Read CheckMate 4: Winner Takes All for Free Online Page B

things weren’t what he was thinking they’d be.
     
    He disappointedly shook his head as the rain started to thump lightly on his window. “Damnit man,” he whispered. He could hear the doors downstairs open as Rico entered the building and instantly yelled out upstairs.
     
    “You up there, Bro?” he asked.
     
    “Yeah,” Monty called out. Minutes later he could hear Rico making his way up the stairs and straight to his office door. “What’s up, Bro? You a’ight?”
     
    “Nah,” Rico answered. “I’m sick, man.”
     
    Monty looked over at him and shook his head. “Hell, you look sick. I guess Mona hadn’t come back yet, huh?”
     
    “Nah,” he answered. “She won’t even answer my calls. I just wanna see Caylin.”
     
    “Quit lying nigga. You wanna see my sister, too.” Monty stated. “You ain’t gotta lie to me. I kept telling you to keep your face clean, because my sister ain’t no fool for a man. My mama taught her better. Plus, she’s stubborn as fuck; much worse than me.”
     
    “I know man. It’s my fault. I should’ve just kept it real with her and myself. I don’t even know why I’ve done those stupid things. Mona completes me,” he admitted. “I should’ve known better than to try and play her. It’s crazy though,” he said now sitting down like he was about to pour his heart out for an ample amount of time. “Just when I’d decided to leave these women alone, she catches me in some bullshit.”
     
    “So, who called your phone?”
     
    “Huh?” Rico questioned not realizing that he hadn’t cleared that part up yet.
     
    “Don’t huh me, nigga. Who the hell did you get caught up on the phone with?”
     
    Rico sat there with his head hung low and shook it from side to side like he hated to even admit who it was. Then he looked back up at Monty and said, “Karen. It was Karen.”
     
    Monty just stared at him with a blank face. Finally he said, “You still fucking with Karen? You ain’t got enough of fucking with that bitch, yet?”
     
    “I don’t even know what I was thinking, but it only happened once.”
     
    “Once was enough for your family to leave you.” Monty told him with a disappointed shake of the head.
     
    “Tell me about it. I should’ve listened to you.” Rico said, and with that his eyes began to water. He held his head down and wiped his eyes. Monty felt bad for him even though he was dead ass wrong and had hurt his sister. He and Rico had a friendship and a bond that no one could understand, regardless of what they’d gone through. He didn’t care to see his best friend down. Plus, he was feeling the same way. He just didn’t want it to show.
     
    “Man, clean yourself up and dust yourself off. If it’s meant to be, it’ll be.” Monty told him.
     
    “That’s easy for you to say. I can’t even sleep at night. I’m so used to her and Cay being there that it’s driving me crazy that they’re not. Man, I miss my daughter and I miss my fiancé.”
     
    “Did she give you the ring back?”
     
    “No,” Rico said through a muffled tone.
     
    “Well, that’s a good look. Most women that leave you will also leave the ring as a show that they mean business. So, maybe she just needs this time to think about things and cool off. You know my sister though. You have to be honest with her. She will always know when you’re lying and she cannot stand a liar. You can’t expect her to want to be with you if you’re continuing this bullshit.”
     
    Rico sniffed like a big baby. He was indeed hurt and feeling some type of way. “I know.” He said wiping his eyes.
     
    Monty could tell that he loved his sister. He couldn’t come down hard on him because the truth was that he was no saint either. He’d fucked up also and probably had lost Candy for good. He just hated that it was probably to his cousin, somebody he had yet to talk with as well.
     
    “Man, you gon’ be okay?” He asked Rico as he dried up his tears.
     
    “Yeah,