Chapter 2 Mythic Grey
MYTHIC GREY
I SAT IN VIP with my eyes locked on Aviana, watching the way she moved on the dance floor, how she smiled, and the way her curvaceous body swayed with the music as she danced with Mia. I was taking in every little detail like I couldn’t get enough.
I was infatuated.
My mind was wrapped up in thoughts of her when I saw Damar making his way toward me. For a second, I froze, wondering if he’d noticed the way I was practically devouring his wife with my eyes.
I tensed up, ready for whatever.
“Mythic, what’s good, man?” He greeted me like everything was cool.
I relaxed just a little, nodding back. “What’s up?”
He hesitated for a second before taking a seat next to me on the back of the couch.
“I need a favor. I heard Jeremy’s been hanging with the 111 Boyz.
You know how wild those dudes are. They ain’t nothing but trouble, but I can’t get through to him.
I was hoping you could talk to him. He looks up to you, respects you, you know? Maybe he’ll listen to you.”
I nodded slowly, telling him, “I’ll handle it.” But all I could think about was how much I’d rather take his wife from him than have some heart-to-heart with his kid.
Damar relaxed, nodding with relief. “I appreciate it, man. For real.”
We shook up before he walked away. I waited until he entered the stairway before my gaze slid back to Aviana. He had no idea what was really going on in my head. While he worried about his son running with the wrong crowd, I was plotting on what mattered to me most—his wife.
She was my obsession, the one who got away, the most beautiful thing I’d ever laid eyes on.
I had broken her heart once, and though she had found refuge in the arms of another, I knew that I could give her a better life than Damar ever could.
I had more money, more power, more influence.
I could offer her the world on a silver platter, if only she would let me.
But Aviana was in love with Damar, and I couldn’t bear to take away her happiness, even if that meant longing for her from afar and playing some weak role as her best friend.
I kept staring at Aviana, unable to pull my eyes away.
The way she moved, how she lit up the room, was like nobody else even existed.
She had that effect on me, and it was hard for me to hide it.
As I smiled to myself, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.
My girlfriend, Lelani Dupree, was making her way over.
Hopefully, she hadn’t caught me stalking Aviana with my eyes, but I wasn’t about to explain myself.
She’d never had my heart. She was just a satisfactory runner-up.
I glanced up as Lelani walked toward me. After two years together, she still had the power to captivate me with her beauty. She was everything I could ever want—big-boned, curvaceous, with model-like features and skin like rich chocolate.
But as much as I was attracted to Lelani, there was always a part of me that belonged to Aviana.
I tried to make myself content with every woman I’d crossed paths with since losing the love of my life thirteen years ago.
Lelani had been the most serious relationship since Aviana.
I had finally come to the realization that I would never have Aviana again, that it was time to move on—to find a queen to take the throne of my kingdom.
I had been trying to convince myself that Lelani was enough since meeting her.
She was loyal, devoted, and beautiful. But deep down, I knew that my heart still belonged to Aviana, and no amount of wealth or power could change that.
I noticed immediately how her steps were slower and cautious, like she was trying to keep her balance.
Her usually bright eyes were dull and tired-looking.
As she got closer, I caught the strained look on her face and the slight crease between her eyebrows that always showed up when she wasn’t feeling right.
I reached for her waist gently, pulling her closer to study her face. “Your head hurtin’ again?”
As she nodded slowly, her eyes closed briefly like even the simple movement caused her pain.
These headaches had become constant lately. They were unforgiving and sometimes made her dizzy and nauseous. I had been nervous that she was pregnant, but tests had confirmed that she wasn’t.
“Yeah,” she said quietly, rubbing her temple. “It’s really bad this time. I don’t think I can stay. I need to go home.”
“Okay, baby. Go ahead,” I told her, kissing her forehead softly, careful not to add pressure. “I’ll see you at the house later. I have to stay and close up tonight.”
A disappointed pout took over her face. “Why do you have to stay late? You got people for that, Mythic. Why can’t Tyiesha do it?”
“She can’t tonight.” I cupped Lelani’s face gently, trying to ease her disappointment. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t feel good, but I have to stay.”
She exhaled slowly, obviously frustrated, but nodded anyway. “Fine. I’ll Uber home.”
“Call me if you need me,” I insisted, gently brushing her hair out of her face. “I’ll come straight home the minute I’m done here. Promise.”
She nodded again, giving me a weak smile, but before she could say anything else, Mia and Aviana returned from the dance floor.
“Hey, boo,” Aviana greeted Lelani.
“Hey, girl!” Mia screeched, causing Lelani to wince in pain.
Lelani forced a smile back. “Hey, y’all. Have a good night,” she said a little tightly before she turned and walked away.
As she disappeared into the stairwell, I could feel Mia’s and Aviana’s eyes on me.
“What’s wrong with her?” Mia asked, raising an eyebrow.
“She’s not feeling well.”
While Mia’s head nodded with understanding, Aviana’s eyes lingered on me.
When my eyes locked with hers, I saw the slightest blush rise on her cheeks, and that did something to me.
She was trying to play it cool, but the way she looked at me, the way her face softened just a little, let me know she felt it too.
I held her gaze captive until she quickly glanced away. But not before I caught the subtle curve of her lips, which betrayed a shy grin that told me everything she wasn’t ready to say.
As I locked up the nightclub, my homeboy, Taye, was the only other soul there.
“Another successful night?”
I nodded with a proud but tired chuckle as I walked away from the entrance. “Indeed. Everything copacetic with that delivery you made earlier?”
Taye was not only my homie; he was my right hand. He was as skilled in the art of arms dealing as I was. He had also been the most loyal and dependable. He was my second-in-command, overseeing day-to-day operations, and he was a trusted advisor.
“Of course.”
“Then why have you had that serious look on your face all night?” I inquired with a raised brow. “You didn’t even crack a smile when that thick red bone was trying to give you a lap dance.”
Though I chuckled, Taye simply scoffed as he took a sip of his drink while leaning on the bar. I’d known that he had something on his mind all night. Taye wasn’t one to hold back when he had concerns, especially when it came to the unpredictable world we operated in.
I joined him at the bar and poured myself a drink. “What’s going on?”
Taye sighed, running a hand through his shoulder-length locs. “The King’s Men and Viper Crew are at each other’s throats, and it’s getting uglier by the day.”
I nodded, taking a sip of my drink. The turf war between the King’s Men and Viper Crew had been escalating for weeks now, and it was starting to spill over into the safer neighborhoods of Chicago. But the issues of the Mexican gangs weren’t my concern.
“Yeah, I’ve been hearing about that,” I admitted.
Taye looked at me with a knowing smirk. “You know that both sides are going to be itching to get their hands on more firepower.”
I nodded slowly. “And you know I’ve always stayed neutral. My business is supplying weapons, not picking sides.”
Taye’s head bobbed up and down, but I could see the worry in his eyes.
“I know, but the cartel doesn’t play by the same rules we do.
They’re reckless—impulsive. They don’t give a damn about respect or honor.
Eventually, they are going to want you to stop providing weaponry to the other.
And they are going to pay whatever they have to to get you to comply. ”
Unlike most of the homies that I grew up with, I did not end up being a drug dealer. I most definitely had a destiny to be a hustler, however. Becoming an illegal arms dealer wasn’t something that happened overnight, though. It was a gradual descent into the dark world of illegal deals.
It started innocently; running errands for the local hustlers, including my father, doing odd jobs to make a few bucks here and there when I was twelve and thirteen.
But as I got older, I began to see the potential for something more lucrative, something that would elevate me from the streets to the top of the criminal food chain.
When my father was killed, I felt the pressure of figuring out my place in the game on my own. I started small, selling stolen goods and running small-time scams. But it wasn’t long before I realized that the real money was in weapons.
I started building connections with others in the underground arms trade. I learned how the business worked and sharpened my skills as a negotiator, smuggler, and strategist.
Before I knew it, I had built a reputation for myself, a name that struck fear into the hearts of my enemies and commanded respect from my allies.
I was no longer just a street kid trying to make ends meet, and many people assumed that I was the typical dope boy.
I allowed them to make those generalizations.
But, I was, in fact, one of the most notorious players in the dangerous game of underground arms dealing.