He released the heaviest breath. “She’s gone.”
“Gone where?”
“I ain't seen her in two weeks.” The words tasted like shit leaving his mouth.
“What? Lo, what did you do?”
He stalled, trying to gather his words. Truth was, Bria left him speechless a lot of the time. He wished he would’ve been soundless during the hospital visit. That way, he would still have his lady beside him.
“I was being mean to her,” he admitted. “Her pops pissed me off, so I retaliated and ended up pissing her off.”
Explaining it sounded so ridiculous.
“Lo, what did I tell you about your temper? You gotta stop letting your anger drive you. You control it!”
“I know,” was his only response because he honestly didn’t have another one. How could he explain his actions? A grown thirty-four-year-old man couldn’t control his tongue. It was embarrassing. Lo didn’t realize how deep his words had cut until he got with Bria. The image of her face at the hospital haunted him like a spirit. It reminded him of how shitty he was to her that night. Lo wished he could rewind and edit that moment out of their marriage. He loathed how Bria had to live with the memory of him not being there for her.
“You have a wife now. You're her protector not her antagonist. How will she ever be comfortable with you if she can’t trust your actions? You're a man and you have to lead. You also have to exhibit some self-control. Being mean to her will only leave you lonely because no woman wants to be with a man that doesn’t treat her with respect.”
Lo had gotten chewed up again. First, by Meco and now Maddy. He deserved it though. No matter how much he expressed his feelings for Bria, she wouldn’t believe him because his actions always cancelled them out.
“Now, what are you going to do to get her back?”
Lo parted his lips to speak but when he heard the garage open, he nixed his response.
“Aye, Auntie, I’ll call you back.”
Lo hung up without hearing her reply. Slowly, he rose from the couch and walked down the hall. The house was still dark when he heard a door open. Reaching in the waistband of his jeans, he pulled out his gun. Leaning against the door frame, Lo waited eagerly until the light illuminated the kitchen.
As soon as Dough spotted him, his body jumped, provoking a golden smile to surface on Lo’s lips.
“I heard you was looking for me, chump-ass nigga.”
Dough smirked. “You think breaking into my crib is about to make me bitch up? Nigga, this shit don't move me.”
“You right. I already seen how bitch made you are when I had your pussy-ass hanging from the ceiling.”
Dough stood silently, grilling Lo while he exchanged the same energy. Lo didn’t like this nigga for obvious reasons but his number one was being that he was Bria’s first. There was this vengeance that would never depart him. He had stolen a piece of Bria that should’ve been reserved for him only. Taking him out would be one of Lo’s greatest justices.
“You fucked up. Not only did you try to kill me, but you got the wrong person. Bitch, don’t you know I got a fucking twin? Coming for him was a dummy move because that nigga is a certified shooter. He don't miss at all. Oh, yeah, did your homeboy make it?”
Without warning, Dough reached for the toaster and threw it at Lo. He dodged it but was hit in the shoulder. Dough took advantage of that distraction and ran out the kitchen. Lo took off after him as they ran down the stairs.
“Shit!” Dough hissed, fumbling when he tried opening the door.
He then ran down another set of stairs and into the basement. Lo arrived, smiling widely because he knew he had nowhere to go. When he had broken in earlier, he secured the entire house, learning every exit and window inside the ranch-style home.
“Where you going, my boy?” Lo taunted him.
“Nigga, fuck you! I ain't scared to die! Just know my people gon’ be on your ass. You’ll never get away with this shit.”
Lo wasn’t moved by his speech. He had it coming, particularly by him fucking on Bria. He could’ve taken him back to the lab and tortured him until he screamed for mercy. However, they had been down that road before. It wouldn’t have been as exciting for Lo the second time around.
“Hurry up, nigga!” Dough barked.
Lifting his left hand with the gun inside, Lo fired two head shots into Dough. His body fell back, causing a loud thud to sound through the room. Casually, Lo approached his body. Dough’s eyes were half-open as a puddle of blood became the backdrop for his corpse. He fired two more rounds, ensuring that his casket would be closed.
“Bitch nigga.”
