Charmed By A Steel City Hustler
Chapter 15 — Know Thy Enemy

Nise:

Three weeks had passed, and I was on edge somewhat. My brothers had combed the streets and across seas for the person behind the club shooting. I never once thought it to be anyone I had done business with. I was a solid, respectable woman and covered all my bases. Quavo had filled me in on the client that did not show.

Who the hell would hack my damn phone? This whole scenario was starting to point toward a jilted ex-lover. That hit felt personal for me or Caesar. I had a small idea who may be the culprit but no proof.

I was not about to start a blood war on a hunch though. I was being more careful with moves I made. Juggy, my right hand, was tailing me for any suspicious individuals, and still nothing. "Boss here these fools come."

Juggy my right hand yelled in my direction. Today we were doing the deal with Darryl. I had played him to the left a few times because he was refusing to deal with Juggy. He wanted me at the deal in person. This cheating son of a bitch was only getting my time because of Caesar.

Two Lincoln navigators pulled into the warehouse and parked. This was my building, and all cameras were rolling and hiding sharpshooters. I didn't trust Darryl any more than I did his wayward dick. The doors opened in unison, and he hopped out with his goon squad. All these grown ass men were sagging in skinny jeans. Whatever celebrity started that trend should be shot on site.

"Niecy baby what's good with ya. Gat damn fool got to beg and plead to get the queen to show up. Juggy what's up man."

Darryl yelled out with a huge smile on his face. This fool was slime in human form. Every other sentence from his mouth was laced with falsehoods. I did not want to drag this out with him, so I signaled to my guys at the crates. They removed the tops with crowbars to display the merchandise.

Darryl walked over and picked up a few guns. He looked them over and spoke to his right hand in a hushed whisper. This was the bullshit that pissed me off. Darryl knew I was a straight shooter and always delivered top of the line weapons. "Nise baby we have a problem here. I don't see any .357 Magnums in any of these crates."

Juggy shook his head and growled lowly. We both knew damn well that Darryl could not afford a shipment of Magnums. He didn't have a lot of threats to his territory. This shit was a way for him to see me. He turned his back to us and began speaking to his crew. I tapped my foot lightly on the concrete as my irritation with him grew.

Darryl was going to replace himself at the opposite end of my Glock nine. This time I would be sure to hit him square between the eyes. My phone vibrated several times, and I ignored it. Caesar had been blowing me up with questions that I could not give him answers to.

"Niecy baby can I speak with you in private over here? I promise it will be quick."

Juggy went to speak, and I gave him the hand to halt. Darryl was not stupid to pull any shit here with my men on standby. I walked over toward the back of my SUV and waited for him to join. Darryl licked his thick pink lips and gave a quick tongue wiggle.

My stomach churned, and a wave of nausea poured over my body. Darryl was cute at six feet even, low haircut and a goatee. He dressed in suits all the time to make himself feel important.

"I thought this deal would include some type of perks or a discount for me. I mean hell you did threaten my life and fuck up my vehicle."

I did not crack at all to his request. That night I walked into my house and caught him cheating was hell. I promptly beat that low-budget Beyoncé wanna-be ass and threw her out my front door on to the lawn. Darryl tried to apologize while dressing and putting away his limp dick. I went down into the basement and pulled out my Draco-AK 47 that had not been used yet.

I purchased it while doing business on the west coast a few months back. The gun was heavier than I remembered but I was blinded by rage. When I got back up the steps, he was now fully dressed in my living room still apologizing and making up excuses. I counted to five telling him to get out.

He chuckled taking me for a joke. I walked outside and spotted his Tahoe truck in my driveway. I shot that SUV up, and there was no way it could be salvaged. Thank the lord that the nearest neighbor was two miles away so no worry about the authorities. Darryl cursed my name out and vowed that wasn't the end of us.

"Darryl this deal was a favor to an associate of mine. We can keep it strictly at business."

I went to walk away, and Darryl grabbed at my hand. Wrong move.

"Fuck, boy, remove your hand or get it blown the fuck off!" Juggy yelled from across the warehouse. Everyone in attendance had weapons drawn. This was not how I expected my day to go at all. My people knew of the past between Darryl and myself.

They were itching to put a bullet in his community dick ass. I waved them to stand down. Darryl would get what's coming to him in due time. Darryl leaned into my ear and spoke with such venom in his tone. "You should be very careful whom you lay down with. I would hate for a stray bullet in a nightclub to hit you in the head next time."

I peered into his face and saw amusement and truth. Darryl was the responsible party for the club shooting. That fool just confirmed it in a non-confessional way. He yelled to his people to get the crates into the SUV. Juggy walked over to me as the vehicles pulled out and disappeared down the road.

"Nise just say the word, and that fool is dead. He walks around as if he is untouchable."

I waved Juggy off stating that I had it under control. Darryl had just punched his own clock and didn't even know it. Him going after me was war automatically. Cease was present also, and that meant torture. I sent him a quick text requesting his presence at my home in a few hours.

I looked around the warehouse and saw the crates for another shipment. They were still in the same spot from a few days ago. I yelled out that someone better have answers. I hated to have work just sitting around wasting money. I needed to reach out to Darryl's uncle as he was a client.

Killing his nephew would no doubt be a thorn in his side, but I didn't care. Coming for my life was the wrong move all over a breakup. I had one last loose end to tie up here and then back home to D.C. I was going.

***

"This better be Caesar late in the house ass."

I spoke out loud while going to my front door. He could never be on time for important shit to save his life. He missed our very first anniversary dinner that resulted in him catching a fat lip. Surprise to me when I opened the door to Lois standing in my face. I had been home for two hours now cleaning up and waiting.

Cease pulled that 'I'm busy hit you when I get off' line. He was so used to dealing with jump-offs that he forgot what a real woman was like. He had also been ducking our agreed upon date as well. Caesar's problem was that he could never admit out loud.

I was damn good at my job, and that he wanted to be with me. The ego and power struggle with him were never ending. Caesar had my heart and loyalty, something no other man could touch. His damn pride and male ego would always come between us.

"Hey, is this a bad time Nise?"

"No, girl, come on in. I thought you were someone else."

"The jilted ex-lover who won't give y'all a second chance?"

I chuckled at her analysis and shut the door. We settled in on the couch and Lois began speaking about her decision to become a lawyer. I was so proud of my girl for wanting to pursue her dreams. Lois had the sweetest soul and was blind- sided by her mother and that husband of hers.

I had never met him before, but from what she told me. That fool sounded like a pure asshole. I checked my phone and nothing from Caesar yet. I might as well get comfortable for some good old-fashioned girl talk.

"We need to toast to your new-found independence. What about your husband? I know that fool is not happy with this decision."

I spoke while walking into my kitchen grabbing two glasses and a wine bottle. I came back and handed Lois a glass. I popped the cork and poured us both a healthy amount. I got comfortable on my chaise sitting on top of my right leg. She spilled her story, and I had a sly smirk on my face when she talked about the cheating.

Lois was the good girl type with old school values. She did seem different on our first encounter a few weeks ago, but damn. Her husband was fucking up bad. A foul man can turn the most angelic woman into a schoolgirl. Men have no idea just how much control they wield over our feelings.

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"A baby? Did that man fall and bust his shit wide open? Lo, I know you are not considering spitting out that fool's seeds."

Lois shook her head with a mouth full of wine. She was trying to swallow and laugh at the same time. She failed miserably and some of the wine came from her nose while choking. I stood up to pat her back as my front doorbell chimed. Lois waved me off, and her breathing returned to normal.

I yelled who is it and got no answer. I repeated myself and still no answer. I looked through the peephole and saw Caesar standing there in all blue. I cracked the door and spoke through it with much attitude. "Fool you are supposed to respond and announce yo damn self."

"Nise go the fuck head with that bullshit! Who else is coming over your house any damn way? It's not like you got friends, so open the door and quit playing. To think I brought your ass Chinese food for dinner."

I sucked my teeth and opened the door, only because the smell of the food invaded my nostrils. Caesar went to speak until he saw the back of Lois' head.

"As a matter of fact, I do have friends. Lois this my old friend Caesar," I said, and she stood up and turned around. Caesar looked at her as if he saw a ghost, but Lois looked normal. She extended her hand out to him, and he shook it greeting her. Lois did a quick scan over him then looked at me. She put it together who he was and made up some excuse to leave.

I encouraged her to stay and eat with us, but she was adamant about going. I enjoyed Lois' company, and also wanted a second woman's opinion on Caesar. He was late and didn't deserve my full attention just because he was at my door. He thought the world stopped when he entered a room. I said goodbye to Lo and told her text me when she was safe behind closed doors.

"Damn you always running someone off with negative vibes," I said going into the kitchen to get plates and silverware. Coming back into the living area Caesar still had that puzzled look. I sat the items down and opened the first brown bag. Sweet and sour shrimp, house fried rice, beef and broccoli in the first one.

I opened the second bag to crab Rangoon and shrimp eggrolls. There was no way we would eat all this damn food. Lois could have taken some to go. I filled my plate with the beef and broccoli and took a bite of it.

"Cease, what is wrong with you?" I said looking at his still-puzzled face. Food was flying from my mouth, but I didn't care. This was not a date, and we've known each other since I started wearing a training bra. "Your friend looked familiar as hell like we met before."

"I don't see how? Lois is from the white picket fences side of town. You wouldn't be caught dead over there. Unless you been getting some rich pussy lately."

I responded to him, and he tilted his head toward me. I continued to stuff my face. By no means was I implying jealousy or shade. Caesar fucked with hood rat jump offs. Those women had a seventy-two-hour window to be wined and dined. He wouldn't even call them after that and would ignore them in public. Caesar was so fucking rude, but never to me, most of the time anyway. I grabbed a crab Rangoon and dropped it in my mouth. Caesar shook his head and smiled. "Whatever Nise! Yo, you are greedy as fuck. Where the hell do you put all that food anyway."

Cease said making a plate of food. I stood up and turned around so he could see my ass clap a couple times. He shook his head and asked what I wanted to talk about. I continued eating as I was a little apprehensive about telling him. Caesar took threats on his life very seriously. He would make the streets bleed about a threat on mine. He opened a hot mustard packet and poured it on to the egg roll in his hand. Just watching his mouth had me fantasizing about his tongue on my clit. "Nise what's the deal? Oh, now you stuck like chuck with nothing to say."

"Shut up. I found out who was gunning for me that night. Well, I don't have hard proof, but enough suspicion. This was not connected to my business ventures at all."

Caesar put his fork down and grabbed a napkin to wipe his hands. I sighed and spilled to him about earlier today.

"Nise that could be just hearsay. Darryl is a lot of things. A killer is not on that fuckboy's resume."

"I highly doubt he was there pulling the trigger. He has the money and motivation to hire a contract hitter."

"And what's his motivation? Revenge? Scorned lover? Damn you must have put that pussy on him double time huh."

Cease picked up his fork and continued eating with a big smile on his face. I knew he was going to do this. Demean the situation by cracking a joke and also attempt to solicitate information. This conversation was a long time coming. I admitted to him about Darryl and myself.

Male egos were the worst and Cease was in a league all his own. He loved that I lived out of state and far from his eyes and ears. That way he would never hear or see me with another man. How selfish was that of him? When he is the one that let me go. I swear he gave me a damn headache sometimes.

"Wow, how long you been holding those in? Cease you already know that you could have asked about this past situationship."

"Would you have told me?"

"No nosey fool. There really is not much to tell. Darryl and I were hot and heavy for a year and some change."

"A year!"

He yelled out in shock and a bit of anger. See what I mean selfish. Caesar thought I had jump-offs like him and didn't commit. Damn that I was a free woman and yes, I wanted love. Since he relinquished his I put my heart and body on the market.

"May I finish, thank you. Like I was saying things were good until I came home and found him fucking some bitch on my couch. The result was me shooting up his truck and beating that broad's ass."

Cease finished the eggroll in his mouth and took a swig from the water bottle. His right eye had a slight twitch to it. I knew he was hot at the entire story, but hell he asked. I finished the food on my plate and helped myself to seconds.

I wasn't going to move on Darryl just yet as I wanted solid proof. I had put feelers out to a few fellow hitters that I knew in the city. There was an unspoken honor amongst us all. If Darryl hired one of them or contacted them with the contract, I would replace out.

"Do you have a plan in place already to take this fool down?"

I choked a little bit on the food in my mouth. This was not the reaction that I was expecting. Yelling and maybe a few curse words. A guarantee that Darryl would be dead before the sun rose tomorrow sounds about accurate. Cease was calm and speaking to me normal, was this fool high.

"Yes, I had Juggy contact a few associates and I am waiting to hear back."

Again, he took a swig of water and contemplated his next words. I was not used to this side of him at all.

"Nise, I trust that you will handle this. You are a grown woman and able to handle your own beef. I will not interfere unless you ask me too. Yeah, I said that shit don't look so surprised. I respect your hustle baby. I also know that he only came for you because of me. I mean hey I am something to be jealous of. Shit fools out here robbing they own momma to be a boss like King Caesar."

I shook my head laughing at his conceited ass. Cease would always turn a sweet moment into something goofy to feed his ego. I was happy that he was trusting of me to handle my own problems for once. Who knows there could be hope for us someday in the future?