My Hustler, My Enemy

by Niyah Moore

Genres: African American Urban

Synopsis

In two-time African American Literary Award-winning author Niyah Moore’s latest Urban novel, crime kingpins learn the hard way to, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer…”

Mylah is so in love with Rome, but Rome is a kingpin who is more concerned with taking the TL’s from his competition, Blaze. Rome and his crew don’t realize just how close his enemy is. Blaze is the most feared man around, but he’s a ghost because no one has ever seen him. While Rome’s on a hunt to find Blaze, he’s hit with fatal surprise after fatal surprise. His empire comes tumbling down, and he finally comes to face to face with Blaze.
 
Kane is Blaze’s hitter, the reason everyone fears Blaze. Kane has roughed up anybody who has a problem with Blaze, but as a single father, keeping his daughter out of harm’s way is becoming harder. He does everything he can to keep their street team in line regardless of what’s being said about Blaze’s identity, but as Rome’s crew gets closer to finding Blaze, Kane has no other choice but to go to war for Blaze by any means necessary.

Release date: April 26, 2022

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 288

Sample

I spent the afternoon getting pampered with the full works—hair, nails, feet, and facial. On my way home, I stopped by Roxie Market & Deli to get a sandwich of hot turkey and Swiss on Dutch bread. I waited about twenty minutes for them to hook it up the way I liked.

Walking out of the store, I saw my childhood friend Kane talking to another man on the corner. Kane Patrick had a body that appeared to be made of steel, and his skin made him look like a delicious milk chocolate candy bar. He hardly ever smiled, but that was what I liked most about him. We had dated briefly in high school, but that had been so long ago, and I never dared speak of it in front of Romello. Kane used to work as a runner for my daddy, but he worked for Blaze now. He was all grown up. Was no longer a boy running around doing errands. He was a true hitter.

Kane saw me and nodded his head. I waved before I crossed the street to my car.

“Mylah, hold up,” he called. Then he dashed across the street.

I waited for him to reach me before I said, “Hey, Kane.”

“You got your banging turkey sandwich?” he asked, peering at my white paper bag. He knew me too well.

“Yeah. It’s like I crave these things at least twice a month.”

“Nothing’s changed, I see.” His penetrating brown eyes locked with mine, and he held his gaze there for a few seconds.

“How’s Princess?” I questioned, changing the subject and looking away.

Princess was his cute teenage daughter. I had had the pleasure of watching her grow all the way up from a baby to a young lady. She was more beautiful each time I saw her.

“She’s good. She asks about you all the time.”

“Yeah? Well, tell her I said what’s up.”

“I will.” His brown eyes sparkled as he stared through me again.

I averted my gaze and glanced at the street to ignore the sexual tension. “Okay, well, it was good seeing you.”

“It was good to see your face as well.” He watched me open my car door.

I got in and started up the engine. Before I pulled away from the curb, I looked over. Kane was still watching me. I wasn’t blind to my attraction to him, and his to me, but I didn’t allow myself to go there. I was loyal to Romello. But I couldn’t lie; it felt good to know I still had it like that with Kane.

While I drove home, I turned up the music. I grooved as I rapped with Megan Thee Stallion. I couldn’t wait to eat my sandwich and chill. I thought of taking a nap to get ready for a night with Romello. He had promised me that I could have him to myself for the whole night, so I was going to prep for an all-nighter.

“Bitch, quit playing with me!” Jook hollered into his phone.

“Hey, can’t you see my woman sitting right here? Don’t be disrespectful. Don’t call your girl a bitch in front of my queen,” I barked while looking at Jook in the rearview mirror.

Jook was riding in the back seat of my black Mercedes E350, and if he didn’t watch his mouth, his ass was about to be walking. Jook had been my boy for a couple of years now. He was my right-hand man, and he did anything and everything I wanted him to do, but sometimes I had to check him.

My wifey was sitting in the passenger seat, acting like she was unbothered by Jook’s hollering. Mylah was what every nigga called a bad bitch. She stayed fly from head to toe, wearing all the best shit. She was beautiful. She had a golden complexion, and her hair and nails stayed done. I wouldn’t have my queen any other way. That night, she was looking so damned good, as usual, and I couldn’t have this nigga sitting in my back seat and talking recklessly.

Jook ended his call and immediately apologized. “Ah, my bad, Rome. My bad, Mylah. I didn’t mean any disrespect.” His gold teeth gleamed as he twisted one of his dreads with his thumb and index finger.

Mylah stared at herself in the lit-up mirror on her visor as I parallel parked in an open parking spot in front of the liquor store. “Don’t worry about it,” she said as she put on her red lipstick.

She knew what that lipstick did to me. I was ready to take all her clothes off at once.

I snapped, “Nah, baby, fuck this nigga. He gotta start showing you more respect.”

“Calm down, boo,” she said in the sweetest tone.

“You know a nigga like me ain’t never calm, though, so . . .”

“I know. That’s why you’re the king.” She placed her left hand on the back of my head and caressed my fade.

I loved it when she stroked my ego, and she didn’t do it just because she was pacifying me, either. That was the way she was built—solid. There wasn’t a time when I didn’t feel like a king. She made sure of that, so I did whatever I could to reciprocate.

“Hey, I’m going to run into this liquor store real quick. You want something?” I said to her.

“Yeah, grab me one of those frozen margarita pouches and some tequila.”

“I got you,” I told her. I met Jook’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “ Jook, you getting out or nah?”

“Hell yeah, I’m getting out. I need some Hen,” he answered.

“A’ight. Come on.”

We jumped out of the whip and walked into the store.

Jook rested his hand on the counter to look at the bottles behind the register. “Aye, let me get a fifth of Hen,” he told the store owner.

As I walked to the back to grab a few frozen margarita pouches, I called, “Tell him you need some Patrón too.”

“Let me get that big bottle of Patrón right there,” Jook said to the store owner.

The owner pointed to a bottle.

“Yeah, the biggest one.”

On my way back to the front of the store, I grabbed a bag of Fritos Flavor Twists. I placed the on the counter. “Give me a pack of Good Times.”

The owner put a pack of swishers on the counter, next to the bottles. Jook checked his phone.

“Muse just hit me. He’s on his way to the house with Rob. He might know where we can find Blaze,” he said.

“Tonight?”

“Yup.”

“Fuck . . . I told Mylah we were going to hang tonight, but it took us forever to find him. How did Muse get ahold of him?”

Jook shrugged. “I don’t know.”

After I paid for our stuff and grabbed the bag, we walked out of the store and got in the car. I handed Mylah the bag to hold.

“What’s the plan for tonight, baby? We stepping out or what?” she asked.

“I don’t know, because now I got some business to handle.”

She blew a little air through her lips. “Really? I thought tonight was our night.”

“Yeah, but Muse and Rob are on their way to the crib.”

She scowled as I started up the car. “Are you serious right now?”

“Look, we’ll go out tomorrow. Something life changing is about to go down tonight.”

“Life changing like what?”

“I’m going to see Blaze,” I answered. I glanced over at her. She was staring at me as if she were lasering a hole through me. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Don’t—”

“Don’t what?”

“People don’t go looking for Blaze . . . That’s the wrong thing to do,” she told me.

“How do you know that’s the wrong thing to do? You ever see him? ’Cause I sure haven’t. You ever see him, Jook?”

“Nope. Not ever,” Jook said from the back seat.

“A’ight, so when Muse says he might know where he’s at, I’m going,” I said.

She rolled her eyes, and I wanted to check her ass, but I wasn’t going to do it in front of Jook. I never wanted any nigga to see any cracks in our relationship.

“Chill, little mama. Your man got this.” I reached over and rubbed the top of her hand before I held it. “I just want to talk business with the man.”

She held my hand but kept her eyes out the window.

I drove toward Geary Boulevard. We had a house on Sea Cliff Avenue, and it was one of the things I was most proud of. The house had the best view of the Golden Gate Bridge, but there was much more. Mylah and I had designed it, and it featured wide-plank Brazilian teak hardwood flooring and glass walls. She had wanted a custom staircase so bad, so I had made it happen. On the main level was the living room, and it had gorgeous furniture—a brand that I couldn’t pronounce—and a Ribbon fireplace. The living room flowed into the dining room, and to the right of the dining room was a gourmet kitchen with sleek cabinetry, a huge island, and premium appliances. The second level had a luxurious master suite with a walk-in closet and a master bath with a balcony. The third level had a large family room, a second bedroom, a bath, and a laundry room. A hot tub and pool took up most of the yard. This place was our palace.

As soon as I pulled up in the driveway, I saw that Rob and Muse were sitting in Muse’s Buick LeSabre. They were brothers, and they were from Mobile, Alabama. They were some of the most ruthless niggas I had ever met. They would rob anybody, and they didn’t believe in karma. Kicking down doors and hitting licks was their thing, so when it came to getting dirty, they had no problem getting down to it.

I hit the garage-door opener, and after the door rose most of the way, I pulled inside the garage. At the same time, Muse got out of the car and lit a cigarette as he walked up the driveway with Rob behind him. Mylah and I climbed out the car, while Jook lingered in the back seat. As Mylah walked into the house, I smiled at her backside. She was going to get all my attention as soon as these niggas were gone, and I was going to wear her ass out until she couldn’t take this dick anymore, but at that moment, I needed to handle this business.

Muse put out his cigarette just as Jook got out of the car, and I pressed the button to close the garage door. When the four of us entered the house, I led the way to the living room. As we passed the kitchen, I saw that Mylah was taking her stuff out of the bag. Once we reached the living room, Muse, Rob, and Jook sat down on the couches.

“So, where’s Blaze, and when we rolling out?” I asked, getting right to the point.

“We got a slight problem,” Muse said, staring at his phone.

“What kind of slight problem?” I asked.

“The spot is a bust. Blaze ain’t there.”

“Was he really there in the first fucking place?” I asked, feeling disappointed.

Muse shrugged. “I heard he was.”

“How credible is your source, nigga?”

“Usually credible.”

“Fuck this. Do anybody know where he lives?” I said.

Rob shook his head. “Nah, but I know where to find his crew.”

“Nigga, we all know where to find his crew. Li’l Baby stays out on Taylor. Tez’s flashy ass is always around Third, and what’s that big black-ass nigga’s name?” I snapped my fingers.

“Kane,” Jook answered.

I nodded. “Yeah, Kane. I ran into him a few times, and I don’t care about how buff that nigga thinks he is. It ain’t nothing to take his big ass down as long as it leads up to Blaze.”

Mylah turned on the Ninja blender just then, and thanks to the open floor plan, the machine was loud. I snapped my head in her direction to see if she was going to be quick. She didn’t look up at me, but the way her lips were curled into a snarl made me do a double take.

I waited until she was done to continue. “Somebody gotta know something.”

“Ain’t Kane your homeboy, Mylah?” Muse called toward the kitchen.

I looked back at Mylah to see her reaction, because I didn’t know she knew the nigga.

Mylah poured her drink into a margarita glass without responding.

“You got his number?” Muse called, continuing to question her.

I didn’t like anybody questioning my lady, and I didn’t like how he was asking her. It was like he was trying to insinuate that Kane and Mylah had something going on, and I wasn’t feeling that, because my queen was too on a nigga to fuck around.

“Aye, nigga, Mylah ain’t got shit to do with this,” I snapped.

Mylah left the kitchen and took her drink upstairs.

“I’ll be up there in a minute,” I called after her.

She kept walking up the stairs without uttering a word.

“Nigga, what the fuck?” I spat toward Muse.

“My bad, Rome, but I saw Kane and Mylah earlier today, while I was riding by Roxie’s, and they seemed mighty friendly.”

“Swear?”

“On my mama,” Muse said as he reached for the blunt Jook was offering him.

“I’m not even trying to start no shit, Rome, but what’s up with her attitude?” Jook asked.

“Nigga, she just hot because tonight I’m supposed to be kicking it with her. Y’all leave that thinking shit to me and pass the muthafuckin’ blunt.”

Muse handed it to me and said, “We did what you asked and pulled up on Tez. We straight jacked the nigga.”

Rob handed me a wad of money.

“Good.” I unrolled the money and counted it. “This should definitely shake shit up.”

Muse’s cell phone rang just then, and he answered quickly. “Hello . . . Yeah, we on our way . . . yeah.” He ended the call and stood. “We gotta roll out.”

Rob stood up to leave with him. “Li’l Baby is Blaze’s eyes and ears over on Jones. You want us to talk to her?”

“Yeah, do that,” I replied.

“I’ma ride out with them, if it’s cool,” Jook said.

I nodded. “It’s good.”

I saw them to the door and locked up the house once they had walked out. I headed up the stairs. When I went into our bedroom, Mylah was sitting out on the balcony. She had the softest part of my heart for real.

I stepped out onto the balcony and sat down next to her. I asked, “You wanna hit this blunt before you get too drunk?”

She shook her head, and her cold eyes met mine. This glare was something new, and I didn’t like it.

“What’s up with you?”

She didn’t respond immediately. After a minute or so, she finally said, “I think you’re making a huge mistake with wanting to talk to Blaze.”

Instantly, I felt my insides quake. “I don’t make fucking mistakes, so watch ya mouth.”

Worry filled her eyes as she sighed.

“You spooked or something?” I asked her.

“I just don’t want to get that call that something bad happened to you, Romello Kasongo.” Whenever she called me by my government name, she was serious.

“I hear you, Mama, but lis. . .