“So tell me, are you hungry?” Sheba asked on the way back to the car.

  “I haven’t eaten a thing all day,” Dante answered.

  “Good. I brought some food.”

  “I know, and I’ve been wondering what was in the cute picnic basket.”

  He opened the trunk, he got the basket, Sheba got the blanket, and they headed off in search of as secluded a spot as they could find. Once the blanket was laid out, Sheba began taking out the food she’d made.

  “Chicken Caesar pitas and homemade potato salad from Grandma’s recipe,” she began, looking into his penetrating eyes with a smile. “I made strawberry, cucumber, and honeydew salad and strawberry-watermelon lemonade to drink. And these,” she said, holding up a plastic container.

  “What’s in there?”

  Sheba opened it. “Wray and Nephew gelatin cubes.”

  Dante took one and ate it. “Just the thing for an evening of jazz in the park,” he said of the 126-proof rum gelatin cubes. While they ate, Sheba decided to ask the question she’d been wondering about since they met again.

  “Why aren’t you seeing anybody, Dante?”

  “I was.”

  “What happened between you two?”

  “We agreed to disagree.”

  “How come?”

  “Control more than anything else. Control of my agenda.”

  “She wanted to monopolize your time, huh?”

  “It was always about what she wanted to do. All about her needs.”

  “Aww. Did Dante feel that his needs weren’t being met?” Sheba said mockingly.

  “Very funny. But maybe you’re right.”

  “See, another sensitive man dying to come out.” Sheba laughed.

  “Or maybe I just felt smothered.”

  “Or maybe she was in love and wanted to spend all her time with you?”

  “Maybe.”

  “People’s feelings evolve at different rates,” she said, thinking that Dante wanted this type of relationship with her since he saw her that night at Grindhouse Killer Burgers, and her feelings for him had evolved over time to get to this point.

  “I know that.” Dante popped a gelatin cube. “Just once I’d like them to evolve at the same rate.”

  “Would be nice, wouldn’t it? But I know what you’re saying.”

  They ate, sipped strawberry-watermelon lemonade, and had gelatin cubes, but mostly they talked. Anytime there was a conversational lull, suddenly one or the other would say something, and the conversation would take off in another direction until Sheba said, “It’s getting late. We should probably go.”

  On the way home from the park, Dante stopped to get gas, and Sheba went inside to get a Goody’s Powder just in case those 126-proof rum gelatin cubes got the best of her later that evening. She was on her way back to the car when she saw Jordan coming toward her with his arms out.

  Fuck. He is the last person I want to see.

  It had been weeks since she’d seen or talked to him. Sheba spent enough time with him to know that he had gone from an arrogant and brash young drug dealer, which she found sexy, to an obnoxious and egotistical asshole, and that made Jordan intolerable to be around, good dick or not.

  “What’s up, Sheba?” Jordan said loud enough that it got Dante’s attention.

  “Hey, Jordan,” she said and kept walking to avoid hugging him.

  “Where you been? I’ve been calling you.”

  “I’ve been busy, you know, with my grandmother and Demi and all that,” she said instead of telling him that he was an obnoxious asshole and she’d been ignoring his calls.

  “Well, we need to get together then,” Jordan said, walking alongside her.

  Sheba stopped. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Why not?” Jordan asked, and that was when he noticed that Dante was staring him down. “Oh.” Jordan put his hands together and bowed at the waist. “No problem. I’ll call you,” he said and walked to his car.

  “Who was that?” Dante asked.

  “Somebody I used to know years ago,” Sheba said and got in the car.

  Knowing that he had no choice but to accept that as an answer, Dante got in the car and said nothing else about it.

  Chapter 17

  With the influx of free product, Jody and Floyd’s business was expanding, and with that, so were their enemies. They were still operating out of the same spot, but as they continued to grow, it cut into somebody else’s business, and issues with those enemies grew as well.

  One morning around two a.m., they were coming out of a convenience store and heading for the car. As they got closer to his car, Floyd saw an Acura coming at them fast. When he saw the gun come out the window, he pushed Jody to the ground and yelled, “Get down!”

  Jody and Floyd lay motionless as bullets rained over their heads. Once the car drove on, both men got up and fired, but the car was too far away.

  “You all right?” Jody asked.

  “Yeah, you?”

  “Yeah. I’m all right.”

  “You have any idea who that was?” Floyd asked as they continued toward their car, but he had his suspicions.

  “No idea.” But he had his suspicions too. “One thing is certain,” Jody said and got in the car.

  “What’s that?”

  “We need to go on offense and start taking this shit to them.”

  “But who? We don’t even know who tried to kill us.”

  “Does it matter?” Jody asked. “Right now, everybody is our enemy until they prove not to be.”

  Floyd laughed. “Ain’t no allies in this game. Business arrangements, maybe. But as soon as the arrangement no longer serves their interest, it’s back to being enemies.”

  “I know that, so like I said, does it matter who we go at?”

  “I see your point, I do. But I would like to go at the niggas who are going at us, instead of making more enemies. You feel me?”

  “I do. And trust me, brother, I agree with you. But we gotta do something. You feel me?”

  “Yeah, I feel you. So who?”

  “If I were a gambling man, my money would be on Jordan and them,” Jody said as they arrived at the apartment complex where their business was set up.

  “I agree. We’ve been set up in here for years, and the muthafucka ain’t never had no problems with it before.”

  “It’s a new day, and we coming hard and strong. You know they gotta be feeling it.”

  “So what are we gonna do?”

  Jody sat on the hood of a car and thought for a while. “Two things.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “We start looking for new spots to do business from.”

  “Smart. What’s number two?”

  He pointed. “We send Brooks and Taylor to pay them a visit,” Jody said and called his men over. Once he told them what he wanted, they headed out to one of the corners that Jordan’s people controlled.

  “There they are,” Taylor said from the car that he and Brooks were waiting in.

  “Showtime,” Brooks said and started the car.

  “Let’s do this!” Taylor shouted.

  Brooks dropped the car in gear and slowly rolled toward their unsuspecting targets. He picked up speed, and Taylor took aim and opened fire at the men. At the sound of gunfire, some dropped to the ground as bullets flew, and others tried to run. The shooting didn’t last long, and nobody was killed, but a couple of the men had minor injuries. But a message was sent, one that was heard loud and clear.

  * * *

  “DeKalb County Police are seeking information about a drive-by shooting. The shooting happened around three forty-five a.m. Police say somebody opened fire from a car that took off after the shooting. According to witnesses, several men were wounded in the attack, but all fled the scene. Anyone having information about the shooting is encouraged to call the number on the screen.”

  “My God.”

  “Probably drug-related,” Sheba said as she and Miss Pearl sipped coffee and had toast.

  “I don’t know what it’s gonna take before these boys realize that they’re killing each other and the community. It’s more than just the people who abuse the drugs. It’s their families and friends and the children of those people who are often abused or neglected.” Miss Pearl got up to get another cup of coffee. “Never did make sense to me to do that to your own people.” She held up the pot. “You want another cup?”

  “No, thank you, Grandma. I was about to go shower and get dressed.”

  It wasn’t that she was in any hurry, but Miss Pearl had her feeling bad. Everything that her grandmother had just said now applied to her. She was feeling bad because she didn’t have to look any further than Demi to see the effects that drugs had on their family. Drugs had killed her parents, and no matter how Sheba rationalized that she was doing it for the family, she was now responsible for whatever effect what she had done would have on the community.

  “Before you rush off,” Miss Pearl began as she refilled Sheba’s cup, “now that you did what you felt you needed to do for your family, I want to ask you what your plan is.”

  “What do you mean?” Sheba asked, surprised and wondering how she could possibly know what she had done.

  Miss Pearl sat down. “It’s been two months since you’ve been home,” she began, and Sheba breathed a sigh of relief. “And since you been here, you’ve been taking care of me, and seeing about Demi and running behind Chanel helping to get her and her family situated. What I wanna know is what you have planned for yourself.”

  “I haven’t given it much thought, Grandma.”

  “Well, you need to. You’ve been spending money like it’s going out of style paying my bills, and I know getting Demi in that clinic cost you some money for sure.”

  “I had some money saved, so I’ll be all right, Grandma.”

  “All the same, you didn’t save that money to go in that direction. You need to start thinking about yourself.”

  “I know.”

  “Now as much as I’ve enjoyed having you here and being able to spend this time with you, you need to be thinking about what you plan to do in the future.”

  “I know that, Grandma. But like you said, I’ve been so busy that I haven’t given it much thought.”

  Sheba hadn’t had to think about money because money wasn’t an issue. In the short time that she had been in the drug business, Sheba had already recouped all the money that she had spent taking care of Demi and Miss Pearl. That, and she had what amounted to a year’s pay for an E5 Marine upstairs in her room.

  “But I will, Grandma. I promise. But right now, I’m just enjoying being home. So unless you’re saying that you’re tired of me hanging around with you all day and I need to get a job, I’m fine doing just what I’m doing.”

  “That is not what I’m saying. I am so glad for the company.”

  “I didn’t think so. So I’m about to go shower and get dressed so we can get to the farmers market before it gets crowded.” Sheba got up and took their cups and plates to the sink. “And I suggest you do the same.”

  Miss Pearl stood up. “And you know the later in the day it is, the ruder people get,” she said, and they both left the kitchen to get ready to go shopping.

  Sheba and Miss Pearl enjoyed their morning at the farmer’s market. Although she only came there to get a few things, while they were there, Sheba mentioned that she hadn’t had any conch salad or conch chowder in years, so Miss Pearl also picked up some conch, fresh vegetables, tomatoes, green and red bell peppers, pepper, sweet onions, oranges, and limes to make conch salad and potatoes for the chowder. And since she didn’t plan on cooking it until the next day because she was always a little tired after walking the market, Sheba picked up some jumbo pasta shells stuffed with mild Italian sausage. She didn’t feel like cooking either.

  “Too hot to cook,” Miss Pearl said, putting away the food.

  “That’s what I’m saying,” Sheba said while putting the pasta shells in the microwave.

  Once Miss Pearl had finished putting away the food, she sat at the kitchen table, and they were enjoying their shells when her phone rang.

  “Ain’t you gonna get that, Grandma?” Sheba asked.

  “I’m eating. If it’s important, they’ll leave a message or call back,” she said and kept eating. When the phone rang again a minute later, Sheba got up and went to get the phone from Miss Pearl’s purse.

  “It might be one of your doctors calling.”

  “And I say again, if it’s important, they’ll leave a message or call back when I’m not eating,” she said and kept eating.

  Sheba looked at the display. “It’s Dante calling.”

  “Go ahead and answer. He’s probably calling for you anyway.”

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, Sheba,” he said, surprised but happy that she answered. “How are you doing today?”

  “I’m awesome.”

  “Is your grandmother available?”

  “She’s eating,” Sheba said, and Miss Pearl nodded. “Can I take a message?” she giggled.

  “Ask her if it’s all right if I come by early today. The Realtor moved up our appointment to see a house that she thinks I’ll love.”

  “I’m sure that it’ll be fine, but hold up. Let me ask her,” Sheba said and glanced toward Miss Pearl. “Grandma, Dante wants to know if he can come by early today.”

  “Of course he can,” she said and kept eating.

  “She said of course you can.”

  “Great. I’ll see you around three,” Dante said and rushed off the phone.

  “See, Grandma?” Sheba said as she sat down to finish eating. “It was important.”

  “And you took a message,” Miss Pearl said and kept eating.

  It was almost three thirty when Dante arrived at the house to check Miss Pearl’s vitals and to walk her through her breathing exercises. He hadn’t quite finished up when his phone rang.

  “Excuse me, Miss Pearl. It’s my Realtor,” Dante said and took the call. “Hey, Bebel.” He listened for a while. “I’m so sorry to hear that.” He looked at Miss Pearl. “I completely understand.” Dante glanced at Sheba and smiled. “Go ahead and text me the code, and we’ll talk tomorrow,” he said and ended the call. “She said that she had a family emergency, so she has to cancel. But she is texting me the lockbox code so I can still look at it.”

  “She must want you to see it badly,” Sheba said as Dante got back to Miss Pearl and her breathing exercises.

  “She does. The house just came on the market, and we’ve been looking for so long. She really thinks I’ll like this one.”

  “Or she hopes you’ll stop being so picky so she can sell you a house,” Sheba said and chuckled.

  “Maybe. Like I said, we’ve been looking for so long.” Dante finished the breathing exercise. “You did great, Miss Pearl. A little stronger than yesterday.”

  “Thanks, good to know. Thank you again for doing this,” Miss Pearl said as he packed up to leave.

  “My pleasure, Miss Pearl. I’m glad to do it,” Dante said. It gave him the second chance with Sheba, and it was truly all he had wanted for years.

  “So you’re off to see this house now?” Sheba asked as she walked him to the door.

  “Sure am. Wanna come with?” He paused. “You can tell me if I’m being too picky.”

  “You serious?”

  “Sure am.”

  “Grandma! I’m gonna ride with Dante to see this house. I won’t be gone long,” Sheba said and left the house with Dante.

  * * *

  The two walked through the beautiful five-bedroom, three-full-bath home with laminated wood flooring throughout and all-new granite countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms.

  “I like this, Dante,” Sheba said, coming out of the beautiful, bright sunroom.

  “I do too. I think Bebel was right. This may be the one,” he said, walking into the kitchen.

  “New over-the-stove microwave oven. New dishwasher.”

  Dante opened the back door and stepped out on the deck. “New rear deck and front steps, and the front yard has security lighting.” He went back inside and stepped close to Sheba. He put his arms around her. “What do you think?”

  Sheba put her arms around his neck. “I told you that I like it. But if you like it, I love it,” she said, looking up into his eyes.

  Dante cradled her face in his big hands, and he kissed her. Their first kiss in ten years was slow and tender, but that next kiss was hard and passionate as they each were hungry for the other. Sheba kissed him, afraid to even breathe and lose this groove between them.

  As his lips moved across her cheek and down to her throat, her head fell back, and her eyes drifted closed. Sheba leaned against the counter as he kissed her neck. His hands caressed her body, making her wet for him. The heat was rushing through her body, and her swelling clit was making her grind against his dick.

  His lips trailed a path down her chest to her breasts, and he pressed them together, drawing both nipples into his warm, wet mouth. He used his tongue, lips, and teeth to tease the tips of her nipples, causing her spine to arch and her hands to grip the back of his head, holding him tightly against her.

  “I want you inside me,” Sheba whispered, aching for more as desire pounded through her body. In one fluid motion, Dante pulled down her shorts and panties, grabbed her full, round, ample hips, picked her up, and sat her down on the counter, all the while trying to come out of his pants and underwear.

  “Yes,” she cried out.

  He felt so good as he moved in and out of her, hard and deep, and she felt overwhelmed by each penetrating stroke. His thrusts were hard and intense, which caused her body to spasm uncontrollably. She was rolling her hips as his hands gripped her ass, encouraging her to work harder against him. She quickly wrapped her legs around his waist, and he dicked her down with long, hard, slow, and constant strokes, sliding in and out of her just like she needed him to.

  “Yes!” Dante grunted, and he pumped harder to bring her to climax again. Sheba came over and over in waves, shuddering and screaming.

  “Now that we’ve christened the house, does that mean you have to buy it?” Sheba asked as they left the house.