Heart of the Hustle

by A'zayler

  “Your friend, Miss Snow, she’s a gem.” His driver’s voice brought him out of his thoughts.

  Angel looked out of the window before nodding. “She’s something.”

  His driver chuckled. “Why are you so hard on her? You seem to be really sweet on each other.”

  Angel ran his hand over his face. “That’s the problem.”

  His driver nodded as he pulled into the parking space in front of Angel’s condo. The truck was quiet as Angel got out and closed the door. His driver was standing to the side, waiting for Angel to retreat before getting back into the truck.

  “Happiness is good for the soul, Mr. DeLuca. You’re young, live a little.” He tipped his hat at Angel before getting back into the driver seat.

  Angel stood stuck as the truck pulled away from the curb. His heart agreed with his driver, but his mind wanted no part of a love with Snow. Love took too much out of a person. After Genesis, Angel wasn’t even sure if he was capable of loving a woman the right way anymore.

  He stood outside only a few moments longer before going inside. With nothing better to do, he turned his video game on and played that until he got hungry. After shutting it back off, he walked into the kitchen to find something to eat. Angel sifted through all of the cabinets and the refrigerator before growing angry.

  “Fuck!” he groaned.

  He was fresh out of groceries and had no interest in going to the store. It was going on eight o’clock at night, and he wanted nothing more than to just get into his bed and go to sleep. Too bad his body had other plans. His stomach was aching and growling at the same time, so he called his mother. She answered immediately.

  “Hey, baby.” She greeted him warmly.

  “Hey, Ma. Did you cook?”

  She snickered. “Not tonight. I took your father to his favorite Italian restaurant. It was a good day, so I wanted to make sure we enjoyed it.”

  Angel smiled upon hearing his father had been himself that day. It was rare that he had “good days,” as Empress liked to call them, so when he did, they made sure to take full advantage of it.

  “Okay, well I won’t hold you. Tell Daddy I love him.”

  She snickered at someone in the background before coming back on the line. “Vinny says get your own woman to cook for you, and stop calling his.”

  Empress’s happy laughter made Angel feel even better, at least for the moment.

  “I’ll be right back, Vinny. Give me one second,” Empress told his father. A few seconds later she was back on the phone. “A detective came by the estate yesterday. They couldn’t get in, but the fact that they were even here is what’s worrying me.”

  Her words knocked the wind completely out of Angel. “Did they leave a card or any form of contact?”

  “No, I just saw them snooping around the gates,” she whispered. “I don’t want to tell Vinny and upset him on such a good day.”

  Angel held his head down. “I understand, Ma. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Okay, baby. I love you.”

  “Love you too, and give Daddy my best.”

  “You just do like your father told you and get your own woman.” Empress’s laughter carried through the receiver, pulling a small chuckle from Angel as well.

  He laughed and joked with her for a little while longer before ending their call. His father was right. Maybe he did need his own woman. Angel sat stretched out on his sofa for a little while longer before getting up and getting dressed. He threw on a hoodie and some flip-flops, and then grabbed his keys.

  He was in his car and headed down the highway in no time. It felt so good to be in his car that he took the long way to his favorite restaurant. Being driven around in his father’s truck was annoying, but a safety precaution that Empress felt the need to take, so he obliged. Now, with all of the sporadic police visits, he was starting to think she was right. With a deep sigh, Angel pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant with a heavy heart and full mind. He was doing everything he could for his family, and he was still being met with hardships.

  Angel was still bothered by what his mother had shared with him when he pulled around to the window to get his food and saw a familiar face standing on the inside. He watched her and the way she laughed with the man standing behind her. Momentarily, he wondered if they were together, but quickly pushed that from his mind. That wasn’t his business, at least he didn’t want it to be.

  He was so enthralled by the woman and the man that he didn’t even hear the man trying to hand him his food.

  “Sir!” the guy with the greasy brown bag yelled again.

  Angel shot the man a menacing glare before snatching his food and driving to the parking space in front of him. He didn’t know what had gotten into him, but he was out of his car within seconds. He walked with a purpose and snatched the door to the restaurant open.

  She must have felt his presence because as soon as he got inside, she turned to look at him. The smile that had just been on her face shrank some as she turned back around so that she was no longer facing him. That one action pushed Angel over the edge, because she had just been laughs and giggles with the dirty-shoe-wearing nigga that was next to her but had the nerve to frown at him.

  Hell no. He wasn’t having that. Without thinking, Angel walked to her and grabbed her arm. “What you doing out by yourself this time of night?” he asked her with his eyebrows knitted together.

  She snatched away immediately, causing somewhat of a scene. “I have already told you too many times about grabbing on me like that.”

  Angel’s temper shot through the roof as soon as he noticed people looking at them. “Snow, don’t fuck with me,” he gritted out.

  “You started it, snatching on me and shit. What’s wrong with you anyway?” She looked at him with her frown mirroring his.

  Angel’s eyes surveyed her smooth chocolate face as her words circled his brain. What was his problem? Why was he so concerned about her safety or so angry at the man’s presence next to her? He was all fucked up and couldn’t even think of what to say.

  “How did you even know I was here?” she asked with an attitude.

  Angel looked around at the people looking at them before speaking lower. “I saw you from the drive-thru.”

  “And you wanted to check on me?”

  He nodded.

  “Oh, okay. I’m good. Just hungry.” Her tone softened some after his admission.

  Angel was about to tell her he’d see her later and just go home until the man she’d been talking to earlier touched her shoulder in an attempt to nudge her up in line. Angel’s blood boiled over for a reason he couldn’t explain, and he pushed the man before he could stop himself.

  “Don’t fucking touch her,” he said, his voice low.

  Snow frowned along with the rest of the people in line. “Angel, what the fuck are you doing?” she asked before looking from the man back to him.

  “Bruh, you better keep your fucking hands to yourself.” The man began walking up on Angel like he was going to do something but was stopped by Snow’s hand.

  She pressed it into the middle of his chest at the same time she grabbed Angel’s arm. “Y’all stop it.”

  “Fuck this dude, li’l mama. He got the right nigga tonight,” the man said as he swelled up like he wanted to fight.

  Angel, on the other hand, stood tall and quiet. He wasn’t the type to get hype during confrontation. He remained as cool and calm as he could until it was time to get forceful. Vinny had taught him on many occasions that cooler heads always prevailed, so in order to gain the upper hand on his opponent, he had to remain calm.

  “What you gon’ do?” Angel taunted with a smirk on his face.

  He hadn’t gone to the restaurant for a fight, but he wasn’t running either.

  “My nigga, you trying to get murdered tonight, ain’t you?” The dude pushed toward Angel, pushing Snow’s hand in the process.

  Before Angel could say or do anything, Snow had snatched her gun out and h
ad it pressed to the side of the man’s neck. Gasps and screams could be heard around them as people scrambled to get out of the way.

  “You gon’ do what to him?” she gritted out with her eyes slanted into slits. “Don’t make idle threats in front of me.”

  The man’s eyes got big as saucers as he looked down at Snow and raised his hands in surrender. “My fault. I ain’t mean no harm.”

  Angel chuckled as he watched the man cower. He was so busy trying to get bad with Angel, when all along he had been a pussy. How the fuck did he let a woman make him turn weak that fast? So what if she had a gun? If she hadn’t used that shit as soon as it came out, then she wasn’t going to use it. Another thing Vinny had taught him.

  “Be cool, Snow.” Angel pinched the corner of her butt.

  Her hand flexed on her gun before she let the front of the man’s shirt go. “Get the fuck out of here, bitch-ass nigga,” she told him.

  Angel didn’t miss how cold her voice was as she spoke to him. Vinny had told him Snow wasn’t to be fucked with, but actually seeing it for himself was still something that was taking him some time to get used to. He was used to the sweet Emelia, not the hard-core woman in front of him. Though it was sexy as hell to watch her strong-arm niggas, he was still going to need a minute to get adjusted to the street-made queen, Snow.

  The man took off out of the restaurant so fast, he stumbled over a few chairs on his way out. Neither Snow nor Angel blinked until they watched him get into his car and drive out of the parking lot. Once they were sure he was gone, Snow turned back around so that she was looking at the people in the restaurant. They were all staring at her with terrified looks on their faces.

  Snow sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. “Get y’all scary asses up. I ain’t gon’ do nothing to y’all.”

  It took a moment for people to begin rising from the floor. Once they were all back to their feet, Snow turned to face Angel.

  “I don’t even want nothing to eat no more because of you.” She frowned before stomping off past him and leaving the building. “Let’s go before the police get here. I’m sure somebody probably called them.”

  Angel followed behind her and snatched her arm as soon as he got close to her. Her hand went to her mouth and came up near his neck, but he was faster that time. Angel squeezed her hand until she dropped her blade.

  “You better stop that shit.” He shook her lightly. “Try to cut me one more time, and see what I do to your ass.”

  Snow rolled her eyes and looked away. “Stop grabbing on me like that, and I will.”

  “You know I’m not going to do nothing to your ass, you just be doing that shit for no reason.”

  Snow sucked her teeth again and looked away but said nothing. Angel looked at the side of her face for a minute before letting her go. She headed toward the black truck in the corner. It wasn’t until then that Angel noticed she was with Vinny’s driver. He felt like a fool then. Had he known she wasn’t out alone, he never would have even gotten out of the car. Then again, maybe he would have. Truth be told, it had been her giggling with another nigga that had taken him out of his element, but he wasn’t going to tell her that.

  “So, you ain’t getting no food?” Angel yelled as he watched her switch toward the truck.

  Her big, round ass was moving to a beat of its own while her thick thighs rubbed together slightly. Angel licked his lips and even had to stretch his legs to keep himself from getting too hard in public. Snow’s body just had that effect on him. No matter how hard he tried to ignore her feminine presence, he failed every time.

  “I ain’t hungry no more,” she sassed.

  Angel laughed at her attitude. “Man, go get you some food.”

  “No thank you. You might show up there acting a fool too. I’ll just starve and cook me something in the morning.”

  Angel jogged over to the truck where she was and reached for her hand, this time giving her a warning. “Don’t cut me.”

  Snow spun around with a smirk on her face. “I can’t. You made me drop my blade over there.”

  Angel looked over his shoulder briefly before looking back at her with a smile on his face. “My fault.”

  She rolled her eyes with a small smile tugging at her lips.

  “I don’t know why you’re trying to act like you’re so mad with me. You were just ready to blow that nigga’s head off in my defense, but now you want to have an attitude.”

  Snow crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s because I don’t play about my food.”

  “Clearly, you don’t play about me either.” Angel stepped closer to her, invading her personal space.

  His hand went to her waist and stayed there, gripping the soft flesh just above her hip. When she didn’t make him move, he stepped closer.

  “I got some food in the car that you can share with me if you want to.”

  Her nose turned up on one side. “No thanks. I’ll get my own.”

  “Why you always got to be so hardheaded? You need to learn to listen,” he joked.

  The frown on her face showed him that she saw no humor in what he was saying. “Learn to listen? Nigga, I don’t listen to nobody but myself.”

  Angel didn’t like her tone at all, so he took a deep breath before speaking. “Watch your fucking mouth, Emelia.”

  “Watch my mouth? Boy, please.” She moved around him, trying to get into the truck, but he stopped her.

  With her arm gripped firmly in his hand, he snatched the back door open so that he could talk to his driver. “You can go ahead home, I’ll bring her.”

  His driver nodded with a smile on his face. “Yes, sir.”

  “No! Don’t leave me,” she yelled back.

  Angel looked down at her with a frown. “What the fuck I just say?”

  Even though she showed her disapproval for the force he was using with her, she kept her mouth shut that time. That surprised Angel more than anything. He just knew she was about to buck back at him harder than that, but when she didn’t, it made him feel good. At least he now knew that she was capable of listening to a man.

  After closing the door, he pulled her across the parking lot and to his passenger side. As soon as the door was open, he shoved her toward the seat and she slid in roughly.

  “Nigga, don’t throw me.”

  “Shut up,” Angel told her before slamming the door closed.

  Once he was in, he buckled his seat belt before making sure she had hers on as well. When he noticed she did, he cranked up, but stopped when he noticed she was stepping on his food.

  “Damn, Emelia. You got your feet all over my food and shit.” He reached down and grabbed the crumpled bag of chili cheese fries.

  “So? Fuck your fries, nigga.”

  “Nah, Snow, fuck your stupid ass,” he yelled out of anger.

  Before Angel saw it coming, Snow’s hand had landed across the side of his face. The sound of her open palm slamming against the soft flesh of his cheek sounded throughout the car like the snap of a snare drum.

  Angel’s nostrils flared as he stared in her direction, trying to calm himself down. “Don’t put your fucking hands on me again, Emelia.”

  “Nigga, if you don’t stop talking to me like you’re my fucking daddy, I will continue beating your ass.” She went to slap him again, but this time her hand was caught in his.

  Angel’s grip around her wrist had her unable to move. She tried to pull away, but he hadn’t even left enough room for her to wiggle her wrist. The long breaths he was taking as he stared at her through the darkness were strong enough to send chills down her spine. Though he was sure Snow hadn’t been, and still wasn’t, the least bit scared of him, her sweaty palms let him know she was nervous.

  The silence following her abuse was eerie and was clearly causing her to rethink putting her hand on him. Her breaths became softer and a lot shorter as she maintained eye contact with a very angry Angel. He was frowning, probably giving him the same unibrow illusion that always happened when he was
upset.

  With a swift yank of her arm, Angel snatched Snow clean across the seat so she was now leaning directly next to him, her face only inches from his. His dark eyes roamed over her face as his jaw jumped.

  “Emelia, if you ever put these pretty little hands on me again, I will personally cut them the fuck off. Don’t fuck with me or your life like that again.” Before throwing her back across the seat with the same arm he’d pulled her with, Angel leaned forward and took a whiff of her scent.

  When he’d had enough of the way she smelled and felt in his presence, she was back in his passenger seat.

  “You’re such an asshole,” she said.

  Angel’s head whipped around rapidly with his face balled into a scowl. “You’re really pushing my fucking buttons tonight.”

  She turned in her seat. “So, Angel. You’re pushing my damn buttons too. I don’t know who you think you are, trying to be all forceful with me, but you are not my man, so you can kill that shit.” She smacked her teeth and sat back in her seat.

  Angel grabbed the bottom of her face and turned her head back to face him. Snow pushed at his hand, but he held her face tighter.

  “I’m not trying to be your fucking man, I’m just trying to look out for your ass,” he fumed before letting her face go and backing out of the parking spot. “You could never be my fucking woman anyway, you don’t damn listen,” he yelled at her.

  Hearing her tell him he wasn’t her man had him mad as hell. Not that he was trying to be her man or no shit like that, but that didn’t mean he wanted to hear her downplaying the option either. Angel expected to hear her say something else, but when he didn’t, he flipped the music on instead and hit the highway. He was so angry that he pushed his car to maximum speed. He zipped between cars, switched lanes, and burned up the highway with speed as she sat quietly unfazed in the passenger seat.