Chapter 18

18

Ahmad

B oarding the jet, I sat by the window as I waited for take-off. I was headed back to Cali to settle some shit before coming back to Georgia to finish Slim off. I had him locked away in a secured unit of one of my properties to guarantee he would never be able to escape. Thoughts of what Bunny said fucked with me bad. I knew it shouldn't because the way we linked was unorthodox as hell, however, once everything was said and done, I planned to actually court her.

Not anymore though.

It was clear she couldn't have been feeling the same way as I was because that shit wouldn't have even left her mouth. All this shit I was doing for her, and she already had thoughts of never fucking with me again. She was using the fuck out of me. Using me to get rid of her problem and used me to knock those six year cobwebs off that good ass pussy.

Fuck her.

I should have never allowed her to touch me. It was my fault though for letting her get close to me knowing what I did to her and was going to allow to happen to her. What person in their right mind would fall for a nigga that abducted her and her daughter to give to a fuck nigga who was probably going to kill them? Yeah, I was tripping. She was right to feel however she felt about the situation.

I should've just stuck to the plan, but seeing how innocent she looked, and how scared Rabbit was, I just couldn't find it in me to hand them over like that. Now look at me. Falling for my victim and won over by her baby. This was all bitch ass Ashton's fault. If I had just ignored his call that day like I planned, none of this shit would be happening right now.

I landed in California around twelve that afternoon. My first order of business was to go to my place of business. On paper, Pryor's Waste Removal Service was a legit company that actually did remove waste from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. However, after hours, we did jobs for the kingpins, gangstas, and thugs who needed bodies removed. Tanner and Flossy took care of that while I kept my hands clean. They knew if they ever got caught doing that shit, to keep my name clear from their mouths.

Walking off the jet, Ashton stood tall next to his Porsche Cullinan, wearing a suit, pea coat, and sunglasses. It was almost November and cold as hell, but the sun was still shining. When he saw me walking toward him, he smiled like he had a secret he couldn't wait to share. As soon as we came within arm's reach, I balled up my fist and sent it flying into his midsection.

"Oof!" He let out as he keeled over and laughed. "Was that necessary?"

"Very necessary, you punk ass white boy. I've been owing you that for almost two weeks now."

"I'm telling Mommy. You obsessive compulsive asshole."

"I don't give a fuck, you turtle dick, no hair on your shit, having motherfucka."

"Fuck you. You no pussy getting, barbaric, he-man woman hater." We both stared at each other then broke into a laugh as I hugged him.

"I hate you, bitch nigga."

"Yeah, I love you too."

"Take me to the building. I need to check on my business and make sure these niggas doing their jobs," I told him as we got inside the car.

"They're good. Mom and Dad want to see you."

"Nigga, I don't care."

"You should. They miss you, bro."

"Do they really?"

"Yeah, dumb ass." He hit me on the arm where I was shot.

I grabbed it in pain. "Fuck, Ash! That shit hurt!"

"My bad, what happened?"

I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about it."

"So that must mean it's done. You gave her back to him?"

"No."

"Why? What's the hold up? You got your money."

I didn't tell Ashton that I wasn't giving her back to him. All he knew was that I was giving her back to him once the money transfer was made.

"It's a lot of shit, man…"

"You had sex with her, didn't you?" I looked over at him as a smile spread across his face. "I knew it! You sneaky motherfucka!"

"Dog, shut the fuck up. For real."

"Hey, nobody told you to hit her, but I'm not opposed to it. Now you have someone to bring home to Moms," he said, still laughing.

"That shit is dead… she's not even… just know that the shit ain't happening."

"Aw damn! Your ass must didn't hit that right because I remember you having chicks stalking you after one night."

"Ash, listen to yourself, bruh. You already know how I come when I do shit. This thing with Bunny—"

"And you gave her a nickname? Aw shit, shorty in your chest, bro!"

"Just shut up, Ash. This is all your fucking fault. Why couldn't you call somebody the fuck else to do this?"

"You're my only source into the ghetto life. I mean, you could have easily given the job to one of your people, but you chose to do it yourself. So don't blame me because you fell for that thick, beautiful, chocolate ass woman. You may as well off that guy, and you and Bunny can ride off into the sunset."

"It's not happening. The only thing I'm doing is getting rid of that nigga so that she and her daughter can go back to living their lives without having to look over their shoulders. Imagine waking up to the person who snatched you and your kid out of their sleep to deliver you to your death for some cash?"

Ashton shrugged. "You got a point there. But I really do pray you find happiness, brother. You deserve love just like everyone else. Tamia and I were talking the other day—"

"Tamia? You still talking to that bust down that fucked your friend Neil behind your back?"

"We're just friends, Play. Nothing more, nothing less. Anyway, she told me the reason some men don't want to commit is because strong men feel as if women make them weak."

"And you're listening to a woman who has a loose pussy?" I chuckled.

"Whatever… asshole."

When I saw him pulling into our parents' driveway, I frowned at his dumb ass.

"Ash, you really be wanting me to beat yo' ass."

"Just a quick second, Ahmad. They really do miss you. We live in the same state, and you never see them like that. You even missed their anniversary party."

"Then that should tell you something, dummy. I don't want to be around them."

"I'll take you to your building if you just come in and say hi."

"Nigga, Uber and Lyft can take me anywhere I want to go. You ain't bribing shit, homie."

He snatched the phone from my hand then sprinted out of the car.

"Bitch!" I yelled after him as he laughed.

This nigga was childish as fuck. I got out of the car and sighed. Walking up to my childhood home, I saw my mother appear in the doorway. She hugged Ash then her eyes came to me. A light smirk adorned her face as she watched me. Wait, did she just hug him? . Yeah, one of them had to be dying or something because physical touch was never their love language.

"Ahmad."

"Victoria."

"It's so good to see you," she said, pulling me into her arms.

This shit was foreign as fuck, but I allowed her to embrace me. When she pulled away and put her hands on my face, I cringed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot how fickle you are about germs. My hands are clean, I promise."

"It's all good."

"Come on in. Your father is in the den. He can't wait to see you."

"Yo, what house did I just walk in?" I asked. This couldn't be my mother.

"Whatever do you mean, son?"

"You've never been this forward with me. You about to die or something?"

She tittered. "No, baby. I just realize that my oldest son doesn't come around because he feels as if we don't love him. That was never the case, and I'm sorry if you felt that way. I love you with all my heart. I just didn't like you throwing your life away. My biggest fear was losing you to those streets, and maybe my not giving you the love you expected caused you to run to the streets. For that, I'm sorry."

Wow.

I wasn't expecting that. I guessed after not coming around them the past few years, they finally caught on that I wasn't fucking with them no more. The tall figure emerging from the back of the house caused me to stand tall with my head held high. Mason Pryor walked up to me and stared at me for about ten seconds. His eyes that matched my own bore into me before he grabbed me by the back of my head and pulled me into his arms. Yeah, these motherfuckas was on some weird shit, but I allowed them to hug me.

"It's good to see you, Ahmad."

"Yeah, you too." He released me as my eyes went to Ashton who stood smiling like the ho ass nigga he was.

"Mommy, did you cook? Ahmad says he misses your cooking. Right, bro?"

"Nah, yo' greedy ass is just hungry. Don't put me in your hunger pains."

Both my parents laughed.

"I actually did. I hope you all are hungry. I made a big pot of gumbo."

"Mmm, sounds delicious," Ash said, licking his lips.

"Why don't we wash up and catch up? It's been a minute since we've all sat at the dinner table together," my pops said.

"Will you be staying for dinner, son?" my mom asked.

I sighed as my eyes perused the house. It was different from what I remembered since they had gotten new furniture, but the one thing that didn't change was the mural of photos in the sitting room.

"I guess it won't hurt, but I really need to check on my business soon."

"You can after you eat. We just want to spend a little time with you and catch you up on things while you do the same. I just really miss you, baby."

I nodded. "Lead the way." They walked away as Ash and I followed.

"Aren't you glad you came now?" Ash whispered.

"No. It's still fuck y'all, for real."

"You are definitely an asshole."