Page 14 of After Midnight
I pulled the money out, thumbs flicking through the crisp bills before sliding the bands on and stuffing more inside the chamber. I looked over at Syrus, who was alongside me performing the same task but slower. His movements didn’t have their usual sharpness. "You quiet today," I observed.
He blew out smoke, head tilting back slightly before he glanced at me through it. "I got some shit on my mind."
"Got something to do with that dinner you had with your people?" I guessed.
He nodded, taking another pull and offering it to me. I shook my head. "Aight so check this shit out," he began. "You know I don’t really fuck with my cousin after me and him had that fight and I had to beat his ass. So tell me why I get to granny's and shit, and this nigga posted up like shit cool."
I add another stack to the machines nodding. "Aight, so what happened?"
"You know I don't forget no smoke, B, family or not and that nigga been wild disrespectful for years."
I smirked and nodded letting him vent.
"Aight, so I'm tryna to be civil and shit 'cause we at granny's. But this nigga kept muttering slick shit under his breath." Syrus turned to me fully now, irritation written all over his face. He tapped my chest with the back of his hand, to punctuate his point. "Tell me why this bitch ass nigga gon' say'I want my fade after this.'"
I raised a brow. "And what you say?" I ask.
Syrus shrugged. "I ain't say shit. Just pulled out the burner and put it to that nigga face. Told him fuck a fade, let's go bullet for bullet." He took another pull, holding the smoke in his mouth as he spoke, words coming out slow and heavy. "Now my family looking at me like I'm wrong and shit. Granny all mad." He blew it out. "Like I'm the problem. Can you believe that shit?"
I stared at this nigga for a moment before I laughed. "Sy, you serious?"
He shrugged again, completely unfazed, and oblivious. "What I do?"
"Nigga, you pulled a gun on your cousin at a family dinner at your granny's crib."
He sucked his teeth, shaking his head. "Granny done upped a burner on muhfucka's plenty of time. She know how that shit go. Fuck that nigga."
I shook my head, still chuckling as I slid another band around a stack. “You a menace, man.”
Syrus chuckled, “Man fuck that nigga,” he repeated. “He been begging for it.”
“Yeah,” I said calmly, stacking another bundle into the duffel. “Just not at granny house."
"She'll be aight. I'ma slide her some bands and she gon' forget all about it. Watch."
I shook my head but didn’t argue. That was Syrus’ solution to everything—money and pressure. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it just delayed the problem.
We finished with the count. Once the money was placed neatly in duffel bags, we headed out to drop it off at the safe house. We greeted the workers as we walked towards the back where the heavy metal door was accessible only by a digital code. No one could gain access inside but us. I punched the code in, we stepped inside. Syrus posted by the door while I stepped into the closet where the large safe was.
After placing the bags in, I triple checked the handle before stepping out.
"All good?" he asked.
"All good." I nodded.
We headed out and back to our cars.
Syrus stretched his arms over his head. “So, what you on tonight?”
I checked my watch. “Heading home now to spend some time with my family before date night with the wife.”
He chuckled, “Damn. She still got you on that husband duty schedule?”
“She likes attention,” I said simply. I loved my wife. We had been married for five years and once a week date nights were essential.
Syrus laughed. “Aight, family man. I’ma get up with you.”
We dapped and headed to our cars
