Page 59 of Intercept My Heart

“I’ve let you get away with that slick talk, but you got me fucked up. I could have let them put you in foster care, but I didn’t. Instead, I provided you with a better life than the one I had, and I made sure you were safe. There was never a time when someone didn’t have eyes on you,” he explained.

“Do you want a cookie or something? What the hell do you want me to say? Thank you for not completely abandoning me? Man, get the fuck outta here.”

“Dinero.”

“Didn’t I tell you to keep your fucking hands off me!” I shoved him back as both of our chests heaved up and down.

“Have you lost your damn mind?” he roared, lunging toward me, but I moved before he could grab me. Growing up, I used to hold Uncle Ro in high regard; he was a deadly force to bereckoned with. Now I saw nothing more than a coward and a liar.

“I haven’t lost shit, but you must have a hearing problem. Stay away from me before I forget that we share DNA. I promise you don’t want this.” I gritted my teeth as we stared at one another.

“Yeah, you’re definitely my son. You’re arrogant and overly confident, but the difference is that life humbled me in a way you’ll never understand. I don’t talk too much, so you know better than that. I’m a killer, Nero. There are no such things as beef in my world because any problem I have, I eliminate it. Do you understand me?”

“Is that supposed to be some type of threat? I see accountability isn’t a strong suit for you, but your threat doesn’t move me. Your words don’t mean a fucking thing to me. Do what you gotta do.”

“Son, I—” I drew back and punched him square in the nose, causing it to leak with blood. Clearly, he took my warning as a joke, and it was far from it.

Before I could even process what was happening, we started fighting in the middle of the yard. He should have left me alone when I asked because now, I was taking all my anger out on him. It was like I had tunnel vision as I rained blow after blow on him. He gave me a run for my money, but I never gave up. Even the sounds of Tootie’s piercing screams weren’t enough for me to stop. Since I couldn’t put my hands on her, he would have to pay the price for both of them.

“Nero, please!” She tugged on my shirt, but I pushed her off. I must have used too much force because she tumbled, hitting the ground. That must have woken the beast in Uncle Ro because he used that moment of distraction to flip me over. He punched me in the jaw and then proceeded to choke me. I fought to get him off me, but his hold only grew tighter. For the first time ever,I saw him as an enemy instead of my uncle. I gritted my teeth before regaining the advantage over him.

“The neighbors are going to call the police if the two of you don’t stop this mess. Come on now. Neither of you can afford to make these reckless decisions. Stop it!” I paid her no mind as we continued to fight. I gained the advantage one last time before we finally broke it up. By the time I stopped, the two of us were leaking blood everywhere, but I won. Not that it would amount to shit because now I had lost the only piece of family I’d ever known.

“Stay the fuck away from me,” I demanded, leaving Uncle Ro on the ground, holding his rib.

“Nero, baby, please.”

“Get off me,” I warned as she pulled on my shirt. Taking heed, she stepped back as I got in my car. My chest heaved as I sat in my car, replaying everything in my mind. Someone had to really have it out for me in order for me to be sitting here right now. After gathering my bearings, I drove off from the house. I stopped by the local liquor store so I could grab a bottle. I rarely drank unless we were out at a club, but I needed something strong to help me get through the night. Once I secured the items I needed, I checked into a hotel so I could drink in peace. Besides, I wasn’t in any condition to drive all the way back home, and Tootie’s house was no longer an option for me.

I didn’t feel comfortable staying at my childhood home right now with everything going on, so I booked a hotel room for a week because I had no idea when I would be ready to return home. Harper would be looking for me on top of everyone else, and I wasn’t ready to face anyone right now.

My phone rang back to back until I finally decided to turn it off. After grabbing some food from a local Chinese spot, I headed up to my room. Since I traveled so much, I always had extra clothes in my car, so I tossed my duffel bag inside andheaded up the elevator. The cap I wore hung low, along with the black shades on my face. My face throbbed, letting me know my adrenaline must have finally started to wear off.

The moment I opened the door and stepped into the room, I dropped everything on the floor. I couldn’t believe this was how my night went. After I stripped down to my boxers, I retrieved my bottle, took off the top, and drank straight from the bottle. Fuck it. The brown liquor burned as it went down, but I welcomed the discomfort. Eventually, it would numb everything, and that was what I needed.

An hour passed, and almost half of the bottle was gone. I needed to take a shower, but I wasn’t confident I would even make it that far, so I decided to wait until morning. The liquor did its job, and I could barely feel my face, let alone the pain in my heart. In a few days, I would have to face all my problems, but for now, it was fuck everything and everybody.

Five days.That was how long it’d been since I last saw or spoke to Dinero. The first night, I tossed and turned with worry, so I immediately began blowing up his phone. All my calls went ignored until he finally sent me a message, telling me that he needed some time to get his mind right.

A simple text message confirmed that he still had breath in his body, but it brought no comfort to my spirit. The boys returned home that night, but I decided not to tell them until we were all together. My sons were very in tune with me, so they immediately asked what was wrong with me when they noticed my reddened eyes and disheveled hair. I made up some excuses about my date going terribly, which wasn’t a lie. Therron had the nerve to text me, asking for another date. I couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to date someone like him. Cashmir seemed to be content with my answer, while Cashynn wanted to know where the man lived so he could beat him up.

Work seemed to drag today, or maybe it was because my mind was so preoccupied with so many other things. Tamia sent messages to check on me, and I appreciated her so much. She made it a point to stop by every night on her way home from work. When she showed up at the house, I probably scared her with how distraught I was. It took a whole hour before Igot around to telling her the results of the test. She held me and stroked my hair while reminding me of how strong I was. Everyone seemed so convinced of this, except me.

By the time my shift ended, I grew increasingly worried. Something in my gut wouldn’t settle, and I needed an answer. Although Dinero was a hot head, I doubted he would make any rash decisions without considering the consequences—or at least the Dinero I remembered wouldn’t. However, the anger in his eyes that night made me reconsider.

“Have you heard anything?” Tamia asked for the tenth time.

“No. I reached out to Dreis to check on him, but he told me he wasn’t at his house. I’m about two seconds from filing a missing person’s report on him because this is getting ridiculous. No one has heard from him, and he hasn’t posted anything on social media. I understand needing a break, but not telling anyone where you are is irresponsible,” I vented.

“Well, if another day passes and you still haven’t heard from him, I think we may need to get the police involved.”

“This is too much. I feel so guilty about?—”

“Don’t. You were young, traumatized, and heartbroken. You made decisions you thought were best for you and your children. I understand if this is hurtful to Money, but at the end of the day, nothing you say or do will change any of this. Now the two of you have to figure out a way to co-exist with this new normal. There’s no point in you trying to carry the weight of it all, because everyone played a role in the miscommunication of all of this.”

“I know, but our boys have missed out on so much, and now I may have fucked up the relationship before it even started.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned about you over the years it’s that you never give up. Give him some time to adjust, and he’ll come around. You said it yourself that Money has always been the one person you could count on. I’m sure he will be the same way for his children. This situation isn’t the easiest foranyone to handle, so it’s hard for me to tell you how to handle it. All I’ll say is try to do everything in your power to keep open communication with him. It will all work out.”

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