“Why would a guy like that be coming after us?” Rain asked.
“I don’t know, but we’ll talk about it later,” Black said, and then he and Bobby got out of the limo.
“Where are you two going?” Wanda asked.
“We got something to do,” Black said as they walked away.
“Sounds like we missed all the fun,” Bobby said as he and Black walked further away.
“Good.” Black said. “We’re getting too old for that shit anyway.” When he held out his hand, Bobby gave him a pound. “They didn’t need us, Bob. You heard her, she handled that shit hopping on one leg with one arm tied behind her back,” Black laughed and so did Bobby.
“The right person was there to handle it,” Bobby said. “I’m going to take care of that thing.”
“I’ll meet you there in a couple of hours,” Black said, and they separated. Each man tapped one of the many soldiers that were at J.R.'s to drive them to their respective destination. And of course, each man was anxious to drive them.
Bobby was on his way to see R.J. at The Four Kings. On the way there, he recalled the conversation he had with Black in Fiji. They were talking about Wanda and her secret, that isn’t a secret, boyfriend. And then Bobby asked Black if he had figured out what Wanda was up to.
“Wanda is consolidating her power.”
“What do you mean?”
“From what Rain and Meka tells me, Wanda is not only in their ears, she’s into everything. And on top of that, since he’s intimidated by me and he doesn’t feel like he can talk to you, R.J. goes to her for advice.”
“Why? R.J. knows that he can come to me anytime.”
“Yeah, Bob, but you’re his father and he feels like you treat him like he’s still a little boy.”
“No I don’t.”
“Yeah, Bob, you probably do, and that’s why he talks to Wanda.” Black paused. “Who, in case you don’t know, has had his ear since he was old enough to say Aunt Wanda.”
When he arrived at The Four Kings, Bobby told R.J. to come ride with him. “Where we going?” R.J. asked as he followed his father out of the club.
“I got something I wanna show you,” Bobby said.
On the way, Bobby apologized to R.J. if he made him feel he had treated him like a child. “That was never my intention. I’m proud of you, and I want you to know that you can always come to me for advice and counsel.”
“I know that, but you’re right, sometimes I do feel like a little boy, but what I gotta remember is that in this, I am a little boy and I need to listen to every word you have to say to me,” R.J. said, and told his father about what happened with Venus.
Bobby laughed. “Never let pussy come before your responsibility to your Family. It’s a lesson I had to learn the hard way. Almost got your Uncle Mike killed,” he said, and told R.J. the story.
“See, that’s exactly why I need to be a student of both you and Uncle Mike. The two of you seen it all.”
Bobby laughed. “Done it all too.”
Bobby went on to acknowledge the things that R.J. and his crew were doing to earn in The Family and the fact that he is doing well in college.
“I just want you to know that I’m proud of the man you are. Proud to say I’m your father,” Bobby said as they arrived at and park on a street in the old neighborhood that had stores opened, but the spots on each corner were closed.
“Where are we?” R.J. asked but Bobby said nothing. He got out of the car and walked up to one of the closed places, unlocked the door and R.J. followed him inside. As soon as Bobby turned on the house lights, R.J. knew exactly where he was, and he was more than excited to be there.
“This is The Late Night, ain’t it?” R.J. asked as he followed his father into the club.
“Took y’all long enough,” Black said, and stood up.
Easy was playing on the floor at his father’s feet; he jumped up and ran to R.J. the second he saw him.
“What’s up, Easy?” R.J. picked him up like he always did.