Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Adonis.
“Okay gentlemen, I know it’s the weekend, so I’m going to be quick.” Vado began. “Some of you have met me while others haven’t. That was intentional, and so is this meeting. I wanted to get everyone together today, so you all could hear it from the source; I’m retiring.”
A bunch of mumbling and chatter broke out at the announcement, but Vado held up his hand to gain everyone’s attention again.
“Just because I’m leaving doesn’t mean you stop making money. You all should know me, or of me, well enough to know that I wouldn’t leave you hanging. I do have a successor,” he paused and looked in my direction. “Don, come up here son.”
Again, a bunch of talking ensued as I got up from my seat and joined him at the head of the table.
“Adonis, or Don G, as most of you refer to him, has been working for me for years. He’s the one that came up with the structure for how things operated before, but now he has his own blueprint for how things will go moving forward.
The North and South have been divided for too long, so as of today, that comes to an end. He will oversee it all.”
“All?” one of the men quizzed. “As in someone else is distro over the north?”
“As in Zig and Deek are the only distros for the whole organization,” I answered. “Ain’t no North, ain’t no South, and most importantly,” I turned my attention to Brock and smirked. “Nobody answers to Brock.”
“Fuck you mean nobody answers to me?!” He barked shooting up from his seat. “Vado, what is this shit?”
“This is business, son.” He shrugged. “Adonis is the perfect man for this position because he knows what it is to be hungry as well as what it takes to succeed. You follow who knows where they’re going, you eat. You follow someone reckless, you starve. Simple.”
“You saying that I’m reckless?” Brock snapped.
“He sayin’ yo’ incompetent ass don’t know how to take ya emotions out of shit enough to run shit.
” I shrugged. “The niggas on the Southside been drowning and broke since being under your thumb. Vado had a soft spot for you, but I don’t share that same sentiment.
I ain’t losin’ a fuckin’ penny behind you so therefore you work for Zig or Deek, or you don’t work for nobody. ”
“I don’t need this shit or you, nigga,” he seethed. “I been gettin’ money a lot longer than yo’ po’ ass, and that shit ain’t ‘bout to stop now. Vado felt bad for you all them years ago, and this bullshit is proof of that shit.”
“Naw, this shit a testament to the hard work that I put in this shit, but we ain’t gettin’ into all that.
You can say what you want, but the fact remains you either get money with me, or you starve.
” I shrugged not giving a fuck either way.
I didn’t want to do business with the nigga, so he’d be doing me a favor.
“Fuck this and fuck you,” he spat before beginning to walk toward the door.
Since he had to walk past me, I stepped into his path to stop him.
“Naw, fuck with me, nigga,” we stood chest to chest. “I’ve only extended this much grace on account of ya mother, but even that shit is getting’ old to me. Your days are already numbered. Don’t fuck around and cut that number in half.”
“Man watch out.”
“You can leave, but I’m comin’ to collect the product you got left, and you better hope that there ain’t a grain missin’ from the shit.
Also,” I closed all of the distance between us so that he could hear me very clear.
“Go near my girl or her people’s spot again, I’m gon’ do you somethin’ dirty.
You ain’t got no business with Jru, so move around.
Otherwise, you gon’ find ya self in deeper shit than sewage workers. ”
He stepped around me, brushing shoulders with me on his way.
Once he was gone, I retook my place at the head of the table with Vado to finish my conversation.
I let the rest of the niggas that were there know they could bounce too if they felt the same way Brock felt.
I loved Vado and respected how he ran things, but all that mattered to me was the bread.
I was gon’ make sure everyone in that room with me ate, but in return I needed their loyalty.
If they felt like they couldn’t give it to me, there were no hard feelings.
They were just gonna have to relocate if they wanted to hustle.
Vado left the meeting a little after his speech, so I was able to finish up with the rest of the team.
Zig and Deek came up to let them know how they were going to run things and to let them know who would be on whose team.
There were a few niggas that I noted we’d have to keep our eyes on.
They’d all worked closely with Brock for years, and I wasn’t stupid.
I knew they were gon’ try some sneaky shit, and I was gon’ be the one to meet their asses.
We let them know that reup would be later that night and we’d send word about where and when the shit would take place before we closed the meeting out. I had to go meet with the new niggas that I’d assembled for security, but I wanted to holla at Ziggy and Deek before that time came.
“What y’all think?” I asked once we were alone.
“Shit, we really won’t be able to tell what these niggas on until we start really workin’ with them and shit,” Deek answered.
“I peeped Tron and West,” Zig added. “They gon’ be a problem.”
“Facts,” I agreed. “They Brock’s right hand men.”
“Shit, why we don’t just dismiss them with his ass then?”
“Because I’m gon’ need some niggas to make an example out of. They gon’ be just that. I gotta meetin’ to get to though, so I’m gon’ bounce. I’ll get up with y’all boys later.”
I dapped each of them up before leaving and making my way to my barbershop, The Cutting Edge. That was where I told the team to meet me since someone was going to have to be there as well.
Once I made it, I entered through the front letting the guys that were working know the back was locked until further notice. I needed some privacy while I spoke with my team.
I let them in through the back and had them all find a seat where they could—there was five of them. I didn’t need a big team, just niggas that were dedicated to making sure that we were safe at all times.
Greg, the owner of the security company, was appointed to be with Jru.
He had the most experience of all the guys and was the biggest. I wasn’t so na?ve that I thought size mattered, but the nigga was intimidating.
Next was Chris; he was going to be on AP.
He would be able to blend in with the students at the school when he was there and kick it at the crib with him when I wasn’t around.
Rome and Jason would alternate between the barbershop and the docks where we kept the trucks and products, and Will would be with me.
I didn’t necessarily want a personal fucking body guard, but he’d come in handy sometimes.
I went over specifics with each of them, reinforcing how imperative it was to keep my girl and brother safe since I couldn’t be three places at a time. I also beat it into their heads how serious I was about the shit and what the outcome would be if anything were to go wrong.
I dismissed them to go to their respective posts before I went out to knock the appointments I had out of the way. I hadn’t been in the shop for the last few days because Vado set up the meetings with his people, so I took some time to knock that out and get my system set up.
When I finished my last head of the day my phone rang. I grabbed it from my pocket and looked to see that Jru was calling so I answered quickly.
“What’s up, baby?”
“I think someone followed me home,” she whispered and my heart sank.
“You there alone?” I asked, moving toward the exit quickly.
As soon as I hopped in my car I started the engine then burned rubber pulling away.
“Yeah, Mama and Daddy are on their way though. They went to an early dinner.”
“Lock the doors and stay put until I get there, Jru,” I ordered, texting Greg’s mothafuckin’ ass to see where he was. The nigga was fucking up already.
“Okay,” she whimpered. “How long until you get here? The car followed me all the way from work and I took the long way.”
Shit.
“Like ten minutes tops.” I floored it.
“Maybe I should call the police. The car is parked a few houses down.”
“Naw, not yet. I’ll be there before them.” I was really thinking that I might have to body the mothafucka, so I didn’t need the police there yet.
“Okay. Will you stay on the phone with me until you get here?”
“Of course. Go upstairs.”
“I am.” She got quiet, so I could hear her padding up the steps. “I’m in Geri’s room so I can look out of the window.”
“Get out the window, baby,” I suggested. “I don’t want the mothafucka’s to see you peekin’ or no shit.”
“It’s like a charcoal gray Durango. In case the car isn’t there anymore. I didn’t get the tag because they were behind me the whole time.”
“It’s aight. I’m almost there.”
Gray Durango?
Just as the thought crossed my mind, Greg was texting me back letting me know that he was in Jru’s parents’ neighborhood parked outside of the house.
I quickly responded asking what kind of car he was in and breathed a lot easier once he confirmed that he was in the same make as the car she’d described.
“Adonis!” Jru shouted, drawing me from my thoughts.
“My bad, bae, what’s up?”
“I was just making sure you were still there."
“I’m here, but you good. You don’t have shit to worry about.”
“You’re here?”
“I am actually,” I replied, parking in front of her people’s shit. “Nobody was following you.”
“Yes, they were. It was that car,” she argued, then she snapped, “Why would I lie about that?!”
“I’m not sayin’ you lyin’, love.” I chuckled, climbing out of the car. “Come to the door, I’ll explain it to you.”
“Explain what?” she asked.
“Come to the door, Jruelle.”
“Fine, I’m coming,” she snapped then hung up the phone.