Page 31 of Dope Boys: Most Wanted
Almost an hour later, Reign sat in the seat, her hair trimmed, shampooed, deep conditioned, blown out, wrapped and pinned.
Nia grinned proudly. “The only thing you’re missing is some hoop earrings and a fresh pair of butters.”
Reign pinned her brows. “Butters?”
“Yeah, Timbs. The sidewalks get icy in the winter,” Nia shared, removing her cape. “I have a proposition for you.”
Reign wearily looked at her. “What?”
“Nothing crazy,” Nia corrected. “Let’s say I can get you a driving license and a cosmetology license under the table, you work here Tuesdays and Thursdays until I do and you take over the other salon? I am up to my eyeballs with clients and as you see, half these stylists ain’t shit. You keep all the money you make, we continue to cover the overhead. You stack and get on your feet. And stay there.”
Reign chewed on the inside of her lip, the next question, she knew the answer to. “Do I have to handle any of the product?”
Nia shook her head. “No one touches that side of the business besides me and Money.”
“Is it going to be stored in the shop?”
“Occasionally. Is that something we can trust you with?”
“I just want to mind my own business and stay as lowkey as possible. Plus, in this world, anything other than trust gets you killed,” Reign stated.
Nia took that comment in, realizing Reign had been involved in a lot more than she let on. The trust between women now was a two way street. Nia needed to trust Reign with the business and Reign needed to trust Nia with her story.
Before she could reply, Cyn walked in. “Sorry I’m late, I was supposed to be doing a half shift but those patients and doctors just can’t get their shit together.”
Cyn stopped, noticing Reign’s presence and frowned just enough for Reign to detect her detest. “Didn’t know you had company.”
“I was just about to finish stocking,” Reign said, turning on her sneaker-covered feet. She was used to women not liking her off of her mere presence. Since she wasn’t even looking remotely her best, she assumed Cyn had bigger issues and none of which had anything to do with her.
“You really should try being nice,”Nia shared as Cyn sat down.
“Not the pot calling the kettle black, hm?” Cyn buzzed. “Is she another project to distract you or what?”
Nia squinted slightly. “What does that mean?”
“It means you hold a torch for your mother, and you want to save every woman you think is running from something. I don’t trust her,” Cyn stated, as if she had concrete facts to go off of.
Nia redirected the conversation because she had never been the type of woman to talk behind another’s back. If there was a real issue Cyn had, she would have laid it on the table. But if this was over some spilled ice coffee, Cyn could get over it.
“Something going on with you and B?” Nia posed, immediately finding the answer in the way her friend’s body tensed. “Bingo. Every time you two got some shit going on, you want to take it out on someone else. What he do now?”
“It’s not about what he did. It’s what Money did,” Cyn grumbled. “Demoting him, putting him back on the streets. At least I knew when he was with Money things would be fine but leaving him and Angel up to their own devices doesn’t sit well with me, Nia. Not to mention a war and everything else. I’m a nurse, I’m not trying to have my man come in on a stretcher.”
“Isn’t that how you met him?” Nia quizzed and Cyn gave her a deadpanned expression. “So what, you want him off the streets?”
“I want him back where he was. And you know like I know Money won’t hear shit I have to say about it. We’re a family. We need to look like it,” Cyn spoke, looking at Nia. “They need to come back center. And soon, before shit goes left.”
“You got to let the men handle the men shit,” Nia advised. “You know we play our roles. We always have.”
Cyn scoffed. “Tell me how that’s working? Luciano breathing down our necks because of those kids, G fuckin’ on Neveah and still hasn’t been touched behind it for real. Money putting his right hand on the block. No. It’s not working. Staying in our roles ain’t fuckin’ workin’, Nia. This all can touch us at any second.”
“I think you need to relax,” Nia warned. “They’re going to figure it out.”
“I’m not waiting until it’s too late. Just know that,” Cyn threatened. For her sake, Nia didn’t reply, but she did hold on to it. When B was close to the top, Cyn didn’t have a complaint in the world. Now that B had to prove his loyalty again, she suddenly had concerns. Those were red flags for Nia. Red flags meant more unwanted trouble.
“I hear you, Cyn.”
“I hope so because you got these new people around. Do you even know where she came from and why she’s here? Be careful, you’re going to let her get too close and she’s going to be on some hoe shit.”
