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“No, that’s where you’d be wrong. I love Mileena, she’s mad at me.” He came from behind the bar and handed the drink to Ryder. “What Mileena being mad at me have to do with you?”
“Nothing. I was just checking,” Ryder said and relaxed as Carter sat down.
He laughed and pointed at Ryder. “I get it. I ain’t that type of mutha fucka, but I get it.” He took a swallow of his drink. “You didn’t get your spot in this crew because you’re her cousin, you earn it every day, so you ain’t gonna lose it because of her. We clear about that?”
“Clear as crystal. Now, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“Rain thinks that it’s Rona King that was backing Barnes, Hawkins and Mobley,” Carter said, liking that after dealing with the bullshit, she got straight down to business.
“Robert King’s daughter?”
“Yeah. You know her?”
“I knew her daddy was an asshole.”
“True.” Carter laughed because he agreed that Robert could be an asshole when the situation called for it.
“But I never met her or her brother,” Ryder added.
“Rain’s got Carla and Jackie looking into Rona King for her. I need you to look into her for me. Find out everything you can about her.”
“If she’s got Carla and Jackie on her, what you need me for?”
“Carla uses hardware to get information, Jackie uses force to get answers. You’re finesse. That’s the tool you use to get what you need done.” Carter paused. “I need you to use your tools and tell me everything that Carla and Jackie don’t. Can you do that for me?”
“I can do that.” Ryder nodded excitedly over the opportunity to once again impress her captain. “I got you, Carter. You know that you can always count on me to get it done,” she said and felt a surge of pride rush over her as Carter stood up.
“Good.” He drained his glass. “Because I’m depending on you to get me what I need,” he said moving toward the door, and Ryder got up.
“I won’t let you down,” Ryder said as Carter held the door for her.
“I know that you won’t,” Carter said as Ryder went downstairs into the club feeling like a million dollars in uncut diamonds and determined as hell to step up for the captain of her crew.
Chapter Seven
Carter knocked on Rain’s door and walked in her office. She had taken off her guns, had fixed them both a drink and was seated behind her desk.
“What’s up with you and Ryder?” Rain questioned and then she laughed. “You ain’t begging her to talk to Mileena for you, were you?”
Carter laughed. “No, nothing like that. I just put her on Rona King.”
“That’s smart.”
“I try to do smart shit every once in a while,” Carter said and sipped his drink.
“She’ll find out shit that Carla and Jackie won’t.”
“That was my thinking. What else did Mike say?”
The question raised an eyebrow and forced Rain to wonder if Carter had a problem with the way she was running the war. She knew that Wanda did, and that was why Black, and Bobby had been much more visible and involved lately.
All it took was for Barbara to get kidnapped, for Shy to get shot at, and for Jada West to take a bullet for Mr. Black and Mr. Ray to be completely immersed in every detail.
She smiled at Carter. “Not much. You know how Black is sometimes, he likes to let Wanda do the talking for him.”
Carter laughed because Wanda had been in his ear with her feelings on the subject in no uncertain terms.
She’s out of control and it’s costing us.