Page 32 of Too Many One Nights

“You don’t have to do that. I can get them myself,” I countered.

“I’ain ask you that. I said give ’em to me so I can fill them.” We stood in a standoff until I handed him the slips, and he walked off.

“Girl, you have your hands full.” Mel laughed.

“I know you’re not talking. From what I hear, so do you, and I wanna hear all about it, so come on.”

13

Chapter Thirteen

Buck

Aftergoingtothedoctor with Goldie, I can’t even lie and say that I didn’t feel a way about seeing and hearing the baby. It’s like I felt an instant connection with it, and I wasn’t sure if it was mine or not. Goldie didn’t give me conniving vibes, but I didn’t think Joi would be a conniving hoe either. I left her with her sister so I could head to D.E. for this meeting. I was late, but the shit was out of my control this time.

When I pulled up, I parked and headed upstairs. It felt like déjà vu when I walked in, and my pops glared at me. I ignored him and took my seat. I heard Kilo on the phone, so I knew they would be talking shit to a nigga.

“I’m glad you decided to join us, son,” my pops said with his voice laced with disdain.

“Unless I tell you I’m not coming, I’ll be here. Some shit came up I had to take care of,” I explained.

“Something more important than business?” I heard Kilo say through the speakers.

“Goldie had a doctor’s appointment, so yeah, I’d say that shit was more important than any fuckin’ thing,” I snapped.

“You couldn’t say that?” he shot back.

“Nigga, I can’t say shit when I’ain know.” I was getting mad all over again, thinking about how she kept the shit from me.

“Okay, okay. I get it, but son, the two of you need to get on the same page so you can still be able to handle business accordingly,” my pops stated.

The tension was thick for a minute but Stacks being him, smoothed that shit right on out.

“You niggas done with all that damn whining and shit?” He looked at me. “If so, Buck, you ain’t miss much of shit. We got a meeting with those Thoreau niggas in a few weeks, so we can discuss them supplying the dispensaries. We got a pickup with Dmitri at the end of the week. Everything is good to go on our end. We just need to make sure that these niggas willing to supply the shops. That’s different from buying pounds. That’s more product. They’re already our primary supplier, so the shit should be simple to add on. The biggest issue is making sure that they can supply the demand.” I listened to Stacks and smirked because the lil’ nigga was making me proud. We gave him shit for being the baby, but he was about his business, just like the rest of us.

“Aight, bet. I’ll be ready to go when it’s time. As long as Goldie doesn’t have an appointment,” I affirmed.

“How’s that going?” my pops asked.

Leaning back in my chair, I wiped my hand down my face and exhaled. “It’s going. I got her at the house so I can make sure she’s straight, but she’on say shit. I didn’t know about the appointment until they called from downstairs, saying that her sister was there. That shit had me hot. That’s why I’m late. I went to the appointment with her,” I explained.

“That’s understandable. Just make sure you two communicate. Even though I taught y’all that family is your first priority, you still have business to handle.”

“That’s not my family,” I asserted.

“Whether you want to admit it, son. That’s in fact your family until DNA says otherwise. Treat it as such.”

I stared at my pops for a minute longer before I turned my attention to the phone.

“Aye, nigga. I need to holla at you, so hit me later.”

“Yeah,” was all he said. He probably knew that I found out his lil’ secret.

“We done here?” I stood up. “I gotta get to Vault. We got a fight tonight. Stacks, you coming?”

“Hell yeah,” he responded as he stood. “I got twenty bands on that nigga, Juke.”

“Who the fuck crazy enough to bet against Juke?” Kilo asked.

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