4.

Zee leaned back against the cold, damp wall of the alley, her mind racing. That deal with Shaved Head left a bad taste in her mouth, the kind you couldn't spit out no matter how hard you tried. She thought she had everything under control, thought her hustle was tight. But now? Now, the whole operation felt like it was teetering on the edge of collapse.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, dragging her back to the present. She pulled it out, half-expecting another message from K-Boss or worse, Shaved Head again, but it was Liana.

Liana: "Yo, you good? Haven't heard from you."

Zee stared at the message for a second, her thumb hovering over the screen. Liana didn't know about all this. She couldn't know. She wasn't built for the violence, the threats, the constant balancing act between survival and success. Zee had kept her best friend out of the darker side of her hustle for a reason. But every now and then, when the walls felt like they were closing in, she wished she could tell her. Wished she could confide in someone who wasn't part of the game.

But that wasn't how things worked. In this world, you either stayed quiet or you got crushed.

Zee: "All good. Just handling biz."

She shoved the phone back into her pocket and pushed off the wall. The streets stretched out in front of her, cracked and broken like the people who lived in them. The hustle never stopped, and tonight was no different. She had to move, had to keep her mind on the next deal, the next move. Thinking too much would get her killed.

The sound of distant sirens pulled her attention, and she tensed, scanning the street for any sign of trouble. Baltimore had been heating up lately. The Feds were always a shadow in the background, but lately, it felt like they were closer, creeping up on everyone's hustle, waiting for the right moment to pounce.

Zee had heard about the raids on the east side, dealers getting snatched up, their operations crushed overnight. But she wasn't scared. Fear was a luxury she couldn't afford. She knew how to move, how to stay low, keep her business clean. The switches? That was another story. That was a risk, one she couldn't shake. And now Shaved Head was hanging that risk over her like a noose, waiting for her to slip up.

She made her way down the block, slipping through the shadows like she belonged there. She did. This was her territory, even if it wasn't officially marked. Every crack in the sidewalk, every boarded-up window and graffiti-covered wall—it was all part of her world, her life. She'd carved out a piece of it for herself, and she wasn't about to let anyone take it from her.

But as she rounded the corner, heading toward the spot where she usually dropped off product, a familiar figure stepped out of the shadows, blocking her path.

Detective Marcus Hale.

Zee's heart skipped a beat, but she kept her face neutral. Hale had been a problem for as long as she could remember, always circling her, sniffing around her operation like a dog that smelled blood. He wasn't like the other cops. He wasn't looking to lock her up. No, Hale wanted something else. He wanted control.

"You're out late, Zee," Hale said, his voice smooth but with that underlying edge that made her skin crawl.

Zee shrugged, keeping her tone casual. "Gotta make moves. You know how it is."

Hale smirked, taking a step closer. "Yeah, I know how it is. Thing is, I've been hearing some things about you. Word is, you've got more than just weed on your hands these days."

Zee's pulse quickened, but she didn't flinch. She couldn't. "You hear a lot of things, Detective. Don't mean they're true."

Hale raised an eyebrow, his smirk widening. "Maybe. But I got a pretty good track record when it comes to knowing what's real and what's not."

Zee hated the way he looked at her, like he already knew all her secrets, like she was just another pawn on his board. But she wasn't about to let him rattle her. Not tonight.

"What do you want, Hale?" she asked, cutting to the chase.

He chuckled, like they were sharing some kind of private joke. "What I always want, Zee. Cooperation."

Zee narrowed her eyes. "I don't work with cops."

Hale's smirk faded, his expression turning serious. "See, that's where you're wrong. Because in this city, everyone works with someone. Even you. Now, you can either work with me, or you can find out what it's like to have the Feds crawling all over your operation."

Zee clenched her jaw, the anger simmering just below the surface. This was how he operated—dangling threats, making deals. But Zee wasn't stupid. She knew if she gave in to him, it would never stop. He'd own her. And that was something she couldn't allow.

"I'm good," she said, her voice cold.

Hale studied her for a long moment, then nodded slowly, like he'd expected this response all along. "Alright, Zee. Have it your way. But just remember, I'm always watching. You slip up, and I'll be there to clean up the mess. And trust me, you don't want that."

With that, he turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing down the empty street. Zee stood there for a moment, her mind racing. Hale wasn't just a problem—he was a threat. A real one. And now he was watching her more closely than ever.

She couldn't shake the feeling that everything was closing in on her. Shaved Head, K-Boss, Hale… it was like the walls were shrinking, pushing her into a corner she couldn't escape from. She needed a plan, a way to get out from under all of it before it blew up in her face.

But right now, she didn't have one.

Zee pulled her hoodie tighter around her and kept walking, her mind running through her options. She had to get rid of Shaved Head, had to find a way to keep Hale off her back, and somehow, she had to do it all without K-Boss figuring out what was really going on.

The weight of the Glock tucked into her waistband was a constant reminder of the danger she was in. One wrong move, one slip-up, and it was over. But Zee had been here before. She'd survived worse.

As she approached the drop spot, a quiet resolve settled over her. She wasn't going to let anyone control her. Not K-Boss, not Hale, and definitely not Shaved Head. She'd find a way out, just like she always did.

But deep down, she knew that the game was changing. And in this game, no one stayed on top forever.