8. Old Enemies, New Friends #3
“With all due respect, Bull, that wasn’t a threat. Merely a way to get your attention.” Sudan unbuttoned his blazer and signaled to a passing waiter so he could order himself a drink. “Your wife held her own. She’s got some bite. I can appreciate that in a woman.”
“You can understand where I’m coming from.”
“Absolutely. I have a daughter. A wife. I fully understand, and I will not approach your wife again without your permission,” Sudan agreed.
He ordered a triple bourbon from the waitress before giving his attention back to the men at the table.
“Now, there’s no need for small talk when we all know why we’re here.”
“The paintings. You want us to find them. We can do that. For a fee of course.” Eazy leaned back in his chair, and Bull picked up his glass.
Sudan chuckled.
“Check it, we didn’t get our cut off the first play because shit went sideways.” Ezekiel motioned between him and Jewel. “Not to mention, we both almost lost our lives behind that shit.”
“Word.” Jewel nodded.
“Way I see it, we owe each other to find that shit.”
“I can see how you would come to that conclusion.” Sudan took in the face of each man. “So, what’s the cut?”
“Four-way split,” Bull suggested, shrugging.
After some thought, Sudan nodded. Little did they know, his interest wasn’t the paintings themselves. He made that in a month. He was more concerned with what was hidden inside one of them particularly. They could do whatever they wanted with those pieces, as long as he got what he was looking for.
“Fair enough. Time is of the essence. So, let’s say ninety days. If you don’t find them, I take half and you split the rest.”
“Nice doing business with you. Bull can fill me in on anything else.” Eazy picked up his glass of water and guzzled it before standing. “I got somewhere I need to be.”
“Aight, bro. I’ll get with you later.” Bull slapped hands with Eazy.
After he dapped Jewel up, he saluted Sudan on his way to the nearest exit.
Stepping out into the cooking summer afternoon, Eazy squinted at the bright ass sun.
Horns honked in the distance and people moved through the retail district without a care in the world.
He strolled over to his car as his cell rang, and Lotus’s pretty ass face popped up on the screen.
He wasn’t quite ready to give in after only forty-eight hours, but he’d had some time to cool off.
He needed Lo to know the repercussions of keeping something from him.
If they were building this shit together, he had to be able to trust her a thousand percent or it wasn’t going to work for him.
“Sup, Lo?”
“Did you come over here?” she asked, attitude all in her sultry voice, making his dick hard.
He damn sure missed waking up with her.
“Yeah,” he answered, peeling out of his hot ass blazer and unlocking the front driver’s door to his whip.
He tossed his jacket on the passenger seat and settled behind the wheel.
“Well, why didn’t you wake me?”
“You looked like you was sleeping good,” he told her, starting his engine.
“Eazy.”
“What, Lo?”
“I thought you needed space.”
“I do,” he replied, starting his car and huffing before looking over his shoulder and steering into traffic.
“You prepped enough food to feed a family of six,” Lotus complained.
“You gotta eat.”
“You bought groceries too,” she noted.
“You was out of strawberries.” He picked up his blunt from the ashtray and brought it to his lips.
“And did you start packing stuff too?” Lotus said as if she’d just noticed the boxes of her kitchen ware and other items packed, taped, and labeled.
“The movers will be there Friday around six. You can pack if you want, but they’re paid to do all that. There’s a brand-new bedroom set at the house for you to sleep in, and by the time you get there, that fridge will be stocked too.”
“Ezekiel—”
“What, Lotus?”
“Nothing. Never mind. I have an appointment anyway. Goodbye.” She sighed and hung up.
“This fucking woman,” Eazy grumbled, shaking his head.
He weaved through traffic so he could arrive on the other side of town at Women’s Health Wellness Empowerment Care on time.
He knew when her doctor’s appointment was because he kept it on his calendar too.
When he stepped into the cool gray atmosphere, the antiseptic smell immediately struck his nose.
Lotus didn’t notice him at first. She was perched on the edge of her chair, both hands pressed against the seat with her legs crossed in front of her.
Trying not to look at the clock, hoping he would still show up, she sensed something in the air, and her attention shifted to the door.
She blinked a few times, thinking she was imagining him. Eazy came and sat right beside her.
“Hey.”
He looked at her. Goddess like in a tangerine-colored deep V sleeveless summer dress.
It hugged all her curves and drew attention to her mango sized breasts sitting firm.
Usually, he’d be all up on her, real big on loving her out loud, and the strong whiff of her perfume sent the blood right to the rod between his legs.
Seeing her now only reminded him that he still held a little resentment.
“Hey.”
Neither got a chance to say anything else because she was called to the back to meet with her doctor.
Lotus changed into the gown provided and Eazy sat in a chair beside a small window, scrolling his messages.
Bull hit him with a green dot, letting him know shit was a go with Sudan, and he sighed as the door opened to the bathroom.