Chapter 4
Dominique ‘Dolo’ Shaw
I had a conversation with Loco the other day, telling him about the private security company that I wanted to start up.
I had to give all the credit to my girl, letting him know that Riot was the one that planted that seed.
Since she’s told me about it, I have been brainstorming, coming up with plans for the company.
I knew that Loco would be the best person to have this conversation with, being as though he owns clubs of his own, and all his clubs have top of the line security.
He knew what it felt like to be able to manage armed security, crowd control, city litigations, and liability.
Those were things that I didn’t have all the knowledge to right now.
Not only that, but Loco knew a lot of people.
Big people. Big people that I was going to need to make this happen.
All the compliance people that I was going to need, big time attorneys, all the insurance folks, and shit like that.
A compliance company is where we were meeting right now.
This was his homeboy. His name was Trevor, and his company was called Prestige Security Compliance.
According to Loco, this is where niggas came when they wanted to start up a security company the right way.
Here, they dealt with all the licensing, background requirements, and just all the things that you were going to need to run a legitimate private security company.
I didn’t want to cut any corners when it came to this. I wanted to do things the right way. If I was going to have a legit business, that was going to bring in legal money, I wanted to do it right, that way if the feds ever tried to come knocking, I could prove that my business was legit.
There was an empty spot right next to Loco, so that’s where I chose to back my car into. I went ahead, and shut the car off, grabbed my gun that was resting in the cupholder, my phone, and wallet.
I stepped out, and I closed the door behind me.
As I was walking around my car to get to Loco, I saw that he was opening his car door as well.
Every time that I saw this whip that Loco was pushing, I’m always tempted to take the keys out of this niggas hands and keep it for myself.
It was an Aston Martin Vantage. That shit was so fuckin sexy too.
The kind of whip that would draw a lot of attention.
Loco only pulled it out every blue moon.
Even when you went to his house, it was always parked in the garage.
What made it so gangsta was that Uzi purchased the car for him.
They both bought cars for each other like they were buying dinner meals.
I loved the way that they tricked on each other, especially when it came to cars.
Whenever you went to their house, and you saw their line up, you would think that they had a bunch of guest over, when it reality, it was just the cars that they both owned.
“What’s good with it? How long you been out here?” I asked Loco, walking over to him, so that I could slap it up with him, and then I leaned in, so that I could give him a brotherly hug.
Running the streets made it where I hadn’t seen my cousin in a lil minute. We talked often over the phone because he knew that I was in the streets, so he would call a lot, just to hear my voice, and make sure that I was fine.
“Like five minutes. You ready?” he asked me, after we pulled apart.
“Yeah. I’m ready. I’m feeling a little unsteady though, I ain’t gone lie.
I was doing my research last night, and I saw that when you start a company like this, you gotta go through fingerprinting, and background checks.
You know how I am when it comes to stuff like that.
Ain’t no way we can cut corners, and kind of slip through the cracks with that?
” I asked him, and when I did, he paused, while tilting his head to the side, looking at me like I was crazy.
I knew I said I wanted to do this the right way, but I wanted to skip the background process, and fingerprinting part. When you’re a street nigga, you fear that kind of shit. I didn’t want my information being stored around like that.
“Ay, rule number one when it comes to this new business venture for you… you can’t be thinking like a street nigga, and moving like one with this business,” he started, and this time, it was me to cock my head to the side and look at him like he was crazy.
“Loco, I am a street nigga!” I had to remind him, just in case he forgot.
“Exactly. Lose that fuckin mentality when it comes to legit business. You going to have to learn how to code switch. I had to do it. When I was running shit with the Reaves organization, it was cool for me to be a street nigga. That was all I knew how to be. The minute I decided that I wanted to branch off and open clubs clubs, sitting in big meetings with lawyers, investors, insurance underwriters, and whoever else, I had to learn how to code switch. You can’t go into this kind of business treating it like you standing on the block, moving weight.
If they even feel like you trying to cut corners, and slip through the cracks, they going to feel like you trying to bring that street shit here, and they not going to want to do business with you.
We talking about big time lawyers, investors, banks, and insurance companies.
Nigga, they’ll cut your ass off in a second if they feel like you’re going to be a liability.
So, to answer your question, fuck no we ain’t cutting corners, and slipping through the cracks,” he finished, and he raised his hand, to slap me on the chest, basically telling me to get right.
I didn’t respond. Shit, it was nothing else that needed to be said.
He walked on the side of me, as we cut through the parking lot, heading over to the big building.
“Where your girl at? Why didn’t you bring her with you?” Loco asked me once we reached the building.
“She got her anger management session this morning. Her ass already been missing too many days. Luckily, the counselor that she has is cool as fuck, so she don’t be reporting her ass.
She left a message for her yesterday though, telling her that if she missed today, she was going to tell the judge on her, and she was going to be back in jail.
I heard that message, and I made her ass go today.
I told her that she can’t miss any more days, either.
She be thinking that she can do what the fuck she wanna do,” I went on, and Loco laughed, as we walked into the building.
“Listen to you, nigga. Uzi told me that you told her you running shit over there. You feel like anger management working for her?” he inquired.
“It really just depends. Her ass still nutty in my opinion. I told you how she broke my fuckin glasses. I think that night, I just pushed her too far though. Shit, it might be working because when that video leaked of her in jail, getting beat on like that, I just knew that she was going to be on a killing spree. Then, I think about the shit that happened last week at my parents’ house, when she was face to face with the nigga that killed her pops.
Then again, I don’t really know, Loco. I feel she would have killed that nigga right there if I didn’t pull her back, and remove her from the situation, so I can’t say if it’s working or not” I was honest.
Loco knew about last week’s situation because I told him.
“Anger management probably working though. She could have still found a way to pop him, but she didn’t,” he said.
“I think the only reason she didn’t do it is because of the cameras.
He got cameras swamped all over his home.
I’m going to find a way for her to get at him though.
Just gotta play it smart. That ain’t the kind of nigga that you can just freely kill, and go on like nothing happened,” I was honest with what I said, and Loco nodded his head, agreeing with me.
We made it over to the elevator, taking it up to the 19th floor, where Trevor’s business was located. The entire 19th floor was dedicated to his business. There was a receptionist that was up front, and Loco was the one to walk over, and let her know that we were here to see Trevor.
I watched her as she picked up the phone, put a call in, letting Trevor know that we were here. Once she hung up, she told us to just wait one minute, and that he would be out to get us.
We found the lobby area, where we sat down, and before I could fully read the company’s missions statement that was stamped on the wall and take in all the pictures that were hung up, a black man came over, and when Loco smiled, and stood up, I already knew that this was Trevor.
Trevor looked like he could come out of this tight ass suit that he was wearing right now, throw on a football uniform, and be the best linebacker in the league by Sunday.
Not even on no gay shit, but this nigga was huge.
Big, broad shoulders, thick ass arms that were evident in that tight ass suit, and his thighs looked like straight muscle.
He had a bald head, and I swear even his head had muscle in it.
I needed him to be on call for when my company started up because he looked like the kind of person that would put a nigga down on his head if he got out of line.
I only wanted niggas that were built like him to be working for me.
“Look at you, nigga! I keep telling you every time I see you that you need to get a bigger size in these fuckin suits. I know your nuts gotta be screaming man,” Loco talked shit to Trevor, and I laughed because I swear I had been thinking the same thing.
“Yeah, whatever man. The hoes ain’t complaining. I bet I get more pussy than you,” Trevor shot back to Loco, who started laughing.