Page 32 of Kairo

He nodded. “I wanted your uncle to feel hurt too.” He sat down in the chair. “You gonna shoot me, go ahead and do it. At least tell Junie I’m sorry for calling her out of her name. I just want her to find the right man and settle down. Let that man love her the way I loved her mama. Keep her goodies locked away from strays.”

“Junie knows about this?” I asked.

Prez shook his head.

“She doesn’t,” Belt said. “Neither does Junior.”

My heart ached for her. She had no idea about her mother’s death. She had been fed lies for years about what happened to her mother. Instead of her father protecting her, he ruined her life all out of jealousy and guilt. I reached for my phoneand sent my uncle the signal to burst in. I had a bone to pick with him also. He had put me in harm’s way. He knew exactly what the beef was about and didn’t speak on it. Both of these motherfuckers were dirty. They were foul and deserved anything that came to them. Seconds later, the door flew open, and the sound of feet came running in.

“Nephew, you okay? Where you at?” Unc shouted.

I spun and saw my uncle and Mario bending the corner with their guns out. A few more members from the Iron Knights hit the corner too. When I looked, Junior was walking in with his gun raised and behind him trailed Junie with hers raised. Her eyes were red and swollen. She looked defeated, as if she had lost her best friend.

“What’s up, nephew?” Unc said, looking at me like we just won the lottery while he was just as guilty as Prez.

“Shit, you tell me, since we like to keep motherfucking secrets.”

I didn’t care that everyone’s guns were pointed at someone. At this point, I didn’t care if anybody made it out alive. All I cared about was avenging my father.

“What you mean?” Unc asked.

I chuckled. I was sick of the back and forth.

“You’re the reason for the war. If you weren’t sleeping with Prez’s wife, she wouldn’t be dead. Neither would my father.”

The room had ten people holding weapons in it, but if a pin dropped, I would hear it. I looked at Prez, and he kept his eye on Unc.

“Now y’all ain’t got shit to say?” I asked.

“Dad, what the fuck is he talking about?” Junior asked.

Before he could speak, I answered for him. “Junior, your shitty ass father killed my dad in revenge because my uncle was having an affair with your mama.”

“It was more than just an affair,” Unc spoke up. “We were in love.”

“Motherfuck—” Prez rushed at Unc, causing commotion.

It went on for a few seconds before a bullet was shot in the air. Everyone turned to Junie. Tears streamed down her face. My heart ached for her.

“Dad, did he kill my mother?” she asked, pointing the gun at Unc. “Did one of his bitches kill my mother?”

“Child, please! Your daddy killed your mama! He thought it was me and let off that many rounds in her.”

“Dad… Dad, tell me he is lying.” Junie sobbed.

I wanted to run toward her and tell her everything was going to be okay, but it would be a lie, and I was no longer in the business of lying. Junior sniffled as tears ran down his face. The entire backstory was heartbreaking.

“Answer me, Dad. Is he telling the truth?”

When Prez didn’t answer, Junie dropped her head in shame. She let out the loudest scream I’d ever heard. She fell to her knees and sobbed. Junior ran toward her, lifting her in his arms and walking out of the room.

“You motherfucker!” Prez said, lunging again, but this time, no one stood in the way.

Unc and Prez went blow for blow, getting the best of one another. After all this, I no longer cared to be around these people. My father died because of his own blood and a scorned man. I shot a bullet in the air, causing the commotion to stop.

“This biker club shit… I’m done with it. Fuck the Savage Saints and fuck the Iron Knights. Y’all ain’t got no heart, especially you two motherfuckers. Y’all deserve to kill each other, and if y’all don’t do it, I hope someone does it—and fast. Y’all ain’t even worth the energy.”

I tucked my gun and walked past both of them. I stopped by Prez and looked him in his face. “The only reason you ain’tbleeding out is because of Junie. She already lost one parent. I won’t be the reason she loses another one.”

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