Ch. 8 #2
She nodded and stood there. I guess she was adamant on seeing who was coming up in her shit.
I shook my head and opened up for Zeus. He stepped in, dapping me up with a smile.
He was a jeweler before anything else. I was sure all he planned on doing was stripping the stones from XXIV Carats design and putting them in his.
He’d have them on the streets within forty-eight hours.
The black duffle bag let me know he came prepared with straight Benji’s.
“This shit nice young blood. Who the hell you done robbed and snatched this from?” he jested. The only thing was, he was touching truth more than he realized.
I looked back at Cheyonne and her focus shifted between me and Zeus every few seconds.
She wore a look of fear, and I understood why.
I was a tall, lanky nigga, but Zeus… that nigga was a different breed.
He was tall, stocky, and tatted from head to toe.
He had way more tats on his face than me as well.
I knew she was trying to figure out if telling him what was happening was a good idea or not.
Lil’ did she know, he wasn’t gon’ budge in her direction unless I gave him the word.
He was big on minding the business that paid him and worrying ‘bout Brat brought him no profit or benefit.
“Who’s the Barbie?” he questioned taking her in from the floor up. Cheyonne tightened the robe before looking away.
“Mind yo’ eyes, Zeus. I’d hate to take yo’ big ass down up in here. You know better than to look at another man’s lady.” Brat eyes locked in with mine as soon as I said it. I could tell she wanted to object but if she knew better, she’d shut the fuck up and let me do me.
“Young blood, if that’s all you, excuse a nigga for not knowing game for real. She’s a beautiful woman,” he complimented not taking his eyes off her.
She fixed her lips to say thank you when I stepped in the middle of them blocking both views of one another. This wasn’t no goddamn tradeoff. It was either take what the fuck I was offering or get the fuck out. Brat wasn’t up for discussion in no shape or fuckin’ form.
“If you want to take it there after we do business, we can. I got plenty time,” I threatened.
Zeus stepped up in my face showing no emotion. He pocketed his hands, and I knew either he was removing his pistol next or shrugging this shit off. Tia and Tamera never left a nigga side, so I was for the bullshit over mine.
Mine? Nigga that is not yo’ bitch.
Taking that step back, he put on a smile and said, “I’d be the same way if she was mine.
Chocolate and stunning. Keep her pretty ass under lock and key young blood.
It’s niggas like me that will put her on top of the world.
You hear that gorgeous?” He spoke to Brat while still maintaining eye contact with me.
“I heard you, and I’m sure you would. However, if I was choosing between two evils, I’m choosing the one who does for me even when he doesn’t want to. Black, I’m going to fix myself something to eat,” she chimed.
I couldn’t hold you; her response had a nigga feeling good as fuck. She handled that shit completely different than what I expected. She had me questioning if what she let fly was true for a minute. The muthafucka sounded believable with her lies.
“Respect,” Zeus said throwing his hands in the air from defeat. “Aye, at least she knows where the fuck she want to be. Let’s get this shit over with, Black. My wife waiting on me.” I gave him that look, and he countered with, “I’m polyamorous muthafucka. Don’t judge me.”
Shaking my head, I walked into the living room grabbing the bag that held all the stones.
Zeus followed behind taking a seat on the sofa adjacent to the one I was stationed on.
I removed the pieces one by one and laid them on the table beside each other.
That nigga gave me that look like I scored some dope shit and nodded.
He picked them up assessing each one carefully.
As soon as he was ‘bout to speak, Cheyonne wobbled her pretty ass in the room snatching his attention.
I was ‘bout ready to fuck her lil’ ass up too.
She came and sat beside me like one of us called her in this business meeting or something.
I kept my eyes on her the entire time and when she finally gave me her attention, she waved me off saying carry on.
I almost smacked fire from her ass. I ain’t never in my twenty-three years of life been waved the fuck off.
“The fuck you want, Brat?” I inquired.
Slightly shaking her head, she replied with, “Nothing, my water’s boiling, so I thought I’d look in on this.”
“I don’t need you to look in on shit. Gon’ ‘head back in there and fix yo’ rabbit food in peace.”
“I’d rather not. What’s your name?” she asked looking over to Zeus and ignoring my command altogether.
“Zeus, but you can call me—”
“One more time, and I’m gon’ put yo’ big ass the fuck down,” I interjected pulling Tia from my waist. “What’s the number?” I asked. I was ready to end this shit and get the fuck out the Springs.
Smirking, he shifted back into business mode. Gazing at the pieces on the table, I could see him coming up with a number to throw at me. My thing was it better not had been no lowball. Getting shit on really brought out a different side of me.
“I can give you three right now,” he offered.
“Make it four.”
“Tuh. Typical. A thief that doesn’t know the value of things,” Brat mumbled. While I thought I was the only one that caught it, Zeus had already leaned up and sparked further conversation.
“Oh yeah? What’s the number I should be talking then, Lil’ Mama?”
“That watch alone is worth 250 grand. I know that because I have one that looks identical to it upstairs. My best friend gifted it to me as a ten-year anniversary. That bracelet is an exclusive with only five made. I bought two as a best friend set and one by itself was seventy grand. You’re over a quarter million dollars off those two pieces alone.
There’s ten other pieces on this table, plus rings.
You’re shitting him. I get that because these are stolen, he shouldn’t be asking for much, but if you were to combine all these pieces together, you’re well over two million dollars,” she explained.
I was a nigga that came from nothing, grinding every few months to make sure Twenty-One could eat. Did I truly know the value of shit? Hell nah, but I knew my crew needed funds and enough of them to sit the fuck down for a while. This whole transaction was our ticket of comfortability.
“You didn’t answer me beautiful. What’s the number I should be talking?” he repeated.
“At the minimum, seven-fifty. I say that because the stones are already cut, and he’s a fuckin’ thief. Giving him their valued price is clown behavior, but who am I to look in on shit.” Her smartass mouth was one a nigga could do without and that was the God honest truth right there.
Nevertheless, she deserved a silent applause.
Brat was making sure I remembered a nigga who didn’t value shit didn’t deserve shit.
Also, karma was a bitch. A thief could get shitted on the same way we shitted on others.
It was anybody’s game when that was in the equation.
I appreciated her being here though and that was real shit.
There was no telling how many times he gave me the short end of the stick.
Hell, that was what he offered today but Brat was throwing salt on his plan.
“How long you been fuckin’ with this young ass nigga beautiful? He don’t even seem like yo’ speed. This nigga don’t even know how to count bread unless it’s in paper form. It’s clear you need to drop him and fuck with a real nigga,” Zeus egged on.
“No, thank you. Black, wrap this up,” she said trying to stand.
I was on my feet and helping her up before she had time to think. Leaning in, I whispered in her ear, “That’s another twenty-four for saving a nigga ass.”
“Whatever,” she spewed.
I waited until she was out the room completely before I was seated again.
Zeus looked at me wearing a menacing grin.
Whatever was turning in that nigga head had him amused.
I kept my gaze locked in on him as Tia never loosened in my grip.
We may had done business together but that ain’t stop me from being flat out comfortable.
A nigga knew to stay ready so I ain’t never have to get ready.
“You a slick muthafucka ain’t you?” I questioned.
“Been slick nigga. Your lady the only one to ever catch me. You don’t know what to do with her, Black. Let me take her home with me and show her how real niggas provide. I’ll make it an even mill,” he bargained.
“Aye Brat!” I called out to her to prove a fuckin’ point. Cheyonne wasn’t even mine for real, but I already knew I had the upper hand. She wouldn’t have called Zeus’s bluff if she wanted out.
“What?” she answered.
“An even mill with you added to the tab. Now, forgive an inexperienced muthafucka but damn, am I tripping? I thought you was worth more than that,” I taunted.
She laughed, and I smirked from how cute it was. It was the first time I was genuinely hearing it. “My net worth is twenty-eight mill. Two hundred, fifty grand is what I spend on yearly cleaners for me and my parents’ home. Please, Black.”
I ain’t know shit about Cheyonne outside of where she resided and the whips she pushed.
Her pockets were her business, and I didn’t give a fuck to know how much was in them.
He wasn’t ‘bout to play her pretty ass like that two-fifty was needed though. I told her wasn’t nobody touching her as long as I was here, and I meant that.
“There it is nigga. What we doing, Zeus?” I was irritated at this point. I wasn’t ‘bout to keep going back and forth with his ass on what was owed.
“Thank your lady. She got you paid today nigga. She think you deserving of seven-fifty, so I’ll top you off even with eight. Nigga you lucked up.”