Page 26 of So I Know it's Real

I rose from my seat. “Calm down, Clover.”

“No! No. Where is my purse? My shoes. I need to—”

I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her back to my chest. “I know you need to get home, but I want you to relaxfor me. A panic attack can sweep you off your feet, and right now, you need a clear head.”

“Durk…” She groaned. “My niece said The Pablos are at my house. This mess is déjà vu. What if—”

“Nah, we ain’t banking on shit that has not happened. I’m going to get you home, and we’re going to figure this shit out.”

I held Clover’s hand during the car ride, hoping my presence added a layer of peace to the situation. All the consideration I had when we drove to Eshu’s Ink went out the window as I sped to Clover’s house. I didn’t have all the details, but knowing a bunch of slobs had interrupted my time had me on go mode.

We were about fifteen minutes from our destination when I got the idea to call my squad for backup. Truthfully, I didn’t need a soul to shoot for me or Clover. Calling my cousins was more of a precaution for my enemies than it was for me since my family would save me from catching a body.

“Yo!” I hollered when Church picked up the phone. “I need you to meet me at Clover’s house. I texted you the address.”

“Say no more. We’re leaving The Showdown right now.”

“Bet. I’ll see you in a minute.”

As soon as I ended the call, Clover squeezed my hand.

“Destin, I think this is just some drama between teenagers.”

“What the hell does that mean? I caught my first—trust me. Age ain’t nothing but a number.”

The sight of The Pablos dressed in green and members of The Sons of Eshu in black and red loaded my sight when I pivoted onto Clover’s block. We didn’t get to exit the car before Essen rushed over to the passenger side. She didn’t appear stressed about the scene, which made me breathe easier.

“Look at the happy couple,” my cousin teased.

I grimaced at her nosy ass. “Essen, don’t start that shit.”

“What? I said nothing wrong.”

“Keep it that way, and I won’t say anything about you and Ish showing up at events together. I know you rode with him.” I tugged on Clover’s chin so she was looking at me. “Take the ladies inside and check on the home front. I’ll take care of everything out here.”

Out of my car with my pistol in hand, I passed the members of S.O.E. and headed to the middle of the street. “I’m going to ask you little niggas one time to bust a move before I bust my burner.”

A tall dude dressed in a jogging suit took the lead. “We don’t want a problem with The Sons of Eshu. We didn’t know Kya’s snake ass had ties to y’all.”

“Y’all are bold pulling up to somebody’s house without knowing who they’re connected to.”

“Blood, you need to tell Kya that! That bitch stole a brick from my stash. I’m not leaving without my shit.”

I aimed my gun at his forehead. “You’re going to give me twenty-four hours to get your shit back to you, and I’m going to give you twenty-four seconds to leave.”

“We can work with that, but that broad owes Big P an apology when he gets back in town.”

“I’ll think about it.”

The group exchanged glares and some whispered profanity, but they dispersed. The leader of the pack hung back and gave me his contact information before he followed his homies with a mug on his face.

“Damn, Durk! We encouraged you to find a woman, not start a war.” Shiloh was the first to speak once the street was clear.

“Man, those fools ain’t on nothing.”

“I mean, I don’t think it’ll turn into anything big, but I am curious about what Clover’s niece is into. The Pablos didn’t pull up for nothing.”

“I don’t give a shit why they were here. Once they have their pack, they have no reason to come back.”

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