causing her to giggle before parting.

Midas marched right past Bull and Toni gathering their kids to walk out the front door.

“Come on, T. Let’s load them up so we can get them in bed.” Bull picked up Breeze off the couch first, and Essence approached.

“Hi.” She cleared her throat, addressing Toni moreso than Bull. “Heading out?”

“Been a long day, E,” Bull concluded.

“Well, can I talk to you for a minute?” Essence asked, looking Toni in the eye.

Curiosity filled her face before she glanced at her husband then back at Essence. Lifting herself and Bijou from the couch, she handed her over to Bull too.

“You can handle them, right?”

“Like two little fucking boulders.” Bull grunted, carrying both kids to the door.

Toni and Essence looked after them until the door closed.

“What’s this about?” Toni queried, studying how antsy Essence seemed, wringing her hands together.

“I just wanted to apologize. I might have come off a little territorial and indifferent when it came to you and Bull. For my own reasons.”

“I’m fully aware of those reasons.” Toni tucked her arms across her chest, and Essence paused, lips slightly parted.

“You are?”

“Yes. My husband and I do our best not to keep things from each other. So, I know all about you and him. My question is, are you keeping the past in the past, or you trying to keep it present for a possible future?”

Essence’s brows rose in surprise. She didn’t expect Toni to have so much bite or be so forward.

“I’m married,” Essence reminded her.

“Yes, well that’s neither here nor there when it comes to that sociopathic husband of yours⁠—”

“You don’t know anything about Marchonne.”

“I know he had no problem kidnapping me and my kids. So, we can keep it cute for the family, but the fact that you can even choose sides with a nigga like that over your own brother and Bull is all I need to know. We don’t ever have to be friends. Just make sure you show some fucking respect when I’m around.” Toni snatched up her purse off the couch and marched to the door.

She wanted to be pleasant and calm for Taci, so she wasn’t going to go there and raise hell in her house against her granddaughter, but she meant every word she said, and Essence could choke on it.

Later that night…

The old Miss Ruby’s Chicken and Fish sign was worn out. It still smelled like old oil and dust. Grease stains splattered the walls in the kitchen, and all the chairs were upside down on tables, accompanied by cobwebs. There were still menus on the counter. It was like the place was just frozen in time. Midas used a crowbar on the back door to let himself inside. He walked through cobwebs and swung his arm in front of him to avoid more as he stepped into the space. His heavy footsteps echoed against the tile, and he stopped to take in his surroundings. He knew he was in the right place. He’d arrived early enough to avoid Bull, Eazy, and Jewel too.

Using a flashlight, he aimed it at the ceiling, the floor, the floorboards, anything, searching for something. He didn’t know exactly what he was looking for until he paused near the old refrigerator. Something caught his eye. A sealed wall. Someone had cut part of it out and patched it up. It wasn’t recent, but he calculated at least in the last few years, judging from the state of the rest of the restaurant. Using his upper body strength, Midas moved the freezer until he had a full view of the wall behind it. At least twenty inches of space was carved out. Going into his bag of tricks, he retrieved the sledgehammer he’d brought along with him.

Within ten minutes, he’d managed to knock out the opening, and sure enough, there was a slot as thick as three encyclopedias. Dropping the sledgehammer at his side, he grabbed the flashlight he’d set on top of the freezer and shined it into the space.

“Mothafucka.” Midas grinned, reaching inside and gripping something with thick plastic around it.

Giving it a tug, his heart thudded anxiously when he pulled the Jackson Pollock piece out and uncovered it.

“That’s a pretty muhfucka right there,” Midas said after a whistle.

“Look at you,” Bull’s voice echoed in the darkness before the lights flickered on.

Midas turned. Bull at the entrance. Jewel leaning against the counter. Eazy with his back against the front door, arms folded across his chest. All dressed in black.