Chapter 19
“What’s going on, young blood?” Gunna greeted me as I stepped into his house. The mansion he lived in was huge, and I admired it every time I came over. Going from the projects to a million-dollar mansion was a huge transition, one that I looked forward to in the future.
“What’s up, G? How have you been?”
We shook hands as he led me to his mancave.
He had been trying to get me to come over for weeks to discuss some new business opportunities, but my schedule had been crazy since Keynauri came home.
We had been in the studio and getting things set up for his upcoming show.
Plus, I had my own businesses to run. I barely had enough time for myself, and I knew my family felt my absence.
Lyric’s sneaky ass had been pulling disappearing acts on the regular. I tried not to trip on her too much because she was pregnant, but I was getting ready to nip that shit in the bud soon.
“I can’t complain, man. I have someone I want you to meet.
He was putting in major work in Haiti for years, but he moved to the States and got a work visa.
I think the two of you would work really well together.
You’re getting ready to move up in the ranks, and you’re gonna need someone to replace you other than Logic.
I’m not trying to step on your toes in any way, but Jacq possesses some very unique qualities that I want on my team. ”
I gave Gunna a knowing look because he knew how I felt about surprises.
Everyone who knew me knew I wasn’t a friendly-ass nigga.
I kept the same niggas in my circle from grade school because I didn’t trust a soul.
Now he was telling me I had to work with a stranger and let him in on all of my business.
How did Gunna even know he wasn’t undercover or an informant?
Many thoughts raced through my head as I followed behind him.
“Jacq, this is East. East, this is Jacq.”
When Gunna moved out of the way, I found myself staring at the tall, light-skinned man in front of me.
His features were what caught my attention first because he looked like the spitting image of Lyric.
His bright-blue eyes made me even more uncomfortable because it felt like I was staring into the eyes of my daughter and my girl.
I glanced over at Gunna once more before lifting my arm to shake his hand.
“What’s up?”
I kept my greeting short, although there were a lot of things on my mind.
“Sup.” His response was dry, and something in my gut was unsettled. I wasn’t too worried, though, because I would have his full background, down to the time he forced his way out of his momma’s pussy by the end of the week.
“Why don’t we have a seat? I would like to discuss a few things with the two of you. I’ve been trying to get this meet up for a while now, and I don’t want to waste any time.” Gunna tittered.
I followed his lead and took a seat at the end of the all-black sectional. I sent a message to my nigga Jett to let him know I had a job for him. He was one of the fastest and most credible tech guys I knew.
“Gunna said you were from Haiti. Who are your people?” I quizzed, just to see if he would even open up and tell me about himself.
“This ain’t no blind date. My people don’t have shit to do with business,” Jacq spat. I chuckled, knowing this conversation was over before it even started.
“Alright, Gunna. I’ma head out of here. You already know I don’t have time to deal with no bullshit.
You can take this bitch-ass nigga under your wing if you want to, but you might need to tell him who the fuck I am.
I haven’t murked a nigga in a few months, but I won’t lose no sleep when I burn his hoe-ass up and send him right back to the dusty-ass shack he came from,” I spat.
I wanted to beat Gunna’s ass for even thinking the two of us could work together. It was obvious ol’ boy had a lot of growing up to do and had no clue how to conduct himself in business.
“Bitch ass nigga. You don’t know shit about me, but you would be a fool to underestimate me!
” Jacq roared as he rose from his seat. He began speaking in another language, making me even more annoyed.
I stood there stone-faced as his face reddened with anger.
I glanced over at Gunna, and he already knew what type of time I was on.
I never pulled out my tool unless I planned to use it, and my trigger finger was itching to let one off in his dome.
“Fellas, please. Tensions are high, and it seems we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. Why don’t we take separate corners to calm down and get back to business?
Y’all don’t even know each other for you to already have beef, and if you think a mothafucka is gonna get blood on my new carpet, you must be out yo’ rabbit ass mind.
Now, I’m gonna give you both a few moments to gather yourselves, but please don’t get shit twisted around here.
Nothing and no one comes in between my money,” Gunna warned.
He and I never had any issues in the past, but I hadn’t forgotten the killer he was in the streets.
At the end of the day, Jacq and I didn’t need to get along in order to make money, but he had me fucked up if he thought he was gonna disrespect me.
Putting my pride to the side, I reclaimed my seat on the couch, but my gun was tucked in my jeans if things went left.
My respect for Gunna was never-ending, but I would never let a mothafucka play with me.
After a few more minutes, Jacq reclaimed his seat as well. Gunna walked over to the bar, offering us both a drink. I declined because I didn’t believe in conducting business while under the influence. Plus, I was headed straight to Granny’s house once our meeting was over.
“Look, Jacq. I decided to give you a shot because I’ve heard nothing but good things about your work ethic and the way you handle business in the streets, but I need you to understand something right now.
I run a smooth operation, and I don’t do drama unless there is money involved.
I don’t know what kind of chip you’ve got on your shoulder, but I suggest you dead that shit now; otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to rescind my offer for you to join my team.
“East is a businessman, but there’s a reason he’s one of my top lieutenants. He’s a certified killer and his clean-up skills are unmatched. The two of you don’t have to be the best of friends, but there must be a mutual respect in order for the two of you to work together.”
The two of us listened but didn’t speak right away.
After Gunna laid out his terms and what he wanted us to do, I made a mental note to keep my eye on Jacq.
Something in my gut told me that there was more to him than Gunna knew, and I refused to let my family get caught up in some bullshit because my big homie hadn’t done his research.
I left his house and headed to meet up with Logic.
He wanted to go over some business shit before he headed out of town to visit with family.
I checked Lyric’s location and rolled my eyes when I realized that shit was off.
She loved to play games, but the minute I checked her ass, she wanted to cry.
There were parts of me that questioned if I made the right decision.
I loved her, but there were times when it felt like she wasn’t ready to be in a relationship.
Lyric wanted to party and run the streets, and I wasn’t on the same type of time.
My idea of a perfect weekend was some good food, a blunt, and watching movies with my family. As much as it pained me to say it, I wasn’t sure if Lyric was ready for someone like me, and it was beginning to put a strain on our relationship.
Aunt Pam and Granny were arguing over who would be keeping Noodle, so I left her there for them to fight over.
After I left from meeting up with Murk, I stopped by Sushi Time and got a deep-fried sushi roll with crab, shrimp, and salmon, along with some house fried rice.
I tried to hit up Lyric to see if she wanted something, but her ass still hadn’t answered the phone.
I had been working so hard the last couple of weeks that I just let her make it.
She knew better than to put my unborn child in danger, so I wasn’t worried about her doing anything too crazy.
When I got to the house, I hopped in the shower to wash the day off.
For some reason, I couldn’t stand eating dinner if I wasn’t clean.
It might sound backward, but I guess it was just one of my quirks.
I enjoyed my food better when I was clean.
I threw on a pair of shorts and a tank, then made my way into the living room.
I poured a glass of Kool-Aid and turned on a fight I recorded the night before.
My stomach growled as soon as I opened the container to my food.
It reminded me that I hadn’t eaten since I left in the morning.
The moment I bit into my first sushi roll, my eyes damn near rolled to the back of my head.
The shit was good as hell and fried to perfection.
It took no time for me to finish off the rest of my sushi and dive into my rice.
I rarely got to eat alone, so it was a little strange for me.
Usually, Lyric and Noodle took turns eating my food, and it was weird to enjoy it without them.
I couldn’t even say whether it was a good or bad thing.
A knock at the door took me by surprise.
Outside of my Granny, Logic, and a couple of Lyric’s friends, no one else knew where we lived.
Technically, Keynauri knew too, but he thought it was only Lyric’s house.
I told Lyric that if he asked, I wasn’t gonna hide it.
I was too fucking grown to be hiding from a grown man, and I definitely wasn’t gonna leave my house when she decided to let him come over.