AHEAD OF THE GAME | BXB

XXXI

I tossed Ace my phone, which he caught effortlessly, and told him to put it on speaker.

He dialed the number, and we waited anxiously as the call connected. The speakerphone came to life, and a voice on the other end spoke, "You finally decided to talk, huh?"

"It's Ace," he said, getting right to it. "Anthony not meeting with you, but I am."

Cig didn't say anything at first, but after a few anxious seconds, he spoke. "That ain't what I wanted."

"It's what I wanted!" I snapped. "I don't trust you. Never have, never will."

"Hand him the phone," I heard Cig say.

Without hesitation, Ace placed the phone into my hands.

"And take me off speaker."

I glared at Ace before complying with Cig's request. I took him off speakerphone and held the phone to my ear, narrowing my focus on the conversation.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"What's the game here, Anthony?" Cig's voice was low and deliberate.

"No games," I responded, "You said you wanted to have a conversation. And you are. Just not with me specifically. Ace'll fill me in on everything y'all discuss."

Cig let out a dry chuckle, "Why you sending somebody else to do yo' dirty work, Anthony? I thought I taught you better than that."

"You ain't teach me a damn thing. Plus, I'm just being smart. Now, what did you wanna discuss with me anyways? You said something about a deal and peace. What could you have that would even make me consider not shooting you in the face anymore?"

Cig paused for a moment, his voice steady. "You got a crew full of wildcards, Anthony. I got information that could keep them out of serious trouble. We both know you can't control em' all."

"Cig—," I began, but he cut me off almost immediately, "—And I know something about your crew that you don't know. Somebody's playing both sides, Anthony. You might want to know who."

My heart sank, but I kept my face blank as I let my eyes travel to everyone in the room.

I hesitated before replying. "Who?"

"I need something in return before I say anything else."

"Cig!" I exclaimed. "You're waisting my time nigga."

"Hear me out," he said. "Front me a few pounds of your product. The way people talk about you, yo' shit is the best in the city. Maybe I want a piece of what you be selling."

I sighed and glanced at Clutch before I motioned for everybody to leave the room but him and a few other guys.

I decided to let Ace stay since he was apart of the plan. Hopefully that wouldn't come back snd bite me in the ass.

"I'm not frontin' you shit until I get a name first," I said finally.

I could feel the frustration from him through the phone, but quite frankly, I couldn't give a fuck about how mad he was. If I was gonna do this, I needed to get the best out of this deal. Me and Clutch already thought that someone in the crew was a rat, and if he was gonna tell me who, then who was I to refuse?

Now, if I believed him would be a whole other story.

"Okay," Cig said suddenly. "It's Ace."

I paused for a moment, and my gaze shifted over to Ace. Ace returned the look, clearly confused.