Page 131 of Love U Down II

“I get it.” I exhaled, walked over to the couch, and took a seat. “And you still don’t want me to kill him?”

“I–– No. I don’t want you to kill him.”

I nodded once as I looked between her and her son. I sighed.

“You’re a grown woman and obviously you’ve gone back since we came to get you the last time.” I gestured toward her.

“Drix––”

I cut her off. “That’s your choice to make,” I said. “I just want to let you know I want better for you and you should want better for your son. If you ever call my wife and she shows up and that nigga think he gon’ play with her, I’ll kill him.”

She opened her mouth then closed it and nodded.

“I hear you.”

“I know I can’t make you do shit that you don’t want to do, Genie, but I want to make sure you know that you have options. We can put you and the kid up somewhere if you need.”

“Or you could get him killed?”

“That’s right.”

Trapp had been buried and Retta and Niecy had been radio silent ever since.

I wasn’t against going there again if that was what it took.

As someone who only ever wanted to treat my mother, sister, wife, and nieces as the queens and princesses they were, the thought that anyone could just be mistreating and hitting a woman was some shit I took personally. Even if I didn’t get to put my hands on him myself, I knew for a fact Dashawn had people in the cut who were trying to earn their stripes and would be down to do it if given the opportunity.

Genie gave me a small smile.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

I nodded.

“He ever hit the kid?”

“No!” she answered quickly. “Never. I swear.”

“Okay. Does he know where you are?”

“No. I went back home like two days after coming here. We got in an argument about me calling you and the fight you guys got into. He hit me. I came back. We haven’t spoken since.”

“You plan on talking to him?”

Genie opened her mouth then closed it and shrugged.

“I don’t know. It’s complicated.”

“A’ight.” I sighed. “Nighttime choreo. You, me, and Myome. We can start tomorrow. Nine p.m. I’ll get a treadmill for the label’s building. I can get you a babysitter if necessary.”

“I’ll be there. I promise.”

“A’ight. Well, since we’re promising stuff…”

Genie sighed.

“Let me hear it.”

“If you have issues, call me before Myome.”