“Uht uht. Yeah, baby girl is someone I could happily break the rules to have that offsite.”
Thinking about her was the best distraction until I made it to the office.
It took me less than the twenty minutes it should’ve taken since I was now trying to make up time because I was officially behind schedule. Being late was one of my pet peeves and I especially hated when a muthafucka had me waiting. So I could imagine the client felt the same.
I pulled into the parking lot to see Boss’s truck parked in his spot, which caused me to kiss my teeth.
“This nigga, man.” I walked in and headed straight for his office. The building wasn’t huge since Boss was hands on with passing out schedules, jobs, and information. On days or weeks when he was away, I stepped in and handled everything.
He had a total of thirty-six employees, with us separated by titles and duties. Armed guards handled the high-end clients while unarmed guards worked the security end. Each still had to go through training, of course.
I reached his office and heard him arguing with someone, but it was a one-sided conversation since he was doing all the yelling. I did a half knock on the door before I pushed it open to see him with a damn near empty bottle of Black Ops on his desk and his phone pressed to his ear. He frowned up at me but went back to the caller while I blew out a heavy breath before I busied myself with looking for the client's file.
I appreciated Boss’s need to have both electronic and physical paper trails as I breezed through the files until I heard Boss roar behind me in a slurred voice.
“Bitch nigga, fuck you!” That had me turning to see him now slamming his phone down then reaching for the bottle he clearly didn’t need.
“Nigga, I think that’s the problem. Damn, don’t your liver need some water or something,” I said as I put my attention back on the files, cursing once I realized I’d still come up short.
“Nigga, shouldn’t you be out in the field with a client instead of worrying about my drinking habits,” he retorted as he turned the bottle up, straight chugging it like water.
“My ass would be there had you given me the right information besides their name. You do know you sent me to Ace of Diamonds, right? And with no number for them. Where is their file? It’s not in here.”
“Tunk, now you trying to tell me I’m not doing my job, right? What the fuck is up with muthafuckas today? First this bitch ass nigga on my line telling me I overbooked him, and now I got my op manager telling me I’m giving out the wrong information for a client. Shit, I guess I’m only good at this drinking thing anymore.” I blinked hard a few times, letting his words register.
“Wait, what bitch ass nigga? Who was on the phone? Man, Boss you can’t be talking to them like that. Didn’t Naja tell you about that shit? Where is he at and where was he supposed to be?”
Boss waved me off.
“Bronze. And I handled it because I didn’t overbook his ass. And Naja will be aight, that’s why I pay her to do her job. Now please be quiet, you too damn loud in my shit.” I hustled around the room to get his work phone so I could pull the schedule and put this fire out first. For the last six months, Boss had been off his shit, but not like this. Our crew was tight and we didn’t talk to them that way. Boss understood keeping loyal employees meant respect was the first thing on the table next to competitive wages, great benefits, and bonuses.
“I’ma have Rickey come in to cover that shift since he’s clear for the day. And your ass did put him on both jobs. If you need me?—"
“No. I got it. Damn, Tunk, again you’re here but you should be somewhere too. Worried about the next muthafucka got you fucking up my longtime contract, but telling me if I need you… I need you to do what I’m paying you for.” I chuckled humorlessly as I shook my head. Yeah, the alcohol was no excuse for his behavior, but if I knew Boss, it was more than alcohol when he got to talking crazy.
I finished scrolling through his phone until I found the information I needed, sending it to myself at the same time, Rickey messaged back, letting me know he would be at the other location within forty-five minutes. My next move was to call BK, one of Boss’s longtime best friends. Between him and Tino, I knew they would know how to handle Boss since I had to go.
He answered on the third ring.
“Yo fool, what’s going on?”
“Hey, it’s Tunk. Are you or Tino free to come pick his ass up from the office? He’s drunk as shit,” I said. There was a pause before he released a frustrated sigh.
“Fuck! It’s not even nine in the morning. Yeah, I’ma head that way. Is that all you found there?” I peered over my shoulderto see Boss now leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed. I then quickly glanced around the room to see if I could find a pill bottle.
Beyond drinking, when Boss’s demons were present, he fought them by self-medicating like me. But his monsters looked different than mine and seemed to require a stronger pill to keep them at bay.
“Yeah, just the Black Ops, but I’m sure it wasn’t a solo mission. But, ay, BK, I’m taking his work phone and keys with me. Not sure if he has his main line, so use your key once you get here.”
“Okay, I’m on my way. Thanks for calling, Tunk.” Without saying anything else, I hung up. He didn’t have to thank me. I loved Boss like a brother just like them. I hated seeing him back on the same shit he battled with for years.
I grabbed his keys from his desk, turned off the lights, locked him inside, and headed back out. I still needed to call Bronze and defuse that situation, but first I had to call my client and apologize for my delay.
The phone rang a few times before a sweet voice came over the line.
“Hello, Boss, your guy never showed.”
“Hey, Mrs. Brooks, my apologies, I had the wrong address. I promise I got everything squared away and will be there shortly.”
