Chapter 3
Chapter
Three
Marz
“You sure you don’t want me to pull up?” Shiloh asked, not to my surprise.
If my friends and brother had it their way, they would have come to the meeting with Iman with me.
Just like my father had gained brothers in his friends, I’d done the same.
We all grew up together and had a close bond, but I was closer to some than others.
I’d consider my entire crew my friends, but Shiloh, Winston, and Junior?
Those were my brothers. Shiloh was Asylum’s son, Winston was Beethoven’s son, and Gabriel Junior was Bully’s son.
They all had siblings like I did, but our closeness had locked us in as brothers for life.
“Yeah, I’m sure. You sliding through to grab a few drinks tonight?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there. I’ma slide through and pick up Neptune so we can ride together.”
“Aight, bet.”
He reminded me yet again that I could call him if I needed him before we ended the call.
I’d intentionally pulled up a few minutes early to review the information I’d gotten on Iman.
We hadn’t talked long when he asked to meet.
In fact, the call was less than two minutes.
He’d talked to Karrington and Beethoven about me before reaching out to me himself, and I think that was part of why Pops didn’t want me to work with him too.
Beethoven didn’t get a good vibe from him, which was why Shiloh and Winston had been trying to pull up on me for the meeting.
I could tell just from the brief conversation I had with Iman that he was going to annoy me, but I wanted to feel him out for myself.
If I was going to turn down the job he was offering, it would be because of my own experience and opinion of a person, not the opinion of someone else.
I did respect the opinions and wisdom of my elders, and I was taking that into consideration.
Truthfully, I wasn’t sure if there was anything Iman could say that would make me take on the job, but I agreed to at least hear him out.
From the brief research I’d done, Iman appeared to be a businessman but not quite a clean one.
He operated out of the building I was parked outside of—Hildon Enterprises—as the CEO of several businesses.
The problem I was having was finding anyone connected to those businesses.
They had no reviews, I could tell the addresses were virtual, yet the man was a multi-millionaire.
He was definitely into something illegal.
The only legit thing I’d found on him so far was his real estate company.
On the outside looking in, I saw a few people in the building and considered the fact that maybe all of his employees worked here and he used virtual addresses for a specific reason.
Either way, if he was crooked, that didn’t have shit to do with me.
He was obviously into something crazy if he was looking for a new enforcer.
Figuring meeting him would be the best answer for my curiosity, I got out of the car and headed inside.
I checked in with the receptionist, and while I waited for him to approve of her taking me to his office, I became familiar with my surroundings.
On the first floor, there looked to be around eight offices, most of which were empty.
Based on the pad on the front of the elevator, the building had six floors total, but the top two floors could only be accessed with a password.
Camille let me know Iman was ready to see me, and she led me toward the back of the first floor.
The darkly tinted windows made it impossible to see what was going on inside.
She used a keycard that opened the door, letting me inside of what appeared to be the true headquarters for Iman’s operation.
I had to go through a metal detector and leave my gun and knife behind before two guards led me to the far right corner of the room.
Based on my intel, the short, light skinned man with salt and pepper hair was Iman.
He hurried off a call before standing and shaking my hand.
My eyes shifted toward the group of five men that surrounded his desk, and it seemed a bit obsessive.
Number one, no one would see or know how to get into this office.
Number two, he had guards all over the front of the office.
And number three, even if someone was to get inside, his desk was right in front of an exit door.
Either he was weak and paranoid or the kind of man who didn’t want to face the consequences of his actions and the lifestyle he was living.
“Thank you for meeting with me, Marz. I had to work like hell for Karrington and Beethoven to even agree to giving me your name. You’re a hard man to connect with.”
A low chuckle escaped me. It didn’t surprise me to hear that my uncles gave him a hard time to link with me. They protected us on all sides.
“What exactly did you want to meet with me for, Iman?” I asked, declining the seat he offered me. As far as I was concerned, the meeting wouldn’t last long.
“I admired your work with Karrington, and when I heard you were no longer operating as his enforcer, I wanted you for myself.”
Looking around the office, I asked, “What are you into that requires an enforcer? What would you be expecting me to do?”
“I trust that what I say to you will not leave this room.” I nodded, and he continued.
“My real estate business is legit, and some of my investments are as well, but for the most part, I run the biggest money laundering business in the South. Maybe the United States. I clean money for a hell of a lot of people, and I also give loans. As you can see, I have more than enough security for myself. I need you to operate as my debt collector. My rule enforcer. And when needed, my killer.”
What he was asking for was common for an enforcer.
When I first started under Beethoven ten years ago, a lot of what I did was intimidation and collection.
As I grew older, the jobs became bloodier.
I took my first life under Karrington, and because it was an unexpected hit, he released me to protect me.
Little did he know, I was getting back into the lifestyle whether it was under him or not.
“Have you used an enforcer before?”
“I have,” Iman replied with a smug grin.
“So I’m replacing someone?” He nodded. “What happened to your last enforcer?”
Iman locked eyes with one of his guards before saying, “Killed on the job six months ago.”
“And that’s why Karrington didn’t want you to contact me?”
“That’s correct. He believes the kill was unnecessary. I went after a debt from someone who’s known to be violent and unyielding.”
“Is he still in your debt?”
“He is.”
“And let me guess... he’s the first person you’re going to want me to go after?”
“Yes.”
“So you’re bringing in an outsider because you don’t want to risk losing any more of your own men?”
Our eyes remained locked as he remained silent.
Done with the conversation, I shook my head and turned to leave.
Did I want to be an enforcer? Yes. Was I on a death mission?
No. I firmly believed death could be avoided depending on how you finessed a situation.
That’s what made me such a great asset for anyone I worked with.
I didn’t just drop bodies; I collected what they needed, most times with interest, and kept an open source of business for myself.
When a true businessman saw how I was able to collect, he often wanted my services for himself.
“You didn’t give me time to tell you what the job pays,” Iman said loudly.
“Don’t matter.”
“Fifty thousand a month.” I wouldn’t lie.
That number did stop my feet. “And anytime you bring in a paid debt, I’ll give you fifteen percent as your bonus.
” The sound of his chair creaking let me know Iman had stood.
“I’ll never send you to collect a debt that’s less than six figures.
At least sleep on it and give me your answer tomorrow. ”
Pops would tell me to follow my first mind and walk away. To not let the money sway me. Shaking my head, I continued past the guards as Iman said, “I’ll reach out tomorrow. I’m sure you will have changed your mind by then.”
Ignoring him, I headed out of the tinted door and almost ran into a woman who was too busy looking down at the papers in her hands to pay attention to who was in front of her.
“Sorry,” she muttered, adjusting her steps without bothering to look at me.
She didn’t have to.
Even in that brief passing, I knew exactly who she was.
Even with her having shorter hair and a thicker frame, she still looked the same.
Heir Robinson.
The fuck was my wife doing here?