EIGHTEEN
p-ssy WAS THE ONE THING THAT COULD make the sharpest hustler dull and as Nico sat in the strip club making it rain on his favorite dancers, he was the epitome of stupidity. He was lax because he knew that Baron was powerless from where he was sitting, and A’shai was on the run. The way he saw it, there would be no consequences for his actions. Contributing to Willow’s death had been a mistake, but hitting Baron’s safe had been a lovely caper. He had no intention of sticking his uncle until the police arrested Baron. The opportunity had presented itself and Nico was too greedy to let his loyalty override the temptation to come up. He was in the clear, and because he was family he knew that Baron would never suspect him. Being an intricate part of Baron’s operation, Nico wasn’t new to money, but he was a virgin when it came to prestige and power. He wanted respect in the streets and as the dollar bills danced in the air around him he felt it for the first time. What he didn’t realize was that the half-naked chicks in the club didn’t respect him. In their eyes he was a trick. They could tell he was an easy mark because he was too flamboyant. He was eager to flaunt his cash and in many ways the ladies around him were on top of their hustles more than he would ever be. He sat back as he watched the girl on stage as she shook her derrière while he reveled in his newfound status. He had been asking for more responsibility for a long time, but Baron had dismissed him. I’m his f*cking blood nephew, and he made me second behind Shai. That’s the only person he saw. Shai wasn’t running the trap by himself, but he took all the credit. Well now I’m taking what’s due to me, Nico thought as he hit the shot of Patron and relaxed in the plush booth. He felt his manhood brick as he watched one the dancers put her thing down on stage. She pulled her thong to the side revealing the prettiest p-ssy lips he had ever seen, and she bent over, grabbing her ankles as she made her ass cheeks give a round of applause. There was nothing like a bad bitch on a pole to stroke his ego. He knew that he should be lying low and keeping his newfound wealth a secret but splurging in the club made him feel good. As Nico popped bottles of Rose in the club, he and his new crew of young gunners lived it up. He had assembled a few shooters and some new block lieutenants, forming his own squad. What Nico craved was an empire, but he was merely copying what he had seen while working underneath his uncle. The men who had worked for Baron had pledged their allegiance out of loyalty and love. The only larcenous snake that had been around Baron was Nico, everyone else was family. Nico’s organization was newborn. They were wild, reckless, and out for self. They were only ‘yes’ men because Nico was the new money man. They respected the money . . . not the man and the thought of being loyal to anyone other than themselves was a joke. But as Nico balled out, he was blind to it all. He felt like the new king and couldn’t wait to take the game by storm.
“That bitch badder than a mu’f*cka,” he commented as he watched the dancer work the pole as if it were a fine art. She had to have a degree in seduction because she was making Nico feel like he was the only man in the room.
Nico’s eyes were low from the effects of the champagne. He was feeling good and a night cap with the beauty in front of him would set the night off. As one of the waitresses passed his booth he put a $50 bill in the air and waved it arrogantly to gain her attention.
“Can I get you something?” she asked.
“Yeah . . . her,” Nico replied as his eyes never left the stage and he nodded towards the dancer shaking her assets to the new Drake beat, grinding slowly. She was mesmerizing Nico with her slim waist and round ass. Her curves were killing him, and his dick was so hard that he had to adjust his hard-on in his jeans to conceal it. “Tell her I pay nice. I want a private dance.”
“New girls don’t do dances, but I can hook you up,” the girl stated flirtatiously as she tried to steal the other dancer’s one-on-one.
“Maybe next time, ma. I want her,” Nico commented.
The girl rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth as she took the $50 tip from his hand before leaving to go deliver the message. He had a couple stacks in his pocket and had a goldmine in the trunk of his car. So if the girl was for sale then he could afford to buy her, and he was ready for a fun night of mind-blowing sex.
A’shai sat in the shadows of the strip club as he watched Nico out of the corner of his eye. He admired the stripper on the pole, wanting to appear to be just another patron. The black Armani Exchange hoodie and NY fitted cap he wore concealed his identity. He nursed a drink as he scoffed at his idiot cousin while rubbing the scar on the side of his face. This nigga is making this shit too easy, A’shai thought. Nico had not been hard to find. A’shai knew that Nico lived in the strip clubs and wouldn’t be able to resist flashing his new paper for the hood to see. As he watched carefully he noticed the bulge on Nico’s hip. He then noted the four flunkies that Nico was surrounded by. He was sure that they were all strapped. They must’a paid the bouncer to get in here with the strap, A’shai said to himself as he felt his own steel in the front of his hoodie. As Nico flirted with the girl, A’shai watched intensely, peering at the couple and slowly rubbing his scarred face as Nico’s hands slid up the dancer’s thighs. I can’t wait to clap this clown ass nigga, he thought. Nico and the girl stood to go to a private room. There was only one way in and one way out so Nico would have nowhere to run. Once A’shai had sat back to analyze the situation, he realized that Nico had always been a snake in the grass. What Baron had been willing to dismiss as incompetence, A’shai saw as sedition. Nico had sparked a chain of events that Shai could never pardon. I don’t know why I didn’t see it before. Nico was the only person who knew I was up north . . . that’s how Samad was able to find me. That bomb would’ve never been underneath my car, A’shai thought angrily. Because of Nico a woman that A’shai loved had been murdered. Outwardly, A’shai appeared calm but inside he was fuming. Many people had taken A’shai’s controlled demeanor as his weakness, but it was simply the calm before the storm. He didn’t talk bad or make scenes . . . he put in work. There wasn’t a need to talk about his actions. Talking too much was a quick way to get caught up on the wrong side of the law. As he saw Nico’s back disappear into the backroom he slid his hand inside the front pocket of his hoodie and clicked his gun off safety. He stood to locate Big Ray, the club’s owner. Big Ray was a close affiliate of Baron’s . . . in fact Baron had put up some paper a few years ago to help Big Ray keep his establishment open after running into some financial issue with the IRS. Big Ray owed Baron a favor and helping A’shai set this trap was a part of the deal. Unbeknownst to Nico, he was flossing Baron’s cash in an establishment that Baron in fact owned a percentage of.
“I can’t believe that boy. Baron’s raised him as his own and this is the way he repays him,” Big Ray stated.
“Don’t worry about it,” A’shai stated. “All I need for you to do is keep his goons occupied. Show em’ a good time.” A’shai winked his eye as Big Ray looked over to the table where Nico’s new entourage was partying.
“I’ll show em’ a real good time. I’ve got the perfect distraction,” Big Ray stated. He pulled one of his best girls to the side and sent her, along with four other ladies, over to their table with a bottle of premium vodka. Big Ray nodded his head, and A’shai slid him his last $2,000 then patted the older man on the back.
“I’ll handle the rest,” A’shai said.
Big Ray nodded, admiring A’shai’s actions. He had been present at Willow’s funeral and had been one of many who had witnessed A’shai be turned away at the door.
“You’re a good son, Shai . . . Baron knows that. Willow did too,” Big Ray said.
A’shai nodded his head and walked towards the private room where Nico was being entertained. It was show time, and A’shai was about to send one of the devil’s minions right back down to hell.
Nico’s hands rested on the girl’s ass as she danced between his legs. He groped and grabbed at her curvaceous frame.
He pulled out a thick rubber band knot and placed it on his thigh. “I got it to spend, ma . . . now earn your keep,” he said daringly, knowing that just weeks earlier he was the most humble nigga in the club. Before he had robbed Baron he would have never had the nerve to behave so piggishly, but he was smelling himself.
“My time is valuable, but from the looks of it you can afford it,” the girl replied as she began to unbutton his jeans before sliding the zipper down slowly. She licked her red stained lips and positioned herself between his legs as he revealed his manhood to her.
He was comfortable and had a pocket full of rubbers. He waited for her to get it popping and he massaged himself as he watched her walk across the room. When he saw her step into a pair of jeans he frowned.
“Yo. What’s up, baby? What you doing?” he asked.
“Setting you up,” she replied.
“What bitch?!” he shouted, caught off guard. A set up was the last thing that he had expected when he had entered the soundproof, private lap dance room. He started to lunge towards her but was halted instantly when he saw her pointing his own gun at him. Her hand shook slightly, revealing her nervousness, but Nico knew that all it took was the slightest tug on his hair trigger to send lead flying his way.
“Sit your ass back down,” she instructed as she walked over to the door and unlocked it. Moments later A’shai walked into the room. He kissed Liberty on the lips and tapped her behind slightly.
“Finish getting dressed, ma,” he said. “Did he touch you?” he asked, slightly vexed that Nico had even gotten a chance to see Liberty’s body. Don’t matter. The nigga won’t be seeing nothing in a minute. As soon as I get that paper I’m rocking his ass to sleep, A’shai thought.
“Damn, fam,” A’shai said sarcastically as he looked at naked ass Nico in disgust. “You got your little dick all out, making it rain . . . you doing it real big, huh?” He took a glance at Nico’s manhood as it went soft. “Or should I say little.”
Nico kicked himself for not recognizing Liberty. The last time he had seen her he hadn’t been paying attention to her face and because of that she was able to lure him without arousing suspicion. Liberty finished dressing, and A’shai nodded towards the door. “Wait for me in the car, ma,” he said.
Liberty put Nico’s gun inside of her handbag before walking out onto the crowded club floor. A’shai stared menacingly at Nico. His pistol wasn’t even drawn, and he could already see the intimidation in Nico’s eyes.
“What is all this about, fam? You coming up in here like this . . . going through all of this to catch me by surprise. What’s going on?” Nico asked playing dumb.
“Where’s the money?” A’shai asked.
Nico’s eyes shot behind A’shai as he hoped that his crew would come in and save him.
“If you’re looking for the clowns you came in here with you can stop. A few of my lady friends are taking care of them,” A’shai said as he rubbed his hands together. “Where’s my father’s money? You’re the only other person who knew the combo.”
Nico knew that there was no use denying it, but his mind spun as he tried to think of a way out of the situation. “That’s what this is all about?” Nico asked. “Unc’s paper? I wasn’t going to steal it, fam. You got it all wrong. I was trying to make sure the FEDS didn’t take it. After Unc got arrested, I went into the safe. I thought I was looking out. I moved the money so that the FEDS didn’t get to it first,” Nico explained, lying through his teeth.
“Why all the shady shit then, fam? Why didn’t you just say that?” A’shai stated as he kicked Nico’s clothes over to him. “Put your shit back on, duke. You straight slipping out here. If I had been another nigga, you would be slumped.”
“I know cuz . . . I’m tripping. That shit with Baron got me kinda f*cked up. You get the head, the body will fall, nah mean?” Nico asked. “I thought we were all next. I’m up in here trying to get my mind off things.” Nico quickly put his clothes back on, and A’shai palmed his own pistol inside the hoodie. His finger was already on the trigger just in case Nico tried to jump stupid.
A’shai shook his head and wrapped one arm around Nico’s shoulder as he patted him sympathetically. He was putting on a naïve show befriending Nico, when he really wanted to splatter his brains all over the floor. Not wanting to create a scene inside of the establishment, A’shai played nice and lured Nico outside, making him think that all was forgiven. “You got to move smarter, fam. You had me worried . . . thinking you had pulled grimy. I go to check the safe, and it’s empty . . . you know how that can look,” A’shai schooled as he led him towards the exit and into the parking lot.
The only light that illuminated the parking lot was the overhead street lamp. Although the lot was full of vehicles, no one loitered outside. No witnesses, A’shai thought, the murderous part of him coming out.
“I need you to take me to that paper. Pops need it for the lawyers,” A’shai stated as he walked behind Nico.
There was no way that Nico was coming up off that money and thoughts of killing A’shai filled his mind.
“Of course. I’ve got it in the trunk,” Nico said. A’shai shook his head in disgust at Nico’s carelessness. He was surprised that his bone-headed antics hadn’t led the police to them a long time ago. A’shai knew niggas that would tie up a bitch and her kid for that type of paper and here Nico was riding around with it in an unsecure trunk.
Sweat formed on Nico’s brow as he hit the alarm and popped the release on his trunk. He reached into the trunk where the bag lay and reached right beside it to grab the chrome .9mm that rested beside it.
“You still keep that nine in your trunk?” A’shai asked letting Nico know that he was two steps ahead of him.
“I..uh..yeah why what’s good?” Nico asked.
“I’mma need that too,” A’shai stated simply. Nico knew that if he tried to come up shooting A’shai would blow his brains off. He had the drop on him and at that moment all Nico could do was concede. He came up out the trunk and handed A’shai the bag of money, then dropped the gun inside.
Nico held out his hand, and A’shai embraced him, pulling him into his chest to show love. “Sleep tight, you bitch ass nigga,” A’shai whispered as he squeezed his trigger.
POP! POP! POP!
Nico’s body crumpled instantly to the concrete and Liberty immediately pulled up beside A’shai. He hopped into the car and she pulled off smoothly, disappearing from sight before anyone even came out the door to witness their departure.