2. Scott “Scotty” Chad MacLeod #3
When I got here, Derrick undersold how fucked up not only the under-the-table operation was, but also how fucked up the shop was in general.
A week after I arrived, I knew the steps that needed to be taken for the business, so I called a meeting with Derrick and Seneca.
Derrick owned the shop, and Seneca was the current head of the underground empire that was passed down to him from Derrick and his brother Tiberius Jr.
Charlotte was an interesting city. It was like a person that wore expensive perfume on a body that they never washed.
The people were too quick to smile and tell their stink-ass business.
One trip to one of these spots that was hot in the city showed me that.
The city was different from where I was from, but there were a lot of similarities.
Clean shop! That was what was needed in this situation.
When I told them that the shop on both sides needed to be shut down for a couple weeks so I could clean house and reset the foundation, they didn’t hesitate to let me do what I needed to do.
After a few terminations of their auto technicians and a few of the underground workers from the Earth, I was able to restaff with individuals from Seneca’s team as well as my own.
I pulled four of my men that wanted a change as well to aid me in the transformation.
Yes, I could have just used Seneca’s people, but I still needed my people who I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, had my back.
See, these were new niggas. I had a trust level with Derrick and Seneca that came by way of my trust with Lo’ak.
The fact was that I didn’t trust any of the niggas in the shop yet, and until I did, my people would be implanted.
The shops had been back up and running for two weeks.
A Touch of Gold Autobody Shop was under new fucking management, and it was obvious.
Their parts distributor was ass when it came to the auto body shop.
The customer waiting area wasn’t anything that I would want to wait in.
All of that shit mattered when it came to the level of business that you wanted.
You couldn’t ask muthafuckas to pay Benz prices for Hondas. That wasn’t how that shit worked.
When I suggested they either moved to a new and better location or opened a second shop in a better location, he agreed to that. They could do so much more in a different location, but until then, I would work with what I had. Derrick and I looked at potential new locations last week.
Since I only committed to six months for now, I didn’t want to buy property here yet.
Lo’ak owned a luxury apartment complex. He gave me a great deal on a six-month lease for a two-bedroom apartment that I paid out upfront.
My spot was on the top floor of the six-story building and faced their man-made pond.
The pond had a dove and ducks in it, which for some reason, brought me peace.
I sat on my balcony every day at some point just to watch them as well as the people that sat around it or the children that played at the playground that was nearby.
There was a knock on the door of my office.
I told whoever it was to come in. Ace came in with a blank expression.
He was a young dude fresh out of school.
I liked him because he was eager to learn all that he could to be a better auto technician.
“Scotty, um, there’s someone here to see you.
She told me not to tell you who she was. ”
He emphasized the she. That alone told me who it was. Seneca texted me a little over an hour ago with the heads up that she would be here. “Thank you, Ace. Let her know I’ll be out in a moment.” I tittered a little with my words.
Ace looked bothered that I didn’t get right up to come out. I had never been a man that moved on other’s time unless it was a deeper connection. Ace nodded before he closed the door on the way out.
I intentionally took a few minutes longer than I should have. When I came to the front, I noticed the shift in the atmosphere of the shop. Damn. She causes that kind of shift?
My head turned toward the sound of the clicks of her heels on the floor.
There she was. Her attire was relaxed. She wore a pair of distressed skinny jeans and a woman’s cut Carolina Cougars jersey with a pair of black heels.
That boy Asher Kane is a beast on the field.
Her hair sat in a bun on top of her head.
She was beautiful. It was a dangerous beauty for weak men. It was the kind that would cause him to make stupid decisions. Her demeanor said that she liked to be in control in every situation. This was a situation that I controlled, so we would see how she adjusted to that.
“How can I help you?” I asked once I was closer to her space.
Her neck bucked back slightly, but she caught herself. Her hip stuck out a little. Most men probably would have missed it, but I was too observant to miss shit. “Do you know who I am?”
The right corner of my upper lip lifted. “Yes, Blake, I know who you are. Again, how can I help you?”
She tittered. “So, you’re the magic that’s supposed to fix the operation? That’s hard to believe with an attitude like yours.”
This was a rough introduction, but I would expect nothing less. Based on what I had been told about her, I knew that my demeanor would be off-putting to her. It was usually for people who wanted control and weak people.
“I wouldn’t say that I’m the magic that’s supposed to fix the operation. What I will say is that I am the man that fixed the operation. As far as my attitude, there is none. I simply have a certain standard for my conversations and presence.” My tone was absolute.
Her head tilted with her stare. The shop was silent, which let me know that everyone within earshot was tuned into our conversation. They were probably more vested than I was because they were more familiar with who she was. I didn’t give a fuck about who she was, with all honesty.
“Is that the way you address your boss?” she questioned. Her audacity was cute. It was a shame that I had to shut it the fuck down.
I tittered with a head shake. “Blake, if your name was Derrick, I might consider addressing you differently. You are not my boss, sweetheart. You work for Seneca. I work for Derrick and Seneca. We are on the same level; we just do different shit.”
She didn’t like the truth. I knew for a fact that I wasn’t beholden to her, because that was a conversation that I had with Seneca when he let me know that he wanted me to watch her back while her right, Stitch, handled something else.
When Seneca came to me with the request to watch her back, I was hesitant. He told me that she would be resistant. An explanation of her personality was given, and from what I could see, it was spot on.
Her feet moved her body back. “Wow! Okay, this was an interesting first impression. Seneca let me know that we would be working together in certain elements until Stitch gets back. How do you think this is going to work?”
My shoulders lifted to my ears. “I think it will work fine. It always will once you got a real nigga behind you.”
Her brow arched. “Are you insinuating that Stitch is not a real nigga? Is that what you’re saying?”
“That’s absolutely not what I’m saying. From what I know about him, he’s as real as they get.
What I also know is that he’s like a brother to you, so he has a soft spot to enable your unnecessarily masculine bullshit.
He might not even see it because he’s used to it.
I, on the other hand, see you, and I won’t tolerate that bullshit.
You’re going to respect me, and I’m going to respect you. We’ll work just fine.”