“Y’all giving away free haircuts in this bitch?” I asked as I scanned the area for an empty seat.
“Nah, but if you didn’t have an appointment, your ass would be shit outta luck, or waiting just like everybody else,” Breeze said.
“I know not to come up in this joint with no appointment. What’s been up with y’all?”
Breeze was part owner of Black Reign with his wife, Melodie; his sister, Raine; her husband, Sonshyne; and Sonshyne’s twin cousins, Adan and Zayn. It was a barbershop, salon, spa, barber, and cosmetology school.
“I should be asking what’s been up with you. I was surprised to see your name on the calendar. Your ass ain’t been in my chair in a minute,” Breeze said.
“It’s been more than a minute,” Shyne added.
“Damn near a year,” Zayn commented.
“About that.” Adan agreed.
“If y’all don’t chill the fuck out, it’ll be another minute,” I responded.
“I ain’t say nothing, but every time we play ball, I’ve been wondering what’s been up with your hair maintenance. I thought you were going for a new look,” Breeze said.
I looked around at the other customers, and those niggas were all in my business. I didn’t bother to respond to Breeze, because now wasn’t the time or place to discuss my business. He realized I had no intention of responding, and the subject changed.
When it was my turn, it took Breeze a minute to get me right because my hair had grown quite a bit since I’d last been to the shop. Breeze wouldn’t be Breeze if he didn’t talk shit the whole time.
He was much more comfortable around me than when we first met. Our personalities were very similar, so I definitely understood his initial cautiousness, especially considering the circumstances of our first meeting.
“What prompted you to stop walking around here looking like a woolly mammoth?” Breeze asked in a joking manner.
“It was time,” was all I said in response, even though I had something planned that no one else was aware of.
“I heard what happened with Rose. Everything good?” he whispered loud enough that only I could hear.
I didn’t have to ask where or who he’d heard it from. My sister-in-law, Noelani, was Shyne’s younger sister. I was sure Rose had told Noelani, and she’d told her brother, and eventually, word reached their entire circle.
As I was about to respond, I got a text from Rocky confirming that it was definitely Preston holed up in the hotel.
“It will be by this time tomorrow, for sure.”
“Let me know if you need anything.”
He gave me a knowing look, and I nodded. When he finished my hair, I paid my tab, leaving a generous tip, and headed to the other side of the building to the spa.
Now that I knew Preston was off the streets, Rose didn’t have to stay confined atThe Compound. After making her an appointment for a few hours of pampering, I FaceTimed her.
“Hey,” she answered.
“Are you dressed?”
“Umm, in leggings and a T-shirt. Why?”
“I just made you an appointment for some pampering atBlack Reign.”
“You did what? Wait! Is he?—”
“He is, baby, so you’re free to roam about the city. I still have a few errands to run. Are you sure you feel okay going alone?”
“Yeah. I’m good. What time should I be there?”
“An hour.”
