Page 26 of Quasim II: King Inferno

The Gods weren’t the only ones that stood, the Bullies and Reapers did the same. “We… straight?” Tookie needed to hear the word from his mouth.

“Ight.” Was all Sim said.

He got back into the truck and started it, while everyone made room for him. Meer filed out first, and then we followed behind him.

“I don’t trust him, Simmy,” I looked at him.

Tyshawn was saying he wanted a truce, and at first, I believed he was trying to be smart and not die, because going against the Infernos, he was surely going to die. It was the way he looked at Quasim, more specifically at Meer, that told me otherwise.

“Me, either.”

“Why areyou holding the gun like you are part of Charlie’s Angels?” Aimee laughed, as she sat on the counter next to where I was standing.

I looked at the way Capri held hers, and then how Alaia was holding hers and now my ass felt odd. They were shooting their targets like it was nothing, and here I was, standing and holding my gun like I was Beyonce in Austin Powers.

Alaia shot the desert eagle with ease, her arm kicked back with each shot she took, but she kept her foot planted firmly, and her hand stayed tightly gripped around the gun.

“Aimee, you are slowly working your way onto that list with Meer.”

She couldn’t hold her laugh in as she jumped down. Aimee was slightly taller than me, but not enough where her heightswallowed me. I allowed her to adjust my stance and fix the way I held my gun.

“More comfortable, right?”

“No, I liked the other way,” I smirked as she laughed at me, and then stepped back.

Capri finished shooting at her target, and then she came over next to Aimee. “Just aim and pretend it’s someone that you hate.”

“I like to think the target is my brother.” Alaia replied, as she let off the remaining shots, and then stretched her neck.

Capri snorted. “Tasha.”

“Khalif.” Aimee added.

I took a few deep breaths and looked at the target that was in front of me, adjusting my shoulders as I held the gun in front of me. This wasn’t my first time in the range with Capri. I came with her whenever she needed to relieve some stress.

Being the district attorney, the cases she had to deal with often took a toll on her, and she found herself here taking out her stress on a target. The small range was by word of mouth, which meant that even illegal guns were used here.

“Let that shit bang, Blair,” Aimee said, and my finger curled on the trigger. I locked in with the target as I felt my body become hot.

Images of Tyshawn slapping, punching, and kicking me flooded my mind. Every time I thought I was big enough to fight back, he proved me wrong by beating me back down to size. Having to give birth to a child that never got the chance to take his first breath. All of that came forward and my chest felt tight as I squeezed the trigger, never letting up off it until I emptied the clip.

It felt like it was an out of body experience, and I was standing off to the corner, watching myself shoot the target.Lowering the gun, I sat it on the counter in front of me and took a breath. Alaia had stopped shooting, and no one said anything.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and Capri rested her chin on my shoulder. “You needed that.”

I smiled, my eyes misty, and put my hand on the side of her face. “You have no idea how much.” The tears fell down my face.

“He cannot hurt you anymore, Michael,” Alaia hugged me, as Capri and I looked at her and laughed.

“You been around Cappy too damn long,” Capri laughed as we all hugged each other in the middle of the range.

This life wasn’t at all easy, but having these women love and embrace me as family made it bearable. Capri’s family had accepted me like I belonged and loved me the same. All I had been wanting after my mother passed was that familiar feeling of being loved and having family.

I found that in the Delgatos and Infernos.

We finished up at the gun range and decided to go eat at some diner that Alaia recommended. “Now, where the hell did she even hear about this diner?” Capri mumbled as she pulled in beside Alaia.

“Diner food is the best food. There was this diner in Philly that I used to frequent when I lived there.”

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