No matter how much time had passed, Laken’s bitch ass father was still crying over shit he couldn't control, and had now brought his son into it. He had another thing coming if he thought that he was about to accomplish something that his father never could. Taking down the O’day men was wishful thinking, and some shit that just wasn't about to happen.
I entered my father’s house to the smell of some good ass food, which meant that Ana was back from visiting her family in the Dominican Republic. She was always on point with the grub, and I was hungry as fuck, so it was perfect timing.
I made my way to the kitchen, where sure enough she was in there standing in front of the stove with something that had my stomach doing somersaults.
“Hey there, handsome.” She smiled when I kissed her on the cheek
“Sup, Ana, you just getting back?”
“I got in last night, has your father been behaving?” she asked with a smile, knowing that I wouldn't tell her if he wasn't, but she was just asking for the hell of hit.
“You know it. Anxiously awaiting your return.”
“You’re such a liar, but I expect that. You are your father's son.” She winked at me. “You hungry?”
“You already know, hook me up.”
“Give me a minute and I’ll fix you a plate.”
“Where’s my pops?’
“Out back smoking one of those nasty cigars.” She scrunched up her face.
I chuckled at how much she hated the smell. So much so that pops couldn't even smoke them in the house. Not even in the privacy of his office or she pitched a fit.
“Aight, I'm about to go holla at him real quick, and then I’ll be back to eat.”
“Trust me, Siah, I know you will. Your plate will be on the table along with Senior’s.”
I laughed and made my way to the back of the house and then out the back door, stepping onto my father’s massive deck. It was huge, just like his house, but my father liked nice things, so it was to be expected. His backyard housed a pool, a tennis court, and a full size basketball court. His yard was well manicured, looking like some Better Homes & Gardens type shit. Like me, my father lived out of the city. Which was another reason why Nonie didn't go see him without me. It was an hour’s drive.
“Sup, old man.”
“Age is a state of mind, Yosiah. You know that, and trust me, I’m far from old.”
“I feel you, Pops.” He was standing in front of the rail that surround the deck with a cigar in his hand. I stopped next to him and we both looked out into his back yard.
“You need something, or you just here because you know Ana is home? I bet you smelled the food all the way from your house.”
I chuckled. “Nah, that was just perfect timing. I’m here about Nolan.
My father turned to me with a stern look on his face. “What about him?”
“Not really him, but his son I guess is the better term.”
“I’m listening.”
“He came to Nonie about hosting an event.”
“You advised her not to do it, I assume.”
“I would have if I had known about that shit, but it was too late. I found out when we ended up at the same restaurant. She was having dinner with that nigga and I almost lost it.”
“He still breathing?” My father asked with no expression.
“For now.”
He chuckled and then got serious. “She know?”
“Nah, there was no point in telling her. I’ll handle it. Long as he stays in New York and away from her, he’ll keep breathing, but if he crosses that line again then that’s a wrap.”
“You don't need to kill him, Yosiah. Sometimes it's better to control your enemies than it is to get rid of them. You kill Laken and then you start a war. A war that you don't need because it puts you and everyone you love in danger. I’m sure you can handle it, but why, when you don't have to?”
“You damn right I can handle it. You think it's okay for him to come at me while I just sit back and watch it happen? What about Nonie? She’s right in the middle of it. Fuck him, if I have to put a bullet in his head to end this shit, I will. It's not gonna get passed down to my son, or his son. It ends with me.”
“What sense does that make, son? If you kill him, there’s ten more waiting to take his place. You already know that, so you spend all your time taking lives instead of living your own. Just neutralize him. He has New York and you have Jersey. He can do his thing and you can do yours.”
I looked at my father for a minute, trying to figure him out. I wasn't sure what was up with that. The same way I never understood why my father never killed Nolan. True indeed, he had chased him out of New Jersey, which is how Nolan got started in New York, but it seemed easier just to handle him permanently.