BANGIN' (Urban)

FOURTEEN

Braxton opened the door and kicked his legs, giving them a nice stretch. The pickup location wasn't all that far, yet traffic had made the drive longer than it had to be.

"Nigga you need to do some yoga with yo' tense ass." Darius hopped out the passenger side and walked toward the building. Braxton followed behind him.

"Yoga?" For a while now, Darius had been thinking he was on some zen master type shit.

"Hell yes. This shorty got me doing it." He had noticed that his friend's newfound love interest had him happier than usual. But right now, there was no time for games. He would have to save his questions for Darius and keep pushing until this night was over.

Two of their guys were sent to make sure the building was secure and set up a perimeter. It had been ten minutes since they were sent out, but there was no emergency code or warning sent back. Darius figured they should be good and suggested that the two of them go ahead and enter.

Inside, 18 wheelers stood side by side, toting the logos different companies they used as a front to wash their money. There was a large clearing in the middle of the warehouse, where a couple of familiar faces were. All around them were shelves that reached up to the ceiling, filled with cardboard boxes and other things wrapped in plastic.

Darius approached them, hands out as if he were ready to give them some dap. The three men just looked at him as if he were crazy, making him put his hands down. Their eyes shifted to Braxton.

"Were you followed?" A short, brown-skinned guy by the name of Chuy asked. He worked for Diego, the former head of the cartel, before he was locked up. Chuy had specific instructions on what to do next and how things were supposed to go. Braxton knew by the look in his eyes, Chuy didn't trust him. That didn't faze him all too much; you couldn't trust anyone in this business.

"Nah." Two men dressed in all black standing on either side of Chuy stepped forward to pat the two of them down. Braxton assumed they were checking for wires because they were allowed to keep their guns. After they nodded at Chuy, he began to explain what needed to be done.

"There's ten trucks, each with something different but it's all the same product. One'll have baby formula, one'll have liquor. So on and so forth," he spoke. They often disguised the coke in different forms. It's truest one being the baby formula. The liquor was really cocaine in its liquid state, so that later when it got where it needed to go they could convert it back, or leave it as is. That was a complicated process that Braxton was glad he didn't have to take part in.

"You have the addresses where they need to be driven to." Braxton nodded.

In the distance, Braxton heard what he took to be dull thuds. He didn't think too much of it and tried to focus as much as he could on the man in front of him. Chuy was explaining the process, but Braxton knew the plan like the back of his hand: drive the trucks to the cover businesses so the trucks can "unload", then from there take them to the traps in different cars, on different days. Then, weigh all the product to make sure nothing was missing. He would do a quick taste test, and if passed, it was ready to sell.

"And one more thing," Chuy added before leaving. "I don't know what you got yourself into with that girl of yours. But there's someone looking for her, the price is high."Darius, who was staring off into the distance, now focused his attention on Chuy.

Braxton swallowed hard. He thought that the danger Nadine was in was subsiding, that no one was watching for her anymore. The streets talked, but they stopped talking about her. No one heard anything of anyone trying to get to Nadine, not even Raegan. And Raegan heard everything.

"Whatchu mean? I need to know exactly what it is that you heard."

"I don't have a name. All I know is-"