Chapter 8

I didn't know what I expected, following Ty to his crib, but a simple hotel room was not it. The excitement of the night died down with each step I took further into his suite. He must didn't trust me to be at his real spot. He was just like Ace that way.

"You and my brother have a lot in common," I say.

I brush my hands across the comforting fabric of the hotel's sheets. It had been a long time since I stepped inside one of these.

"No offense, Candyce, but I don't wanna talk about ya brother right now."

Ty closes the door behind us and locks it. I watch him as he moves around the room. He empties his pocket first. A pack of gum, keys, and a tight wad of money fall onto the nightstand near the bed. Then he undoes the link in his gold watch and sit that beside the money. I almost wonder why he trusts that I won't take off with his shit right now and run, until he sits a black gun on the counter beside the jewlery and the money.

I gulp watching him take the clip out of the gun. He doesn't aim it at me and shoots me like the dumb naive girl that I am. Instead, he opens the drawer and sits the clip and the gun inside. He turns back to look at my dumb-struck face.

"Chill, ma. You ain't ever seen a gun before?" He laughs.

"That's the point. All the times I seen a gun, it was either pointed at me or someone I love."

Ty stops in the middle of taking off his shirt, "Damn. I'm sorry. I ain't mean to scare you."

I shake my head, trying to tune back into the carefree Candyce that didn't think everybody was out to get her. It's a lot easier to do with the liquor coursing through my veins.

"It's all good. I'm just a lil paranoid, I guess."

"Aight. Well I'ma go take a shower right quick. Promise me you won't have that gun pointed at me when I come out?" He says.

I laugh, "You just gon have to come out and see."

He remains in the room undressing down to his wife-beater and jeans. After taking of his belt, his jeans hang lower around his hips to give me sneak peek as to what's gonna be waiting for me when I get out the shower. I bit my lip. Ty catches me staring, but I don't shy away. I don't run. That was lil' girl shit.

He chuckled to himself. I could have sworn I saw the bulge in his pants rise as I watched him. When he closes the bathroom door, I take the opportunity to finally look through my messages. Ace is flooding my message threads, not to mention, he has called me sixteen times in the last thirty minutes alone. I brave myself and text him a quick message. I let him know that I went out for some fun and my friends were too messed up to be left alone. I say that I'm sleeping over at one of their houses and that I'll be back tomorrow morning. The three dots pop up almost immediately and I exit out of the message before I can see what he's said. Then, I hold the button on the side of my phone until the screen blackens.

The shower is still running in the bathroom. I almost wished I would have gotten in before him. The alcohol and the club has me feeling sweaty and nasty. If Ty was gonna be clean, then I wanted to make sure I was on my P's and Q's too. I ain't wanna give no nigga nothing to talk about with his homeboys or the next bitch.

I strip out of my skirt and top before I can think about it. I save my panties and bra for Ty to watch me take off. I twist the bathroom door, but to my disappointment, it's locked. But I didn't come all the way over here to start acting shy about what I wanted now. I give the door two soft knocks.

I hear the shower's door slide open, but the water doesn't halt. A second later, Ty opens the door with only his head and chest peeking out. His body and face is dripping wet. I take my time running my eyes over his six-pack and firm chest. I feel his eyes on my body as well. I push the door open gently with my left hand. He stands back and lets me. His dick isn't all the way hard, but I could fix that.

My hands go to unhook my bra. I let the soft purple and black lace dangle from my fingers before hitting the ground. Next, I dig too fingers onto the sides of my matching black underwear and slowly slide them down my legs. Ty stays patient waiting for me to finish my show. His self-control makes me want him all the more.

I step inside of the bathroom, expecting to take the lead but Ty doesn't let me. The second I'm into the steamy bathroom, he grabs me by the neck and pushes me up against the wall. I let out a tiny breath of air as my head collides with the wall. His fingers grip my chest as his eyes cross over mine. He leans in to kiss me but stops inches away from my mouth. When I try to complete the distance, he shoves me back into the wall. Then, he uses his knee to spread my legs apart. I feel his fingers push against my pearl. I'm already wet just looking at him, so his soft circles around my clit makes my body push off of the wall.

"Damn, you wet already huh?"

I nod my head as moans escape my lips. He increases the pressure against it, but his fingers stay at an intoxicating pace that makes me want more.

"You ready?" He whispers in my ear.

I moan so loud I'm almost embarrassed as two fingers slowly dive into me. Seconds later, I feel Ty kissing and licking on my ear. The shit sends me closer to the edge as he continues to push his fingers into me. Damn, this felt like high school all over again. Except it was obvious this nigga knew what he was doing. I never asked his age, but it was evident that he was a man. I was younger than him, but I wasn't new to this shit either.

I reach across his body and grip his dick in my hand. He groans a little in my ear as I squeeze him hard enough to make his dick grow in my hands.

"You ready?" I say back to him.

Ty moves away from my ear and stares me in my eyes. Eye-contact plus his steady fingers moving in and out of me, and my hand moving up and down his dick sends both of us into action. Ty picks me up by my waist and carries me into the shower. The water is hot and the air is steamy as my back presses against the wet tile. He holds me up while he slowly pushes inside of me. I throw my head back and moan as he picks up the pace. Pretty soon, I'm arching my back in ecstasy. He turns off the shower, and carries me back into the bedroom.

On our way out, his feet gets caught in the straps of my bra on the floor. He trips over his feet and we both go crashing to the floor. I'm bubbling over with laughter, still riding my high. He laughs underneath me too. I'm happy to see that he's confident enough to not let this hinder all the work he put in, in the shower.

The position we fall in, places me on top of him. I take the lead this time, sliding back onto him. We stay like that on the floor for awhile until we both fall over each other in moans. It isn't until he hurries to pull out of me that I realize that we haven't used a condom. I'm happy to see that he did think to pull out though. How the hell would I explain a kid at 17 to my mama?

When we're both cleaned up, we go back into the shower to wash up for real this time. Afterwards, we go back into the bed to sleep. Of course, my eyes never close. I wait until Ty is sound asleep to redress. The sun is creeping up outside. I check my phone to see that it's going on five am. I call my Uber and wait for Sheryl in a silver Honda Accord to pull up. I give Ty a kiss on his cheek and fly down the elevator, hoping and praying Ace is asleep by the time I get home.

...

Somehow, some way, the universe is on my side. When the Uber stops in front of my house, the windows are all black. Inside, the house is just as quiet. Mama is asleep. Paryis and Jonah are in their rooms fast asleep and Ace is passed out still wrapped in bandages. However, I am more than shocked to see Caesar sitting on my bed when I enter.

"Whoa, what the fuck Caese?!" I whisper-yell at him.

"Close the door, Candyce," He says.

I do as he says, and not because he's holding a gun in his lap. I'm more shook at the fact that he gained enough energy to drive all the way over here. He was on his deathbed not more than a day ago.

"Caesar---" I start.

"Nah, Red. Just listen. I don't think you understand the full scope of things. Ace said he told you but I don't think you get it. My brother and your brother is down the hall with three bullet holes that's gonna permenantly be in his body. I got four. I meant what I told you, that none of this is your fault. But this sneaking out and disappearing all night gon' get us all killed. Where the fuck you was at?"

He's calm the entire time. His feet are planted on the carpet and he's bent over with his elbows on his knees as he talks. Here he goes with the calm-talking shit. He must have learned that from Daddy too.

"I told Ace I was with some friends. We got a lil too turnt up so we all slept by Chantal's house," I say.

"I ain't ask you what you told Ace cause you and I both know that shit was a lie. I don't give a fuck who you fucking Candyce, but I need to know the nigga's name," Caesar says.

How the fuck did he know I was out fucking? Did I wear the shit on my clothes or something?

"Why do you care Caesar? Ain't you got Keyana to worry about?" I say.

Caesar stands up. I step back into my dresser.

"Like I said. I don't care who you fuck. I only care about two things and that's this family and my life. I'm only asking to make sure the nigga ain't one of Angel's guys. I know you too dumb to peep shit like that on your own ," He says.

My throat closes up at his insult.

"No he wasn't one of Angel's men. And who says I fucked him?" I argue.

"Cause nobody fucking with you for your mind Candyce. If that nigga spent time with you it's probably cause he wanted to fuck and knew he could."

"Is that why you fucked me Caesar?" I ask.

Tears are fighting to get through my tear ducts which makes my eyesight blurry. But I don't miss how Caesar falters at my question. He takes a step away from me. I see the anger subside a little.

I expect him to say something. To apologize for having sex with me and then leaving for New York the next day. I wanted to know why he convinced me to give him my virginity all to just ignore me the entire time he was in New York. I deserved an explanation for why he made me fall in love with him and then came back in love with someone else. I deserved at least that.

But Caesar gives me none of those things. He simply stands there watching me cry as pathetic as I am, and then crosses around me to leave the room. I hear him stomp down the stairs. The door to the front of the house closes behind him. I'm left alone in my room crying, and picking up the pieces of my heart that Caesar Caldwell has undoubtedly broken yet again. I thought maybe he forgot since he never brought it up. But I see by the way that he reacted, that he just didn't want to remember. I don't know what makes me feel worse.

...

When I wake up in the morning, my eyes are tired and I have a banging headache from crying myself to sleep. Caesar's comments bore into me last night. So, I'm not at all excited when Ace wakes me up to tell me we have to meet up with Caesar, Reese and Cam. I open my mouth to argue against him but a quick hint at a lecture about last night makes me change my mind in an instant. I dress in biker shorts and an oversized graphic tee. I complete the look with tennis shoes and wait for Ace in the kitchen.

Determined to stay on his good side, I'm ready before Ace is. Also, cause I'm in no mood to look pretty. Mama walks into the kitchen, looking older than she should at her age.

"Hey Ma," I say.

She awards me with a kiss on my head as she drags her feet to the coffee pot.

"How you feeling, maw?" She asks.

I shrug my shoulders. She pours herself a cup of coffee. She leans back and takes a sip while she watches me at the island in the middle of the kitchen.

"How you slept Ma?" I ask.

"Chile, you know I don't get no sleep. Paryis keeps me up with them nightmares," She says.

I smile, "Yeah. She been having these dreams for awhile now. You don't think we should ask somebody about that?"

Mama waves her hand at me, "She'll be fine. Her father just died. She'll come around eventually."

I give her a sad smile at her calling Daddy's death recent. Daddy died four years ago but for her, I'm sure it seems like yesterday. She spent so much of her life with him.

"Where you headed today?" She takes another sip of her coffee.

"Somewhere with Ace."

"Again?"

She stares at me over the top of her mug. I know she knows something is up with our sudden sibling bonding but she don't ask so I don't tell. Mama is probably the only one that could guilt Ace into getting me out of the game. A part of me wishes she would but the realistic part of me, know that I can't. Angel was gunning for all of us, and Mama getting Ace to keep me away from it, doesn't change the target on our backs.

Just in time, Ace walks in. He limps on his way over to me but when he notices Mama in the kitchen, he straightens up. I can see him clenching his fist beneath the table. Every step probably hurts him.

"Well Ace you done got my daughter keeping secrets from me too so I guess I'll go handle the children that still trusts me," Mama says.

She gives Ace a pat on the shoulder, and a kiss on the cheek. I hear her whisper, "Make sure my daughter comes back home to me," before she comes around to give me a hug.

Ace's face is clouded in thought when he turns back to me.

"Shall we?" I ask.

He throws me the keys. I let him lean on me on the way out of the house until we make it to the car. In the car, he tells me where to go. I make all the turns he tells me to make although after awhile it's obvious that we're headed to The Loft. When we get there, we climb onto the elevator. Rico daps off Ace and says hi to me. At the door, Mad Max lets us in and when we walk into the room, I almost catch a fucking heart attack. Cause standing next to Caesar and a light-skinned guy who looks more white than black is a caramel brown skinned guy with "Loyalty" written across his face.

Shit. Shit. Shit. How the fuck did Caesar find him?

I want to immediatly jump into questions and direct all of my aggression towards Caesar, but Ace jumps in first.

"Reese. Wassam, dawg. Glad to finally meet you," Ace says, limping across the room to dap Ty off.

Ty slaps palms with him but his eyes stay on me. I guess he over there trying to figure out how the hell we crossed paths again. That makes two of us.

Ace turns around to introduce me but my feet are stuck across the room. In fact, I'm still standing in the doorway. Mad Max slightly pushes me inside the room and closes the door behind him.

"Candyce?" Ace asks.

I decide to play it cool and hope that Ty or Tyrese, should I say, didn't inform Caesar on our little escapade last night. Though by the way Caesar is looking at me, look at Ty, I can tell he's already noticed something's up.

"Reese, I think Caesar briefed you on all the business aspect of shit. But I just wanted to introduce you to my sister, Candyce. She's gonna be hanging around us since a certain someone wants her dead."

I step forward to shake hands with Reese. When he grips my hands, I can't help but to stare up into his brown eyes. All the memories of last night come crashing down in waves and I have to yank my hand away from him before I start getting wet all over again. He must can tell what's on my mind cause he has to try really hard to hide the smile creeping up on his lips.

Out of all the niggas in the world. Why did the one nigga I decide to sleep with after months of being celibate have to be Caesar's apprentice and my brother's newfound business partner? Shit just went from bad to worse for me.