Liana
“Essie, what’s going on girl?” I asked my very grouchy dog. Today was her day with Jaheim and he was coming to take her for a walk. I had quickly signed on the dotted line to split custody. I had zero regrets about it.
I chuckled to myself because Esme might’ve been the only thing Jaheim ever acted possessive over, which was wild considering he hadn’t known her that long. She had decided, he had shown up, and now they had an arrangement.
The banging on the bar startled me. I rose from crouching behind the counter with an eye roll, ready to fuss when Esme let out a low growl from deep in her chest.
I knew that growl.
She thought somebody was a threat.
I had learned to tell the difference.
“Sir, can you please not bang on my bar. Myself or anyone on staff would be happy to help you.”
He was average looking, nothing memorable about him except his posture. Aggressive. Entitled. One wrong comment away from getting put out.
I’d never seen this man before, and while I welcomed everybody, this fool already had me reconsidering the policy.
I had Esme trained for a reason.
“My bad beautiful. This is my first time, and I heard it gets rowdy in here. I came to see the party.”
“Wrong day for rowdy. Come visit us on Friday.” I kept my voice even because that was the job. I hoped he didn’t. I could tell the type of time he was on. “What can I get you?”
“Whatever you recommend.” He leaned on the bar with his elbows and looked around the room like he was sizing the place up. “This old place your spot?”
“It is.”
He nodded slowly, “A woman running a bar by herself. That’s ambitious. Almost dumb.”
“And what is that you own or run besides your mouth?” I asked with a tilted head.
“I didn’t mean any harm, beautiful. I’m just saying women don’t even wanna be women no more. Everybody wanna be outside instead of at home building families.” He looked me over licking his lips and shaking his head. I was disgusted. “Those hips, hhm damn. You need to be at the crib.”
“Nigga please, okay.” I scoffed at his bullshit. I wouldn’t even say audacity. Even the most audacious nigga got a win sometimes. Bullshit, nah, that got flushed the minute you smelled it. “Can I get you anything? Two drink minimum on Tuesday.”
He followed my finger to the sign.
“Two beers. Whatever’s cold. I ain’t picky unless it’s about a bitch.”
I inhaled and exhaled, trying my hardest not to catch my second assault charge. But this idiot was making it so hard.
I pulled the bottles and set them down.
“Please drink your beer and try to respect this old place that I own and you don’t.”
He slapped the bar, laughing hard and loudly. I rolled my eyes and went back to work on my other guest.
I had been a probation officer for fourteen years. I had sat across from men who had done genuinely terrible things and kept my composure. I wasn’t going to let this man with his mediocre energy rattle me in my own bar.
He kept drinking. Kept looking. Kept making comments just loud enough for me to hear, nothing I could throw him out for.
For now, he was a low-level irritation. The type of man who enjoyed testing boundaries inch by inch. Little dick energy. Regurgitated red pill opinions.
I shook my head because younger me might’ve overlooked that shit.
Current me didn’t hand out passes anymore.
A man like him, who was confused about what being a leader and a follower was, was not the man for me.
Not that I was looking because I wasn’t.
I had a man. A man that adored me and that I adored too.
Jaheim cooked, he helped me with Esme, he called for stuff, and nothing.
I loved our nothing conversations more than anything. We vibed.
I grinned as he stepped inside with a brand new collar and leash for Esme. I watched from the corner as she went straight to him. She greeted him the same way every time. Her head resting on his knee.
Jaheim took a seat and left me to my work. I loved that I didn’t have to entertain him when he came in. He caught my eye and winked.
The bar top rattled again.
This was not the time.
Jaheim nursed his beer, observing quietly while the same guy kept acting up. I could see the tension working through his jaw.
“Where that bitch at? I need a shot.”
“What bitch?” I heard Jaheim ask, looking directly at the guy as Tati stepped up to take his order.
I groaned internally because experience had taught me moments like this usually came with chaos attached.
Tati handled the shots while I got busy running around.
Jaheim eventually took Esme for her walk, but not before throwing another look toward the guy at the bar. Jah wasn’t loud or impulsive. If anything, he preferred to blend into the background and observe before reacting. That was part of how he survived.
Still, I knew that look.
Jaheim Harrison, professional lurker and part-time Big Bad Wolf, was paying attention now. He didn’t appreciate how the man was speaking to me. But hadn’t decided yet whether it was worth making a scene over.
I was glad he stepped outside because if he heard half the bullshit that man kept mumbling under his breath, somebody was going through my bar top before the night ended.
I stepped out back to dump the mop water and take the trash out. I was humming Love Come Down when movement behind me made me stop short.
“Tati, I told you, you can’t leave the ba…”
“Odeal said you were a pretty little thing. I must agree.”
I turned around slowly.
He was closer than he should have been, blocking the path back to the door. This had been planned. And I had walked into it anyway because I was humming a song and thinking about my man.
I set the trash bag down, doing what I could to buy myself some time.
“You need to step the hell back,” I said.
“Relax.” He smiled. “I want to talk about some money that went missing. Odeal thinks you might know about it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“See, I think you do.” He took one step closer. “He also said you were smart. He also said you’d play dumb.”
“Misleading...hhm that sounds like Odeal. I don’t know about any money. So report that back to him and leave this bar.”
My hand found the back of the dumpster to my right. I was calculating distance, exits, what I had in reach, the way I had been trained to do.
“I need to come back with that money, so tell me where it is.”
“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“It’s you or the money,” he said, producing a knife. He raised the knife toward my cheek. I squeezed my eyes shut so tightly I saw stars.
“Ahhhh bitcch,” he screamed as the knife hit the concrete. I opened my eyes, and Esme had his arm in her mouth, shaking.
Jaheim hit the corner clearly from chasing Esme back here. One look at the knife on the ground and the blood running down the man’s arm told Jaheim everything he needed to know.
“Heel,” I yelled at Esme. She let go of his arm but didn’t leave her defensive stance.
“What the fuck is going on back here?” Jaheim asked with a gun by his side.
I ran to him as Esme kept the man cornered. Jaheim had his gun trained on the man while embracing me. He looked me over before kissing my temple.
“How fuckin’ sweet,” he spat.
“I came to collect. I want that money, bitch.”
The shot cracked through the alley so loudly I flinched.
The man collapsed, screaming, clutching his knee.
“Go inside, baby,” Jaheim instructed with another kiss, this time to my cheek.
“Wha...” I began when he stopped me with a look, reminding me of what he would do for me. I headed inside, leaving Jaheim to handle my unwanted visitor. I should’ve known he carried, but seeing it confirmed made me feel even safer with him.