Page 43 of The Perfect Verse
“So, all that shit about you fucking Chaney’s girl is true?”
“Funny you should see it that way.” Scooter approached him, watching him release smoke with a smug look on his face. “’Cause I thought Chaney was your girl.”
“Nigga.” He flicked him off. “You know exactly what I meant. Old cripple ass hoe don’t put no fear in my heart. She got y’all around here defending lame shit, like pulling on a nigga, that allowed her to still roll around and breathe. All I know is when we do touch down, she better watch her fucking back.”
“She might be crippled in her legs, but what she ain’t is crippled in her mind.” He tapped his temple with a look of disgust on his face. “At least she ain’t in fucking denial. She came and handled her shit with you. That’s more than I can say with Gucci, who did fuck your bitch while she was your bitch.”
He issued a sinister-like smile, working overtime not to pistol whip his own cousin. He loved him like he loved his own sisters, but Donovan was the cause of Donovan’s issues.
“Gucci told it already.”
“He did because he had to. Still, does that make what she did less of a violation? Seems to me you have higher expectations of my bitch than you do of yourself and yours. I suggest you let that shit go, my nigga, because I step hard behind my bitch, and I always will.”
He sat up, rage coursing throughout his body.
“And if I don’t?” He couldn’t believe his cousin, his own flesh and blood, was defending the one person who tried to take him out.
“Try me. Naw, better yet. Try Kee.” He shrugged, snatching up his wallet. He was about to go downstairs and book a separatesuite. Gucci and Lanky shared one, while Nazir and security had their own.
“That’s what you calling her now? Kee?” Donovan leaned back and placed both feet on the table in front of him. “Damn, cousin. Who knew you’d be the one I’d have to watch out for?”
“You don’t,” he muttered and opened the door. “Bitch ass nigga.” He then pulled out his cell, realizing she hadn’t responded. At first, he thought sending her what he did was kind of lame, but it wasn’t, not when he knew it was tied to something she found great joy in or had at one time.
By the time the elevator opened, he was so busy pecking away on his cell, he almost ran into a group of people when he heard someone scream.
“Solomon, baby! Oh my God! I can’t believe it.” Serita leaped toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He was caught off guard as his arm slid around her waist, holding them both up. She peppered his face with kisses until he steadied her on both feet. “Oh, and here’s my luggage.”
“Your luggage?”
“Solomon, I received the tickets. Of course, I plan to stay the night. We haven’t seen each other in months.”
She hiked one hand on her hip, one brow lifted. If it had been two years ago, or hell, even one, he’d feel compelled to give in and make tonight about them. He couldn’t, not when his desire was somewhere else.
“Solomon?”
He pushed out an exasperated breath, scratching the back of his neck. He wasn’t prepared nor in the mood to deal with Donovan’s bullshit or Serita’s entitlement. The way he saw it, even if he had invited her to the show, he never discussed her staying with him.
“Figure you would hang with your homegirls.” He honestly didn’t care where she went. All he knew was he needed to book aseparate room to put some space in between him and his cousin before shit went so far left it would be hard for them to come back from.
“Pfft.” She pursed her lips. “Trellanie and Patricka are all in their feelings because I told them no backstage passes for them, and now I can’t stay?” He didn’t know if she even had one, but even if she did, he felt she was selfish as hell not to include her girls.
“Yo!” Serita spun to her right, and there was Donovan with a huge grin on his face. “Dread Man!” she screamed.
Before Scooter could enter the elevator, she jetted in Donovan’s direction. Since they were cool, he could leave her there and have someone send for her. As Donovan swung her around, Scooter stood with pinched lips. He could already tell his cousin was on some bullshit when he opened the hotel room door and motioned for Serita to go inside.
“Sir, going down?” He looked up at the hotel serviceman, then back at his hotel door, a war raging in his head. He may not have been in love with Serita anymore, if he ever was, but he was raised better. His mother and Granny Rene would be greatly disappointed if he mishandled her.
“Naw.” He exhaled a deep breath, grabbed Serita’s luggage, and went back to the hotel room. He would just sleep on the pullout sofa.
Chapter 18
Verse Eighteen
“Iwas about to put an APB out on you,” Shawn jested when she came into his office. He slammed a cup on the desk and slid it across. She’d been away far too long, and even though she appeared to be in good spirits, he knew how clever addicts could be.
“Go ahead.” He flicked his hand, an indicator he wanted her to drop. “I would get the breathalyzer, but considering your history, I might as well complete a full panel.”
“Since when you became my PO?” She smiled, then grabbed the cup. “I’ll have you know I’m clean.”
