Page 49 of Falling Into Gravity

His body recognized the threat before his brain did.

That red hat was a war cry in disguise…and Malik was built to survive.

Aku felt it too. She reached for his hand as soon as he reacted to Bu or the guys stepping inside. “Please just be cool,” she whispered.

“I was cool ‘til you brought me to a fuckin’ war zone,” he bit back under his breath.

Finally looking up, Bu’s eyes went to Aku, turning into slits. He wasn’t as active as he once was, but some shit never changed. And he didn’t know Malik from a can of paint—didn’t even know Aku was bringing company to his house. He started seeing red immediately. “Aku,” his low timbre made Noodle’s body shake.

Bu’s eyes swept over Malik slowly – Tall, Slim, with neck tattoos creeping up like stories waiting to be told. The intricate crip tatt sprawled above his brow had Bu angling his head.

“Man, c’mon,” Lunar said through gritted teeth, his words directed to Aku because clearly his cousin had lost her damn mind. “The fuck type of time you on, Aku?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Malik sniffed - a sign he was with whatever they were with.

“You good?” Bu was calm.

Malik blinked. “Am I good?”

Bu sipped his drink again. “That’s what the fuck I said.”

Malik’s laugh came out dark and humorless. “Man, niggas die over less.”

“Not in my house,” Noodle warned, already moving toward them.

Aku stepped closer to Malik. She thought it through, but maybe she didn’t put enough thought into it. All she knew was she had a great time with Malik and didn’t want it to end there. She liked him. Some would say too much too soon, and to that she would cuss them out.

Bu raised a brow. “Then maybe don’t bring no crab ass niggas to my fuckin’ house!” His voice grew grittier with each word he spoke, never taking his eyes off Malik.

Malik pushed forward. “The fuck you just say to me, cuh?”

Ahvi spun around. “Ayo?—”

Get back, Ahvi,” Lunar snapped.

“Shit,” Devonte hissed when he saw Pimp’s temples throbbing.

Malik stepped forward again. Aku jumped between them, palms out. “No, no, no—please don’t do this.”

“I ain’t one of your little industry niggas,” Malik growled, eyes locked in on Bu. “You not gon’ sit here and disrespect my presence when I ain’t even disrespect you...on God.”

“Nigga fuck you and them bitch ass industry niggas, Blood.” Bu wasn’t one for the back and forth, still his mouth could get reckless.

“Bitch ass nigga, show some fuckin’ respect before your blood is all over this fuckin’ house,” Malik snapped. “We don’t share no set, no code, no cloth - so walk lite.”

Noodle jumped in front of Bu before he could swing. When her hands touched his skin, she could feel his blood boiling. “Baby, please,” she pleaded, her cries falling on deaf ears. Out the corner of her eyes, she saw Pimp making his way towards Malik. “Devonte! Get him!”

Devonte did his best to stop Pimp. But when it came to his brother, all bets were off.

“Move, nigga!” Pimp tried to get out of his hold, but Devonte wasn’t a weak nigga either. He was from the streets and could hold his own.

“Bu, it ain’t like that. He’s good people,” Aku tried to reason. “Lunar, don’t let them do this.”

Lunar had gone to pick his son up, ’cause if something happened to his son, he was taking out whole families and smiling in the mug shot. He had Ahvi tangled under his arm too. “Aku, you fucked up, baby.”

“’Cause my wife ain’t on the type of time I’m on, I’ll let you walk away but make no mistakes, I will buy yo’ mama a black dress if I ever see you again, nigga,” Bu’s words felt final.

Malik had to respect it since he was outnumbered and naked with no heat. His anger shot to Aku who had tears in her eyes. “This little hood nigga experiment you got goin’ on, is over, Aku! I don’t play these kinda games.” Malik barked, making her body shake.

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