“I’m living, fam. You’re up next,” East stated as encouragement.
He knew how much Ace loved his brother and wanted him to hold his own in the world.
“Hell yeah. I just have to figure out how to make it happen.”
“You will. Give it a minute. You just touched down.”
“See, you feel me. One night is not the end of the world.” Vega grinned before turning to Ace. “Patience is a virtue,” Vega stated before offering both men a nod. “I’m about to go get fucked up then find someone to fuck. I appreciate you falling through, East. If I don’t see you again tonight, I’ll see you around. Maybe I can check out one of your card nights at the shop. I hear that shit be on point.”
“You know you good. Just hit me up and I got you. Stakes are high, though, so come with deep pockets.”
Card night was the only social thing East really did. It started with just the barbers and the guys from the tattoo shop, but word got out in the city, and it quickly became a thing. Street hustlers and ballers came through just to drink and play. Poker, Blackjack, Spades, you name it. The tables were always full. The pots easily grew to six figures and it got pretty heated when people lost, but the rule was, play big, lose big, win big. Your skill determined where you fell on any given night.
“Bet. I’ma do that.” Vega offered both men a nod before he walked away.
East noticed Ace watching him with concern etched on his face.
“Relax, old head. He’s gon’ make it.”
“He better or he’ll end up right back where he just came from.”
“Nah, one run is enough for him. I can see it in his eyes. Vega is ready to make some shit happen.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Sometimes you have to get to your lowest point before you decide it’s time to step up.”
“And sometimes you just do what the fuck you need to do.”
East could tell from the look Ace offered that he was referring to him.
“He isn’t me. You’re gonna have to give him time to figure it out. He will.”
No more on the matter was discussed because the two men fell into a comfortable silence and left the topic alone. East wasn’t drinking tonight. The way his body was already shutting down on him was a clear sign that it wasn’t a good move, so for now, he just chilled and watched as money was blown on women who they wouldn’t entertain after their first nut with them.
He was familiar with the lifestyle, having had his experience with it, even if it wasn’t as often as most. East made up his mind to stay for an hour or so then take his ass home to crawl up under the bed for some much-needed rest. His hustle never stopped and he needed a fresh mind to get things done.
“Damn, you look good tonight.”Reg walked up on Joi and pressed his body to hers before sliding his arms around her waist and delivering a kiss to her neck in the process.
Joi smiled at the closeness of her man before turning against his body and looking into his hooded eyes.He’s wasted.She knew right away that he was high. Reg was only a few inchestaller, so with the heels she had on, the two were eye level. His were barely able to focus on her.
“I didn’t know you were coming tonight.” Joi peered at him because she sensed he wasn’t happy to see her, even if he acted as if he was.
It totally fucked up Reg’s mood to see Joi. He already had his night planned out, plans that didn’t include his woman.
“I hadn’t planned on it, but Ace’s brother just finished a bid and he invited the team out to celebrate with him.”
Joi had heard the name Ace from Reg a few times. That must have been the guy she and Nyelle saw earlier. She knew Ace was the boss but not Reg’s direct point of contact. From what she knew, there was a chain of command, which meant that Reg and Riggs reported to some guy named Tone. She hadn’t met any of them because he had made it clear that street life wasn’t her thing and keeping her from it was a form of protection.
“You’re in VIP?” she questioned.
“Yeah, how you know?”
“Our section is up there.”
Reg frowned a bit but quickly got it together. He knew that was how she and Nyelle rolled, but if they were in VIP, that meant he had to be careful about how he moved. He had already slipped up earlier by calling her when he was with one of his other women. After Lesha tried him by speaking while she knew he was on the phone with Joi, he snapped, cussed her out, and planned to shut her down from the dick for a minute. She was getting too comfortable, which was a problem for him.
The women he fucked with outside of Joi couldn’t hold a candle to her, but he was addicted to the attention. Joi wasn’t the type to stroke his ego. She loved him, but she was more focused on her little business. A business that, had he known would take up all of her time, he wouldn’t have fronted the money to help her start. As much as he supported Joi, he was still a man andneeded to feel like a priority. When he couldn’t get that from Joi, he sought it in the streets with the women who would do anything for some good dick and a few stacks. Both of which he had in abundance.
