Page 14 of Quasim II: King Inferno

“Sug is so damn hardheaded… I told her to take the girls and go to the compound.”

I grabbed his face and looked into his face. “Meer, you cannot keep beating yourself up for what happened. You protected the house and got the girls out of there. Capri would never leave you to hold it down alone, and I thank God that my sister was hardheaded that night because shit could have been different. I want you to stop punishing yourself for protecting your family because Capri isn’t punishing you.”

I kissed his head and gave him a tight squeeze. “Appreciate you, B.”

I smiled and returned back around the counter. “I’m always here like you were for me. You and Capri are stuck with me.”

“Shit, I saw what you did to Jesse… we gonna be friends either way. I don’t wann—” His words were cut off when I tossed the dish cloth at his head.

“You are an asshole… are you and Peach staying for dinner?”

He laughed and wiped the remaining tears from his face. “Nah. I’m driving into the city with her to see her mother. I hate to fucking admit it, but she needs her mother. Brandi has been respectful, allowing me to keep her with me, but I know she’s fucking scared, too.”

This was the most grace that I’ve seen Meer extend to Brandi. “I can only imagine how she felt hearing what was done to her bed.”

“Yeah. I can’t continue to keep her away. I told her that she can spend a few hours with her, but once Peach falls asleep, I’m going to pick her up. Don’t trust her away from me right now and Brandi understands that.”

“I’m glad she didn’t make it about herself.”

“She’s fucking with some basketball player that plays for the Los Angeles Porters. She been on her best behavior in hopes that I will allow her to bring Peach to meet him.”

I shook my head. “She doesn’t stay down for too long, huh?”

“Long as she got three holes, Brandi gonna make sure a nigga is nearby.” He looked over at me. “How you been, B?”

“Scared.”

“What up? Tell me what you feeling.” He relaxed in the chair and stared at me, waiting for me to explain why I was in this constant state of fear all the time.

“Your brother. It’s been two weeks and I’ve seen him like three times… I worry about him, Meer.”

“He’s never going to rest until he has whoever is responsible. When Cherie was murdered, it was a killing spree in the city. It was so damn bad that the founders had to get together to make it stop.”

“Why would someone do that to his home?”

“B, there is no logic or remorse in the streets. Sim knows that, and though he hasn’t processed the shit yet, he knows that niggas have lived to come for what he has. Reason he was hesitant to get with you.”

“Yeah.”

Elijah’s iPad chimed and Meer looked down at it. “I swear these games be hitting them up like they making money on the block.” He swiped up to silence the notification from the app. Elijah was drawing before Peach and Meer arrived.

“Yo, B.” He waved for me to come over and I quickly rounded the counter again as he was looking at the screen.

It was a picture of a drawing that Elijah had drawn on his sketch app. “Jesus.”

Meer’s nose flared. “B, move this shit away from me… please.”

I quickly put the iPad to sleep as I stared at Meer, unsure of what to say or do. “Harley came to me when I was unconscious.”

I expected him to look at me the same way that Capri had. “She comes to me sometimes… tells me that her father needs me.Every time she comes to me, and I check in with my brother, he always needs that conversation or that time with me.”

“She told me things happened to him, and I know it sounds silly… I believe in that. It felt so real, Meer.”

He ran his hand down his face. “That picture tells us that what she said wasn’t silly. Some people don’t believe in the dead coming to you and that’s for them to believe. I believe the shit, and before you said something, I was having a conversation with Capone and Erin about it.”

“What do we do?” my voice cracked as I watched Elijah and Peach tossing rocks into the lake.

Elijah managed to put a smile on her face. “I’m not getting the fucking police involved, I know that much.”

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