Honey (Editing/Rewriting)

Chapter 14

Kai

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Christmas Day

A gentle breeze blew through the trees making them sway as leave's rustled on the ground. The temperatures were higher than expected, today. Basking in the warm weather, Kai sat on his parents front porch, gazing out along the street at the cars speeding by. It felt good to finally be home and out of the hospital after three long days.

Omar sat in a chair a few feet away, smoking while Kai's cousin, Vontrell stood beside him, prepping the supplies to give him a haircut.

"How you recovering, cuz?"

"Not fast enough, but I'm doing better."

"Who out here with a target on your head?"

Kai snickers, "You know I don't fuck with none of these people to have a target on my head."

Kai found himself thinking about his brother, Javion, and his sneakiness. Although, Kai didn't believe Javion would go so far as to harm him directly, he decided to pay him off to keep things calm and quiet for a while. However, he knew it was only a matter of time before Javion would return to causing chaos. The news of his mother inviting Javion and his mom over for dinner pissed Kai completely off, as he disliked how generous she could be without knowing the truth. The burden of harboring such a significant secret from her and helping his father in doing so weighed heavily on Kai's conscience.

A secret that could rip their whole family completely apart.

"Aye, if anything go bad, you can give me a call. You know how I rock about my family."

"Nah, everything's good, ain't no drama. Stay away from trouble, be there for your family. We ain't letting you go back to prison again."

Five years ago, at the age of twenty, Vontrell was arrested and charged with robbery and attempted murder. Despite maintaining his innocence, he got caught up with the wrong crowd, which landed him in serious trouble. After serving his sentence, Vontrell was released from prison just a month ago.

"I learned my lesson. Niggas on the inside are ruthless. Mothafuckas tried to end my life while I was sleep." A prominent scar adorned Vontrell's neck, a chilling reminder of a harrowing incident where someone attempted to slit his throat. However, their sinister plot failed, leaving Vontrell miraculously alive.

Kai snickered, "Heard that nigga got what he deserved though."

"Bet he did." Omar adds.

"I don't know who did it, but they fucked him up."

Kai couldn't help but chuckle. He was well aware of what had transpired, yet he chose to keep it to himself, not revealing that he was the one who had intervened to save Vontrell's life. Even when Vontrell felt abandoned and alone, Kai stood by him, ensuring his safety and protection on the inside, regardless of what it took.

"When you gone open the shop back up? I got some tattoos that need a touch up."

"Tomorrow. I got some time around five."

"I'll slide through there."

"Tomorrow too soon, you're still recovering." Omar says blowing O's from his lips.