When A Thug Loves A Woman (4 page)

I sat there trying to console my son as he sat in the backseat as we pulled up to his grandma’s house. He had been in Detroit for two weeks and apparently his mom was in town from Miami to come pick him up. That shit had me so hot that I didn’t know what to do.

Casino told me how he had tracked down Adore, my ex, and flew down to Miami while I was locked up to see if he had a nephew or not. He said the moment he laid eyes on Caner, he knew right off bat that Caner was my son. From there, he sent for Caner whenever he wasn’t in school and when he was on breaks so that he could get to know him and my moms.

I appreciated my little brother doing that shit for me but now I was feeling emotional. I had been spending the last two weeks since being released spending time with my son and getting to know him just for him to be ripped away from me again. I had already missed out on nine years of his life, I wasn’t trying to miss out on anymore.

“Come on, man. It’s going to be alright,” I told him as we got out of the car.

Sniffling, Caner got out of the car with his head down and slowly walked up to his grandma’s door. I knocked and waited for her to answer as I pulled Caner to me to kiss the top of his head.

“Canaan,” Adore said as if she was seeing a ghost.

“Ma, I don’t wanna leave, I wanna stay here with dad,” Caner said.

Adore looked down at him in shock then looked at me like she didn’t know what to do. “Caner, you know you can’t stay here,” she told him.

“Why the hell not?” I asked.

“Canaan, please don’t make this more difficult than it already is, please?” she sighed.

“Caner, why don’t you come in here and put your bags up?” Adore’s mother said. “Let’s give your mom and dad some time to talk.”

Caner gave me hug before walking past his mom to go in the house. Adore walked out on the porch with her arms folded over her chest. I looked at this woman, not believing this was the same woman that I used to dream about spending the rest of my life with. I used to swear Adore could do no wrong, until she left me when I was down and never looked back.

“You look good,” she said.

I couldn’t help but to sneer at the bullshit that just left her mouth. “Fuck outta here. You ain’t shit, Adore, and you know it,” I told her.

“Canaan, that’s not fair! I will admit that I was wrong for not telling you about Caner. I’m woman enough to admit that, but for you to say I ain’t shit is dead ass wrong!” she yelled.

“You left me in there to rot! I needed you to help me keep my peace of mind, I needed to know that the girl that I loved would have my back through whatever but the moment shit got tough, you got ghost on a nigga, Adore,” I bellowed as I slammed my hand on the side of the house, inches away from her head.

“I’m sorry, Canaan,” she cried. “I was scared. I was nineteen years old and had police coming to my mama house saying if I didn’t give them some info on you that I would be locked up too. That was around the time that I had found out I was pregnant so I did the only thing I thought to do. I ran,” she explained through her tears.

“What?” I asked, confused. “Fuck is you talking about?”

“When you got locked up, they brought me in for questioning and said that if I didn’t cooperate or give them some information, I was going to get locked up right along with you for conspiracy. I wouldn’t dare give them shit on you, so I ran to Miami with my daddy and stepmom and that’s where I been ever since.”

I stood there stuck at Adore’s revelation because, to my knowledge, I got knocked during a regular routine stop with Casino and my homeboy at the time. I didn’t know shit about what she was talking about and had no idea that the pigs even brought her in for questioning. Sighing, I pulled her into my arms as she cried.

“You know I would never do you like, Canaan,” she cried.

“Alright, ma, stop crying,” I told her.

“I didn’t want to but I had to,” she said.

“Shhh, it’s okay. You did what you had to do. I was fucked up about it but the shit is over now,” I let her know.

I didn't know what the fuck was going on but what I did know was that I had some shit I had to get to the bottom of. I didn't care if this shit happened nine or nineteen years ago. The truth of the matter was that someone was after me and me getting caught with that shit and going to prison wasn't a damn coincidence.

“You forgive me?” Adore asked.

“I'll think about it.”

“Canaan,” she rolled her eyes as she pushed me away.

I couldn't do anything but laugh at her and shake my head. “On some real shit, though, Adore, I want my son here with me.”

“You say that as if it's as simple as just snapping your finger. Our life…his life is in Miami, Canaan. Caner is in school, he plays football, he has friends, and a whole lot of other things,” Adore said.

“And? He can do all that shit here. Stop fucking playing with me, you must have some other shit going on as to why you feel like you can't leave,” I said.

Adore sighed and rubbed her lips together like she used to do back in the day whenever she was nervous and trying to hide something. I didn't question Caner about what his mama had going on because it was none of my business and I really didn't care. Adore was grown so she's free to do whatever she wants.

“I just—”

“I really don't give a damn, Adore. You can take your ass back to Miami and leave Caner here with me. You've kept him from me for nine years, so it's the least you could do,” I told her.

Adore cut her eyes at me before placing her hands on her hips. “I'm not leaving my son here,” she said defiantly.

“Well, you better figure out what you gonna do and figure it out quick,” I told her as I walked back to my truck.

Adore could think I was playing with her all she wanted to and she was going to mess around and find herself in a fucked up situation.

Casino
:
Open the door

I looked down at my phone and was confused as I read the text that just came through. Here I was trying to get ready for work and Casino wanted to do one of his famous pop up visits. I looked down at my clothes and cursed at the fact that I was half dressed as I rushed to the front door.

“What are you doing here?” I asked as he came in and I ran back to my room to finish getting dressed.

I was just putting on my shorts when he decided to walk his happy ass in my room and flop on my bed.

“Where you going?” he asked.

“Work,” I told him.

“No, you're not. I already called Caesar and told him you wouldn't be coming in tonight.”

I spun around to look at him so fast that I almost lost my balance in the process. I didn't know if he was being serious or playing but knowing him, he was most likely being serious. “You did what?” I exclaimed.

He just picked up my remote and turned my TV on like he didn't hear a damn word I’d just said.

I walked over to him and stood right in front of him, snatching the remote from his hand. “Why would you do that Casino?” I asked as I used my finger to lightly mush his head.

Next thing I knew, this nigga had grabbed me and threw me on the bed with his arms wrapped around me and his face buried in my neck. I tried to move out of his arms but the more I moved, the tighter he held me.

“What I tell you about that attitude shit, Choc?” Casino said while placing butterfly kisses on my neck.

“Stop, Casino! And if you wouldn't do stupid stuff, I wouldn't have to get an attitude.”

Somewhere along the line, Casino’s light kisses turned into him being a full blown vampire. He was kissing, sucking, and biting like he was trying to drain all the blood from my damn neck.

“Didn't I say stop?!” I sneered as I shoved him off me.

I stopped being mean to Casino and gave his ass a little attention and now this nigga was reading more into it than he should. Don't get me wrong, Casino was not just sexy, but he was funny, smart, and I loved his company but he came with too much damn drama for me. It was taking everything in me not to slap his baby mama and her sidekick that day they tried to come at me crazy.

All that shit he had going on, I didn't need all that in my life so Casino and I were good just being friends and whenever he tried to blur those lines, I had to help him see things clearly again.

“Alright, you win, Choc. But on the real, though, I'm hungrier than a muthafucka!” he said as he rubbed his stomach.

I rolled my eyes at him as I got up to change into something more comfortable. “Why every time you come over here, you hungry? And was that supposed to be a hint or something?” I asked as I took my work shorts off and put some yoga pants on.

“I'm always on the go and barely have time to eat so wherever I sit still is where I get a meal at,” he said as he eyed my body.

Just because I was in a petty mood, I decided to fuck with him. I turned around and bent over slowly to pick my shorts up off the ground, giving him a nice view. I damn near jumped out of my skin when I stood back up, went to turn around and Casino was literally standing right behind me. I didn't even hear him move or get up from the bed.

“Don't fucking play with me, Choc, alright? I will have your little ass bent over that bed with my dick all up in you, so don't start some shit you know you won't be able to finish or handle,” Casino said as he towered over me, peering down at me like he was waiting for me to say the wrong thing so he could make good on his word. “You gonna be mine. I don't even know why you playing. It's cool, though. I like this little cat and mouse shit, it's fun. But in the meantime, how about going to fix a nigga something to eat?” he asked while licking his lips.

The only thing my black ass could do was nod my head and oblige him. I went downstairs and headed straight for the kitchen.

-$-

BOOM BOOM BOOM

I was shaken out of my sleep to the sound of someone banging on my front door. I looked around the room and my eyes landed on the cable box that read it was 3:45 in the morning. I was confused as hell because no one ever stopped by my house.

BOOM BOOM BOOM

I guess I wasn't moving fast enough, so I immediately jumped out of the bed and rushed to the door. When I snatched it open, my sister and my three-year-old niece stood there. Majesty, my niece, looked as if she hadn't bathed, changed clothes, eaten or had any proper grooming done in days. As for Dutchess, it was safe to say that she was back on that shit again.

“Dutchess, what the fuck are you doing?”

“I…I can't. I can't do it any more, Bambi. You gotta take her because I can't,” Dutchess said as she rubbed her arms and rocked back and forth.

“What?” I screeched. “What are you talking about?”

“I…I gotta…I gotta go!” she said before she turned around and took off running.

“Dutchess, wait!” I yelled after her but it was no use.

She had jumped in a car that was waiting for her without once looking back. Not only was it still dark outside but the windows in the car were tinted so I couldn't see who the hell she had run off with. I stood there fuming as I looked down at my niece and the condition she was in. There was no telling what she had endured or gone through.

“Come on, baby,” I said as I bent down to pick her up.

I ignored the strong stench that was seeping from her pores because I knew it wasn't her fault. There was no way in hell that a three-year-old should be smelling or looking like this. Majesty’s hair was matted up and it even looked like patches were missing. Dutchess better be glad she left when she did or I would have beat her ass for this shit.

I took Majesty straight to the bathroom and sat her on the toilet seat as I ran her a nice warm bath. Even though I was happy to see my niece because it had literally been months since I saw her, I hated that this was the condition she was in. Majesty just sat there with her head down, refusing to look up as tears escaped her little eyes.

When the tub was full enough, I helped her undress. When I pulled her shirt off, I instantly went into a fit of rage.

“What the fuck!” I yelled, scaring her. Majesty’s back and shoulders were filled with black and blue bruises. Some looked old and some looked new. “Sorry, baby. I didn't mean to scare you. Did the man your mommy left with do this to you?” I asked as sweetly as I could even though I was pissed the fuck off.

Majesty just shook her head no. Even though I was relieved, I was still pissed because that meant Dutchess had all types of men around my baby just to support her fucking habit. The first thing I was going to do in the morning was make an appointment for her to get checked to make sure she hadn't been touched.

“Are you hungry?” I asked Majesty after she was bathed and her hair was washed.

Just like all my previous questions, she only gave me a head nod to answer or object. I took her downstairs and sat her on the counter while I warmed up the rest of the lasagna from earlier that I had cooked for Casino.

I sat there and shook my head in pity as I watched Majesty scarf down her food as if she hadn't eaten in weeks. Knowing my sister, the poor baby probably hadn't. Unfortunately, this wasn't Dutchess’ first battle with drugs. She had been strung out years ago but once we found out she was pregnant, we sent her ass straight to rehab.

Dutchess had been doing good until all of a sudden, she relapsed. The sad part about it was she kept Majesty from us and just disappeared to where my family couldn't find her. We searched for her for two months straight until we just gave up. Then tonight she pops up at my house.

In a way, I was grateful that she thought enough to bring Majesty to me because there was no way in hell that I was going to let my niece be raised in the system. Lord knows I wasn't ready for any kids at this point in my life but if I had to raise Majesty until Dutchess got her shit together, if she ever did, then that's what I was going to do.