Chapter 18
“So fuck meeting at noon,” Svyn joked as Markus strolled into the warehouse almost three hours after his demanded time.
Markus waved him off and looked around. “You and Nia hook up and you got jokes now?”
“I had jokes before then. You told me to unfuck it,” Svyn stated with a slight shrug. “How Reign doing? I’m assuming you put her up in a spot?”
“She’s at the salon. I got her in one of those brownstones Nia is renting out,” Markus shared.
Svyn chuckled. “You got a motive or your frozen heart is thawing out?”
Markus scratched his chin through the hairs of his beard. “No motive. I just … I don’t fucking know and the more I think about it, the more it’s growing out of my control.”
Svyn smirked and nodded. “I hear you, Money. So I talked to Luciano about them hustlers.”
“What he say? If it’s fucking stupid, I’m going to put the word out to light up every block until he gets the picture. How he mad about a kid and don’t have the same energy for an innocent bystander? I ain’t with it. The rules are cool, everybody in this city got to abide by them.”
“What we doing about G then?”
“I want that nigga thinkin’ he slipped and slid his way out of a bullet. I’ll get his ass when he doesn’t expect it. He’s going to get comfortable. What else you got, how we looking on product?”
“We aight for now but before we hit a drought, we need to get another supplier. Immediately. In the meantime, that nigga KC, who put the money out for Reign?”
Svyn’s smirk turned into a full smile. “You know, I thought you were never going to ask, walk with me, Money.”
Markus rubbed his hands together knowing exactly what time Svyn was on. Since they started running the streets together, Svyn knew that when Markus was after something, he was going to get it. It was the hunter in him. The Sagittarius.
The pair moved through the warehouse full of workers breaking down boxes and product disguised as retail items for the various shops around the city.
Markus was always prepared for a raid, in the event he was busted they would have to earn their bust. Right now it just looked like a wholesale receiving warehouse.
Hair products, weave, clothing, laundry machine parts and a hand full of other things.
Out of the main warehouse and into the garage where a few of his workers were chopping cars. In the small office they never used, a bloodied man tied to a metal chair. Svyn grinned at his handy work.
“When I got your call, I put the word out. Corner boys are always looking for a come up. Look who they delivered.”
Markus studied the slumped man. “He working alone?”
“As far as we know, yeah.”
“Aight, I’m going to assume you did this?” Markus asked with a slight smirk.
“You know how I feel about bitch ass niggas.” Torture was something Svyn did well. He was always quiet but it was the quiet ones you needed to keep your eyes on. As crazy as Svyn was, he was equally as loyal.
“Mmhmm,” Markus buzzed, looking at the man who could barely hold his head up. “You KC?”
“Who the fuck is asking?” KC spat back as if he had an army of men coming to save him. He was dispensable to Javier. He’d die today and be replaced tomorrow. Unfortunately, there were misguided souls around Javier that thought it to be any honor to be in KC’s shoes.
“Money is asking, nigga. You hold your head up when talking to me,” Markus spoke sarcastically, knowing he could barely keep his eyes open let alone hold his head up.
KC tried though. “If you don’t have that bitch, the fuck are you here for?”
“Bitch?” Markus asked, the reference striking a cord.
He’d met plenty of bitches in his day. Nasty, loud, unkempt, rude women who had no regard for themselves or anyone else.
Reign wasn’t anywhere near the category.
While she was attempting to protect herself, she was trying to protect everyone else she was coming into contact with too.
He had no business wrapping himself up in her after, what, a week? He couldn’t dive into that right now, he had to focus on the matter at hand and shield what could potentially be his weakness.
Markus grabbed a metal rod from the corner. “Who sent you to get her? I know she wasn’t with your mark ass.”
KC held his face up. Svyn did a number to him but didn’t do enough for Markus’ liking. The nigga still had too much heart. “A muhfucka who will have you kissing his fucking feet.”
Markus looked at Svyn. “You heard that?”
Svyn was propped against a wall bored with the back and forth. “I heard it.”
Markus chuckled. “I see you let me do the honors. Thank you, nigga. I appreciate it.”
“Don’t mention it, Money,” Svyn spoke. “I’m gonna step out. It’s about to get messy in here and this a fresh fit.”
Svyn stepped out and Markus used his good arm to swing the pole back and crack the side of KC’s face. “Now I think the bruises might match. Who the fuck is he?”
KC’s head whipped and he groaned. “He’s going to kill you nigga.”
POW! Another hit to the other side of his face. Another to the chest and then to the legs. KC cried out in pain and Markus was unfazed by it.
“Stop crying like a bitch and tell me what I want to know.”
KC panted. “That you’re going to die? I’ve said that. That bitch is useless. If it ain’t you, it’ll be another nigga.”
KC’s laugh was taunting. Only to get under Markus’ skin. But Markus wasn’t the one tied to a chair, leaking blood. Sick of the back and forth and truly knowing he wouldn’t get an answer, Markus pulled out his gun and fired a shot through his skull.
“Svy!”
Svyn opened the door finding a dead KC and an aggravated Markus. “Yeah.”
“Get this worthless piece of shit out of here. I got money moves to make.”
“You get your answer?” Svyn asked.
Markus removed his hoodie and shook his head. “Nah, but I will. Make it known she’s off limits. Anyone coming in this city trying to get her is going to have to come at me.”
“Aight,” Svyn said with a smirk. He hadn’t seen this part of Markus in years.
It was almost like he’d found his light again.
He wasn’t going to mention it though, he would just watch it grow.
There was a catch though, Markus’ need to protect what his heart longed for was dangerous territory.
Anyone that stood in his way would be dropped.
Markus made sure to change his clothes before leaving to handle the rest of his day.
By the time night fall blanketed the city, he was walking through the back of the salon with a bag in his hand.
Reign was still hard at work, assisting the other stylist with their clients while her last walk in sat under the dryer.
He strolled through, placing the phone on her station and catching the attention of a nearby stylist.
“You gon’ let me tighten you up, Money?” the stylist flirted.
“Nah, I’m straight,” Markus stated. “You got my money?”
“I got something else too, if you want it. You know it’s been a minute since we linked. Ever since you got with Neveah, you’ve been playing me to the left,” she said, moving closer to his injured side. Before Markus could block her, Reign’s voice came clearly over the music playing.
“Tonya, your client is ready to be washed out.” Reign gave her an even look before looking at Markus. “You’re here because?”
“How you getting home?” Markus asked quietly enough, because he knew Reign would fire back with something that would have the salon whispering and giggling. “Tried texting you but them green ass bubbles.”
She subtly rolled her eyes. “I’m leaving when I leave.”
“Aight, I’ll be out back waiting. Your phone is on your station, get rid of that other shit.”
“Please?”
Markus stood, looking down at her, clenching his jaw in the process. “See you when you finish up.”
She controlled her face and walked off to do what she needed to. He watched before heading back to the office and handling the business Nia left behind for him. If he were tripping, he’d assume she did it on purpose.
Another hour went by before Reign had shut the salon down, money dropped in the box and slipped out the front door and pulled the metal shutters down. Markus found himself standing in the middle of the empty salon, her perfume lingering and the bag still at her station.
“She wants me to be that nigga behind her. Bet.”
Money: tell them niggas to stay watchful, have one of them park my truck at the heights
Svyn: bet