Page 19 of In Too Deep

“I got goals,” I muttered with a boost of confidence.

Reaching his hand out, he swiped his finger under my chin. “Pretty girls always have goals.

I stared at him for a second. The sound of a truck blaring behind us jarred my attention away from his coffee bean-colored brown eyes. Allen cocked his head to the side and glanced down at his dimly lit phone screen. Naturally, he reached for the gun on his hip until the message he saw provided him with a sense of ease.

“That’s him. Go ahead and pop the trunk. I’ll give him his cut, just stay put and don’t move until I tell you to.”

Being obedient, I gave him a quick head nod and did as I was told. The small car swayed from side to side as he loaded everything in my trunk. Gripping the steering wheel, the palms of my hands felt sweaty. It wasn’t from the misty air. My nerves were wrecked, making me want to back pedal on puffing on theblunt when Allen offered it to me. I took a few deep breaths, and my nerves seemed to subside as I closed my eyes, waiting for Allen to give me the green light.

My eyes darted open and I clutched the lanyard holding the FedEx badge at the sound of someone tapping on the driver side window. I swallowed my spit, noticing Allen, and felt sort of relief, but was mindful enough to grip the gun that was tucked in my back.

He mouthed for me to roll the window down.

“You good?”

“Y-yeah,” I stammered.

“You want me to trail you home?”

“No, you don’t have to.”

“I ain’t gone try shit, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Could it be that I just don’t want you to know where I lay my head at?”

“Fair enough,” he tittered. “But aye, don’t keep that shit stored at yo spot. Get you a storage unit and drop that shit off there. To make shit make sense, it’s where I keep my guns. The only difference is that it ain’t in my name, so it won’t be a paper trail. You know anybody that could put it in their name off the strength of fucking with you, without keeping questions minimal?”

“Yeah,” I responded before thinking who I could use.

“Good, and you don’t need big shit a lil’ five by five would perfect. Nothing bigger than that. Where ‘bout you stay?”

“South Memphis, off Lamar and Semmes.”

“Aw so you know where that U-haul storage unit at then, huh?”

“Yeah,” I confirmed with a quick head, envisioning the exact location.

“I got a cousin who work there. Just give her my name, and she’ll fuck with you and whoever you get to sign off on it for you.Shouldn’t be charging you an arm and leg no way, but when you do that, holla at me and I’ll send you the Facebook page profile to upload the shit, so you can make your first sale.”

“Do I have to do it through the Facebook Marketplace? What about other options? The same way I do with the household items?”

“Do it however you feel comfortable, but the only reason I’m telling you this is because that Facebook page already has traction and trusted transactions. Just be smart on the way you move.”

“Okay.”

“If you need me for anything, just hit me up.”

His eyes, crinkling at the corners, held a warm, reassuring gaze. A silent promise hung in the air, felt as much as seen. I felt compelled enough to stay above my nerves and not further damage them by feeling worried. Allen spoke with a cool confidence, but not that I had any reason to doubt his skill. Most of that stemmed from thinking hard about what could go wrong, rather than focusing on what could go right.

SUNDAY, THE DAY AFTER THE HEIST

Pretty girls always have goals.

Allen’s voice resonated deep in my back of my mind like an implant.

I made my first sale. The payout went smooth. It was the easiest $2,000 I’ve ever made. Before the clock struck twelve noon, I made an easy $3,000. Allen’s plug got his cut, and I still had more than enough. I was a few thousand dollars richer than what Rome gave me the other day. It made me smirk at the thought of flipping it so easily, given the opportunity.Not wasting any more time, I paid up my rent. My landlord, Milly, talked shit when I walked inside of his rinky dink office, preparing to contact his notary to serve me the eviction soon. That was one thing scratched off my list, knowing I didn’t have to keep looking out of my window, jumping when a car door slammed, thinking it was a Shelby County sheriff about to knock on my door and put my things out. Next would be to get my car fixed and find a reliable repairman nearby. Soon, I’d have to return the Camry to Enterprise.

Like Allen told me last night, I purchased a storage unit. The broom Trecee had stuck up her ass had disappeared, which was a shocker. Something must’ve put a match to her ass. The constant bitching she did was normal, but I thanked her for the favor anyway. I had enough inventory left over, but so I wouldn’t have to keep making back to back trips to the unit, I grabbed a few iPhones to carry on hand.

---