I tried to remain even tempered most of the time. It wasn’t until a muhfucka pushed me did I have to go there and show that other dark, vengeful side of myself. Honestly, I didn’t like how that shit made me feel. Like I was drowning in darkness or ready to be swallowed into the abyss. I shielded my kids from that part of me because I never wanted any of them to look at me differently. I didn’t grow up the way that they did. My brothersand I came up in the same house but had very different parents and childhoods. Being the oldest meant I saw and heard it all. I’d watched my father take a man’s life when I was nine years old. Even back then, it made sense when Justus broke it down to me. He said that every man he’d killed was dead so that someone he cared about could live.
“This wasn’t what I wanted,” Rossi responded, a flicker of regret in her eyes that never broke away from mine. “But it’s public record, Staten. If she wanted to find out, she very well could have. Maybe not now, but at some point. At least she knows.”
“That’s what you have to say?” I lifted both brows, and she lowered her gaze to her fidgeting hands in her lap.
“Isn’t it better that she knows now? I told you I didn’t think it was a good idea to hire her. It was too damn close for comfort.”
“What exactly did I miss here?” Nadia tucked her arms across her chest and waited for an explanation. “What’s a matter of public record, and why do we care about this clearly unstable woman?”
“Is Cambrie leaving?” Saga’s thick brows drew together.
“Let me make something clear right now.” I grabbed both arms of Rossi’s chair and got in her face.
She reared her neck, but I didn’t budge.
“This is the last time you interfere in something that has nothing to do with you. This is my house, my family, my life. You don’t control shit or get a say in what happens around here. Are we clear?”
Clearing her throat, a hard glare lingered in her typically warm amber eyes, bouncing around mine. I know it was hard for her to accept defeat, especially when she thought she was right.
“Fine. I’ll be heading back to the house now.” I backed off and watched her use the lever on her chair to maneuver around me to the hallway.
“Goodnight, Grandma,” Tavi and Saga addressed her as she somberly rolled past them.
I stepped around the island and focused on the glass that had shattered on the floor that needed to be swept up. Sighing, I dropped down to start gathering all the broken pieces when Tavi came over to help. Saga grabbed a broom, and Nadia lingered on the other side of the counter, looking around the kitchen. Slowly standing with a heavy sigh, I leaned against the counter while the two of them cleaned up the rest of the broken pieces. My mind remained on Cambrie. Until I knew she was good, it was going to fuck with me. When the kids were done, they came back to the counter and watched me as Nadia moved toward the sink to complete the dishes.
“Is there something else you need us to do?” Tavi queried, unusually helpful now that her mama was here.
“Pop, is Cambrie coming back?” Saga piped up.
“Why do you even care?” Tavi side-eyed him then rolled her eyes. “Mama’s here now, Saga.” She perked up and exchanged a grin with Nadia as she prepared to wash the remaining dishes. Looking her over, there was no denying that my baby mama was beautiful, but I learned a long time ago that everything that looked good wasn’t necessarily good for you. When my phone vibrated in my pocket, I quickly dug it out, hoping it was Cambrie. Instead, I found a text from Sol.
Auntie: I got her. She needs a little time.
Me: Thank you. Keep me updated.
Auntie: Will do.
A bit more relaxed, I was about to pocket the device again when I caught Nadia glaring at me just as another message came through from Brick. Some shit had gone down with himand Six at this event, and he had me and Ivo on alert, along with some of our men. We met up briefly at the lodge just as Sol was leaving, but he told us to get suited up so we could regroup at the bunker while he gathered more intel. This was his girl, so it was his show. It was obvious that his relationship with Six was more than even he could grasp.
When I was gone, Brick made sure to do quarterly checkups and had never switched up on me. So it meant something to be able to be there for him now. I know that he never wanted me to leave, but he was one of the few who didn’t hold it against me when I did. Unlike Ivo, he understood the need to get from under Justus’s thumb.
“Is that another phone? Do I have that number?” Nadia had the nerve to ask.
“No, and you don’t need it.” I skimmed the message from Brick saying he had eyes on the truck that Six took off in.
Apparently, her mama’s boyfriend slid into town thanks to some chick she befriended at the lodge, and this nigga was off his rocker and snatched Six up. Shaking my head, I knew I had to back Brick on this because he was real tight about it. For the first time, my little brother had a woman in his life that he cared about, and a nigga was all too familiar with that feeling. Cambrie hadn’t been in my world long, but she’d made all the difference and had me thinking maybe that other half shit my pops used to go on about was real. I knew without a doubt that I didn’t want to be without her warm presence in my life. Outside of my kids, she gave me something else to look forward to when I walked through that door at night.
“I gotta go take care of some shit. The kids already ate, but if you need anything, just call up to the house and talk to Marcie.”
“I think I can manage a few kids, Staten. So does this mean you’re OK with me staying here?” Nadia pushed, rinsing off the plates that were used for dinner tonight.
“There’s a spare room around the corner on your left. I’ll be back when I can.”
I didn’t want her staying here at all, but my brother needed me, and right now it was convenient with Cambrie gone. This was just a temporary solution because I had every intention of bringing her back here. I just had to help Brick first. Six was good people, and she brought out the best in him, which I was all for. Brick could easily get side-tracked or allow muhfuckas to get under his skin when he knew better. He pretended to be confident, like nothing got to him, but my little brother was softer than cotton on some real shit. Before leaving, I stopped upstairs to check on Piaget and Rogue, then slid into my bedroom to change. Dressed in all black, I sat on the edge of my bed, bent over, tying the laces to my all-black Air Forces.
“Daddy, I went to Cambrie’s room so we can finish reading my book, and she’s not in there.” Piaget strolled inside, clutching a book calledFrom the Desk of Zoe Washingtonwith an illustrated black girl on the cover. I finished tying my shoe and sighed when I sat up.
“Cambrie left for the night.”
