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“You see my arm bleeding and you worried about some loser bitch ass felon,” he spat. “That broad would fuck anything breathing. Trust me. I know. I caught her fucking her cellmate. I only came here to warn you not to trust her.” He paused for a moment to take off his t-shirt and applied pressure to his wound. He mumbled to himself before he turned his attention back to me.

I wasn’t concerned about the shit he said. I trusted that as long as I had Justice’s trust, everything would be fine. I didn’t worry about her cheating on me because I believed in the connection we shared, and I had no doubt she wouldn’t cheat. We were both completely committed to each other, and if I sensed her drifting, I would bring her ass right back.

He continued. “Chy told Ma about your new girl and that she was pregnant. Bro, I know we don’t have the best track record, but you can’t be seriously thinking of settling down with her.”

“Why? Cuz’ you had her first?”

“Well, yeah, and plus she ruined everything. They told me she would. She wasn’t the one.”

“I’m trying to give you a little more grace before I body your ass, so get to the point.”

“Shut up.” He smacked his forehead. He was acting weird as hell.

He continued, “I promise the shit is funny now, in hindsight.”

“Well, I offered Slick a few bands to bring me your stash, to hurt your pockets. I didn’t know the nigga had a daughter, let alone two. When I met her, they told me she was the one, but I found out that was a lie.”

“You keep saying they. Who is they?” That nigga wasn’t making any sense.

“Them.” He gestured behind me, but when I looked, no one was there. I don’t know what kind of bad drugs this nigga took, but I don’t feel any sympathy for him.

“Anyway, they lied. My soulmate was actually Jamie. But then Justice was released and made everything worse. I didn’t think you’d entertain her when I sent her your way. I should’ve known, though. We always had the same type of women.” He chuckled.

“Nigga! Have you lost your fucking mind? Ain’t shit funny now or in hindsight. You got an innocent woman locked up cause you a hatin’ as nigga and wanted to see me behind those bars. And you think it’s funny.” I tucked my gun behind my back, and when my hand came back around, I punched his ass in the temple, rockin’ his shit.

“And then you say my woman was in the way when not only are you the reason she was in jail, but then you tried to ruin what I had with her to fuck on her sister.” I kicked him in his side; he coughed up a little blood.

“You’re a sick nigga, you know that. If only mommy and daddy dearest knew what kind of sicko you really were, they probably would have abandoned you, the same way they did me.”

Before I could swing again, a soft hand touched my shoulder, and I froze. I thought it was an angel here to stop me from delivering the final blow. With all the anger I had in me, I was gon’ kill my brother with this one. He legit made me sick to my fuckin’ stomach. I never met anyone else as selfish and self-centered as him.

Growing up, he wanted anything I had. I could be in the middle of a lick of an ice cream cone, and he would cry for it. My parents would take it and give it to him. We were truly so opposite of each other. I wasn’t in competition with him. I didn’t want shit he had touched or looked at. When I was around our parents and him, I would try to disappear. Anything would’ve been better than being picked on and ignored.

When I turned to the hand on my shoulder and met her gaze, I immediately dropped my fist and turned toward her. She looked like a fallen angel if I’d ever seen one.

“Trouble, baby. Why did you get up?” I saw bruises forming on her neck. “That nigga choked you. He’s a dead man.”

I tried to move her aside to finish the job because I promised her front-row seats.

“Let me,” she whispered quietly. “I heard it all. He’s stripped away everything from me—my freedom, my father—and now he’s trying to take my sister away from me too.”

Then I noticed she held her gun in her left hand.

“Killing him would be the only thing I’d be okay with doing and serving time for!” she spat, looking at him with so much hatred.

I didn’t want her to do it because she was pregnant. She still had five and a half months left, and I didn’t want this to be too much for the baby or for her conscience.

“You deserve to deliver the final blow... but you’re pregnant. I don’t want you to hurt yourself or the baby.”

She rolled her eyes.

I knew that if her voice wasn’t hoarse, she would try to fight me in on this, but reluctantly she agreed to step back. Before she moved completely out of my way, she threw her right foot and kicked the right side of his face. Blood and drool both flew out of his mouth.

“Bitch-ass, hoe-ass, snake-ass, clown-ass nigga!” She spat, then limped backward. She tried to act like her foot didn’t hurt.

I shook my head at her stubborn ass. I moved closer and stood over my twin, the one I shared a womb with. My biggest hater and opp. My brother.

“I really wish you weren’t such a weak-minded coward. We could’ve been unstoppable, but you let others convince you that you were better than me, that you deserved everything and I deserved your hand-me-downs or nothing at all. This was all your fault. I’ll send my condolences to your parents.”