Page 108 of Smoke

I chuckled. “I came to pay my disrespect to the dead,” I said, adjusting my tie.

Maceo laughed. “You really went and put on a suit for this shit.”

I grinned. “I mean, I’m dressed for the occasion.”

Steel shook his head. “When God strikes you down for acting a fool in his house, make sure you stand far away from me.”

“It won’t matter where I stand. I’ll see you niggas in hell, anyway.” I opened the door and climbed out of the car. “I’ll be back.”

After taking another pull from my blunt, I passed it to my brother and closed the door. As I walked up to the entrance of the church, the two men standing watch moved in front of the door.

“This is a private service,” one of them said.

“Do you know who I am?” I asked, crossing my hands in front of me.

I nodded over my shoulder to where my brothers sat watching with their guns out.

“Get outta my way, or me and my brothers are gonna air this place out. You’re in the right place to meet your maker.”

They looked at each other, then back at me and stepped aside.

“Much obliged,” I said, walking past them and into the church.

When I opened the doors, the choir was singing. One of the ushers offered me an obituary, but I declined as I headed straight up the middle aisle to the front. As I got closer, I could see the bad makeup job the mortuary did to cover up the bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. If I was an asshole, I would have snapped a picture and sent it to Roux for a laugh.

Instead of doing that, I took a seat next to Derrick Mathis on the front pew. He looked over at me, and his eyes widened.

“Smoke Dillinger? What are you doing here?”

“It’s a funeral, right? I thought I’d come pay my respects. Since you seem to know who I am, you should know how my family comes. You and your son made enemies with the wrong people, Mr. Mathis.”

He frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about?—”

“Romi Mitchell.”

“Let me talk to you outside.”

I waved my hand for him to walk ahead of me. He whispered to the woman next to him before standing and walking back down the aisle. I didn’t miss the stares and whispers of people watching us exit the church. Once we were outside, he turned to me.

“Look—”

I didn’t give him a chance to say shit before I popped him dead in the mouth. He stumbled back. When he caught his footing, he tried to charge at me, but I caught him in a headlock.

“Let’s think about this, my nigga. Do you wanna join your son now or later? I spared you. I could have sent you to glory when I walked in here.”

He struggled to get loose, but my grip only tightened.

“Relax,” I said calmly.

Realizing that he wasn’t going to be free until I released him, he stopped fighting.

“What do you want?”

“Explain to me why my lady told me you rolled up on her? And by my lady, I mean Romi.”

“It’s business?—”

“You threatened her and my baby. That makes it personal. I play about a lot of things, but I will never play with anybody about the three of them, you feel me? You had the audacity to get your son to do your dirty work with her, and when that failed, you thought you’d finish the job on your own? She might have given in if she was on her own, but she has a nigga like me in her corner, and I don’t take kindly to threats.”

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