Page 79 of Father of the Bride
She paused to take another puff.
“This muhfucka did my ass, pushed me out the fuckin’ door the next day, didn’t check on me, and my ass got a fuckin’ blood clot. Not my ass, but you know what I’m sayin’. A clot in my leg. If my mama hadn’t pulled up at that exact right moment, a bitch woulda been dead. For real.
“So look, do not, I repeat, donotgo to Greater Memphis Plastic Surgery Team. Flodgin’ ass Dr. Sterling Harris. The office is beautiful, the work is pretty good, but they don’t give a fuck about you afterwards. And that’s real.
“So, now y’all know. A bitch was down for a whole ass week. I’m talmbout a fuckin’ coma, y’all. But like they say,”she said, blowing out a smoke ring, “you can’t keep a good bitch down. I’m still here, muhfuckas. Ain’t goin’ nowhere. Aight, I’m finna play y’all my newest shit. Five minutes.”
Mark handed the phone back to Samara, his mouth hanging open, his heart racing in his chest.
“Fuck,” was all he could manage.
She shook her head. “Do you want my help?”
“Of course.” He paced back and forth, his ire growing. “Give me a minute to process this. And don’t let Brook worry about this. Lie if you have to.”
“I got you.”
As soon as Samara was out of sight, he pulled out his phone. It was a Friday evening. Knox, his attorney, was probably still in the office. Even if he wasn’t, Mark needed him on this shit right now.
No answer.
Pain stabbed through his temples as he thought through the implications. His livelihood. His practice. Maybe even his medical license. All at risk now because Sterling went off the rails.
And the worst part was that he could have stopped it.
Mark stomped back to the dining room, where everyone was pretending to listen to Davion’s grandmother. Brooklyn had tears in her eyes, Dav looked pissed, Sunny looked concerned, and Samara was on her phone, her fingers moving a mile a minute.
But his focus was on Sterling.
As quietly and politely as he could, he approached Sterling, leaning down to say, “We need to talk. Right fuckin’ now, nigga.”
The old Kez was bubbling up, and that wasn’t good.
Chapter 26
“Nah,nigga.Wegoin’all the way outside.”
Sterling stood frozen by the door of the inn. “It’s hot out there. Bugs and shit.”
“I don’t give a fuck. We not about to ruin my daughter’s dinner. Bring yo monkey ass out here before shit gets ugly.”
Mark saw Micah step out into the lobby, concern on his face, but Mark was too angry to spare a word for him.
Outside, he clasped his hands together behind his back to keep from taking Sterling’s head off.
“I wanna know what you were thinking,” he began. “What went through your fuckin’ mind?”
“What went through my mind? Keeping the fucking lights on at the office, man. You been coasting for the past few years.”
Mark’s face hardened. “So this ismyfault?”
“Not at all. I did what I had to do, that’s all.”
“You were doing BBLs out of a goddamnback room, Sterling. That’s not hustling, motherfucker, that’s criminal negligence. She almost died!”
“Lower your voice.”
“Fuck you,” Mark spat.
