Page 99 of Smoke

“Let me guess. Roux’s ass shot him in the dick,” Maceo said.

“You know Roux is a crazy muthafucka,” I said, nodding. “Her ass wanted to play Roulette with him.”

Jakobi shook his head. “If it wasn’t Romi, I’d say you and Roux were perfect together. Two crazy ass people.”

I waved him off. “Me and Roux would have been toxic as fuck together at this age. The city would feel the wrath when we pissed each other off.”

“That’s one chick you wouldn’t have cheated on,” Deuce said, chuckling.

I laughed. “Hell no. I need my shit, and she would be crazy enough to shoot me, then cut it off.”

Jakobi took a pull from his blunt. “Nah, what’s crazy is dumping ol’ boy on his daddy’s front lawn.”

“Fuck that nigga,” I spat. “He’s next. I’ma let him bury his son so he has a chance to pick out his plot next.”

I meant that shit. It was only a matter of time before he picked up where his son left off or found some new way to torture Romi, and I wasn’t having that shit. I’d wipe out his entire bloodline before I let her suffer anymore.

“Aye,” Jakobi said, pulling from his blunt. “On some other shit, what’s good with Renay?”

Jakobi was my aunt Denise’s son. While he dabbled in my father’s organization when needed, he was mostly in thediamond mining business with his dad, my uncle Percy. My boy was a jeweler to the stars. He designed custom pieces for some of the biggest celebrities. The nigga was paid.

I gave him a side-eye. “You trying to hit that?”

“Man, I’d wife that. Shorty bad as fuck, and she thick.”

Steel snickered. “That’s all it takes for you to wife a female?”

“I mean, of course I’d get to know her. I’m pushing thirty, nigga. One by one, y’all niggas are settling down and shit. I need me a lil’ bussit baby that’s gon’ listen. I’d trick off on her like y’all niggas do.”

We all shared a laugh. Deuce and Maceo tricked on Shar and Salima real bad and were happy as hell to do so. Maceo claimed Shar swiping his card was a turn on. My sister didn’t mind running up a bag either. It was a wonder she wasn’t pregnant long before now.

“Mr. Devin!”

Korri’s voice broke me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see her running toward me, her beads bouncing behind her. Jakobi quickly outed his blunt.

“What’s up, lil’ bit?” I asked, leaning forward on my elbows.

“You promised I could see the horses,” she said, giving me the cutest pout.

“I did, didn’t I? You ready?”

“I’m so ready!”

My brothers and cousin chuckled at her eagerness. I stood to my feet and reached for her hand.

“Let’s go tell your mama, then we can go, okay?”

“Okay.”

She grabbed my hand and pulled me in the direction of her mother.

“Have fun, Big Papa!” Steel called after me.

I shot him the bird and kept walking. Romi and the girls were laughing and talking like old friends as we approached them.When they saw me, they all stopped and waited to see what I wanted.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“Yeah. Lil’ Bit just reminded me about the horses, so I’m gonna take her to go see them.”

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