Page 3

“Nigga you on that trippy shit again. Go get you some help my nigga.” Taking my time to light my blunt, I stepped out of the car. I was sick of grown-ass niggas looking at me like they were worried or some shit.

“Nigga you sound like my fuckin’ sister. That’s why I’m ignoring them folks. Ain’t shit wrong with me.” I cracked my neck, taking a long pull from my blunt. I checked out the surroundings and then focused back on Ream.

“Them folks? You saying that shit like they not ya family nigga.” His nose flared as he stepped a little closer. Knock this nigga the fuck back! Why weren’t the pills doing its job? I wondered, ignoring the voice. “Fuck all that, Solo shot me a text saying you left it up to him to do yo job.”

“I ain’t fenna stand here nigga explaining to you or that snitching nigga what the fuck I’m on. Nigga I needed some fucking air, get off my dick! Since you came all the way out here to check up on me, you go in there and finish the shit along with him.” I was livid, so livid that before I found myself doing some more way-out shit, I turned my back on Ream and jumped back into my car.

“Aye Debo, you my wife little brother and I love you, nigga. Next time you talk to me out of pocket, my beautiful wife gone be turning back into Reaper dressed in all black hunting me down for killing her stupid ass baby brother. Tighten up nigga.” He stood there like he was daring me to say some shit. Little did he know I was feeling super challenged right now. I was fighting something super strong inside of my body. That voice was screaming out loud in my head and right now I felt like it was trying to take over, like I was close to having an outer body experience. If I gave in something bad was bound to happen, for one Ream just challenged and threatened me. That demon inside of me didn’t take to kind to that shit.

I smirked at him and started up my car, speeding the fuck off. I had major love for Ream and Solo, the main thing I needed them niggas to understand now was that I was grown. I didn’t need them trying to be my fuckin’ guardians. I was the boss and the leader of myself, I didn’t need no nigga including my father to hold my nuts while I took a piss.

I was no longer that stupid ass young wild nigga that did shit just for a reaction or to satisfy my thirst. At twenty-eight years old I paved my own fuckin’ way from owning businesses and holding shit down on my own. They needed to respect me and stop questioning and acting like they were a niggas master. Shit I had a dad and that nigga was overbearing. Shit just kept triggering me and soon that shit wouldn’t be safe for niggas health.

Pulling up to my favorite restaurant that I owned, I parked right in the front not even turning the engine off, I left the keys right in the ignition for the valet to take over.

Looking up at my restaurant “Beastly Cravings” I felt a small calm take over me. I was high as hell feeling the effects of the Percocet’s. As long as that voice was fucking quiet, I was fine with that. It was something about coming here that gave me a certain peace that I couldn’t explain. I loved eating and cooking on my downtime, which was why I put my money into some shit that I loved to do.

Beastly Cravings was a franchise that I had started out in California. Once one restaurant got big because of the top-of-the-line steaks and seafood that we specialized in, I started the franchise and moved it around to different states.

Soon, I was going to have to back down all the way from the streets and focus on my businesses. I already knew Ream and Solo had been having side conversations about a nigga, wondering about my capability to still run with them in the dynasty. I had my own back up plan. I actually planned on stepping down by the age of thirty. I had so much money already saved up from my franchises alone that if I truly wanted to, I could retire now.

To keep it real, I didn’t know how bad this hearing voices and losing control shit was going to get. The streets were good for two reasons. That was making money and taking niggas souls when I felt on edge or when they disrespected the code. Lately, my judgment had been off, and having to kill a nigga today for coming up short was a prime example of me feeling like I was starting to lose my touch with this street shit.

I took a seat in the back of my restaurant, no one even knew that I was the owner and I kept it that way. I didn’t want anyone faking and laying it on thick when the owner popped up. The only person that knew of me owning this place was the woman that I had running this joint. Era Smith, her work ethic was sick and she stayed on top of everything concerning this specific restaurant. I often rotated her to the other local Beastly Cravings but since this was the busiest one, I kept her here mainly.

I didn’t know much about her, from what I looked into with her, she was still chasing her dreams of becoming a singer. She had a good-ass resume when I interviewed her back at my big ass office which served as my franchise headquarter. Era didn’t fold under pressure and running a five-star restaurant came with ups and downs. I interviewed her right along with my board and she sold herself so good that I let her be over hiring and managing other managers at my other locations. Whenever Era had a new idea or new ingredient, I let her do her thing. She had the numbers at my restaurants looking good and that’s why I rocked hard with her and kept her pockets laced.

Since I was over on the Eastside, I decided to shoot my boy Sosa a text to have him come meet with me while I was over in his neck of the woods. Sosa was my nigga, only difference was we didn’t come up the same way but we crossed paths in the streets and in jail back when I was really causing havoc in the streets. Under the Blue Diamond Dynasty, I had my own crew that I ran with an iron fist.

My gang was known as the Slaughter Gang Niggas. All my niggas were really like that and had muthafuckas fearing and respecting them all in one. Sosa’s gang were known as M.G.N Money Getting Niggas. They were just as cold as my Slaughter Gang Niggas. We clicked up often when it came time to doing hood tournaments and making niggas place high bets on our street football team. I wanted to plan some big shit for my birthday and put my skills to the test. Back in high school I was that nigga when it came to football.

I enjoyed coaching niggas and placing high bets to make bread off the sport alone. Snapping me out of my thoughts both of my phones started to ring at the same damn time. Ignoring my business line, I looked down at my personal line and noticed it was Alesia my business assistant calling. I ignored her call only because I was in a shitty mood and didn’t want to snap off on her.

Alesia was demanding as fuck but also smart. She was one of those broads that took her job too fucking serious, often forgetting who the fuck paid and signed her checks. Five seconds later my personal phone started ringing again. I got queasy just looking at the name flash across my screen, Lakendra. Ignore her pitiful ass! Answering the call even though I didn’t want to answer her, I did anyway. Always feeling guilty as fuck when it came to her.

“What’s good ma?” I looked at my watch and frowned. I was gon’ have to pull Era to the side. It should never take a waiter in my restaurant more than five minutes to approach the table.

“Hey Bo. I wanted to know if you were coming home tonight. I wanted to cook for you and watch some movies.”

I held in the deep breath that I took since I didn’t want to sigh hard into the phone and hurt Lakendra’s feelings. People from the outside looking in felt as though I didn’t owe her shit. I felt like I owed her ass a whole lot.

I put her through some dark shit that I still haven’t forgiven myself for. Lakendra could be very sweet but also provoking as fuck when things didn’t go how she wanted them to.

“Yea, I’ll be there later on. Make some tacos and pick out a movie, Ken.” I wanted to remind her for the millionth time that we weren’t together. That would just start an argument and I didn’t need any triggers for the rest of the day. In a couple of months, I planned on moving out of me and Lakendra’s five-bedroom house and copping me some other shit. I just couldn’t leave her high and dry. I took the shit day by day trying to help this girl figure out what she wanted to do in life so I could finance whatever it was and move on with my life.

“Okay Bo! I’m excited now, I’ve been missing you.” She cooed in the phone and my stomach dropped. I hadn’t touched Lakendra in months because I didn’t want to confuse her ass.

“Bet.” I hung up on her not waiting for her to respond. I wasn’t going home no time soon; I powered off my second line and scanned the restaurant one more time.

“Hello sir, my name is Praylah. I will be your waiter for this evening.” I fooled around with my phone not giving her any attention or acknowledgment until I realized that she was late getting around to my table. I pierced her with my eyes, right when she was sitting down my cold glass of water. Our eyes connected and she fumbled the glass acting like she knew me or was all of a sudden starstruck.

The cold ice water caused me to jump out of my seat. I was waiting on that voice to talk to me but it never came. I could feel my jaws clenching tight as I stared hard at her with a pensive stare. Fear was evident in her eyes now; I could see her hands shaking hard as she snatched up some napkins into her small hands and slowly approached me.

“Sir, I am so sorry… I, umm, never saw a man with eyes like yours and they kind of umm, caught me by surprise.” My anger started slipping away the longer she stood there in front of me all timid and shit. She was short but had crazy curves, the kind of curves that came straight from down south. If she wasn’t from the dirty dirty then she definitely just had a baby who helped spread her hips wide.

She had that prissy soft girl shit going on with her. The only thing I didn’t like was all that fucking make up and pretty curly red hair covering up most of her face. Her curly fro was so big, I frowned at the fact that her ass ain’t have anything covering her head while serving folks their food. Yea, Era was gon’ hear from me ASAP. I didn’t need any bad reviews on my establishment because of this ditzy ass pretty bitch.

I grabbed the napkins out of her trembling hands then enclosed my whole hand on top of hers. Raising my brows and licking my lips, I gave her a tight smile.