lobby. There was security, so unless you were a resident, there was no way you were just going to get on the elevator to go up, and from what Big Nick told me, he lived on the twelfth floor, so the elevator was a must. When I got to the front desk Big Nick had already given them preapproval of my arrival. I handed the password that he gave me to the front-desk attendant, and she quickly alerted him that I had arrived.
At that moment another attendant came over and directed me to the elevator where he took me up to the twelfth floor. When we reached it, he walked me all the way to Big Nick’s apartment where he rang the doorbell. Finally the door swung open, and I was standing face-to-face with Big Nick. I hadn’t seen him since my dad went up to prison, but he still looked the same. Big Nick was about 6 feet 7, weighed at least 250 pounds, and had a look on his face that said, “Don’t fuck with me.” Somewhere along that line he encountered the name Big Nick.
“ Baby girl,” he said, as soon as the door swung open. “Come on in here and give me a hug.”
Hugging Big Nick made me feel like I had my daddy back, because my dad and Big Nick were the same height. They probably weighed about the same except my dad was light-skinned and Big Nick had a milk chocolate skin tone. Needless to say, they both were very handsome men.
“ Hi, Nick,” I said in a casual tone.
“ It’s been way too long. I really miss you kids.”
“ Likewise.” I tried to sound really grown up. “I was glad to find out that your number was still the same,” I said to keep the conversation going.
“ Well, I’m just glad you called. Ain’t nothing been right since your dad went to jail. I just want you to know I never forgot about your mom, Monica, Li’l Bo, or you. The police was trying to hassle everyone who associated with your dad. I mean, your dad’s occupation and mine was totally different, but the feds didn’t give a fuck. They just wanted to get everybody who was associated with him in any way. So I just stayed away. I go up all the time to see him though. He told me about your mom. That situation is killing him while he’s inside. Anyway, I was glad when you called, but I was a little concerned about you needing guns. You OK?” His forehead had a slight frown.
“ Yea . . . Yeah,” I said having to clear my voice. Big Nick talking about my family was making me get emotional. “Just need some protection. You know how it is over in the Brewster. That neighborhood ain’t changing, and I want to feel protected. Tha . . . That’s all.” I had to clear my throat again.
Big Nick gave me a long look like he was trying to see inside me for a minute. “Follow me,” he finally instructed me. I followed him as he led me to the back of his luxurious penthouse. He led me to this room complete with a fully stocked bar and a pool table. It also had two big-screen TVs on opposite walls. On the pool table lay two guns that shined so brightly I could literally see them sparkle.
Picking up the gun and running his hand across the rim I saw a light inside Big Nick that only a killer gets when he puts a gun in his hand.
“ This here is a Ruger GP100 complete with a silencer. With you being a young lady this is all you need for regal protection. You think you can handle this gun?”
I picked up the other Ruger from the table to feel the weight of it. “This is some real heat,” I said with an unbelievable look in my eyes. A true feeling of excitement raced straight to my heart holding the gun in my hand. I was so focused on the gun that I didn’t even hear Big Nick when he asked me the question.
“ Damn right it’s real. Now again, can you handle this gun or do you need something smaller?”
“ No. I can handle this,” I said matter-of-factly.
“ I thought you could, but I had to ask. I’m giving you both of these because you said on the phone you need two. I
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