“Yeah,” she said quietly, rubbing her temple. “It’s really bad this time. I don’t think I can stay. I need to go home.”
“Okay, baby. Go ahead,” I told her, kissing her forehead softly, careful not to add pressure. “I’ll see you at the house later. I have to stay and close up tonight.”
A disappointed pout took over her face. “Why do you have to stay late? You got people for that, Mythic. Why can’t Tyiesha do it?”
“She can’t tonight.” I cupped Lelani’s face gently, trying to ease her disappointment. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t feel good, but I have to stay.”
She exhaled slowly, obviously frustrated, but nodded anyway. “Fine. I’ll Uber home.”
“Call me if you need me,” I insisted, gently brushing her hair out of her face. “I’ll come straight home the minute I’m done here. Promise.”
She nodded again, giving me a weak smile, but before she could say anything else, Mia and Aviana returned from the dance floor.
“Hey, boo,” Aviana greeted Lelani.
“Hey, girl!” Mia screeched, causing Lelani to wince in pain.
Lelani forced a smile back. “Hey, y’all. Have a good night,” she said a little tightly before she turned and walked away.
As she disappeared into the stairwell, I could feel Mia’s and Aviana’s eyes on me.
“What’s wrong with her?” Mia asked, raising an eyebrow.
“She’s not feeling well.”
While Mia’s head nodded with understanding, Aviana’s eyes lingered on me. When my eyes locked with hers, I saw the slightest blush rise on her cheeks, and that did something to me. She was trying to play it cool, but the way she looked at me, the way her face softened just a little, let me know she felt it too.
I held her gaze captive until she quickly glanced away. But not before I caught the subtle curve of her lips, which betrayed a shy grin that told me everything she wasn’t ready to say.
As I locked up the nightclub, my homeboy, Taye, was the only other soul there.
“Another successful night?”
I nodded with a proud but tired chuckle as I walked away from the entrance. “Indeed. Everything copacetic with that delivery you made earlier?”
Taye was not only my homie; he was my right hand. He was as skilled in the art of arms dealing as I was. He had also been the most loyal and dependable. He was my second-in-command, overseeing day-to-day operations, and he was a trusted advisor.
“Of course.”
“Then why have you had that serious look on your face all night?” I inquired with a raised brow. “You didn’t even crack a smile when that thick red bone was trying to give you a lap dance.”
Though I chuckled, Taye simply scoffed as he took a sip of his drink while leaning on the bar. I’d known that he had something on his mind all night. Taye wasn’t one to hold back when he had concerns, especially when it came to the unpredictable world we operated in.
I joined him at the bar and poured myself a drink. “What’s going on?”
Taye sighed, running a hand through his shoulder-length locs. “The King’s Men and Viper Crew are at each other’s throats, and it’s getting uglier by the day.”
I nodded, taking a sip of my drink. The turf war between the King’s Men and Viper Crew had been escalating for weeks now, and it was starting to spill over into the safer neighborhoods of Chicago. But the issues of the Mexican gangs weren’t my concern.
“Yeah, I’ve been hearing about that,” I admitted.
Taye looked at me with a knowing smirk. “You know that both sides are going to be itching to get their hands on more firepower.”
I nodded slowly. “And you know I’ve always stayed neutral. My business is supplying weapons, not picking sides.”
Taye’s head bobbed up and down, but I could see the worry in his eyes. “I know, but the cartel doesn’t play by the same rules we do. They’re reckless—impulsive. They don’t give a damn about respect or honor. Eventually, they are going to want you to stop providing weaponry to the other. And they are going to pay whatever they have to to get you to comply.”
Unlike most of the homies that I grew up with, I did not end up being a drug dealer. I most definitely had a destiny to be a hustler, however. Becoming an illegal arms dealer wasn’t something that happened overnight, though. It was a gradual descent into the dark world of illegal deals.
