Page 41 of Dope Boys: Most Wanted
Reign shook her head no, reached in the bag without rebuttal and pulled out a burrito. “You want yours?”
Markus nodded. “Yeah.”
Reign pulled it out and handed it over. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. You good?”
“Lots of soft tissue bruising other than that, I’m blessed to be alive and fully healthy,” Reign muttered, opening the burrito and then looking at him. “I can work. Which I really need to do because I need some place to lay my head.”
“Yeah, that’s handled.”
“Handled?”Reign asked, her face twitching with irritation at his intrusiveness. She was thankful far beneath the surface. However, the trauma of men being nice to her always yielded her pain in some fashion.
Markus grunted, unbeknownst to Reign, her comment earlier zapped his system. The habit he was forming, she clocked it. The first time she saw him, she saw it. Markus was dancingwith his demons and while he appeared to be nice, she knew what was next. She wasn’t going for it.
“Yeah, Nia and I got a couple spots throughout the city. You’ll stay at one.”
“What’s the cost?”
“Ain’t no cost. It’s on me.”
The comment made her scoff with knowing, her trauma on display for him to see glimpse of her reserve. “It’s on you now until you feel like it or them demons you’re playing with tell you you’re owed more. Then pussy is a requirement for payment and when I refuse that then hands and feet are being put back on me. And then I’m back in this position far from home with nothing. No, I’m not going for it.”
Markus eased to a stoplight and peered at her. “You work for me and Nia. You see a small glimpse of what we got going on. I protect my business. You know a piece of my business. I don’t want shit from you. If that were the case, I would’ve led with my charming representative, not the nigga I am at the root. I don’t have time to be chasing pussy and demanding the shit. I barely got time for this.”
“Yet here you are.”
He flexed his jaw, fighting with his filter. “Because you need me to be. And not on no arrogant nigga bullshit. You need someone to look out for you until your back on your shit. I see that fire in you. Fight me on everything else. Not this, aight?”
Reign peered back at him before turning away. “Okay. Can you take me back to the salon?”
“Yeah, after I get you some hot food and some shit to wear. Nia wants you to run that salon, you can’t run it lookin’ like that.”
Reign said nothing, for a moment she just allowed her body to relax in the seat. She hadn’t had a good night’s rest. She refused medicine for her headache. And her stomach wasgrowling. It’d been growling for days but she made a choice to sacrifice food so she could get by.
With her eyes closed, she replayed the doctor’s visit over again. She was undressed in a medical gown while this strange woman examined her. She ran a full panel, rapid STD and HIV/AIDS test, considering Reign’s history, a pregnancy test. All which came back negative. She was underweight and exhausted. Her immediate treatment was rest and to eat. Reign wasn’t going to rest today, she had commitments but passing up meals was over.
The ride was otherwise quiet outside of the radio playing.
“It’s your girl, Monee Mills, and we’re back on the air at PULSE 105.1 where we got our ear to the streets and the beats. Before break, I was telling y’all about the mayor’s sweep the street initiative. The order has these gangs turning on each other. Y’all be safe out there and stay off of Sunset,” the deejay host shared before announcing what she was playing next.
Reign’s eyes opened and looked at Markus’ profile.
“If you don’t want the answer, don’t ask me,” he muttered, pulling into the parking space in front of a small boutique. “Come on, she opened up early for you.”
Reign put their cold burritos back in the bag and turned to open the door. Markus had gotten out and purposely locked it so she wouldn’t open it. Once on the passenger side, he unlocked the door, pulled it open and looked at her.
“I ain’t a nigga of rules for real, but you’re not opening doors. I was raised to be decent.”
“Decent not right, noted,” Reign spoke, sliding out the truck and following him up the cobblestone path to block. Everything looked fancy like she would need a black card to think about shopping on this side of town. Walking past him, through the glass door, they were greeted by a middle-aged woman. Hersmile wide and bright enough to illuminate the whole city. Her energy was magnetic.
“Emilliano,” she gushed, opening her arms to him. “How are you?”
“I’m good, Aunt G,” he responded, hugging her and kissing her cheek. He released her and turned his attention to Reign. “This is my friend, Reign. She needs a new wardrobe.”
“I’m not his-” Reign started but Aunt G finished her sentence.
“Emilliano only has one friend I know about so to hold you in that regard, you must be special.” Aunt G studied Reign warmly before smirking with her finger on her chin. “Deante, pull some size fours. Once we get you some real food, we’ll get you back in an eight.”
