Page 35 of Heavy Is The Crown

Nub let out a deep, throaty laugh, clapping Kenyatta on the back with his good arm. “One arm still get more action than you, lil bro. Don’t play me.”

Jay-1 snickered, taking a deep pull of his blunt before squinting at Kenyatta. “Bruh, for real though, when you gon’ upgrade that piece of shit? I know a nigga that’ll fix it for the low.”

Kenyatta side-eyed him. “Nigga, I seen your ‘low price’ mechanics. I’d rather push this bitch before I let them touch my car.”

Tez snorted into his cup, while Nub shook his head.

Jay-1 shrugged. “A’ight, nigga, be broke-down then. Anyway, what’s up? We got some shit lined up. Money on the floor.”

Kenyatta knew exactly what that meant. Jay-1 always had something lined up. If Nub was standing there, it meant it was real money. But after that little stint over the weekend, Kenyatta wasn’t risking his freedom again.

“Like Saturday night, nigga?” Kenyatta asked.

Jay-1 sucked his teeth. “Man, that was some other shit.”

Kenyatta let out a short chuckle, shaking his head. “Nah.”

Jay-1 frowned. “Nigga, you ain’t even hear what it is.”

“Don’t need to. I’m cool. Yo’ ass gon’ have a nigga back locked the fuck up.”

Jay-1 sucked his teeth. “Man, I knew that bid was gon’ have you on some new-leaf bullshit. Nigga, the way you living, I know your back screaming from sleeping on yo’ Ma Duke’s couch. That shit got you rethinking life yet?”

Nub and Tez remained quiet, watching, waiting on how Kenyatta would respond.

Kenyatta clenched his jaw. He hated that. The assumption that prison had softened him.

Jay-1 leaned in. “Bro, this ain’t no small-time play. I’m talking real bread. Fast.”

Kenyatta let the silence stretch, gaze locked on the pavement like he was considering it. And that part of him was tingling, threatening to awaken. Because money like that, fast, easy, and familiar was tempting.

But then, he thought about Kaliyah. He had missed being there physically her whole entire eight years of life. He hated how now Brooke made sure he only saw her when it was convenient for her to see Kaliyah.

Then, out of nowhere, Krys popped in his mind. Not in a romantic way, but in a “What else is out there?” type of way.

She had options. Power. She wasn’t running from the law to get it.

Kenyatta dragged a hand over his face, shaking his head. “Nah, man. I’m cool.”

Jay-1 studied him for a second before scoffing. “So that’s it? You about to be one of these working ass niggas?”

Kenyatta pondered the thought. “Maybe.”

Jay-1 squinted at him. “Maybe? Nigga, what that even mean? You got something better lined up?”

Kenyatta hesitated, then shrugged. “Got a job.”

The other three men fell silent.

Then—

They erupted into laughter.

Jay-1 damn near dropped his blunt, stumbling back. “A job, nigga? You went from running shit to clocking in?”

Nub took another slow sip of Henny, then side-eyed him. “Real talk, Yatta? A job? Doing what?”

Kenyatta exhaled, already knowing how this was going to go.

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