I damn near sprinted to the whip when the gates opened. Hopping in the front seat, I grabbed the blunt he had rolled out the cup holder and fired that hoe up. Almost four months and I hadn’t had an ounce of THC in my lungs. It was well overdue. He pulled off with the music blasting and the windows down. It was time to let the streets know I was back.
There was only one place I needed to visit after going to the compound. The mall staff may have looked like regular citizens, but they all worked for me. This was Atkins territory. I really only let muthafuckas get away with shit to let them think they winning. I lowkey could’ve taken care of Troy and Reynolds when this shit started. However, I played it like Yonnis advised and still came out on top.
Staying on the north side of the city where there was more land than anything, it took us more than the normal twenty-minute drive to get anywhere around the city. It was damn near classified as a small town if it was any bigger. We had our own lil’ farmers market and all that shit around here. We really didn’t have a reason to go into the city other than business.
As we pulled onto the private road, Nyx was at the gate chopping it up with one of the ground security men. Seeing Striker’s car only made him cut the conversation short.
“Striker, I was expecting you with the others,” he commented.
“I had to wait on the boss,” Striker replied pointing at me.
Nyx bent down to get a better look in the whip. Laying eyes on me brought a smile to his face. I knew he missed the kid. After all, it was his security company that looked after the entire family. I was the only one he probably felt guilty about.
“It’s good to see you, Junior. No wonder Iris was grinning from ear to ear coming through here.”
“Yeah, she happy to have me home. Make sure you come down later for a plate,” I said.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He tapped the roof of the car and sent us on our way.
A nigga couldn’t even lie, it felt damned good to be the fuck back home. Three months my freedom was in the hands of somebody else. That shit wasn’t gon’ ever happen the fuck again. The only good thing that came out of those three months was what I planned to go see about later.
Striker pulled around the fountain parking right in front of my crib. I climbed out immediately and headed inside. I noticed as soon as we pulled up that everybody was at my parents' place. The way I was looking, I didn’t want to see a soul before I was myself again. Walking through the door, I was greeted by my loctician, Winnie.
“Glad to see you make it home safely. Come see me when you’re all cleaned up,” she said before swishing her hips toward my barber room. Even though she specialized in locs, she was a certified barber as well and lined me up whenever needed.
I jogged up the steps and stripped down as soon as I crossed my room threshold. Tossing the clothes to the side, I turnedon the shower and stood under the freezing water. I gave it no time to warm up. I was just relieved and happy to be back in the comfort of my own home. I could shower for however long I pleased and without looking over my shoulder. A hot shower was fa sho’ taken for granted.
The thirty minutes I spent scrubbing away the jail scent my thoughts went to all the things that were told to me about Klarity. She was everything Mercedees assumed. She was indeed less fortunate, financially unstable, and barely able to keep what she had. Striker handled what I couldn’t for the time being. However, I was out now and could take that on myself.
I never really gave a woman too much attention outside of the ones in my family. They didn’t see shit but dollars signs when they looked at me and I didn’t have a dollar for them. I barely rode a bitch for a nut, so I knew they wasn’t getting no bread out of me. Pussy wasn’t a necessity for a nigga to survive. My money was though.
Stepping out the shower, I wrapped myself in a towel, then walked over to the sink. My skin routine hadn’t been applied in months. I was surprised to see my face still clear and free of any discoloration. Ten minutes later, my face, mouth, and ass were all on one accord.
My closet was adjacent to my bathroom. It was nothing for me to turn around and enter it. I grabbed some briefs from the island drawer and slipped them on after thoroughly drying off. I chose to sport a simple Gucci set from head to toe including cologne before making my way back downstairs to get my shit right. She was quick but thorough. I got detoxed, twisted, and cut in a matter of a few hours. By the time she was done, my mama was calling.
“Yeah Ma,” I answered.
“Foods almost ready. You ‘bout done over there?”
“I’m finished. I got to head somewhere right quick though.”
“Senior, he’s leaving!” she yelled. My father couldn’t stop me. I didn’t know why she always called on him like he could. “Head where, Junior? You just got home.”
“I’ll be back in like half an hour. I promise.” I hung up before she could object any further. She was going to stress herself out even more.
Once Winnie was paid and out the door, I grabbed up my keys to do the same. All my cars were white, but it was something about my white and blue Rolls Royce that drew me to her more. She was my favorite to drive. I was flooding that bitch down the main road within minutes.
My Baby was on the other side of town and the Springs was anything but small. If it said it took you thirty-eight minutes, then it took you thirty-eight full minutes. There was no beating the GPS ‘round here.
Lucky for me, I caught more green lights than red giving me a relaxing cruise to 2120. The sun wasn’t as high as it was when I was released. It was now evening and ready to wind down. I was hoping that was what Klarity was doing. I was too intrigued by her to think of anyone else at the moment.
Parking behind the BMW in her driveway, I stepped out my shit looking a hunnid times better than the times she’d laid eyes on me. As much as I wanted her, I knew her first response from this would be unaccepting. I mean, I was a stranger after all.
I pressed the doorbell and stood with my hands in my pockets. Hearing the sound of Tink through the door, I was unsure whether she heard it or not. I rung it again and added a light knock to the door. This time the music was paused. I had her attention.
“Coming,” she shouted.
A soft smile pierced my lips. I was excited to see her face. She’d become one of my favorite things to admire during visits.She swung the door open, and my eyes roamed her frame immediately.
