Chapter 22 Kastian
KASTIAN
I thought I was tripping. It sounded like the doorbell rang while I was in the shower.
I turned the water off, wrapped a towel around my waist, and grabbed my phone off the counter, so I could check the camera.
Sure enough, Ryder was standing at my door.
Grinding my molars together, I stared at him for a few seconds before hurriedly drying my body off and stepping into some boxer briefs and a pair of shorts.
If I had to whoop his ass, I didn’t want to do it with dick swinging everywhere.
As I descended the stairs, he rang the bell again.
I had been ignoring him for a few weeks, but if he wanted to hear what I had to say that badly, he was going to get it.
I yanked the door open with a mean mug on my face.
The moment he came into view, I could smell the liquor coming off him, and my frown deepened.
I assumed he was trying to numb the guilt and shame of what he’d done by getting dumb drunk.
Ryder looked like shit. He needed to shave, and he had bags underneath his red rimmed eyes.
“Why haven’t you been answering the phone for me bro? Lox hasn’t called. His girl won’t answer my calls. What’s good?”
Ryder knew what the fuck was good and his playing dumb had me balling my hands into fists. I was itching to knock his ass out. “Did you mention my name? Rat ass nigga?”
Panic filled his eyes. He had to know that I knew, so him acting surprised was pissing me off even more.
“Bro, I swear to God, I never said your name.”
“Don’t ever again in your life call me bro,” I seethed. “You got a lot of nerve. You never said my name. I’m supposed to say thank you? Why would you do that to Lox?”
“Man, I fucking panicked. I don’t know. They caught me when I was high as hell.
I had one of those guns on me that you got from David.
I didn’t know if the shit had a body on it.
I already had enough dope to get me sent up the river.
I just, man I regret that shit every day. If I could take it back I would.”
“We don’t have anything to talk about, Ryder. I’d suggest you get the fuck off my doorstep.”
“I promise I didn’t drop your name. I just want to ask if you’ll look out for my mom’s while I’m gone. I helped her get a house with a high ass mortgage, and I don’t want her to lose it. I have enough put up to help her pay it for maybe six months after I leave. After that, I don’t know.”
I frowned so hard, I could only imagine what I looked like. “Nigga, you really standing here asking me to give your mother money? All the years you sold dope. You have not one but two businesses. You ratted on Lox and tried to act like Ray Ray was the only snake in the crew.”
The more I spoke the angrier I got. Ryder’s audacity had me hitting him in the face. He ate the punch probably because of the alcohol in his system, but he didn’t try to fight back. “I deserve that.”
“You deserve more than that. Fuck you, fuck your moms, and fuck her house.”
Ryder’s lip twitched, but he kept his mouth closed.
He didn’t like me saying what I did about his mother, and I really didn’t care.
His moms was cool. She’d never done anything to me personally, but if I didn’t get arrested, the only people I’d be looking out for were Lox’s girl and their child.
I couldn’t care less if Ryder’s mother ended up homeless. It didn’t have anything to do with me.
Ryder walked off, and I slammed the door behind him.
Every single day that I woke up and wondered if it was the day the Feds were coming, I hated Ryder a little more.
The anticipation was killing me. They couldn’t have been still building a case because I didn’t have anything going on.
Maybe he told the truth, and he didn’t mention my name.
I still didn’t feel like I was out of the woods enough to get comfortable and let my guard down.
The only gun I had in my house was legal and registered to me.
I had some emergency cash in my house, but it wasn’t more than $25,000, and I had legit sources of income to account for large sums of cash.
If they were going to get me, they were going to get me off old shit because I hadn’t done anything new.
Since I didn’t know if I’d be going away, I’d been working less and spending more time with my family and Persia.
I hadn’t told anyone in my family what was going on.
I couldn’t bring myself to tell my mother that I might be going away.
Chartering a private jet, getting a fake passport, and leaving the country had crossed my mind several times.
I doubted Persia would want to leave the country to live life on the run with me.
Going back upstairs, I got dressed for the meeting I had at work.
I wasn’t wasting any time letting my realtors know that Persia and I were merging our companies.
We’d be the only two Brokers In Charge at the firm, so when I left, if I left, they would be working under her.
They should have already been familiar with her, but in case they weren’t, I had called a meeting.
Once I was dressed, I grabbed a bottle of water along with my keys and headed out the door.
Persia and I had a dinner date. I was literally living every day with her like it was my last. Knowing I could be picked up at work, a restaurant, my home, it was embarrassing.
I had a lot of years of spending money and having fun in the game, so I had to deal with the consequences like a G.
Seconds after I walked into the conference room, Persia came in wearing a mint green wrap dress that had my joint standing at attention.
“Got damn,” I mumbled as she blushed.
“Don’t start. I don’t want these people thinking I fucked my way to the top.”
“But you did.”
Persia hit me playfully just as Morgan walked into the room.
She’d been acting weird ever since she walked in on me and Persia.
I could tell she felt some type of way that I wouldn’t have sex with her again, but I simply wasn’t interested.
She never said anything to me, but she always had this look on her face like she didn’t know if she wanted to slap me or fuck me. I was pretty sure she hated my guts.
I waited for everyone to come in and get seated.
I introduced Persia for the ones that didn’t know her.
I made them aware that they would report to either me or her.
We were one in the same, and neither one of us held higher rank than the other.
That announcement had Morgan’s jaw muscles flexing while she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
Persia already had the green light to get rid of her if she started acting dumb. I wasn’t having it.
“Any questions?” I looked around the room after Persia said what she had to say.
No one had questions, so I dismissed everyone. Persia once again hit me on the arm.
“Ouch,” I jested. “What you keep hitting me for?”
“You and your wayward dick got that girl looking at me like I owe her money. She acts like I told you to break her heart.”
“She’ll be aight,” I waved the comment off. “And if not, she better go find another firm to work for.”
“I hear you, boss. I’m going to go spend another hour or so packing up my office before I head home to get ready for our date.”
I didn’t respond with words. Staring into her eyes, I placed a peck on her lips.
Then another. And another before letting her walk away.
I had no clue how I’d make it if I ended up behind those gates leaving Persia free to catch the eyes of another man.
I had screwed up royally, and I wasn’t sure I could do anything to fix it.
The next morning, I was walking toward my office building when I saw numerous black unmarked cars parked close to the door.
They had finally come for a nigga. I refused to get arrested inside the building.
Standing on the sidewalk, I stared in the direction of the vehicles.
They all had super dark tint, but I knew the occupants inside the vehicle saw me.
I was standing there basically telling their asses to come get me.
I was sure they wanted to storm into the building and put on a big show, but I wasn’t giving them that. They were taking me on my terms.
Easing my cell phone out of my pocket, I went to my messages, so I could text my lawyer.
I assumed they didn’t trust what I might be doing, so it was then they decided to hop out of their vehicles.
Four men and two women advanced toward me as I hit send.
It was crazy they had to come more than six deep just to get me because I knew some of them remained in their cars.
“Mr. Miller?” a Brunette wearing shades approached me first.
I didn’t respond because she obviously knew who I was. I wasn’t about to play games with them. When I didn’t answer, she smirked and pulled her handcuffs out. “Yeah, you’re Mr. Miller. Hands behind your back for me please.”
I tuned her out as she read me my rights.
Her co-workers stood back watching like they’d accomplished some great feat.
I was a big fish, but I wasn’t the biggest, and they knew it.
Especially since I didn’t hustle anymore.
They wanted my plug, and they would never get it.
I chose the game. No one made me sell drugs.
If they wanted my plug, they would have to get him on their own.
I wasn’t doing their job for them. As far as my business, that shit stopped with Ryder and Ray Ray.
I couldn’t wait to see my motion of discovery and see whose name was in my paperwork.
I was in cuffs, but Ryder’s bitch ass was still free.
It was all good though. I’d rather do my time with my head held high than to be walking around in the streets being labeled as a rat.
I was pretty sure, Lox and the other guys he snitched on told people who was on their paperwork and warned them to steer clear.
When shorty finished reading me my rights, she ushered me toward a black Escalade.
I got comfortable in the backseat, and she got in the front.
One of the guys that had been standing back watching got in the passenger seat.
The female stared at me through the rearview mirror.
“Bet you didn’t think you’d have to worry about this when you stopped selling drugs, huh?
Unfortunately for you, we’ve heard your name too many times, and you had way too much clout on the streets to slip through the cracks unscathed.
I’m sure your plug is still working. Go ahead and think about giving us what we need because I have to be honest with you, you’re kingpin status my guy. This won’t end well for you.”
That bitch was so thirsty, she couldn’t even wait until we got to the station. I stared out of the window ignoring her.
“You’re a tough guy. I expected some resistance. But I’ve seen even the thoughest break.”
If she was trying to get underneath my skin, she was going to have to try much harder than that.
Hell nah, I didn’t want to spend years in a prison cell, but every day that I hustled, I knew it was a possibility.
I lived a damn good life. My ass had traveled to more than ten countries, spent hours on my yacht in the middle of the ocean admiring God’s creation, ate the finest foods, fucked the baddest bitches, drank the finest liquor, and smoked the finest cigars.
I had memories out the ass. The only thing I would miss out of everything I got to experience besides the freedom to come and go as I pleased would be Persia.
She would be the hardest part about this bid, but not even Persia would turn me into a rat.
I would miss the fuck out of her. That was a part of the game, however.
The thought of her, my mother, and my sister crying was enough to make a nigga’s chest tight.
Hustling was what I knew, and it was what I chose.
I should have left the game long before but even with my success in real estate, I wouldn’t have the things I did without drug money.
Even if I got twenty years, I’d still be around fifty when I came home.
Shit, fifty wasn’t dead. Hell, maybe I could even still have a kid at fifty. That would be some shit.
Dumb ass in the front seat finally stopped talking to me.
After a forty-five-minute drive, we pulled up at the federal building that I was going to be processed at.
I got out of the back of the truck with my head held high.
I knew that more than likely, I wasn’t getting a bond.
I also knew that if they had already built a case, there wouldn’t be much my lawyer could do but try to get me a good deal.
As much as I paid him, I was confident that he was on the way.
It was understood they might be coming, and he was well aware that when they did, he was to get his ass there ASAP.
I didn’t care if he was in the middle of fucking his wife. He better stop and come do his job.
I didn’t even know if Ray Ray’s ass was locked up, but I prayed I’d run into him if he was.
Waste of space ass nigga. And when they finally got Ryder’s ass, he damn sure better not ever cross my path.
Police didn’t give a damn about the safety of informants.
Once they got what they needed out of Ryder, I doubted they’d go above and beyond to keep us apart.
I didn’t care if ten years had passed when I ran into his ass, he was going to get done dirty. And I put that on my mama.