I gave Apricot once last hug and walked toward the elevators. Saving money for a rainy day was something I learned the importance of early in the game. I had enough money put up that I could be good for a long time, so I wasn’t panicking. Even though Devin would probably be out of commission for a while, I was sure his right-hand man would step in and take over for him. After all, that was the point of having a second in command. I was sad to hear about Marlo and genuinely hoped that Mr. Jennings pulled through. Only time would tell.
I hadn’t even made it out of the hospital parking lot before Devin’s second in command, Ken was calling. I already knew the conversation would be short and sweet because he didn’t do a lot of talking over the phone either.
“What’s good?” I answered.
“You busy?”
“Nah, I just left the hospital. I didn’t get to see Devin. Apricot said it hasn’t been too long since he made it out of surgery.”
“Okay. Meet me by the spot.”
“On the way.”
The location that we were meeting at was less than thirty minutes away from where I was. When I got there, Ken was already there. He was sitting behind a desk smoking a cigar. “You want a drink?” he asked after I walked in.
“Nah, I’m good.”
He nodded and got right down to business. “I’m in charge for the moment. I have to go out of town in seven days, and that shit isn’t negotiable. My daughter is getting married in Vegas, and if I miss it, my wife will see to it that I’m laid up in ICU my damn self. I’m going to be gone for three weeks, and I suspect that ifDevin is in good enough shape to call any shots, he’ll put you in charge.”
“Me?”
“Yes you. He’s already given you more responsibility, right? Talked to you about when he retires?”
“Yeah, but I mean, I guess I didn’t expect it to happen so soon.”
“No one expected him to get shot. Shit happens. Devin and I have been at this for a long time. It’s time to fall all the way back. He can walk away and let people fend for themselves, or he can leave someone in charge. He wants to give you the opportunity, but that’s only if you want to take it.”
“Any word on who shot him?” I changed the subject.
Ken chuckled angrily. “Fucking Africans. Crew touched down from New York a few months back and got wind of who the big-time hustlers are. Niggas came at Devin on some extortion type shit, and you know he wasn’t going for that. He had the restaurant they do business out of shot up. Dude’s pregnant wife was inside, and she got hit. Her and the baby died.”
I ran a hand down my face. “Shit.”
“Shit is right. So, I’m guessing they’re out for blood. Maybe it ended with them getting Devin. Maybe it didn’t.”
I damn sure wasn’t trying to take over some shit that had unresolved beef. I wasn’t up for dealing with extortion, beef, threats, none of that. I wanted the money. Anything after that was unnecessary.
I thought about Apricot saying the shooting happened in front of her and Kiwi. I knew that had to be traumatizing as fuck. I also knew if something like that popped off in front of Ace I’d be out for blood. It truly was a never-ending cycle.
“We can worry about that later. I’ll be in touch about your reup.”
“Got it.”
Walking out to my car, I could only imagine what Apricot’s reaction would be if she found out the reason her father got shot. A pregnant woman being killed was unfortunate. In all seriousness, the African couldn’t even be too mad, because him attempting to extort Devin was also nasty work. In this game sometimes, niggas couldn’t win for losing.
Removing my cell phone from the center console, I felt the urge to call my son. Whether a person was in the streets or not, life was short as shit. All we could really do was make the most of every moment that we had. I damn sure was going to spend as much time as I could letting my son know that he was loved.
Devin had been in the hospital for three days when he requested to see me. When I entered the hospital room, his wife gave him a stern look before offering me a tense smile and leaving. She probably knew I was there on business and wasn’t too happy about it. I had never seen Devin look so weak and fragile. But as he sat up in the hospital bed needing a shave and hooked up to all kinds of monitors, he was far from the clean cut OG that I always saw.
“What’s up, Uno? I heard you came by to see me the day that I got shot.” Devin’s voice was raspy.
Nodding, I sat down in the recliner his wife had gotten up out of. “I did. I didn’t try to come in the room though. Apricot told me you had just gotten out of surgery.”
“Ken told me he talked to you. I need you to handle shit until he gets back. I also want you to do me a favor before he leaves, and you get busy.”
“What’s that?”
“I need you to check on Apricot and Kiwi. She told me she got an apartment and would be moving in. No one can get on my property but until I get home, I want my wife staying at an undisclosed location. Apricot is stubborn, and she refuses to stay there. Can you do that for me please? If something happens to her or Kiwi…” Mr. Jennings couldn’t even finish the sentence. He looked off to the side.
