Page 5

“The crowd in here is on fire tonight, Boss!” Jerome greeted me as soon as I rounded the corner behind the bar. I’d come over to see if they needed any help. I didn’t know how to mix a drink, but I could help pass a beer or clean up shot glasses. “What the hell are you doing, Skip?”

“Nigga, this is my shit.” I mugged him as I took the money from the customer and handed it to him. “Ring this nigga up for a Corona.”

Tittering lowly, Rome did as I asked, and I moved on to the next customer.

I never thought I would meet another nigga that worked my nerves more than Wild.

It’s been around a year since Dre and Denim have been together, and in that amount of time, Jerome has become an annoying addition to our family.

He was also the perfect addition to my club as a bartender, so I saw him more than everyone else now.

“Hey, handsome! Is a shot of you on the menu?” a pretty brown-skin broad asked as I walked over to see what she wanted. “The only thing I want to slide down my throat is you.”

Leaning forward, her large breasts all but sat on top of the bar top.

Her eyes shone under the lights, and I could see the lust in them.

The look she was giving me was nothing new, being that I was Jordan Mills.

Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she scanned my frame, and I knew I could have her if I wanted her.

“One taste of this will have you drunk for life, baby.” I winked at her before acknowledging the next guest. “You want something that’s actually on the menu or not? It’s too many muthafuckas in line for you to be playing with me.”

The people in earshot laughed as she turned red from embarrassment. Hoes like her only saw dollar signs, and I refused to be a mark-ass nigga. I’ve learned my lesson with these hoes a long time ago. To keep from killing these women for playing with me, I’d rather not even take it there with them.

My club manager, Irene, walked over and tapped me on the shoulder. “Mr. Mills, there’s a situation in the section in the back to the left. If you could go and check that out, I’ll help them with the drinks.”

Nodding, I let her take over as I made my way to where the problem was taking place.

Walking through the sea of people, I adjusted my suit jacket as they all stopped and stared.

Being well-known in the city, people knew I wasn’t the one for any bullshit, so to know that someone is causing issues in my spot wasn’t sitting well with me.

Approaching the section in question, the sounds of Pastor Troy flowing through the speakers seemed to have amped the guys up even more.

“You in the wrong city, bitch!” I heard one of the guys yell as he stepped to the dude I assumed he was into it with. “I’ll blow your shit back right now for coming to my hood!”

“You can blow his shit away any place you want, but you won’t do that shit here,” I spoke as the small group of men turned and faced me.

I guess they called themselves bangers since the ones on the left of me were dressed in red while the ones on the right were dressed in blue.

By looking at them, I could tell they were some young niggas.

Some faces were familiar, but I would be lying if I said I knew everyone who lived in the city.

I’m not Uno; I could give a fuck less about the citizens of the Grove.

“Enjoy the vibe like everyone else. Maybe if y’all get some bitches over here, you’d be less focused on each other. ”

“Who the fuck are you supposed to be?” one of the little niggas in red said, stepping to me.

He didn’t look any older than twenty. If he knew like I knew, he’d get the fuck out of my face if he wanted a fair chance of leaving this bitch alive tonight.

“You can get popped along with the rest of these niggas.”

Pulling a baby nine from his hoodie, my face remained neutral.

Not only was I pissed that this nigga had the nerve to brandish a weapon at me, but he was able to get it into my club, which was a no-go.

How the fuck did security let that happen?

The thought of my men failing on the job caused me to fume.

Most of the crowd was still partying, but the ones near were tuned in to what was happening while others scrambled away.

I needed to diffuse this situation before it became a bigger one.

The problem was that I diffused most issues by eliminating them with a gun.

“Look here, lil’ nigga… I don’t know what the fuck the problem is, but you’re going to have to get the fuck out of here.

” Mugging him, I glanced around at the other niggas in attendance.

“Matter of fact… all of y’all get the fuck out.

Talking about ‘ my city this and my city that .’ This is my muthafuckin’ city, and if you niggas don’t want to be the reason balloons are flying in the sky this time tomorrow, you’d get the fuck outta here and take your dumb asses outside with the bullshit.

” I stepped to one of the niggas in blue and hovered over him.

“I’ve seen you around, lil’ nigga, so I know you know who the fuck I am. Get your boys and go the fuck home.”

Chest heaving, he eyed me for a moment, but he didn’t say anything as he turned to his boys and told them it was time to go. They began to groan but complied. I didn’t give a fuck what they did when they left, but they weren’t doing that fool shit in my spot.

“Yeah, run like the bitches you look like!” tough guy in red yelled over the music behind me. “I told y’all niggas we were coming to town and taking this bitch over!” The leader of the boys in blue glanced over his shoulder and smirked as he and his crew continued out of the section.

I watched as they all made their way to the front door. Turning to face the remaining group, I nodded to where the previous ones went. “Follow suit, muthafuckas.”

“Or what?” He smirked at me, gun still in hand. “What the fuck you gone do if I don’t?”

Pow!

Before he knew what hit him, he felt it. I pulled my Glock from my back and shot him in the foot. People around us screamed and began to run as the gunshot rang through the air.

“Nigga, you shot my fuckin’ foot!” he screamed as he jumped around, grabbing his bloody foot. “Are you fuckin’ crazy?”

“Insane, actually.” I smiled and eyed my handiwork. “Now, y’all get this hopscotchin’ ass nigga outta my shit before y’all piss me off even more.”

Helping their boy, I watched as they carried him out of the club. I was mad as fuck about the blood dripping on my tiled floors and knew I’d have to rope off this area to get it cleaned. Walking over to the DJ booth, I grabbed the mic and addressed the crowd as he paused the music.

“Can I have y’all’s attention for a minute?

” The murmurs quieted down as they all looked to the stage.

“While I appreciate you all for coming out to party with us tonight, y’all know I don’t do that ghetto shit.

Don’t come into my club thinking you’re about to act a fool because, if you know me, you know I’ll act a bigger one.

If you don’t know me, you know Wild. If you think that nigga is crazy, just know he gets that shit from his big brother.

” I paused while everyone shared a small laugh.

My face was stiff because wasn’t a damn thing funny about what I’d just said.

“Enjoy yourself and have a good time. Just make sure you know how to act in my shit. I’m not above turning this bitch up in the way the DJ can’t.

” Turning to him, I handed the mic back to him.

“Slow this shit down, Mook. These niggas can’t handle no gangsta shit back to back. ”

Chuckling, he did as I asked, and the sounds of Keyshia Cole started flowing through the speakers. The ladies bellowed the words to “Love” as the fellas grabbed them from behind, swaying their bodies to the beat. Making my way toward the door, I found one of my guards.

“Boss, you gotta see this.” Hutch patted my chest and gestured toward the end of the dark lot. As we got closer, I saw the silhouette of a body under one of the streetlights. Once we got to it, I shook my head at seeing the nigga I’d shot in the foot. He was now in a puddle of blood, dead.

“Tried to tell the nigga…” I shook my head and turned to Hutch, who appeared to be fighting back his own tears. “You know him?”

“Y-Yeah.” He sniffled as he shook my head. “That’s my girl’s little brother.”

“Oh, so you’re the one who let that nigga in my club with a pistol?” I folded my arms and glared. “You knew what type of time he was on?”

Fear flashed across his face before he masked it, but it was too late. Slowly backing away, he didn’t make it far before I sent one through his dome. The shot echoed through the darkness of the night as his body dropped near his people.

“You’re services are no longer required, nigga.” I bent down as he peered up at me with lifeless eyes. “You’re fired.”

“Welcome to Urban Sole. Don’t touch shit in this muthafucka if you don’t plan to buy.”

Chuckling, I disregarded my brother’s rude-ass greeting as I walked through his shoe store.

Although he was crazy as hell, I was proud of Wild.

We all did our best when doing things to help in the city.

Shoes have always been his niche, so he decided to become a verified reseller for various brands.

Between this location and Wild Kicks, his store near Mills Manor, he’s in his own lane when it comes to his profession.

Not only does he sell other brands, but he also sells his own shoe designs he’d been able to produce in Portugal.

“Now, is that the way to talk to a paying customer?” I smirked as I walked over and dapped him up. Looking around the store, I nodded in appreciation. “You got this shit looking dope, man.”

As a few more customers came into the store, I chuckled as he greeted them the same way he had me. Wild was a fucking fool, and those who knew him knew that he was going to always be him.