Page 35 of Mr. Calloway

“I trust you, Z. I’m taking Peace to your sister. Then I’ll meet you at your office.”

“No! I called Dio, and he and I are?—”

The fuck?“What do you mean you called Dio? Z, don’t?—”

Blaow! Bloaw! Bloaw!

Bullets whistled as they thumped the back of my car. “Oh shit!” I shouted.

The phone dropped as I swerved, trying to dodge the bullets, praying that they hadn’t hit my son. Z’s screaming went from loud to muffled as I focused on the car and Peace’s wails. His crying let me know he was still breathing. I quickly hit the nearest corner, damn near hopping on the curb, and put the car in park before I hopped out with my gun. As soon as the car hit the corner, I started shooting as I moved toward it.

“Fuck nigga!” I gritted.

Bloaw! Bloaw! Bloaw! Bloaw! Bloaw!

I didn’t stop until my clip was one bullet away from empty. The car swerved erratically, left to right, until it ran into the nearest light pole. Peace’s wails were the only sound I heard, sending emotions through me that changed everything. My son was scared, and that only pissed me off more. My son was greeted with danger before he understood what it meant, and that broke my heart. My son could have been killed, and that brought a demon out of me.

Both the driver’s and passenger doors opened. One nigga ran off while the other slumped over to his side, trying to catch his breath. My shoes gripped the pavement as I moved toward him.Click, click!I cocked my gun back one last time.

“Nigga, you could have killed my fucking son,” I barked as I pointed to my car. “I don’t give a fuck about what you have to say. I don’t care about sympathies.”

He held his hand out, shielding his face as he muttered words. The way his mouth moved, I thought I knew what he said, but to be sure, I squatted in front of him, moving my head closer to his bloody mouth. The moment he whispered exactly what I thought, I pulled the trigger, sending my final bullet straight through the side of his neck.

“Fuck you!” I shouted before impaling his face with the door.

I knew now it was real niggas’ business, and until all was handled, I wasn’t going to get a wink of sleep. I was going to terrorize this entire fucking city until I felt like my family and everyone in my tribe was safe. Hurrying back to my car, I opened the back door, taking Peace out of his seat and holding him tightly in my arms. I didn’t want to let go. I couldn’t imagine not only what it would do to Z, but also to me if something were to happen to him. I kissed his forehead as I looked at him.

“I promise, after this, it’s just you, Savior, and me. I love you. Your bloodline is Calloway, and remember that always because the Mercier one you will never know.”

His crying stopped as he stared at me. It was as if I spoke baby language because he smiled like he knew exactly what I said. The universe was giving me the warning to do what needed to be done to protect the Calloway name at all costs. Little did anyone know that the Calloway Legacy would be Peace and Savior.

After making sure my son was settled, I picked up the phone to see that Zaria hadn’t hung up. She was, in fact, still screaming until she heard my voice.

“June!” she screamed. “What… what?—”

My eyes closed tightly because I hated when it was time to face Zaria. I hated to be a disappointment; I hated to be thereason all this commotion had been added to her life. All she wanted was a family and a husband who could love her and give her something she couldn’t get anywhere else. Yes, I was doing that, but it came with problems. It came with my burdens, and for once, I just wanted to be Mr. Calloway, the nigga who simply lived a regular life.

I didn’t know what being regular meant. What I did know was that once this shit was over, I needed to do one thing to close the chapter on my destructive life and leave all my troubles behind. The crown I carried bore weight—weight of the world, something most niggas couldn’t handle.Heavy is the head that wears the crown,I thought. It was time to pass it, to give it to the next in line who could wear the crown as well as I could. I knew time was running out, and I had to step down. I’d been thinking about it since Z and I remarried, but now I was convinced. For the sake of my kids and wife, Chevy had to be put away.

I blew out a sharp breath. “We’re okay, Z. I’m on my way to you. Then, we go find Samara. I will handle Clark, and after this, Z, baby, I’m done. I fucking swear to you I’m done.”

It was a hard pill to swallow, but it had to happen. Until I removed my crown, Chevy was in full muhfuckin’ effect.

Dionysus

When Z called me and told me Mars’ raggedy momma showed up to her spot, I knew what time it was. She had sent me the photo of the license plate, saying she wanted to meet up, but I hadn’t heard anything from her, so I was taking matters into my own hands.

When I showed Beans, he told me it was a rental. How he knew was beyond me, but I knew his geek ass would know. Streets and Beans followed me as I pulled up to the only rental car place I knew in the area. As soon as I got off my bike, Beans pulled his helmet off.

“Fuck you about to do?”

I turned to him. “Work magic, nigga. Chill right here,” I told them.

When I entered the building, my phone rang. I thought it was Z, but it was a call from an unknown number.

“Who dis?” I answered.

“Dionysus, it’s… it’s Mars,” she whispered.