“I’m not going soft. I just feel like my structure is being tested from all angles since we’ve been in a relationship.”
“Our structure is solid, baby. Business and personal.
She grabbed the blunt from me as she watched them take the body out. I knew she was in deep thought. The last thing you wanted to do in the streets was to watch your crew. Hell, it was bad enough you had to watch the enemy. You don’t need a snake within the camp. I pulled her into me.
“This is your city, Adore.”
“I think we need to move some things around,” she said.
“I’ve already done that. Did it yesterday when I found out he was talking.”
“That’s why I fuck with you.”
“I always got you.”
I walked Adore to her car before getting in mine and heading to the club. The strip club was one of our biggest investments. It was an easy way to keep the money flowing. It was early, but the parking lot had a good number of cars, which was surprising.
“Whodie, I wasn’t expecting to see you today,” one of the security guards said when I came through the side door.
“Why not? This my shit, ain’t it? I pop the fuck up to make sure y’all doing what needs to be done.”
“Man, ain’t shit going on up here but ass and titties.”
I nodded and headed towards the club. The music was booming and I could smell the Bath and Body Works spray and lotion. Standing behind the black sheer curtain, I watched like a hawk looking for their prey. You could never be too careful in this game. I made sure to keep my name off the club because I didn’t want anyone targeting this place and putting people’s lives in danger.
From my spot in the shadows, I scanned every face. Customers, dancers, even the bitches at the bar. I was searching for anything out of place. Trust was a luxury I couldn’t afford. Not with the kind of money that moved through these walls. Sometimes, the danger didn’t come from the outside; it was the ones closest to you that could flip the whole operation upside down.
There was this one bitch I couldn’t keep my eyes off. She was a fine red-bone that wore her hair down to her ass. She reminded me a lot of Adore, how she commanded respect when she was in the room. In the last month, the bitch pulled up in a new car and was wearing a watch that I knew cost more than that hoe made in a night. The small crew of niggas that came to see her was sending my radar through the roof. Whatever this hoe was on, I needed to handle it before Adore got wind of it.
CHAPTER 2: ADORE
Running the streets as a woman came with a lot of bullshit. Niggas either wanted to fuck you, fight you, or figure out a way to rob you. Very few respected you. People assumed the streets were loud. But the most dangerous moments in this life were when everything got quiet. That’s when you knew something was wrong. When the sirens, gunshots, and bass stopped, a nigga somewhere lurking.
I sat behind my desk at my house going through the numbers from the last two weeks. Everything looked good on paper. The corner stores were producing. The trap houses were steady and the club was bringing in more money since summer started. Even with all that, something in my bones told me something was off. Money told me a lot. My phone buzzed with Whodie’s face.
“What are you doin’?” He asked before I could say hello.
“Working as usual.”
“You ate?”
I paused.
“Yeah, yo’ ass ain’t ate. I’mma ‘bouta order you something and get it sent to the house.”
“Can’t even argue with you. Thank you, baby.”
That was Whodie, always protecting, checking, and hovering to make sure I was safe. We talked a few more minutes before hanging up. I shut my computer off and locked my safe so I could go and take a shower. It was going to take UberEATS at least an hour before they brought my food. I wanted to go out and see what the club was talking about tonight. The club scene wasn’t my thing. I let Whodie handle that. Every now and then, I liked to throw some money.
After my shower, Hollow was calling. I hadn’t heard from his ass all week. Rushing, I answered because his patience was thin and he would hang up after one ring.
“Damn, ‘bout time you answered the phone. What you doing?” He asked.
“Just got out of the shower and going to head to the club later. Why? I know you’re only calling me for a fucking reason. Especially since I hadn’t heard from you all week.”
“Adore, don’t start that shit. I just got back in town. I need to holler at you about something face to face. Without Whodie.”
When he said that, it sent chills down my spine. My brother didn’t have any beef with Whodie, so if he didn’t want him to hear what was said, this was important.
