Page 55 of Only if You Catch Me
“Bro, I swear to God, I never said your name.”
“Don’t ever again in your life call me bro,” I seethed. “You got a lot of nerve. You never said my name. I’m supposed to say thank you? Why would you do that to Lox?”
“Man, I fucking panicked. I don’t know. They caught me when I was high as hell. I had one of those guns on me that you got from David. I didn’t know if the shit had a body on it. I already had enough dope to get me sent up the river. I just, man I regret that shit every day. If I could take it back I would.”
“We don’t have anything to talk about, Ryder. I’d suggest you get the fuck off my doorstep.”
“I promise I didn’t drop your name. I just want to ask if you’ll look out for my mom’s while I’m gone. I helped her get a house with a high ass mortgage, and I don’t want her to lose it. I have enough put up to help her pay it for maybe six months after I leave. After that, I don’t know.”
I frowned so hard, I could only imagine what I looked like. “Nigga, you really standing here asking me to give your mother money? All the years you sold dope. You have not one but two businesses. You ratted on Lox and tried to act like Ray Ray was the only snake in the crew.”
The more I spoke the angrier I got. Ryder’s audacity had me hitting him in the face. He ate the punch probably because of the alcohol in his system, but he didn’t try to fight back. “I deserve that.”
“You deserve more than that. Fuck you, fuck your moms, and fuck her house.”
Ryder’s lip twitched, but he kept his mouth closed. He didn’t like me saying what I did about his mother, and I really didn’t care. His moms was cool. She’d never done anything to me personally, but if I didn’t get arrested, the only people I’d be looking out for were Lox’s girl and their child. I couldn’t care less if Ryder’s mother ended up homeless. It didn’t have anything to do with me.
Ryder walked off, and I slammed the door behind him. Every single day that I woke up and wondered if it was the day the Feds were coming, I hated Ryder a little more. The anticipation was killing me. They couldn’t have been still building a case because I didn’t have anything going on. Maybe he told the truth, and he didn’t mention my name. I still didn’t feel like I was out of the woods enough to get comfortable and let my guard down. The only gun I had in my house was legal and registered to me. I had some emergency cash in my house, but it wasn’t more than $25,000, and I had legit sources of income to account for large sums of cash.
If they were going to get me, they were going to get me off old shit because I hadn’t done anything new. Since I didn’t know if I’d be going away, I’d been working less and spending more time with my family and Persia. I hadn’t told anyone in my family what was going on. I couldn’t bring myself to tell my mother that I might be going away. Chartering a private jet, getting a fake passport, and leaving the country had crossed my mind several times. I doubted Persia would want to leave the country to live life on the run with me.
Going back upstairs, I got dressed for the meeting I had at work. I wasn’t wasting any time letting my realtors know that Persia and I were merging our companies. We’d be the only two Brokers In Charge at the firm, so when I left, if I left, they would be working under her. They should have already been familiar with her, but in case they weren’t, I had called a meeting. OnceI was dressed, I grabbed a bottle of water along with my keys and headed out the door. Persia and I had a dinner date. I was literally living every day with her like it was my last. Knowing I could be picked up at work, a restaurant, my home, it was embarrassing. I had a lot of years of spending money and having fun in the game, so I had to deal with the consequences like a G.
Seconds after I walked into the conference room, Persia came in wearing a mint green wrap dress that had my joint standing at attention.
“Got damn,” I mumbled as she blushed.
“Don’t start. I don’t want these people thinking I fucked my way to the top.”
“But you did.”
Persia hit me playfully just as Morgan walked into the room. She’d been acting weird ever since she walked in on me and Persia. I could tell she felt some type of way that I wouldn’t have sex with her again, but I simply wasn’t interested. She never said anything to me, but she always had this look on her face like she didn’t know if she wanted to slap me or fuck me. I was pretty sure she hated my guts.
I waited for everyone to come in and get seated. I introduced Persia for the ones that didn’t know her. I made them aware that they would report to either me or her. We were one in the same, and neither one of us held higher rank than the other. That announcement had Morgan’s jaw muscles flexing while she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Persia already had the green light to get rid of her if she started acting dumb. I wasn’t having it.
“Any questions?” I looked around the room after Persia said what she had to say.
No one had questions, so I dismissed everyone. Persia once again hit me on the arm.
“Ouch,” I jested. “What you keep hitting me for?”
“You and your wayward dick got that girl looking at me like I owe her money. She acts like I told you to break her heart.”
“She’ll be aight,” I waved the comment off. “And if not, she better go find another firm to work for.”
“I hear you, boss. I’m going to go spend another hour or so packing up my office before I head home to get ready for our date.”
I didn’t respond with words. Staring into her eyes, I placed a peck on her lips. Then another. And another before letting her walk away. I had no clue how I’d make it if I ended up behind those gates leaving Persia free to catch the eyes of another man. I had screwed up royally, and I wasn’t sure I could do anything to fix it.
The next morning, I was walking toward my office building when I saw numerous black unmarked cars parked close to the door. They had finally come for a nigga. I refused to get arrested inside the building. Standing on the sidewalk, I stared in the direction of the vehicles. They all had super dark tint, but I knew the occupants inside the vehicle saw me. I was standing there basically telling their asses to come get me. I was sure they wanted to storm into the building and put on a big show, but I wasn’t giving them that. They were taking me on my terms.
Easing my cell phone out of my pocket, I went to my messages, so I could text my lawyer. I assumed they didn’t trust what I might be doing, so it was then they decided to hop out of their vehicles. Four men and two women advanced toward me as I hit send. It was crazy they had to come more than six deep just to get me because I knew some of them remained in their cars.
“Mr. Miller?” a Brunette wearing shades approached me first.
I didn’t respond because she obviously knew who I was. I wasn’t about to play games with them. When I didn’t answer, she smirked and pulled her handcuffs out. “Yeah, you’re Mr. Miller. Hands behind your back for me please.”
I tuned her out as she read me my rights. Her co-workers stood back watching like they’d accomplished some great feat. I was a big fish, but I wasn’t the biggest, and they knew it. Especially since I didn’t hustle anymore. They wanted my plug, and they would never get it. I chose the game. No one made me sell drugs. If they wanted my plug, they would have to get him on their own. I wasn’t doing their job for them. As far as my business, that shit stopped with Ryder and Ray Ray. I couldn’t wait to see my motion of discovery and see whose name was in my paperwork.
