Chapter 13
Ace stormed into his house with Stone and the girls in tow, they went straight to Farrah’s room. Ace carried deep humiliation of knowing how many people had just witnessed him fall, especially his daughter.
Ace touched his jaw and hissed, “I can’t believe that bitch ass nigga really hit me.”
Stone didn’t even look at him, “You stepped in his space.”
He paced the floor because he was ready to kill Rich, and his daughters, too. That nigga thought he was crazy, but Ace was a loose cannon, always had been.
“You on the nigga’s side?” he looked at Stone.
“I don’t take sides, that’s kid’s shit. You got in the nigga’s space and he dropped you, that ain’t taking sides, that’s the truth. What you gon’ do about it?”
Ace paced the floor as anger radiated off him like heat.
“I want his head!”
Stone narrowed his eyes, “I feel you, but that shit ain’t gon’ be no walk in the park.”
“That nigga can’t fight bullets. I ain’t scared of him!”
“Fear ain’t the problem. Don’t get it fucked up, Rich is good with the tool, too.”
Ace threw his hands up because he wasn’t trying to hear that shit that Stone was talking about. In his eyes, Stone was holding that nigga’s dick.
“Well, may the best shooter win.”
Stone didn’t speak right away, he just looked at Ace.
“You don’t get it do you? You think you can just walk up and shoot that man? You ready to risk it all because you got knocked out? I don’t need that type of heat around me.”
Ace screwed up his face, “So, just let the shit go? Fuck that!”
“I never said that but calm the fuck down while you’re talking to me.”
“So what you saying, Stone? Because right now you not making sense.”
Right then and there Ace knew he was about to take matters into his own hands because Stone was soft on Rich.
“You right, handle it your way, but if anything comes back and fuck up my operation, Rich is going to be the least of your worries.”
The way Ace was feeling, anybody could get it, even Stone.
“I hear you.”
“Feel me, don’t just hear me.”
Stone said what he said and walked out. Ace was pissed off to the point of no return. He didn’t even want to look Farrah in her face as she came down the stairs and joined him in the living room.
“I’m sorry, Daddy. This is all my fault.”
Ace tried to calm himself down, he didn’t want to talk to his daughter out of anger.
“You did nothing wrong.”
“I did. I got in my feelings because Cam has been talking to Diamond and I made Pooh fight her. I was wrong.”
Ace didn’t hear anything after Cam had been talking to Diamond. That was how he was going to get Rich to let his guards down and when he dropped them, Ace was getting his lick back. Stone could talk that shit all he wanted to, but Ace, on the other hand, was on demon time.
“It’s all good, y’all go back to your mother’s house. I don’t want y’all around here.”
Farrah’s eyes lowered as Ace walked toward the front door, he was on a mission.
He hopped in his car and replayed the entire fight scene in his head.
He noticed the way Rich’s entire world stopped the second he called his daughters out their names.
Rich didn’t get shook over beef or business; his daughters made him move.
Ace pulled his phone out and shot Cam a text.
Ace: Nephew, I need to holla at you.
Cam: I’m on 16th and Trumbull.
Ace dropped his phone in the cupholder and headed back to the hood. He pulled up on Cam in the matter of minutes, he walked over to Ace’s car, and hopped in the passenger seat.
“What’s up, Unc?” Cam asked as soon as Ace sat down.
“I’m so muthafuckin’ heated and your pops taking shit lightly.”
“I already know.”
Ace looked over at Cam, “I hear you like her.”
Cam slightly frowned his face, “Nah, that’s Duke’s girl.”
“Duke?”
“Yeah.”
Ace looked out the driver side’s window and nodded his head.
“But what’s up? What you needed to holla at me about?”
He opted out of telling Cam what he was up to, Duke was the nigga he needed to talk to. Ace didn’t even know why Cam even crossed his mind, the lil nigga told Stone everything and he needed his plan to go smooth.
After parting ways with Cam, Ace pulled up to Duke’s little corner, tucked his gun safely on his waist, and hopped out. Duke stood there laughing and talking with his guys but every expression changed when they saw Ace walking up.
“What up?” Duke asked from a far. Ace chuckled to himself, thinking back to when he was an up-and-coming hustler.
Ace was a get it out the mud type of nigga, but he was forever grateful for Stone and the position he put him in. Even with the utmost respect for Stone, he moved to his own beat, never another nigga’s.
“Come walk with me,” Ace demanded as Duke pushed his body off the building he was leaning on.
Ace came on straight business and no matter how Duke felt, money talked, and Ace had it. He pulled a brown paper bag from his pocket and held it in Duke’s direction.
“What’s this?”
“A chance to make some real bread. And to handle a little situation for me.”
Duke looked at him with a stale face, “You got a million niggas under you, what you need me for?”
“I need someone broken and you the only one that can break ‘em.” Ace jumped in headfirst.
“Broken? Who?”
“Diamond, Rich’s daughter.”
Duke paused, he didn’t look shocked, but he intrigued.
Ace’s smirk appeared slow and vicious.
“I know you heard what happened today.”
“Yeah, I heard you got yo ass knocked the fuck out.”
“Yup, and I need my get back and I need him knocked off his square. His daughters are his weaknesses, especially Diamond. Can you handle it?”
Duke grabbed the bag from his hand without a thought, “Hell yeah, I just wanted some pussy from her anyway.”
“Did you get it?”
“Not yet, but I’m about to work overtime now. How much is this?”
“A stack, I need to see the little bitch walking around distraught.”
“You ain’t said shit, I’ll have her pulling her hair out in a couple weeks.”
“No rush because I gotta make sure I hit that hoe ass nigga over the head.”
Duke took the money and promised Ace an update in couple weeks. Ace was built different; he was coldblooded because he grew up on survival. Remorse, sympathy, and chances were some things he cared nothing about. Rich was on his radar and that was no good place for anyone to be.