"The next shipment for the supplies should be here Tuesday. I want everything to be in a timely manner, no fuck ups. Remember, I will count each and every item there is."
Malcolm walked inside the quaint office that was in the back of the bar. His uncle, Dock, sat at his desk handling business. He had a notepad out with all kinds of shit scribbled down. It was mostly filled with important information. He looked over at his nephew and gave him a head nod with the phone still pressed to his ear.
Instead of interrupting, Malcolm decided to grab a drink. He retrieved a glass and poured himself some whiskey from the crystal decanter.
"What are you doing here?" Dock questioned his nephew as soon as he ended the call. He owned half of the bar with Malcolm. Together they made sure the business continued to successfully run. Dock was there the whole day, but Malcolm would come in a little late. He had other shit to focus on, but he did make time for his bar.
"I'm just checking shit out," Malcolm answered after gulping down the alcohol. The dark liquid did burn his throat, but he managed to take a slight irritation. "I have to head out to Manhattan later."
"I figured that," Dock replied while lighting his cigar. He surveyed his nephew and said, "You work too much—you need a vacation boy."
"Hell no." Malcolm objected while taking a seat from Dock's desk. "I got too much money to make. Vacations will come later."
Dock wrinkled his eyebrows as he cast his nephew a short-lived glare. "Nigga I don't want to hear that, you got money. You can afford to take a week off."
Malcolm just shook his head no.
"You're twenty-five...you've been working since you were a kid. All I'm saying is that you need to enjoy your twenties man. Don't get too caught up in this shit—know what I'm saying? Get married, start a family."
"I'm not doing no marriage and family shit. I can enjoy my twenties without that." Malcolm assured him while looking over the papers on the desk.
"Man, you better go ahead and have you a family. It's a beautiful thing."
Malcolm just shook his head; he wasn't really trying to hear what his uncle was saying. Malcolm was no family-type of man, he didn't have it in him at all. Dock, on the other hand, did. He had a beautiful wife with five kids—three boys, two girls. He was built to be family-oriented—Malcolm wasn't.
He grew up in a one-parent home and that shit haunted him from time to time. Malcolm watched his mom, Frida, struggle to take care of the house by herself. She had a hard time paying bills and providing money for the extracurricular activities both Malcolm and his sister wanted to participate in when they were younger. When Malcolm got on his feet, he made sure his mom and sister were well taken care of.
He snapped back into reality as he continued to examine the documents.
"You better listen to me, Malcolm. Go on vacation and get you some sun." Dock suggested while looking at the glass in Malcolm's hand. "And stop drinking so damn much."
Malcolm sucked his teeth as he held his drink. Instead of replying to Dock, he decided to skip the subject.
"This is for the next shipment?" Malcolm questioned his uncle, looking at the form that was filled with information about the upcoming shipment.
"Yeah, it should be here Tuesday."
"Damn, you need to put all of this shit on the computer." Malcolm suggested.
Dock shook his head no; he was old school. At forty-nine, Dock didn't care too much for electronics, but he did love his iPhone.
"I like doing it this way, by hand. That computer shit gives me the creeps."
Before Malcolm could reply, there was a knock on the door. The interruption caught their attention as they glanced at each other and then the door.
"Malcolm, there's some lady who wants to talk to you." Sarai, the employee informed him.
Malcolm reclined in the chair and let out a sigh. He didn't feel like talking to anybody. Besides, he didn't even know who the girl was.
"Tell her to come back another time—I'm busy right now."
¨
"I'm sorry but Malcolm says to come back another time. He's kind of busy right now." Sarai informed Jersey who stood there with a nonchalant expression on her round, brown face. She was disappointed with the outcome of her plan. She wanted to have a serious conversation with Malcolm, but he was busy. It angered her since she came all the way downtown just for nothing.
"Busy?" She retorted as she eyed Sarai.
"Uhm," Sarai replied while tucking her bottom lip in. "He won't be able to talk to you today."
Jersey sighed as her eyes darted around the room. The bar wasn't too busy, but it did have a decent amount of people inside. After Sarai walked off, Jersey took a seat at the bar and waited for the bartender to assist her. He was busy making a drink for another customer.
She used her free time to go through her phone. Jersey had a couple of messages from Kelli and that was it.
Travis just got arrested.
Why aren't you answering your phone?
BITCH I'M CALLIN YOU! – Kelli.
"What can I get you, beautiful?" The bartender asked cheerily as he leaned over a bit. He was handsome with his caramel complexion, hooded eyes, and pink, kissable lips. His long, wavy hair was pulled into a low ponytail.
Jersey blushed a little when he called her beautiful. She wasn't expecting that from a handsome man like him. When she smiled, her dimples planted deep dents on each side of her cheeks. Once she realized what she was doing, she straightened up and cleared her throat.
"Can I get a Black Russian, please?"
"You are over twenty-one, right?" He asked while looking at her. He wanted to make sure he was flirting and serving a grown woman since Jersey looked like she was fifteen.
"I am," Jersey replied while pulling out her identification. "I'm twenty-two."
"Okay, I'm just making sure. Your drink is coming right up." He gave her a once over before walking away.
Jersey was taken aback by the whole scene. She knew that the guy had to be interested in her, he just had to be. The way he called her beautiful and the way he looked at her just told it all. Unfortunately, she didn't get too much attention from men. She assumed they didn't find her appealing because of her past...or maybe her looks.
Jersey was eye-catching, but she was no Instagram model. She had a dark-brown complexion that made light colors look beautiful on her. A round face, wide nose, full lips, and those large, brown eyes. She had a slim body shape which made people assume that she was a kid. She didn't have too much breast and her butt was flat—thanks to her genes.
Suddenly, she looked to her right and noticed the one and only Malcolm. He had just walked from the back. Jersey's eyes scanned him as she sat there watching his moves.
Malcolm was tall, Jersey assumed he was around 6'5. He had a nice, brown complexion that reminded her of cinnamon. He had a lean-built that caused the women in the bar to hawk him. Malcolm's afro-textured hair was wavy with a nice lining. Tattoos covered his neck and arms, but you could still see parts of his skin; He wasn't completely covered in them.
Jersey stood up and prepared to leave when the bartender questioned her.
"You still want your drink, right?"
She gripped her phone tightly while casting Malcolm a look. He was busy checking things out with a beefy-looking man right beside him. She assumed he was his bodyguard.
"Uh—yes. I'll be right back." She gave him a nonchalant look before making her way towards Malcolm. He was talking to some guy who was sitting at the table.
"Hey, um...Malcolm, can I talk to you for a second?" Jersey struggled to say as she eyed him. Malcolm was an extravagant piece of artwork. Unfortunately, his personality didn't match his looks. To be frank, he was a menace and he always sported this expression that could make anybody scared.
The interruption took Malcolm back. Nobody interrupted him when he was in the middle of a conversation, that was very disrespectful to him. His eyebrows drew together, and he shot Jersey a hardened look.
"You see me talking, right?" He questioned her as his honey-colored eyes scanned her quickly. The guy he was talking to just shot Jersey a look as well. Without waiting for an answer, Malcolm went right back to the conversation.
"Like I was saying man—"
Jersey felt disrespected as Malcolm turned his back on her. She frowned and quickly contemplated on if she should take up for her cousin or not. She felt like she had to since Kim and Rudy were too afraid to say or do anything about it.
"Look, I'm here about my cousin. I know what you did. I can't believe you put a fifteen-year-old boy in the hospital." Jersey blurted out as she interrupted him, yet again.
People who overheard Jersey's rant darted their eyes over at her. Malcolm stopped talking and shot her a glare. Jersey's expression softened up when she noticed the look on his face and the peering eyes.
"You want me to handle this bitch?" The beefy guy questioned Malcolm as he gave Jersey a nonchalant look. He was more than ready to toss her little ass out of the bar.
Malcolm shook his head no and said, "I got this." He stepped over to Jersey and eyed her a little. He knew that she was talking about Rudy. After Rudy shot one of his workers, he stole some valuable shit. Malcolm then ordered out a hunt down on Rudy. When his people found him, they brought him to Malcolm, and he allowed his boys to beat Rudy's ass. After he was satisfied with Rudy's battered face, he put a debt on his head with a deadline.
He leaned over and whispered something in Jersey's ear. He managed to calmly dart his eyes around the bar. "I don't know who you think you are...but you got something coming to you."
Jersey jerked her body away from him as terror overtook her face. Malcolm looked over at the beefy guy and said, "Arthur, take this bitch to the back."
"What? No! I'm not going back there." Jersey objected as she tried to walk away. The man who Malcolm was talking to sneakily, yet expertly pulled out his pistol and slid it on the table. He shook his head and advised her to do what Malcolm wanted her to do. Jersey assumed he worked for him.
How nice?
She stood there shaking while looking around. Jersey was hoping one of the customers would call the police, but they all seemed interested in their drinks. Not even the bartender could help her since he wasn't present anymore.
Arthur made his way over and roughly guided Jersey to the back. As she continued to walk, her legs grew weak. Terror invaded her body while what-ifs drowned her mind. She didn't know what Malcolm had planned and that had her terrified.
Arthur brought her inside this little room that had a fridge, a couch, and a minibar inside. The room was pristine, yet very plain.
"You wait in here...don't touch anything," Arthur stated with a little strictness in his voice. He closed the door shut after looking at her one last time.
Jersey just stood there nervously as her eyes scanned the room cautiously. Instead of waiting around, she decided to pull her phone out and send Kelli a quick text.
Kelli, I need help! Jersey.
The sounds of the doorknob rattling grabbed Jersey's attention. She buried her phone back inside her sweats and stood there with her clammy hands clasped. Malcolm stepped inside and closed the door behind him. His eyes roamed over Jersey and her petite body. Not in a lustful way, more like in a hatred way. His hard stare caused her to turn her head.
Malcolm meandered over with his eyes fixated on her. When he neared his bar, he leaned on the counter and shook his head. Jersey didn't want to look his way, so she planted her eyes on her fingers. She pulled and fidgeted with them out of nervousness.
"Not so bad after all, I see." He stated finally, closing out the silence between them. Chills ran up Jersey's body as she listened to Malcolm's deep, yet modulated voice.
She gaped her mouth as she thought of a quick way to get out of the situation. She didn't want to speak because she didn't want Malcolm trying something on her, so she decided to just stand there.
He grabbed a beer out of his mini-fridge, popped it open and gulped some of it down. After quenching his thirst, he looked back over at Jersey and said, "What's your name?"
Jersey didn't even bother to respond, she just stood there stubbornly.
"That's your cue to talk," Malcolm stated as he furrowed his thick eyebrows.
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words could come out.
"What? You slow now? You can't speak?"
"It's Jersey..." she replied sluggishly.
Malcolm wasn't moved since he knew her name already. He just wanted to see if she was going to lie. Suddenly, his expression went from relaxed to angry as he narrowed his eyes at her.
"I just want to know who the fuck do you think you are...coming into my establishment and making loud outbursts."
"I—I didn't mean to...get loud like that. It's just that Rudy is my cousin, I care about him a lot and I don't want to see him hurt...He's only fifteen."
"Humph..." Malcolm scoffed as he expertly twisted the Budweiser bottle between his fingers. "He's only fifteen...I don't give a fuck about his age. If your cousin is old enough to steal from me, then he's old enough to take his punishment like a man."
Jersey had heard through Vena that Rudy hit one of Malcolm's men. It was true.
Malcolm noticed the expression on Jersey's face and knew then she didn't agree with him. He gulped the rest of his beer, tossed it in the trash, and walked closer towards her. Suddenly, the door opened and in walked Malcolm's bodyguard, Arthur. He closed the door behind him and eased over with a menacing stare.
Malcolm rubbed his large hands together and said, "You care about your cousin, right?"
Jersey looked over at Arthur suspiciously as random thoughts clogged her brain. She darted her eyes back over at Malcolm and nodded her head, yes. Being in a closed room with two men made her nervous.
"And you don't want to see him hurt, right?"
"Right."
"Then I expect you to handle his debt."
Jersey's eyes bugged as she stared at Malcolm. "What?"
Malcolm pointed his finger at her and said, "You involved yourself and now there's no turning back. I expect twenty thousand dollars to be paid to me by the end of this month."
Jersey's mouth gaped as she looked from Arthur to Malcolm. She was hoping they would have sympathy for her, but nothing was there. They had ice, cold eyes.
"B-but, I-I don't have t-that kind of money." She stuttered as her eyes grew watery. Now Jersey wished she hadn't involved herself in her cousin's business. She didn't have twenty thousand dollars; she was barely making it with the little money she earned now.
"You hear that Art? She over here playing savior and can't even cough up her cousin's debt." Malcolm taunted her as he talked to his bodyguard.
"I guess she has to find a way to get it," Arthur stated with a sinister expression.
Malcolm only nodded his head as he ran her hand over his thick, healthy beard.
Jersey couldn't help but to shed a few tears, she called herself wiping them away, but they continued to fall down her cheek.
"Since you can't afford to pay off his debt, I'm going to make you work for me...indefinitely," Malcolm announced.
Her eyes widened with fear as she looked around. Malcolm narrowed his eyes at her because he wasn't expecting her to just stand there in silence with her eyes all bugged.
"I—I have a job already," Jersey informed him.
He brushed his palms together and said, "That doesn't have shit to do with me. Be here on Monday at four o'clock. I want you here and ready to work at the bar. If you disobey my orders, I will handle you and every single person in that apartment you stay in. Starting with your aunt..."
Jersey just stood there with her mouth gaped as Malcolm spoke. She was surprised to hear that he had already done his research. Malcolm made sure he looked up Rudy's information plus the people who lived with him.
"The fuck is wrong with this broad?" Arthur asked as he cast Jersey a curious look. He felt like something was wrong with her. She was quiet and looking around with her mouth all open.
"I don't know..." Malcolm trailed off while eyeing Jersey. "Aye, get the fuck out."
Jersey wasted no time running out of the room. When she made it towards the front of the bar, the handsome bartender called out for her, but she never looked back. She rushed outside the door and ended up colliding with somebody.
Whoosh!
The man who Jersey collided with dropped his cup and the liquid spilled everywhere. He cursed under his breath while looking at the mess that was caused by Jersey and her clumsiness.
"Oh shit, I'm so sorry." Jersey apologized to the guy.
"It's alright, it's alright." He stated while wiping off the remainder of liquid from his shirt. He looked over at Jersey who looked like she had seen a ghost.
"Are you okay?" He questioned her. The guy noticed that she had just rushed out of the bar. He didn't go in, but he knew that Malcolm owned it. Yes, the bar held a respectable reputation but there would sometimes be rumors circulating all around Brooklyn about how Malcolm did dirty shit right in his bar.
"I'm fine," Jersey answered while walking away. "Sorry about your drink."
The man just watched as she continued to rush through the crowd of people. He figured some shit had gone down in the bar. Out of curiosity, he shot a look over at the bar and noticed that Malcolm had his eyes on him. Instead of figuring out why the man just walked back inside his barbershop with a wet shirt.