ʀɪᴅᴇ ᴏʀ ᴅɪᴇ // ʀᴏᴅᴅʏ ʀɪᴄᴄʜ

[2] Know You Better

"Nah, I'm just tryna take you out to talk about some things. It's not a date." Roddy shook his head chuckling. "Its important you know just who we are."

Karin nodded and just as they were about to leave, Moe caught up with them, each hand on one of the shoulders, panting. "Wait, nigga..." He attempted to catch his breath. "So we ain't gonna ride round in that SUV?"

Roddy shook his head. "Change of plans. Karin's new here, so I'm bout to fill her in. Maybe tomorrow."

"So y'all driving that shit without us?" Moe asked impatiently, as always. Roddy gestured to his lambo. "Nah, we taking this baby."

He smiled as he walked over to his twoseater. He got in opening then closing the butterfly doors, then sounded the horn in order to tell Karin to join him.

"So, wassup?" Roddy started the car smiling and waved as a signal for Moe to open the garage door. "Just hungry." She smiled dismissively.

"But, I'm sure you have a better story." She looked over at him and he kept his eyes on the road. "Yea, sure. If you got patience."

"I do. Like waiting for someone like you for four years." She sat back in her seat, arms folded in contentment. "Four years? Well I am sorry I didn't find you sooner."

"What...? You literally saved my life. It's a little embarrassing to tell someone that, and that's why I vow to be purposeful here." She nodded her head dominantly, looking straight ahead at the road.

"Look, as long as yo safe, its coo with me. In my eyes, you don't owe me nothing, though you may see it differently." He still looked ahead, but Karin could still see the tender smile on his face.

"I'll never see it your way, but I just wanna say thank you, for the third time, because in all my twenty years, I've never met a man like you. Not even my father... And I barely know you."

Roddy was quiet for a moment, processing what she just said. They approached a red light and he turned to face her. "What I did for you... I still don't think it makes up for my past."

"What do you mean? Your past?" Roddy faced the road as they started moving again. He let the question hang in the air for a while before answering it.

"You said that you're patient right? I'll explain soon." Karin nodded at his words, still surprised at how she was out of the streets and now in a lambo.

"Thank you! You don't understand!" She smiled to herself and balled her hands into fists in excitement. Roddy chuckled. "Damn, you gotta stop saying thank you."

••••

"So could you explain what happened in your past?" Karin sat with one elbow on the table and her hand resting on the side of her face. They were seated in an expensive restaurant and Karin was genuinely grateful, but she felt like he did too much for her.

"Well firstly, are you eating that? I kinda spent a lot on it." Roddy gave her an awkward glance and she cut up a piece of steak, then put it in her mouth.

She began fanning her mouth at the heat then ate. "God, that is heavenly!" Roddy smiled at her and she smiled back, taking in another piece.

"Still interested in my past?" He asked chuckling. "Uh, yes... That." Karin dropped her cutlery, and listened as he began speaking.

"I used to be part of some gang... And gangs do a lot of shit. I know." He sighed, then lowered his voice. "And I know murder is nothing out of the ordinary, but..."

"But what?" She asked feeling somewhat uncomfortable, yet engaged.

"I had to kill a mother, and I left the child traumatized." He looked down, his own words bringing him down. "I didn't have a choice, she knew too much shit. And her son... Her son walked in at the wrong time."

Karin bit her lip in fear of the same man she called selfless. She couldn't look at him after what he said. She didn't even touch the food, even though it was so irresistible. She knew he was trying patch things up with his past, but the thought hurt and she just kept looking down.

"So the child watched you kill his mother." Karin spoke without emotion in her voice, and she continued to look down. "...Yea. The thing is, the gang never mentioned that she was a mama. They were dodgy as fuck, but I didn't catch on."

She could hear the disappointment in his voice and she didn't hate him for what he did, though it was wrong.

The most important thing was that he was trying to change. "Just like you said to me, I won't hold your past against you." She looked up at him sighing. "...You say that that's your old gang. What about the past of your current gang?"

Roddy smiled at her understanding, but he wasn't going to take it for granted. "We been together for almost a year. And in that time, we've earned ourselves a lotta racks."

"Yeah? Explains the lambo." She chuckled. "Yo garage be looking like one straight out of GTA." Roddy bursted out laughing.

"What chu know about GTA?" He pick some steak up with his fork, still smiling. "Used to play a little when I was sixteen. Before my father kicked me out."

"Why?" Roddy asked, his mood changing. "...I don't know. He never said."

He sat up in his chair, his arms resting on the table. "How could someone do that without giving a reason?" Roddy noticed that Karin was teary eyed and decided to end that topic.

"Hey, don't cry about it. It's the past, fuck him." He smiled and nodded at her and she smiled back softly. Smiling was a language. "You tryna head back?"

"Yea." She hugged him and he patted her back. "Aight, take yo stuff. I hope you still got yo mama's necklace."

••••

"There's one last thing you need to know about being with us." Roddy spoke, his eyes on the road as Karin sat comfortably in her seat. "What is it?"

"Yo here, yo part of the gang. And don't worry, we ain't got no opps at the moment. Can't say that won't change." She nodded at his words and he continued.

"Also, are you the ride or die typa girl? Cause I need that." At a red light he turned and looked at her smiling. "You'll find out."

••••

Lani saw Karin and walked up to her and hugged her. "Girl you just came back, and you still be looking good. Now it's time for a movie!" She grabbed Karin's hand and lead her to the cinema room.

"You okay, bro?" Roddy felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Donnell and he nodded. "Yea thanks, Don."

"You know, I thought they'd be watching girly shit, but Lani is a mix a girly and dangerous." Donnell chuckled. "Just get over here. It's got Will Smith in it."

"Aight, okay." He nodded and followed him into the cinema room. "Moe get yo ass up here."

"Yeah, maybe in an hour."

•🏙•