Page 1 of Nobody But You

PROLOGUE

Stephon Rockwell

Past

We’d been driving for an hour before we took the exit off the interstate. A few left turns later, we were heading down a dark, winding road with no streetlights in sight. North Carolina was ‘country’ as hell. I don’t think I would ever get used to seeing all the damn trees.

Driving in complete darkness and not being able to see shit fucked with me, so I sat up in my seat.

“Yo, you good, bro?” Devin asked.

“Where in the hell are we, D?”

“Fields Boro. Your city boy ass needs to relax,” he said, chuckling before he turned the car down a gravel road. At the end, a run-down club or bar sat. I didn’t know what in the hell the small building was by looking at it from the outside. The name that was placed over the door said Trap Room.

Around fifty cars were crowding inside the tiny dirt lot. Devin found a spot to park and then exited, going straight towards the trunk, with me following. He retrieved a book bag, closed it, and threw it over his shoulder. I followed slightly behind while we proceeded to head inside. As we walked, I glanced around, noting that there were no security cameras on the outside premises, nor was there any security at the door.

This place is on some bullshit, I see!

No security meant everyone in this motherfucker was strapped, and if you thought otherwise, you’d be a fool. We entered the dark, smoke-filled room lit only by a few fluorescent lights. Devin tapped me on the arm, pointing to the corner in the back, where we made our way and sat.

“What time is he supposed to be here? His ass better not be late,” I huffed out as I looked down at my watch after only a few minutes. I wasn’t looking for an answer, and Devin didn’t give one. He knew when I was getting pissed. It was almost midnight. I had no business being out, knowing I had a game tomorrow. I was supposed to be in bed, resting my mind and body for the beating it would surely take. Yet here I was in a dingy hole-in-the-wall club bar deep in some small ass city called Fields Boro.

Devin trusted me to have his back and gave me the same. My trust was a privilege that not many had. So, I didn’t hesitate to ride out when he called. No questions asked. Besides, we were both cutthroat and ruthless. We’d been doing this together since we were eighteen. Devin Haven and his two brothers, Dorien or Ren, his blood brother, and Demitri Cain or Demi, his chosen brother, hadbeen in the streets longer than that. They would usually be with us, but were at a different location tonight. They were off doing the same thing we were here to do. We were distributing, picking up, and dropping off. At the end of the month, the money would come up short for this location. So, Devin split us up because he wanted to handle it personally.

My game schedule didn’t usually interfere with my extracurricular activities. Which meant I was risking it all. I was out way past the deemed team curfew of ten o’clock. The usual time was eleven, but we’d fucked up at practice this week, so our coach was on a rampage. I played football for Carolina University as the starting wide receiver. This was my third year playing. Coach knew I wasn’t staying another year. Fuck that; I was going to the league. It was time. The last thing I needed was to end up getting injured off some bullshit trick play coach had drawn up.

For as long as I could remember, I dreamed of making it pro regardless of the money. I’d told my roommate and teammate, Nick, to cover for me when Coach called for check-ins. I wasn’t sure he could pull it off, but my money and loyalty were more important. For looking out, I would slide him a few bills if he didn’t fuck it up. Coach Peterson didn’t play that shit. It didn’t matter if I was the star of the team. If I missed curfew, my ass would be riding the bench. I couldn’t afford to do that, not with league recruiters set to be at today’s game. After rechecking my watch, I saw it was indeed the next day, a little after twelve.

“You got somewhere you need to be, Steph? This is the second time your ass looked at that damn watch.” Devin said, leaning intome to speak over the music's bass. I gave him a deadpan expression before I responded.

“Nigga you know my ass has a game this afternoon, so don’t start with all that bossman shit.”

“Damn, I forgot all about that! Why didn’t you say anything?” He asked.

“Because we’re family, and it’s family over everything.”

“Facts,” he said, holding my gaze before dapping me up. I wouldn’t leave him out here alone, even though I knew he could handle himself without any of us. So, here we were… wherever the fuck we were, sitting in the darkest corner of the already dark, dimly lit room. We’d been here for thirty minutes.

I hated walking into a place that I hadn’t vetted. I liked to be the first in the room, waiting in situations like these, hence my irritation. I’d usually come in to ensure everything was solid before the three of them. However, when we arrived, it was already jumping. My personality wouldn’t allow me to relax, so I’d been coaching myself that I was good.

The smoke wafting around us thickened the air. It made seeing even more difficult, which added to my annoyance. We were facing the door, wearing all black and ski masks rolled into beanies on top of our heads. The music was bumping, and with the crowd of drunk bodies filling the makeshift dance floor, we faded to black. The others were scattered throughout, unknowing that we were even there. That was the way we wanted it. At least the music selection was on point, enough for me to catch the beat. Kirko Bangz’s Drink in My Cup was playing.

Devin was heavy in the game and was distro to several East Coast states. He was known in the underworld as One; his brothers were Dorien, Two, and Demitri, Three. I went by Rock and stood in as their proxy. I acted as One, Two, or Three, depending on who couldn’t be with the trio. We were on a mission to take over every fucking thing. We wanted to control it all.

On any typical day, I was simply Stephon or Steph. If we were going by Devin’s appearance, you would never be able to tell he was deep in this shit. His ass was extra intelligent, and he wore these glasses that would fool you. He looked nerdy, to be honest. I chuckled at the thought.

He wasn’t wearing his glasses tonight, though he’d replaced them with contacts. Either way, Devin’s unassuming appearance was his ace of spades. He was merciless and had to be to have made it this far. The crazy part was that he and his brothers were incognito, like ghosts in the game. No one knew they were the men behind the curtain because they always wore masks. Even when they were corner boys. At the time, they didn’t want their fathers to know they’d followed in their footsteps running the drug game. We all wore masks anytime business was conducted. No one had any idea who we were. We were doing it the right way.

If only there were a right in this world of wrong.

Devin tapping me on my shoulders brought me out of my thoughts.

“Yo, there they go right there,” he said as he pointed toward the door where two men had walked in. This man didn’t missa fucking thing. I was better, though, especially when I knew I needed to be on my shit. I’d let him have it tonight.

“How you know that’s him? I can barely see shit. I forgot your ass got them damn telescopes in.”

“Fuck you, Steph,” he said, laughing. From what I understood, the owner’s son was the one we were meeting.

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