Page 109 of Lau Ahi
They all threw their hands up like a well-coordinated scene from a sitcom. Like they were tired of me not elaborating and I couldn’t begin to understand what more needed to be said. Me saying she was good should’ve been enough but I clearly hadn’t satisfied whatever curiosity they had about our situation.
“If I didn’t know shorty was absolutely insane I might actually feel bad for her having to marry your ass.” Yacouba ran a hand down his face as he shook his head.
“Why are you saying she’s insane?”
“She's marrying yoor ass. She's gotta be.” Liam slouched down further in his chair unbothered. Probably because he felt I was a lost cause. Which was ironic, since he’d exiled his wife at one point.
“Moving on. As far as the Franklins are concerned, Hakeem, I’m not sure. Do I hope he’s legit? Sure. One less person we have to kill. One less triangle of darkness I have to ink. If he’s not, I’ll eliminate him like anyone else and carry it on my skin.”
“You really should’ve been around them longer when you were growing up.” Mir shook his head feeling sorry for me.
I could only shrug because I didn’t feel as though I’d missed out on anything. “Can’t change that shit now.”
“Maybe you can.” Mir had a hopeful look on his face that was bothering the fuck out of me.
“Why would I want to?”
“We each had someone that was our blood that we could lean on. At the barest of minimums I had Lucky. Liam has Bhal. Xerx has Midas. We all had someone. Hell, Priest has Smoke.”
Priest chuckled at Yacouba because that shit sounded funny as hell. “Why are you speaking like that nigga is my sidekick?”
“Is he not?”
“Aye, I’m right here.”
Smoke leaned up from the wall he’d been resting on like a fucking outsider as soon as his name was mentioned. No matter how much we told him to ease up he was always thinking of watching our backs. The shit was annoying as fuck but he took pride in not being derelict in his duties. Even if he was supposed to be relaxing.
“And again, I’m saying this shit to your face so I don’t have to say it behind your back.” Yacouba and Smoke had a standoff because they were basically brothers-in-law. The only other person who was closer was Priest and they didn’t have the same family ties that Couba and Smoke did.
Liam was looking between the two of them before he shook his head. “These niggas are crazy.”
Mir glared at the side of Liam’s head like he’d lost his mind. “You’re one to talk.”
I clapped my hands together to get their attention because I needed them to focus. “Task at hand, niggas we got shit to do! I've got to be at work in the morning.”
“All we’re saying is you've gotta have somebody to talk to.” Yacouba was clearly done giving me advice.
I racked my brain for a second before my mind landed on someone who could work.
“I have my cousin.”
“Grant?!” Midas looked appalled at the notion that Grant was who I picked but I had my reasons.
“You can’t mean Mr. All-American Football.” Smoke piping up in this conversation voluntarily meant they really underestimated him.
“You think Grant is gone have your back?” Mir was even skeptical so I had to stick up for my blood.
“That man put in work when he needed to. Look at how he handled D-Mill.” They seemed to forget how Grant beat that nigga’s ass for touching his wife.
“Maybe. But he’s still on your fazer’s side and not your mama’s. Hakeem would give you the Franklin ties that could be involved in this without question. Having a wider network of people ain’t gone kill you.” Xerx wouldn’t understand how foul family could be to you because he personally never had his immediate family fuck with him. Those extended muthafuckas had been trying to kill him since before he was born though.
I smirked looking between Xerx and Priest, “Priest, you wanna tell Xerx just how wrong he is?” Priest’s uncle and cousin had tried to kill him and his uncle had killed Priest’s birth father.
“You know what he means. We can’t be the only people who love you.”
“You going soft on us, Cou?” I wanted to irritate him the way he’d been doing with me dragging this Asha situation.
“I will pull out my gun and shoot you in the fucking head. Soft these nuts, nigga.”
