17. Rashad
rashad
. . .
Music blasted over the speakers as we stepped into the club, bass shaking the floors like the drums on Jumanji.
The lights pulsed red and purple across velvet walls, and the scent of cigar smoke, liquor, and perfume hung heavily in the air.
It was loud, hot, and damn near unruly, just how these places liked it.
Venus had been getting on my nerves so much lately that the dancers up in here knew me by name.
I wasn’t one of those thirsty, perverted ass niggas, though.
If anything, I’d throw a few bills just to get 'em to stop shaking their ass in my face. And now, a few girls tried it, strutting up like they knew what time it was. But I sidestepped and kept it moving. I wasn’t here for the distractions tonight.
Tonight wasn’t about fun. It was about strategy.
Jahsir had made a quiet call on the ride over.
Now, he gave a slight nod to a man posted up near the DJ booth.
That was the green light. We were clear to move.
We slipped into the VIP section; pink ropes and plush booths made for intimate dances and whatever else these niggas could afford.
Back here, money moved in silence, and names were never whispered or spoken out loud.
Bingo. We found Que. The sexy redbone slowly grinded in his lap while he sat damn near naked, eyes closed, probably thinking he was untouchable. She was doing her job too well. Nigga didn’t even realize we were there.
Jahsir peeled off three crisp hundreds and slid 'em into her hand. I raised a finger to my lips. She nodded, brushed Que’s chest one last time, and slinked away into the night.
It took a second for Que to feel the difference.
His eyes opened, and when he saw us, he sank back into the leather like it could help him disappear.
“Pussy got your guard all the way down, huh?” I stepped forward, calm. “Where your security at, nigga?”
“Ra—Rashad. Jahsir. What the fuck, man?” Que stammered, already scrambling for his pants.
“Yeah,” Jahsir barked, eyes burning. “So, what was all that shit you was talkin’?”
“When? I-I ain’t said nothin’…”
“Bro,” Jahsir turned to me. “You know this nigga came up to Crim’s shop? Talkin’ crazy. Like he forgot who the fuck I was?”
Que stood up slowly, sliding into his jeans. My eyes didn’t leave him once. Que was quick and conniving. He may have been caught off guard, but he could have very well still had the upper hand.
“Careful,” I warned. “Any funny shit, and I’ll lay you out myself.”
“Rashad,” he said, fishing his phone out and quickly typing something into it. “Long time, man. Must’ve been a hard four years.”
Before he could blink, I snatched the phone and launched it across the room. “It’s only hard for soft niggas like you.”
“You liked it so much,” Que spat, “maybe I’ll arrange for you to go back.”
I stepped in close, face to face. “Keep talkin’, asshole.”
Jahsir cut in, fed up. “You’ve already done everything wrong. The minute I tell you to pay up, Red gets a gun pulled on her? That’s a coincidence?”
“It wasn’t me, man, I swear!”
“Lyin’ ass nigga.” I reached for Jahsir’s piece without hesitation and leveled it right at Que’s face. I hadn’t touched a strap since I got out, and I never carried mine with me, but muscle memory didn’t fade. It felt too natural. Too easy. That was the part that scared me.
Que dropped to his knees fast, hands up. His fear hit differently when his back was against the wall.
“I promise, man, it wasn’t me!”
“How’d they know she had access to the vault?” Jahsir asked, coldly.
“How the fuck would I know?!”
“Because you planned it,” I said. “You got as many connections as we do. Don’t act stupid now.”
“I ain’t do that shit! You sure this about the bank, or is it because after you ran, I smashed your bitch?!”
Before I could move, crack , Jahsir’s fist connected hard with Que’s jaw, and he hit the floor like a sack of bricks. Jahsir kicked him in his stomach, then landed his foot on his back.
“You can’t talk shit with your face planted into the floor nigga.” Jahsir growled as I pulled him back. The hate Jahsir had for Que could have cost him his life tonight, and we couldn’t get answers if he was dead.
Que staggered to his feet, blood at the corner of his mouth.
He was about to say something slick again when the door burst open and four of Que’s boys walked in, guns drawn, ready on command.
Jahsir drew his other gun, pointing it at the other side of Que’s head.
Music pounded in the background, muffled by the tension that filled the room.
I kept my eyes locked on Que. “I ain’t droppin’ shit until they drop theirs.”
Jahsir stood right beside me, unfazed. “If we all gotta end with a bullet,” he said calmly, “then fuck it, we bleed.”
The room was still as hell. No one moved.
No one breathed. One of Que’s boys shifted, finger twitching on the trigger.
They all hesitated as their eyes darted to Que, waiting for a nod.
But Que was frozen, as he should be. The blood on his lip and sweat on his forehead called for a true pause.
He knew better. He knew what this would turn into.
It didn't matter if it was five of them versus the two of us. Jahsir and I always had the upper hand.
“Chill, y’all. We good.” Que grumbled, finally raising his hand. “Stand down.”
We all watched his people lower their weapons slowly, reluctantly, but obediently. One even looked nervous as he stared at Jahsir. Jahsir’s reputation preceded him. Que and his men knew this was not over. And even if they thought it was, Jahsir’s next words reinforced it.
“The only reason you still breathing is cuz you're Scarlett’s sperm donor. But make no mistake, if Red ever gives me the green light, I’mma light yo ass up.”
And with that, we left.
My adrenaline was still rushing after what me and Jahsir just did.
But that ass whooping cleared my head immediately.
I had gone soft. No, scratch that, I let pussy make me soft.
Venus was laying up with me every night and plotting on my family.
I wanted to know her motives, but truthfully, none of that shit was important.
The only thing that mattered now was how I moved forward, which is why I quietly crept in to retrieve my shit.
I wasn’t in the mood for her lies or fake tears.
And while I tried to avoid it, she stirred, woke up, and saw me.
“Hey, where have you been?” Venus’s voice sliced through the silence and instantly triggered annoyance from me. “I fell asleep waiting for you. That's been the trend lately.”
Ignoring her, I didn’t look up right away.
I was folding a hoodie and had just shoved it into the bottom of my duffel bag.
My hands were moving, but not as fast as my thoughts.
My mind was on the streets, my money, and my future.
A future without her in it. I heard her sighing, making all kinds of noise to gain my attention.
The sound of her voice alone made me wanna put hands on her, but I wasn’t that kind of nigga.
“Rashad, where have you been?” she asked, sitting fully up in the bed now.
“Smoking,”
“For the whole day? You could’ve done that here,” she scoffed, now getting out of the bed and turning on the light.
That worked for me because I was finally able to see what I was doing.
Her energy shifted once she realized I was gathering my things.
She folded her arms then asked, “What are you getting ready to do?”
“Damn, Venus. Give me some space. You’ve asking me a million and one questions. It’s too damn late for that.” I retorted as I grabbed my charger out of the wall and shoved it deep into the bag.
“Space? You’ve been gone all day,” she snapped. “You’ve been doing this since you got off probation.”
I stood up. Met her eyes. Held them. “So.”
She blinked. Voice dropped a little. “Is there somebody else?”
Here we go , I thought. Women just knew men couldn’t be sick of their shit.
There had to be someone else involved. Now, granted, Zahara had been lingering in the back of my mind for a while now.
Even before I got out of prison. And while the feelings did get a little stronger once I was released, she still was not the determining factor.
Everything Jahsir told me made it clear that Venus’s time was up.
Nobody did that shit but her. I rubbed the back of my neck, bracing myself for an argument.
My fingers lingered there for a second, then dropped.
“Ask what you really wanna ask, Venus.”
“Are you fuckin’ Zahara?”
I smirked and shook my head. No, wasn’t shit funny. But the fact that she asked about Zahara proved my point. Shorty been scheming and scamming, but is painting me as the villain here.
“If I am, then what? Am I moving funny? 'Cause from what I’ve heard, you’re the one movin’ foul. Maybe you should chill on the accusations.”
“What are you talking about? Who’s been lying to you?”
“Shit, you from what I hear.”
“I would nev?—”
“What happened to the money you were supposed to give Crimson?” I cut her off before she started her lies. She froze, and the only thing that was between us now was dead air.
“…What?” she asked.
“You heard me.”
“What money?”
I looked at her. Really looked at her. “You’re smart as hell, Venus. Calculated. But playin’ dumb doesn't suit you. Own your shit and stop playing games before you piss me off.”
“I gave what I had to your mother. If she didn’t pass it to Crimson, that’s on her.”
“You didn’t give my mother anything.”
“Yes, I did! You know how your mama acts about money. There is no telling what she did with it. You over here accusing me of stealing and lying to you. We all know how Ruby gets down.”
“You calling my mama a liar? She said you didn’t give her fifteen grand. She said?—”
“You spoke to Ruby about me?” Her voice jumped and shook a little. Bingo! She wasn’t expecting that. “Rashad, why didn’t you come to me first?”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“I’m not! I just…Why are you discussing me with your mother? I’m the only one who can tell you what I did, and why I did it!”
“Cool.” I turned to face her fully so I could look her dead in her face. “So, check it. You hooked up Crimson and Que?” Her eyes got big, lips parted, but she said nothing. “Speak up.” I urged her.
“Well, I didn’t actually- I mean-”
I took a step forward, closing the space between us. I clasped my hands together in front of me, like I was praying. But I wasn’t. I was steadying myself, trying to keep myself from reacting on impulse. I knew she wasn’t going to tell the truth, not all of it at least.
“I told you, Rashad. I didn’t know the whole story.”
“You knew enough.”
She rolled her eyes and attempted to brush past me. “Crimson makes her own decisions, Rashad. She ain’t some baby you gotta save. If she didn’t wanna mess with Que, she wouldn’t have. Y’all treat that girl like she's a porcelain doll.”
Grabbing her arm, I turned her towards me.
“You set her up. You knew what Que was, what he did. You knew everything. But since you wanna play dumb, let’s say you didn’t know the ins and outs.
You knew for sure he ran in our circle, even if it was for business.
Why would you introduce your ‘friend’ to Jahsir’s partner? Where the fuck is your loyalty?”
“You act like he’s some monster,” she said. “Maybe Crimson just wanted a real man. Somebody who didn’t put the streets before her. Because that's exactly what you and Jahsir did.”
“You defending Que, and disrespecting me and Jahsir in the process? Be careful, Venus.”
She smirked, realizing she was getting under my skin. But see, I’d let Venus play with me for far too long.
I opened the drawer, reached in slowly, and when I turned, the gun was in my hand. Low. Resting in my palm like it belonged there. Like it had never left. Venus froze. All that noise died in her throat. I didn’t point it. I didn’t have to. The weight of it did enough.
“You gonna shoot me now?” She asked, not sure if she knew the answer herself.
I stepped in close.
“Nah,” I said. “But I need you to see me. Really see me. 'Cause somewhere along the way, you forgot who the fuck I am.”
I ran the muzzle down the side of her face. She flinched, tears already rolling.
“See, you lay up next to me every night, had me thinkin’ I could trust you. That’s my fault. But it won’t happen twice.”
She shook her head, crying harder. “I didn’t mean?—”
Click. I cocked the gun and watched her go silent.
“You meant it,” I said. Calm. Like I was telling her the weather. “Every move you made was calculated, and you made ‘em thinkin’ I wouldn’t catch on. Thinkin’ a nigga lost his edge. But I haven't. So, tread lightly.”
I slid the gun into my waistband, grabbed my bag, and slung it over my shoulder. “We’re done. Stay the fuck off my line, out of my life, and the hell away from anybody connected to me. “
She collapsed behind me, sobbing. Screaming. “Please! Rashad, don’t leave me like this! I love you!”
I walked through the door without looking back.