Page 211 of The Ninth

“Duke, where you going?!”

“Devyn, I gotta go make sure our peoples make it back alive! Y’all think a nigga big enough to pimp women don’t got mothafuckas coming behind him? He was feeding people! They not going to stop! Stay here, baby. I’m going.”

“DUKE, PLEASE! I CAN’T BE ALONE RIGHT NOW! I’M SCARED! I’M HURT RELIVING THAT SITUATION! JUST PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME!”

She slid between me and the door. A broken Devyn I haven’t seen in months stood before me. Although I was feeling angry, sad, murderous, I couldn’t disrespect the woman in front of me. My woman. She’s yelling and pleading for me to stay. In my right or wrong mind, I couldn’t go against that.

“Just breathe, Devyn. I’ll stay but I need to step out back alone. I’m just so disappointed in you.”

Her chin dropped to her chest. I trained my eyes on the coils of her beautiful hair until she picked her head back up again. The house was filled with her breath stuttering as she tried to calm down. After nodding her head slowly, she finally spoke up,

“I’m going to get in the shower.”

“Aight.”

She slid from in front of me, walking away. I grabbed one of the backwoods and lighters off the table, immediately going to the backyard. For some reason, I felt the need to open the door slowly so it didn’t creak so loudly. For the first time ever, I sat at the back of my shit with my gun in my lap. I don’t fear no nigga and Cassandra and Devyn are people I’m ready to die over. But that’s what happens when you tuck shit so serious away.

Smoke filled my chest heavily. The entire time I faced the wood, I couldn’t help but shake my fucking head, G. Neither Devyn nor her cousin ever see the consequences of their actions beyond themselves. They’re okay with how they will be affected, but what about everyone else?

That nasty hoe in the shop could’ve had me and my brotha killed that night, folks. It would’ve been so easy for her to line us and who’s to say she still won’t? They waited so long to tell us, who’s to say a nigga ain’t sitting behind this gate, watching me right now? We had opps and was on niggas minds and radars for weeks, foe. No clue we had to pay attention to niggas words and they actions. Their silence allowed them niggas to get the up on us. Noone has eva had the up on us.

“I fell back and realized she backed me into her nigga’s lap....”

But damn. I’m tore to my fucking soul about Devyn. Any man would tweak the fuck out having to hear the woman he loves tell him that shit. Just the thought of my perfect baby being drugged, held captive in some fucking basement. Knowing them mothafuckas plotted on her and took their time. That shits malicious. Evil. She’s too sweet.

I had a right to be mad, but was it important at this moment?

The anger slowly left me as I remembered just how bad she was around that time. I laid her off from the shop, she was beefing with Cassie. Showing up and smelling like liquor and weed. I almost stopped fucking with her bogus ass cold turkey and just loved her from a distance. Of course she was scared to come clean and tell me. Especially right after the club.

Another realization hit me like a ton of bricks. She spent twenty-four, forty-eight hours thinking she was carrying my child. How emotional she was the night of the tattoo party. The amount of times the next day I caught her just looking at me. She went through every emotion thinking she was pregnant, just to find out she wasn’t. And I wasn’t there with her.

Instead, her cousin that she loves deeply is out there pregnant and she’s unaware. She could get harmed, killed, or simply just drinking thinking it’s Devyn. They retaliated against that nigga for Devyn and chose one of the most gutta ways to do it.

This isn’t a time to yell and berate her. Send her back down that path knowing she just fell out with her father. I can’t leave her alone right now. As mad as I am, I can’t be mad. It hurts me that this is her reality, but she’s a victim. She didn’t trust me back then, she trusts me now. She told on them, something she wouldn’t have done weeks ago.

Devyn...

My now dry eyes scanned the backyard as I put my roach out. From the moment I stepped inside, locking the door behind me, Devyn’s products floated from the room and through the house. I meant it when I said I got this house to start out with my future wife. Every time I smell her in here or she leaves something behind, it just feels so right.

The floor creaked as I made my way back into the room. My heart hurt seeing her sit at the bottom of the bed, staring into the mirror. She was in a robe and panties only but had it open. Her hair was freshly washed and soaking wet. Devyn once told me that when she’s overstimulated, sometimes she washes her hair to shrink it down. I didn’t stop moving until I was standing at her feet.

“Come here, baby.”

She hopped up immediately, crashing into my chest. I picked my shorty up and sat on the bed with her in my lap. As bad as it hurt to do so, I looked deeply into her eyes before kissing them soft ass lips. They were full, pink, and pouty. Her eyelashes were long and curved upward. Beautiful eyes like a cartoon princess. Gorgeous.

“Devyn. I know it hurt you to tell me something like that. I just want to let you know that I’m so sorry that happened to you. I’m so sorry for my reaction after you told me. I wish I could feel all your pain for the rest of your time on earth. It deeply saddens me to know that happened during a tough time for you. I’m proud of you for having the courage to tell us. On my dead brotha, I got you now. Forever. I won’t ever let harm come to you again. I promise.”

“I’m so sorry for lying...”

“We’re not moving backwards. Just promise going forward you trust me and the love I have for you.”

“I do, baby boy. I love you.”

“And I love you.”

My hand held her damp cheek as I pressed my lips against hers. They were always so soft and slightly sweet. She smelled so good and fit perfectly in my lap. As I left kisses all over her face, I had to check myself and remember this is the love of my life. And she’s delicate.

“You mean everything to me...” I whispered against her forehead.