Page 108 of Save Room for Us

“Nah, not like that, boss. I’m just saying, I think it’ll make his elimination easier if we take out his people.” Jere’s once cocky expression had shifted to one of a baby fresh off his mama’s nipple.

“Everybody in here knows we got strict rules against killing harmless muthafuckas, especially females. His mama and sisters don’t have shit to do with what Grady got going on.” I whipped my head around the room to be sure everyone in here understood what I said. “Bet not one of you niggas touch his family, or I’m gon’ touch you, have you waiting in line at the pearly gates right behind ’em.”

The room nodded, but Jere said, “I’m with all that but?—”

He wasn’t able to finish his sentence as I hit him in the bridge of his nose with the butt of my Glock.

“My bad. You thought this was a roundtable, a discussion or some shit. It’s not. However, if you got a problem with how I run shit, you can exit, be in the same position as Grady. But if you gon’ stay in here, lil nigga, you gon’ shut the fuck up, show some respect, and follow the muthafuckin’ rules.”

Jere nodded, eyes watering as he cupped his bleeding nose. I nodded for Free to take Jere to get his nose handled by Anastazia.

“Get up, nigga.” Free yanked Jere up, tugging him out the room.

“Like I said, touch Grady’s family and you dead. Don’t say shit about Money Fiends and Grady being on the outs, or you dead. You see that nigga, shoot first, ask questions later. Other than that, keep your eyes open, ears clear, and mouth shut. Aight?” I stated, and everyone nodded while clamoring about, a few of them letting out the snickers they’d been holding on Jere’s behalf as they filed out of the room.

I chopped it up with Low for a second, then went to step outside since I saw Unique calling.

“What’s good, nigga?” I picked up, eying the rural area that surrounded the warehouse.

“Where you at? Boo’d up?”

“Nigga, shut up. I will be later on.” I looked over my shoulder, back at the warehouse as if it were Anastazia. Crazy how I missed her ass, and she was in the same fucking building as me. A nigga had it bad.

“Sissy ass.”

“Funny you think me having a woman is being a sissy. You know what they say about them niggas that can’t settle down, right?”

“I don’t know what they say about them niggas, but it ain’t about me.” He shot back, making me laugh. “My biologicalfather stay settled down, and he like dick, so that already disproves ya theory.”

“Aight. We can change the subject. I ain’t trying to think about pastor and dick.”

Laughing, he said, “I’m having a party next weekend. I need you to come.”

“Girlfriends invited?”

“Asif, man, no! You my last single brother, dog!”

“Except I’m not.”

“Now who I’m gon’ fuck bitches with?”

“We never fucked bitches together.” I made sure I was still alone and that Anastazia wasn’t creeping up behind a nigga. “I ain’t into that type of shit.” Sliding in a bitch another nigga just pulled out of had never been my thing. If the homie fucked at any point in time, it was highly unlikely I would as well, let alone within minutes of each other.

“You know what I mean.”

“Yo’ co-star homeboy, what about him?”

“He with somebody, and I ain’t a fan ofhelpingniggas cheat, but seems like he’s all I got at the fucking moment.”

“Yep.” I snickered. “You fucked my secretary?”

I’d been meaning to ask.

“Why?”

I could tell by how he’d asked that something had gone down.

“’Cause she different, nigga. Be coming into my office all bashful and shit. And she ain’t worn a questionable length skirt in a month. That ain’t like her.” I watched Jere walk out with a bandaged nose, nodding his head to me in passing. “Did you?”

---