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“Yeah. Apparently, Uncle Mario wanted to put her father out of commission for a while, so Malik was supposed to rob and attack him. Robert and her brother weren’t at home, so Malik robbed them and killed her mama.”
“Oh my God,” Mama whispered, cupping her cheek. “Does she know your cousin…”
My head shook as I looked down the hall again. “Nah. Do you think I should tell her?”
“Let me ask you this.” She paused and pulled in a deep breath. “Are you the reason Mario is in a wheelchair and Malik is still in a coma?” I nodded. “This is tough, son. You didn’t know and when you found out, you handled them. I don’t know, baby. She might resent you for what they did. It would be different if there was a chance she never had to come in contact with them, but seeing as they are your family, that could be tricky. With that in mind, if they ever were to be around her and let it slip out what they did and that you knew, that could blow up in your face too. I think you should find a way to see if she wants to know who was responsible. If not, I wouldn’t tell her. It’s a shame they’re family; otherwise, I would have said kill them both.”
“Family or not, I wanted to kill them. Pops told me not to.”
“This is exactly why I hate this business. There’s no reason you should have to carry a weight like this. I’ll be praying it works in your favor and that it will never be an issue for the two of you.”
“Thank you, Ma. I ’preciate you.”
I walked her to her car, and we said our goodbyes before I went back into the apartment, where I gave Whiskee a full update on the meeting yesterday. Neither I nor Omari wanted to sell weed to users. We were beyond that. I was more interested in the concept of exporting across the country, however, that would create more risks. We did put on the table opening and operating legal dispensaries, which I hadn’t considered before. The streets and being a drug dealer was all I knew. Even when it came to our legal businesses, we had managers and assistants that handled all that.
If we were to export product for legal dispensaries, that would take a hell of a lot of the risks out, and legal weed was a billion-dollar industry. Exporting to legal dispensaries would also provide the legacy and security I’d want for my children and their children. It would also allow me to be with a woman who wasn’t in this lifestyle and not have to worry about her safety. That was a big concern that had been weighing on me after hearing about what happened to Renee and seeing how it affected Whiskee. I never wanted something I did to be the reason someone else suffered or died, especially my wife and kids.
With Whiskee in my life, my perspective had been changing when it came down to a lot of things. While a part of me hoped she could be by my side to reap the benefits, I also understood how attached she was to her brother. Even with their relationship hitting a rocky patch, I didn’t see her leaving him… even if it was to go to Rose Valley Hills with me.
That Weekend
Whiskee and Mahogany high was a trip. They wanted to celebrate Mahogany landing a huge brand deal and I offered to throw a lil set at my place. Of course I invited my crew and between the liquor flowing and weed, practically everyone was cross faded. With all the food we had, their high asses wanted pizza from Little Caesar’s of all places. But whatever my baby wanted… my baby got. I felt like a daddy buying pizza for his kid’s class when I pulled back up with ten boxes of pizza, but their happiness made it worth it.
Now, they were cackling and gossiping out by the pool with the rest of the women while the guys and I chilled in my game room. I even sent an invite to her brother, though I didn’t care if he came or not. It was my way of trying to develop some kind of relationship with him. If I was going to be able to spare his life, he would have to prove he was valuable to Pops. So all night, I picked at his brain to see if he had any qualities that I could amplify. Being the boss of all bosses wouldn’t be a good fit, but from the sound of it, he didn’t have a problem bussing a gun and he was good at keeping up with product and numbers.
“If you could choose what you did in the business, what would it be?” I asked, handing him another beer.
“Shit, I’on know, Bay. I never wanted to be in charge, though Pops always told me it would be a possibility. The only other man he trusted to take over died two years before him, and he never prioritized training someone else to take his place. I guess I’d want to do something I could truly be successful at.”
“And what has that been in the past?”
“I’m good in any role when it comes down to production. Breaking it down, weighing it, packing it up, dividing it. I was great at staying on top of our lieutenants and making sure nobody came up short. Before we got two new accountants, I was his money man. That was a more difficult responsibility to have with more pressure, but I was good at that too.”
I thought about it for a while before asking him to follow me onto the veranda. After sparking up a blunt I told him, “What if there was a way you could be over production but nothing else? Your father’s organization would stay in business, my pops would remain your supplier, but there would be a different boss of all bosses.”
“Who would it be? You?”
“Maybe, maybe not. If not me, my pops.” I didn’t want to give him any information about my plan. He’d proven he couldn’t be trusted once, and I wouldn’t make that mistake again. If I went the legal route, I wouldn’t be involved in Pops’ organization or Carlos’s new position. If I didn’t, I’d take over. Either way, Pops would have the control he wanted, and I could spare Carlos’s life and Whiskee’s heart in the process.
“I’on know how I feel about giving over complete control of my father’s organization to someone else; however, I can admit I’m not the best fit. I would thrive more if I was over production and production alone. Let me think on it, aight?”
That was good enough for me. As Pops would say—I’d let him think about it, but he really didn’t have a choice. It was either he stand down and handle production or Pops would have him killed, whether I did it or not.
25
Whiskee
The Following Tuesday
Today, Mariam set up taste tests for me and Beethoven. It was overwhelming to say the least. Not just because we had a lot to try but because we had to make our decisions today as well. The wedding was exactly two months away and finalizing the menu was the last thing on our to-do list. We’d already selected the music and officiant, venue, décor and color scheme, stationery for invitations, and thank-you cards.
After this, we’d have to meet with the designer to go over the sketch and my measurements for the dress, then that would be it. Beethoven and I agreed not to bother with bachelor and bachelorette parties, but we did agree to an engagement party so his family could be in attendance. The good thing about this process was our bond and chemistry were genuine, so no one should question our feelings for each other.
With the bulk of the planning being done, Tim wanted Beethoven to get back to work, so we hadn’t been spending as much time together as we had been. That made me grateful for the meeting with Mariam today. I was even more grateful when Beethoven asked me if I wanted to do a late lunch.
We decided on The Capital Grille, and as we sat across from each other, I was nervous. I knew this was the same man I’d been getting to know for the last month and a half, but it felt new.
“Why you actin’ shy?” Beethoven asked as he looked over the menu.
