Page 197 of The Ninth

Duke responded without looking, “I don’t have time for that; my shorty is waiting on my call. You’ll need to link up with Beatrice. Matter fact, I’m finna finish this right now so go ahead and head out there, shorty.”

A small victorious smirk appeared on my face as she yanked her shirt down, blowing out a breath. As she stood, that smirked slipped off my face and transferred to hers.

I watched as Pink swung her hair behind her shoulder. She looked different. Slightly skinnier. Heavier make-up. But she still had her shape and she still had those same light brown eyes that looked up at me as her man held me against his chest. Time stood still as her hand stretched forward, caressing the same beard my pussy soaked earlier today.

Duke smacked her hand away, stopping the gun. Every vein in his body popped out as he went to stand. But it was too late. My vision went red and my legs were on the move. I flew past Duke, crashing my first directly into Pink’s mouth.

The two of us fell to the floor as I beat her shit in. Duke tried to pick me up off of her, but my fingers were locked in the cheap ass weave she was wearing. My right fist knocked this bitch in her face repeatedly as I kicked her.

“DEVYN, BABY! LET GO!” Duke yelled.

“YOU TOUCHING MY NIGGA, HOE?!” was my only response.

The anger was deeper than that. Pink knew what Duke looked like. She knows how I am about him. For her to be here, pulling her titties out, touching him? She’s doing this to me. After her and her man assaulted me. I’ve never felt more disrespected.

The nigga Duke was tattooing finally had enough sense to pull Pink away from me. I felt nervous or scared that she was going to get to walk out of here without me finishing. Without her getting done in how she deserved. As she slipped from my fingers, all I could do was call out,

“CASSSIEEEE!”

The back door smacked the wall and within seconds Cassie appeared. It took her one second to take in the scene and fly into action.

I flinched hearing Pink’s jaw pop underneath Cassie’s fist. K3 tried to grab her, but she was fighting too wildly. When I say Cassie was putting hands and feet on this bitch? I mean head, shoulders, knees and toes. K3 finally accepted that in order to get Cassie off of Pink, he was going to have to get his ass beat too. After getting his shit rocked a few times, he finally was able to hold her above his head with one hand.

Duke’s face was angry. K3 thought the shit was funny.

“FUCK YOU BITCHES! YOU BITCHES IS DEAD WRONG! Y’ALL DEAD!” Pink yelled while being taken away. Her face was bloody and hair hanging off her head.

Commotion from the front caused Duke to walk that way, carrying me with him. He didn’t say a word but the grip he had on my body said enough. He put me down, rushing to go and pull Kenzie and Tati off some hoes that felt like they were bold enough to go and help Pink. Silly of him to put me down, because all I did was jump in, helping my girls.

“PUT HER IN A RESTRAINT!” K3 yelled as Cassie tweaked in his arms.

It took some time, but eventually Duke, Trent, Dean, and K3 had us all in separate corners while everyone else cleared out. Duke’s thick eyebrows kissed as his face screwed up, staring deep into my eyes. The same guilt for not trusting him came flooding back to me. Guilt for fighting and I’m carrying a child he knows nothing about. But what if I didn’t come? Then what would Pink have done?

“At the shop, Devyn? You don’t trust me...is that what you saying?”

“Don’t play in my face right now.”

“THE CHEETAH GIRLS SLEEPOVER IS DISBANDED. I’M TAKING THE PINK ONE HOME. Y’ALL GET Y’ALL JUMPING ASSESS SOMEWHERE ELSE,” K3 yelled while carrying Cassie out.

Kenzie looked over Trent’s shoulder with a red face, “SHUT UP, NIGGA! BEFORE WE JUMP YOU!”

“Aight, gang. Don’t get tazed out this mothafucka.”

Duke looked back at Kilo, “Get this shit together, nigga. You should’ve had a control on how many people were gonna come in my shit.”

“I got you,” he nodded.

Duke grabbed my waist tightly as everyone else walked out happily with their men. They only fought because I did. Their niggas wasn’t the ones getting titties flashed in their faces or their beards touched on. Just mine.

He guided me down the sidewalk and to his Trackhawk. Cassie was already in the K3’s lap, kissing in her passenger seat. Meanwhile, the heat was wavering off of Duke’s body.

Once we were both settled in, he ripped away from the sidewalk and took off towards the direction of the apartment. His hand slid over his waves three times before he looked over at me.

“So now you think I’m playing in your face?”

“You act like I busted in, showing my ass, and nothing was going on. I walked in on a bitch revealing herself and touching you. Do you even kn—”

“That was one moment out of the entire night, Devyn. I can’t even tell you what she looked like because I didn’t look at her until you beat her shit in.”