“I gotta check up on something.”
Noble turned down a street then rounded the corner. Just as he suspected, a gang of TLM members were posted on the block, bringing unwanted attention to themselves.
“Dumb mothafuckas,” he mumbled, driving past.
“What’s the problem?” she asked, picking up on his disdain.
“They bringing too much attention which will cause the police to run down on them. Then, we’ll have to deal with them getting knocked, which means we bailing out niggas or they talking.”
“Then, why didn’t you say anything to them? Why drive right past them?”
Noble reclined in his seat. “‘Cause I don’t talk to them.”
“Huh?”
“You heard me, Irish.”
“That doesn’t make sense. You’re the leader of TLM. You have to talk to them.”
He simpered, glancing over at her. He wondered if she knew how fucking beautiful she was, or that she was playing herself by being another man’s front?
“So how does this work?” He changed the subject.
“How does what work?”
“You and Jovanis?”
Smacking her lips, she scoffed. “How else does a marriage work, Noble?”
He pulled over and placed the car in park. Noble wasn’t a man who did random shit like invite another man’s wife into his car, especially when he didn’t know her. Yet, Irish made him wonder, and he wanted to see where that would lead him.
“Listen, I ain’t trying to throw you off but stop the act. I know what it is, and I ain’t saying that to fuck with you. You don’t have to keep up this front ‘cause for one, I don’t give a fuck, and two, I don’t run my mouth. I’m a man. That gossiping shit is for birds and niggas with no purpose.”
Noble watched her deflate. Almost like she had been holding in a secret that kept her breath captive. The tough exterior had soon been replaced with one that showcased a bit of defeat.
“How did you know?” Her voice was just above a whisper. “…I can’t believe I just asked that.”
Noble couldn’t tell how he knew of Jovanis sexuality. All he could reveal was that he was aware.
“It’s my job to know everything in my position. Not too much shit fly past me.”
With eyes that held worry, she questioned, “Does anyone else knows?”
Shaking his head, he confirmed, “I don’t believe so.”
“That makes me feel better.” She touched the charm on her necklace, dragging it back and forth.
“So, what’s your incentive?”
“As far as what?”
“The setup. You gotta be getting something out of this.”
“Well, it’s not that simple.” She gulped. “Jovanis does his thing and I do mine. We come together when necessary but outside of this setup, he’s my best friend. We grew up together and formed a bond that I don’t think can be broken. An incentive makes it so formal when it’s so much more than that. He’s been there for me during my scariest moments… I can’t believe I’m telling you this.”
There was something lacking within Irish. Noble spotted it. He was so well versed in women that he knew when one wasn’t completely at her best. She also possessed an aura of mystery. As if she had secrets buried in her mind that took much digging to get to.
“Do you have someone to talk to about this?”
