Judah's fingertips gripped the zipper of his pants to pull it back up while his eyes remained on Renee as she dragged her nose across a line of white powder on the desk with spit and semen still plastered all over the bottom half of her face.

He pulled a Louis Vuitton belt through the loops of his jeans, adverting his attention to the Nokia cell phone that rung in his pocket. After buckling the belt, he removed the phone and placed it up against his right ear.

"Boss, it's Traydon. Clear." One of the main-but most simple-rules of the game, never speak first on the phone.

Even though tapped calls were a thing of the past, the cops and federal agents in New York often got ahold of numbers of certain business men by certain employees of said business men, hoping they'd implicate themselves and save the police from having to do the work.

The men employed under Judah knew to always announce that it was clear to speak. If it wasn't and they were in the presence of law enforcement, a specific code would be said. Only his men knew the code. He kept a very tight circle.

"What's good?" Judah gestured for Renee to leave with a head tilt, and she did as told after scooping the last bit of powder into the palm of her hand.

"We got a problem down here. Cane here and this nigga say he ain't leaving 'til he see you. He said somethin' 'bout niggas tryna hit at yo' pops or somethin' like that." Traydon muffled out into the phone.

"Kill hi-matter fact, don't touch 'em. I'm on my way." Judah ended the call without waiting for a response, flipping the phone closed.

He grabbed the jacket to his suit and slid it over his shoulders while making his way to the large brown door that separated his office from the hallway. He locked it behind himself and then stepped on the elevator that was at the end of the hall.

There were five floors in the seemingly abandoned warehouse deep in Spanish Harlem, known commonly as East Harlem. Almost every window was cardboard covered and damn near half of the building was underground from past incomplete demolition.

The top floor only held Judah's office and a miniature apartment because of how much time he spent here. Most nights he didn't have time to go home. He was always working. You'd think that with as successful as he was, he could leave it up to his employees to get everything done. Nobody got shit done like him though.

Second floor was where most of the weaponry and ammunition was stored. Any and every gun you could name, Judah had it. Handguns, pistols, revolvers, rifles, AK's, M16s, machine guns, shotguns-the whole nine yards. He had grenades too, if his collection of guns wasn't impressive enough.

The third floor was mainly for his guys to chill in during their down time. It had an exceptionally large kitchen, four bathrooms, a laundry room, and six PS5 monitors for them to play games on. There were three maids and three cooks that rotated working days to make sure his men were always taken care of, 24/7.

The fourth floor was where the business happened. Drugs upon drugs upon drugs. Judah had his hands on shit that most dealers believed only existed in Greek myths. His connects didn't play about him nor the crackheads and dealers he supplied and he loved that.

The fifth and final floor was a floor most prayed to stay away from. A soundproof torture chamber that had taken the lives of over two hundred people. There was also janitors, a morgue and a mortician on that floor to take care of the, you know, aftermath. A literal nightmare for anyone who ended up there.

Technically there was a sixth level, but that was just the basement. It's where he, his men, and his employees parked their cars. Each car had a sticker that needed to be scanned on it to let the security guard know it was good to let them in.

The only way to enter and exit the basement was through an underground tunnel due to half of the building being underground. It actually worked perfectly because it was hard to access, especially with armed guards who were posted 24/7 in unseeable positions ready to shoot and kill anyone who trespassed.

Again, Judah kept a close knit circle. Everything worked a certain way and everyone knew to follow his rules down to a T. His business ran better that way, and more people were able to keep their lives that way.

"Shit." Traydon briefly flinched as two bullets flew right by his head, taking out the two men that accompanied Cane.

"Yo, yo, yo I ain't even on that type timing man. I swear I ain't." Cane backed himself up against the wall as Judah approached him with a Glock 19 pistol in his hand, a personal favorite of his.

"Well what's good then?" Judah aimed the pistol carelessly at Cane's left kneecap, daring him to say something stupid so that he could shoot him.

"I-I-I got some intel I think you could use. Yo, could you point that thing somewhere else man? Please?!" He shielded his knee, so Judah raised his gun and shot him in his right arm.

"You talking too slow. You gone lose this bitch if youn tell me what you here for." Judah then pressed the barrel of his gun into Cane's flesh wound, causing him to grunt in agony.

"It's Big East. Shit, shit man-I'm being serious!" He pleaded, losing the feeling in his arm as Judah shoved his gun deeper at the mention of his father.

"Talk faster." He reiterated.

"Some niggas from the Bronx said they gon' take him on his way home from work so that you can give them some money. It's a five million dollar contract on his head. I swear I ain't lying man. I swear man, please." Cane begged as his eyes began to burn with tears.

Judah sent a fatal bullet through his chest, and Cane's body dropped seconds later.

"Get this fuckin' blood off my wall and find out what the fuck he talking about." Judah gestured with his gun, and six different men moved to do as he'd instructed.

"I ain't heard shit about that East. Who should I call?" Traydon followed behind him as he headed towards the elevator.

"Figure it the fuck out." Judah pulled an iPhone XR from his pocket, watching it unlock at sight of his face.

"Yes sir." Traydon replied at the same time that the elevator doors started to close in front of him.

Judah went to his contact list on his XR, which only held four contacts in total. Both of his parents, his little brother, and his nephew. He only used the phone to call or text them. Nothing more, nothing less. It made it easier for them to access him in his crazy life. They were the only people he would put everything on hold for.

He kept the phone to his ear as he walked towards his 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe LS Sport truck, waiting for his father to answer as he grew more impatient with every second that passed.

Usually he took threats lightly, especially when they came from little workers on the block. Genuinely taking them serious would just be straight up bafoonery with the status he held.

What stuck out about Cane's intel though, was that nobody knew that his father had a job. Mentioning that they'd grab him from work meant that the intel was more than likely credible. That's why he was taking this little threat more seriously than usual.

"What's up, son? How you doing?" His father, Abel, answered with an enthusiastic voice.

"I'm good OG. Where you at? You safe?" He exited the parking garage, doing a hand motion in appreciation to the guard who lifted the gate.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah. You talkin' 'bout those little boys who tried to come in my got damn library? Well, Perkins and Santino got them handled before they could." He assured, letting out a light laugh with his words.

"That's good papa. I wasn't tripping 'bout it but I had to make sure. I'ma find out what that was, but I want you and ma to stay home until I do." He told him.

"Oh no. We on lockdown again, ain't it?" He spoke in fake exasperation, putting a smile on Judah's face.

"Yeah, y'all is. You know who to call if y'all need somethin'. Stay at home." He repeated, knowing how hardheaded his father was.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You coming home tonight? Yo' mama making wagyu and street corn for dinner."

"You know I am. I'ma see you later papa. I love you." He placed a blunt from his cup holder to his lips, using his left hand to light it while his knees held the steering wheel straight.

"I love you too son. See you later." Abel hung up first, and Judah tossed the phone into the passenger seat just as his Nokia began to ring.

Shit never stopped, clearly. Just another day for him.

"Boss, it's Shelly. Clear."

"What's good?" He answered.

"She playing at the park by her house right now. It's a crowd here, I think it's a game. You sliding?"

"I'm on my way." Was all that he said, and then he ended the call. Luckily, he was already headed in that direction. It took him almost twenty minutes to get to the park off fifth Avenue, and it really was quite the crowd when he got there.

There were food trucks lined up on the four connecting streets that surrounded the park, it was kids playing on the actual playground, and what seemed to be a heated game being played on the basketball court.

He parked his truck in an empty spot, and grabbed a water bottle from the console before getting out. He decided against ashing his blunt, keeping it between his lips as he made his way towards the court where mostly everyone was.

Random people spoke to him during the short walk, and he returned short waves in response. A path was cleared for him to get to where a few of his workers were sitting on the metal bleachers, and he dapped some of them up when he made it.

"What's going on?" He asked Shelly, standing next to him in the grass. Behind him stood an armed guard who was dressed in casual clothing, and another stood to the left of him.

"They mad 'cause she whooping they ass. Some of them niggas bet for two bands each." He pointed to a group of rowdy men on the other side of the court.

"Mm." Judah only hummed in response, focusing his gaze in on the only woman on the court, playing on a team with five men against a team of six other men.

Her name was Kianna Jade. She went by KJ though, and frequently became upset whenever her real name was used. She stood at 5'8 and weighed in at around 180 pounds. Her weight was distributed so perfectly that most assumed she'd been under the knife.

Running track and basketball is what blessed her with the perfect silhouette, though. She loved the latter sport probably more than she loved her literal life. She was a beast on the court, whether playing against men or women, and that was undeniable.

Kianna Jade.

Even her name was perfect. Well, at least Judah thought so.

"Man what the fuck, this nigga not even playing! Get off my ass, yo, what the fuck?!" Kianna dropped the ball in her hand to shove the man who stood so closely behind her back a few feet.

"How you a dyke with all this ass anyway?" The man on the opposing team smirked, causing Kianna's face to frown up in disgust.

"Get him soon as this shit end, you hear me?" Judah looked over at the guard to his left, receiving a nod in response.

"She can handle her own nigga." Shelly chuckled, glancing over at Judah after seeing Kianna juke the opposition to take a three point shot at the basket, and the ball made it in at the same time that the man fell, clutching his twisted ankle.

Judah chuckled as well as the crowd began to cheer for her, even those who were supposed to be cheering for the opposing team. Her teammates dapped her up as she passed them, moving back to her position on defense.

His eyes scanned over her cleanly manicured fingertips that were coated in clear polish as she pulled her adidas sweats up once they started to sag, momentarily displaying her Calvin Klein boxers.

"That girl damn near a grown ass man and you staring at her like she a sexy bitch off the block." Shelly nudged his shoulder, and Judah looked over at him with a sly grin.

"She is a sexy bitch off the block. She could act like a nigga all she want. She still got a pussy in them boxers, regardless." He shrugged, turning his gaze back on Kianna.

"Uh-huh. Well, who am I to fetish shame? You like studs, that's on you." Shelly held his hands up in surrender, taking a seat on the bleachers.

"That's game!" A young boy who played referee call out as the timer on his phone went off, and the crowd cheered again as Kianna's last shot went in.

Her team won 73 to 41, but of course she had to show off and make a final basket to seal the deal.

"Yeah nigga. Pay up. Allll y'all!" Kianna's best friend, Amina, walked down a line of men to collect the money they placed a bet with.

Kianna's perfect smile flashed as she sat down on a bench, twisting the cap off of her fruit punch Gatorade bottle. Her best friend loved to place bets on her because she knew that when it came to playing basketball, Kianna would show out every time.

Judah remained at the park even when the crowd dispersed as night finally fell. It was nearing eight in the evening, and although he'd told his father he'd make it in for dinner, he now had other plans. He was taking her. Tonight.

He was tired of playing the waiting game. He'd waited long enough.

She was the last one left at the park, which wasn't unusual. She always cleaned up when everyone left after her games because she felt bad for the old man who had the late night janitorial shift. One gust of wind could disintegrate him completely, it seemed.

Finally, Kianna started the short trek towards her apartment. Coincidentally, and lucky enough for Judah, the walk required her to pass right by his truck.

"Jason?" She called, turning her head at the sound of a branch being stepped on, hoping it was one of her teammates who always picked with her. It was too dark and eerie to be playing, and he loved scaring her.

"Jason this shit not funny. I'm too tired for yo' shit, boy." She turned back around, stuffing her hands deeper inside of her pockets.

Moments later, Judah stealthily approached her from behind and wrapped his right arm around her neck, wasting no time to cut off her breathing.

"I know mama. I'm sorry. It'll be quick." He grunted softly, keeping the tight grip he had when she pulled at his arm with both of her hands, trying to remove it.

Kianna passed out in his arms within ten seconds, and he leaned over to pick her up bridal style. He hoisted her up further against his body, carrying her back to the truck his security drove that was parked behind his own.

He opened the back door, positioning her upright inside. He zip tied her hands and ankles since he knew she'd regain consciousness within a few minutes, and then he took a moment to take a good look at her.

His hand gripped her low slicked bun, pulling it back to force her head to tilt backwards as well. He put his face in her neck, letting her natural scent infiltrate his nostrils. She smelled like nothing but shea butter but it was enough to make his dick hard.

Kianna groaned under her breath as she came to, feeling a nonstop pounding sensation at the back of her head from the previous lack of air. Judah left a light kiss on her neck before pulling back, letting her frightened gaze meet his darker one.

"Wassup mama? You scared?" His voice seemed as demonic as the look in his mocha brown eyes.

"Don't be. I ain't gone hurt you if you listen." His tongue ran mindlessly over his lips as he stood upright. "I'll be seeing you." He tilted his head at her before closing the door.

He walked around to the driver's side, and the guard sitting behind the steering wheel let the window all the way down.

"Make sure nobody touch her. I don't give a fuck what she do, it bet not be even a scratch on her 'til I get there tomorrow. Get her whatever she wanna eat and leave her in room 19." He instructed, causing the both of them to nod.

"Let this window down." He referred to the back one on the driver's side, watching it instantly roll down.

"Listen to what they tell you and I won't put my hands on you. If you don't, I'll kill you." He told her, and then he hit the back door twice to let them know it was good to drive off.

Howdy whores