Page 45 of Mafia Kings & Wedding Rings 2: The Finale
She was standing here like she hadn’t just admitted to plotting against me and Ivo while pretending to be my friend. From the way all the evidence was displayed to me, Jordan hadher eye on Ivo from jump and probably only stuck so close to me so she could get all the tea on him.
“Listen, Rossi is just protective of the family and letting people in. Don’t pay her any mind. As far as I’m concerned, the past is the past and doesn’t matter.”
“Yeah, we can keep it like that,” I agreed, nodding.
I was no longer under the illusion that she was my friend and that we could rebuild anything. To Jordan, I was simply a vessel in getting her what she wanted. It was clear she had her eye on the prize, and now so did I. She walked us out, and my brother and I quickly got in the car and drove off. I didn’t have it in me to deal with Ivo or anyone else for the rest of this night. With the radio playing late ’90s slow jams, I hummed along with Sapphire scrolling through his phone. Every now and then, I would hear him chuckle and shake his head at something. When we finally came to a stop at a red light, I leaned forward to try and peep his screen before glancing his way.
“What you looking at?”
“I started following Brick.” Sapphire rested his sponge top against the headrest. “That dude funny.”
“He’s an asshole,” I muttered with an eyeroll as the light turned.
“Still funny though,” Sapphire added. “His girl is a baddie too.”
“Six is real cool. She’s humble and down to earth. We been talking a lot lately.”
“I get it now.”
“Get what?” I queried with a quick glance his way before turning onto the expressway for the shortcut to the condo.
“The whole situation with you, Ivo, and his wife,” Sapphire elaborated.
“So what is it you think you get?”
“Em, I ain’t slow or stupid.” He cut his eyes my way. “Ivo doing way too much to just be supporting you as their surrogate. The nigga doing pop-ups gave you somewhere to live, something to drive, and cashing out on clothes. I might be young, but all that shit is adding up to you and him on some sneak shit.”
Immediately, I was flushed with embarrassment. Was it that damn obvious? If my sixteen-year-old brother could add that shit up, I know Jordan’s alarms were going off. Gripping the steering wheel, I didn’t bother looking his way as my heart thudded in my ears.
“I ain’t mad at him though. His wife ain’t shit.”
“Sapphire!”
“Just calling it how I see it.” Sapphire shrugged. “Jordan used to come around all the time, soaking up all your game, stealing your style, and now look at her. I remember when she was asking for your hand-me-downs.”
“It’s not like that?—”
“Tell me what it’s like then, sis. I might be young, but shit clear as day to me. Ivo standing on business behind you. Way more than that wife of his. Jordan just wants you around so she can have a baby, and it ain’t nothing but a trophy to her. She be talking like this baby gon’ be the next coming of Jesus or some shit.”
“Okay, first of all, watch your mouth,” I warned him. “I let it go?—”
“Em, I’m your brother, not your son. I’m almost grown now. A little profanity here and there ain’t never hurt nobody. It’s actually a theory that people who cuss a lot are smart as hell.” Sapphire snickered, gaining a smirk from me before shaking my head.
Not only was he growing up, but he was becoming one of my best damn friends, and I loved it. Nobody could tell me my brother wasn’t going to be one of the greatest NBA players of alltime. He had the heart and mind for it. I loved that he wasn’t hanging everything on that anymore. He had other goals and interests that he could fall back on. I always emphasized that he needed to make sure he had other things going on outside of basketball, just in case.
“I guess I gotta accept the fact that you’re becoming a man now. Even though I hate it!” I scrunched my nose and lips together and focused on the road. “And this thing . . . with Ivo . . . it’s not like I set out for it.”
“I know that. That ain’t you. But what you gon’ do about it?” My brother swung his attention my way.
“That is the question,” I muttered.
The rest of the ride, I let him talk my ear off about basketball, practice, and a few upcoming events at school. By the time we pulled into the garage of the condo, I was yawning and ready to end this day. I shut the car off, and Sapphire and I walked to the door for entry into the house. The new tropical scented plug-ins struck my nose immediately as I kicked off my shoes.
“I’m gonna go get ready for school tomorrow.”
“Okay. I have an interview at this startup media company tomorrow. I’m going to take a bath and try to mentally prep for that.”
“’Night, Em.” My brother hugged me before starting toward his bedroom.
