Chapter 20 City
Istood from the edge of the bed, pulling up my pants while Star laid on her back, sprawled out, bundles wild, implants sitting straight up with a smile on her face.
I checked my message thread with Suki, and she hadn’t hit me back.
She told me she’d be offline because she was heading out of town to see her people.
I didn’t believe her ass at first until Rayzor told me Eris went to be with her.
Her ass better not be lying on some snake shit, because I’d have to fuck her ass up.
“You don’t have to leave so soon. I don’t have to be to the club for another few hours,” she said, voice lazy and hopeful that I’d agree.
I glanced down at my Rolex.
“I got shit to do.”
She rolled over onto her side, smacking her teeth. “Since you fucked up my hair, you gon’ get it done over?”
Going into my pocket, I pulled out a stash and counted off a few bills, tossing them down before stuffing it back in my pocket.
“I’ll see if my girl Suki can squeeze me.”
Hearing Suki’s name made me pause, but I had to keep shit playa.
“She must be fye.”
“Who– Suki? You heard of her?”
“You mentioned her before, ainna?”
She eyed me suspiciously.
She shrugged. “Good, you pay attention then.”
“I pay attention to money. She got motion– that’s all.” I grabbed my pistol, putting it under my shirt and heading out before the conversation escalated.
I exhaled smoke as I slipped in the whip.
Before pulling off, I made sure my strap was on my lap then checked my mirrors.
Mothafuckas wasn’t stupid enough to runup on me, but you had niggas that were hungry and looking for a come up.
Star was ducked off, but that shit don’t put me at ease. Mothafuckas remember patterns.
The streets were crowded, and my mind went to Suki.
I chuckled, dumping the blunt out the window. “What the fuck you doing, bruh?” I shook my head.
Suki was all up in my fucking head.
“It’s that fuckin’ Star. If she ain’t say shit about her I wouldn’t even be thinking about her.”
Shit between us been off. It could’ve been me having her stay the night with me when we didn’t even move like that, but shit, I wanted her with me. When I told her to lay back down, I felt lame as fuck.
But I wanted that lil’ loudmouth ass mothafucka with me that night. It could’ve been because of the shit with Rayzor and Eris that had all of us talking and in our feelings. Honestly, I didn’t think she’d stay, but she did. It felt straight waking up to her.
Staying the night with a mothafucka felt like commitment.
Suki and I had some kind of understanding. She moved like me. That shit was cool because feelings were off the table. That also meant she was out here doing her too. She wasn’t my bitch so I couldn’t tell her who to give her pussy to, but that also made me keep her ass at arm’s length.
The last woman I loved and rode for got off the ride before I had to do a bid many years ago. One day she came to see me, the next the visits and calls stopped. The only people that came to see a nigga was family and Rayzor.
Love was too open and too unsure.
That’s why I football kick it with these hoes and keep it moving.
My burner went off.
“Yo’.”
“I got some for ya.”
I ended the call, dropping the phone back in my lap and bent the corner shaking Suki, bitches and anything that wasn’t money from my head. I couldn’t have nothing throwing me off.
The sound of the money counter was one of the few things that made me smile as I stepped into the building.
Steel tables lined the room, bricks stacked high, money piled in neat rows in formation. Workers hustling and cigarette smoke swirled thick in the air, moving with precision because mistakes weren’t allowed.
Running my finger over the stacks, each one reminded me this was the shit I was built for.
What I did it for: eight siblings and a mama to take care of.
Being poor and broke again wasn’t an option.
They all depended on me. I owed them the life the niggas that laid down with mama and created us couldn’t provide.
I noticed something a little off. The brick was light. “This look right to you?” I asked.
The worker nervously glanced up, hands trembling, breathing speeding up.
“My- my bad, boss. I’m moving too fast.”
CRACKKK
I hit that nigga with the butt of my gun against his skull.
“Make sure all weight is accurate. Fuck y’all think this is?” I asked, walking around the room holding up the brick.
“Yes, boss,” they said in unison.
I dropped the brick back on the table. Dude got up with his head bleeding, but that shit wasn’t my fault.
“Get back to work, nigga.”
If his ass could lean, he’s good enough to work.
The room fell back into a silent rhythm like nothing happened.
That’s how you got niggas to understand.
I didn’t like making examples out of niggas, but I had to let mothafuckas know in case he was thinking about stealing. That thought better go with the blood dripping from the side of his fucking skull.
Leaning against one of the tables, my eyes shifted around the room. Everything looked good.
My phone rang.
It was Rayzor.
I let it ring for a second. That nigga always called when shit was in motion, but his ass was in Vegas for a fight. I couldn’t be there this time. That’s how I liked it because if he knew what was coming, he’d try to hop in. I wanted to keep his nose clean.
I meant what I said about him leaving this shit behind.
“Sup witcha?”
“’Bout to get life in a few,” he said, getting to it.
“Fuck you mean?” I leaned up.
“Eris.”
“She good? I thought she was with Suk outta town.”
“Nah.” The line went quiet. “They touched down a last night.”
Why the fuck Suki ain’t hit me then?
“She thinks shit sweet, nigga. Her ass out there on another date. Went out last night, now her ass about to go out again.”
I headed out the warehouse and leaned against my car because I needed to see where this nigga head was before I pulled up on him.
I chuckled. “Bruh if she on a date, that ain’t your girl.”
“That’s my fuckin’ wife, nigga. Fuck being my girl.”
“She knows this shit? And you gotta get security off her. That shit about to make you spazz.”
“Nah, gotta always keep it on her. She acts like she don’t, but I’m ‘bout to make her ass understand.” The line went silent. “She already had to get a nigga’s head off the concrete. This mothafucka, man…” His voice fell off.
This why I didn’t do that love shit because bitches loved pushing buttons– together or not. When a nigga got in deep like this, he couldn’t see straight. Mothafucka act like they were bigger than the program when they get made the director.
“Before you do some crazy shit, think about the brand.”
“She ain’t worried ‘bout it. And who the fuck taking her ass out when they know she’s my bitch?”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “A dead nigga.”
“Exactly.”
“She moving like a mothafucka that ain’t got nothing to lose,” he fumed.
I dry laughed. “She gon’ lose you before she loses anything else.”
“She got me fucked up.”
Eris saw this nigga in action too many times to move reckless. She can’t be acting like a regular bitch because she wasn’t. I hoped she canceled the date before Rayzor pops up. He doesn’t give a fuck about nothing but her.
“I’ll hit you if I need you,” he said and ended the call.
“That love shit gon’ get a nigga outta body every time.” I shook my head.
Before I knew it, I was riding past Suki’s shop like a stalker nigga. She wasn’t far from the warehouse. I could’ve gone the other way, but something brought me to her.
Her Porsche sat outside.
I glared through the shop windows, and it was packed.
Bodies moved everywhere.
I didn’t think I’d see her and I was about to pull off when I saw her appear from the back. I thought about going in then I thought about how the bad Rayzor’s ass was out here behind Eris. I had time to stop my shit and pulled off.
That lil’ mouthy mothafucka has some shit with her. We clashed. I hadn’t gotten serious with a woman since my old bitch cut a nigga deep and got pregnant on me by the nigga she crept with then tried pinning the kid on me.
I see a lot in her, but Suki and I were the same people in different fonts. That shit won’t work.