Charmed By A Steel City Hustler

Caesar:

I sat at my desk chair awaiting Bash's response to my events with Nise. Two weeks ago, she had me caught up in a 90s-style club shootout. That ended with her taking a slug to the arm. She told me that the shooting may possibly have been related to the client she was meeting.

The guy was on the run from various organizations. That pissed me off to learn she was dealing with a damn fugitive. A dangerous and risky business move on her part. I couldn't tell her how, and who to do business with. I gave up that right when I made her choose all those years ago.

Nise had me hot because was not telling the entire truth. She would never deliberately put me in harm's way behind her drama. Nise never wanted to appear weak in my eyes. Nise always had to be tough and hard in the eyes of men. Growing up with four older brothers and a savage daddy would have any little girl become a tomboy. The back of my neck was itching something fierce. So, I knew there was more to this situation.

"Bruh, I know how you are about her. Maybe you should just let her handle this shit. Do you even know where to start?"

I looked across my desk at Bash like he was a fucking stranger. This fool was way too damn calm after what I just said. We had each other's back one hunnit grand in any situation. Bitch made was not in us, we were bred for this street life. Bash started shaking his head as he must have read my thoughts before they could come out of my mouth.

"Fool when have you ever smelled pussy on me? Get that shit out of your head, pronto. I'm saying Nise been doing this job for over five years. She can handle herself. If you interfere in her shit, she is going to think you pulling 'man law' rank on her. How would that look to her?"

"Fuck is you talking about, Bash?"

I knew where he was going with this speech. We had been here once before. I wasn't trying to hear all that right now. When my life any one close to me life is on the line, all rational goes out the window.

"Nigga, did you get shot too that fucking night? Nise will take it as a sign of disrespect if you step on her damn toes. Go behind her back or blatantly disregard the bullshit lie she told you. Are you even sure she really lied? If you ever want to win her back, then let the woman handle business."

"Who the fuck said that I wanted to win her back? I own that ass period. My name is tattooed on those thick ass thighs."

"Nigga over share, but don't play tough with me. If Nise quit her career you would drop down on one knee in a New York minute!"

I growled slightly and turned my chair around to look out the window. Bash was right on all accounts. Nise was a professional and damn good at her job. The last time she was in trouble I got wind of it. I completely went the fuck off. Bodied a few mufuckas until it was discovered the shit was a misunderstanding. Nise had a fit as I embarrassed her in front of her brothers and a client. I rubbed at my chin remembering the blow she landed to it that night we argued. "Cease get your head out of your ass and focus man. Did she agree to sell Darryl that short supply?"

I spun around in my chair to face him, and that fool busted out laughing at me.

"Dude you got that look in your eye. Yooo don't tell me Darryl tapped Nise. He did? Ooohh shit!"

Bash just leaned back in the chair and laughed his ass off. I couldn't stand that fool at times. This shit was nowhere near funny. Darryl was a fuck boy in every sense of the word.

Nise had to be just using him for a fuck. We chopped it up about the new clients, some dread head fools from New York. I never liked doing business with out-of-town fools, especially foreign ones.

"So, who vouched for these fools?"

"Kalvon did. Said he and Lethal did business with them a few times. Those fools are looking for a buyer not connected to home turf. So that should not interfere with our current clientele." "And if it does become a clash of conflict?"

I asked just to get a reaction out of his ass. Bash stood up and cracked his knuckles and headed to the door. He stopped with his hand on the knob and turned around to face me.

"I will handle it without any incidents. This deal is a favor to my cousin, so I got it covered on all fronts Bruh. In the meantime I got the footage from the club sent to your email. The owner Roscoe owed me a favor."

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I tilted my head slightly to the right with my lips tight waiting for him to continue.

"What, don't give me that look? I told you not to embarrass Nise and make an ass of yourself. Never said that I would not investigate this damn shooting. You my right fucking hand and Nise is family off top. If we discover these punks before she does, it's lights out."

I clapped my hands together because Bash always came through. All that damn preaching he just did about letting her stand alone and handle business. Meanwhile he was lurking in the shadows to keep her safe. That was real loyalty without question and hard to come by these days.

"Damn not getting any pussy got you on alert for everything huh?"

I threw out that last sentence to see what he was going say. Bash had been fully engulfed in work the past two weeks. That fool was sleeping in the apartment upstairs. The only time he ever did that is when he was single. He kept his marriage to Lola close to the vest.

I couldn't blame him she was fine as hell. Real men never advertised their woman. That's how you get drama on the home front. I know that fool well enough to know that he was going through something lately, and it was pussy related. I never took him for the cheating type, but anybody can be forced into doing the unthinkable.

"Bruh it's a long story, and we are going talk about it soon. Now get ya ass back to work and stop worrying about pussy. What's our motto?"

"You can lose a lot of money chasing a woman, but you will never lose a woman chasing money."

We said in unison, and he left out my office shutting the door behind him. I looked at my phone and still no return text message from Quavo. I decided to call it a day and head home my damn self. I was not about to hang out in the bar serving drinks and chicken. Every time I worked in there, I took home pussy or had to hit a punk fool over some bullshit they were spitting.

***

I was relaxing in my den watching sports center with some pizza, hot wings, and a Heineken beer. Nights like this were what I lived for. No work to be done or mess to sort out, just me and my thoughts on the flat screen. The highlights for basketball were going across the screen. I could not focus on them. Nise was still heavily on my mind.

That nagging feeling, I had about the shooting was still at the forefront. Honestly, I knew that she could handle herself. She was a martial arts expert and could handle any weapon placed in her hands. At the end of the day, she was still a woman surrounded by dangerous men. I was always going to protect her no matter what our status was.

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Nise dealt with a caliber of clients that had a reputation for being ruthless. I made it my business to keep a watchful eye on her from afar after we separated. Her Pops and brothers would make the world bleed if something happened to her, but they all had lives as well. Everyone needed that one person in life to strictly be down for them regardless of time and distance. I was her person whether she liked it or not.

"Yo what up," I said answering my Bluetooth. The caller's name came across the television screen, and it was Quavo. I ran with him back in the day when we were both dope boys on the corner. He was the oldest of brothers.

The only one to be cool with us being together. He said that she could handle herself and any heartache that came her way. Quavo understood why I broke it off and respected my decision. He also stated that Nise never needed anyone to fight battles for her.

"Cease my fool I got some information for you, but not a lot. Yo you got a sixth sense over there about my sister or what?"

"Meaning this shit is not clean cut as she made it out to be?"

I said with a huge sigh. Nise has never lied to me so why would she start now.

"Bro don't get in ya feelings over there. On the surface, it does seem that way. The client didn't show up for a legitimate reason and left a voicemail for Nise. The kicker is her phone was hacked and spoofed. Baby girl never received the message that the meeting was canceled. I got Quincy looking at the technical glitch now. I didn't tell her yet, so don't run go running your fucking mouth. I don't feel like hearing her squeaky ass voice. Once I get all the details, I will clue her in. Y'all can fight about it then."

Quavo started laughing at his own damn comment. He knew I didn't play keeping secrets and what not. Real shit I was ready to dial her ass right now and go in. I would respect his wishes because it appeared that someone was gunning for Nise, but why. I hung up the phone and sent her a text just to see if she would reply or not.

Ten minutes went by and no response, not even the bubbles to show that she had read the text. I put the phone on do not disturb and reclined my seat back. There was nothing else I could do tonight for her. So, I might as well watch a game until I pass out.

Soon as I got comfortable my phone screen lit up with a call from Nise. I contemplated ignoring her ass since she ignored the text. I couldn't talk to her or be in her face knowing that I had to keep the small details about her phone to myself. I put the phone in between the couch cushions so I would not be tempted to respond back. The sports network was no longer interesting now that Nise had wormed her way back into my head. I reached for my laptop and opened the video. This situation was becoming an obsession for me. I was not going to be at peace until the shooter was caught.