Another Hood Love 2 (9 page)

I grabbed a wine cooler and about three Jell-O shots and took a seat in one of the lawn chairs as China and Lexis took a seat beside me. “So what’s going on with Big Ken and Shae and them?” China asked as she took a sip from the wine cooler she was sipping on.

“Man, I don’t know it’s not looking too good, though. Him, Tommy and Shae were all indicted but Quita just up and disappeared. Nobody knows where she is,” I said, taking a Jell-O shot before I continued.

The last week of June, the Feds kicked in the doors of my uncle’s house and also the doors to the club and had taken him, my Auntie Shae, my cousin Tommy and a few of the girls in the club in custody. Apparently, there was a prostitution ring operating out of the club. An undercover agent was placed in the club and everything was proven through the word of the agent as well as a confidential witness. Now they were sitting in jail looking at anywhere from 10-15 years for human trafficking and a few other charges in regards to prostitution. My uncle was actually looking at 25 or more as the known operator of the ring and also because this wasn’t his first stint in jail.

Any drugs or money had been moved to other locations when we’d first found out that there was an investigation underway and the blocks that my uncle had were still running and were not on the Fed’s scope. On top of school and the baby, I now had the task of checking the blocks every week to make sure that the money was right and keeping tabs on the east and west side crews. I never wanted to be back in the game. I liked going to school and being a mother to my child and I didn’t want anything to threaten my life or freedom. I was between a rock and a hard place because on the flip side, I felt that I owed my uncle my loyalty because he was always there when I needed him and I needed to be there for him while he needed me. There was talk that Quita had probably cut a deal with the Feds so I knew that somebody had to be on top of his street affairs because she knew way too much. If I ever caught up with that hoe, I was airing her ass out on sight.

“Damn, that’s crazy, y’all just please be careful,” China said, looking back and forth between Lexis and me. “You know I don’t have much family and the ones that I do have, I’m not close to. Y’all are like my family and I don’t know how many more losses I can take,” she said, getting teary eyed as she spoke.

“Aww shit, don’t give her crybaby ass any more drinks. This bitch getting sensitive now,” Lexis said and we all laughed as China gave us the middle finger.

China was hella sensitive. She would cry over commercials, movies and books. Lexis and I always made fun of her, saying that she needed to carry Kleenex everywhere since she was always crying.

“What y’all thots over here giggling about?” Greg said as he pulled a chair up next to us.

I looked up as Gio was also walking over with Mr. Gold Chains and his patna. My heartbeat instantly sped up. I ended up taking my remaining shots and watched as they walked over as I only half-listened to the conversation in front of me.

“Jae Money, what you looking at? Gone with that shit,” Gio said, busting me out as he approached and the trio pulled up seats in our little circle.

I almost died when Mr. Gold Chains sat down next to me. I was so nervous that I pulled out my phone and began looking through my text messages as if one would suddenly appear. Shit, this man had me tweaking.

“What y’all all ducked off over here talking about?” Gio asked as he leaned over and kissed China on the lips. They were so mushy.

I rolled my eyes. “Well since this nigga Gio clearly ain’t got no manners, I’m Jaeda, and this is my best friend Lexis and I’m sure y’all seem to know everyone else,” I said, throwing my empty Jell-O container at Gio.

Mr. Gold Chains gave me a sexy ass smirk as he held out his hand for me to shake. “Well my name is Quinton but everybody calls me Big Money Q and that’s my cousin, Dolo.” Q was still holding on to my hand and for some reason, I couldn’t move it out his clutches.

“Nigga, you better let my sister hand go!” Gio said, half-joking.

I hurriedly pulled my hand away and gave Q a nervous smile before opening my mouth to speak. “So, Big Money Q,” I said, putting emphasis on the Big Money part, “where are y’all from? Because I ain’t ever seen y’all around before.” I pulled a blunt wrap and some weed from my purse and began to roll up some good.

“We were born and raised out here, North Oakland, but we stay out in Vegas now. We usually come out here like twice a month but we got businesses out that way,” Q said as he took the other blunt wrap from my lap and started rolling up as well.

I nodded my head. I knew Gio’s eyes were on me so I occupied myself with rolling up a few blunts before starting a rotation as we engaged in small talk. I knew I shouldn’t have been feeling some type of way about Q but I couldn’t help it. The man was sexy as fuck, no kids, paid and he was also charming and goofy as hell. How could he bring this wonderful man here and expect me not to be smitten? Shit, Quinton was like the prototype for the Black American King and I couldn’t do shit but respect it.

China had gotten up to check on the kids and I had gotten up to make me a plate. As I was piling some baked macaroni and cheese on my plate, I could smell Q’s cologne sneak up on me. It was crazy because I loved the way Issey Miyake Bleue smelled and this man had the nerve to be parading around in the shit. I resisted the urge to turn around because I was afraid he would be able to sense that my panties were soaked just by his presence.

“So you was going to bring yo greedy ass over here and not make me a plate?” he asked as his lips brushed my earlobe.

I laughed nervously. “Boy, please. I ain’t ya bitch to be up making plates. I don’t spoil niggas,” I said as I turned towards him, reaching across him to grab a napkin and fork.

He laughed as he snatched the fork out my hand. “I ain’t no nigga for one and you ever heard the saying, you don’t work, you don’t eat?” he said as he grabbed the box of utensils as I went to reach for another one.

My goodness, this nigga. “Man, you play all day. So I can’t eat because I’m not fixing your plate?” I asked, slightly grinning.

“Nah, once you put in some work, then you can enjoy the fruits of your labor. I want everything except baked beans and I like my potato salad separate from the rest of my food.” He gave me a slick smile.

I saw that this nigga was used to getting his way. I would give in today but I was not about to have this nigga around me thinking he was special or something. “Whatever,” I said as I grabbed a plate and began piling food on top. He looked like he could put some food away so I made sure to give him nice size portions.

By the time I had eaten my food, I figured the kids should have been waking up. I got up and headed inside the house to get them up so that I could feed them. China was sitting in the room breast feeding Charlie when I walked in and Jahlisa and Baby Tone were sitting up watching the television.

“Oh, why you didn’t come and get me?” I asked China as I grabbed diapers and wipes so that I could change both kids.

“Girl, bye. You were out there tryna snag a new nigga so I just let you be. Shit, they fine.”

I laughed. “Bruh, please. Q fine and all but he cocky as hell and high maintenance. I don’t do well with those kind of niggas,” I said as I sat Baby Tone down and grabbed Jahlisa.

“Yeah, that’s what your mouth says, but those eyes don’t lie. You want some Q pie.”

I laughed as she continued to tease me. “Girl, bye. Let’s go back out. It’s getting dark and we don’t want to miss the fireworks.”

Gio and China had moved into the Oakland Hills so there was a great view of the skyline where we would be able to see the fireworks clearly.

I grabbed Baby Tone’s walker with one hand and held him on my hip with the other hand as we all walked outside to take a seat and get ready for the show. As I was walking towards where everybody had taken a seat, I noticed Q get up and start walking towards me.

“Need some help?” he asked as he grabbed the walker from me and walked it over and set it up next to his seat and the empty seat next to him that I assumed he had saved for me. I smiled at the gesture. Greg had picked up Jahlisa and she was now sitting on his lap as he sat her down with a plate of food. “So this your little man?” Q asked as he played with Baby Tone, tickling him and making silly faces at him.

“Yeah, that’s my little prince. His name is Antonio II but we call him Baby Tone,” I said as I began to feed him some macaroni and cheese.

“This Tone baby, right, and the little girl is Gotti’s daughter?” he asked as he handed Baby Tone his bottle that had fallen.

“Yeah, so you and Tone were patnas?” I asked as my palms began to get sweaty. I began to feel guilty. Here I was in a relationship with one man and sitting here and lusting over the next nigga that was friends with my late boyfriend.

“I mean, we was cool but we weren’t patnas. My cousin and him were real cool but me and him were just kosher,” he said.

I nodded my head as I wiped my son’s face and handed him his bottle as I picked him up and sat him on my lap. As I was bouncing him on my knee, he started to reach for Q. I was surprised because he didn’t really like many people close to him and he definitely didn’t too much care for Chris holding him. He would always cry when Chris picked him up; he was hella funny style. I sat Baby Tone on his feet as he held onto Q’s leg and began to beat him up while laughing and slobbering all over the place.

We made small talk as the fireworks began bursting in the air. Baby Tone looked confused and amazed as he watched the colors in the sky and reached out as if he could touch them. Q and I laughed and joked around about different shit. He was super cool and fun to be around.

“What’s good, Jae Money?”

I turned around and cringed when I saw Chris standing behind me, glaring at Q who was holding onto Baby Tone’s hands as he tried to push up off his lap on his feet. It irritated me because Chris never called me that shit and I would rather him not because that was Tone’s nickname for me. “Hey, Chris. I didn’t think you were still coming,” I said as I looked into his face. I could tell he was pissed off but shit, I didn’t care.

“Clearly, all the giggling you over here doing, I must be interrupting something,” he said while looking Q up and down.

“Sup, my nigga? Big Money Q, and you are?” Q said, now standing up in front of Chris.

“Chris, this is my girl and my son right here.”

I looked at Chris with a crazy look because this nigga was really on one tonight talking about his damn son. I couldn’t wait to call bullshit on his punk ass. Q chuckled, “Yeah, okay, homie. You can have my seat and enjoy ya family,” Q said, putting emphasis on family.

Chris reached down and picked up Baby Tone who began crying and screaming at the top of his lungs soon as Chris lifted him off the ground. Q smirked and walked off then turned around and winked at me as he went and had a seat next to his cousin Dolo.

“Jaeda, let me holla at you real fast,” Chris said, putting Baby Tone back down on the ground a little rougher than I liked. I grabbed my son and rained kisses on his wet cheeks.

Gio walked over to me and reached for Baby Tone who eagerly went with him. “You good, Jae Money?” he asked as he looked from me to Chris.

“Yeah, I’m good, brother,” I said as I watched Chris roll his eyes like a bitch. I don’t know where this attitude came from but I was about over dealing with Chris and his bullshit. I got up and walked into the house and went to have a seat on one of the barstools placed at the counter. “What’s up, Chris? I don’t have time for your shit tonight so if you came here to act a fool, then maybe you should leave,” I said as he just stared at me.

“Jaeda, are you fucking that nigga? Is that why you ain’t fucking me and why you ain’t been fucking with me?’

I laughed at the ridiculousness of this nigga’s accusations. “Chris, you know why I haven’t been fucking with you so please stop trying to act like you forgot,” I said as I hopped off the stool and attempted to walk past him.

Chris grabbed my arm and squeezed it tightly. “Quit playing with me, bruh,” Chris said between clinched teeth.

“Ouch! Nigga, you’re hurting me. Let me the fuck go!” I said, raising my voice and yanking my arm away from him.

Chris grabbed me again and slipped his hand under my dress and into my panties. “But yo pussy soaking wet. Is that because of me or that nigga?” Chris stared at me for a second.

I shook my head as I pulled away from him and walked outside, leaving his dumb ass standing right there. I walked back outside so that I could grab the kids and head home, it was getting late and I was now not in the mood to stay and be around anybody. Soon as I stepped out the door, I ran into Q.

“Hey, you good?” he asked as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Yea, I’m straight but I’m about to head home now. It’s getting late,” I said as Lexis walked up.

“Hey I’m going to take the kids tonight and you can go handle that shit,” Lexis said, pointing in the house as she told Baby Tone to give me a kiss bye-bye.

“You don’t have to Lex, I’m good,” I said as I reached for Baby Tone but he turned away, holding tight to Lexis. “Oh, okay. Now you’re with your Tee-Tee and now it’s no love for mommy?” I leaned in and kissed all over his face. Just then, Jahlisa came running up to us.

“Jahlisa, tell Tee-Tee Jaeda bye. You guys are coming home with me.”

“Yay! Bye Tee-Tee, see you later,” she said in her soft voice.

I mouthed a thank you to Lex and proceeded across the yard to say my goodbyes. I was ready to go home and relax and get a good night’s rest. I’d had a great time with my family and Chris just had to come and kill my vibe. I didn’t know how much more of this relationship I could take. It was draining and I was starting to see some traits in Chris that I didn’t really care for.

I
pulled up to my house about an hour later thinking about life. I was going to school and being a mother to my baby but I wasn’t happy. I missed Tone but I was also ready to move on but I felt like maybe I was moving in the wrong direction. I pulled into my garage and parked my truck. As I was walking in the house, my phone began to ring. I looked at the caller ID and it was Chris.