Page 149 of Quasim III: King Inferno

Forty told us that we couldn’t touch Sigel without something coming back on us. He was keeping an eye on him, and he wasn’t on our radar, but he wanted both Goon and Khaos bad. I was keeping my own eye on his ass, because if Diablo had to come out, I had no problem.

While he was updating me, he told me about Thea’s accident that wasn’t really an accident. Between him and Hassan handling shit, I didn’t know how I could thank them and everyone else that held us down.

I was so used to getting my hands dirty, when I had people that didn’t mind stepping in for me. They didn’t mind doing the heavy lifting because they knew I would do the same for them. The one thing that surprised me was Cherish popping up at Gam’s house.

That shit bothered me, and if she wasn’t dead, I would have fucking killed her with my bare hands. She was angry because it never was her. It would never be her, and she wanted her cousin’s life. She sat all these years, angry, because I saw her forwhat she was. Always trying to weasel her way into somebody else’s space.

Cherish wasn’t something that I even thought about, because she was irrelevant. I wished moms didn’t handle her because I would have told her that shit to her face before slicing her throat. With Thea overdosed and Mercer found dead in his cell, there was no case and it was dropped. Mercer was personal because he abused my child.

It wasn’t as simple as having someone handle him, I needed to do that shit myself. My son would always carry this with him, but I prayed for him every day and prayed that the help we were getting him would be enough. Elijah didn’t understand the amount of love we had for him, and how much he was part of this family.

As if he knew I was thinking about him, I felt his arms around my neck. I smelled my cologne that he was forever stealing too. “Night mom and dad… see you in the morning.”

Anjo looked over her shoulder and puckered her lips, and he gave his mother a kiss, and then me one before he ran back to the house.

I looked over at Aimee as she teased Capella, and he kissed her lips. They were in love, and able to exist being them. They didn’t need to be any of us, all they needed to be Aimee and Capella. Aimee was getting better on her bike and had been spending a lot of time with Zuri.

Capri guzzled down her water and then started to drink Blaze’s water as he held onto her. With the twins, she decided to take the full maternity leave to bond with the babies and adjust Cherry to being a big sister.

As stressful as her career was, and besides the fact that she only got into her position to save her brothers, I could tell Capri really lived and breathed for this. This was her life, and she enjoyed her career. Blaze supported his wife in whatever shewanted to do. The moment he knew he wanted her when she came back to the states, he knew all the ways he was going to make Capri Delgato his wife. He accomplished that, making her an Inferno first.

Anjo cuddled up in my arms as she watched everyone performing. I kissed her head, and she looked up at me. “Hey.”

“Hey, love.”

I felt her hand slip into mine and something cold touched my skin. Our eyes met as she smiled at me, slipping something on my finger. When I looked down, it was a gold diamond ring withkingon it.

“My king.” She kissed me on the cheek.

It took me almost losing her to realize I needed to stop shutting her out. Crazy shit was that I was doing it without really knowing because I was so used to doing the shit. I was always used to holding everything in, never burdening someone else.

She lets a few days pass before we sit and do a check-in with each other. Talking about what is going on with each other. With a new baby, we often didn’t get the chance to check in as much as we wanted.

Our house was in the process of being built, and I changed up the whole layout. My style was never big and over the top like my dramatic ass brother. I wanted a home that fit my family, and truly felt like home. Staying on the compound was what Blaze and Capri wanted, but being on Gam’s block with Augusta Mae across the street felt more like home to me.

Ezra was still on his own path, and he would be for some time. He had to find his way, like I had to find mine, and everyone else on this shitty journey called grief had to find theirs. I checked in with him when he didn’t go ghost on everybody. I wanted the best for him, and would forever pull up on him and be there when he needed me.

I meant what I told him, and I prayed he realized that sooner than later. He had been leaning on Yasin more, and I wasn’t mad — long as he leaned on one of us, because we were a family.

Erin sang Sweet Love by Anita Baker to Capone, and everyone watched as she stared into his eyes while he held onto her hips, still sitting on the couch.

Cappadonna kissed Alaia’s head as she quietly sang along in her husband’s arms. The music switched, and We Fly High by Jim Jones played.

Jaiden came running out the back of the house hype as fuck. Capella damn near tossed his wife off his lap when he jumped up, dapping him up as he did the balling motion.

“Jaiden? Why don’t you tell me when you’re coming?” Erin ran over and hugged him and punched him at the same time.

“That’s a surprise, E.”

He dapped Capone up, and bent down so he could kiss his head. “You good?”

“As good as a nigga getting drafted feels.”

We all held up our drinks, ready to celebrate him getting drafted into the NBA. It had been a long time coming, and a lot of sacrifice, pain, and building himself back up, but he did the shit.

“Sonics’ coach been talking to me and says I got a good shot… he thinks I’m going to be drafted by the New York Sonics.”

“Floor seats with a Birkin would be so tea… let me wear your chain, too,” Aimee flipped her hair and Capella looked at her.

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