Page 107 of Smoke

“That’s a sorry ass apology, Barry. You gotta do better than that before my trigger finger gets to itching.”

“I am truly and deeply sorry?—”

“Elaborate, nigga!” I snapped.

“Truly and deeply sorry for putting your life at risk! I took an oath to serve and protect, and I didn’t do that with you.”

“And just what are you gonna do to fix that?” I asked.

He looked at me confused. “I—I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? Baby, what would you like me to do with Chief Barry Bryant?”

“Devin, you can’t kill the chief of police!” Romi exclaimed.

“Like the fuck I can’t. Just say the word.”

“Baby… please. I think you’ve scared the man enough. I’m also sure he knows what can happen if we have any more problems, right, Chief?”

Barry nodded his head as though she could see him. “Y-yes, ma’am. No problems at all.”

“Good. Devin, please get out of that station acting crazy.”

I kissed my teeth. “See, Chief. You’re lucky I’m a family man now. Otherwise, I would’ve painted these walls with your bloodfirst and asked questions later. Don’t let me have to revisit this conversation, or there will be a very different outcome. Understood?”

He nodded frantically. “I understand.”

“Good.” I took the phone off speaker and placed it to my ear. “Baby, I’m on the way to come see my girl.”

“Okay. Think about what you want to eat tonight.”

“You already know what I want.”

She giggled. “Food, Devin. Food.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m a big boy, and I’ma eat whatever you put in front of me. I’ll see you when I get there.”

“Okay.”

I hung up, tucked my gun away, and grabbed the tissue from the chief’s desk, tossing it at him.

“Clean yourself up.”

Without another word, I left his office. I garnered a number of stares as I made my way toward the front entrance. Nobody said anything as I left the building the same way I came in. I really hated to show my ass in public, but this was warranted, necessary, and very long overdue.

Barry wasn’t getting off that easy though.

I already had Jaeda pull the incident reports and records of the officers that were dispatched to Romi’s house and her business. She cross-referenced that with phone conversations and deposits made to Chief Bryant’s bank account those same days from none other than Derrick Mathis.

Romi might have spared him, but I wouldn’t. He was going to get his. I just needed him alive long enough to take care of Derrick’s ass. After that, he was free game. His demise was already plotted out, and his fate was sealed. It was only a matter of time.

The Funeral

“You wild as fuck for showing up here,” Deuce said as we sat outside the church where Patrick’s funeral was being held. We’d been here since the family car pulled up. I’d witnessed his mama falling over crying and shit and his daddy trying to comfort her. She’d slapped the shit out of that man, and he deserved it because it was his fault his son went to an early grave.

The last of the guests had just made their way inside, and I could hear the singing that probably drowned out the sound of family members crying. It was good that somebody loved that nigga, because I couldn’t give a fuck about him, dead or not.

Deuce shook his head. “You wild for this shit, Smoke.”

---