Page 66 of Honey Sugar
“Then it was a setup. I told you to trust your gut, Shadow. It doesn’t lie.” When I took the time to think about it, Don was the closest thing to a dad I ever had. My real father left before Mama gave birth to me. I met Don when I was thirteen and he taught me how to read people. Especially people in the drug game.
“I didn’t say anything. I guess he thinks he’s closing in on me. So today is the time to move.”
“I agree,” Don nodded. “We’ll wrap everything up and put it in motion but I have something else I wanna talk to you about.” I could tell by the inflection in his voice and the way the side of his mouth lifted with a smile that he was getting ready to ask me about Ivy.
“What’s up, Don?”
“Mario was in here with his girl Shea and he started talking about your cousin. He said she was bad. He said she had green eyes.” His words fell off into nothingness.
“Yup. Sounds like my cousin,” I nodded.
“Sounds like your girlfriend that came in here the other week.”
Nerves prickled the back of my neck and covered my shoulders. No matter how nervous I got, there was no way I could never deny the way I felt about her. If I tried to hold it back, it would pour from me even harder.
“So what exactly are you asking, Don? If my girlfriend looks like my cousin?” I raised an eyebrow and looked at him.
“Don’t play dumb, Shadow. I taught you that move. When all else fails, make them lay their cards on the table by playing dumb.”
“You think I’m playing dumb? I just wanna know what you’re getting at,” I chuckled.
“That’s exactly what you’re doing. Like right now, you’re stalling. What’s going on with you man? I know losing your mama was hard.”
“You don’t know, Don. I lost her then my aunt. Ivy is all I have. I’m all she has.”
“So she’s everything to youright now? That’s what you’re saying?”
“Not right now. Period. She’s everything to me. Period.” My fingertips throbbed the longer I talked about Ivy. My mouth was dying to confess how much I loved her. It bubbled over inside of me and coated my insides.
Things were quiet for a while then Don spoke up. “Sometimes, you can’t help who you love, man. Doesn’t matter who agrees with it. Keep motherfuckers out of your business…whatever your business is.” He looked at me in a way that said he knew Ivy was my lady and he knew she was my cousin. I nodded my head in response and finished setting up the baked goods to be sold.
While Don and I sat, I watched five customers come and go. They all purchased my baked goods once they were set up and ready for sale. At twelve, the dispensary closed for an hour for lunch. The employees went out to eat while Don and I stayed behind. Ten minutes later, a tall man with skin that was so deep brown it looked blue, pulled the door open. He didn’t care about the out for lunch sign hanging on the front door. He had another guy with him but he stood outside the door.
“What’s up, Bear?” I stood and slapped hands with him.
“Shadow, what’s good?” He eyed me carefully then he slapped hands with Don. “Don,” he nodded. “What’s going on, fellas?” He walked behind the glass counter and pulled up a stool like he owned the place but that’s how Bear worked. He owned everything in New Orleans according to him.
“I need to talk to you, Bear and the only person who could make that happen without a bunch of bullshit interference was Don.” I looked at Bear and saw nothing in his eyes. Not evil, not fairness or decency. Only a void.
“I’ve been hearing your name around, Shadow.”
“I know. Let me guess, Mario?” I scoffed out his name like the fucking joke that he was. Bear nodded his head and rubbed his hands together.
“He told me it was you selling bumpers during Mardi Gras.”
“Mario probably told you I shot your soldier too, right?”
“Yeah. He told me. He was trying to work his way into my circle and he knew I needed to be able to trust him.”
“You just let him tell you it was me and you allowed him in your circle like that, Bear?” I frowned.
“I needed a guy to replace the one you killed. His name was Wolf, by the way. He was my brother.” He pointed at me and I blew out a puff of air through my flared nostrils. My goal was to make him believe I didn’t kill his man. It was harder knowing that the man I shot in the head was Bear’s goddamn brother.
“Listen, man, I didn’t kill anyone,” I lied with my palms facing outward.
“He’s telling you the truth. Mario wanted in, so he lied on the first person that came to mind,” Don said with so much honesty, even I believed him. Bear didn’t look too convinced but he didn’t look like he thought Don was flat out lying either. I read his face and studied his eyes and the way his eyebrows fell on his forehead in deep contemplation.
“And what doyouwant, Shadow? Everyone wants something from me.” His eyes pinned me to my spot.
