“No baby, you were temporary. I’m not even pressed about that though because everybody has a past. What I need you to do is know your place because it’s not with him and won’t ever be again.”
“Bitch…” Tori moved so quickly that she managed to get a lick in but that was the only one because Samari did as promised and dragged her ass…literally. She grabbed a fistful of Tori’s hair with one hand and tagged her face with the other while Tori swung wildly, unable to make contact with any relevant blows.
Samari wasn’t sure how long the altercation lasted, but when Fyre pulled her away, Tori had a face full of bruises that would teach her about running up on someone. Security escorted Tori out the store with her yelling about suing for assault. Typical dumb hoe shit. Got her ass tagged and then wanted to press charges. Samari wasn’t fazed because everyone in the store could testify that Tori had thrown the first punch, so she was simply defending herself.
“Well that was eventful,” Ju’rae said amusedly. “We need to reschedule.”
Fyre and Ju’rae both looked at Samari who touched her face and shook her head. “No, I’m good.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, that was light work.”
“Definitely light work from the way you were tagging her ass. So the Manor really didn’t teach you no manners,” Ju’rae said with a smug grin, referencing the shirt Samari had on when they first met.
“The Manor raised me, so it is what it is,” Samari said as the ladies headed to the back to get started. She thought about calling Asao but decided it wasn’t worth the conversation, at least not at the moment. He couldn’t control a delusional woman. His only responsibility to her was to control his actionsand how he stepped behind her. And his actions proved that Samari could feel secure in their relationship.
“I’m proud of you,son. This is a big deal.” The pride in Leedren’s tone had Asao feeling more like a man than he had in years. He had very few regrets in life but there were also not a lot of things that made him feel as if he truly represented the Delane name properly. At the top of that list was his career and now Track Killaz was part of that.
Each time his father stepped in the building, Asao felt like he had earned the title of a man worthy of his father’s praise. Some would say his standard shouldn’t be so high because he was raised by a father who’d spent years behind bars, but that never diminished what Asao felt for Leedren. He chose to do time because he was a man. A man who loved his wife enough to keep her out of harm’s way.
“I know, old man. Now stop with all that emotional shit and let me know what you wanna do?”
The offer had been presented with a pure heart. Leedren didn’t want handouts but he also couldn’t see himself punching another man’s clock to put money in his pockets. A man’s pride was a double-edged sword.
“I’m in but I need to be a part of this. Not just a name that collects a check.”
“You’re an investor. That’s what investing is. You let your money make money, Pop,” Asao said with a smirk, knowing it was only going to piss his father off.
“Well, I’m not just investing. This is ownership which means I’m doing something around here.”
“What you know about music though, old man?”
“Not a damn thing,” Leedren said with a smirk.
“I mean shit, OG, you experienced some things. I have a track for you if you’re trying to get in the booth,” Dom said from across the room. Niles smirked but didn’t look up from his phone when he added his two cents.
“I can see that. We might be able to make that work.”
Leedren chuckled. “Nah, I’ll leave that to my son.” His expression turned serious. “But are you sure you want me in on this?” Leedren’s eyes moved from Asao over to Dom before they reached Niles.
“Hell yeah. We gave you enough hell as kids. We owe you this much. Wasn’t a whole lot of people willing to step behind a bunch of hardhead ass kids more concerned with tearing shit down than building it up. You kept your hands on us, schooled us on the things we didn’t understand until we were a little older and had to experience those life lessons. Part of the reason we’re here is because of you.” Niles spoke from the heart and Dom co-signed.
“If we have it, you have it. Isn’t that what you used to tell us back in the day?” Dom shrugged as if it just made sense.
The lesson had been preached to them on more than one occasion. Back then it was about simple things like corner store trips and visits to the neighborhood candy lady. If one had it and the others didn’t, Leedren would make sure they understood that friendship was more than just a word. If they didn’t hustle together and eat together, the label of friendship held no meaning.
That philosophy had carried with them through the years and became the foundation of why they got money together. Asao could have easily bailed on his boys and did the music thingon his own. Dom had a resumé of artists who paid top dollar for his beats but he would never prioritize them over the man who’d made it possible to produce them.
Niles didn’t have any formal training at managing artists but the work he’d done with Asao had people at his door, hopeful he could do the same for their artists. His understanding about how to hustle the raw and unfiltered talent of a rapper made him an asset.
Leedren’s heart was full. The boys he remembered were now men. “I still need something around here to do and it won’t be me in a booth.”
Asao nodded and smirked. “We got you, Pop. You always have something to say about what I’m spitting, so we can put you on as part of the talent assessment team.”
The position didn’t exist but Asao along with his boys would create some shit if it put Leedren’s mind at ease. They were simply grateful to have him around.
“Long as you don’t have any of those mumble rappers, I might be able to handle it.”
