Page 177 of The Ninth

“G, I’m getting the feeling that you in my business.”

“Aw, fuck you!” he laughed, throwing his head back.

I chuckled as I reached into the backseat, grabbing a black duffle bag. I dropped it into his lap before slapping the back of his head.

“I love you, pussy. On granny. I’ll never be able to really repay you for being there for me and taking care of my baby while I was jammed up. You know she’s my everything. You know I take what I do seriously. You’ve never played about either.”

“I’m not accepting this shit. You my lil brother, nigga. I love you to death and I love Cassandra to death. You don’t pay for love.”

“Of course you don’t. I’m showing my thanks. Words and actions aren’t enough, not even that million in your lap. You carried weight for five years. Please don’t insult me, foo.”

“I love you too.”

“You feel me?”

“You and Cassie coo? Like, one-hunnid?”

“I’m in love with her, broski. Willingly and against my will. That other shit is secondary to that. I believe her words and know her heart. I know it won’t happen again. I still hurt but it be like that sometimes. I know she does too. The only thing I worry about is if she did actually care and love for him and she’s protecting my feelings.”

“I on’t know, gang. You told her you was going to kill that nigga. She doesn’t seem like the type that will watch someone she loves die. Where the fuck he at? He think we pussy or something?”

I chuckled while putting a rubber band on one stack and counting the next one.

“Nah. He just caught up with some bitch thinking he’s getting away with what he did with my wife. I’m a patient man. Plus, I’m feeling lucky. I’ma see him soon.”

He shook his head, pulling out weed and rolling up on the bag I gave him.

Quietly, all I could do was laugh to myself. This nigga is crazy but somehow has convinced everyone he coo and laid back. Duke wanna put his hands on the bitch just as much as I do.

“Wait, what was you saying about them niggas outside the tattoo shop again?”

How could I let that slip my mind? As he licked the leaf, my eyes did another scan around the area. He dried the blunt while shaking his head.

“I’m still kicking myself for letting the girl walk out without me. They could’ve...”

“Nah, gang.”

“They could’ve, though. I don’t know, it was several things. I don’t see niggas up to no good out that way. If that was the case, you wouldn’t have put Cassie up the street. She needs to answer for why she hasn’t known what type of business I owned and never asked where it was at, also.”

I laughed loudly, “Shorty was spinning poles, foo. Clearly she was busy.”

He laughed as I kissed my teeth, making myself re-mad.

“Anyways, it just felt wrong. Not to mention her body language. It’s like she was caught off guard or scared to see them. And they were just staring at her until I popped out. She says they didn’t say anything to her and she didn’t know them. But I don’t know. She may be lying like her cousin do.”

“Slow down, bitch.” I shook my head while he choke-laughed on the blunt. I took it from him, hitting it before confessing. “I’ve been hearing something.”

“Something like what?” he immediately tensed up, sitting straighter. Becoming bigger.

“That weird ass nigga Kenan and some of his homies were all found dead in somebody’s house. He was throwing parties there and shit. And it wasn’t just them dead either, the other niggas got dropped too. They think it was a set up. Niggas, bitches. Niggas and bitches. Who knows.”

“What you tryna say?”

“When shit occurs at the same time, you gotta look for a relationship between the two. Why niggas lurking around the shop where Devyn is at the same time this shit is popping off?”

We sat in silence, killing the fuck outta that blunt. This is just a theory. A nigga like me takes everything into account when it comes to this street shit. Them rumors going around and then them niggas popping up where Devyn at was enough plausibility to consider something happened. I just pray Cassie wouldn’t do no shit like that.

“What now?”