Jelani rubbedthe back of his neck and looked around the room at our top lieutenants. The vibe was more relaxed than the last time I called them to meet at the farmhouse.
He turned his back on the others who were talking amongst themselves. “You’re sure about this?” he asked.
I clapped his back. “Yeah. I told you, this shit is all you. I’m done running point—it’s your time to shine, bruh.”
It was official. I was stepping down as head of the crew to focus on our commercial real estate business that we’d built to clean our money.
This wasn’t a random decision; I’d been thinking about this move for over a year. Before Jasmine came into the picture, I’d been ready to lean into the legit side of things. She’d just made the choice easier. And I wasn’t leaving the game entirely—washing money was still illegal. Slim and Fontaine would help Jelani run things, and if shit went left, I would be right there.
“This nigga really about to play house,” Slim chuckled.
I shrugged. “A nigga not trying to be forty and still knocking heads together. Gotta work smarter, not harder,” I looked at my brother again. “Plus, Lani loves this shit—he’ll be good.”
Fontaine stayed quiet, which had become his new normal since Nairobi ghosted us in New York. He’d never said outright that they were dealing with each other, so no one was sure how to approach it. I was sure he was using his free time to track her down, but the question was, would he go after her when he found her?
“Just don’t act brand new when we need to get shit poppin’,” Jelani said.
“Never that,” I dapped him up.
The room cleared out, and I stayed back, lost in thought. Some of the local crews might try to test Jelani now that I was stepping down, but I wasn’t too worried. My brother was a menace, and he’d show them real quick that he could hold his own.
I welcomed the cool breeze as I walked to my car. I pulled out my phone and dialed Jasmine.
“Hey,” she answered.
“What’s your sexy ass doing?”
She laughed. “I just got in from work. About to take a shower, why?”
“I’m picking you up. I should be there in thirty minutes,” I said, unlocking my door.
“Is this like a dressy thing, or…?”
“Be comfortable.”
“Okay…” she dragged the word out clearly, waiting for me to explain.
“I’ll see you soon.” I hung up before she could press me further.
Traffic was light, so I made the thirty-minute drive in about twenty. I tapped the wheel, glancing at the entrance as a small wave of nervousness hit me.
Outside.
Five minutes later, she was stepping out in a pair of jeans and an oversized sweatshirt.
“Is that mine?” I asked as she got in.
“Maybe,” she gave me a quick kiss before putting on her seatbelt.
“Oh? So we stealing clothes now?” I joked as I started the car.
“They look good on me!”
”Everything looks good on you,” I said, glancing at her.
She rolled her eyes, but I caught the smile she fought back.
“Alright, so where are we going?” she asked, shifting in her seat.
