Page 7

“If time permits, you will. If not, I’ll make sure I’ll give you a call.”
Satisfied with my answer, she nodded her head and slid on the clothes she had packed in her overnight bag. After a few rounds of sex last night, she and I showered and hopped into bed. While she handled her hygiene in the bathroom, I moved casually around the room and got dressed. Once we were both done, I ushered her downstairs to her car and slid in the back of the blacked-out SUV that was awaiting me.
“Where to Dutch?” my driver, Baker, asked.
“Warehouse in the Heights.”
Baker tipped his head, started the truck, and pulled out of the parking garage.
The drive out of the city would take approximately three hours. Being that I only had a few hours of sleep, I closed my eyes so I could rest before jumping headfirst into business.
“Damn Dutch,” my little brother, Supreme, groaned and scratched at his stomach. “We couldn’t handle this shit during regular hours. A nigga just got in from the club.”
Staring in the face of the younger, lighter version of my pops, I shook my head and groused, “Fuck no.” Motioning for him to sit down on the tattered sofa in the center of the room, I sat on the corner of the table and got down to business. “What’s this I hear ‘bout some young niggas selling shit on our corners.”
“Mane.” Preme shook his head in disbelief. “I been heard ‘bout it but I can never catch the niggas out handling business. I got the team looking high and low for ‘em though.”
During a conversation I was having with Supreme’s right-hand, Dreaux, I found out some new niggas had landed in town and called themselves setting up shop in our territory. That shit was a no-go and I had killed for less. That information pissed me off and had me interrupting my already busy schedule to pull up on Preme.
For starters, the information should’ve come from him and not the second-in-charge. I understood Preme was his own man and liked to handle shit in his own way but if he couldn’t get it handled in a timely manner, I would have to step in. That wasn’t something I was prepared or wanting to do being that I worked extremely hard to keep both entities of my life and business separate from the other.
“That shit ain’t good enough for me Preme. You know the rules. We eliminate all possible threats. If we let one muthafucka slide, the rest of ‘em gon’ feel like it’s okay to do it too. And that’s fucking with my money.”
“Ain’t just yo’ money Dutch. We in this shit together, or did you forget?” Preme said, agitation laced his voice.
“I ain’t forget shit,” I retorted dismissively. “I’m beginning to feel like you not taking this shit serious Preme.”
“Yeah aight. Not taking it seriously, huh,” he countered. “It’s my face on the front line of this shit. I’m all muthafuckas see while yo’ ass call the shots from the backgrounds.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the shit you do. Hell, if it wasn’t for you stepping up to spearhead this shit, none of it would be possible. I got an image to uphold and can’t get my hands as dirty as you can.”
“Yet you hit me up in the middle of night demanding my presence over some bullshit that youheard. Not once have you said‘Preme, I’mma let you handle yo’ business.’Nigga act like if this shit blows up, I won’t be the one catching the flack,” he hissed, venom dripping from every word.
Surrendering, I stuffed my hands in the pocket of my slacks. “Aight… I might be a lil’ testy.”
“Might be,” he huffed. “Yo’ ass been uptight since Dahlia dipped on you. We ain’t never handled business like this, and brother or not… we not ‘bout to start. I’on come down to yo’ shit tryna tell you how to run yours. I’mma need the same respect.”
“You got it,” I conceded.
“It’s ‘bout time for you to put ya’ pride to the side and get ya’ girl back. We ain’t gon’ have too many more conversations like this. I don’t workforyou, Dutch. I workwithyou, and if you keep blurring the lines, we gon’ have an issue.”
“Ain’t happening.” I waved him off.
“Shit. Maybe you need to make things official with Adele old ass. Lord knows she been chilling in the cut waiting on you to be single.”
That garnered a laugh out of us both. “You playing but you know me and Adele can’t be nothing but friends.”
Using his hand to stroke his chin, Preme mused. “You know what I don’t understand? What the hell you saw in a woman two years older than mama?”
That was one question I’d been asked several times before and usually I would conjure up some bullshit ass answer but since this was my brother, I decided to keep it real.
“When I learned my way around a woman’s body, Adele let me fuck her in every hole. You don’t find to many women out there willing to let shit like that go down.”
“I ain’t know Adele ass was freaky like that.”
“Shit.” I laughed. “You have no idea.”
“But nigga she the same age as Mama. Like ugh.” Preme fake gagged.