Chapter 14: SHAMEEK - A Street King's Widow

This was the fourth time Nikki had called me. I see she got the picture that I wasn’t about to chase her ass. All the back and forth was not what I wanted with her. I loved her, and I didn’t understand why she could not understand what I did for a living and how sometimes I had to move with the money.

Nikki: Shameek can you answer the phone.

Nikki: I’m sorry.

Nikki: I overreacted

She called again, and this time I answered.

“Nikki, let me say this before you start. I don’t need any added stress right now. It’s major shit goin’ on, and if that’s what you’re ‘bout to do, then hang the fuck up, please.”

“I’m not calling to cause any drama. I wanted to let you know I was wrong, and yes, I did know what I was getting myself into when we started messing around. I just thought by now you would’ve outgrown it.”

“It’s not something that just goes away, Nikki. This operation has funded our family for generations.”

“I get it.”

“Do you?”

“I do, and I’m sorry.”

“Aight, I gotta go. We can talk later.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I told her before hanging up.

I hung the phone up and walked back into the warehouse where I had a nigga tied up. While everyone thought I wasn’t doing anything about Rah’s murder, I was. The shit wasn’t an easy task because no one was talking, but when even the slightest whisper happened, I was on their ass. He had just woke up from me knocking him unconscious with my gun.

“Glad to see you can join me.”

“Shameek, man, what the fuck you got going on?” He moved around in the metal chair.

I had his ass tied all the way around, so if he got up, he was going to hit the concrete floor still in the chair.

“I got word that you’ve been runnin’ yo’ mouth ‘bout my brother,” I said as I poured lighter fluid on his legs.

“Shameek!”

“Huh?” I said as I lit my blunt and threw the lighter on him.

He jumped around in the chair until the chair made a loud thud on the floor. I nodded my head for one of my soldiers to extinguish him.

“Shh…iiiittttt,” he said, shaking.

“What were you sayin’?” I poured lighter fluid on him.

“You…you.” He stuttered. “I would…would never…never cross you.”

I lit another match and threw it on him.

“I would hope not, nigga.”

The sound of his screams was echoing off the walls.

“Let him burn for a minute and put his ass out. Then drop that bitch ass nigga off at his mama house,” I told them before walking out.

If it took me to take everyone out one by one, that’s what I planned on doing. I changed my clothes and jumped in my car because I had one thing I needed to handle before I was able to sit and talk to Nikki.

“Come in.”

I pushed the door open to see Kyenna sitting behind the desk with the phone to her ear. She put her finger up, telling me to give her a moment.

“Okay, so I can put you down for a meeting with my operational manager next week. I want this resolved before the end of the month. You have a great day,” she said before hanging up.

“Yo’ detail told me you went on a date last night,” I said before she could open her mouth.

“Wow! Hello, Shameek King. How is your day fucking going? Mine is going great.”

“Hello, Kyenna. Now back to my previous statement.”

“It was not a date.”

“Why did you not let security take you?”

“Because sometimes I want to be alone without muthafuckas in my business. Obviously, they still were.”

“Yes, they called me shortly after you left and I told one of them to follow you and stay outside.”

“This is ridiculous.”

“No, what’s ridiculous is that we still don’t kno’ who the fuck killed my brother and why you movin’ ‘round this bitch like they won’t come at you next.”

Kyenna stared at me and nodded her head. “Is this about my safety, or is it about Lloyd? Let’s put it on the floor.”

“It’s both.”

“Oh.” She crossed her fingers. “What is it about Lloyd, may I ask?”

“He was my brother’s trusted advisor and friend. Who’s to say he ain’t behind this shit?”

Kyenna laughing kind of pissed me off.

“Lloyd being behind Rah’s murder is crazy. The nigga ain’t got a lick of street in him.”

“And those are always the ones you have to watch for. The ones that try to fuck off on the wife ‘cause she’s grieving.” I gave her a menacing glare.

“I think we both know Lloyd had nothing to do with that shit, and it was a hit. The way Lloyd talks about Rah, he would never do something that low.”

We both sat there staring and waiting for one of us to have a comeback. I had a feeling that Lloyd didn’t do the shit, but I couldn’t be too sure. Rah spoke highly of the nigga too, so I knew they were close.

“Kyenna, can you just be careful? Yo’ safety is my number one priority, and I have to answer to my pops if somethin’ happens to you.”

“It depends on if you let me live just a little bit. Trust me when I say Lloyd was a gentleman. Nothing about our conversation went to anything other than business, interest, and Rah. He didn’t even touch me.”

“Driver next time,” I said before standing.

“Okay,” she said defeated.

“Don’t do that shit.”

“Do what?”

“Act like I’m tryin’ to control you.”

“I mean, technically you are.”

“I’m protectin’ you.”

“It’s surveillance, Meek.” She rolled her eyes.

“You kno’ what the problem is? You think because you can handle yourself, you don’t need nobody watchin’ yo’ back. That’s cool when you kno’ where the threat comin’ from. We don’t. Until I kno’ who put them bullets in my brother, I’m not takin’ no chances wit’ you.”

She picked her pen up and tapped it on her desk.

“Look, I didn’t come to argue wit’ you.”

“What did you come for then?”

“You wanted to kno’ any updates. I just handled a nigga about Rah. He was talkin’ ‘bout details of that night. I figure I take they ass out one by one, I’ll eventually make it to the trigga puller.”

She leaned back in the chair. “Thank you for telling me. I want to know everything. Names included.”

“Kyenna, I’m not puttin’ you in street business.”

“My husband was murdered. That is my business.”

“And knowin’ too much makes you a target.”

“I run Royal Flush. I’m already a fucking target, Meek. Ain’t that why you got niggas guarding me?”

My phone started ringing in my pocket. I checked it and saw Nikki’s name. I silenced it because I know I told her ass earlier that I was handling business and would get with her later. She called again before I could put the phone in my pocket.

“You better answer before she blames me.”

“How you kno’ who it is?”

“Because only a woman calls back to back.”

“She doesn’t blame you for shit.”

“Please, I catch her rollin’ her eyes whenever we run into each other lately. Usually we have a small conversation. Now she just gives me this dry ass greeting with the eye roll.”

“Damn, she been on that?”

“Yeah, but I get it. You’ve been making sure everyone else is straight during this time. She may feel neglected, so get out of here and go see about her.”

“I’ll holla at you later. Remember…”

“Driver. Meek, I got it.”

By the time I made it halfway across Flush, my phone started ringing again with Nikki’s number.

“What’s up?”

“I thought you said we were going to talk.”

“We are.”

“When?”

“Man, I’m on the way.”