4. Aasim
AASIM
Jaxx, Gavin, and I were on our way to meet JoJo at his spot.
The entire situation with the missing money had me tossing and turning all night.
Rory was also heavy on my mind, and I couldn’t figure out why.
I had been around plenty of beautiful women, but it was more than her looks that drew me to her.
We chatted briefly earlier today. I hoped she would take me up on my invitation to meet me this evening.
I figured my cigar lounge, Empire Lounge, was neutral ground for us to get to know each other.
When I got home last night, I actually did a Google search on her.
I guess there was a first time for everything because I had never done that before.
I saw beautiful women all the time. None of them ever stayed on my mind like this.
Rory had me wanting to know anything and everything about her.
From what I could tell, she was great at her job.
There were several articles highlighting some of her more high-profile cases.
The firm she worked for was one of the top firms in the city.
Rory Towns had every reason to want to protect her career, from what I could see.
The three of us pulled up to JoJo’s and parked our bikes side by side at the same time. I pounded fists with Jaxx first and then Gavin. We were silent as we made our way toward the spot. I knocked on the closed aluminum gate a few times before someone lifted it up.
“Yeah? What y’all want?” the young dude asked.
“Tell JoJo Brick is here,” I told the young buck.
He looked at me before closing the door and heading back inside.
A minute later, he came back out and opened the gate to let us in.
I walked in first with Jaxx and Gavin right behind me.
As we walked, I noticed there was a long table in the middle of the floor.
JoJo sat at the head, surrounded by several of his men.
“Brick, I wasn’t expecting you. Is everything cool?” JoJo asked as he stood to greet me.
We gave each other a pound once I reached him. “We just needed to rap with you about something. Are we good to talk here?”
He looked around at the men seated at the table. “Clear the room.”
One by one, each of his men got up from the table. When it was just the four of us, I got right to it. “I hate to ask, but I have to. Are you sure your count was right for the money we picked up yesterday?”
JoJo wore a puzzled expression on his face. “Of course, it was. You’ve seen my process. I’m anal as hell. I run your money through the machine multiple times myself. What’s going on?”
“The money was short a couple of thousand. I just wanted to check with you to make sure there’d been no change in your process. I hate to admit we have a thief in our crew,” I admitted.
JoJo rubbed his bald head and shook it in disbelief. “I’m sorry to hear that, dawg. I’ve got a bit of a situation myself. I’m glad you stopped by. I need to put an order in for some guns. The boys from Staten Island can’t seem to stay out my territory.”
“Say no more. I got you as soon as the shipment comes in. Look. I won’t hold you up. Thanks for letting us drop by,” I said, then gave him a pound once more.
I walked ahead of Jaxx and Gavin as we left JoJo’s spot.
Deep down, I wished JoJo would have told me something changed about his process.
I didn’t want to believe one of our prospects or Major took money from the club.
It was a small amount compared to how much money was in front of them.
The amount taken was the reason I didn’t suspect Major.
It didn’t change the fact that Major lied to all of us in the meeting.
He probably didn’t want to admit it to us, but he must have left the prospects alone with the money.
Major had been with us for years. He knew the laws of the club better than anyone else.
I needed to decide how I wanted to handle these fools.
I walked over to my bike and grabbed my helmet. “I’ll get up with y’all later.”
Jaxx and Gavin each gave me a pound before getting on their bikes. Sometimes, club business could be too much. There was only one person who could make sure I was level-headed when I got stressed. I started the bike and rode out to see my grandmother, Yaya.
Forty-five minutes later, I hopped off my bike and knocked on her door. I would normally tell her I was stopping by, but today, I wanted to surprise her. After a couple of knocks, she came to the door.
“Simi, baby, I wasn’t expecting you today,” she said as she pulled me in for a hug.
“I know. Sorry for stopping by unannounced.”
She waved me off as she let me into her home—the home I bought her five years ago.
It took a lot of convincing for her to move out of the apartment she raised me in, but eventually, she gave in.
Yaya was a creature of habit. Everything inside her home had a place, and she could tell if I moved anything.
She used to tear my ass up for moving things when I was a kid.
I followed her to the kitchen to see she was about to ice a cake.
“I need to drop in unannounced more often. I’m just in time for your famous strawberry shortcake.”
“I’ll get you a slice as soon as I finish with the icing. I know you didn’t come over here for cake. What’s on your mind?”
There was no fooling Yaya. She had raised me since I was eight years old.
My mother married a man who didn’t want kids, so she pretended I didn’t exist. One day, she told me she was going on vacation, and then I didn’t see her for a while.
When I got older, Yaya sat me down and told me about my mother’s decision.
She would pop in every once in a while, but I didn’t see her as a parent. All I had in this world was Yaya.
While I originally came over here to clear my mind from business, I also wanted to see what Yaya thought about me meeting someone.
Being interested in other than sex with a woman was foreign to me.
My last relationship was over ten years ago.
I’d had a few situationships, but the last time I gave a woman my heart felt like a different lifetime.
I didn’t know how things would turn out with Rory, but she felt special.
“I met someone, and she made me feel things. I’ve only seen her once, and she’s been on my mind heavy,” I said.
“Lord, let me take a seat. I’ve never heard this child talk about any woman like this. Tell me all about the woman that’s caught your eye.”
“That’s the thing. I don’t know much about her. She’s a criminal defense attorney, and she’s beautiful.”
“I hear some hesitation. What’s the problem? Are you worried about putting yourself out there?”
“Nah. If I think she’s worth, I don’t mind putting my feelings out there. When I approached her, she seemed like my line of work could be a problem for us. If I start feeling her, I don’t want that to stop us.
“Why don’t you just take it one step at a time? If you see her again and decide you want her, then you have to make her feel the same way. You just need to use some of that charm and get her to see you’re worth the risk,” she said with a smile.
“You’re right. I’m getting ahead of myself. I asked her to come to the lounge tonight. She hesitated, so I don’t know if she’ll show up”
“Something tells me she’ll be there.”
Before we could continue our conversation, the doorbell rang. I got up to get it, but she stopped me in my tracks.
“I got it, Simi. You stay where you are,” Yaya said as she hurried toward the door.
“Must be somebody real special. I haven’t seen you move that fast in years,” I teased.
Her behavior was strange, but I did what I was told.
Yaya had her old lady gang she hung out with, so maybe it was one of her friends.
I looked closely as she opened the door.
The last person I expected to come by walked into the house, instantly shifting my mood.
My mother sauntered in with the biggest smile on her face.
“Simi, I’m so happy to see you,” she said.
“What’s up?”
“Do you have some money for me?”
This must have been a record for her. Usually, she sat and made me endure meaningless conversation with her before asking for money.
It was pointless to ask her how much she needed.
She abandoned me for a rich husband, but it never stopped her from asking me for cash.
In the past, she mentioned the allowance her husband gave her wasn’t enough.
Since she made that comment, she expected me to fill her pockets.
I went into my pocket and pulled out a stack of bills and slid them over to her.
This had been our routine for years. No matter what ill feelings I held for her, I would never disrespect her.
Even though, deep inside, I wanted to tell her to fuck off, I couldn’t. She was the woman that gave me life.
She quickly picked the money up and put it in her bra. My desire for a slice of strawberry shortcake quickly faded. I stood from the table, walked over to Yaya, and kissed her cheek. “I’ll call you later. Love you.”
“The cake is almost ready. Are you sure you have to go?” she asked.
“Yeah. Jaxx and Gavin are waiting for me.”
“Okay, baby. Love you too. Ride safe.”
I didn’t say a word to my mother as I left.
“Bye, Simi,” she said to my back.
I gave her a wave. After all these years, she still irked my nerves. It was bad enough I never knew my father. A mother who came in and out of my life was ten times worse.