LEMONADE|| Keith Powers

Chapter 8: Small world

Dreux

I sat back placing the cash in the safe scan. Lately, we've been short and its been a problem. Either one of these workers been getting over or somebody was stealing, either way, I had to tell Rudy about it. I nodded my head listening to Rick Ross. "Aye Dreux"

I looked up to see Rudy walking in. "What it looking like? He asked sitting beside me. "We're short, 20k to be exact," I said. Shit like this used to bother me but I think all of us were tired. I was tired of counting and cleaning the money. Ricky was tired of running the club and Rudy.. Rudy may be tired of being on his Scarface type shit.

"I guess, I gotta see who fucking did it" he said loading his gun. I stopped him "Hold up Tony Montana" I joked.

"What? He asked looking at me weird. "Look, the feds on our asses right now. We gotta come up with a way to get them off. Ricky and I have been thinking hard as shit to get us out of this. So I need you to cool out" I said.

"So what you want me to do about the 20k? He asked. "Don't worry about that right now" I said. "The hell I am, I ain't tryna here Grant's mouth," he said. I snickered

"I know... look figure that shit out creatively at least for now.. just don't kill no one G," I said dapping him up. My phone lit up and it was a call from my son. I placed him on speaker "Wassup Jr"

"Daddy" he called. "Yeah" I answered. "Can I stay with you tonight? Mommy is being mean to me.. she won't let me do anything" he whined. I looked over at Rudy and he laughed smoking his blunt.

"She is"? I questioned. "Tell mommy if she doesn't behave, I'll give her a whopping," I said.

"Huh? He asked. I laughed "I'll come by in a few Dreux... okay stay put," I said.

"Okay," he said in an excited voice. "I swear Dreux Jr and Mia have a love-hate relationship," he said lifting his brow. I shook my head "I know, he just doesn't understand something's and Mia doesn't have patience with me or Dreux" I explained looking at a picture of the both of them on my screen saver.

"So, when ya'll gon stop fucking around tie the knot? He asked. I looked at him like he was crazy. The nerve of him to ask the status of my relationship. He couldn't even marry my sister "Pshh nigga, when you gon marry my sister? I asked

"When the time is right," he said. "Were on the same level though. She ain't tripping, I'm not tripping" he explained. "I feel you, I ain't never really think about marriage. Mia can't handle my lifestyle so that's that but if she could.. I'd put a ring on it" I admitted placing a rubber band around the stack of money. We had to get the money to the Laundromat before 8 it was now 7:30. "Aye, Justin" I called looking down at him. He was downstairs bagging the drugs. "Yo, you ready? He asked.

"Yeah, hurry up man," I said. "Well, I'm about to make this drop... I'll see you at my niece's party this weekend? I asked.

"Yeah, I'll see you then. Oh.. and what's up with your brother Ricky. He got bad blood between me? He asked. "Nah, why.. wassup? I asked.

"I don't know man, he just always on my ass about something and you know he acts like he better than all of us man" he explained.

"Ask him yourself man... you already know Ricky doesn't want no parts of this shit. He's trying to lure his way out; nobody wants to be in the game forever man. Even me." I said walking away. The shit was getting to all of us but to me the most. I mean who was I really outside of working for my father. My little brother owns businesses and is working on his own, My little sister has a modeling agency. What does Dreux do besides launder the money?