Page 38 of Welcome to the Table
“I just came to talk man to man.” He backed up
“Where the other fucking man, so I could talk to him? You came with yo’ fucking puppies for backup when you know Imma fucking big dawg. Ain’t a fucking soul with me, but you brought your pups out for protection in my fucking city. Nah, you ain’t ready to fucking talk like nothing, my boy. Real niggas rock solo,” I told him, and his forehead wrinkled.
I knew he felt played, but I didn’t give a fuck. He lost my respect because of how he approached the situation. Frenchy couldn’t hold a fucking candle to me, so I didn’t know why he tried. My aura touched the fucking scene before I physically did.Hence, the need for protection. This foreign motherfucker knew enough about me to know that part.
“It ain’t no bad blood. I just wanted to pop in and personally let you know that your pops will be in good hands with us.”
I didn’t like the smirk he had on his lips, but I ignored it. There was a time and place for everything.
“And you could just pop the fuck back out like you came in.” I didn’t need reassurance on shit that was happening because I knew what the fuck was going to happen. His decision was his alone. He didn’t consult anyone in the family about his moves, and I respected it, but didn’t agree with it. I had my own shit going on. I rubbed my beard and crossed my arms over my chest. This nigga had me fucked up, and he was about to find out.
“But that ain’t the real reason you came to the fucking States. We both know that. Your last visit wasn’t a pleasant one. We ain’t never been friends, Frenchy, so cut the shit and speak on why you really came this way for the exact same reason Fanucci contacted my father.”
“Why the hostility?” he asked me, and I chuckled. This nigga was playing with fire and didn’t know it.
“Fuck hostility. You brought that when you and yo’ minions decided to follow me.” I grabbed his neck and had my gun to his head in seconds. The doors opened back up.
“Tell yo’ dog to get the fuck back in that truck before I blow that bitch to Swiss cheese. I got eyes everywhere. Just cuz you don’t see them don’t mean they ain’t there.”
He signaled for his people to stand down, and I heard the doors slam. I gripped his neck tighter, lifting him slightly from the ground. I got close to his ear so he was the only one who heard my next words.
“Take yo’ wet dogs and get the fuck out my city before I send all y’all to the ASPCA.” I let him down and put my gun back into my vest.
He was in shambles, just the way I wanted him to be. Eyes shifting from left to right. I straightened up his suit jacket and tie and slightly pushed him back.
“Next time, wear clothes that fit the weather, nigga. You sweating like you been doing cardio.” I chuckled. This nigga was a joke. That was my warning to stay the fuck out of New Orleans. He wasn’t needed.
“I simply wanted to talk to you about some things outside the obvious, but I see we not on the same page,” he said.
“Nigga, we will never be on the same page. A meeting will never be needed for something that will never happen,” I told him, straightening my vest. This shit was over.
“If you say so, Calliope Black, but we will meet again.” I ignored his last words as he walked away and hopped in the back of his truck.
I watched until they backed out of the alleyway and pulled off before I moved from my stance. I felt a presence and turned in that direction. A lil nigga about sixteen years old came out of the darkness with three more behind them, and I nodded. AR-15s were in each of their hands, ready for war. Rifles were bigger than their bodies.
I nodded as they got closer, then I went into my back pocket and pulled out four big knots of hunnids worth twenty bands each and handed one to each of them. No words were spoken. What’s understood didn’t need to be explained. They nodded at me and went back into the shadows like they were never there. I hopped back in my ride and pulled off to my next destination. I kept hittas everywhere I went. I put those young boys on to watch everything moving, and they did a damn good job for me, so that money was well spent.
My mind drifted to Frenchy and his impromptu visit. I wanted to call Hellcat and let him know what had happened, but I knew he would find him and kill him. We didn’t need that. IfFrenchy was here in New Orleans, then that meant his father wasn’t too far behind. They hadn’t left yet, or Frenchy just came here to start some shit.
Frenchy wanted to talk to me about his family having a seat at our table to move drugs in and out of the United States, but that shit wasn’t going to happen. I wanted no parts of the family business, so I was the wrong nigga to talk to. He should have talked to Wisdom or Melph because it was a hard no for me.
I was over the bullshit for the night, so I decided to drive back to my house for some peace. My home was the only thing that brought me peace away from my family. It was one of the reasons my father wasn’t invited to my home. He didn’t do trees, anyway, and Athena only came when I called her. Hellcat and Grove were too busy trying to get into other shit to even drive the hour it took to get to my house.
I needed to know what was going on with Klarity first, so I would get up with Jaci tomorrow after her shopping trip with Hellcat. I wanted to talk to my sister before I left, but my mind was too fucked up to even go to her room. I knew she was terrified because she was blindsided by all this shit, too.
I didn’t bother to turn on any type of music; I rode in silence. I needed to think because I knew there was another fucking reason for my father leaving the fucking country. The Feds or a snake in the camp wasn’t the only reason, but I would figure the shit out. They better pray to whatever God they believed in that this shit wasn’t a setup, because if it was, they would see a side of me that the devil would never see coming. I keep quiet for a reason.
After an hour of driving, I pulled down the dirt road that led to my house. I slowed because I knew that Klarity wouldn’t be there waiting for me. I wasn’t in a rush. I used to look forward to her scent in my house or her attitude, waiting to greet me at the door. I knew that wasn’t the case, so I took my time.
I heard my phone vibrating in the cup holder and held it to my face to see the screen. It was Hellcat calling. I didn’t want to answer because I knew he was about to say some shit I wouldn’t like. On the flip side of that, I knew the nigga wouldn’t stop calling, so I was fucked either way. I slid the bar across the screen.
“What, nigga? And make it snappy, nappy,” I told him before I could get the phone to my ear, but I knew he heard me. I heard nothing but loud ass music in the background, so I knew this nigga was in one of our clubs.
“Niiggaaaaa, you need to come out. They got some bad bitches in the house tonight,” he yelled into the phone, causing me to pull mine from my ear.
“Nigga, you need to go home instead of clubbing,” I told him.
“Nah, nigga, tell yoself that and bring yo’ ass to Spades. I’m just chilling, nothing like last time.”
