Page 81 of Smoke

“Go ahead.”

“How do you feel about this Patrick nigga?”

He sighed. “He’s caused my baby girl a lot of stress. She hasn’t had much peace the last couple of months because of him and this whole situation. The police haven’t been much help. She files reports, and somehow, things end up missing. We suspect it’s because of who his father is. If it were up to me, the nigga could drop dead.”

“Say less.”

He looked at me with wide eyes. “I didn’t say that for you to?—”

My father raised a hand. “Listen. We can make this go away. All we need is a word.”

“Renay already gave the word,” I revealed. “So has Romi.”

He looked around at us. “Y’all are serious.”

I nodded. “Dead ass. If it makes your decision any easier, Romi told me that Patrick was the one that pushed her and made her fall. He’s the reason your granddaughter came early. The reason she is fighting for her little life right now.”

“Is that what she wanted to talk to you and Renay about the other day?”

“Yes, sir.”

He was quiet for a moment, seemingly contemplating the offer on the table. What he didn’t know was, even if I didn’t have his blessing, I was going to take care of the problem. I couldn’t let that man walk around thinking he had gotten away with what he did. He was going to see and feel me. Every person that covered up for him was gonna feel me too.

“Would we need an alibi?” Mr. Mitchell asked.

I shook my head. “Nah. They’ll know who it was.”

“I just have one question.”

“What’s that?”

“Why would you do this for my daughter?”

Steel snickered. “’Cause the nigga is in love. If he’s not, he’s almost there.”

Mr. Mitchell looked at me for confirmation.

“I care about Romi,” I admitted. “When she first came to me to buy a gun, there was something in her eyes that drew me to her. There was this innocence about her. Then she told me what was going on and how nobody was taking her seriously or trying to help because of who this nigga’s father was. Now, I have certain privileges because of my father, but none of them include harassing a woman that’s pregnant with my kid. I can’t respect a nigga who does shit like that. I can’t respect a nigga that has to use other people to elevate his hustle. Especially a fake ass gangsta. So since he wants to play with the big dawgs, I’ma check how big his bite is compared to his bark.”

Mr. Mitchell nodded. “As long as my daughter and granddaughters are safe at the end of this.”

“Look who her man is,” I said, chuckling.

Steel laughed. “Y’all ain’t even together!”

I waved him off. “What’s understood won’t ever be explained. That’s my woman.”

“Nigga ’bout to be stepdaddy of the year,” Deuce said, lighting another blunt. “Y’all saw him with that baby. Once you do skin to skin, it’s a wrap. That shit unlocks something feral. Why do you think my baby is obsessed with me? Hell, why do you think Pops and Mr. Paul were scrapping like that over you and Shar?”

Pops chuckled. “Good times.”

“All I ask is that you treat my daughter right,” Mr. Mitchell said. “Be good to her. Be good to my grandbabies.”

Pops slapped his back. “One thing about this family, we don’t trust too many people, but once we lock in, we lock in for life.”

Me and my brothers looked at each other before breaking into laughter. That was hilarious coming from a man with four baby mamas and no ex-wives.

“Shut the fuck up,” he told us, knowing exactly what we were laughing at. “I might not have married any of your mothers, but I’ll hold them down forever because they gave me y’all. Real niggas take care of their responsibilities even when those responsibilities are grown and aggravating as fuck.”

---