RUTHLESS

28

Walking into Lo's office, I looked around and saw nothin but dudes this time? No women in sight but me. Looking round, I saw Lo and Q standing beside Jones, looked like they was talking bout some important.

"What you doin here?" Q looked around then back at me, like he was concerned?

"What's wrong?" I looked around, trynna figure out what was happening.

"You didn't get my message?" Lo asked, bittin his nails and Lookin back at the door.

"What message?" I ain't got a phone, only a burner for my son.

"We ain't got time for this shit, you gotta go." Hearin clappin and hollin behind me, Q's eyes lite up like a bug.

"Go in the office and wait there." He whispered to me. Doin as he said, I went to the office and closed the door.

What the fuck was goin on today? They was acting weird. Going to the windows, I peeked thru the blinds and saw a big ass dude: he had to be 6'5, 250 pounds, nothing but tattoos and muscles, with a scar across his face and a cut on his neck?

Going to the last picture, it was anotha man with a scar on his throat? Like he been cut.

"This the one you need to watch out for. He different from the rest, he more fucked up. Stay away from him at all time, no matter what."

"What he do?" I asked, wantin to know as much information as possible.

"He fucked up in the head Lis. Nigga ain't right. See that cut on his neck?" I nodded.

"One of the girls there gave that to him. He beat her to death right after. Stay away from him no matter. Don't even make eye contact wit him and if you do, run."

Shit. Getting away from the window, I paced the room looking for a way to get out cuss I don't know how long he gone be here. I shouldn't be here, even Lo and Q was scared for me. How dangerous is this Nigga anyways and where was he at anyways? He wasn't here when I got here? Sitting in the chair by the door, I calmed myself down and just loaded my gun incase some shit goes south. This always works.

"Where the whisky at? Still in here right." Shit, before I could even hide he opened the door. Looking down, I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn't look up. I ain't dumb.

"Hey, who this?" Q and Lo came in the office. The dude, comin over to me and bending down in front of me.

"What's yo name?" He asked me, tiltin my head up like I was a kid. I don't why but he was intimidating, like he had this aura that just made me scared.

"This Lisa, she work with me as a shoota." Q grabbed me up, standin in front of me.

"Shoota? That's funny. She too pretty to be doin that typa work. She should be workin wit me instead." He looked at Lo, like he was askin for approval.

"Nah, she don't do that Joey. Come on Lisa, we got some shit to do." Walkin towards the door, I felt my arm get snatched up hard, Joey making me stare at him while I pointed a loaded gun to his head.

"You wanna loosin that grip." I told him, not askin. He just stared me dead in the eyes, I stared back not fearing him and not backin down.  He let go with a smirk on his face.

"I'll be seein you later, Miss. Lisa."

{}

It was 9:30 ish in the morning, I was surveying the area cuss I had a job I needed to do. Lo gave me a bunch of shit to do so I wouldn't have to come in to the office. It's mainly surveying and killin, easy shit I can do.

The real problem is Joey, after meetin that dude last week, I noticed Lo and Q acting different? It's like they scared of him, I ain't neva seen Lo and Q scared before? I need to call Dimitri and ask him bout it. He the only person that I know would tell what went down before I got here. But then again, he ain't been here in years, so I doubt he knows why Joey wasn't here when I got here. I need to ask someone who been here that'll tell me what happened.

"What you out here doin so early?" Jones pulled up beside me?

"How you know where I be at?" I asked him, going towards his truck.

"I live round here, on my way to grab some to eat."

"I can join you? I ain't have time to cook before I got out here." I asked, my stomach growling.

"Hop in kid." Getting in the front seat, I buckled up and listened to the radio as he drove.

"How long you been undercover for?" I asked Jones, looking out the window as we drove by. It was just after Christmas so more kids was outside, even though it's cold as hell.

"Bout 10 years. Took me 4 years to get in Lo inner circle." 10 years? It shouldn't take that long to do undercover work, why it take so long?

"So you know Joey then?"

"That what you wanted to ask?" He looked at me briefly, then back at the road.

"Yeah."

"I'll tell you bout him when we get to the diner."

•••

Sittin in the back of the diner, it was kinda quiet and low-key. We had ordered already, now I was just waiting for him to tell me bout Joey.

"Here's your decaf coffee, and here's your tea. Your good will be out in a minute." The waitress handed me my tea, then poured Jones coffee before leaving.

"You gone sit here all quiet, or you gone tell me what you know bout Jones?" I say back, waiting for him to start talkin.

"What you wanna learn bout Joey for so bad?" He sipped some of his coffee.

"Same reason you wanted to know why I was here." I folded my arms, trynna figure out why he changing the subject.

"Dimitri told you bout him before you got here right?" I nodded.

"He didn't tell me everythin though. Just to say away from that crazy fuck." He chuckled a little bit.

"Johan Cruz, one of the 4 founders of the organization. You know Lo and Q, now you know Joey. He been locked up for bout 2 years. He different from the rest of them, more vicious, like a snake."

"What he do to land himself in jail?" I drank some of my tea, listening to Jones.

"What didn't he do? Nigga is reckless, he been in and outta jail his whole life. Petty theft, grand theft auto, possession, you name it and he done it. This time though was different, it's like some shit just flipped and lost his damn mind."

"What he do?"

"Beat the shit outta some lady. She was just walkin and he just went crazy, like he was on some shit." Finishing up my tea, I still more questions to ask Jones about Joey but I had work I needed to do before the day was out.

"Stay away from him as much as you can Lisa. It's bad enough he saw you yesterday, if you keep bein in his sight, he won't let you be."

"I can handle him if I got to, don't worry to much old man."