Chapter 4
All Eyes on Gio
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” she said as she dropped hot bacon onto a plate.
“What the fuck, Islah?! My alarm didn’t go off?” I asked, a lil’ irritated.
She looked around as if to see who I was talking to and cleared her throat.
“You were tossing and turning all night and didn’t budge once again when that alarm went off. Soooo, I thought you needed to sleep in.”
I stared at her for a second. “I’m sorry, boo…Did I fuck up your sleep?”
She shook her head as I went to sit down at the table.
“No, not really. Is something wrong?”
I stared at Islah for a second. I knew I could tell her anything, but I didn’t want her to worry.
“Nah, boo,” I said, leaning back in the chair. “Yesterday was just a long day.”
She studied me, like she was trying to see if I was bullshittin’.
“You tryna go out to the beach today?” I added. “Or spend some money before my meeting tonight?”
That look she had on her face instantly went away, and she lit up.
“The beach,” she said quick. “We haven’t been in a while.”
I nodded. “Go get cute then.”
She switched her ass past me and I smacked it.
An hour later, we were on the sand.
The sun was high, the sky was clear, and the water was hitting the shore. I was laid back on the towel, under an umbrella, trying to calm my mind as I smoked my blunt, watching Islah.
She was a lil’ ways out, taking pictures in this lil’ two piece that had me questioning every decision I ever made that didn’t involve me marrying her sooner. She was glowing, skin shining, hair catching the wind.
She was mine.
That’s all I kept telling myself. She turned around, smiling back at me. Her smile always calmed my soul, but this time, I was too on edge.
My eyes kept scanning my surroundings, clockin’ shit.
The couple under an umbrella to the left. A group of niggas posted by the boardwalk. A nigga on a towel wearing long sleeves.
It was probably nothing.
I hoped it was nothing.
My eyes snapped back to Islah as she was walking back toward me.
“Why you over here looking all serious?” she asked.
I forced a smile and pulled her down on top of me.
“Just thinking,” I said low as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
“About what?”
I paused for a second and looked into her eyes.
“Our future, mamas.”
I could feel her melting in my arms.
“So you are telling me we gonna be making some changes soon?”
I chucked. “I told you after this re-up, I got you. I’m not switchin’ up.”
She kissed me, then pulled me up, and she spent the rest of the day in control.
We walked the boardwalk, ate some fried shrimp, and I asked her some subliminal questions about furniture, color schemes, and shit to have an idea of what to put in the house to start her off with.
As we walked, she pulled me into a few lil’ shops, trying on different shit. I copped it all before she had a chance to ask.
I tried to put my feelings to the side. I didn’t want her to question me again, but every corner we hit, every stop we made, that feeling wouldn’t leave me. It just kept growing stronger.
“Gio…Gio!”
I blinked, and Islah shook her head, laughing.
“You are not even listening.”
I sighed. “I am, baby.”
She stopped walking and turned to face me. “What is the last thing I said then?”
I paused.
“You said you got the flyest nigga in the city, and that he loves you like the queen that you are.”
She laughed, hittin’ me in the chest as I pulled her into me and rested my arm on her shoulder as we walked.
The sun was tearing us up, and Islah was ready to go. On the drive, I massaged her thigh slowly as she drifted off to sleep. My eyes kept looking in the rearview mirror, and I swear that I saw a car that hit every turn I did.
I dipped in and outta traffic, trying to put a few cars between us.
When we got to the crib, and before I opened Islah’s door, I looked around, checking for the car or people.
I guess I was takin’ too long because she knocked on the window.
As soon as I opened the door, she had that look on her face, the look I knew all too well.
She was about to question me.
“Gio, what is going on?” I opened my mouth to speak, and she put her hand up, stopping me.
“Nope, save your bullshit,” she said, getting outta the car.
“Last night, you tossed and turned, damn near made me feel like I was on a rollercoaster, and today! Your head is always on a swivel, but today it was worse, like you were a damn pit bull or some shit on guard. Before we walk in this house, you are gonna tell me what is going on!”
I let out a deep breath. “Come on, Islah, we can do this inside.”
She sucked her teeth. “Boy, what did I just say? Tell me now.”
I looked around for a second. “Iight, get back in the car.”
She did that shit with no problem, and I walked around to the driver’s side and hopped back in. Once I closed the door, her eyes were locked on me, waiting.
“I don’t know what it is…” I said low. “But I’ve been feeling like somebody is watching me or some shit. And last night, I swore I heard a camera click when I hopped out.”
Islah stared at me for a second.
“Do you think it’s because you are switching up on T and you feel guilty?”
I almost laughed out loud.
“Nah, baby, it ain’t that. I don’t know what it is. I just want to make sure you are safe.”
Islah slowly nodded and opened the car door.
“Come on, let’s go inside.”
She didn’t ask me shit else. I just hopped out and followed her up the steps. Once inside, she wrapped her arms around me.
“Listen, if I stressed you out, I’m sorry—”
I cut her off. “This has nothing to do with that, baby. You might be right ‘bout the shit with T. He didn’t like me cutting ties with him.”
I said that shit just to end the conversation.
“Yeah…well, you got your meeting in a few. T is behind you, let that shit go.”
I kissed her, and she walked off to the bedroom. I went and sat on the couch and checked my phone. Nigga was still hitting me for that work, and Trina was texting back-to-back about her shit, and she was pissing me off.
I sent her a picture of my house keys and a message. “Bought my girl a house off your crack. Stay the fuck off my line.”
I saw the three dots like she was typing, but they instantly went away.
I still wasn’t at ease, though. After a while, I went and checked on Islah, and she was knocked out.
It was almost time for my meeting. I grabbed my money for my brick and my emergency bag outta the closet, kissed Islah, and walked out.
Across the parking lot, I saw Bully sittin’ outside his door smokin’.
I walked down the steps, placed one duffel bag in my car, and walked over to Bully.
“Wussup, nigga?” I said, walkin’ up the steps.
“Not shit, nigga, you good? You ain’t been around today.”
“Yeah, spent the day with Islah. I need you to do something for me.”
“I got you, nigga, what is it?”
I tossed the duffel bag at his feet. “I’m ‘bout to go to the meeting. I need you to hold this bag for me and give it to Islah if anything happens to me.”
Bully tilted his head at me.
“What the fuck is goin’ on, nigga? Do you want me to come with you?”
“Nah, it’s all good. I just have a feeling.” I then dug in my pocket and handed him the key. “Hold this for me too. I’ma send you the address that goes to.”
Bully nodded slow, and I walked back down the steps. I hopped in my car and pulled off.
I don’t know if my mind was playin’ tricks on me or not, but it didn’t matter. I was gonna move accordingly to make sure Islah was straight.
I pulled up to the address that OG gave me, and it was a lounge downtown.
The street was packed with people in line waiting to get in.
I parked, grabbed the duffel bag, and walked straight up to the door.
I gave security my name and walked straight in.
I moved through the lounge slow, looking around, before I got to OG.
I made my way to the bar, got myself a drink, and just watched.
The whole room was a vibe: the music, the lights, the bitches; the room didn’t give off drug deal or re-up at all until I looked at a door to the right.
That’s where all those movements were, where I saw people whispering, and the door opened and closed.
I saw OG’s son, Loc, and I made my way to his section. He stood up when he saw me and dapped me up.
“Wussup, nigga, when you get here?” he asked.
“Not long, nigga, just enjoying the view.”
He laughed. “Say less, nigga, hold on, I’ma let Pops know you here.”
I took a seat in his section; the ladies around were lookin’ at me but wouldn’t speak.
A few seconds passed, and he came back out and nodded at me. I grabbed my bag and followed him through the door down a long, dark hallway. We took a quick left, and there stood a security guard. He patted me and tried to take my Glock, but Loc stopped him.
“He’s cool, he’s with me,” Loc told him.
The man opened the door, and the vibe in that room was a complete 360 compared to the lounge. The room was filled with niggas with money bitches half naked, walking around with trays full of different drugs.
Tables filled the room, each looked as if it had a different deal goin’ on, but the only one I was worried about was the one in the middle that had the spotlight on it. We walked straight up to the table, and I stood beside Loc, watching his father deal out some cards.
“My Crenshaw brother, Gio, you finally made it.”
“Yeah, ya place nice, I’ma have to bring my girl out one night.”
OG finished up the cards and looked at me.
“Please do,” he said with a nod, “Everything on me.”
I nodded and looked around the room.
“It looks like you’re ready to get down to business?” OG said low.
“You know I came for business.”
OG looked me up and down. “I hear you…” He stood up and looked at the niggas around the table. “Give me a minute, fellas.”
He walked away from the table, and I looked at Loc.
“Follow him,” he said low.
I tightened the duffel bag in my hand and walked behind that nigga. He opened the door to a smaller room full of every drug you could think of, street and legal.
“You want the snow bunny, right?”
“Yeah,” I said, dropping my bag on the table.
He checked the bag and looked back up at me with a smirk on his face. “70K, I can give you five bricks.”
Once he said that, my mind started to calculate how I could flip, how I was about to be on the right track for Islah.
“I’m with it,” I said low.
We shook hands, and OG took the money out of the bag and filled it with bricks of cocaine. Once he was done, we walked back out to the main room. OG gave Loc a nod, and he walked me back out to the lounge.
We dapped up as he asked, “You stickin’ around for a lil’ bit?”
I looked around at all the bitches, tempted to say, but then I thought about what I had at home.
“Nah, nigga, wifey is probably up waiting for me.”
“Say less, my nigga, hit me up.”
I nodded and walked out, damn near had a smile on my face. Not only did I turn down a room full of fine-ass bitches, but the re-up went smooth. No setup, no weird shit.
I hopped in my car and called Islah as I pulled off.
“Hey,” she said low, sounding like she was half asleep.
“Wake up for me, baby, I’ma bring home some food, but I’ma need your help.”
There was a pause on the line, then I heard her take a deep breath.
“Okay, baby.”
I stopped and got us some chicken wings and fries and went straight home.
I can’t say that feeling I had was gone, but it had eased up.
I pulled up to the crib, grabbed the duffel bag and the food, and walked up the steps.
Once I got inside, I didn’t even have to yell for her; my baby was already coming down the hallway.
“What do you need help with?” she asked.
I pulled the food out of the bag and set it on the table as she sat down.
“You know, I just met with OG.”
She smirked. “And did my baby get back on top?”
I tilted my head. “Back? Baby, I never left, just refocused. The sky’s the limit for us, baby. I told you I got you!”
Islah stood up and wrapped her arms around me. “Thank you, baby, I love you,” she said as she kissed me.
I shook my head as we separated. “No need to thank me. Thank you, baby, for riding with a nigga. I know it ain’t been easy, but I’ma make it up to you.”
We sat down, ate our food, and then I busted out the bricks. We broke them down together and bagged them up. Islah had a smile on her face the whole time, and I did too.
Not because our lives were about to change for the better, but because Islah was happy, and because my mind was just playin’ tricks on me.