Page 61 of Save Room for Us

“Low is young but he smart, smarter than niggas twice his age at times. Free gon’ back him up though.”

“Free? I mean, he cool and got years in, but not like me. I should be there, you know, just to make sure shit is actually straight.”

“They gon’ be good, Grady.”

“Man, Sif, I need more responsibility. Shit, you got niggas like Low who main meal is breastmilk still, and Free who came in the game after me, I know it, doing shit I should be doing. Shit, I’m older than you.”

“You are, and that should tell you something.” I let the silence linger. “Chill out and play ya part until it’s time, G.”

“I been doing that?—”

“You gon’ get enough of questioning me, my nigga. This ain’t no fucking roundtable discussion. I put the order out, and it gets followed. You shouldn’t even have no fucking questions. That’syo’ fucking problem. You so busy focusing on appearances, how shit look, and where you think you should be instead of actually putting in the work to get there.

“You older than me, but you work under me for a fucking reason. The shit you think you know, you don’t. That’s why you haven’t elevated on ya own or within Money Fiends. No muthafucka who is constantly questioning and being insubordinate as fuck is ever gon’ graduate to being my right hand.”

“I got you. You right.” He nodded, but I didn’t miss the way his eyes low-key sized me up.

I fucked with Grady and liked the way he worked, for the most part, but I was feeling like I was gon’ have to murk him. It was proper for me to wait until the nigga actually showed some disloyalty, but I was an impatient ass nigga. Once you started to show a hand I didn’t fuck with, it was off with ya head. I knew dropping Grady from the team wouldn’t work, because he’d feel spurned and try to retaliate, getting himself killed regardless.

For now, I would keep his ass close but also keep an eye on him. I would never let a muthafucka with potential to be my enemy out of my line of sight and into the wild.

“I know you be fucking bitches against the window.” Unique sat in my office at St. Thomas Financial, eyeing the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“I don’t.” I laughed at this nigga.

Unique and I used to be attached at the hip, but as we got older, our interests weren’t alike. He dove headfirst intothe acting shit, and it worked, sending him to different states sometimes within the same week. I was going through growing pains and eventually ended up in the shit I was into currently, getting cool—as cool as I would allow—with other people. Now we had our own circle, but we would always be brothers.

“You missing out, nigga.” Unique shook his head.

“Who you don’ fucked up against a window to know that I’m missing out?” I asked as a knock sounded off on the door.

“Stay out my business, nigga,” he replied as I told Diamond to come in. She was the only visitor I got at the moment, and she visited often.

She stayed wearing tight, revealing shit, giving me the look that let me know if I wanted any type of sexual reprieve, a nigga could get it. Had she been anyone else but an employee of the bank, I might have indulged. But the fact remained that she was, and my attention was on Anastazia anyway. If I wanted that woman, I couldn’t split my attention on other females. I was giving 100 percent effort when it came to her ass.

“I noticed you had a guest and wondered if you two wanted anything from the break room.” Diamond stared me down in the little ass dress that hugged her thick ass frame. “Anything you’d need.”

Unique’s eyes mushroomed as he looked from her to me.

“I’m good, love, but thank you.”

“Wait, wait.” Unique gently grabbed her small hand, making her cheese. “I would like a sandwich.”

“Unique.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll be right back.” She switched out, and Unique watched.

“Did you hit? ’Cause if so, I’m gon’ pass on her ass.” He sat forward, eyeing me.

“Nah, and I don’t plan to.” I leaned back into my chair. “You know my mind and eyes been on someone else for a minute.”

“I do, but at the same time, nigga, you twenty-six, you rich out the ass, and ain’t got no fucking kids. You don’t need to be settling down with none of these chicken head ass bitches.”

Laughing, I replied, “A chicken head could never get my attention in this way, and you know it. Watch ya mouth, bruh.”

“I wasn’t speaking on her specifically, more so females in general.” He paused when Diamond knocked twice then entered, delivering him a sandwich. “Thank you, beautiful.” He licked his lips, holding the small white plate.

“Welcome,” she purred before switching out, putting a little something extra on it, and Unique again watched.

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