Opp Shit

Chapter Ôñè

Shirley's POV

"Put the glass down, Shoota. I have a very important question for you," I said, not even looking up as my thumbs flew across my phone screen.

"Wassup, lil mama?" Shoota turned to me, flashing a dingy smile that put all his crusty, yellow teeth on full display.
I popped a pre-roll between my lips, my eyes finally locking onto him. "So, what happened?"

The smile vanished from his face. His posture stiffened, and he cleared his throat nervously. "Um, boss... I don't think right now is the right time to be talking about that," he muttered, already shifting his weight and taking a step toward my office door.

"Sit the fuck down, Shoota." My voice dropped an octave, cold and unyielding. I stood up slowly, letting my presence fill the room. "I know you got him locked up."
Shoota froze, his hand hovering near the door handle.

"You've been working for me since I was in high school, and this is how you do me?" I pulled out a lighter, the flame illuminating the anger dancing in my eyes as I lit the pre-roll. I took a slow drag, blowing the smoke directly in his direction.

"Baby girl... I would neva do this to you," he said, his voice cracking slightly as he raised it to defend himself. "You need to be talking to that snake-ass brother of yours."
Bang!

I slammed my phone flat onto the mahogany desk, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the tight space. "Boy, if you don't sit yo raggedy ass down, I'll knock every single one of them extra-buttered teeth out yo damn mouth!"
Shoota swallowed hard, finally backing up and sinking into the chair opposite me. He held his hands up in surrender, the bravado completely draining out of him.

"I get it, mama... I know Devin is yo blood," he said, his voice dropping to a low, urgent hiss. "But that nigga is an opp. The biggest opp on yo team. He got himself into that situation, he just—

I didn't let him finish the sentence. Hearing Devin's name come out of his mouth like that made something inside me snap, but on the outside, I went ice cold. I didn't yell. I didn't scream. I just stared at him through the haze of the smoke curling from my pre-roll.

If Devin was playing snake, I'd deal with it. But Shoota thinking he could talk crazy about my blood in my own office? He forgot who he was talking to. He forgot how I built this empire.

I reached under the edge of my desk and pressed the silent buzzer.

"Boss, I'm just telling you the truth—" Shoota started, his eyes darting around the room as the heavy oak doors to my office clicked and swung open.

Two of my biggest guards, Marcus and Trey,
stepped inside, their shadows instantly blocking out the hallway light. They didn't need me to say a word; they just stood there, arms crossed, waiting for my order.

"Take him," I said smoothly, taking another drag of my pre-roll.

Shoota's face went completely pale. The tough-guy act dissolved in a second. "Wait, Shirley, hold on! Mama, I've been down with you since day one! You can't do this!"

"Tie him up downstairs," I ordered, my voice flat, completely empty of sympathy. "Beat him into a pulp until he forgets what a lie sounds like. If he survives the night, maybe I'll let him speak again."

"Shirley! No! You making a mistake!" Shoota screamed as Marcus grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, dragging him out of the chair like a ragdoll. Trey grabbed his legs, and together they hauled his raggedy ass out of my office, his boots scraping desperately against the hardwood floor until the doors slammed shut.
The sudden silence in the room was heavy.

I leaned back in my chair, looking at the smoke drifting toward the ceiling. Revenge was a messy business, and losing my brother in that shootout had left a gaping hole in my chest that only blood could fill. I was going to find every single person involved, and I was going to tear their worlds apart.

Nothing was going to distract me. No one was going to soften me.
...Or so I thought.

Thanks for reading Chapter 1! What do you think of Shirley so far? Do you think Shoota was telling the truth about Devin? Drop a vote and comment!