Page 222 of The Ninth

Both of us leaned in, embracing each other tightly. I couldn’t help the sobs that rocked my body. They were no different than the ones that rocked hers.

Our grandmother is slipping away. Aunt Tami and Uncle Cash are gone. It’s us two and my parents. That’s it. The love and care between Cassie and I is impenetrable. We’ve healed something in one another that Duke and K3 could never. I owe it to Cassandra and myself to nourish our sisterhood for the rest of our lives.

“HEY!” Piper yelled, running up to us.

Cassie and I pulled away, wiping our faces at the same time.

“I love you, Cassandra.”

“I love you, Devyn.”

“Hey!” Piper said again, out of breath. She ran all the way to us and looked pissed. “Did y’all hear?”

“Hear what?” we responded together.

“I heard your fathead ass fiancé on the phone with K2! Micah, Uncle Kenzo and Man-Man are GONE! As in, they’re in the United States! This was all a ploy to get us out of the country! We’re not in the same country!”

“WHAT?!” Cassie and I yelled, hopping up.

“Mhm! They didn’t even fly to Chicago or Arizona. For some reason, they traveled directly to New Orleans.”

I quickly looked to Cassie as her mouth dropped open. If they are in New Orleans, they’re there for one person and one person only. She let out the most frustrated yell I’ve ever heard from her,

“THAT MOTHAFUCKA!”

The Tip of the Iceberg

K3’s POV

DRUG RAIDS, CONSPIRARICES, MURDERS, HOMICIDES, MAMAS CRYING.

I sat in the driver’s seat of the rental car, taking a backwood full of OG Kush to the face. I didn’t give a fuck about smoking in it, this mothafucka going straight to the scrap yard when I’m finished, on bro. It’s only use is to take me to do this shit and then go back to the city.

A nigga was going through the motions. Pops told me Cassie told them she was pregnant which is what I wanted her to do. I wanted them to love on her and make her feel less alone when I left her. There’s no way I could let her come back and be in danger from what I’m about to do.

It didn’t stop me from feeling guilty that I wasn’t with her the morning after our lives changed. I knew from the go this was the plan, so I gotta stand on it. My sole intentions were to get our family out the way and return without them.

This bean head bitch Micah leaned into the front seat, turning the music down.

“Y’all gon look out for me with Piper, right?”

“No,” Duke and I answered at the same time.

“Mmcht! C’mon, niggas! If I lose my perfect baby over this shit, I’ma FUCK y’all up!”

Duke laughed, “ON WHO?”

“ON HER, BITCH!”

Both of us cracked up laughing at his lil young ass.

Piper was Micah’s Cassie or Devyn. A girl out the way that fell for a hood nigga. I tried to kill his ass after they first date but he outran me which neva happens. Piper bogus ass was gone off of him. So, I gave the lil nigga a chance. And he holds his own, on foenem.

“What’s that nigga’s name again?” Duke asked.

“Zay or Xavier Stephens. He friends with the owner and manager of The Ninth. His blood niece is the goofy that’s been fucking on Juan.”

“And he just...got the nigga out of jail?”