“You’ve ignored Monica Monroe’s last six text messages. She’s called and mentioned it.”
A grin spread across my face. “So?”
She sighed. “I’m just saying… she’s called the office twice.”
“I ain’t dating Monica.”
“I know that but does she?”
“I’m not fucking Monica either.”
“I definitely didn’t ask.”
“Then stop bringing her up.”
She laughed. “Fine. Have a good evening, Lev.”
“You too.” I smiled. That’s why I paid her good money because she was on top of everything and she knew me better than a lot of muhfucaks without judging. I didn’t know what was up with Monica but until it was closing day, we didn’t have nothing to talk about right now.
The call ended just as I turned through the private gates leading into my own neighborhood as the gates slid open before I even came to a complete stop and I appreciated the privacy. I eased down the long circular driveway toward the house. Every light outside was already on, illuminating the stone walkway. My house overlooked the water, and at night the whole backyard reflected off the bay like looking like black glass.
The sun had disappeared and the outdoor lights were glowing beneath the palm trees lined up in the driveway. My house had enough distance between me and the next property that nobody could see shit unless I wanted them to. The wide glass walls across the back reflected the pool lights, and my boat rocked slowly against the private dock while the bay stretched out behind it. I parked inside the garage beside the Cullinan, grabbed Grandma’s food and headed inside.
I sat the food on the oversized island, peeled the foil back, and grabbed a fork from the drawer. BJ had packed smothered turkey wings, rice covered in gravy, greens, macaroni, and cornbread. I ate a few bites standing right there in the kitchen while going through the emails Stephanie had marked urgent.
Once I finished eating, I covered the rest of the food and placed it in the refrigerator before heading upstairs. I showered, changed into a pair of black basketball shorts, then walked intothe closet and pressed my thumb against the scanner hidden inside one of the cabinets. The lock released revealing the guns I kept cleaned, loaded, and positioned where I needed them. I made sure everything was there before I placed the Glock I normally carried around inside of it and then pulled out another and tucked it behind my back before closing the cabinet. All the bread in the world and gated properties hadn’t made me foolish. I still knew the kind of life I came from and how quickly somebody could get comfortable enough to forget they had enemies.
Back downstairs, I rolled another fat blunt at the island and sent one text before carrying my laptop outside beneath the covered patio.
Me:Pull up and bring Zuri too.
Milan responded before I finished lighting the blunt.
Milan:We’ll be there in thirty minutes to an hour.
I dropped into one of the deep lounge chairs facing the water and went back to work while smoke curled above my head. The pool glowed blue a few feet away, the waterfall running along the far wall covered most of the noise from passing boats, and old-school R&B played low through the speakers hidden around the patio. I caught up on some more shit looking through the profiles of the other speakers and made two notes beside the names of developers I planned on introducing myself to. People loved to act like networking was begging somebody for an opportunity, but I never walked into rooms asking for shit. I went where money was, introduced myself, and made sure they knew exactly why they needed me involved.
About forty minutes later, the security application chimed on my phone. I pulled up the camera feed and saw Milan’s black truck waiting at the front gate with Zuri in the passenger seat. Both women were familiar enough that security already had their identification saved, but nobody entered my propertywithout me approving it first. I pressed the button to open the gate, and a few minutes later I heard heels clicking through the house before the sliding doors behind me opened.
Milan stepped onto the patio first wearing a thin orange sundress that stopped mid-thigh, with her ponytail pulled high on top of her head and a bottle of tequila hanging from one hand. Zuri followed behind her in a black cover-up over a matching bikini, carrying a tote filled with towels and whatever else females packed for a hoe bag.
“You could’ve at least opened the door,” Milan said, setting the bottle on the outdoor bar before leaning down to kiss my cheek.
“You got in didn’t you.”
“That’s not the point.”
I took another pull from the blunt and looked up at her. “Then what’s the point?”
She stared at me for a second before laughing and shaking her head. “Nothing Lev, I already know how you are.”
Zuri slid her sandals off beside one of the chairs, then walked toward the edge of the pool and dipped her toes into the water. “You getting in tonight, or you invited us over here to watch you work again?”
“I invited y’all because I wanted company. What you do with the pool is your business.”
Milan twisted the cap off the tequila and poured two glasses while watching me over her shoulder. “See, this is what I was telling her. Lev will invite you over and still act like you interrupted him.”
“I mean, you could’ve stayed home.”
