Page 97 of Heavy Is The Crown

“Checking in on my dog, man,” Jay-1 grinned. “Making sure you ain’t too deep in this 9-to-5 shit.”

Before Kenyatta could respond, Jay-1’s attention locked onto one of the leasing agents: Shanelle.

She was sitting behind her desk, unimpressed, arms crossed, watching him like he was one step away from getting cussed out.

Jay-1 licked his lips, adjusting his chain. “Damn, you look like you date drug dealers.”

Shanelle deadpanned. “I don’t.”

Kenyatta burst out laughing, shaking his head.

Jay-1 held a hand over his heart. “Damn, so you just gon’ hurt my feelings like that?”

Shanelle went back to typing. “Boy, you don’t have no damn feelings.”

Kenyatta smirked, cutting his eyes at Jay-1. “Go ahead, bruh. Take that L and get on.”

Jay-1 sucked his teeth, unfazed. “Aye, lemme holla at you real quick.”

Kenyatta exhaled hard, nodding toward the back office.

The bullshit was coming, and as soon as the door shut, Jay-1’s whole demeanor shifted.

Jokes were over.

“Aye, bruh,” Jay-1 started, his voice lower than usual, that tone that always came before some bullshit. “We got a problem.”

Kenyatta leaned back against the desk, arms crossing over his chest. “Nah, nigga.Yougot a problem. Speak for your damn self.”

Jay-1 sucked his teeth, shaking his head. “See, that’s where you wrong. It’s a ‘we’thing, ‘cause this shit gotyourname stamped all over it.”

Kenyatta’s jaw ticked. Here we go.

Jay-1 sighed, rubbing the back of his neck like even he didn’t want to say it out loud. “Rico want his bread, Yatta.”

Just like that, the whole energy in the room shifted.

Kenyatta stared at him. “Rico?”

Jay-1 nodded. “Yeah.ThatRico.”

Kenyatta dragged a hand down his face. “Man, that was seven years ago. I been locked down.”

“And now you out,” Jay-1 said, voice flat. “Which means, to him, that clock started ticking again.”

Kenyatta exhaled slow. He knew the game. You owe? You pay. Ain’t no extensions, ain’t no “mybad”, and damn sure ain’t no “let me hold a little more time”. The streets don’t do no favors, and the streets don’t forget.

He just needed time. Time to get his footing. Time to get his pockets right. Time to build before he had to deal with the weight of his past. But time wasn’t something Rico was in the business of giving.

“How much?” Kenyatta finally asked, even though he already knew whatever Jay-1 was about to say was going to be some bullshit.

Jay-1 blew out a slow breath. “Fifty.”

Kenyatta squinted. “Nigga…fifty? What…Fifty!”

Jay-1 lifted a shoulder. “Interest, nigga. You know how this shit go.”

Kenyatta let out a humorless chuckle, shaking his head. “Man, he taxing like I borrowed that shit from a damn bank.”

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