Chapter 34
“Damn, East. Where the hell you been?”
“Minding my damn business like a grown ass man.”
The shop erupted with a bunch of oohs and ahhs, which had Poole sucking his teeth. Chuck jumped right on that.
“Did this muthafucker just suck his teeth? See, that’s why your girl wears the gotdamn pants in your relationship.”
A string of laughs moved through the shop as Chuck shook his head and went back to finishing his cut.
“You’re really not gonna say shit?” Dawson stood straight, looking over at Poole like he had just lost his mind.
“All y’all can kiss my ass.”
“Nah. You can man the fuck up. Round here sucking your teeth like a woman then getting mad when we call you on that shit.”
East chuckled, lifting his eyes to Poole briefly before stopping at his station and filling the empty chair. “Ay, y’all cut his ass some slack. He just sensitive. You know his woman be pounding his ass.”
Poole gritted his teeth, cutting his eyes at East who smirked at Poole being in his feelings. Poole was a cool dude but too damn sensitive and the fact that his woman was always running his ass didn’t help.
“Y’all straight in here?” East switched things up to take the heat off Poole.
“Hell yeah. We been busy as hell. Money flowing, boss.” Dawson was back on his cut while all the other barbers chimed in, speaking on the recent overload of customers that had been falling through. They were all eating good. Something East liked hearing.
“About time you showed your face again.” Numbers pushed through the door looking like a walking billboard rocking an EastSide Ink crewneck sweatshirt, sleeves pushed up, and matching sweats hanging off his waist with EastSide Ink printed near the ankle, not to mention the trucker hat tagged with the logo as well.
“Did you pay for that shit or you stealing again?” East smirked at his boy who grinned, flashing platinum fangs he recently had custom made.
“It’s my shit. Why the fuck I need to pay for anything?”
“You mean my shit. Do I need to pull out some paperwork to remind you, Noel?” Numbers laughed before he dapped his boy.
“Paperwork don’t mean shit without the person putting the time in to make shit happen and tell your mother to stop calling me that shit.
I know that’s all her.” Numbers frowned at East who shrugged, turning in his chair to face his boy who was now leaning against the counter between East and Poole’s stations.
“She said that’s your name, bruh. I’m not about to tell her what she can and can’t do.”
“Bullshit. You think it’s funny.”
“Cause it is, Noel. And what’s up with your baby mama?”
Numbers whipped his head around to East quick as hell. “Don’t make me cuss you out. That damn girl isn’t pregnant by me. Not unless shit changed and I don’t know about it. The only place I nutted in her hoe ass was down her throat.”
East chuckled at how annoyed his boy looked.
“Ay, don’t be mad at me. I’m just telling you what she said.”
“And did she tell you what the fuck I said? I told her to get rid of it or go talk to whoever nutted in her for some sympathy because I don’t have a damn thing for her. Keep trying me,” Numbers warned, looking around. “It’s busy as shit in here. You ’bout to cut?”
“Nah, they got it. I just came to check in and to see if you handled that for me.”
“Did you really just ask me that after you were talking shit?” Numbers peered at East with his left brow hiked slightly above the right. East only grinned and nodded.
“Hell yeah, so is it done?”
“Bruh, you ain’t shit.” Reaching into his pocket, Numbers removed a set of keys and tossed them at East, who caught them in the air with one hand.
“’Preciate that.”
“Fuck appreciation. You owe me.”
“Trust me, I know.”
Numbers laughed at the thought before lifting and repositioning his hat on his head. “Pia handled all the extra shit. I made sure security was set and the locks were changed. She should be straight. I sent everything to you.”
East nodded just as Joi walked in the shop. All eyes were on her, including East’s, who unsuccessfully tried to hide the smile that surfaced. “Your grinning ass. She know?”
“Nah, so don’t say shit.”
“Hey.” Joi stepped right between East’s legs and leaned down to kiss him. He kept it simple before tugging at her waist until she was in his lap.
“What’s good, shawty?”
Numbers watched the entire thing unfold, hardly believing this was his boy.
“What the hell you do to my man? This shit right here got my mind twisted. I bet he be eating pussy and shit on the regular now too?”
Joi’s eyes stretched widely before she covered her mouth with her hand to hold in her laugh. The fact that Numbers was looking so serious didn’t help.
“Ay, what the fuck?” East gave him a hard look and Numbers grinned.
“My bad, Joi. No disrespect but I swear I don’t even know who his ass is anymore.”
“None taken.” Joi wasn’t bothered by Numbers. He was always saying something crazy and she was used to it and him.
“Bruh, you gon’ make me knock you on your ass.”
Unbothered, Numbers grinned. He really meant no disrespect, which East knew, but he really was thrown by the changes in East.
“Ay, we’re out of here.” East tapped Joi’s thigh, signaling for her to get up. When both were standing, East dapped his boy who filled the chair he had been in.
“I’ll hang out here for a while to make sure they’re getting that money.”
“Nah, you can go back next door is what you can do,” Chuck said, prompting Numbers to grin but not move.
East laughed at his people as he left the shop with Joi beside him. “Come take a ride with me.”
“Where? I really need to get to my shop. I’ve been avoiding it all day.”
“That’s where we’re going. I need to see what’s going on with it so you can tell me what you need to fix it.”
Instead of arguing like she wanted, Joi followed East to his car and slipped into the passenger side.
When they pulled up at her shop, she pushed out an exaggerated sigh before getting out and East laughed at her overly dramatic ass.
He was glad his people hooked her up because he wasn’t sure he would have the patience to deal with her if he had to be the one to do it.
His money paid for everything, but he wanted it done while they were gone so he put Numbers in charge.
After watching Joi fumble with her keys unsuccessfully a few times, he decided to ease her frustration from her keys not working.
“Let me try.” She huffed and extended the keys to East, but he reached into his pocket and got the set Numbers had given him instead.
Joi narrowed her eyes at him until they stepped inside and her mouth dropped open.
She looked around the small space damn near in tears as she admired the renovations.
The walls that used to be cream were now painted black and gold with her company name on a black marble plaque engraved in gold centered on one of the walls.
The counters were replaced and there was now a small sitting area with oversized, sleek leather chairs with gold accents.
“How…you did this?”
“Yeah, shit is dope. It’s my first time seeing it too. You like it?”
“You’re not serious, right? I don’t like this, I love it. How did you get this done? Oh shit, that’s why you asked about my favorite colors.”
East nodded, looking around. “I got connections. I put Numbers on it while we were gone. Pia hooked up most of it I’m sure but they both made sure it happened.”
“It’s so perfect. I can’t believe they pulled this off.”
Nodding, East looked around again. “Don’t be all on their dicks. I paid for it. They just put it together.”
Joi smirked and walked into East’s body, circling his waist and tilting her head back to look up at him.
“Don’t be like that. I owe all of you a thank you, but trust me, I will not be thanking them the way I plan on thanking you.”
East’s dick instantly began to swell. “Word?”
“Word.”
“Aight then, let’s set up your security system so we can get to that.”
Joi wasn’t sure what East meant by security until he motioned with his head to the four points that held a new set of cameras. “I don’t want you up in here unprotected. These actually work. Once we set it up, you’ll be able to pull it up on your phone and so can I.”
“So, can you?” Joi narrowed her eyes at him and he shrugged.
“You have a problem with me making sure you’re good?”
East reached for Joi’s arm and pulled her into his chest, closing his arms behind her back. “Not at all.”
“Aight then, let’s get you set up so I can take you home and you can properly thank me.” East winked at Joi who had no objections and simply removed her phone from her purse to hurry things along.
Vega opened his front door and frowned at his brother standing on the other side. It had been a minute since the two had spoken and he hadn’t expected the pop-up visit. When Vega didn’t speak or invite him in, Ace extended the large envelope in his hand toward his brother.
“Peace offering. Can I come in?”
Vega looked down at the envelope before accepting it and waving his brother in. Ace entered the condo looking around, half-expecting to see something he wouldn’t approve of. As much as his baby brother had matured, Ace still hadn’t wrapped his mind around it.
“What’s this?”
“Your freedom. I pulled some strings to make it happen.” Ace turned to face his brother who housed a scowl on his face, so Ace further explained.
“You’re no longer on parole. It’s all handled.
I decided to expedite it since the three home visits they attempted you bailed on and you recently took a trip out of state without their permission.
” Vega shrugged, knowing Ace was referring to his recent trip to Miami, not sure how he knew about it, but neither did Vega care.
“I told you that shit wasn’t gon’ work in the first place. You should have done this when I got out.”
Ace smirked to agree. “You’re right but I assumed it would keep you under control a bit longer.”