Page 100 of Dr. Bell

Without blinking, I put a bullet through Unc’s head. Heir screamed in shock. While my gun was still smoking, I put the barrel against DJ’s head. Resignation clouded his eyes as he beheld his father’s dead body.

“Try again!” I hissed. “You called me out, nigga! Here the fuck I am!” Pulling the trigger was too fucking easy.

DJ’s body hit the floor with a thud as Heir and Aunt Maddie sobbed. I stalked to where security was bound and gagged. One by one, I handled them niggas. And not one person said a fucking word. Niggas played in my face. Retribution had to be paid.

I trained my gun on Cooley. His eyes held mine. There wasn’t an ounce of fear in him. I fucked with that.

“Remove his gag,” I ordered. Dothan handled it quickly.

“You went into Genika’s house and found her tapes?”

He nodded. “He came out of the house panicking, so I went in there to clean up what I could. I saw those tapes and just knew.”

“You took the pictures, too?” I surmised.

“You fuckin’ right,” he growled. “My loyalty has always been to him. Then he found out DJ was workin' with Marco. He had me takin' pictures of his own fuckin' son, just so he could set him up. That's when I knew I had to start watchin'hisass. I couldn't trust him anymore. But in case Maddie ever got the courage to run, I was gon’ give her a reason not to look the fuck back.” His gaze shifted to Aunt Maddie’s. Something unspoken passed between them.

“I owe you forever,” I said to him.

He shrugged. “You don’t owe me shit, Boss. You took care of the problem.” His eyes raked over Duval’s lifeless body. Emotionless, he shook his head.

I saved Marco for last. Standing in front of him, I glared at him with disdain.

“Hakeem loved the fuck outta yo’ ungrateful ass. He would’ve done anything for you. And you turned around and stabbed him in his fuckin’ back. You the worst type of nigga I never wanna know.”

I finished him with a knife that severed his head from his body. He deserved to be beheaded for breaking the universal code of blood brothers.

EPILOGUE

COCO

Mynerveswereawreck while sitting beside Quilo on signing day. This was one of two big moments to happen. The next would be his graduation in May. Like a proud father/brother-in-law, Adir sat on the other side of Quilo. Our lives had been on go since the shooting. Quilo had several interviews and even some documentaries talking about his life. Surprisingly, he’d handled himself well. Questions about our mother didn’t trigger him, and questions about our dad were non-existent. Dothan was hired to be Quilo’s manager while he was in college. If he decided to go pro, we had an agent lined up for him.

Four hats sat on the table. They were the four schools he was most excited about attending and playing for. Each team scout had sold their teams the best they could. We’d visited all four campuses, and either choice would’ve been exceptional.

However, it only came down to one school. With his brothers, family, Jabari and Haven, his best friend, and the sports world watching, Quilo picked up the hat bearing a dolphin. The crowd shouted, and Adir and I clapped for our kid. I was most happy that he was staying close to home. Destin was only a one-hour drive from us.

Quilo had officially committed to the University of Destin. We took tons of pictures and watched him give his pre-signing interview. Quilo was such a man now, that I started tearing up. I wasn’t the only one a little emotional. Saar stood next to me, pretending like he really needed those damn shades he had on.

Saar would be attending the same school, but his focus would be on his music and not football. His decision not to play college football stunned the sports world. However, Saar was confident enough in himself that walking away from football wasn’t hard for him. He wanted to pursue what was in his heart.

All smiles, Haven embraced me. “Look at what a lil’ ol’ move did for you and Quilo.”

Those tears that I tried holding back came swiftly. She wiped them. Jabari and Haven’s house was still in the building process. I didn’t mind. Having them in my backyard was still top three of the things I loved in life right now.

“You did your big one with that advice,” I said to her.

She beamed with pride. Her shoulder had fully healed since being shot. That was easily one of the scariest days of either of our lives. Russ had pulled through, but not without residual side effects. Due to his injuries, he was still in extensive recovery. I prayed that one day he’d make a full recovery. He was no longermy bodyguard and instead worked for Adir at the clinic doing paperwork. My baby stayed loyal to Russ no matter what.

With the men we had, our memories weren’t filled with trauma. They were filled with love. Everyone who thought to bring harm to me and the people I loved paid for it in the best way, and I didn’t feel a single shred of empathy for them. They wanted my life. My husband took their lives instead. That was quite poetic.

Gensen was the only one who walked away unscathed. Her family ended up relocating out of the area. As for Baby Boy Bell; Genesis Bell was being raised by Auntie Maddie. She was still living in the house she’d shared with her husband. Although she was raising his and his mistress’s baby, she loved every bit of it and was living her best life. She, Heir, and Toast loved Genesis as if he wasn’t conceived out of all of their pain. I loved that for them.

Three months later, the entire Bell family along with our friends sat in the stands of the civic center to watch Quilo and Saar walk across the stage to accept their diplomas.

“You better not drop my baby,” I warned Adrian playfully. He looked offended.

“I thought you trusted me.”

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