Daddy's House by Azarel Read Free Book Online Page B

be led by a hoodlum, who couldn’t even keep his pants up on his waist. “Okay…I’ll go,” I finally agreed. “But not for long. Just until I make enough money to move away and be on my own.”
    “ Bet. I just gotta spring for an outfit before you start. You make a nigga look bad, goin’ over there lookin’ broke down.”
    I stretched my neck, wanting to ask him if he’d looked in the mirror lately. It looked like he had slapped a bunch of gel in his two-inch strands dressed like a starved thug.
    “ Let’s move it then,” Luke ordered, with an instant grin.
    He moved his hands back and forth, motioning me to move faster. I took my time getting dressed, and questioned Tracey like crazy about her strange flavor of the month.
    Before long, we were on 125th Street, and had hit up one of Luke’s thieving friends for a new outfit just for me. He had all kinds of stuff, ranging from Baby Phat to Apple Bottoms, to no name sweatsuits and athletic gear. I wanted more, but Luke said he was doing me a favor just to get me in the door. He said first impressions were long lasting. I laughed inside, wondering what catalog Tracey had gotten this clown from.
    We made several stops in the city before heading out to meet Luke’s connection with the job opening. The ride to Long Island gave me time to really think. In between Luke’s ranting and raving about his friend Duece, I mapped out my plan. I’d decided that I would only stay at
    Duece’s house for a few months, just enough time to make some money and move to L.A., or maybe even Vegas, just somewhere far away. Until then, maybe this new spot would be incognito.
    From what Luke said, it didn’t seem like nobody from the streets would be coming anywhere near his place. Luke said Duece was from the streets, and had a notorious rep from back in the day, but was now all about business. He only rubbed shoulders with the elite, and kept the low lives far away from his establishment.
    Luke slammed on breaks, taking me away from my thoughts. He backed the white Impala up quickly, making sure his tires screeched in the process. Through the black rod iron gates, what looked to me like a mini-mansion, sat nestled back behind the gigantic flower beds.
    “ What’s that address?” Luke asked, leaning in front of Tracey. “I can’t see shit.”
    “ Hell if I know. If you can’t see it, why you think I can,” she smacked. “And get your Jheri curl out my face,” she joked.
    “ Right there,” he pointed. “The address is on the columns. That’s it,” he added, in a more serious tone.
    Luke whipped the car around and pulled up to the gate. I thought we were gonna have to push a button on the intercom and give names along with I.D. Strangely, the gate opened as we pulled onto the cobblestone driveway. The house sat like a mansion up on top of the hill.
    The only way up to the front door was the long expensive looking stairwell, which led to the stylish landing.
    “ See, didn’t I tell you your boy was gonna hook shit up,” Luke boasted, shaking his head up and down. His smile grew wider the closer we got to the front of the house. He leaned over and kissed Tracey. “You wanna cut, don’t you?”
    Tracey rolled her eyes and didn’t even respond. I wasn’t sure if he was joking or not, but focused my attention to the opening French doors above the stoned staircase. When the car stopped, we hopped out and followed closely behind Luke. He walked like he’d done this before, and made it clear that he admired Deuce’s style.
    I walked slowly up the stairs, only to see a huge man emerge and shake Luke’s hand out on the landing.
    “ Long time no see,” the man said to Luke. “And this pretty lady is?” he asked, referring to Tracey. His cologne was loud, but smelled real good and expensive. He placed an arm on Tracey’s shoulder, like he felt sorry for her. It was almost as if he knew she wasn’t the one coming to work for him.
    Luke jumped over near Tracey quickly