Page 80 of Dope Boys: Most Wanted
Brantley shook his head. “Nah. Neveah was easy. This little bitch he got ain’t easy and she don’t talk. But she has Neveah’s salon. We got to go to The Port with this nigga tomorrow, she’s gon be out here with no protection. I need you to scare her.”
“How bad?” G questioned.
“Bad enough that she gets the fuck on,” Brantley spoke.
“Aight, that’s going to cost you, though. This drought is killing my pockets,” G shared.
“Leave them bitches alone, get your crew together, I’m about to open the flood gates,” Brantley shared as he moved to his car. “Get out of here before one of these niggas sees you. Angel, let’s go.”
Angel followed his brother. Quietly riding to their side of the city, where Markus had them running supply houses and serving corners. To them, it looked like everything was moving smoothly.
“Auntie told us to go home,” Angel said with confusion.
“I don’t give a fuck about what they say. I’m running these blocks,” Brantley grumbled, walking into the trap house. “I need four bricks for the club.”
Angel swayed, perplexed with the order.
“Move nigga!” Brantley barked.
Angel moved to the back of the house to the supply closet and did as he was told. The screeching of tires came as a prelude to the gunshots being fired into the house. Had Brantley been paying attention, he would have noticed that when he pulled up,the hustlers got out of the way. Brantley had always been five steps behind Markus.
If he was looking with green lenses that weren’t clouded by hate and envy, he would’ve seen that Luciano’s men picked a side long before his death. The hustlers on their side had pledged their loyalty. Going against Money meant choosing death.
Angel hit the ground as bullets buzzed around him. The shots firing back from the front of the house were from Brantley. When the firing was done, Angel crept to the front of the house. Two masked men and Brantley.
When Angel came into view, Markus pulled his mask off.
“I could kill you!” Brantley gritted.
“Sixteen shots and you missed every last one of them,” Markus spoke. “I can set my watch by you stupid ass niggas. What part of do what the fuck I say was missed? Let this be a lesson to your simple ass muhfuckas, I run this shit. It’ll do you some good to remember that. This ain’t Gracie’s Table. Get home and be at the airport tomorrow at six.”
Brantley kissed his teeth.
“Yo, I swear you making it really fuckin’ hard to honor auntie’s wishes. Really fuckin’ hard. Fuck out of here.”
Brantley grumbled and stomped out of the house, and Angel followed suit. Inside the car, Brantley looked at his brother. “I’m going to kill that nigga. Just wait.”
Inside the house, Markus looked at Svyn. “I’m going to kill that nigga. Have those niggas clear the houses up. Nothing moves until we get back.”
She couldn’t sleepin the bed. Not without Markus on what she deemed to be his side of the bed now. She tried, tossed and turned, inhaled his scent off the pillow, but sleep didn’t come. Her mind ran on a loop. Now, sleeping without him, after becoming conditioned to him just a touch away, was foreign.
The doorknob rattled, and the app alerted her that someone was on her stoop. She groaned as she reached for the phoneon the kitchen counter. Reign’s eyes darted from the cup of Sleeptime Tea from The Majestic Café they’d gone to the other day to the end of the couch. She found herself missing him. He’d come into her orbit so abruptly. It was dizzying as he knocked things about, but as chaotic as it was, it was needed.
Tired, she checked the app, and in tandem, Markus entered as quietly as he could. He kicked his boots off by the door and tiptoed into the kitchen. Her tired voice startled him.
“You don’t have to tiptoe. I’ve been up since ten.”
Markus stopped, took her in, and groaned. “You haven’t slept at all?”
She shook her head no. “Apparently, I miss you.”
A relieved smirk crossed his face.
“What’s that look about?” Reign asked, pushing the bow of her bonnet out of the way. “You thought I was going to run away?”
Markus moved into her space, groaning when the softness of her scent hit his nose. Reign turned in the barstool, so she could accept him into her space. He lifted her chin, peppered kisses from her forehead down to her lips.
“You weren’t gonna make it far because you don’t want to leave. And I don’t want you to leave.”
