The problem was I wasn’t looking at the money the way I normally would’ve. Under normal circumstances, this would’ve been an easy decision. Bag the belongings, documentthe contents, and move on with my shift… end of story. Unfortunately, my circumstances weren’t normal anymore.
A stretcher rolled past behind me, snapping me out of my thoughts and I immediately started moving again, trying to look busy even although nobody was paying attention to me. My eyes kept bouncing back toward the hoodie. Whoever this man was, he clearly wasn’t hurting for money because his ass was carrying more money in one hoodie than most people saw in months. The thought should’ve made me put the money back and mind my damn business, but nooo Navy always had to be hardheaded. Instead, the anger I’d spent days trying to keep buried started creeping back up again.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I picked up one of the bundles and slipped it into the pocket of my jacket. My heart immediately started pounding. The emergency department kept moving exactly the same way it had thirty seconds earlier and then another bundle disappeared into my pocket followed by a third. I stood there frozen for a few seconds after that, staring at the now empty zipper compartment. My hands felt shaky as I zipped it closed and shoved the hoodie back into the pile. Every instinct I had was screaming that I had just crossed a line I couldn’t uncross, and the worst part was that I knew it.
“Navy.” Nurse Valerie called my name. She was older and had more seniority than me and she was always in somebody’s damn business. I jumped so hard I almost knocked the shit off the counter causing her to look at me funny. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I quickly answered. “Why?”
“You look like you just saw a ghost.”
I forced out a fake laugh and grabbed the property bag before she could study me any harder. “I’m fine, I’m just tired.”
“Aren’t we all,” she nodded and walked away. When she disappeared around the corner; I deeply exhaled a breathe I didn’t even realize I was holding. My chest felt tight ashell, but my pockets felt heavier too. I finished documenting the belongings, sealed the bag, and attached the identification sticker before setting everything aside. For the rest of my shift, I couldn’t stop thinking about the money but ironically it was because I felt guilty… shit, what was done was done and I couldn’t take it back now.
Every time I passed a mirror, I was convinced somebody could look at me and immediately know what I’d done causing my stomach to drop. Every time I heard a phone ring, I wondered if somebody had already discovered the money was missing and was about to investigate my ass, but nobody did, at least not that day and ironically somehow that made me feel even worse.
CHAPTER 4
E’Levyn ‘Lev’ Laurent
Most people really only knew the version of me that wore tailored shirts and sold luxury real estate without knowing the full story, but moral to it all is they saw the polished cleaned-up version that sat across from investors and developers talking about contracts and property values. What they didn’t see was the nigga who used to stand on corners counting money until I moved up in rank, or the years I spent in prison sitting in jail fighting a premeditated murder charge that should’ve buried me for the rest of my life.
By the grace of God, with the right price and a good lawyer I beat what they accused me of although I absolutely killed that dude and that was the one they knew about. Every single thing they through at me, I did that shit but instead of walking away with life, they sat me down for five years. After that, I came home focused cause I was lucky enough to get a second chance, and I was gone make sure I never needed a third.
That decision turned into more money than I ever imagined, and the funny thing was people always assumed my success wasold money, but it wasn’t, cause when the Feds came for me, they took all that shit with them and everybody knew they was the biggest criminals on the streets that’s why I didn’t fuck with no police. If it were up to me those punk muhfuckas would never be nowhere around in my presence.
So nah, that old money shit was dead. The is what made me the newer version of rich… the developments and the buildings with my name attached to the paperwork did that. Real estate wasn’t just something I sold. Nah, it was something I owned. While everybody else was trying to impress people, I was buying assets. That’s why I could front my people bread without blinking or walk away from a deal if it didn’t make sense. I slept good at night cause money wasn’t something I chased no more, instead money found me.
I parked my Range Rover in front of the listing and stepped out, taking a second to adjust the cuff of my shirt before locking the door. The property sat in one of the nicer parts of Coral Gables, and even from the curb I could tell the seller had spared no expense. I glanced toward the front entrance and immediately spotted my client waiting near the doorway. She was the type of woman men noticed as soon as she entered a room with caramel skin, long black hair flowing down her back, and a white fitted dress that showed off every curve God gave her. She wore a pair of Red bottoms with a small Chanel bag hanging from her wrist. She was definitely pretty enough to get attention without asking for it and confident enough to know exactly what effect she had on men. When our eyes met, she smiled all extra wide, and I already knew what kind of showing this was about to be.
I walked up the driveway with one hand in my pocket and the other holding my phone with my gun tucked in my waistband underneath my shirt. The closer I got, the bigger her smile got. Women always thought they were slick with that shit likeI couldn’t tell the difference between somebody excited about a house and somebody excited about me. She had had spent the last three weeks texting me questions she could’ve Googled herself or calling me at random hours to discuss properties she wasn’t serious about buying and somehow finding a reason to laugh at damn near everything I said and not that I blamed her cause I was very aware of what I looked like. I just wasn’t one of those dudes who needed constant confirmation from women to feel good about himself either.
“E’Levyn,” she said, stepping forward and reaching for a hug instead of a handshake.
On the inside, I was shaking my head. I politely smiled and gave her a quick side hug before stepping back. “How you doing, Ms. Monroe?”
She furrowed her brows with a smirk on her face. “Why are you always calling me that?”
“That’s your last name, and you paying me. I gotta act professional.” I told her. We had a little history, but I stopped fucking her before I even did my bid only because I couldn’t police no pussy from behind bars and I wasn’t trying to. Matter fact, I left every female alone who I was dealing with telling them all to go on about their lives.
She laughed and lightly touched my arm. “Oh please, you know that’s not why.”
She was right, I did know, although her last name really is Monroe, she always said ‘let Ms. Monroe take care of daddy’s dick’ right before she gave me the best head of my life, but that didn’t mean I was about to entertain it. That’s when she was just a hood girl on the block, just regular Monica, but now a few years later she was one of the top bankers in the city.
I glanced toward the house and nodded. “You ready to spend some money today or are you just here to waste my time again?”
Her mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”
I chuckled. “I’m joking.”
“No you not.” She smirked.
I glanced at her with a straight face. “No, I’m not.”
She shook her head and laughed again before turning toward the front door. One thing about me, I wasn’t about to flirt my way into a commission. Either somebody wanted the house or they didn’t. I made enough money to leave games where they belonged. When we stepped inside, I watched her entire expression change and that look right there was the reason I loved real estate too because I also loved the reaction.
People spent months looking at pictures online while watching videos and scrolling through listings then they walked into the right property and everything changed. The foyer alone was bigger than most people’s apartments with natural light pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the backyard. The spiral staircase curved upward, and the marble floors were so clean it practically reflected our footsteps.
