Page 28

“So, I’m confused,” Mars began while sitting in the passenger seat of the beater car he and Cassius were using for the evening. “Are you getting married or not?”

“I don’t fuckin’ know,” Cassius hissed, gripping the steering wheel.

Until he’d seen Aella, he was content continuing life as though she didn’t exist. But their conversation had his mouth moving faster than his mind, resulting in him saying things before his brain could fully comprehend their meaning.

As was typical, he shared everything with Mars, who was now asking more questions than he could answer.

“So you told the girl you were going to propose, but don’t know if you want to marry her? And you’ve had me stalking a nigga for a week to pick up on his routine so you can fuck him up for talking to her crazily, but you don’t know if you want her? Did you start sniffing coke when you were gone? Because you’re acting like you’re on that shit.”

“Mars, don’t get fucked up in this car. You’re getting on my nerves, and I’m not in the mood.”

“A’ight, Powder Head,” he mumbled.

Cassius threw a fist in his direction as quickly as lightning, which Mars must have been anticipating since he narrowly dodged it at the last second.

“Damn, you still quick.”

“What part of I’m not in the mood, aren’t you understanding?”

“I’m just trying to help you make sense of the mess you’re making. You’re the one flying off the rails.”

“It’s Aella’s damn mouth,” Cassius hissed, cutting off his lights before turning into the neighborhood where their target lived. “Every time she challenges me, I get the urge to prove her wrong.”

“Have y’all talked since you ran into her?”

“Nah,” Cassius rolled to a stop.

“Nigga.”

“I know, I know,” Cassius grumbled.

“You’re going to catch a bullet if you keep fuckin’ around and playing with her feelings.”

“That wasn’t my intention, but when I went to hit her up for the date I offered to take her on, I realized I didn’t know what to say. I kept telling myself I’d deal with it later and later just so happened to turn into over a week.”

“Shorty really has you off your square.”

“Don’t fuckin’ remind me,” Cassius muttered as the man he’d been waiting for finally pulled up at home.

Tugging the door handle, he climbed out of the car and strolled across the street without a word, counting on the darkness as cover. Mars was right behind him.

The man who had been at the restaurant with Aella was so wrapped up in what he was doing that he wasn’t watching his surroundings and found himself sprawled in the snow before he even realized Cassius was there.

“What the fuck?” he looked up in shock. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“What’s up, muthafucker,” Cassius said calmly. “Remember me?”

“Look, man, if this is about the other day⁠—”

“The other day?” Cassius repeated, squatting so they were eye level. “You mean the day you disrespected my wife and called her out of her name? Scream, and I’ll shoot you right here and right now.”

Quickly slipping a knife from his pocket, Cassius drove it into the man’s thigh. He jerked, but stayed quiet, his face tightening in pain.

“Now, I’m not sure what I walked up on, but I do know that she wasn’t happy with the direction of the conversation. And when she isn’t happy, I’m not happy.” He withdrew the knife and stabbed him again. “How close you think I am to the femoral artery, Mars?”

“Eh… about an inch. Give or take. It’s dark, so who really knows?”

Cassius dragged the blade along the man’s cheek, unnerved at how easily he slipped back into his enforcer persona. “Whatever the fuck she asked you for, you’re going to double it for causing her distress and wasting her fuckin’ time. Do I make myself clear?”