“Aight, I got you. Give me like 15.”
We disconnected. That was perfect because if I ran, I could get there in ten. I hopped a few fences, and by the time I got there, I had just enough time to wipe the sweat from my brow and feel normal when he pulled up.
“Nigga. They say somebody lit Brick’s ass up!” Bars said before my ass could fully hit the seat.
“Nah, for real?” I asked.
“Dead ass, my nigga. I heard it on the scanner, and I was like I know that’s Brick’s spot, even though his crazy ass would never let us come by. Then, as I was coming, Shavetria called and said that shit was all over the news.”
I pulled a blunt from his ass tray and lit it. My fucking head was spinning.
“Damn, nigga you hear me?” Bars gauged looking at me.
“We in the same car, bro.” I shot back.
He gave me a strange look. “You did that shit, bruh?” he asked.
“Nah, I ain’t have shit to do with that,” I answered honestly.
“That was the first thing on niggas lips. When my girl called, it was already spreading like wildfire because you were telling niggas how Brick had been on bullshit.”
“Well, I bet you them same niggas won’t say that shit to my face. I don’t give a fuck what nobody gotta say.”
“That’s what I know, but if some shit did go down and it was you or him, nobody could blame you.”
I wasn’t going to repeat the shit, so I just sat quietly. I was fucking jumpy as fuck. Bar's line of questioning made me feel like this nigga could have been wearing a wire or some shit. I knew him for a few years, but what’s friendship in a game like this?
“Aye, take me home.” I sat up when I saw him about to jump on the highway. I wasn’t on no hang out shit.
“Shit, I was going to bring you by the trap. We gotta pick up.”
“I’ll get that shit tonight.”
We rode in silence, and he didn’t speak again until he turned into my driveway.
“So, what’s next? We damn near out. Everybody is already panicking.”
I took a deep breath. Just like that, death or not, life still goes on. Niggas would need work, and the streets would still need to be fed. I cracked a smile.
“Tell everybody it’s on me from now on.”
He nodded as I stepped out of the car. It was an unreadable expression on his face. I knew of one connection, and if I could do nothing else, I could flood the streets because that was what I was already doing on a daily basis as a middleman. I sat back and saw many ways the product could be improved, as well as how much money was being left on the table. Yeah, Brick may have been dead, but the only thing a supplier understood was green. I was trusted, and I could make them an offer they couldn’t refuse, only to give me the best shit.
“Aye, yo T.” Bars called on his way into the house. I doubled back to his car. “This shit is getting too hot for me, bruh. I’m gone get you the rest of the shit, and you take it from there.” He handed in his resignation like a two-week notice.
“You gotta do what’s right for you. This shit ain’t for everybody.”
“You stay dangerous, nigga. It’s a lot of shit getting ready to come yo way if you really do this.”
“I ain’t worried.”
“You say that, but niggas are going to be talking. They already are.”
“And I ain’t got a damn problem closing they mouth.” I ended our conversation and walked inside my house.
Never would I allow another nigga to dictate my life or my movements. From this point forward, it was on me, and if any nigga had a problem, I wasn’t ducking shit.
Chapter 2
